"We have been surrounded, your highness. They are marching to us at the moment of speaking."
Panick takes hold of her but still Lysei grits her teeth. " Prepare the soldiers to withstand the attack. We will fight them off or die trying." Even though reoprts have said the number of 100000 was exagerated, still they have double of the menpower te Targaryen has.
How does one defeat an army of 90000 men with only 30 000 men at most?
Not many believe in victory and Lysei starts to hesitate. " Don't hesitate now Your Highness". Says Orys with a hand patting her shoulder. Thomas nods ands stands behind her. " We will fight to protect you and the people of the seven kingdoms. "
Then a soldier, she vaguely recognizes him as Ser Rodrick the White, bursts through the flaps of the tent. " Your highness, they are coming." And indeed, the army, truly a sight to behold, is about a field away from the remaining Targaryen army.
Lysei frowns and feels her heart thud in her chest. She doesn't know what to do and realises she might have made a mistake.
"This was a mistake." She heaves. " I am bringing thirty thousand men to their deaths." Ser Rodrick's weathered face turns soft for a moment, like a grandfather comforting his grandchild. " We will fight, not only for you but to protect the peace the king has brought to us. All we ask is that you have faith in us." Tears are watering her eyes, but Lysei blinks them away and nods.
" Yes."
It's truly a magnificent sight. Even with the smaller amoutnt of men, they march forward, bearing the banner of their king proudly.
The generals, including Orys and Rodrick the White, walk their horses forward. Ser Rodrick pushes his horse into a canter and rides along the line of men.
"Fiire and blood!" He screams. The soldiers mirror his cry. " We will protect the peace the king has brought us. In the name of Queen Lysei Aegys I, First of her name, we'll conquer this army and bring back the rightful king. Fire and blood!" The men roar to his cries.
"Ready to attack?" With a roar, general Stomed of house Summersaent, who is leader of the army beneath Orys, drives his horse in a galop. This is the cue for the army to do exactly the same. Swords, shield and spears brandished the horsed force thunders towards the army on the other side of the field, who now sent their armies forward.
For an instance the screaming of men in anger resounds on both sides and then the armies clash. Horses wheel against each other, men fall down with the force of the impact and shouting as well as clashing of swords,spears and shields resound.
It is a bloody battle, especially now that only part of the army, about 5000 men are sent forward. They do their best yet soon they are almost overrun.
Lysei sees it all with teary eyes. So many people dying because of a foolish attack. They might kill her now as well.
"Your highness!" Thomas is standing next to her. "What have i done?" Lysei whispers "Your highness, this is war. There will always be casualties. These men knew that when they signed up to fight
- I have to do something to help them. I cannot sent the rest of the army yet." Briskly she wals away from the hill overlaying the battlefield and turns to Vezerax, napping at ease. His eyes however open directly when she approaches.
The Targaryenmen hold valiantly. More have come their comrades to aid, yet the feeling of victoy is shortlived when another wave of Humreon soldiers, armour blinking in the sun, arrive at the horizon. The Targaryensoldiers stand still for a moment, some screaming in despair, knowing they will definitely die out here.
And then a wailing screech resounds in the sky. Overhead flies none other then the dragon of the queen.
" Praised is house Targaryen." scream the men. Yet, this one dragon is not enough to scare of the enemy.
Lysei has no time to even to approach or spears and arrows are thrown and shot towards Vezerax. The large dragon screams in rage and pulls his belly up, flying in zigzag motion through the clouds. " Vezerax! " Lysei screams as she tries to hold on to the gigantic beast, who evades the salve of arrows. Yet, some pierce him and for a moment he looses composure and sinks towards the ground. Lysei screams and fears for her friend and for herself.
For a moment she thinks the dragon will fall from the sky but Lysei does not yet know the full strength of the dragons until she hears him roar. She then realizes he is annoyed, the arrows feeling like a nasty thorn in one's foot or side. And then Vezerax brings himself up and a loud screech comes from his mouth. It's a sound loud enough to make men's ear bleed. Then the wailing death as he is called, starts to drop down to the battlefield. Once again the wail leaves his mouth.
Then Vezerax sprads his large black greengolden tinged wings and starts to fly can feel his body heating and then realises what he is planning to do. The moment the enemy army starts to approach she can feel a rumble building in his throat and chest and then a large waterfall of red and greenish flames spread from the dragon's mouth, burning everything and everyone from beneath.
It's perhaps this attack that changes the tides of war.
When she goes in for a second attack, she hears a commotion at the back of the enemy's army. To her surprise the captured Targaryen-army is raising itself in rebellion, tattered banners holding upwards and start to overrun the back of enemy lines. " To the king, to the king!" she hears in the ranks. With a determined huff she turns. And Vezerax, of the same mind, veers left, large wings nearly touching the ground, razing the men below. Then she is back over the battlefield, hands holding on to the black spikes, green fins moving in the wind.
From the moment her raised army isnear enough she raises her voice. " To me! Targaryen to me!" A few soldiers hear her, albeit faintly, and sound a horn. They regroup as best as they can and then, with Vezerax flying over them, the men take up a last run, on foot and on horse, screaming with swords and shields raised to the army where more soldiers keep filing in, in front of them. The horses gallop, foam on mouth, some hooves stamping deeply on the ground, soldiers with axes and swords raised, pushing their horses faster.
And then the two armies meet second clash is a frightening as the first, horses breaking thtough the shields, some jumping over the soldiers, others bashing with their shields into their enemies. She can here the sounds,broken armour, shields and few horses clashing into each other, fighting to survive. Verax roars and bows backwards, legs at the ready and then grips hold of the Humethon-soldiers in the front, who are hiding behind their shield.
For a moment they are winning, when the very last portion of the Humethon's forces arrive.
She is too late to see the few stray archers pointing at the dragon and she holds on, thinking they are targeting him. But she is wrong.
Suddenly Lysei groans in pain. A barely heard scream leaves her as she sits up straighter with difficulty and then two, three arrows cut in her shoulder, below her armour. Immediately she can feel the blood starting to drip and starts to feel ill in her stomach. With a startle she realizes they are poisoned.
She can't hold on any longer and sways to the left, letting go of her dragon.
She can hear her friend keen, a loud uncomfortable keening that comes multiple times as his face comes closer and closer, wings beating to catch up to her.
She feels herself fall and then she is gone, into the darkness.