Stannis looked at the flags in front of him. Krakens, standing proudly, as if there was something good to be gained from plundering and destroying the lands of others. The Ironborn were foolish and greedy creatures, wanting to take more than their hands could hold. Stannis had noticed this.
The first time he faced Rodrick at sea, he fled, and Stannis would admit that it was a rather surprising maneuver. The Ironborn ships were faster than Stannis's fleet, at least at first. Having plundered the coasts, stealing anything that glistened, the weight on their ships increased, and they became slower. From what he discovered of the places they plundered, they took almost no salt wives or slaves—a little use of their brains.
But they were still slippery. Stannis planned to chase them across Westeros to the Iron Islands. But the king was wise and gave him ships. It would have been magnificent if they had taken advantage of Rodrick passing through King's Landing twice to ambush him at sea; after all, he couldn't flee in two different directions.
At the beginning of the war, Stannis had crushed Moron Greyjoy's fleet and then gone to King's Landing to attack Rodrick. He learned that Rodrick had been repelled and was traveling north, probably planning to plunder Dunskendale, so Stannis went north to pursue him. They met near the city, and it was then that Rodrick overtook Stannis' ships and managed to escape.
So Stannis followed him south again. It was by sea that he received a message to go to King's Landing to receive part of the royal fleet. Rodrick then gained more advantage and distance, as he sailed directly from Dunskendale to Sharp Point, earning a day or two's lead, which would have been enough to lose him forever.
But they did not take advantage of it. Stannis wasted time in King's Landing and still managed to find Rodrick near Rain House. Greed always breaks the bag.
Stannis had been pursuing them ever since, and now they were near the Stepstones, where the Martell fleet would meet them. Stannis looked into the distance with an eye of Myr, a crest of a spear above a burning sun. They weren't the best ships in the world, but if the Greyjoys fought them, Stannis would have more than enough time to attack them from behind.
"Get ready!" he roared to his men. "We will fight today!" He didn't say much else to motivate them. They were soldiers, or at least, during this war, they would be. The men who returned home would continue working the land or return to being carpenters or craftsmen.
Davos moved quickly, going with his sons. Soon, horns were heard, and all the ships adopted a formation. He didn't want any gaps that the Ironborn could exploit.
Stannis also ordered the formation to move slightly eastward. Tyrosh and the Stepstones were nearby, and although pirate ships abounded, Rodrick could decide to use it as an escape route.
The ships continued to cut through the waves. The men on the ships had bows in their hands and began shooting when the Greyjoys were within range. The Greyjoys responded with their own arrows, but their range was shorter. Stannis had an advantage there.
"Of course, he wouldn't dare to fight," he snorted with hatred.
"It's as if Rodrick has suddenly learned to use his head," Davos said, a little surprised.
The Greyjoys had begun to split into groups, the ships fleeing in all directions, some heading west, seeking to enter the Sea of Dorne, others heading for Tyrosh, and others in random directions, anywhere that offered the slightest chance of getting past the blockade of the Baratheons and Martells.
"Should we wait for the Martells to act?" Davos asked.
"No." Stannis was blunt. "I will not waste time waiting. We will pursue those heading east." The Greyjoys' tactic was intended to confuse them and get Rodrick out alive, but Stannis did not intend to give them that pleasure.
"There are ships heading for Westeros," Davos said, perhaps thinking of the towns sacked by the Ironborn.
"To Dornish lands," Stannis explained. "The Martells will take care of them. The Dornish are slippery and poisonous; I'm not worried they can't defend themselves." Stannis had not inherited any hatred for the Dornish, although there used to be disputes between the Stormlands and Dorne.
"So be it. We'll chase them east. Get moving," Davos began shouting orders.
Stannis caught a glimpse in the distance. It was hard to see a white figure lost in the sunlight. Every second, it grew larger.
The ships shook as the dragon passed overhead. Stannis clenched his hands tightly, impressed. He took a deep breath. Prince Jaehaerys had arrived, chasing the ships eastward.
Stannis reconsidered his orders. He decided to change them. Half the fleet would go to Dorne to maintain a blockade and help defend their lands. The other half would ensure support for the prince.
To make sure there were no surviving Greyjoy ships.
------------
'Scattered like rats,' thought Jaehaerys. He could see at least six groups so far.
'Go!' he mentally commanded his eagle to fly from a safe distance. The animal's eyes were better than humans', and if there were more scattered ships, it would find them.
A ship in the ocean would stand out easily, but from that height, he couldn't be entirely sure; the sun reflected strongly on the water and made it difficult to see.
A few groups were heading towards Tyrosh and the Stepstones, so he decided to go there first.
"The white flames will be quite surprising," thought the prince.
"Dracarys!" he shouted, though his voice was lost in the wind. But the dragon understood him perfectly. Jaehaerys watched the long neck expand slowly, as if the fire came from his very heart, and a column of white flames shot out of the creature's mouth.
The fire quickly engulfed the ship, and Jaehaerys did not wait for it to sink completely. He moved on to the next one and repeated the process until all of them were ablaze. He ascended into the sky, and the ships eventually sank. He looked down at his work from the back of his dragon. The white fire was quite blinding, and he did not want to imagine what it must be like for the Ironborn.
"But there could be survivors," he thought, feeling bitter at the idea that any Ironborn might survive.
Suddenly, he felt a pang in his head. His eagle had sent a signal. The prince's warging had increased incredibly. He could guide his eagle from a distance without needing to enter its mind, and it could send signals when it felt the need to show him something.
Jaehaerys covered one eye, which quickly turned milky white. Then he could see through his eagle's eyes. Unlike other times, he did not guide the animal; he just looked through its eyes. He saw six groups of Ironborn ships; the eagle's eyes had spotted an extra group. Also, in the distance, he saw ships flying the Three-Headed Dragon flag, and there was also the Baratheon stag.
Jaehaerys had believed that Stannis would go after the ships that were scattering toward the west, but he only sent part of his fleet.
"Well... then," Jaehaerys went to the next group of Greyjoy ships. He didn't want the Greyjoys to get mixed with the pirates in the Stepstones.
These did not fall as easily as the first group. Oh, their ships burned with the same intensity as the first ones, but they left a small mark on the prince.
'I must make sure Dany is protected,' the prince said aloud.
He had an arrow in his hand. The Ironborn had begun to rain down an endless shower of arrows on him. They bounced harmlessly off the dragon's thick scales, but Jaehaerys had to stop one that was about to pierce his chest.
"They were surprisingly close," although he actually had armor that would have protected him, the idea that an Ironborn could leave a scratch on him was even offensive.
Perhaps the prince hated them too much.