By the time the Silver Fleet arrived at Bloodstone Island, all that remained were the ruins of the island, smoking wreckage on the sea, and ghastly green flames that had yet to extinguish.
There was also Jacaerys scolding his younger brother, and Skyfire glaring angrily at Sendroth.
"Don't blame Sendroth for everything." Jacaerys looked somewhat angrily at his brother, who was hanging his head and wringing his hands: "You are its dragon knight. If you don't nod, Sendroth can't attack on its own."
"Sendroth told me it could take care of these pirate ships while ensuring safety," Dan said, feeling a bit wronged. "I also observed that these pirate ships were poorly equipped, and their ballistas posed no threat to Sendroth's scales."
"And you?" Jacaerys grew angrier the more he thought about it. "Silly brother. You were still on its back. Did you think Sendroth was Candlelight, capable of protecting its rider as well? Those ballistas couldn't break Sendroth's scales, but they could easily kill you, couldn't they? One hundred and seventy pirate ships, do you know how many of them were equipped with ballistas? Or do you want Damion to be fatherless at such a young age? Do you believe I'll go back and tell Big Brother, Father, and Mother?"
"No, Jae, I was wrong! I won't dare next time!"
Dan immediately raised his hands in surrender.
While Jacaerys was scolding Dan, Skyfire also let out hoarse, continuous roars at Sendroth.
"Wood. Danger. Not allowed next time!" If Jacaerys understood correctly, that was probably what Skyfire meant.
Sendroth merely comfortably licked its own wings, then decisively wrapped its head with its wings, leaving only its enormous dragon horns exposed.
Only Skyfire remained, circling the balled-up Sendroth again and again, continuously letting out sharp roars.
Eventually, Skyfire grew tired and could only stop next to Sendroth, panting heavily.
Jacaerys also knew his brother understood his mistake, and his tone softened. "But you did well. If my guess is correct, these warships should be the main force of the pirates from the Crying Coast. Although you were reckless, you did well. Just remember not to charge so fast next time."
"I didn't want to, Jae," Dan said, on the verge of tears. "You know Sendroth's temper. If I don't let it fight to its heart's content, it'll nag me to death."
Jacaerys took a deep breath; he also had a headache about this. The Varezes family's attitude towards dragons was more like partners, friends, brothers, and sisters. Some dragons were gentle and had few dragon demands, but some dragons were very distinctive, like Sendroth. And under Dragonzel's guidance, the Varezes children would respect the dragons' opinions.
Dan had a near-death experience when he tamed Sendroth, so naturally, he treated Sendroth like his own brother. He wouldn't stop Sendroth from doing what it wanted to do.
"Listen, Dan, after we rendezvous with the King, we'll fly to Ricca Lacron first to destroy the city defenses and cover the landing troops. At that time, you must stay by my side, understand?"
"Understood, understood. Don't tell Father and Mother, and don't tell Big Brother and Valenna, okay?" Dan nodded frantically like a chick pecking rice, and only then did Jacaerys feel relieved.
The King's fleet arrived at Bloodstone Island a full eleven days later than the Silver Fleet. After the two fleets rendezvoused, with the Royal Fleet's five-hundred-oared behemoth, the "King Jacaerys I," as the flagship, the massive fleet weighed anchor and set sail towards the Redwood Coast.
This time, no fleet dared to attack a fleet with hundreds of warships and six dragons.
Dragonfire was burning.
The wooden towers collapsed with a roar under the scorching dragonfire. The dragon Horn Tide roared excitedly and flew towards its much larger kin.
"Rhaegar, well done." Daeron was never stingy with praise for his family, especially since Rhaegar's performance was indeed good; his riding skills were already excellent.
Rhaegar awkwardly ran a hand through his hair. As Daeron's younger brother, Rhaegar wasn't as outstanding as his elder brother, but under Samantha's tutelage, Rhaegar had also grown into a proper young man. His dragon, Horn Tide, was one of the dragons hatched that year, and also the youngest and smallest among the dragons participating in the battle.
Under the protection of Prince Ilion and Vermax, Daeron confidently allowed his younger brother to clear these outposts.
This was the last outpost outside Ricca Lacron.
"Your Majesty, we can proceed to Ricca Lacron now." Prince Ilion's voice was deep. He was Prince Viserys's son, and the younger brother of Prince Aegon and Prince Aemon. This young man, like Aemon, was polite, steady, and reliable. It was said that while Prince Aegon was foolishly lingering in brothels, Aemon and Ilion often disguised themselves as wandering knights, performing acts of chivalry near Oldtown, until they were discovered by Rhaegor, who was visiting Oldtown, and brought back to Oldtown.
This story was even said to have been adapted into a poem, and its popularity was surprisingly good.
Daeron looked at the dragon knights beside him and nodded: "Let's go."
Dreamfyre was the first to soar into the sky, followed by the massive Sendroth. The first reaction of this combative dragon upon seeing its kin was to bare its teeth, ready for battle.
Among the Targaryen dragons, only Vermax also bared its teeth and retaliated, which made Daeron wonder: where was Dreamfyre's ferocity?
But before he could ponder, they had to prepare to depart.
Taking Ricca Lacron had to be swift; they needed a solid stronghold.
This ancient city once belonged to the Rhoynar. During the Valyria-Rhoynar War, the city was burned down by an enraged Dragon King riding his dragon. After the Century of Blood, although there were residents and warlords who divided the city, it was never properly repaired—this city whose name translated to "Beautiful Forest Harbor."
The city was full of "Flea Bottoms" and military camps, where men and women in various mismatched armors moved quickly through the streets.
The dragons were coming.
This was the message relayed from the outposts. The city had fallen into chaos; people didn't know whether to defend the city or flee.
"Bastard!" A Myr mercenary chopped off a Lysene warrior's arm with a single stroke. "If you want to die, go die yourself, don't stop us!" But the Myr mercenary, clutching his valuables, hadn't run two steps before a Dothraki on horseback sliced off his head with a sword.
The major powers within the city decisively began to fight amongst themselves.
Before the dragons even arrived, half of Ricca Lacron was engulfed in flames.
By the time the six dragons arrived over the city, the entire Ricca Lacron was burning.
"What do we do?" Rhaegar was a bit confused.
"Burn." Daeron clutched his head: "Burn down the city gates, and leave no ship in the harbor."
The port of Ricca Lacron.
The Lysene warlord, who had just wrested control of the port from the Myr warlord in the city, hadn't even caught his breath when he witnessed the city's final scene.
One, two, three.
Six dragons descended from the sky. The boiling seawater instantly turned everyone in the harbor to ash.
Every dragon was breathing fire. The city gates melted, and the stone city walls were also melting.
People desperately realized that when the dragons truly arrived, the fires they lit in their internal strife had killed themselves.
The unquenchable dragonfire and mortal fire collided, creating an earth-shattering explosion. Flames were everywhere.
The entire Ricca Lacron transformed into a dominion of fire.
But the dragon knights' hearts were bleeding.
Daeron especially.
He looked at the burning Ricca Lacron, his mind filled with the thought of gold melting like the melting city.
"Seven Hells."
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