Chapter 108: Racallio: Hello, Lohar

Lord Forrest Frey rode triumphantly around the Westerlands lords, his spirits lifted. House Frey was not one of the ancient noble houses; their rise had come during the Storm King's rule over the Riverlands, when the Storm King, in order to fend off the Ironborn and suppress the Riverlands nobles west of Gods Eye, had granted lands to the Frey family along the western border of the Riverlands. Forrest ancestors had spent generations constructing stone bridges and profited immensely from this endeavor. The lords, envious of the Freys wealth and resentful of their outsider status, had derisively called them "upstarts" and mocked Lord Forrest, who had boldly courted Rhaenyra, as "foolish Forrest."

But now, this "foolish" Forrest had become the guardian of the Westerlands lords, including the Lord of the Westerlands himself, which made Forrest puff with pride. However, he remained vigilant, separating the Westerlands lords into different holding cells and calling for a healer to stitch up Lord Jason Lannister's wounds.

Vermithor needed rest, and so did Draezell. After chasing Vhagar relentlessly for days, with both Vhagar and Aemond now dead, Draezell could finally take a moment to recuperate. However, before resting, he had some matters to attend to.

Draezell entered the tent where Lord Jason Lannister was being held, and the Riverlands lords of the black faction had gathered, alongside warriors who had distinguished themselves in the recent battle.

Lord Tristan Vypren had fallen in the skirmish against the Westerlands. His eldest son, Hugo Vypren, had taken up his banner and led the forces from Seaguard to cover the retreat of the Riverlands army to the second line of defense. Forrest Frey had taken command and managed to hold the Westerlands army at the western bank of the Red Fork. Lord Benjicot Blackwood, at only 12 years old, had shown courage beyond his years, leading the Blackwood's heavy infantry into battle against the combined forces of the Swyft and Reyne, personally decapitating 12 knights. Alyssane Blackwood and Red Robb had shot down Lord Reyes and his eldest son, as well as Ser Tywin Lannister, capturing Lord Swyft in the process. His contributions were second only to Lord Frey's, on par with the efforts of Lord Petyr, who had died while holding the flank.

Draezell generously praised all the Riverlands nobles who participated in the battle and formally legitimized Benjicot alongside Red Robb, renaming him Robb Blackwood, who, along with William Blackwood, would assist Benjicot.

"Who stabbed me with that spear?" The jovial atmosphere was shattered by Lord Jason Lannister's cry. The golden-haired Lord clutched his stomach and shouted, "Come out!"

"My lord, it was I," a young knight timidly stepped forward. He too had been a hero of the battle, continuing the fight after his knight fell, and had stabbed Lord Jason with a spear. Upon hearing this, Lord Petyr laughed heartily and immediately dubbed the young man a knight.

"What's your name?"

"Pett, my lord," the young knight stammered. This was the first time he had ever stood before so many important figures. "Pett of Longleaf."

"Good, good." Lord Jason did not anger, "I'll remember you, boy. Come to the Westerlands. If I go to the Wall, my son will give you a castle and land. You're the man who hurt the lion on the battlefield. You're quite something."

"Lord Jason, he is my vassal." Lord Petyr knocked his fist lightly on Jason's bed in dissatisfaction.

"Gentlemen, please!" the healer shouted. "Lord Jason needs to rest; his wounds are severe."

"He made me bleed!" Lord Jason grumbled. "That proves he's a warrior. The Westerlands need warriors." Lord Jason seemed ready to say more but was stopped by a single glance from the healer, which made him quiet down.

"Lord Jason, you need to prepare yourself mentally," Draezell said, looking at the Lord on the sickbed. He sighed and added, "You should thank your brother, Tyland. When the usurper decided to abandon King's Landing, it was your brother who reached out to us. If it weren't for him, I would never have spared you.'

"Your Highness, even if my brother hadn't acted as your informant, you wouldn't have rashly burned us after we bent the knee," Lord Jason said with a faint smile, despite the pain finally registering. 'Your Highness, you owe us a favor for the sake of our children..."

"You really need to thank your brother," Draezell said as he stood up. He was feeling exhausted. "If it weren't for his act of redeeming himself, the Lannisters might not even have been able to hold Casterly Rock. But your submission was timely. At least you'll only need to pay the price for your actions."

"We are forever grateful, Your Highness," Lord Jason bowed his head in gratitude.

"Ben," Draezell continued, giving orders for the next tasks. "You and Lord Petyr will advance east, meet up with my forces to the east of Gods Eye, and search for the remnants of Criston's forces."

Benjicot nodded. Though young, his military talents had already been demonstrated during the battle at the Red Fork.

"Lord Frey," Draezell continued, "you will lead the remaining main forces south, and cooperate with my army in the Riverlands."

"Yes," Lord Forrest Frey nodded before turning to prepare for his departure.

"Lord Jason," Draezell added, "you will write to Casterly Rock and inform them that the war is over. The Westerlands must kneel and pledge loyalty to Her Majesty the Queen once more. Otherwise, next time, it will be our dragons that come."

"Yes, Your Highness."

As Vhagar fell at the Red Fork, Draezell had subdued the Westerlands army, reorganized the Riverlands forces, and divided them into units to march out once again."

---

Otto's mission had failed. Borros refused his request to raise an army, citing that the Stormlands no longer had the strength to muster a large force, and organizing an army would take time—time that the South, with Aslan Rondell eyeing the region, would not give. However, Borros allowed Otto's mercenaries to land along the Stormlands coast but refused to provide any supplies. Borros had completely lost interest in the war; his only goal now was for Rhaenyra to forget him as quickly as possible.

Each day, Otto stood atop the Tower of Storm's End, anxiously awaiting the arrival of his Triarchy fleet.

"Racallio! When the hell did you become a Vaelarys dog?" The one-eyed pirate knelt on the burning warship, his remaining eye filled with anger and fear.

"Dammit, call me by new tittle!" The pirate's opponent paused suddenly. "Lord of Bloodstone!" The man facing him was a tall, broad-shouldered figure, sporting a grand ladies gown adorned with purple crystals and ornate patterns. He wore a purple headscarf decorated with feathers, his long hair dyed deep purple, with thick makeup and lipstick.

The new Lord Bloodstone Island swung his two curved blades, severing the pirate's head. He turned and leaped back onto his four-hundred-oar warship, Queen Racallio. The massive ship's long oars plunged into the water, swiftly drawing close to the surrounded flagship of the Third Daughter's Kingdom.

Between the islands, flames erupted. Shadowmare rained pale fireballs from the sky, which exploded with thunderous force upon the warships, effortlessly aiding the Silver Fleet and a sizable pirate fleet in crushing Lohar's pirate force.

Lohar's flagship had been surrounded by three massive Vaelarys galleons. He could only watch as his fleet was sunk, one ship at a time.

"Dammit, at least I didn't bring my own fleet," Lohar sighed in relief. As long as his fleet remained, he still had a chance to rebuild.

"Hello, Lohar, long time no see." The cross-dressing pirate stood on the deck, flipping Lohar the middle finger.

"Racallio?" Lohar stared in shock. "You betrayed us!"

"Eh, betrayal? It's not that harsh," Racallio shrugged nonchalantly. "The Silver Dragon offered a high price, so I sold my loyalty to the Silver Dragon. Simple as that. By the way, aren't you curious where the main force of the Silver Fleet went?"

"You really sold us out, you Tyroshi bastard!"