Time passed quickly, and several days went by.
Skyreach City.
At the foot of the Dornish hills, ten thousand soldiers from the Riverlands coalition army formed ranks, standing in formation around siege weapons, their eyes locked on the city like hungry wolves.
After days of preparation, the time had finally come to attack this fortress.
"Screech—"
The Devourer roared toward the sky, its massive body casting a shadow over the army as it soared above Skyreach City.
With a face like frost, Rhaegar took advantage of the dragon's glide over the troops, shouting loudly, "The city is about to fall—attack!"
"Charge!"
"Catapults, ready! Cover the advance!"
Shield bearers surged forward, protecting the spearmen and archers behind them.
"Screech—"
Dreamfyre let out a piercing cry, her broad wings spreading like a vast sky as she took a different route to encircle Skyreach.
Boom—
The two dragons circled over the city, unleashing torrents of dragonfire.
In an instant, the flames inflicted devastating losses on the city's defenders, crushing their morale.
On the battlements, Count Fowler personally commanded the defense, roaring in fury, "Set up the scorpion ballistae! Shoot the dragons down!"
Click-clack, click-clack…
Several massive scorpion ballistae were adjusted, aiming at the dragons in the sky.
Whoosh!
A steel-tipped bolt was fired—completely off target.
"Devourer, take him down!"
Rhaegar sneered coldly, diving toward the enemy atop his dragon.
Devourer's green eyes gleamed with menace before he exhaled a blast of dragonfire, engulfing dozens of soldiers stationed around the scorpion ballistae.
"Seven Hells!"
Faced with a real dragon, Count Fowler felt dizzy, a wave of fear creeping into his heart.
He suddenly recalled how his ancestors had dealt with the Targaryen invaders—
Abandon the city. Retreat into the desert.
Perhaps he should not have defended the city. Perhaps this had been a terrible mistake.
But it was too late.
Boom—
The tightly shut city gates creaked open, welcoming the Riverlands coalition forces climbing up the hill.
Morse appeared, his face pale, one arm missing, his blood-soaked armor telling the tale of brutal battle.
Dickon trembled all over, gripping a curved blade tightly in his hand, surrounded by seven or eight loyal guards.
"Attack!!"
With the gates flung open, Rhaegar roared, urging Devourer to dominate the battlements, forcing the defenders to retreat.
"Screech—"
Dreamfyre descended rapidly, swooping into the inner gate and unleashing a wave of dragonfire upon the reinforcements.
"Stop them!"
Helena crouched low on her dragon's back, speaking in High Valyrian.
Dreamfyre fought fiercely, her pale blue wings slicing through the air like giant guillotine blades. Her powerful tail swept aside all in her path.
Her elegant form moved like an unstoppable war machine.
Anyone who dared challenge her was instantly incinerated by a surge of bright blue flames.
Dragon and rider acted in perfect unison, buying time for the Riverlands army to flood through the gates.
"Long live the Princess!!"
"For the Iron Throne!"
At the sight of this, the soldiers' eyes burned with fervor as they rushed into the city, eager to claim victory.
Fighting for the Targaryens meant certain triumph!
On the battlements.
Watching the gates fall, Count Fowler was torn between rage and despair as the fear of death consumed him.
He still had many resources left—three thousand soldiers and two thousand mercenaries who had yet to be deployed.
"Who opened the gates?"
He muttered in disbelief before suddenly realizing the truth, his voice turning into a hysterical roar:
"Damn you, Manwoody! You dare betray me?!"
The battle was lost. His heart filled with grief and hatred.
"Traitors… I curse you—"
"Screech—"
Before he could finish, green dragonfire rained down upon him, striking him directly.
With a sizzling sound, smoke rose from his burning skull.
Rhaegar cast him a disdainful glance. "Too much talking."
With their leader dead, the defenders' morale collapsed.
Two dragons continued their relentless assault as ten thousand soldiers flooded the city.
Skyreach had fallen.
---
As the chaos of battle subsided, the war ended before sunset.
With Skyreach under new rule, drastic reforms were swiftly implemented.
All members of House Fowler were placed under house arrest, confined in the castle tower.
After the bloodshed, more than half of the three thousand city defenders and two thousand mercenaries survived and promptly surrendered.
Approximately 1,600 Dornish soldiers were taken prisoner and divided into small groups for confinement.
All mercenaries were executed, their heads mounted on spears and displayed atop the city walls.
Before nightfall, Rhaegar sat atop his dragon, standing tall before the castle.
Helena followed suit, riding Dreamfyre and blocking the castle's main gate.
The two massive dragons faced each other from a distance, with more than a thousand Dornish civilians gathered in between.
They were the subjects of House Fowler and had taken refuge within the city since the war began.
Rhaegar surveyed the crowd, delivering a formal declaration: "House Martell waged war without approval, betraying the precious peace."
"But I know you are just poor common folk—innocent people."
"The Targaryens will not harm you. I hope you live well and do not get caught in the grinder of war."
With that, he gave Donald a knowing look.
Donald understood immediately, bringing forward several Dornish officers and vowing not to execute the prisoners but to detain them until the war was over.
Whether true or not, this reassurance greatly appeased the civilians.
Many of the captured soldiers were the sons of these commoners, and naturally, they did not want the Iron Throne to execute the prisoners.
With the guarantee in place, any rebellious thoughts were quickly extinguished.
That was precisely the effect Rhaegar wanted.
He didn't expect the civilians to swear loyalty—at least not yet. He just needed them to stay quiet in the short term.
There would be plenty of time to deal with them later.
---
Inside the castle, in the Cliff Hall.
With victory secured, a war council was convened.
A detailed map of Dorne was laid out on the table, and Rhaegar pointed to Hellgate Hall, deep in Dornish territory.
"Hellgate Hall is the stronghold of House Uller. It sits along the banks of the Brimstone River, surrounded by desolate desert on all sides, with no natural defenses to rely on."
"To breach Hellgate Hall, we only need to break through its fortified walls."
Helena listened intently and carefully spoke up: "Hellgate Hall has strong walls, and to the left and right are Sandstone and Vulture's Roost. If we get stuck in a prolonged siege, our army will be unable to advance."
At first glance, Hellgate Hall appeared to have no natural defenses. In reality, the surrounding desert was its greatest barrier.
Any army attempting to besiege the castle would face the immense challenge of marching through the vast, unforgiving sands.
Not to mention the impossibly long supply line stretching from the Reach to Hellgate Hall.
If an enemy force were hidden in the desert, they could intercept the supply lines mid-route, dealing a devastating blow.
Rhaegar nodded, his gaze sweeping over the gathered lords before changing the topic: "I received word from Lord Corlys yesterday—he has taken Plankytown and is waiting for our main force to regroup."
Thud! Thud!
He tapped the map heavily with his fingers, his tone serious: "Starfall and Hellgate Hall are within a reasonable distance. I've decided to mobilize all cavalry, bring ten days' worth of provisions, and launch an immediate assault to the south!"
"Ten days!?"
Mund was shocked. "Even with the fastest cavalry, it would take at least seven days to reach both castles—that's assuming we don't get lost or caught in a sandstorm."
"That leaves us barely three days to siege a castle."
What castle could be taken in just three days?
"Lord Mund, three days is enough."
Rhaegar was displeased at the interruption and responded coldly: "Have you forgotten how the Dornish resisted the Targaryen invasion during the First Dornish War?"
They abandoned their castles and disappeared into the desert.
They waged guerrilla warfare, assassinating noblemen.
They turned harassment into an art form.
The fact that Kingsgrave and Starfall had not been abandoned only proved one thing—Qoren Martell had given them strict orders to hold their ground.
He needed to buy time for external reinforcements beyond the Narrow Sea.
House Uller of Hellgate Hall had long been known as madmen, and their strength was not much weaker than House Fowler of Starfall.
But against Targaryen dragons, they wouldn't engage in a direct battle.
Most likely, they would follow in their ancestors' footsteps—leaving only the elderly, sick, and weak in the castle to surrender while their soldiers vanished into the desert to launch ambushes.
Rhaegar intended to take Hellgate Hall and station a dragon to dominate the region between the Prince's Pass and the fortress.
Mund immediately recalled the assassination of the Tyrell Duke and frowned. "If the castle is empty, what use is taking it?"
An empty castle was difficult to hold.
The civilians inside would all be spies, with tunnels and hidden exits in every corner.
If their supply line was cut off, the army would starve inside its own walls.
Rhaegar nodded slightly, pausing in thought before explaining: "Hellgate Hall is the key stronghold in western Dorne. Controlling it will force the Dornish to divert their forces."
The Sea Snake had seized the Greenblood River, cutting Dorne's forces in two.
Now, Rhaegar would send an army to draw enemy attention and hold off the western resistance.
"You mean…"
Mund was momentarily stunned, deep in thought.
Rhaegar traced his finger along the Boneway on the map, then moved it to Sunspear. He spoke directly:
"We open the Prince's Pass and the Boneway, seize Starfall and Yronwood as bases, and march straight for Sunspear."
The Dornish could abandon their castles.
So the Targaryens would abandon chasing them.
Instead, they would take control of the Red Mountains, strike Sunspear directly, and crush House Martell at its heart!
Even if Qoren Martell fled, he would be nothing but a rat scurrying through the endless desert.
If he liked the sand so much, he and his vassals could spend the rest of their days eating it.
Meanwhile, from the Iron Throne's perspective:
With the Prince's Pass and the Boneway sealed off, the Reach's supply lines could support both fronts.
As long as they periodically cleared out the remaining Dornish resistance in the Red Mountains, they could ensure the security of these routes.
It would take effort, but within a few years, the Red Mountains would be fully under the Iron Throne's control.
Sunspear and Plankytown were equally crucial.
Both were coastal towns, abandoning the dangerous overland supply routes and transporting grain by sea.
Once the city-states of Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh were on the right track, they would unite the Stepstones to control the lower half of the Narrow Sea.
By then, Dorne would be trapped—unable to cross the Red Mountains inland and blocked from the Summer Sea by water.
With the Iron Throne's army and dragons burning and harassing them, destroying their wells and farmland, it wouldn't take more than two years before Dorne plunged into nationwide famine. They would starve to death.
It would be effortless to bring down Dorne's regime.
…
The next day.
Boneway, Vaith.
"Screech!!"
Vermithor soared above the city, its dragonfire bombarding the towers.
Yet within the castle, there was only silence—no sound at all.
The fortress was empty, not a single soul in sight.
Viserys furrowed his brows, looking down at the deserted city.
Clearly,
The Dornish were playing their old trick—abandoning their castles rather than facing dragons head-on.
"The Vaiths—disgusting name."
Viserys muttered, unable to suppress his loathing.
Vaith's underground tunnels connected to nearby caves, strengthening its defenses.
During the First Dornish War, House Vaith had used this very tactic to evade the Conqueror and Balerion.
In the year 12 AC, a member of House Vaith arrived uninvited at the wedding of Ser Jon Carvion, heir to Fawn Hill, and Ally Orkwood, daughter of the Earl of Orkwood.
He murdered the Earl of Orkwood and most of the guests, then forced the bride to watch as her husband was castrated.
Ally and her handmaidens were repeatedly violated before being sold to slavers in Myr.
"Shameless Vaiths!"
Viserys spat on the ground, running his fingers over the bronze scales of his saddle, then gave his command:
"Vermithor, let's go."
Vaith was an empty city, and the fortress at Ironwood, guarding the Boneway's exit, was likely the same.
He had received a letter from Corlys Velaryon, the Sea Snake, and knew that taking Sunspear was the real priority.
Since both Vaith and Ironwood had chosen not to resist, the Blackhaven army could pass through the Boneway unchallenged.
He needed to return and write to his eldest son, drafting a rough strategy.
"Screech!"
Vermithor flapped its massive wings, soaring away from the rugged terrain of Vaith.
(End of Chapter)