Chapter 1199 - 2.06

Viserys - 01

​"We must act." Sir Criston snarled, slamming a fist on the table. "We cannot allow that little bastard to galivant about Essos with a dragon."

"I must agree with Ser Criston." Said Lyonel, his face twisting oddly at the words. "While it is perfectly within the rights of an unattached knight to seek his fortune wherever he chooses, allowing Ser Aelyx to take Vhagar across the Narrow Sea would be seen as nothing less than a declaration of war against the Triarchy."

"While I too worry about the implications of Ser Aelyx riding Vhagar against the Triarchy, we must remember that they did not retaliate against the Iron Throne when Prince Daemon launched his invasion of the Stepstones. A campaign which, as I may remind you all, received significant monetary support from King's Landing." Lyman pointed out.

Viserys hummed in agreement. It was true that he had sent Daemon a significant amount of gold over the years to finance his war without any sort of major diplomatic backlash from the Triarchy, so it was difficult to believe that they would act against Westeros should young Aelyx take arms against them.

"Indeed," said Lord Cressey. "Prince Daemon's campaign in the Stepstones has also provided a certain degree of precedent for members of the royal family, even dragon-riding ones, to embark on their own private wars. Should his grace censure Ser Aelyx many will wonder why he did not do the same to Prince Daemon."

Viserys frowned slightly at the Master of Law's word. It was true that it would be rather hypocritical of him to tell his nephew that he could not wage war against the Triarchy when he had allowed the boy's father to do so.

"Let them wonder." Ser Criston spat. "If the king commands the bastard, not to cross the Narrow Sea then he will have no choice but to obey."

"Let us not be hasty." Said Ser Rydden, the Master of Whispers speaking for the first time since he had informed the Council of the agreement Aelyx had struck with the Pentoshi. "While I had not joined this Council at the time, there were very good reasons that my predecessor counseled his grace to support Prince Daemon's war. The depredations of the Triarchy, made crossing through the Stepstones even more perilous than when the pirates infested the islands. It is only a matter of time until the Triarchy reclaims the Stepstones. Should that occur, we will be in the exact same position as fifteen years ago. While Ser Aelyx's actions are rash, they represent an opportunity to check the resurgence of the Three Daughters."

"So, you purpose that we just sit back and allow him to leave with the last of the Conqueror's dragons?" Asked Lyonell.

"Why not." Ser Rydden shrugged. "As Lord Lyman mentioned the same was done when Prince Daemon began his war."

Realizing that the argument was simply circling around to the beginning, Viserys decided that it was time to weigh in. "Aelyx will be a man grown in just a few moons, and if it is his decision to join hands with Pentos and wage war on the Triarchy I see no reason to stop him. So long as none in Westros suffer from his actions."

"I don't believe they will." Said Lord Mallister rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "The Triarchy did not issue any formal sanctions against during the last war, so I doubt that our trade will be affected beyond what can be expected as a result of any conflict in the region. They simply cannot afford to pick a fight with us when their enemies in Essos already watch for the slightest sign of weakness."

"I must disagree, Your Grace, the other Free Cities were perfectly content to allow Prince Daemon to challenge the Triarchy in the Narrow Sea, but they might react unfavorably to a Targaryen dragon rider fighting on the mainland of Essos," Lyonel argued.

"It's possible that it may be viewed as an attempt by the Iron Throne to gain a foothold in the region," Melos added.

Viserys turned to look at his Master of Whispers. "Ser Rydden? What is the likelihood of that?"

The knight hummed thoughtfully. "There will probably be some concern, particularly from Braavos, but I believe that desire to see the Triarchy humbled will outweigh any consternation about Ser Aelyx's actions or the Iron Throne's intentions."

"That fact that Prince Daemon has named him Prince Regent of the Stepstones should also help." Lord Cressy put in.

"A meaningless title from a defunct kingdom." Ser Criston snorted.

"The title might be meaningless materially, but legally it still holds a certain amount of sway." Lord Cressey explained, sending an annoyed look at Ser Criston. "We recognized The Kingdom of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea, years ago when Daemon was first crowned, as did Pentos, Braavos, Volantis, and Lorath. Nobody has since recognized the pirate who currently claims the title. This means that as far as anyone, except the Triarchy and Dorne is concerned, Prince Daemon remains the rightful sovereign of the Kingdom and is perfectly within his rights to dispatch his son to wage war on his enemies as part of an ongoing conflict."

"That's little more than a fig leaf." Saud Lyonell doubtfully. "Even when Prince Daemon was ruling from Bloodstone, most still viewed it as little more than a Westrosi Protectorate."

"But, a useful fig leaf, nonetheless." Came the rejoinder from Ser Rydden. "The Triarchy has seriously upset the balance of power across the water, and so long as Ser Aelyx doesn't plan on declaring himself the King of Myr, I think the other Free Cities will tolerate his presence until he departs for the Steptones."

"I am convinced, that my kingdom will not come to any harm from my nephew's adventurism." Began Viserys. "However, the question remains, should his expedition be endorsed by the Iron Throne."

"No," said Lyonell, instantly. "If we do as Lord Cressey, suggests and maintain the position that this is purely an internal matter of the Kingdom of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea then there is no reason to offer Ser Aelyx any sort of public endorsements. Although if your grace wishes you could of course offer private funds and access to manpower as you did for Prince Daemon, without making a binding declaration of support."

Viserys nodded, that was good. For all that he wished his nephew the best of luck in retaking his father's kingdom he had no desire to embroil Westeros in Essos's endemic warfare, as many had feared would happen when Daemon had first begun his campaign all those years ago. Which reminded him of another pertinent issue.

"Will the Velaryens, be supporting Aelyx in his war with the Triarchy?"

"They appear to be readying a small fleet of transports to ferry the men that Ser Aelyx has been recruiting across the Narrow Sea, but there is no indication that they are planning to make the same kind of commitment that they did during the previous war." Lord Mallister responded.

"Interesting." He drummed his finger on the table thoughtfully. He supposed that after having been driven from the Stepstones once, Corlys would be hesitant to fund an entirely new invasion. "What about other Houses, Aelyx has just returned from a tour of the kingdoms, is there any indication that he means to seek aid from his new acquittances?"

"Not, that I can tell." Ser Rydden answered. "So far as I can tell Ser Aelyx is just gathering volunteers from the Narrow Sea Houses. I am given to understand that he plans on increasing the size of his personal force with the loot gained from the advance on Myr, at this point he seems content to allow the Pentoshi to do the navel work for his invasion.

"Keep, in mind that this is the early days though." Melos cautioned. "Ser Aelyx may well be planning on waiting until he is in a stronger negotiating position before he goes looking for Westerosi allies. He will after all need ships to hold the islands even if the Pentoshi do succeed in taking them. Of course, that's assuming the whole venture even gets that far."

Viserys, leaned back contemplating the information. "If Aelyx or the Velaryons approach any houses inform me."

"Do want it quietly disseminated that they are not to support Ser Aelyx?" Asked Lyonell.

"No, in fact, if any approach you seeking royal permission you may tell them that they will receive no censure for joining my nephew's war so long as they inform me of their intent before committing troops. Now does anyone else have anything else to say about my nephew's incipient voyage to Pentos?"

One by one the lords, of the Small Councill shook their heads albeit some more begrudgingly than others.

"Excellent, now I believe that Lord Strong wished to discuss river tolls, at the Reach-Crownland border."

Aelyx - 16

​"I can't believe we are really doing this." Said Daeron, his eyes wide as he assembled the ships laid out below us.

"Having second thoughts" I teased.

"Not at all" he scoffed. "It's just, that it finally hit me this morning, that it was real. That tomorrow, the winds and tides willing, I will be on a ship headed towards war."

"Really?" Laughed Rupert. "You just figured it out this morning. The literal moons of preparation didn't tip you off?"

Daeron glared at Pyne. "You know damn well what I mean. There's a difference between calculating the number of barrels of salt pork needed per dozen men and actually seeing the fleet assembled."

"I know what you mean." I cut in before the argument could escalate. "I've known where this all was headed since that first meeting with Pahrinar and Nahaenor, but standing here, preparing to embark is a very different feeling."

"I guess, I am a little nervous," Rupert admitted. "But, I'm mostly excited. When I was little, I told everyone that as soon as I was old enough, I would find a knight to squire for and join the Rogue Prince in the Stepstones. But I was only three and ten when your father left the islands. I spent the next six years cursing my fate, and then I heard that you were looking for volunteers to fight the Triarchy on their own soil and I knew this was my chance to make a name for myself, to be more than the third son of a minor lord."

I nodded in acknowledgment. I had heard those words before, both from the two men standing on either side of me and from the many others who had rallied to my call over the past four moons. When I had begun putting out feelers, I had been unsure how many people would actually be willing to follow me to Essos and then onto the Stepstones. Yes, I was Targaryen and a dragon rider, but I was also a boy of five and ten, and many grown men would balk at taking orders from one so young, especially if they weren't their hereditary liege. In the end, I was partially correct. The forces that I had assembled on Driftmark definitely skewed towards the younger side, with most being in their late teens or early twenties. While I had initially only intended on raising a body of a hundred men, the camp behind me contained nearly thrice that number.

My little army was composed primarily of Crownlanders from the environs of Blackwater Bay and was made almost entirely of infantry. I had under my command one hundred and fifty footmen armed with a variety of polearms, they were joined by a further seventy archers. In addition, I had recruited fifty-three young scions from various noble and knightly families. These men were primarily younger sons, nephews, and cousins. People who had very little chance of ever inheriting. Their choice was simple, spend their life in service to the main line or seek their fortune elsewhere. They formed the core of my command, capable of serving as both a small cavalry force or dismounting to fight as heavy infantry. In addition, from their number, I had elevated several men to serve as my lieutenants, most notably Rupert Pyne and Daeron Velaryon who were my second and third in command respectively.

"Come on. We've spent enough time enjoying the view. We need to get back to camp, we have a lot to do before we set sail."

My two compatriots nodded and we turned to trek down the opposite side of the hill into the valley where were encamped. As we entered the neat rows of tents the men of the company stepped aside, tugging their forelocks in respect. Before we reached the center of the camp Daeron peeled off and headed toward the makeshift stable.

"I am going to head back down to the docks and make sure everything is still going smoothly." He announced.

"All right, we'll see you later tonight," I responded, which he acknowledged with a wave as he departed. I had put Daeron in charge of the actual process of loading supplies and men, due to both his familiarity with naval matters and because the dockworkers would be naturally reassured by the presence of a member of their ruling house. His job was mainly to troubleshoot any issues that may arise, whether it was a problem with the actual cargo, or preventing clashes between the locals and my sellswords.

As soon as he was gone, I turned to Rupert. "All right, it's time to start breaking down the camp. I want everything but the basics loaded up tonight, so we can board the men at first light tomorrow morning."

Rupert nodded. He knew his responsibilities but it was always nice to verbalize them. "I will instruct the serjeant to have their men pile everything non-essential at the base of the hill." He paused. "Does non-essential include cookery."

"No, Lord Corlys has offered to send food up from the castle for supper tonight, but we will still need warm it. Beyond that, the men need carry only their pack role and personal weapons. Oh, and make sure everyone's tent gets taken down. We are all sleeping under the stars tonight. If any of the highborn give you trouble remind them that unless I am standing next to you, you speak with my voice."

There were certainly benefits to commanding a semi-professional force such as this one, as opposed to the retinue-of-retinue armies that were the norm across Westeros. Every one of my men had sworn directly to me upon joining, as well as signing the Articles of the Company. The articles governed everything from loot sharing, to chain of command, to discipline and punishment. While most of the men were admittedly illiterate, the document had been read to each of them before they marked it with their name or an x. I still, of course, had to balance the personalities of the high command and ensure morale remained high among the men, lest I run into problems with mutiny or desertion. But I did not have to worry about one of my lords upping stakes and leaving with all his men if we had a falling out, or any of the dozens of other problems that arose when you were forced to rely on troops who are sworn to a vassal rather than the commander of the army.

Of course, there was a very good reason why the Great Lords of Westeros relied on their vassals for soldiers, maintaining a professional standing force was horrendously expensive. I had known that intellectually, there was, after all, a reason that the rise of professional armies in Europe occurred in tandem with the development of modern bureaucracy and financial institutions. But knowing and seeing the absolute money pit even a small force like mine was proving to be, made me much more understanding of why the commanders of Free Companies tended to stir up conflict in times of peace, they had to if they wanted to keep their business solvent. Luckily, I had been able to secure a loan from Lord Corlys with a very generous repayment schedule, and a private understanding that I would not be held to it if the expedition turned into a disaster. In addition, he had also agreed to provide land for camping, as well as veterans to assist in training, and ships for transport at no extra expense beyond the promise of low tolls for Velaryon ships if I retook the Stepstones. Lord Corlys would not be picking up my tab for the entire campaign though. As part of my negotiations, Pentos had included a provision wherein, they would pay the wages of any troops I brought with me.

Over the next several hours I watched dispassionately as the camp was disassembled. Everything that the soldiers wouldn't need tonight was piled up in designated areas before being loaded into carts and carried down to the docks. Each unit's equipment was supposed to be transported on the same ship as said unit, but I had a feeling there would be a good deal of chaos once we disembarked in Pentos. As the sun began the set the day's frantic activity came to an end and the men huddled around campfires. Soon promised foodstuffs arrived from High Tide and after heating it the men fell on their supper with gusto, well aware it would be their last hot meal until we made landfall.

When the men had settled in for their night in the open air, I took the opportunity to walk the perimeter of the camp. I chatted briefly with the men on sentry duty, there was no danger of attack on Driftmark, but it was good to get into the habit of keeping proper watch. I retired to my bedroll shortly before midnight. Eventually, the exhaustion of the past week of preparation overwhelmed the knot of anxiety in my stomach and I drifted off to sleep.

End Part One: The Rogue's Bastard

Excerpts 1

​Scholars have long bemoaned that so little of Aelyx Targaryen's early life was properly documented. Unlike most other members of the Royal House, the murky circumstances of Aelyx's birth meant that it was not properly recorded for posterity. The earliest proof of his existence comes from a letter written in 108 AC by an unknown individual to Lord Lyonell Strong referencing an Aelxy of Lys. He doesn't enter the historical record again until 111 AC when his father legitimized him as Prince Aelyx Targaryen and named him heir to The Kingdom of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea. Unfortunately, those original writes were lost when Prince Daemon abandoned his kingdom, however, contemporary documents from the archives of both the Red Keep and Braavos do attest to their existence. While later biographers would write extensively on Aelyx's years on Bloodstone, it difficult to distinguish fact from fiction.

-Spyr, Jorah. "Daemon's War and Viserys's Peace." The Dragon Kings: The Targaryens of the First and Second Century, Steel House, King's Landing, Crownlands, 921, p. 253.

One of the first questions asked when examining the Triarchy's history is why they stopped with the Stepstones. When Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh united to form the Kingdom of the Three Daughters they went from three squabbling cities, about to be brought to heel by Volantis, to one of the most powerful polities west of the Bone Mountains. And yet, the only effort they made to extend their power was the seizure of the Stepstones. Many both now and then wondered why they did not use their newfound strength to force cities such as Pentos into their sphere of influence. The short answer is; they couldn't. While the Three Daughters appeared united to outside observers in reality riven by internal factionalism as each city pushed forward its own interest. In this paper, I will examine the internal fragility of the Triarchy's governance and explain its inability to project power and its rapid collapse.

-Hartaen, Daaros. "Instability in the High Council of the Triarchy." The Myrish Historical Review, vol. 4, no. 3, 8/12/896, p. 1. 11.

By 112 AC the First War for the Stepstones had devolved into a frustrating quagmire. Prince Daemon had defeated the Triarchy counter-attack and driven back the Dornish offensive, and yet his hold on the islands was still not secure. The Triarchy adopted a strategy of insurgency. Pirates from across the known world rallied to their call as the Three Daughters offered massive bounties for any ship flying Velaryon covers. These pirates hugged the coast of the former Disputed Lands and Dorne, before sallying into the Narrow Sea to disrupt trade. The bolder ones would even establish temporary bases within the Stepstones themselves, secreting themselves within hidden coves unknown to the Targaryen-Velaryon interlopers. To his consternation, the Sea Snake discovered that rather than controlling one of the world's most valuable trade nodes he was now losing ships at a higher rate than before he began the war. Prince Daemon was of minimal assistance in combating these new tactics. While dragons are excellent weapons for breaking up large formations, their reliance on their riders to visually spot targets from the air means that they have limited utility when it comes to picking off lone ships within a target area that spans tens of thousands of square miles. And that is before one considers the prince's lack of patience when it came to such tedious endeavors.

-Cooper, Marc. "Daemon's Conquest." Bloody Tides: The Wars for the Narrow Sea, Citadel Publishing, Oldtown, Reach, 983, p. 255.

121 AC saw the power of the Greens reach its nadir. When Otto Hightower was banished from court in 109, he left behind a powerful faction in support of his daughter. Over the course of the succeeding decade, Queen Alicent, a skilled politician in her own right, would build on that foundation drawing many lords to her side. She was helped in this endeavor by the rumors that swirled around Ser Laenor and Princess Rhaenyra, rumors that Alicent was sure to spread far and wide. However, in the third decade of the second century, a series of events would lead to the sudden, albeit temporary, near collapse of the faction. First, despite the sudden death of both their children, Lord Corlys Velaryon and his wife Princess Rhaenys adopted an aggressive diplomatic stance actively courting many unaligned lords and tepid Greens, while simultaneously reinforcing ties with existing allies. Second Princess Rhaenyra wed her uncle, Prince Daemon Targaryen. This silenced many critics who had expressed discomfort at the thought of a female on the Iron Throne, with many coming to believe that it would be Daemon who ruled in truth. Third and finally a key member of the Black in the form of Ser Aelyx Targaryen would begin to rapidly build an independent power base outside of the confines of Westeros.

-Falcon, Almia. "Shifting Alliances." The Green Uprising, Steel and Quill, King's Landing, Cownlands, 945, pp. 67–68.

At the turn of the century, Pentos emerged from the First Pentoshi-Braavosi War and found itself facing a powerful new rival. Since the end of the War on the Myrth, Pentos had held itself apart from the squabbling of the Three Daughters. As the power of the Triarchy waxed paranoia soon gripped the city as they watched the once quiet Myrish border anxiously. Many within Pentos feared that should the Triarchy decide to march its armies the to very walls of the city, there would be very little the war-weary nation could do but submit. As such the news that the nascent state had turned its attention to Stepstones instead was met with relief. That relief soon turned to outrage at the heavy tolls and outright theft that the forces occupying the islands forced on Pentoshi vessels. Many in the city called for action, well others cautioned against angering a superior power. In short order, the Triarchy Question as it was called became the epicenter of Pentoshi Politics. Every faction had its own opinion and many long-standing parties collapsed as their members argued among themselves.

-Mopanar, Sirala. "The Triarchy Dilemma." Pentos: Valyria's Half-Daughter, Rogare University Press, Lys, 1012, p 246.

By the standards of the time the company of men that Aelyx Targaryen assembled on Driftmark was not anything special. There were many larger, better-organized, and better-equipped professional armies scattered across Essos. These included the Iron Legions of New Ghis and the Guard-Battalions of Yi-Ti. Those armies were well-developed, veteran forces whose institutions were the result of centuries of evolution and experience. By contrast, Aelyx's Company had been hastily assembled over the course of four moons. The Long Peace of Jaehaerys meant that none of the members had ever seen combat, beyond the occasional violent feud that so frequently flared between the feudal lords of Westeros. However, it must be noted that despite his relative lack of experience the young Targaryen had spent his entire life around militarily minded men and when he found the opportunity to build his own army from scratch, he took to it with gusto. The army was organized around Ser Aelyx who took the role and title of Lord Commander. Directly beneath him was the First Captain Rupert Pyne, who acted as Aelyx's right hand and would lead the company when Aelyx was atop Vhagar. Third in command was Daeron Velaryon the Second Captain, he led the cavalry into battle and served as the company's quartermaster. Finally, the Third Captain Jaremy Darkwood and Fourth Captain Artys Hunter commanded the halberdiers and archers respectively. Under the captains were the serjeants who led units of roughly twenty men each. There were two serjeants of horse and eleven serjeants of foot.

-Greenriver, Mychel. "The Originals." For, Glory, Gold, and Adventure: The Men Who Followed Aelyx Targaryen Across the Narrow Sea, Citadel Publishing, Oldtown, Reach, 897, p. 22.

The negotiations carried on through the early moons of 121 AC. But as the weeks passed it became increasingly clear that neither party intended to back down. The main bone of contention was the Stepstones. The Pentoshi demanded that the Triarchy foreswear all claims to the island chain, something that they categorically refused to do. In anger at what they viewed as unreasonable and arrogant demands the Triarchy advanced old Myrish claims to a series of towns in the southern flatlands. Tensions continued to escalate as moderate voices were drowned out by war hawks on both sides. The Daughters were supremely confident due to their large advantage in manpower and resources. Those who raised concerns about the news that Aelyx Targaryen intended to cross the Narrow Sea with Vhagar were mocked for fearing a boy, whose father they had already sent fleeing from the Stepstones. The Pentoshi in turn were banking all their hopes on the might of the Great Lady. Many spoke with relish of Triarchy learning that same lesson that the Reach and Westerlands had a century prior. By the fifth moon of the year, tensions had reached a boiling point.

-Silversmith, Rodrick. "Preparations for War." The Five Moons War, Blackwater University Press, King's Landing, Crownlands, 926, p. 46.

Aelyx - 17

​I leaned against the wall of the audience chamber and watched the Triarchy ambassador approach the throne. The Prince of Pentos observed the man with a haughty gaze. While Pentos was run by its council of magisters the prince did play an important ceremonial role as the centerpiece of events such as this. The low murmuring ceased as the ambassador began to speak.

"In light of the continued provocations and acts of aggression perpetrated by Pentos upon the Triarchy, the High Council, after much deliberation, declares that a state of war now exists between the Principality of Pentos and the United Commonwealth of the Triarchy." So, saying, he gestured towards a man behind him, who stepped forward and presented a scroll. The scroll was then passed to a member of the Pentoshi court. The ritual completed the ambassador spun on his heel and strode from the room.

The chamber erupted into shocked conversations and barely contained chaos. Looking up at the dais, I caught the eye of the unofficial head of the council of magisters. With a tilt of his head, he communicated his instructions. Ignoring those who attempted to engage me, I slipped from the crowded hall and made my way toward a small solar tucked deep in the bowels of the palace. Seeing I was the first to arrive I took my seat and waited as the rest of the war council to trickle in. The last to arrive was the same man who had directed me to the room. Magister Dyniris entered without a word and tossed down the declaration of war.

"So, it's official," I drawled staring at the open scroll on the table before me.

"Indeed," said Ballapho, his tone grave.

"Oh please. We've all known that this was coming for months." Dyniris snorted. "All this does is give the signal that it is time to march."

"He's not wrong," I admitted with a wary grin. "This war was inevitable from the moment the Triarchy refused to surrender their claims to the Stepstones." I very diplomatically did not point out that nowhere in the Pentoshi's negotiations with the Three Daughters had there been any mention of acknowledging my claim to the islands.

"We have prepared for this; we are ready for this." Patricos Essar stated. "My army is ready to march at moment's notice. Just give me the order and I will be on my way towards the border."

"My navy is ready as well." Magister Bahys spoke up. "We can sail within the week"

The words of the two commanders were met with nods. The plan had always been the attack as soon as we had goaded the Triarchy into war and it was good to hear that the admiral and general had not allowed their forces to become lax with the long wait.

"Has there been any word from Irnyl?" Asked Ballapho.

"Not, since his last report." Dyniris denied.

I hummed thoughtfully. Morrono Irnyl was the captain of the Red Wanderers, a Free Company composed of five hundred horsemen. He had been dispatched to the Myrish border a week after I had arrived in the city. Since then, he had been ranging into Myr in an attempt to bate the Triarchy in a hasty attack. While his original instruction had been simply to show himself on the wrong side of the border, over the past few moons his orders had given him considerably more latitude and he had begun to conduct raiding operations of escalating destructiveness and range.

"Right," Essar said. He swept the scroll containing the declaration of war from the center of the table and unrolled a large map showing the western Free Cities. Leaning over the table he tapped a dot on the map north of Myr. "The Triarchy had begun to amass their forces here at Vylaros. They will be moving soon if they haven't already. We obviously don't know precisely where they intend to go, but we can guess that their goal will be the elimination of the Red Wanderers."

"That seems a fair assumption." I put in and received a nod in return.

"With that in mind," He continued. "Ser Aelyx and I will take his forces and the Free Companies and march south to link up with Commander Irnyl. As we go, we can pick up the militia contingents from each of the border towns. Which reminds me, have messengers been dispatched south telling them to stand ready."

"They've been on alert for months, and I sent riders out within an hour of the ambassador's ship arriving in the harbor," Dyniris responded.

"In that case, they would have gone out before the declaration of war was actually delivered," Ballapho said, his tone curious.

Dyniris smirked. "I have men at the docks and Myrish sailors had loose lips. I knew the contents of that scroll before the ambassador opened his mouth. All to be fair any of us could have guessed what it said."

I snorted in acknowledgment, before glancing over at the admiral. "And what about the Daughter's navy? Any news about them?"

Bahys grimaced. "We know they left Myr two weeks ago, as I reported last time we gathered, but beyond they were headed north, I can only speculate where they went. It's a lot harder to track a navy at sea than an army on land."

"I am sure you could make a very educated guess though," Ballapho stated.

"They could theoretically, attack any of our coastal settlements including Pentos itself."

"Not, Pentos" I cut in. "An aquatic invasion of the city without land support would be a nightmare, and just raiding the docks could risk crippling their fleet if anything went wrong."

Bahys dipped his head in agreement. "I agree, which is why I said theoretically."

"They could still be planning to blockade the city" Essar offered thoughtfully. "If they could bottle up our navy in the harbor, they would win the war at sea."

"I doubt it," Bahys said. "If our ships managed to slip out before the blockade was set, we would have free reign on the Myrish coast. Besides it would give Ser Aelyx here a perfect opportunity to burn the whole lot of them. No, I think they will stay in the Sea of Myrth."

"Which means that, with their head start they will probably be on our coast long before our fleet arrives." Dyniris grimaced.

"Which, is why I argued that we should deploy our fleet as soon as it became clear that Tyrosh's fleet had departed the harbor." Bahys shot back.

"In which case, the two fleets could have run into each other and started the war without anyone being any the wiser." Came the rejoinder from Ballapho. "Our coastal towns are on alert, and double watches have been placed on the beacons, hopefully, Admiral Bahys will arrive to contain the threat before the Triarchy does too much damage." He paused. "Are you certain that you cannot depart sooner?"

"Yes, if I was just taking my sailors, I could sail with two days, but if you want the fleet to have a full complement of marines it will take at least four."

That point brought acceptance from the rest of the table. It could not be helped sending the ships into battle without their militia contingent would see the Triarchy fleet scythe through them. It was unfortunate, but militias were not exactly famous for being fast to assemble, nor could they be kept on standby the way a state army or free company could.

"While we are on the topic of navel matters, has your colleague had any more luck recruiting sell-sails to our banner?" Bahys asked Bellapho.

"No, Aero had made overtures to many of the pirate bands infesting the Stepstones, but they fear the consequences of Triarchy retaliation should we lose. In addition, they are well aware of our compact with Ser Aelyx to take the islands following the defeat of the Triarchy and have no desire to lose their petty fiefdoms. A few lone captains have taken our coin, and I'm certain that many more will take advantage of the Triarchy pulling their ships back from the disputed lands, but we aren't going to see any great squadrons raiding our enemy's shore."

"Regrettable, but unsurprising," said Dyniris.

On land, there was a very clear distinction between brigands and sellswords. Free Companies rarely turned to outright banditry usually contenting themselves with looting their employer's enemies, although the less disciplined ones tended to leave a trail of unpleasantness even through allied territory. No such line existed at sea. Sellsails were hired pirates who would return to their normal depredations the moment their contract was up. As such it made sense that they were not eager to sign on with a city whose current geopolitical goals amounted to thrash the Triarchy, then the pirates. The bright side was that they were equally unlikely to join with the Triarchy which also laid claim to the Stepstones.

"Before we wander from the point of this meeting." Said Essar. "Does anyone have anything else to add that's directly pertinent to the wider diplomatic situation or knowledge of the Triarchy's movements"

A round of negatives rose from around the table.

"All right, then we should move on to the actual logistics of getting our army and navy into the field."

For the next several hours the conversation continued as we hammered out the hundreds of little details that came with moving large bodies of men. It was long past midnight by the time we finished and staggered tiredly from the room. I joined Essar in traveling the encampment outside the walls, while the three magisters headed home to their manses.

Aelyx - 18​

I swooped down over the column, blanketing it in shadow. Over the last several days of marching, I had learned how low I could go without spooking the horses. Winging upward I soared out over the Flatlands. It was actually rather annoying to try and keep pace with a marching army while on dragonback. However, I had no choice but to ride atop Vhagar. I was not as though I could simply ride on horseback and hope Vhagar followed along. It was definitely possible to direct a riderless dragon, but that usually required another rider atop a different dragon leading the way, such as when my father had led Vhagar from Pentos to Driftmark while Laena sailed to the island with the twins. That left me with two options: fly directly to the next encampment at the end or beginning of the day or circle the army while it marched.

I had chosen the latter. Simply hanging around by myself was simply waiting for an assassination attempt. All it would take was one opportunist with a crossbow to catch me on the ground far away from the protection of the army and not only would I be very dead, but the entire campaign would collapse as well. Furthermore, being obviously inactive for a large portion of the day would not do anything to enhance my standing with the army. Soldiers loved to grumble and a commander blatantly flaunting the fact that they did not have to share in the hardships of the march would be extremely poor for morale. By, remaining in the sky for a significant time that the army was on the march I'd somewhat endeared myself to the men. According to Rupert many of them were now comforted by the sight of Vhagar high above, sure in the knowledge that ambush would be detected and long before it ever threatened them.

I scanned the horizon, looking for the telltale cloud of dust that would indicate a large body of men on the march. I doubted that I would see anything, over the past several days I had ranged far ahead of the army and had not encountered any enemies. I might be able to find them if I flew far enough, but I was just as likely to get hopelessly lost as I was to find an enemy army. For all the mobility advantages dragons gave, it was extremely difficult to navigate in unfamiliar territory. If I got the angle just slightly wrong a few hours of flight would send me hundreds of miles of course. When I had done my tour of Westeros, I'd been able to land periodically to ask where I was. While that option did exist here so long as we remained in Pentoshi territory, I risked losing track of my own army if I wandered too far.

However, given that we were currently hoping from town to town along the very well-maintained Valyrian roads I felt confident darting at least a few miles ahead. I traced the ribbon of black stones as it ran southwest. It took only a quarter an hour of leisurely flight to arrive at our destination for the evening. To my satisfaction, I noted that a small camp already existed outside the town walls. At several points on our march, we had been confronted by a town whose militia contingent had not yet been raised, despite their clear instruction. The first time it had happened there had been a heated debate about whether to press onward or wait for them to muster. It had eventually been decided to continue the march. Essar and I had come to the conclusion that a few hundred extra militiamen, was not worth repeated delays. Between the professionals in the Free Companies, my men, Vhagar, and the militia who had been ready we felt we could counter whatever the Triarchy threw at us. The tardy contingents were instructed to march along behind us with the hope being that they would eventually join the army if we had to slow or halt our march.

At my command, Vhagar tilted and began to circle the town. I could make out figures atop the wall wildly gesturing and pointing up at me. To my left men spilled out of their encampment, even from my height I could see the panic in their movements. It did not really matter that intellectually they knew that the only dragon in this conflict was on their side, there was some viscerally terrifying about a hundred-and-fifty-meter-long flying reptile that could swallow a full-grown man without chewing. And that was before you got into the attached flame thrower. I gave the crowds below a small wave and continued to circle. Over the next several minutes I watched as common sense reasserted itself as the men below began to calm.

Once I was satisfied that I would not be attacked in a suicidal panic, I began my descent. I settled Vhagar down a few hundred yards away from the encampment. Close enough to make an impression by far enough away to not further frighten the still wary men. I dismounted Vhagar, sliding down her wing, and approached the camp. As I walked several men began to move forward to meet me. Judging by the quality of their clothing they were high-ranking officers, but the actual commander of the militia. Probably prominent guild masters, rather than members of the magisterial class.

When we met, they bowed deeply. I in turn dipped my head in acknowledgment. These were not leaders of Pentos with whom I stood on somewhat equal footing.

"Prince Aelyx, it is a pleasure to welcome you to Sylkesh. I am Maestro Vargar Bosa of the Metalworkers Guild," one of the men introduced himself.

"It is a pleasure to be here," I responded. "I only regret that I will have little time to see your fair town."

"It is indeed unfortunate, but war waits for no man. Perhaps once we have driven back the Triarchy you could."

"Perhaps," I demurred. "Would you be so kind as to introduce me to your companions?"

"Of course, this is Maestro Tarkaro Drana of the Carpenter's Guild and Maestro Noreo Magaef of the Dyers,"

"It is good to meet you both. Now, Maestro Bosa, are you in command here?" I asked although I knew the answer would be a negative.

He shook his head, his face twisting into an expression of annoyance. "That would be Magister Fyllyl."

"I take it that he was not in the camp when I arrived?"

"No, he is never in the camp. Although he is almost certainly on his way. Even if he missed the dragon, someone will have informed him of your arrival."

I frowned at that. While rank frequently did have its privileges, sleeping comfortably within walls when your own soldiers had been instructed to vacate their homes for tents was unlikely to do anything but breed resentment. I sighed; I would need to tell Essar that this militia contingent was a potential problem. While the merchant princes in Pentos proper were fully at the top of the pyramid, the relationship between the local magisterial families and the guilds in the countryside was far more contentious.

"I hope he is here soon; the army will arrive in a few hours and there is much to discuss."

"Will, we be departing tomorrow?" asked Magaef.

I nodded. "Barring anything unforeseen, General Essar will not stay longer than a single night, and your men will of course take their place in the column."

"Then we should begin preparations to break camp," Bosa stated his tone probing.

I hummed in confirmation but was careful not to give any verbal commands. Army politics were already a headache and a half, there was no need to give some provincial magister a legitimate reason to claim that I was usurping his authority. Even as the thought crossed my mind, I saw a small party of men riding towards us.

"It appears as though your commander is making his appearance."

Three men, who had begun to relax slightly, jerked back to alert.

Essar was going to owe me for this.

AN: Sorry for the delay. I started grad school last month and haven't had any time to write.

Aelyx - 19

​I raised the fareye and examined the lead elements of the of the Triarchy formation. From our position on the hill, I could just glimpse a handful of horsemen that I presumed were outriders. While I could see a large cloud of dust rising behind them, the troops kicking it up were not yet visible.

"Not much to see," I said, passing the fareye to Daeron.

To my left, Essar hummed in agreement, lowering his own instrument.

"Based on their pace I'm guessing they intend to make camp at Laerna."

"We will beat them to the heights above the villages," I noted

"They probably won't cross the stream tonight," he said.

That made sense. Their potential advance would be hindered by the steep hill while ours would become entangled crossing the brook.

I drummed my fingers against my leg, trying to quiet my nerves.

"Are you certain you don't want me to attack now? I could ride back, mount Vhagar, and disperse their entire column before they even know that I am in the sky."

Essar shook his head decisively. "We've talked about this, Prince Aelyx, I don't just want them dispersed. They need to be destroyed. The Triarchy as a whole can marshal resources that dwarf our own. If we want the northern marches and you want to successfully regain your father's kingdom, we need to break their backs not just sting them."

I huffed in disconnect but remained silent. It was a well-worn argument between the two of us. I still thought that it would be better to destroy the enemy as quickly as possible, but it was not worth alienating Essar over. After all, it did not matter if the army of the Triarchy was caught on the march or the battlefield, they would burn all the same.

"Come on," I said turning my horse's head north. "The army should almost be to the campsite by now."

"Aye, let us head back." Daeron agreed following. Essar remained a moment longer observing the enemy before he too followed behind.

We rode down the hill and then up the bluff towards the army When we reached to top of the heights, we found the organized chaos of an army beginning to set up camp. The layout of the camp denoted the divisions within the army. The militia clustered together in one section, the sellswords in another, and my small force in a third. It was towards my men that Daeron and I made our way well Essar peeled off towards the militia.

As we arrived, we were met by Jaremy.

"So is there going to battle tomorrow?" Asked the commander of the foot.

"There will be if all goes to plan," I responded.

That drew a mix of murmurs from the surrounding men. Some were eager, others were concerned.

"Don't worry men, remember we have Vhagar," I said. That soothed the anxious ones. It was remarkable what the knowledge that a dragon was reinforcing you did for your nerves.

A few sharp words from Jaremy sent the men back to the task of setting up camp.

"Are you really that unconcerned," Daeron asked quietly.

I grinned. "I will be in the air tomorrow. You're the one who's going to actually be in danger." My smile faded. "Be careful, We've gotten this far it would be a shame to die without even reaching the Stepstones."

He snorted. "Don't worry about me. Now go check on your lady. We will all be counting on her tomorrow.

We clasped forearms and then headed in separate directions.

I meandered to the edge of camp. Before departing with a nod to the sentries. There, curled a few hundred yards from the encampment was Vhagar.

"Hello darling girl," I said, moving to stand by her head. Reaching out I gently stroked her snout, drawing a huff from the dragon. I stayed with her until the sun began to set. As the light faded, I began to make my way back to camp.

As I approached the sentry, he called out. "Hawk!"

I rolled my eyes. "Feather! You saw me leave."

"I'm sorry Prince Aelyx. But the rules…" He stammered.

"I know the rules," I grumbled. "I created them after all." I patted the guard on the shoulder as I moved past, to show there were no hard feelings.

As I moved to the camp, I observed them men. Most were gathered together in small groups. Some were talking and laughing while passing around skins of wine. Others were conversing in low somber tones. I passed a religious service bracketed by a pair of dice games. As I approached the center of the camp the activity died down. This area was reserved for the commanders, most of whom were circulating among the men or gathered In Essar's tent.

Which reminded me I would need to head there soon. While our order of battle had been established days previously, our general would be holding a council of war tonight to discuss last-minute changes to the plan and ensure that everyone knew their roles.

"Prince Aelyx?" A voice called out.

"Yes," I said turning to my left. I was confronted by four soldiers. Their clothes marked them as militiamen, while their speaker's accent identified them as residents of the borderlands.

"I have a message from General Essar." Their leader spoke.

"Oh," I responded. My gaze flicked between the four men. The leader took a step forward, while one man began moving towards my right and two to my left.

"Yes, he wanted me to tell you that," The man began, taking another step forward while reaching across his body towards the rondel sheathed there.

"Fuck me," I murmured, cutting him off. I lung forward just as his hand grasped the hilt of the dagger. Desperately, I grasped his wrist, yanking his arm down. He stumbled into me his superior wight forcing me back. He twisted in my grip, trying to break it. I released his arm with my right hand while maintaining it with my left. There was no space between us to draw my sword. Instead, I went for the hunting knife on my right hip.

I drew it just as my attacker broke free. He shoved me away, but I lunged after him. I plowed into him, plunging the knife into his stomach. His eyes widened in shock as hot blood spurted over my finger. The momentum of my charge sent us sprawling onto the ground. The fall saved my life, as the knife that would have plunged through my shoulder instead slashed down my back. Hissing in pain, I glanced behind me at the man who had tried to stab me in the back. The two others were approaching from the left.

Releasing my grip on Borros's gift. I lunged forward, rolling over the body. I gasped in agony as my injured back hit the ground. I scrambled to my feet and drew my sword in the same motion. I looked from the dying man writhing on the ground to my three standing opponents.

"Help! Treason!" I shouted.

I swept my sword through the air to keep the three at bay. With my longer reach, I hoped I could keep them back long enough for help to arrive.

"You killed Haricho." The one in the center snarled. They charged forward, and I met them with a grim snarl twisting my lips. The one on the right was the fastest. As he lunged at me, I slashed before he could come to grips. His momentum prevented him from halting and my blade bit into his side. He stumbled away from the attack clutching at the wound, before collapsing. Pivoting I stabbed at the center attacker, but he jerked to the side, dodging. The final man attacked faster than I could turn. I raised my left arm as he slashed at my face. The dagger flayed open my forearm, tearing a gasp of pain from my lips. The second cut drew a line of fire from my temple to my jaw. Blood covered my face blinding me in my left eye.

I whipped my sword around cutting at his leg. Fierce satisfaction surged through me as I felt his knee crunch under the assault. He collapsed with a scream. It was then I heard multiple men shouting. I saw Vargar Bosa rushing forward leading a half dozen soldiers. The final assailant looked from me to the approaching men to his downed comrades. He let out a foul curse and then turned sprinting into the night.

"Chase him!" I shouted. Vargar skidded to a halt, bringing an arm up to stop the man beside him as well. With a gesture, he sent the rest of his men in pursuit. I could just make out his expression in the moonlight as he beheld the scene. His lips thinned as he looked at the three men on the ground. One dying from a gut wound, another already dead, and the third moaning piteously as he tried to crawl away.

Marching forward he kicked the crawling man down and planted his boot in his back.

"Are you alright, your grace?"

I opened my mouth to respond. Before closing, I suddenly felt incredibly drained, darkness flicked at the edge of my vision.

"I feel." I trailed off as I pitched forward, consciences fleeing.

Aelyx – 20

​I awakened slowly. My eyes flickered open and I saw the canvas roof of a tent. Wait, only one eye was open. The left side of my vision was shrouded with darkness and something was covering part of my face. Reaching I felt the bandages.

"Ah, you are awake." A voice called. I tilted my head and saw a man I vaguely recognized as General Essar's personal physician.

"How long was I out?" My voice came out as a croak.

"It has been a while; you were attacked two days ago."

I swore softly. I tried to turn to look at the physician face to face, but as I shifted my weight, my back screamed in agony and I collapsed back onto the mattress.

"My eye?" I asked, unable to complete the question. It would certainly be a rather bitter irony if I had lost it.

"The blade missed it, you probably have a nasty scar down your face, but your vision won't be impacted."

I let out a sigh of relief. Then a thought struck and I chuckled in amusement. Take that Aemond, I got Vhagar and got to keep both my eyes.

"And my back?"

"The cut was deep, but I do not believe there will be any permanent damage. You were very lucky none of the cuts hit anything vital and the men who came to your aide were able to stop the bleeding after you passed out."

I hummed thoughtfully, trying to ignore the pain. "How long until I am healed?"

"You should be back on your feet within the next few days but it will be at least a moon before you will be able to move freely."

That was hardly ideal. "What about the Triarchy forces? Have they attacked?"

"There have been some skirmishes between their scouts and ours, but the moment it became clear that your grace was seriously injured General Essar ordered the men to fortify the camp. So far, the Triarchy have been unwilling to try and storm our position."

"So, both sides are holding steady." I mused before another thought stuck. "What happened to my attackers?"

"Half a dozen men tackled the assassin who fled before he made three hundred yards from the ambush. As best we can tell the Triarchy has no idea what is going on."

I blinked. "If they sent a group of assassins to kill me and then I'm not seen flying Vhagar the next day, I would think the conclusion would be pretty obvious. Although I suppose they might be worried we are trying to bait them."

"That's the rub, they didn't send them, well not directly at least."

"Pardon?"

"The men who attacked you were from the Praenor contingent. They didn't need the sneak into the camp, they walked right in a week ago with the rest of the men from their town."

"If they were Pentoshi why would they try and kill me?"

"One of them broke under interrogation. It seems that after you arrived in Pentos Triarchy agents made contact with Vico Bractis, the man you stabbed in the stomach, and began paying him for information on military matters within the area. When the army began to march, they promised him that if he was able to kill you, they would shower him with wealth and even make him the governor of Praenor after they annexed it, following their counterattack. He recruited the rest with similar promises and they ensured they were in the militia contingent sent to join us."

I rolled the information over in my mind, I supposed that explained the sloppiness of their attack. They were not professional assassins, just opportunists who had gotten desperate, well aware that there would be no rewards if I burned the army facing us. I cursed myself, for my carelessness. Amateur or not they had still nearly killed me thanks to my recklessness.

"Interesting." The Triarchy would know that they had agents in the camp, so they could guess that I had been injured or killed in an attack. But for all they knew their hired killers could have failed, been caught before they could act, or lost their nerve and never made an attempt. The Triarchy commanders could guess that something had happened to me, but they would hesitate to commit to an attack without being sure that doing so would not result in being bathed in dragon fire.

Even as the thought crossed my mind the tent flap burst open and one of Essar's aides-de-camps dashed in.

"The Triarchy is advancing."

"What!" I surged into a sitting position only to fall back as my back screamed in protest.

"They have been drawn up in their battle lines since first light. They started to shuffle their lines around an hour ago. We didn't realize what was happening at first because they had already done that twice before. But, then about ten minutes ago they began to advance."

"Shit" I muttered thinking rapidly. They outnumbered us two to one, but they were attacking an elevated entrenched position. Were the forces more equal, I would be confident in our victory. But, their superior numbers meant they could envelop our flanks or send enough men in to keep our entire line engaged while gathering enough men to burst through the lines at a specific point. We would lose I realized with cold certainty, too much of our strategy relied on me being atop Vhagar. I knew what I had to do.

"You" I gestured at the aides-de-camp. "What's your name?"

"Streabo Numanus, your grace."

"Help me up."

"What?" Squawked the physician. "You are in no state to go anywhere."

"And if I don't, there is a good chance the camp will be overrun in the next few hours. And I don't know about you but I don't fancy being killed or captured by the Triarchy."

He whitened and ceased his objections.

"Where are we going, your grace?" Numanus asked.

"Vhagar, if you can get me to her, I can mount her and destroy the Triarchy"

He nodded and moved towards the cot. He leaned down and I sat up, working through the pain as I slung my arm around his shoulders.

I swung my feet out of the bed and made to stand, only to realize I was not wearing anything on my feet. Seeing my dilemma, the physician hurried to the corner of the tent and produced my boots. He knelt before me and slid them on my feet, before tightening them. I stomped once and then pushed myself upward with Numanus supporting me. I hissed and staggered lightly but managed to stay on my feet by leaning into Numanus.

"Come on," I grunted.

Slowly, carefully, we pushed our way out of the tent. When we emerged the four guards posted outside goggled at us in shock.

"Well don't just stand there gaping." Numanus snapped in irritation help us. One of them hurried forward and slung my unoccupied arm around his shoulder while the other three fell into a triangle formation around us.

"We are taking the prince to his dragon"

We carefully picked our way through the camp, pausing every few minutes so that I could rest. The area was mostly deserted aside from the small handful of camp followers that trailed after every army. From behind us, I could hear the sound of battle cries clashing steel as the battle commenced. Gritting, my teeth, I attempted to pick up the pace. In the end, the journey that should have taken fifteen minutes took nearly an hour. I let out a sigh of relief as we passed through the final ring of tents and I beheld Vhagar. I started forward only to be held in place by my frozen escorts. Glancing at them I say their faces twisted with uncertainty as they started at the enormous dragon.

"Come on," I said. "We are almost there. She won't hurt you as long as you are with me."

The armsman supporting my left side gulped, before nodding resolutely, an action mirrored by Numanus. We started forward again. As we approached, Vhagar raised her massive head looking directly at us. I gave her a wan smile.

"Sorry girl, I got myself into a little trouble, I promise I will take better care of myself from now on." She snorted expelling curls of smoke from her nostrils. Not for the first time I wondered just how intelligent dragons were because I very clearly felt as though I was being scolded. We maneuvered around her and when we reached her side, Vhagar obligingly lowered her wing without waiting for a command.

My two supporters lowered me onto hands and knees and I began to crawl up the side of the dragon. I was rather grateful that only a handful of people were there to see it as I squirmed and scrambled up Vhagar's side, pausing every few seconds when the pain started to overwhelm me. At long last though, I heaved myself up unto her back. I collapsed onto my stomach, black dancing at the edge of my vision and blood trickling down my back from where my wound had reponed.

I began to crawl again, making my up towards Vhagar's head, until I reached the saddle at the base of her neck. I slid into the saddle before forcing myself into an upright position. When trembling hands I secured the chain across my lap and grasped the reigns.

I flicked the reigns. "Quptys!"

Vhagar rose to her feet, before crouching back down. She then leaped into the air, propelled by a great beat of her mighty wings. Vhagar and I winged our war over the camp towards the battlefield. As our shadow covered the ridge line occupied by the Pentoshi forces, our allies burst into cheers. I craned my neck to glance at the situation below. Based on what I could see the Triarchy had attacked our entrenched lines in an oblique formation, sending the majority of their troops at our left flank while dispatching just enough men at our center and right to keep them engaged.

With a touch of the reins, Vhagar banked left. As I soared above the heads of the Pentoshi, Vhagar let out a roar. Below I could see panic begin to grip the Triarchy forces and their formation began to collapse into chaos, with many already turning to run. It was too late for them.

"Dracarys"

A/N – Good news, finals are over and I have all winter break to write. Better news, I will have a lighter class load in the spring so the story shouldn't slow down again like it did these past few months.

Aelyx – 21

​"Dracarys."

The fire boiled from Vhagar's maw and swept downward, spilling across the battlefield. Dozens of men were immolated in an instant. With ease brought by countless hours of practice, I kept Vhagar's head in continual motion, playing the dragon fire through the tightly packed enemy ranks. The already faltering Triarchy forces fell into a panic. Those nearest to Vhagar scattered in all directions, desperately attempting to flee from the flame. Some of them were so gripped by hysteria that they lost all sense of their surroundings and dashed directly into the ranks of the Pentoshi army, where they were impaled on spears or beaten down and captured. Most though, fled downhill, back towards their camp. Men who had been standing shoulder to shoulder moments before shoved each other to the ground in their headlong flight.

Vhagar and I swept further down the battleline, towards the center where the fighting had begun to die down. As best I could tell the combat on this portion of the battlefield had been limited to exchanges of missiles and a few probing attacks. Below me, I could see a large group of crossbowmen taking aim at me. Brave, but foolish.

I suddenly banked left as they released their volley. I needn't have bothered as the bolts fell short anyway. However, as recent events had proven, better safe than sorry. I blinked as I realized that the crossbowmen were reloading. They truly were brave. It seemed that their calm had steadied the surrounding troops and other soldiers were rallying to them. I dived.

"Dracarys"

The screams of the unit of crossbows rose above the battlefield as they were bathed in fire. The brief island of calm they had created disintegrated in an instant and those who survived my initial pass joined the rapidly developing route.

Glancing further down the battlefield I noted with a smirk that the enemy right was not even waiting for Vhagar's arrival and was already retreating, albeit in good order.

"Let's fix that," I murmured to my dragon. Abandoning our harrying of the crossbows, we flew towards a body of men whose banner marked them as members of the Company of Ashes.

"Dracarys" A stream of fire destroyed the final section of the Triarchy lines.

I pulled up, hovering over the battlefield. Smoke was rising from below as the hillside began to burn. At the base of the ridge, I spotted a large company of men whom I assumed were the army's reserve. I squinted through the smoke, were they really not running yet?

Vhagar and I swooped down the hill towards the last intact enemy formation on the field. Out of the corner of my eye, something flashed to my right. I jerked my head around, looking behind me, and saw a massive bolt embedded itself into the ridge. I flicked the reigns and Vhagar broke off from our attack and climbed into the air. I circled the reserve and after a moment of searching spotted a line of cleverly concealed scorpions. So that was their backup plan if the assassination failed.

I snorted, the death of Rhaenys and Meraxes at Hellhot had given people an exaggerated idea about the effectiveness of scorpions and ballista against dragons. They worked well enough against fortifications and large bodies of infantry, but they were far from antiaircraft weapons. The shot that had killed Rhaenys was one in a million. Even if I had continued my direct approach, I doubted Vhagar would have been so much as scratched. Not that I intended to take such a risk, I had learned my lesson about recklessness. As I began to prepare to dive from an angle the artillery pieces could not elevate to, I realized there was no need. I watched as the scorpion's crews fled from their post. They had come to the obvious conclusion that without me approaching from directly in front of them their whisper of a chance to kill me had disappeared entirely. I briefly contemplated burning the scorpions just to be safe but decided against it. I am sure Essar would appreciate being able to add to the army's small siege train. With a shrug, I turned my attention back to my original target in the Reserve, only to blink as I realized that they were retreating as well.

Only they weren't, I watched with mounting shock as the body of cavalrymen ran down the fleeing scorpion operators and fell upon them with sword and lance. For a long moment, I simply stared, but it hardly mattered to me why one contingent of the Triarchy army was suddenly slaughtering another. If they wanted to waste time getting tangled up in a one-sided melee instead of escaping that was their loss.

I swooped down on the developing slaughter. As Vhagar's shadow fell upon the men on the ground several looked up, I could not make out their expressions but I imagine they were ones of surprised horror, as they remembered the dragon that moments before they had watched route most of their army was still on the battlefield.

"Dracarys" The flames engulfed the cavalry and their victims alike. And just like that, the last intact force of enemies on the battlefield was reduced to ash. I rose high into the air once again and began looking for any large groups among the retreating army that I could fall upon. I noted that many of the Triarchy soldiers had rallied in their camp, but I would refrain from burning it. My own allies would be more than a bit peeved if I denied them the opportunity to loot it. I dived a few more times burning any smaller clumps of men and shattering their officers' attempts to turn the route into a more orderly retreat.

After the sixth or so pass I realized that a large cavalry squadron was racing down the hill from the Pentoshi lines. Essar must have dispatched them the moment it became clear that the Triarchy was breaking. Thanks to the fortifications though, they'd had to pick their way around our left flank rather than simply charge straight down. They could handle the mopping-up operations I decided, once the enemy had scattered over the countryside as they were currently doing you reached a point of diminishing effectiveness with dragon divebombing. Besides I had already done my part for the day. The adrenaline that had driven me up onto Vhagar's had begun to fade and I was becoming increasingly aware of the pain radiating off of my back.

I turned Vhagar away from the pursuit and began to fly back towards camp. As I passed over our battle lines I was met with a wall of sound as the cheers of the soldiers reached me even hundreds of meters in the air. I flew over the camp towards where I had initially taken off. As I began my descent, I saw that the men who had helped me to Vhagar had remained there instead of going to observe the battle. They made sure to stand well clear of my dragon as Vhagar settled back onto the ground. When we had finally landed, I slumped in the saddle, taking long breaths and attempting to steady myself. When I felt calm, I moved to unbuckle the chain holding me in place. I winced as the movement pulled at my back, sending another flair of pain through my body. When I was free, I slid, or if I was honest with myself, flopped out of the saddle.

Slowly, carefully, I slid and slithered down Vhagar's side and wing. When I reached the ground the men who had waited hurried to my side. I attempted to stand, only to stagger. I would have fallen flat on my face had three of the observers, not lunged forward to catch me. I hissed in pain as one of them splayed his hand across my back, to steady me. As he jerked his hand away, I realized that my tunic was glued to the back. The liquid trickling down my back was not sweat from exertion that I had first taken it for, although that was there too, but rather blood from where I had reopened my wound.

"Is it over?" Numanus asked.

My eyes flickered over his shoulder where dense columns of smoke could be seen rising over the ridgeline. The scent of burnt flesh was beginning to waft through the campsite and I saw several men sniff the air trying to identify the smell. I barred my teeth in a parody of a grin.

"The enemy is broken. I shattered their attack and even now The Red Wanders are running them down as they flee."

A cheer those surrounding us at the news.

I waited before the noise to die down.

"I am as happy with our victory as the rest of you, and I would really love to celebrate, but I'm actually in a lot of pain right now and I would rather not pass out from blood loss … again."

"Oh, right." Murmured Numanus, his cheeks pinking with embarrassment.

"All right people make way, we need to get the Prince back to his tent." I was all but dragged away from Vhagar. The gathering crowd parted around us as I alternated between stumbling along with and being carried by my escorts.

As we approached my tent Essar's physician rushed out to meet us. The moment he saw me, the blood drained from his face.

"Hurry," he beckoned frantically. "Get him inside."

The soldiers pushed their way into my tent.

"Lay him on his stomach." The physician commanded.

I was gently deposited on the cot. The moment I was lying down, the physician hurried to my side.

"Do not move your grace." He instructed gently. With a pair of sheers, he cut away my shirt.

"Here drink this." Someone said and pressed a wineskin to my lips. I took several large gulps of the offered strongwine. The wineskin was removed and a soft piece of wood was presented in its place.

"Bite down."

I sank my teeth into the wood as the physician began to probe to wound on my back, pulling out the ruptured stitches.

Aelyx – 22​

I picked my way through the streets of Sebal. The citizenry moved fearfully out of the way of my escort. Ten fully armored men of the Prince's Company, as my followers had come to be known, now surrounded me at all times. Nobody, least of all me wanted a repeat of the ambush assassination incident.

I stumbled slightly on a loose bit of cobblestone and was forced to lean on my cane to steady myself. While my actions on Vhagar had undoubtedly been key to our victory, they had badly exacerbated my wounds. The battle had been fought two weeks ago and today was the first time I had been cleared to walk long distances.

The streets began to clear as I approached the manse that Essar had claimed, both as his residence and the army headquarters. When the army had arrived at Sebal a few days after the battle the city had immediately thrown open its gates to us. We had been quick to discover that several of the town's wealthiest citizens had fled, taking with them whatever they could gather and carry on such short notice.

Quite frankly I was amazed that had not fled south the moment they learned that our army had crossed the border. Sebal was a relatively well-fortified town, although from what I had been told, it had nothing on the settlements in the former Disputed Lands, and under normal could have held out against an army of the size we had brought to bear for a significant length of time. But we had a dragon. I was rapidly coming to understand that the citizens of the Triarchy possessed a certain feeling of arrogant invincibility. They were the most powerful polity between the Narrow Sea and the Bone Mountains and they knew. The formation of the Kingdom of the Three Daughters had seen them humble the might of Volantis and more recently, they had thrown back Rogue Prince and his dragon along with the vaunted fleet of the Sea Snake.

We arrived at the entrance to the manse. I took in the heavy iron gate set in eight-foot walls and guarded a squadron of eight men. If properly garrisoned the manse could survive a lengthy siege, especially if the besieger lacked siege engines. The manse I had claimed as my own had near-identical fortifications as did most similar properties throughout the Free Cities, the factional violence that often tore through Cities and their vassal towns made them a necessity for any family that sought to involve themselves in politics, or even accumulated enough wealth to make them tempting targets for rioters or other such opportunists.

"I believe that, that I am expected," I greeted the Essar armsmen stationed at the gate.

"Your grace," They acknowledged, bowing deeply. They stepped aside and with a command from their leader, the gate swung open. I nodded my thanks and then passed through the portal and into the courtyard of the manse. I took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the carefully cultivated gardens, before making my way sedately towards the main house.

When I reached the main entrance, I passed by another set of guards and walked through the doors that had been left propped open in deference to the summer heat. I emerged in an opulently decorated room. It was obvious the foyer had been designed to impress. There I shed all, but two of my exports before continuing. I climbed the grand staircase, stubbornly the twinges of pain in my back. At the top, I was directed to the right by a waiting slave and made my way to Essar's commandeered solar.

When I arrived at the solar, I was greeted by yet another pair of guards. As soon as they noted my approach one of them rapped on the door and announced my presence through the wood. At the responding command, they opened the door and ushered me inside. With a flick of my hand, I signaled for my remaining escorts to remain outside with Essar's men.

As I entered Essar looked up from his parchment-strewn desk. "Aelyx!" He greeted me with a grin.

"Nyessor," I returned more neutrally, as I settled into one of the chairs facing his desk.

"I received a message this morning from Captain Vollin, Costis has surrendered."

I leaned forward. "That's excellent news," I said excitement coloring my tone. "That puts all of the Myrish Marches under our control." I frowned. "Did you ask me here just to tell me that? You could have easily sent a message."

"I could have," he acknowledged. "But there is something that that I wanted to discuss with you."

"We have a general meeting scheduled for tomorrow," I pointed out.

Essar's face remained expressionless.

"But, this is something that you need to discuss privately," I concluded.

He nodded. "It is a somewhat delicate issue and I need to hear your thoughts on the matter before I can bring it to the rest of the commanders."

I stared for a long hard moment, before inclining my head and inviting him to continue.

"Right before we departed from Pentos, I was approached by several members of the Council of Magisters, including my father, who gave me a second, secret set of orders."

"Oh," I said. My voice was low, letting him know that while I was not angry yet, I was moving in that direction.

"It was nothing bad." He hastened to assure me. "It was a potential expansion of the army remit and ultimate goal if our initial successes were great enough that I judged a winding of the campaign possible."

"Explain?" I demanded.

"Our initial plan was to march from Pentos, seize the Marches, and smash any force that opposed us. From there we would asses if the Three Daughters were ready to meet our demands or if we needed to continue the campaign or if we needed to ravage our way to the gates of Myr and dictate our terms from there."

"You are not telling me anything that I haven't heard in a hundred different strategy meetings, most of which, may I remind you, you were at."

"Right," He nodded. "Just bear with me. So far everything has gone according to plan." He paused and his eyes flickered from the scar running down my face to the cane leaning against the chair. "Well mostly anyway. If we wanted to, we could probably just sit here and sooner or later the Triarchy would have to meet us at the negotiating table. They would recognize our control over the towns we have conquered, along with your claim to the Stepstones and we would spilt whatever indemnity we were able to extract. Because, let's be honest, as long as you and Vhagar are here they have no real leverage over us. But the Triarchy would live to trouble us another day."

"Dissolving the Triarchy was never a war goal" I pointed out, beginning to see where Essar was going with his pitch. "But," I conceded. "The hope has always been that the fact that Myr would be a far bigger loser in the conflict than Tyrosh or Lys would collapse the state as a knock-on effect."

"Exactly," he said. "The hope, why settle for hope when we can ensure that the Triarchy fractures."

"So, you want to push further?" I asked. "Press into the old Disputed Land, threaten Tyrosh and even Lys, and force them to dissolve the Triarchy as a condition for peace?"

"No, I want to take Myr."

My eyes widened slightly at that proclamation. The idea was not a new one and had been bandied about several times in the months that I had spent in Pentos planning this operation. But that potential strategy had been dismissed for several different reasons.

"I distinctly remember the decision being made, to not pursue such a course. There were several conversations about the fact that Pentos lacked the resources for a long-term occupation of Myr or something to that effect."

"That is a concern, and we have a plan to address it. However, much of our hesitance stemmed from the fact that the Council was unsure of how effective Vhagar would be against Myr's wall, especially when they've had months to prepare."

"Haven't you ever heard of Harrenhall?"

"Yes, but I am also aware of Hellholt."

"If this was such a concern, why was it not brought up moons ago."

"You are a valued ally, and we did not wish to question your abilities. But now that I have seen Vhagar in action I have no doubt that nothing but another dragon would be able to knock her out of the sky."

"I don't like being blindsided, like this Essar. We all agreed on the plan months ago and know you are suggesting we alternate in the middle of the campaign while giving a half-assed excuse for the change."

"The Council didn't want to make any grand proclamations about seizing Myr until they were absolutely certain it was feasible and they delegated that decision to me, based on what I observed in the field."

"Bullshit," I hissed. "I understand, why they would not announce that as an objective to the whole world, but I am an ally and a part of this campaign, you had no reason to keep this from me."

"I am sorry Aelyx, the decision was made by the Council, and I can only pass on what I was told."

I stared at him for a long moment. He was lying, I was certain of it. The problem was I wasn't sure why. But, on the other hand, I could not see a way that this would hurt me either. I had gone into this partnership well aware that the Pentoshi had their own agenda, just as I did. I certainly had plans that my allies did not know about and probably wouldn't approve of if they did.

Furthermore, the idea of shattering the Triarchy rather than simply bloodying them held a significant amount of appeal. If they returned to their infighting it would mean they weren't harassing me in the Stepstones. Besides several years from now, I would likely be forced to temporarily leave my holdings to fight in the Dance and I would feel better not having to worry about the Triarchy eyeing my lands.

"What is your plan for Myr?" I asked at last.

"What?"

"You said you at a plan to mitigate the onus of occupation. How do you plan to do that?"

"We are not going to try to annex the city, instead after we take it, we will set up a puppet government and control it as a client state."

I turned the idea over in my mind. For all that I was annoyed by this being sprung on me, it was not a bad plan. Besides, Myr would serve as a better launching point for my invasion of the Stepstones anyway, and the extra money that would come with sacking a Free City would alleviate my dependence on the Pentoshi fleet and army.

"And this will not affect the plans for the invasion of the Stepstones?" I pressed.

Essar shifted uncomfortably at that question.

"Our timeline from the end of this campaign to the beginning of the Stepstones invasion has always been flexible." He waffled. "And I will admit, that this may cause some delay. But I assure you that Pentos remains committed to our alliance and the campaign will support you in regaining your father's kingdom."

I grimaced. That was less than ideal. A large part of me wanted to reject the proposition. The arm certainly would not be able to take the city without me. But, doing so would also alienate the Pentoshi. Furthermore, a friendly Myr could only be a boon in further endeavors.

"Two years," I said.

"What?" Essar asked baffled.

"I want the invasion fleet sailing no later than two years to the day from when the city surrenders."

Essar blinked, "Wait does that mean you agree?"

I grinned, sharp and hungry. "Let's take a Free City."