Chapter 55-Kneeling!

Chapter 55

AEGON TARGARYEN

Aegon stood near the bay and watched the weapons, including trebuchets, scorpions, and so much more, being loaded onto the ships, all made from fine castle-forged steel.

Night had come, yet the men worked tirelessly under the lights of the torches that were now lit along the bay. As half of them loaded the ships, the rest drilled for battle, clad in basic armor and holding nominal spears.

The spear was his choice, and he had chosen to train his new armies with the spear rather than the sword, which was tradition. The spear was easier to use, and though none of them would ever have the proficiency of a true master of the spear, they were common soldiers, and he needed little competence from them.

"Is everything ready, Harwin?" he questioned the man in charge of training and drilling the men, and given how busy Aegon was, he had needed men, loyal men, who could be his arms and legs. Harwin was one such man, as Aegon had him removed from the Council and placed as a commander of his new armies, and truthfully, he could not have made a finer choice.

"It is," the large man added as Aegon inspected the preparations one last time before he rode to Dragonstone.

"The men are ready, and half the ships have already left the port. The rest will be ready to leave within two days," and that was good.

The Velaryons were in a precarious situation, and he would have liked if the mobilization had begun at least a few days ago, but they had taken their time, and now it was up to Aegon to change it all.

"Keep a quarter of the ships back. I have written to our allies in Braavos, and they will be sending a hundred ships from their own fleet as well," and that way, the Crab Feeder's armies will find themselves a victim of the very trap they had set for the Sea Snake.

"We will have him surrounded on both sides and with Braavos cutting out their supply lines, we will simply starve them out," the plan was far more elaborate than that, as Harwin Breakbones nodded.

"I will do as you say, but there is one thing of concern, my Prince," and Aegon stopped and turned to face the giant man, who gazed at him with a hint of worry.

"Despite your quick prediction and quick action, I feel as if we will be too late to come to the aide of the Sea Snake," and his worry was valid.

"The Crab Feeder's men have built a blockade around the great isle of Bloodstone, and despite all of our advantages, it will not be easy for us to break that Blockade in days," and Aegon raised a brow.

"Your concern is valid, but you need not break the blockade in days," though he knew that the men could do so within days, but his words made Harwin gasp, as understanding dawned on him.

"You plan to ride into battle alone," he guessed correctly, and Aegon nodded.

"I have no choice," there was simply no time to waste.

"But that would be suicide! The Crab Feeder and his men will kill you," he added aghast at his audacity, even as Aegon chuckled, for that was a fear that lingered inside him as well, but it was a gamble he had to make.

The entire campaign against these pirate thugs was simply a prelude, and he had no intention of wasting his resources in a prolonged campaign against Cragas Drahar.

No, his real target was the Triarchy, and he planned to make them kneel.

And to do that, he needed to take out their most prominent henchmen rather quickly. These pirates that had given the Sea Snake so much trouble were not held together by fealty or oaths.

No, they were held together by fear and greed, and with Drahar gone, they would disarray themselves and try to swallow one another, making his task much easier.

"You seem to forget that I have a dragon," a very large and ferocious dragon.

"Of course, I know that," Harwin insisted, but the giant man was not yet convinced.

"But so did House Velaryon, for sometime, they had two of them for the campaign, and yet they still failed," and that was a good point.

"All of these men there have a sword in their hands," he pointed towards the men, drilling as Harwin frowned.

"Just because one has a sword does not mean that they will be your equal," and he put his hand on the man's soldier to assure him as suddenly the wing around them shifted as Harwin looked to the skies.

"I know what I am doing, death will not take me just yet," and then suddenly, the fires illuminating the bay shifted as a loud screech filled the area, as Harwin's body paled as a massive beast circled them.

"ROARR!" and Aegon smirked as he saw all the men stop and watch in awe as his dragon landed on the ground behind him, and the whole bay shook with it.

Dragon were creatures of fire and magic, and magic filled his blood, magic of both Old Valyria and the First Men. And in a way, Silverwing fed off that magic, as Aegon made it a habbit to train with his dragon every other day. So, for the last three and a half years, Silverwing had grown and grown, honing its abilities, deepening their connection to a level where it was now perhaps the fastest and most dangerous dragon alive, its size now equal to that of its brother, Vermithor.

"I leave the command here in your hands. Coordinate the attack with Ser Wymand Mallister and Lord Baerys Celtigar. I will join you as soon as I have helped Lord Corlys and his men," and with that, he turned back as his mighty dragon lowered his head without even a single word.

And so Aegon jumped up the saddle, and Silverwing rose tall as it flapped its wings and pushed itself off the bay, taking to the skies as Aegon closed his eyes and uttered the name of his destination.

"To Dragonstone...."

.

.

.

And so, as the Sun rose once again, Aegon found himself walking towards the shore as Dragon keepers all prepared Silverwing for war.

"I have made adjustments to the armor as you requested," the giant Smith added softly as he joined him on this walk.

Hugh, and Aegon often found themselves surprised that he was the first to accept his offer when he asked for some smiths from the capital to come to Dragonstone to work the new forges.

Hugh, the giant of man, had been the first volunteer and, over the last two years, had become the head smith as he mastered the new forges and worked closely with his Wisdoms to fulfill his demands.

"It is now half the weight of the previous armor. I have thinned the plates and added a layer of chain underneath them," and for any other dragon, the added weight would have made them slow.

But Silverwing had trained for this for three years, and as his dragon stood there, the dragon keepers and smiths all cautiously clad it in armor. Aegon felt proud of what he had achieved in these three years.

Dragons were mighty beasts, but they were not invincible, as the realm had learned through years of campaigns. Arrows, scorpions, and bolts could be deadly to the beasts, and while one could try to avoid these things, war was unpredictable.

And, so just as scales protect Silverwing's outside, his underbelly and neck were now covered by thin steel plate, in laid with a chain that could easily stand a scorpion bolt.

"You have done well, Hugh," he complimented the giant man who knelt as Aegon gave a final inspection.

"You honor me, my Prince. This was all your design. I just swung the hammer," and the man was humble, it was why Aegon liked him.

"Stand," Aegon said as he walked upto him and looked him in the eye.

"On my return, I will see that you are richly rewarded for your service," and the man shook his head.

"You have given me more than I deserve, my Prince. I am content," Aegon chuckled.

"No man is ever content," and then he walked up to the old bundle of bones beside him.

"Wisdom Holt, are my weapons ready?" he asked, and the old man shuffled as he nodded.

"Yes. Yes, my Prince. It took much experimentation to get the outer covering right, but the weapons are ready, and it was a brilliant idea to store them with sand. Brilliant," the man complimented him, and he was one of the members of the Alchemist guild, one he had employed for one specific purpose.

"But I should have expected nothing less of a man blessed as you, truly a brilliant mind," the older man rambled on as Aegon nodded as he glanced at the box that was now fastened with the saddle.

"Still, you have cut out much of the saddle, my Prince. Is it really safe to do so?" questioned Hugh, and Aegon smiled as he closed his eyes as Silverwing began to move at his command, galloping towards him as it lowered its head to let him mount the saddle.

"For any other rider, no," and Aegon walked up and sat himself on the new saddle before the beast roared once again and took to the skies for war.

"But for me, I am most safe when I am with Silverwing..."

0000

RHAENYRA TARGARYEN

The arrival of Meleys and Vhagar only affirmed the fact that war had come for her family, though it was a lie. No, war had come for Aegon, and as she lay there in her bed, she watched his dragon take to the skies as while she rocked her little Aenar in her arms, soothing the child who grew tense as the specter of war spread over the entire keep.

Aegon had not come to see her again, after that, and she did not fault him for it. Yet she prayed to Seven, nonetheless to keep him safe.

"My lady," the soft voice of her servant broke her out of her trance as she looked up and nodded quietly, to not disturb the babe in her arms.

"There is someone here to see you," she began, making her frown, for this was not a proper time for a guest to disturb her.

"It is Lady Laena," and the name caught her by surprise, for this was no ordinary guest.

No. This was her cousin, her family, and an old friend.

"Shall I send her away?" the maid asked as she heard no answer from her. However, Rhaenyra shook her head.

"No," she said after a second of thought.

"Let her in...."

0000

LAENOR VELARYON

Many had said that the Stepstones would devour their house, just as they had devoured Prince Daemon, and yet his father had persisted, but it had all been for naught. And now, House Velaryon found itself fighting its last battle, as his father used his own life as bait to draw out the Crab Feeder, hoping that Laenor would be able to change the tides of this war using his dragon.

Alas! They were wrong, and as screams and shouts filled the air as a sense of failure and foreboding hit Laenor as he clung to the saddle of his dragon for dear life.

He saw little through the smoke and fires, yet he heard only screams and shouts as his father's men were slaughtered by the Crab Feeder and his men as he failed once more.

"NOOOO SEASMOKE! NOOOO!" he screamed, trying to order his dragon to stay and fight as they were showered with arrows and scorpions. However, his dragon did not pay heed to his commands as it tried to turn and fly away, and Laenor could not let that happen.

"DRACARYS! DRACARYS!" he screamed, yet Sea Smoke ignored his words just as it ignored his whip and much else, as it tried to fly away as Drahar's men surrounded his father's unit, much to his dismay.

"NO! NO!" he screamed as arrows brushed past his armor. Many hit the scales of his dragon, and others pierced through its skin and hit Sea Smoke, who screamed and screeched in agony as Laenor tried to come to his father's rescue.

"Soves! Soves!" he screamed, and such was the ploy of the Crab Feeder. The man had hidden his armies in the caves here, and as Laenor tried to rush and kill the men assaulting him from one cave, others emerged out of the other cave and began firing arrows at him and his father again, leaving him helpless.

Sea Smoke finally heeded his command flew down to where his father was, as it opened its mouth and spewed a torrent of fire that tore through some of the Crab Feeder's men, but as soon as he left the caves, the volleys of arrow grew thicker and thicker as suddenly he felt a piercing pain in his shoulder.

"AGHHH!" he screamed as an arrow pierced through his armor and hit his shoulder, piercing through his skin as Laenor screamed in agony.

"NOOOO!" and he saw an arrow hit Sea Smoke in the eye as his dragon screeched in agony, twisting and turning so rapidly that Laenor felt his body fly away as Sea Smoke blasted his surroundings with fire as it took to the skies.

"AHHH!" he screamed in agony as his back hit the rocky ground as his vision began to darken.

"NOO!" he heard screams.

"Surround him! Surround my son!" and it was his father's voice that reached his ears as the world around him grew blurry as he saw men try and surround him before suddenly a pair of arms grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Laenor! Laenor!" and he saw that it was his father, and he bled from his face, and smoke and dust covered his face. His armor was coated in blood as he looked at him with worry.

"Father..father," he gasped through the thick smoky air, as he looked around in worry and saw their men getting slaughtered by the second.

"Sea Smoke, Sea..."

"It flew away!" and his father's words ended the last of his hope for both of them as Laenor heard his gasps.

"YOUR ORDERS! LORD CORLYS!"

"YOUR ORDERS! BROTHER!" he heard the voice of his uncle Vaemond as his father cut through one of Drahar's men trying to attack him as he pulled him up.

"Retreat!" "Form up on me and retreat!" but as the men tried to gather up, Laenor looked up and found them surrounded by all sides as suddenly the Crabfeeder's men began to draw back.

"They are leaving us! Why?" he asked, and suddenly the men came to a halt, and as he gazed at their path of retreat his heart sank as he saw it cut off by around two hundred men, all standing there with swords and shields in their arms.

"They have cut us off," Uncle Vaemond added as he joined his father.

"You have finally led us to our death, Corlys!" he added as Laenor's head lowered in shame, for this was not entirely his father's war.

No. This was his war as much as his father's.

"Your hubris has finally caught up with you, Corlys," and he could see the realization dawn on his father as he stood there, stilled as the realization of defeat landed on him.

Pain seared through his whole body as his father grabbed his hand and pushed it around the wound.

"What are you doing?" he asked, but he spoke nothing as he thrust his body into the hands of his brother.

"Look after him..." and with that, he stepped forward as the Crab Feeder's men surrounded him.

"DRHAR!" he shouted as he stepped forward, and Laenor watched with wide eyes as his father's armor fell to the ground as the pirates stations along the rocky valleys parted as Crab Feeder stepped out into the open.

"LET THEM GO....!" and Laenor shook his head as he tried to push himself towards him.

"NO!" his uncle grabbed him by the neck, holding him down as his father dropped his weapon and fell to his knees, as the men all lowered their gazes.

"I ACCEPT MY D....."

But then it happened: suddenly, a loud screech filled the air, and Laenor watched as a giant shadow emerged from behind the valley.

"Dragon!"

"Dragon!"

"Sea Smoke..." many screamed, but Laenor knew that it was not Sea Smoke.

This dragon was bigger and much faster than his own, and he watched as it flew above the valleys spewing a massive storm of fire on Drahar's men while screams and shouts filled the air.

"This is no dragon of ours!" his uncle added as Drahar's men tried to retreat into their caves as they began to fire arrows and scorpions at the dragon. And Laenor felt that whoever it was, had walked into their death, yet this dragon did not relent as it continued to assault the men, and as it circled them once more, he saw it begin its flight once more, saw it approaching the rocky valleys once more.

"ROAR!" and the torrent of fire that rushed out of it shook the very ground as a massive blast shook the valley.

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

And they all trembled in fear, and the surroundings shifted, and Laenor watched as suddenly the color of the fires shifted,

"Green," he saw, as did many others, and watched as massive storms of green fire tore through Drahar's men, whose screams filled the air as the valley itself began to break and collapse as the mighty beast finally landed infront of his father.

"It's him," his uncle was the first to add as he stepped forward.

"It is Prince Aegon...." and the dragon he rode must be Silverwing, and yet none of them had been able to recognise the beast because of the armor that now covered it, and even now as the pirates fired arrows at it the beast did not even budge an inch, as the Prince simply looked at her father as his voice cut through the noise.

"You should have knelt to your king, Lord Corlys..." He felt his heart sink at those words as suddenly the massive dragon roared, making the whole ground shake as it took to the skies once more.

"...then you would not have had to kneel to our enemies!"

0000

Read ahead and support me on Patre 0n. Help me write this and other such stories by becoming a Patr 0n. It would be pretty awesome of you and would mean a lot to me.

www.Patre 0n.com/Drkest

Have a nice day!