Above the Narrow Sea, dragons soared through the sky, and the fleet roared below.
There were both naval and airborne units.
Rhaegar and three dragons traversed the sky, while the lengthy fleet led by Larys Velaryon unfurled its sails against the wind in the waters below. Speaking of naval warfare and navigation, the House Velaryon people still had talent; a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.
Although Larys was indeed a sycophant, he was also a rare naval talent for the team.
Larys led a motley fleet, with rented, pot-bellied tyroshi merchant ships sailing ahead, followed by some old royal warships and House Velaryon's hidden ace warships from Driftmark. The personnel were also varied: seasoned sailors hired from Tyrosh, sailors and crew recruited from the Crownlands, a small number of soldiers continuously conscripted by the Crownlands Lords, Rhaegar's twelve hundred soldiers, and a portion of landless adventurers, as well as younger sons of nobles who had voluntarily joined.
Although the fleet appeared scattered and varied in size, Rhaegar felt the soldiers' morale was high because of the dragons, the fleet's ultimate weapon. With the return of the magical dragons, the prince's war myth would continue.
Rhaegar saw various banners flying: the Targaryen Family's black field with a three-headed red dragon, Rhaegar's personal emblem flag with a three-headed red dragon symmetrical with a Silver Dragon on a black field, House Velaryon's silver seahorse on a sea-green field, the Royce family's pebble rune banner, and House Hoare's nine-bat banner. In terms of a strike force, Rhaegar's detachment was truly a Westeros dream team.
Rhaegar left Cesar and Joffrey Arryn to guard King's Landing, while he himself led Ser Larys Velaryon, Ser Barristan the Bold, Brynden Tully, Bronze Yohn of the Vale, the eldest son of House Corbray, and others to assemble the army. Also present were Earl Jason of Seagard from the Riverlands, and Ser Hoare, the brother of the Earl of Harrenhal. Each of them was a fine sword, with their strength hovering around that of first-rate fighters, some higher, some lower. In battlefield combat, apart from Barristan, they were not considered stable.
Rhaegar volunteered to King Jaehaerys II in King's Landing, convincing the King with time and money that the dragons also needed to be tempered by war. If a conventional push strategy were used, the Stepstones war would last another two or three years; the War of the Ninepenny King had already lasted several years and incurred millions in gold dragons of debt. Deploying the dragons would accelerate the war advantage and also reduce military expenditure deficits.
"You are the future of the kingdom, the heir to the iron throne; you must protect yourself," King Jaehaerys II finally agreed reluctantly.
The war dragged on, showing signs of becoming a war of attrition. The Lords began to constantly urge and call for the deployment of the prince and the dragons. Prince Rhaegar was currently the iron throne's premier warrior, not to mention the three swift and untamed dragons that many Lords had personally witnessed.
Since I cannot choose war, I choose to join the war.
Above the Narrow Sea, strong winds swept over the Silver Dragon's body and Rhaegar's silver hair, black scales, and the silver three-headed dragon emblem on his breastplate. The sun shone on him, and Rhaegar was like a blazing fire.
Rhaegar ignited a ball of flame in his palm, and within the blue flame, scenes like a revolving lantern began to appear, showing the shifting views around Rhaegar's fleet.
Rhaegar wanted to know the location of Kral Rheen, the Leader of Lys, on Bloodstone, but this was a bit difficult. If possible, a decapitation strike would be best.
However, the Lyseni had experience in hiding from dragons on the island; they would retreat into caves and build various messy earth and wood fortresses, like retreating into a turtle shell. Kral Rheen was very cunning and did not easily show himself; the watchtowers on the island would relay information to him.
Rhaegar's Fire Sight could not easily find Prince Daemon in the flames as Alys Rivers did. This magic had limitations in terms of time and distance, and now it seemed to involve the use of blood.
Rhaegar guessed that Aemond and Daemon were too closely related by blood, and when Alys Rivers cast her spell, she sacrificed Aemond's blood, allowing her to easily pinpoint Daemon. But when he used Fire Sight, it was more troublesome because he didn't have Kral's blood. Most magic is driven by blood and fire; blood, fire, and life are all forms of fire. The rhoynar people's water magic has now completely disappeared.
In the flames, Rhaegar saw movement in the surrounding sea, but the waterways were blocked, making it impossible to see Kral Rheen's whereabouts. Perhaps only by continuing to advance the fleet would it be possible to see Kral and Bloodstone.
Rhaegar found that all channels were mostly blocked by wooden fences and broken warships. If they flew directly over, they would face round after round of Scorpion Crossbows. Currently, the plan was to remove obstacles while advancing.
"If I can't kill Kral, I'll start with you!" Rhaegar saw a scene in the flames: a fleet carrying Myrish Mercenaries was ten miles to his left.
Rhaegar had the Silver Emperor land on a warship and informed Corlys Velaryon, "Commander, I've spotted enemy traces in the sky. Order the fleet to change direction, move to the left, and prepare for battle."
Corlys did not hesitate and ordered the fleet to turn left.
The pot-bellied tyroshi merchant ships had also been contacted and converted into warships, equipped with Scorpion Crossbows and catapults, looking like formidable wild boars.
Rhaegar's elite archers were all on the tyroshi merchant ships, convenient for suppressing enemy fire.
The Myrish Mercenaries discovered the approaching fleet, and their faces instantly turned cold, as if they had entered an encirclement. They knew the front-line situation and had not expected such a powerful Westeros fleet on this route. Could it be reinforcements?
The mercenaries' shock did not last long as they saw dark shadows begin to descend from the sky, slowly growing larger, making them even more flustered and nervous.
"Damn it, dragons! It's dragons!"
"Those bastard Lyseni, didn't they say the dragons were only three years old? Are these dragons only three years old?" The Myrish Mercenaries wailed, becoming the first wave of offerings to the dragon's flames.
The mercenary leader grabbed his longsword and directly killed a subordinate who was screaming hysterically!
He noticed that some warships were trying to escape, but they had already been trapped like turtles in a jar by the Westeros 'wild boar' fleet, completely surrounded.
"crossbows, Scorpion Crossbows! We once shot down a Dragon King's heir, and we can do it again!" The mercenary leader looked up at the sky, watching the terrifying dragon shadow. They were too far from the Lyseni; they could only fight for survival.
crossbows, spears, and Scorpion Crossbows were all aimed at the sky. The Myrish had not fought against giant dragons for hundreds of years, but they still knew the basic methods of confrontation.
The giant dragons began to dive, charging towards the Myrish ships. The closer they got to the crowds, the more lethal the dragon's flames became. But this process also carried great danger, as they would become targets for arrows and spears. After all, dragons were moving living beings, and close combat involved risks.
The roaring dragons' speed was like lightning and thunder, as silver, purple, and black fireballs surged together, bright and dazzling flames bringing the greeting of death.
Rhaegar's Goldenheart Wood Longbowmen also showed their prowess. Under Brynden Tully's command, a rain of arrows began to fall, far-reaching and fierce. This was also Rhaegar's gift for the pirates.
Myrish warships began to be blown to pieces, and the flames opened their deadly maw. The sticky, mercilessly beautiful flames turned the ships into a living hell, and the crew members caught in the flames let out various wails and screams.
The Myrish crew leaped into the sea; they would either die by fire or by the sea!
Spears and arrows rained down fiercely on the dragons, but the mercenaries were in a panic, and coupled with being suppressed by the goldenheart wood archers, the threat to the dragons was greatly reduced.
The three dragons rampaged and danced in the air, easily dodging the arrows raining down.
The young dragons flew fast and fiercely, highly alert to danger. There might be a chance against one dragon, but against three equally ferocious dragons, the Myrish Mercenaries' morale plummeted, and their courage turned into fear and terror.
The Silver Emperor radiated anger amidst the rain of arrows and spears, its silver flames melting the arrows, and black smoke columns rose from the sea.
The mercenary leader, clinging to a burning piece of debris drifting on the sea, roared and raised his crossbow. Several arrows had pierced his body, yet he still managed to fire one arrow, aiming for the Silver Emperor's eye.
The mercenary leader burst into laughter. Even in death, I will take a giant dragon with me, and it will fall into the sea to be buried with me! Since life is already like this, why not take something with me?
"Careful! Silver Emperor!" Rhaegar, riding the Silver Dragon, swept across various parts of the battlefield. They had destroyed the mercenary flagship, and the rest were a disorganized rabble. The dragons swooped low, breathing fire.
In the chaotic naval battle, an arrow flew towards the Silver Emperor's eye. The Silver Emperor sensed the danger and twisted its body. The arrow did not enter its eye, nor did it penetrate the scales on its forehead. A faint bronze glow danced, and the arrow only grazed its skin slightly. The Rune of the Shield flashed, covering the Silver Emperor as it recovered.
The Silver Emperor's molten gold-like eyes were filled with fury. It had not been harmed by the Scorpion Crossbow, but it was already enraged.
These humble, despicable humans, like ants, even dared to ambush it.
The Silver Emperor gathered its strength, and silver flames surged forth—a river of fire, tongues of flame—engulfing the Myrish Mercenary leader and his crossbow, instantly turning him into roasted meat.
The other two dragons also felt the Silver Emperor's anger and breathed fire together. The dragons' roars suppressed all other clamor.
The Silver Demon Dragon spread its wings, and silver flames began to sweep wildly across the sea. The smell of burning ships and the stench of burning flesh filled the air.
Balerion and Balerion also roared, spewing purple and black flames!
The scales of the three dragons shimmered, even giving off a feeling of intense heat and boiling.
The flames ignited; the mercenaries had successfully provoked the dragons' wrath!
The Myrish ships were surrounded, and the enormous, wild boar-like tyroshi merchant ships mounted crossbows, while the longbowmen continued their rounds of focused fire!
The Myrish Mercenaries were almost wiped out, their ships burning fiercely on the sea, as if a dirge was being played!
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