132 A.L. Volantis
Queen Rhaenys Targaryen
For two years she had been at war, Volantis was the city she and her husband had decided needed to fall in order to preserve the Daughters in the Throne's possession. As such they had placed Volantis under siege for about six months before the final battle had taken place that had allowed them to take the city, Rhaenys and Lord Laenor had taken the city riding on their dragons Meleys the Red and Tessarion the Blue and had brought down the archers and the scorpions on the walls with dragon fire. And when Rhaenys children Saera and Aemon riding Vhagar and Malystryx flew above the city, the Volanteenese surrendered knowing that their fate would end as it had for the Ironborn in Harrenhal all those years ago. The majority of the city had surrendered peacefully with the Elephant party recognising the Iron Throne's control over the city, and recognising Lord Laenor Velaryon as their lord paramount, his brother Aemon Velaryon was named Lord of the Driftmark in his stead, his children to hold the title for the time after him. Of course some of the more prominent members of the Tiger party had escaped and with some 1,000 men as well, they had fled to the Demon Road and the city of monsters that lived there. And for the past two years had been waging a guerrilla war on them and theirs, it was beginning to grow quite wearisome.
Rhaenys had remained in Volantis and had been sending messages back to her husband in King's Landing alerting him to their needs as they came, right now though she simply wished to go home, she and her children were tired of war as were their men. Still there was reports that the Tiger Party led by one Moro Moro were to assault Volantis one last time with help from the Demon Road cities, and so Rhaenys had called a war council. The people present in the command tent included, herself, her son Aemon and daughter Saera, Lord Laenor Velaryon (whose father had died some years previously), Lord Borros Baratheon, Lord Rickon Stark, Lord Garlan Tyrell and Lord Tyland Lannister. Rhaenys spoke then. "My lords, we all know the situation, we have been within Volantis now for two years. And though the city itself has come to accept our rule as the only rule that they are to see again, there remains a threat from the once dead tiger party. Moro Moro the man who was once nothing has been raiding along the outskirts of the city, and has amassed a big host to combat us. I would hear your thoughts on the best ways to deal with this threat."
Lord Borros spoke then his voice filled with determination. "I say we ride out to meet him open battle. We have waited for far too long within these walls Your Grace. If we must fight and have the rulership of this city decided in a battle, let it be this one. Moro Moro has shown that he will not accept diplomatic negotiation. I say we meet him outside these walls and unleash all of the dragons him."
Rhaenys took in her cousin's suggestion and then looked at Lord Laenor, a man who had once been wild and brash, he had mellowed somewhat with age and children and grandchildren. He spoke then and she saw some of the old Laenor in his words. "What Lord Borros proposes makes sense. We have waited in here for far too long Your Grace. The men grow restless and weary. We must have action soon or we shall be eaten alive from the inside by the elephant party and their men. We must act now to finish off the tigers and have done with them before we move on."
"Where would we go from here Lord Laenor? Volantis is the pinnacle of Essos once we have secured the future of this city, none of the other cities will dare challenge the throne again." Lord Tyland said.
Rhaenys looked at the new Lord of the Rock, his brother Lord Jason had died without issue during the long campaign here and she found herself disgusted by the man. "If you truly think that by simply holding Volantis the other cities will leave us alone, then you are greener than I had ever thought of you Lannister. No we must remove this threat and then we must remove the Demon Road from its very existence, those cities of monsters will continue to harass us otherwise. And from there we shall need to bring Bravos onside. Only then can we have peace and rest."
Lord Rickon Stark spoke then. "So what would you suggest we do Your Grace? We cannot hide in here anymore, on that all agree. So do we move forward and wait for them beyond the gates of this city, or do we unleash hellfire on them once they come close to the city?"
Rhaenys was silent for a long moment and then she said. "We do both, we have men perhaps about 10,000 of our men outside the gates ready and waiting for Mor and his men. And when we see the fighting about to begin, myself and the other dragon riders shall ascend and then descend on the man and his men, and we shall also deal with whatever monstrosities the Demon Road has given the man."
Lord Garlan spoke then. "That is a sound plan Your Grace. It will make it much easier for the bulk of the men to come into play should the need arise. Has there been any word from Pentos?"
Rhaenys knew that the man's younger brother Willem was serving in Pentos and as such could understand his nervousness on such matters. She looked at her son who had been tasked with keeping an ear to the ground on such matters, and Aemon spoke then. "There has been word my lord. Joffrey Strong has wed Serena Mara, the daughter of the most powerful couple in Pentos, Selena and Salaroa Mara. With this marriage, the strength of the Mara family and all their allies is behind Strong, and as such they have been able to rout out Palaqueo and his supporters and have dealt them a strong blow. Prince Daemon writes that Pentos is now secure from threats and that the King has confirmed Joffrey Strong as Lord Paramount of Andalos and Lord of Pentos. His men are returning to King's Landing as we speak."
Lord Garlan breathed a sigh of relief then and Rhaenys called the meeting to an end. As her son and daughter left to get ready for the battle that was to come, Rhaenys could not help but think over what had been happening in the past few years. Her son had wed his twin sisters Saera and Daenaerys without either her or Aemon's permission and whilst she had been angry at that at first, now she was only impressed by all three of their children's daring and boldness, they would make good rulers when their time came. As for her other children, Alysanne was keeping a firm hand on Claw Isle whilst her husband set himself up in Lys as commander of the Daughters. Vaelana was happily married to Rickon Stark and had given him a son whom they had named Cregan and from Rhaenys had read of her daughter's letters Cregan was a wild and bold child. Visenya wed to Addam Velaryon was keeping a firm hand on the Driftmark whilst her husband fought alongside his grandfather here. And then there was her husband, Aemon wrote rarely but when he did Rhaenys got the feeling he was beginning to feel slightly suffocated by the demands of the crown, and that his health was failing him as well did not help matters. Rhaenys wanted nothing more than to return to him and hold him as he had held her many years ago.
Soon enough though the horns were sounded and men were marching out to stand outside the walls as the guards of the city they had conquered. Rhaenys herself was dressed in red armour, Aemon in dark as night armour and Saera in green armour. They all looked at each other and nodded before mounting their dragons, they waited for the sounding of the horn before rising into the sky. They were joined by Lord Laenor on Tessarion and his grandson Ser Addam on Seasmoke. As they flew above the city and the walls, they saw the fighting that was happening below them, screams and steel clashing against one another. Rhaenys looked down and saw a three headed monster cleaving his way through men, and next to him another monster from the Demon Road crushing through the men of the Kingsguard and of the north. Rhaenys waited for a moment and then digging her heels into Meleys waited as her dragon and those of her companions let loose roars that shook the earth.
The dragons unleashed flame after flame burning through man and monster alike, screams flew up to reach her ears and Rhaenys kept spurring Meleys on, fire engulfed the sands outside Volantis and the men died hard. The monsters pushed through some, but soon enough they too were engulfed in flame and were to die in flame and smoke. Arrows were fired up at her and hers, but they missed or struck armour and were ineffective. Fire continued to engulf the monsters below, the men having long since died. Eventually when the last monster died a terrifying mess of bone, smoke and dust, the battle of the Smoky Ruin came to an end and Volantis was now secure. It was time to end the Demon Road once and for all.