Rhaenys watched as their father, Jaenyx, and Aegon discussed the boatman. Even she knew that if the boatman's words were true, then their home had been targeted by their enemies longer than they thought and now they were in danger. She did not agree with Jaenyx cutting off the boatman's ear, whose name began to escape her due to his non-importance, nor his threats against his family. However, she was a dragon and she would not allow threats against her and her family to go unpunished. She was more surprised at how quick her good-brother was in resorting to violent measures. Even more than Vis, it seems.
Rhaenys and Jaenyx became very close in the past year. Her mother had taught her how to dance and how to play the lute, harp, vielle, and recorder. She had also had a very good opinion of her voice, as many told how she sung like the Maiden herself with her purity and divinity. Wonder how they know the Maiden sounds like ? She knew much more about music and instruments than her good-brother, being able to bring joy and laughter to the hall. However, her good-brother's music had more sorrow and brought more contemplation to those who could listen. His fingers gliding all over the koto and his closed eyes as he played brought out a deeper aspect of music that Rhaenys never thought about. Instead of joy and happiness, one would enter a state of mind where they would listen to the sounds around them and ponder about the many questions that concern existence when they would listen to Jaenyx's playing of the koto.
Furthermore, Jaenyx also knew many Yi-Tish tunes alongside Valyrian ones. His voice was of a deep, rich nature, almost like the feeling one would get when bathing in a hot spring. His voice could put one to sleep, which he didn't realize until he saw Rhaenys' becoming drowsy. But that was not what Rhaenys noticed about his voice. He had a higher, lighter voice when he talked normally, both his Valyrian and lilted common tongue exhibiting the soft politeness and propriety expected of those with noble blood. He also possessed a hardiness and commanding tone when he gave out instructions to his people. But when he sang, Rhaenys sensed gloominess and longing that ran deeper than the earth. There were moments when she saw a tear falling from his eye, a sign of him being absorbed by the music.
Rhaenys remembered when Jaenyx played this one song on the koto, one of many that he learned from his Master Konno Haru. Jaenyx said the tune was called in nihongo "feelings of two people", or futari no kimochi. She didn't understand a word that was sung, but he said that he felt his family speak to him in the song despite the song not being in High Valyrian. He said that chorus went like:
My darling, please stop your tears
There's no eternal farewell
Time passes, throughout an era
I will still protect you
Rhaenys said that sounded more like a love song, but Jaenyx said that the words ran deeper than romantic feelings, and he could hear his mother's voice as she tried to tell him that she and his family will always watch over him. And that was before she saw his eyes become red and more tears streamed down.
Rhaenys wondered how Jaenyx dealt with losing his family before he came of age, as she could not have expected to have retained her sanity if she went through the same thing at his age. Over the past year, she began to see that he buried himself in his duties as a leader, his marriage to Visenya, and through singing Yi-Tish and Valyrian tunes. However, she could sense that he never really recovered from the pain and that his actions merely was a facade to hide his vulnerabilities. Then again, who would?
Rhaenys saw that out of her family and besides their mother, Jaenyx was closest with the women. He and Visenya were similar in many ways, one being that they were quick to draw blood from those that wronged them or those who got them angry, but he gave her the attention and respect that other men denied her. As for Rhaenys, they both saw how music could be a curing influence to the afflictions of the heart, although Rhaenys played music to bring happiness while he did it to ease the boundless pain within him. That was when Rhaenys decided to become the sister he never had, as she wanted to bring him out of the hole that he was thrown into while Visenya would provide him with the love that he needed.
However, Rhaenys did not know how to react given the current circumstances.
"We cannot just sit here and allow the lackeys of Black Harren and the Arrogant king to make a mockery of us!" Orys yelled. She was surprised at how personal her brother took the situation, despite not being close with Jaenyx. "If they can spy on us with impunity, who knows what they will do next?"
"We are of the same mind, Orys," their father replied. "Robbing our products, kidnapping members of one of my good-son's vassal families, and now spying on us through the boatmen… they will only get bolder if we offer no response."
"But what can we do, father?" Aegon asked. "We have only three to four thousand men who could wield arms and less than one hundred ships. Black Harren can call on ten times that number and twice as many ships while the Arrogant king commands some of the best soldiers on the continent, soldiers who have fought in the Dornish Marches for the past thousand years."
"We have four dragons," Visenya commented. "Six, if not counting the two wild ones in the Dragonmont. They can do a lot of damage against our enemies before they harm our soldiers."
Aegon rolled his eyes. "Yes, but they never been in war and we don't know how to ride them in battle. We could consult the histories on how Valyria used its dragons against the Ghiscari and the Rhoynish, but actual experience beats knowledge from books anyday. In addition, we do not know how to tame the wild dragons, so we can't use them."
"True, but do you have experience, Egg?" Visenya shot back. He didn't answer. "Then, you're not in a position to say we're ready either."
" My first action would've been to increase security around Dragonstone, Driftmark, and Claw Isle, but that's already been done ," Jaenyx jumped in. " For now, we should cease our sale of Valyrian steel weapons and send trackers to the Storm Kingdom to find Garaeron Rahitheon ."
"We have to tread carefully with sending trackers, Jae," Aegon said. "If they're caught, the Storm King could escalate the situation by sending actual soldiers against us."
"We'll burn them with our dragons, Egg," Visenya replied. "Like the rest of Westeros, they've never seen what they can do."
Rhaenys stepped in. "We should not be rash about this, Vis. There has not been any obvious acts of aggression against us by the Storm King or Black Harren. I would suggest sending a message to Storm's End. That way, the Arrogant king will have to reply to us. If he tries to lie to us, we'll know. If he doesn't respond, that's the same as admitting that he knew what happened."
Their father nodded. "That could work in normal circumstances, but you forget about the last letter King Argilac wrote to us. He's expecting a response to his offering his daughter's hand to Egg, which we cannot do. However, us saying no might give him the reason he needs to go to war with us. If there is anything that we can be sure of regarding the Arrogant king, it is that he will not respond well to anyone spurning him. He crossed the narrow sea against Volantis because the Volantenes spat at his trade offer in his presence, and he mutilated King Gardener at Summerfield after he insulted Argilac's inability to have a son."
" Aren't we being too cautious about this ?" Jaenyx looked genuinely confused. " I don't mean to disrespect where you grew up, but you also forget one of my vassals is House Tarareon, the same house that held the Rhoynish horde back centuries ago. Outside Valysar on the eastern banks of the Rhoyne, six thousand Tarareon cavalrymen and infantry held back seventy-two thousand Rhoynish from advancing onto Volantis. The Tarareons used their enemies' numbers against them since a large army takes days to cross the Rhoyne without a bridge. The Rhoynish were picked apart in piecemeal since the Tarareons were able to react quickly to each party landing on the east bank and delayed them long enough for the dragons to burn the rest alive. We have one thousand men of House Tarareon able to fight, so I would say we use them. Let them do what they do best: destroy the enemy. It would not take much effort to pick apart the Westerosi armies that would march against us, from what I've seen so far. "
Visenya nodded in approval, not liking the passive responses from the rest of her family. But, he had one detractor. "The Second Spice War happened centuries ago," Orys argued. "Since you bring numbers, perhaps you don't realize that we're heavily outnumbered. Black Harren and Argilac can amass a combined host of sixty-thousand men, with Black Harren also commanding at least two hundred ships. Your Tarareons don't have their horses and half of our ships are not built for war."
Rhaenyx saw Jaenyx shrug. " Nothing that they can't handle. The Celtigars bring another thousand soldiers to us, not to mention the six hundred swords that are on Dragonstone at present. In addition, both Black Harren and the Arrogant king have to wait weeks to bring their full host to bear due to the inefficiencies of this fucking continent while we can move faster. The two hundred ships that you speak of, most of them are on the other side of Westeros and it would be at least a month before they can make it here, that is if the Gardener fleet will let them pass without a fight. We can beat them. "
Rhaenys was less confident, however. "That is assuming that we can bring together our men faster than our enemies. I would suggest getting ready while also taking Jaenyx's suggestion to send out trackers. We can't totally unprepared after all."
Jaenyx nodded at her. " And if they attack our trackers, then we won't be the aggressor in that instance ."
Their father leaned back, the weight of the situation bearing down on him. "Sometimes, I wonder if our restarting Valyrian steel forging have made us an enticing target to our enemies throughout the Blackwater Bay."
"I disagree, father," Visenya spoke up. "The way the many kings in Westeros act, with their constant romping with each other, we would have been drawn in their petty squabbles one way or another. They might not fully believe in what our dragons can do, but they are willing to use us to fight their battles. Valyrian steel just gave them a good excuse to do so while mocking us in the process."
Their mother chose this moment to enter the discussion. "All of you know that I may not have the best feelings for your good-brother." They all nodded while she stared at Jaenyx. "However, they have done many good things for us. We now have farms on Dragonstone and we became wealthier because of them. And I'll be damned if I let some fucking ironborn or storm shits bring harm to our door."
"Hear, hear," Aegon pounded on the table while Orys, Rhaenys, and Visenya followed suit. Jaenyx nodded his thanks to their mother. Their father held up his hand, getting all of their attention.
"All right, here's what we'll do," their father stood up with firmness. "Send a message to your cousin Daemon at Driftmark, Crispian at Claw Isle, and to Sweetport Sound. We're calling the banners."
Rhaenys saw Jaenyx nodding, a smile growing on his face. Visenya looked at her father with pride, as their mother, while Aegon and Orys stood in resolution, accepting their father's decision while hiding their reservations. As for Rhaenys, she wasn't sure if she should be afraid or unsure of the consequences of their father's decision. Calling the banners was not a decision to be taken lightly, as all knew it was a move towards conflict.
"Rhae, work with Jaenyx to find our most discreet people to find Garaeron Rahitheon. Also, Jaenyx, I trust you will support me in this measure with your men?"
" Of course, good-father ," Jaenyx replied while still smile. " It's time we show these shits who they're dealing with ."
"Absolutely. Also, we should get Balerion, Vhagar, Meraxes, and Cloudwynd together. Make sure that they are stable enough for battle."
Rhaenys spoke. "Father, while I will support your decision, I don't know how I will handle being in a fight. I've never had any training with a sword like Egg, Orys, Vis, and Jae. I have hunted before, but I never killed a man."
Visenya put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Rhae. You'll do just fine on Meraxes. We'll also keep you safe."
"But that's the point. By keeping me safe, you'll also be risking yourselves. I don't want any of you to get hurt because of me," Rhaenys could not disguise her worries anymore.
"But you're our sister," Orys walked up to her. "That's the least we could do. If you really need it, we can all show you how to defend yourself."
" Exactly, Rhae, " Jaenyx stood next to Orys. Despite the still-ongoing tension between them, it warmed her heart to see both of them agree on something.
"Thank you," Rhaenys managed. "Kirimvose."
The door suddenly burst open, with Quenton Qoherys running into the solar with fear in his eyes.
"What is it?" their father asked.
"Ironborn ships! Spotted at the south and west!"
All of their eyes grew wide. Already we have to fight? Rhaenys fearfully thought.
"Sound the alarm!!!" their father ran towards the door while the rest ran out of the solar. "Send a message to Daemon and Maerys Tarareon to get here with haste and prepare to defend the castle. Jaenyx—"
" I will send for Ragaemor to assemble the men. We should also mount our dragons ."
Aegon stopped. "But we never rode them in—"
" Now's a good time, Egg !" Jaenyx responded. " I never rode Cloudwynd into battle either, but we don't have a choice now. "
The household guards ran about the castle, their swords drawn, arrows at the ready, and oil boiled. Aegon and Orys dressed in their armor, a mix of scales and steel plates, while Visenya dressed in her dragon coat that Jaenyx gifted to her on their wedding night. Jaenyx came to the courtyard clad in his Valyrian steel segmented cuirass, with his arms and legs covered with Valyrian steel plates and Valyrian steel mail covering the rest while he wore wore steel gloves, leather boots, and a ridge helmet. Aegon had Blackfyre strapped to his waist and Flame Screecher to his back, Visenya with Dark Sister, Orys with his Valyrian steel axe strapped to his left side, and Jaenyx with his Yi-Tish swords on his left side and a hand-and-a-half sword strapped to his back. Rhaenys did not know much about that other sword other than it was a family heirloom, made from a fallen star and infused with dragon's blood to make it far sharper and lighter than normal Valyrian steel. She also discovered that he would use his katana and wakizashi in closer encounters, as his other sword allowed him to have greater reach.
As for Rhaenys, she never thought that she would be in battle, so she didn't have armor. Instead, she borrowed a mail shirt and leather trousers to over her riding leathers along with steel cuisses and vambraces to protect her arms and legs. She only had two daggers strapped to each side of her waist, intending to learn the sword after tonight.
"We have flown our dragons during the day, but we're taking them out in the night this time. The good thing is that we have a full moon now, so we'll have moonlight to use to see each of the ironborn ship," Aegon started. "We have four dragons, so we should approach the ironborn fleet from all four corners. If you have a chance to burn the ships, take it."
" Also ," Jaenyx stepped in. " Our dragons may be able deflect arrows and other types of small projectile weapons, but we could still get thrown off our dragons if enough force was applied on them. So hold onto your dragons tightly and try not to do anything risky. This is our first battle as dragonriders, so your first priority is to be safe. "
"What could I do?" Orys asked.
"Brother, in case the ironborn land parties on our shores, I can trust that you will be able to repel them with your might alone. Also, protect anyone is caught out in the open."
" Work with Ragaemor, Orys ," Jaenyx interjected. " He will be of great help to you in the fight to come. "
Orys nodded. "All right, Jaenyx."
Jaenyx took out his dragonhorn and blew it. Rhaenys discovered that while the dragonhorn may have given him temporary control of the other dragons, the effects were akin to moths attracted to light. It would work, and then the spells wore off after a while. So the dragonhorn had its limits.
All four dragons landed in the courtyard, which could barely fit all of them. Still, that didn't stop Aegon, Visenya, Rhaenys, and Jaenyx from mounting them. Before they did, Aegon pulled Rhaenys into a deep kiss. "Be safe, Rhae. I can't bear the thought of losing you."
Rhaenys cupped his cheek. "Don't worry about me, Egg. I spend more time riding Meraxes than you and Vis ride Balerion and Vhagar. We should be fine."
With that, the four dragons took off from the courtyard and circled above the island, with Rhaenys looking upon the ironborn ships nearing the island.
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Rhaenys took her time flying above the enemy fleet, counting at least forty vessels. Aegon told her that an ironborn longboat could expect to carry one hundred warriors maximum, meaning that there were at least four thousand ironborn sailing towards them. Had this been any other castle possessing at least two thousand men, they would have been in big trouble. However, Dragonstone was an imposing fortress, meaning that any army would be pressed to assault the walls. Also, they had dragons, creatures that were known for incinerating hundreds within a span of mere moments.
However, unlike Jaenyx and Visenya being confident in their capabilities, Rhaenys was more apprehensive. She had never been in battle and had no serious training with a sword. She learned how to shoot a bow and killed a stag one time, but that was it. She wasn't even that good of an archer, so she didn't really practice with the bow. Aegon, Orys, Jaenyx, and Visenya could all defend themselves while she was not so sure. She did enjoy riding Meraxes more than her siblings and good-brother, so she knew how to maneuver her dragon and when not to overexert her mount.
Aegon signalled for the four of them to circle above the fleet and avoid flying directly into the moon, as that would make them easy targets for archers. The plan was to strike from the north, south, east, and west with their dragons, with all of them releasing a stream of dragonfire and moving back up before anyone could shoot back at them. While their dragons had hunted for fish and for game on land, this would be their first time in battle, so they should not push them so far.
Rhaenys got the east, directly in front of Dragonstone. Since she had more experience riding her dragon, she would dive down and release dragonfire stream right in front of the ironborn's vanguard. They would not get too close to the sea's surface, as that would make it easy for them to be targeted by archers while the lower altitude would make dragons less maneuverable. The dragons would release their fires above the ironborn ship's mast while their bellies would protect their riders from any arrows shot at them.
Looking in front of her, Rhaenys saw Aegon squeeze his fist at Jaenyx, the signal for him to begin his attack run even with the moonlight making it barely visible. Jaenyx attacked the fleet to its south, Rhaenys and others seeing Cloudwynd pick up speed as she descended rapidly. Roaring at the last moment while avoiding a direct approach from the moon, Rhaenys saw Cloudwynd release her flames, the stream cutting through a dozen ships and brightening the rest of the Blackwater Bay as her fire burned a brighter blue than the sea before ascending back up.
Next, Aegon signalled Visenya to begin her attack run. She and Vhagar climbed above the circle before nosing down. Taking the west, Vhagar would burn through the rearguard and essentially cut the rest of the ironborn off from escape. Soon enough, her orange flames danced with Cloudwynd's blue as more ships burned. Like Cloudwynd, Vhagar flew above the ships' mast before climbing back up.
Aegon signalled to Rhaenys that he'll attack next, striking at the ironborn's left flank from the north and essentially boxing them in. She would deliver the killing blow at their vanguard from the east, ensuring that no ironborn would reach Dragonstone. She watched as her husband dove down on Balerion, his mount's massive form making it seem that he dove slower. However, one would regret the moment they underestimated Balerion's power, as his black flames mixed with Vhagar's and Cloudwynd's and disintegrating even more vessels into nothingness.
Such was a… beautiful sight for Rhaenys. She reveled whenever Meraxes released her yellow flames, whether at game or fish. But to see all of their dragons' flames mixed into a concoction of many colors was something she would not forget anytime soon. It proved to her just how remarkable dragons were. Any thoughts about this being the first time she'll take lives were willed away, as she saw Balerion ascend back into the air and urged Meraxes down.
Rhaenys held tight to Meraxes' spines, the wind and cold of the night air blowing against her face. She dived before on Meraxes, but she never aimed at something. The flames of the three other dragons burned bright across the water, illuminating the bay with the inferno consuming the ships carrying the banners of House Hoare. She nudged Meraxes to level slightly out of the dive in order for her to see the bows of ships better.
However, Rhaenys did not notice how lower Meraxes got compared to the other dragons. She also failed to see how the dragonfire that burned on the water essentially brightened the Blackwater Bay for miles around, with those as far as Gulltown professing to have seen the flames years later. As she got closer to the ships, she saw the bows that were drawn and heard "NOCK" too late. Arrows flew at Meraxes and past her, but Meraxes' scales held true and deflected them. But Rhaenys had to duck, as the arrows came loose towards her.
Regaining her bearing just at the right moment, Rhaenys saw the bow of the lead ship. Taking a deep breath, she yelled, "DRACARYS!" Meraxes released a stream of yellow fire from her mouth, tearing apart the lead ship as well three more behind it. But, she climbed too late, as Meraxes flew through the orange flames left by Vhagar and the smoke made her shield her eyes. She did not notice Meraxes turning to the right and back towards the ironborn fleet, or what was left of it.
At that moment, the arrow fire got thicker than the last time, as the ironborn were reacting better and used the flames to aim at their target. Rhaenys rubbed her eyes from the smoke and blinked her eyes to clear her vision. However, a stray arrow struck her arm and her thigh, two shots that were lucky to find its mark even if they failed in their intention to kill its prey. Pain shot through her, as she saw the arrows had pierced her mail sleeve and leather trousers. Rubbing her eyes had left only one arm on Meraxes' spines, with the arrows to her free arm and thigh making her lose her hold. She just missed grabbing the other spine with her hand before she lost traction and fell off Meraxes.
Rhaenys saw the dark sea grow closer as she dropped hopelessly to its depths. She did not have to wait to feel the sea's cold embrace, as she was close enough for the archers to shoot at her. Any higher would have killed. She sank deeper into the abyss, as she struggled to go back to the surface. The arrows snapped upon impact with the sea while her flailing in the water only made the shafts tear further into her muscles.
Rhaenys knew how to swim, but she never swam at night and with two arrows stuck into her body. Eventually, her flailing abated as she saw her vision slowly go black and the light of the flames still burning on the water fading away. The coldness of the water slowed down her blood flow while more water flowed into her airways. The blood seeping out of her wounds spread into a mist-like form around her while her body jerked from a lack of air.
Everything went to black as she felt a presence grab at her and made her spent form ascend back to the surface.