Jaenyx and Rhaenys rode on horses provided by Lord Colren Blackwood as they led the promised five hundred infantry and two hundred cavalry towards the Gods Eye. Tarareon and Blackwood scouts had shadowed the large ironborn and riverlander force that had marched from Harren's fortress on the north shores of the lake to the southern shores. They had counted at least twenty-five thousand troops in total, of which over eight thousand were mounted. The mounted forces consisted of a mixture of knights from houses that declared for Black Harren, ironborn who knew how to ride horses, and ironborn riding war chariots. The last one perplexed Jaenyx, as chariots had not seen use in war for centuries. However, Chrass Rivers, a bastard son of Lord Blackwood, explained to him that the ironborn had to use chariots because they didn't have sufficient experience as cavalrymen and that the chariot allowed to them move swiftly during land reaving while providing them a stable platform for their spearmen and archers. "After all," Chrass Rivers explained. "It wouldn't do the ironmen any good if their vassals were the only ones who used horses."
The time Jaenyx and Rhaenys spent in the riverlands may not have yielded much material support for the dragons, but the information they obtained was just as valuable. The past three decades under the rule of Black Harren, who had beggared and enslaved many throughout the region, sowed unrest among many of the riverlords. News about Rook's Rest made many in the Riverlands question whether they should support the dragons' struggle against the ironborn, as Aegon Targaryen and Orys Baratheon both showed that he could be defeated. However, many of the riverlords were reluctant to rebel against him despite not responding to his call because he still had a large army of ironborn straight from the Iron Islands and from sons born through many of salt wives. As long as that army remained intact, no one had the courage to rise up against Black Harren.
One thing that would work in their favor was Black Harren's ego. Already losing thousands of troops to what he viewed as upstarts, he needed to destroy this threat once and for all and soon, or he would suffer irreparable damage to his reputation. Jaenyx knew that having many of his available troops march towards the western approaches of their citadel at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush was his answer to those who hurt his pride.
Fortunately, a Tarareon cavalry patrol discovered their movements before they crossed the river that fed into the Blackwater Rush. Jaenyx and Rhaenys received a message from Visenya that warned of the enemy's advances while also recommending a tactical plan to act on when they do have battle. Jaenyx was… very impressed with how flexible and elaborate Visenya's plan was. The plan overall emphasized adherence to its basic structure while allowing the commanders in the field to change and adapt certain details to fit the current battlefield conditions without seriously compromising the plan's purpose.
Visenya's plan fit with the apt saying: no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Many misunderstood those words as to not prepare a battle plan at all, which was foolish as they missed the point of that sentence. Battle was a very fluid situation with many unknowns and adhering to a certain strategy without adapting to changing conditions was an easy way to be defeated. No one could control how a campaign panned out and commanders throughout history ignored the wisdom of modifying their tactics and strategy to uncontrollable factors at their own peril.
Communicating with Aegon and Orys as they repositioned southwards, Jaenyx and Rhaenys knew that they had to block the ironborn advance at the river, as they had a good chance of halting them before they reached their citadel. However, they also knew that they were outnumbered. Against at least twenty-five thousand ironborn including eight thousand mounted troops, the dragons could only muster a total of eight thousand troops including the Blackwoods that had joined their struggle. They had one thousand and five hundred cavalry, a mixture of Tarareon, Blackwood, and Rosby men, supported by six thousand and five hundred infantry, a combination of Celtigar, Rahitheon, Stokeworth, Bar Emmon, Darklyn, and Mooton troops. Aegon also brought Balerion from the northwest while Meraxes and Cloudwynd had joined his main force ahead of Jaenyx and Rhaenys. A garrison of one thousand men commanded by Visenya along with Vhagar would protect the citadel and keep watch for enemy movements from the northwest and the south until they return.
One advantage of having a smaller force, as it showed at Rook's Rest, was that they could advance faster than their larger adversaries. Jaenyx and Rhaenys rendezvoused with Aegon and Orys at a town on the southern shores of the Gods Eye, having to take a wider route around the ironborn's advances on the western shores. They set up quarters at the town's tower house situated on a hill to the west, which provided a commanding view of the chosen battlefield. However, they had found the town empty, no doubt depopulated to provide labor for Black Harren and they all knew that holding the town was pointless as there were no major fortifications from which they could repel an ironborn assault.
While he saw that Aegon and Rhaenys were tempted to enjoy a… steamy reunion on the top floor of the tower house, Jaenyx reminded them that they would have time for that after the battle and they needed to focus on preparing for when the ironborn arrive. They spent the next few days getting acquainted with the layout of the land around the town while modifying Visenya's plan to the landscape.
Before a council of the commanders, Aegon gazed upon a map of the planned battlefield. "For those who fought at Rook's Rest, remember that we're dealing with possibly the main army of Black Harren. They brought more cavalry, archers, and infantry to the fight while also using their ships to possibly bypass our positions. The focus should be on preventing the ironborn from crossing from the west bank, but the dragons will prevent the ironborn from outflanking us from the Gods Eye. I will entrust my wife Rhaenys for this task, as you're the best rider out of myself, Visenya, and Jaenyx."
Jaenyx was worried about Rhaenys' state of mind. Nearly drowning and killing for the first time almost proved too much for her, which he was a witness of. However, he trusted Rhaenys to do what she had to do and therefore said nothing. "While the dragons will prevent the ironborn's boats from bypassing our positions, Orys will lead the center while Jaenyx and myself will take the flanks. I will be leading the Rosby and half of the Tarareon cavalry on the right flank."
" Our goal is preventing the ironborn from bringing their larger numbers to bear on us. As they are familiar with Aegon from Rook's Rest, they'll be likely to focus their attack on him. Meanwhile, I will lead the left flank consisting of the Blackwood and the other half of the Tarareon cavalry to get them to cross prematurely towards us while Orys will advance with the center. Expect to shot upon by their archers, so keep your shields raised high and remain in tight formation ," Jaenyx outlined.
"Critical to the plan is to throw the ironborn off-balance, keep them from focusing on one area of the battle," Orys traced his finger along the Gods Eye. "The only reason that they're hugging the shores of the lake is because as long as they're within range of water, they could either withdraw by boat or launch lightning attacks on our flanks from them. Rhaenys will use the dragons to burn the boats before they could reach us and force the ironborn to concentrate on land. They are not made for extended combat on land and the fact that they brought chariots here shows their lack of confidence fighting with competent land forces." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Another part that is key to the plan is to have the ironborn overextend themselves on either flank. Like in Rook's Rest, if we can weaken one of their flanks, we'll have a chance at not only preventing their crossing, but to roll them up. After that, it's just a matter of who can get the bigger claim on corpses."
Aegon clasped his hands. "We all know our parts, but I will suggest something else. As soon as the ironborn arrive, we attack."
That got everyone's attention. "Wait, you mean, attack before they are ready?" Jon Rosby asked.
"Why not?" Orys pointed out. "If we allow them to set up formations, our chances of beating them will decrease. Plus, as we have all the smaller army, they'll never expect us to take the initiative like at Rook's Rest. Once we attack, we can control their movements and their reactions."
Jaenyx nodded in approval. " I would suggest that you make yourself as visible as possible, Egg. You are the victor at Rook's Rest, after all. The ironborn will charge at you in an irrational attempt to avenge their fallen brothers, which would allow my attack to face less resistance ."
"That's good, Jae," Aegon affirmed with a smile. "All right. Our scouts report that they'll be here in a day. Get yourself more familiar with the layout and land and prepare yourself, for tomorrow will be the battle that decides whether we will triumph or fail against Black Harren. Dismissed."
Jaenyx was left alone with Aegon, who remained gazing upon the map while Orys and Rhaenys left for their quarters on the upper levels of the tower house. "I heard that Rhae found out personally what it was like to kill," Aegon stated.
"Kessa," Jaenyx responded. " We were ambushed by the ironborn at the Stoney Sept and one of them tried to cleave with an axe. Fortunately, the dragon coat protected her while she was able to get a dagger in his throat. "
"How is she doing?" Jaenyx knew he was concerned.
" Frankly, I'm worried about her, Egg. First time taking a life is never easy on the soul, but she also knew what it was like to almost die. Both experiences would overwhelm anyone ."
"Will she be able to fight in the battle ahead, Jae?"
" Egg, the best thing you can do for her is to make her to do work. There will be a time for her to really confront her distress from the past few weeks, but none of us could afford it. Making her work will distract her from the experiences, especially the memories since they will just remain in your mind no matter what you do ."
Aegon sighed. "Will she be the same Rhae that we both grew to love?"
Jaenyx moved next to him. " Egg, you have to trust that she will be able to pull through this, but what you can do is be there for her. Try to talk to her about her distresses, but don't force it. With the right words and the right attention, she will not only be able to come out of this with her mind intact, she'll be stronger. I did what I could to keep her calm, but you are the one she loves. So, continue to be that person and you might see her emerge whole much quicker than you'd think. " Jaenyx grasped his shoulder in support.
Jaenyx couldn't help but briefly think about the time when his father, mother, and brother had died. He had no one to help him through those trying times except Master Haru, but he responded to his crying and despair by wrestling him to the ground and choking him with a headlock. He struggled to get out and Master Haru told him, "Yowamushi me! Doragun no chi ga iri tte nai!" ( You weak bastard! You're not fit to have the blood of dragons in you ) Jaenyx was still crying when he got enraged and bit down hard on Haru's arm, releasing him from his headlock. After he stood up, Master Haru pointed to him and said, "Ikari ha zetsubou yorimo yuuyou desu." ( Anger is more useful than despair ) He couldn't cry very much after that and didn't allow himself to think much about his sufferings, until he came to Dragonstone. Jaenyx found that loving made it easier for him to help whomever he loved through their own sufferings, something he wished he had and was now trying to be for Rhaenys.
Aegon stood straighter, smiled, and pulled Jaenyx in for a hug. "Kirimvose, Jae. Kirimvose."
Jaenyx returned the hug. " It's nothing, Egg. Now, let's get ready for the battle ahead. "
"Aye," Aegon affirmed. "Let us conquer."
Early the next morning, Jaenyx was awoken by Rhaenys, who told him that the scouts have reported the ironborn approaching the river. Dressed in his laminar armor, steel cuisses and vambraces, and ridge helmet, he tucked in his katana and wakizashi to his left side while carrying his hand-and-half sword in his left hand and a lance in his right. This would be the first time he would really fight on the ground, as he trusted Cloudwynd to Rhaenys and Aegon did the same with Balerion. Besides, fighting with the troops would really show that their commander was willing to go through the same risks as they did. Jaenyx could still fight on Cloudwynd and his troops certainly trusted him enough to cross the sea from Sothoryos, but fighting on the ground would send a more powerful message.
Jaenyx knew what he had to do. He repeated to Aegon that he was not under him, but he was not that stubborn to ignore that Aegon was clearly adept at battle tactics and war strategy. While he himself was also trained in warfare, Jaenyx found himself more at home working from the shadows. He was also not bothered by the fact that Aegon was the more popular one due to Rook's Rest, since Aegon had that charisma that was required of great military leaders. Everyone had a role to play in this struggle, and Jaenyx found his, so there was no reason to feel envious and he knew that his vassals would remain loyal only to him.
Jaenyx mounted his horse and rode to the center of the front row of the cavalry at the left flank. Across the river, he could see thousands of ironborn approaching the west bank. He also saw that their right flank, the one in front of his, had a high concentration of mounted forces from armored knights to chariots, the latter holding a charioteer and either a lancer or archer. He also noticed scythes mounted on each of the wheels, to be used against infantry and enemy horses. Jaenyx let out a breath to control his apprehension. As long as we can maintain our distance, we will be fine .
Then, a glare drew Jaenyx's gaze to the right, at the Gods Eye. He saw Meraxes, Balerion, and Cloudwynd release their flames onto the ironborn boats, turning many into nothing and the rest on fire. Screams could be heard by those on the southern shores and the inferno was undoubtedly seen by all around the lake. He caught a glimpse at Rhaenys directing Balerion and Cloudwynd as they tore through the boats, fires blazing on the water itself in a mixture of yellow, black, and blue. Such a sight reminded Jaenyx when they first unleashed the dragons on the ironborn at Dragonstone, which was truly a wonderful sight.
Jaenyx turned slightly towards his left, seeing Aegon make his first move as he charged with his cavalry from the hill down onto the ironborn's left flank. Caught unprepared and still out of formation, many ironborn died from the Tarareon's horse archers and the others' lances before Aegon withdrew ahead of the ironborn regrouping. He had made himself as visible as he could, with his distinctive black helm and dragon wings protruding from both of its sides.
Now! Jaenyx tightened the straps of his helmet before taking a breath. " Cavalry, forward! " Initially going at a slow pace, they picked up speed as they advanced towards the ironborn's right flank. With lancers in the center formation shaped like a wedge, Tarareon horse archers occupied the flanking positions, with their orders to form a single-file circle while shooting their bows, allowing a continuous stream of arrows to land on the enemy.
" Charge! " Jaenyx shouted as he and the others in their wedge formation lowered their lances and struck the enemy cavalry. They had designed their lances to pierce especially plate armor, but they were trained to aim for the head, neck, and shoulders so as to not lodge their lances in the cuirass. That was easier said than done when moving fast on horseback and Jaenyx had never done a cavalry charge before, but he had time to practice riding a horse and how to charge. Whenever the lance moved away from its mark, he adjusted and compensated.
Jaenyx felt his jerk backwards as his lance struck its first target, a knight's helm. He saw blood spill from the helm's openings, confirming that he did at least harm his first adversary. However, as they were in close contact with the enemy, they had to drop their lances and start fighting with swords while on horseback. He drew his hand-and-half sword, a family heirloom called Seablaze by its first wielder Jaenara Belaerys, and began striking at the ironborn cavalry and chariots.
The good thing about the cavalry and chariots were that they did not expect to be attacked by their opponent's smaller cavalry force on the left, with the wedge charge shattering their front ranks while the Tarareon mounted archer circles caused chaos among the rest. So, for now, they had the initiative.
Jaenyx thrust Seablaze at a mounted ironborn's exposed neck, seeing blood spill out of his mouth before drawing it out. He turned to his right and swung downwards on an armored knight. It merely glanced from the armor and did not major damage at first, but Jaenyx recovered by avoiding the knight's horizontal swing and thrusting upwards into the tiny opening separating the helm and cuirass. Feeling the blade sever the spine, he pulled it out and saw the knight fall from his horse as a dead corpse before continuing on.
However, as more time passed, the enemy cavalry was regrouping and he saw the chariots wheeling around and getting into a position to charge into the fray, while also seeing ironborn infantry moving to reinforce their right flank. His purpose complete, he signalled the withdrawal as the ironborn's front ranks were beginning to reorganize. Their return back to the east bank was delayed by the river, but they were able to reform in good order. Jaenyx saw that thirty troops did not make it back alive, but he pushed any sad feelings aside to focus on the battle.
Jaenyx recovered his bearings after feeling blood and mud on his horse and armor to see the center under Orys advance. As expected, the ironborn rained down arrows on top of them, forcing them to get into tighter formation and slowing their advance through the river. However, some arrows made through the gaps in their shields and killing dozens in each volley. The rivers soon turned red with blood while corpses began to float in the gushing waters of the river. To Orys' credit, he maintained the formation and a steady pace towards the ironborn's center.
Jaenyx had to reorient his attention to directly in front of him, as he now faced a combined force of mounted ironborn and knights, chariots, and infantry charging towards him.
" Archers, maintain fire on them. The rest of you, prepare for a counter-charge ," Jaenyx ordered. " Do not let them have one inch on this bank, or we're done for. Will we let these mongrels push us back?! "
"DAOR!!!" was the response from the Valyrians while the others yelled.
" CHARGE!"
As the ironborn infantry, cavalry, and chariots, made their way into the river, Jaenyx led the charge against them, effectively halting them in the water while the Tarareon mounted archers maintained their rate of fire on them. However, as Jaenyx was swinging Seablaze down onto the infantry, he felt his horse get run through with a pike and he splashed into the river. Feeling his helmet gone, he drew his katana with his left hand and began slashing and thrusting at the ironborn around him.
" Protect Lord Belaerys! " he heard one shout as more men rushed to support him in the river. Blood drops flew and water splashed as swords, pikes, and arrows found their marks. Ironborn archers on the chariots returned fire, with many of their arrows glancing off or bouncing off the armor while a few of Jaenyx's men were killed at a time. Jaenyx felt his vision blur with each spray of the river's water, recovering just soon enough to block some sword slash, an axe swing, or a pike thrust. The water reached up to their waists, greatly reducing their speed in order to attack or block another's.
Jaenyx found to his detriment that his katana was not delivering its lethal effects as it had before. While useful against unarmored opponents and against gaps in armored ones, he saw that the mail shirts of the ironborn and plate armor of knights and men-at-arms deflected the katana's strikes. Only by quickly reacting and killing them with Seablaze was he able to recover and move onto the next one.
Suddenly, Jaenyx felt a pike pierce through the armor gap in his right shoulder. "Ah!" he yelled as he looked upon the ironborn responsible. He then saw two more ironborn charge at him while kicking up splashes of water and letting out their war cries. Thinking quickly, he cut off the pike at its head with his katana, spun around to get closer to the ironborn, and slashed at his throat with Seablaze. He parried the attacks of the other two ironborn, pushing them away with his swords while charging at the nearest one to his right. As both of them were relatively unarmored, he cut the one on the right where the vessels below the neck were while also spinning around to slash at the other's legs with the katana, the blade passing through the water before emerging with an upward slice that made the ironborn fall into the river. The last saw Jaenyx saw of him was him trying in vain to remain above the surface.
Jaenyx felt a rush kick in as he felt blood come out of his shoulder wound. Reasoning became drowned out by the water splashing around him, steel clanging and horses neighing piercing his ears, and men shouting, instinct threatened took over while muscle memory yearned to determine his body's movements. As he push-kicked an armored man-at-arms into the river and parried another's sword, he controlled his breathing, calming his heart letting the rational parts of his mind resume control. Master Haru told him that emotions and hot blood do not belong in combat, as mistakes and recklessness occurred because of them, and it took him one instance while in the Basilisk Isles for him to realize the wisdom of his words. That was… gory to say the least, and he promised himself that he would never allow his baser emotions take over again.
As he calmed down, Jaenyx saw that they were slowly being pushed back to the west bank. Despite the Tarareon horse archers keeping the ironborn at bay, for every ironborn they killed or drowned in the river, more took his place. Ironborn archers mounted on the chariots started to inflict serious damage as the charioteers urged their horses across. Drenched in blood and water, exhaustion creeped into the faces of the Blackwood and Tarareon men with Jaenyx.
" Fall back! To the west bank! " Jaenyx ordered. He had to reform their line if they were to push back the mass that was treading across the river. Fortunately, he could also see that many of the ironborn were starting to slow down, also exhausted. Notorious for reaving and quickly getting out, they were not made for extended periods of combat and their effectiveness had decreased dramatically. Reaching the west bank, Jaenyx yelled, " Keep firing! Do not let them out of the river! "
Many ironborn were cut down, as the Tarareon archers maintained their stream of arrows and the enemy cavalry and chariots were bogged down by the river. The men systematically cut down anyone that had made it to the west bank, with Jaenyx forcing a knight off of his horse and stepping on his throat hard enough to crush his windpipe. Aegon, whatever you're going to do, do it now. I don't know if we can hold much longer .
Then, a roar pierced through the chaos. Jaenyx turned around and saw Meraxes fly towards their position. Once over the west bank, Meraxes released her dragonfire and incinerated hundreds within a few moments before climbing back up. Jaenyx turned to see that the center under Orys still fighting in close combat with the ironborn's center line, but looked up to see Balerion release his dragonfire behind the army, effectively cutting off their retreat. Panic began to grow within the ironborn's ranks.
Finally, Jaenyx saw the three-headed Targaryen banner rush from the right flank and behind the center. Now seeing the final move of the plan, Jaenyx tightened his grip on his swords. " Troops, charge into the enemy. Wipe them out! " With renewed vigor, the remnants of the left flank rushed back into the river and struck down many ironborn while pulling others off of their horses and chariots. A few were cut down by the chariots' scythes, but the integrity of the ironborn army was compromised as Aegon and his cavalry crashed into their rear. A gap between the ironborn's right flank and center was exploited by Aegon as he rushed with his cavalry towards Jaenyx's positions, cutting down many in the process.
Aegon dismounted and began to take part in the fight in the river. He slashed his way through the ironborn before making it to Jaenyx. "Need help, brother?" Aegon asked as he stood next to him.
" A little earlier would have been nice ," Jaenyx calmly admitted.
"I was busy," Aegon lightly jested.
" Let's save the talk for after the battle ."
"Aye, let's do that." Jaenyx and Aegon then waded side by side through the river while cutting down their opponents. While Jaenyx used more of his speed, Aegon was all about power as he swung hard against every ironborn block and used his punches. Jaenyx also saw Aegon block an ironborn's axe and punch before headbutting him and running him through with Blackfyre.
But, Aegon failed to see an ironborn rushing up from behind him. Jaenyx reacted too late as the ironborn swung his axe into Aegon's helm, causing him to fall into the river. Decapitating him in one swift motion, Jaenyx rushed towards where Aegon was and pulled him up before he drowned.
" Aegon, can you hear me? Are you all right ?" Jaenyx shook him. Not getting an answer, Jaenyx pulled up his helm, fearing the worst. To his relief, Aegon's eyes will open and moving. " Are you okay? Are you all right? You okay? " Jaenyx repeated.
"Yeah," Aegon managed. "I think I can hear bells ringing."
Jaenyx laughed, reassured. " Come on! We still got a fight on our hands !"
Aegon took off his helm, too damaged to wear anymore, while Jaenyx could see a cut on the back of his head. Any deeper, and you'd be done for. Rhaenys doesn't deserve that.
With Balerion's flame cutting off their escape and with both of their flanks either rolled or crushed, the enemy's center collapsed. Jaenyx and Aegon emerged on the east bank of the river to see Orys meeting them. Although not as drenched in water like Jaenyx and Aegon, he was covered in blood and had arrows protruding out of his left thigh and forearm. His Valyrian steel axe, the one gifted to him by Jaenyx, had pieces of flesh still on its head. What was more, they did not say anything to each other was they surveyed the field.
They were worried about the ironborn's chariots because of the scythes and how fast they could move. However, they saw that they had chosen their battleground well, as the river restricted their enemy's movements and negated their advantage in cavalry and chariots. They had made the mistake of concentrating their mounted troops on their right flank opposite of Jaenyx's, which got them to overextend their lines while the river restricted their movement. They all looked at the Gods Eye to see the burning remains of the ironborn ships, all of them facing the fire of the dragons before they could outflank them.
It was at this moment that Jaenyx began to appreciate Aegon more. He had made a good decision to attack as soon as the ironborn arrived, which caught them off guard and made them react to the dragons. The sheer audacity and willingness on Aegon's part to fight with his troops even though he could have remained in the sky on Balerion… Jaenyx saw his good-brother in a new light.
Jaenyx also glanced at Orys. Not thinking much of him before, he began to recognize that size does matter. Easily the most physically imposing of them, he backed it up by showing bravery and steadfastness to the plan. It was because of him that the center held despite arrows raining down on them and facing stiff resistance from the ironborn's center. Although he still did not understand how he could have came from dragonblood, at least Orys lived up to his boasts of strength and stalwartness.
They all saw Meraxes, Balerion, and Cloudwynd land at the rear of the ironborn army. All of them roared into the air, three roars fusing into one great bellow that echoed through the battlefield. Seeing no point, the ironborn dropped their weapons and surrendered as Rhaenys slid off Meraxes and moved through the new prisoners as she got closer to the three of them. Orys gave her a big hug while Rhaenys hugged Jaenyx and gave him a peck on the cheek. She then turned to Aegon, pulling him into a big kiss while ignoring the blood and water dripping from his head.
While Aegon was getting his head injury treated with Rhaenys keeping him company, Jaenyx took over in overseeing the remaining ironborn prisoners. He counted four hundred dead on their side along with three thousand wounded. As for the ironborn, out of a near twenty-five thousand troops that came to battle, four thousand cavalry were killed along with eight thousand infantry, with the rest wounded and captured.
Jaenyx stood in front of their remaining leaders, most ironborn but a few of them from the riverland houses that had sided with Black Harren. "I am Jaenyx of House Belaerys, Lord of the Basilisk Isles. What you decide to do now will determine whether or not you return home. Your king, Black Harren, has suffered three defeats at our hands. Dragonstone, Rook's Rest, and now here. In weeks, tens of thousands of men were turned to ash. You have been beaten and are now in our custody. Personally, I don't care whether you live or die, but if you want to go home, bend the knee right here and your wish will be granted."
"You asking us to be oathbreakers?" an ironborn spat.
"Look around you," Jaenyx outstretched his arms. "Not only were you beaten by a smaller army, you were beaten by real dragons. You really think you have a chance against us after today?" That silenced the ironborn. "I would ask that you make the sensible decision. Just know that if you don't bend the knee this instant, your ashes will join the other piles. That is my guarantee."
"So, you're the one they call the Blue Dragon?" a riverlander asked.
"And who might you be?"
"Ser Everan of House Roote of Harroway's Town."
"And do they really call me the Blue Dragon, Ser Everan?"
"Aye."
"Hmmm… well, what say you, Ser Everan? Will you bend the knee and live, or don't and burn?"
Ser Everan Roote bent the knee promptly, as did the other riverlanders. As with the other ironborn, they all remained standing in defiance. "As I expected," Jaenyx remarked. "And quite frankly, I wouldn't mind if everyone of you ironborn burned. Rhaedar, take all of them to the dragons ."
Six ironborn captains were put before Balerion, Cloudwynd, and Meraxes. All of the prisoners, in chains, watched upon the sight with fear and in wonder. "To all you ironborn scum!" Jaenyx announced. "Remember what you will see, for this is the price for provoking the dragons. We didn't start this war, but we will see it end with the ashes of House Hoare scattered upon the earth. I, Jaenyx of House Belaerys, Lord of the Basilisk Isles, sentence these ironborn captains to die." He stood straighter. "Dracarys."
All three dragons released their flames onto the six ironborn, their screams echoing through the dusky skies before they were revealed as tiny piles of ash.