Later that Night
It was a cool night, a light breeze was coming in from the Sea of Lys and the stars were out in full force.
Jaekar Tendfyre slowly walked the sandy beach of the small island which the nobility of the besiegers had set their tents, there was little sound at all save for the gentle noise of the waters lapping at the sandy shore, perfect conditions for the Treasurer of the Sealords court to reflect and ponder, he had refused his personal guards offer of an escort…..tonight he wanted to be alone.
The trip had been yet another disappointment so far as his mothers family was concerned, he had thought this would finally be the opportunity to reveal himself to the family he had never known yet even as a man nearing forty five had always longed for.
He could not say he had an unpleasant childhood at Freneros on the Braavosian coastland, his Tendryis kinsmen had been kind and charitable, and he had lacked for nothing, being told for years that he had been orphaned when his father Nakados and his lowborn Lyseni mother had died at sea, fleeing their responsibilities and abandoning their newly born child to be raised by their kinsmen.
He had been a youth of twenty when he had been told the truth by his kinsmen, his father had been Nakados Tendryis, but his mother was no mere kitchen scullion, but the Princess Lianna Targaryen of Dragonstone, daughter of the Westerosi Queen Laena, and former heir to the Iron Throne.
His mother had been dead for a year when he learned the truth however, though he knew he had two brothers and a sister, one of whom, Jaerion, would later become king for a short time.
When he had learned of his heritage, he had wanted nothing more than to travel to King's Landing and meet these siblings he had never known he had. While he had lacked for nothing at Freneros, his had been a lonely childhood as there were few Tendryis kinsmen his age and even as a boy he had always longed for a sibling or a true family……his older Tendryis kinsmen had often, not unkindly remarked that he was too sentimental for his own good, and this kind hearted nature had followed Jaekar to late adulthood.
His eldest kinsmen and kinswomen had cautioned patience, it was not known what sort of man his elder brother Jaerion was, and it could very dangerous for him to go to King's Landing and name himself as not only the Kings half-brother but also as a rivaling claimant…..only time would tell what sort of man this Jaerion was.
His half-brother would be dead within two years however, and with the throne in the midst of a regency, his kinsmen stated the time was not right to reveal himself.
And so the young Jaekar had devoted himself to his career. He had been trained at stewardship of course though he had little natural aptitude, however he was well liked and hardworking, eventually being named as an envoy of the Iron Bank due to his amiable nature, and in time he was invited to the Sealords Court to serve as chief scribe of the court, recording every event of note for posterity and writing or delivering the Sealords personal correspondence.
It was in Braavos that he had met his wife, Orala, a lowborn assistant in a bookstore he frequented for parchment and ink, it was a humble match for a Tendryis man and the grandson of a former Sealord, but Lord Jaqaro Tendryis was a kind man and gave his consent.
For a time, his longing to reunite with his mothers family was lessened as he began his new life with Orala, in time welcoming a beautiful daughter Rhae. His diligent work as Chief Scribe in the Sealords court paid off after some years and he was made treasurer of the Free City of Braavos, a prestigious position.
Over the years however, his curiosity of his surviving siblings and his mothers family returned, and his Tendryis kinsmen grudgingly admitted that according to rumor and reports, his half-brother Aemorys seemed to be a man of honor and was unlikely to murder him if he revealed himself as a long lost brother.
And so he had made preparations to leave at the end of the year and meet with his older half brother….however it would be too late as Aemorys Strongfyre would perish while campaigning with many of the same nephews that Jaekar had met today. Jaekar had grieved this brother he had never met, but once again returned to his work….he still had a sister, but it was a much longer trip from Braavos to Highgarden than Kings Landing and Jaekar would not be able to get away for so long as Chief Treasurer of the wealthiest Free City.
There had been one frightening event concerning his heritage however in the years that followed, Jaekars ancestry was a closely guarded secret in Freneros, however, as old Lord Jaqaro Tendryis, who had been a father to Jaekar passed away, the secret was also passed down to his son Lazan Tendryis, who was not a bad man, but was one who cared little for oaths of secrecy and mentioned the secret dragonseed of Freneros to his friend the ambitious Sealord Yaaro Antaryon, who had brought Lorath and Pentos into the Braavosi Freehold….given his ambition it came as no surprise that he at once made preliminary preparations to perhaps place this Braavosi dragonseed on the Iron throne, old Yaaro would die of an illness within the year however and any such plan was quickly forgotten.
Even as the years passed and his silver hair dulled to gray with the passing of time,the desire to meet his mothers family never truly died, he still felt as if he should make one last effort to meet with his family, and the opportunity had presented itself when the Sealord and the Iron Bank declared that a gift of friendship should be given to the commanders who defeated the Lyseni at every turn, Jaekar had volunteered to go personally when he had heard that among these commanders were several young men he ascertained to be his nephews, children of Jaerion, the brother he had never met.
His kinsmen and women who were privy to his ancestry at once advised him against going, stating they had heard ill rumors of his nephews Valerion and Aelor, claiming in the Stepstones it was whispered Valerion had put many captured pirates to the sword in ruthless fashion, while young Aelor Seafyre was known to be a wrothful and unpleasant man.
Jaekar would not let himself be deterred however….he had waited for decades….he would see these nephews of his, his half- brothers children and see for himself, surely they couldn't be as bad as the rumors stated.
Any dream he had of revealing his identity and a pleasant reunion with his nephews had ended when he got a look at Aelor. There had been something strange and unnerving about the young man's cruel smirk and his forceful questions that made Jaekar uneasy……but he did not know how the young man could possibly have any suspicion about him…..all those in Westeros who knew the truth of his parentage were dead and two decades separated Jaekars birth and that of his his young Seafyre nephew.
Regardless, his young nephew's behavior had unnerved Jaekar and he reluctantly admitted it probably was not wise to reveal himself…..aside from Aelor, the ones he guessed to be Valerion and Vaeron had seemed to be very intimidating warriors, Valerion especially had seemed to have a coldness to him.
He continued to slowly wander the beach, looking out at the sea, suddenly feeling very tired and longing for home…..he already had a family…..and it was time to end this foolishness.
It will be good to see the girls again…..and my garden He thought to himself, he wanted nothing more than to hear his wifes laugh….to hear his daughters fervent prayers at the Temple of R'hllor in Braavos, Rhae would soon be marrying a younger brother of Lord Forel, and he thought with no small amount of shame he had missed many of the final weeks he would have before his daughter left for Lord Forels court. The thought of his garden also brought some solace to him, Braavos was not a particularly fertile climate but he cultivated several cherry trees and rose bushes in his manse……it was time to go home.
Besides….perhaps not all hope is lost Jaekar thought to himself, the sadness slowly leaving him, he still had a sister Jaenyra who was Lady of Highgarden, the corpulent jovial Lord Tyrell, her husband, had seemed a fine fellow, perhaps in time he might find some pretense to travel to Highgarden and have a quiet yet joyful reunion with his younger half-sister….but regardless, it was time to return home to Braavos now, first thing in the morning Jaekar thought.
He ended his wandering and set a course for his tent, most of his men were sleeping on the small galley he had sailed on, but his hosts had been generous enough to order space cleared on the outskirts of the main camp to pitch his small personal tent.
As he approached the tent he noticed that the purple silks of the tent flap were already open but he thought nothing of it, doubtless his retainer and manservant Harelos wanted to let in some of the cool air.
He strode inside and to his surprise the tent was much darker than it should be, with no candles burning and the hanging lantern reduced to nothing but embers.
Jaekar was about to call for Harelos when his eyes adjusted to the dark and he saw Harelos sitting or rather laying back in his chair, eyes wide and his hands clenched around the hilt of his sword, still in his belt, Jaekar looked up slowly as a faint dripping noise could be heard striking the ground.
His throat had been slit.
A dark shadow, or what he had initially thought to be a shadow moved from the corner of the room revealing a man in a dark cloak armed with a rapier, a weapon commonly used by Braavosi bravos.
‘’HEL…’’ Jaekar began to shout, but no sooner had he made a sound the man was upon him, knocking an elbow into his chest, forcing Jaekar Tendfyre to the ground with a wheezing gasp, his air abandoning him.
‘’Time to die.’’ The killer hissed in a Braavosi accent, raising his rapier and slashing it down towards Jaekars neck.
With the last of his strength, Jaekar managed to wriggle to the side desperately, yet he felt the cold and sharp steel of the thin blade slice across his forehead, filling one of his eyes with dark crimson blood.
The killer regained control, pinning Jaekar to the ground and raising the rapier for another slash, which would surely be fatal.
He thought of his family….. awaiting the blow.
Yet it never came……with a sudden wet gasp the killer lurched forward in shock, right onto Jaekar, who hurriedly disentangled himself from the body.
His rescuer, a tall hooded man with a seemingly burly build stepped back, almost in shock at what he had done, the killer lay on his stomach, slowly flailing his legs wheezing and coughing bloody spittle, the dagger still buried in his back.
With a moment's hesitation, the hooded man leaned forward, withdrew the dagger from the man's back with a squelch and slammed it into the back of his neck with a powerful thrust…ending the man's gurgling.
‘’I owe you my life.’’ Jaekar gasped, holding a hand to his forehead which was bleeding like a stuck pig yet the strike appeared to have missed his skull.
His rescuer said nothing, and Jaekar tried to get a closer look at him, but the hooded man would not meet his gaze, looking downwards and in the dark with one eye filled with blood it was hard to get a clear look at what lay beneath the hood.
‘’Go now……quickly…….not to Braavos….far away…they wont stop.’’ The tall man mumbled in accurate, if muddled Braavosi Valyrian.
Jaekar did not need a second warning, fleeing the tent at once, holding a bloody hand to his temple and running to his ship, where his surprised crew quickly put to sea and their lord's bleeding was staunched.
Jaekar Tendfyre returned to Braavos for only a single day, to collect his family. The past few months had seen a particularly violent court war embroiling the factions of the new Sealords court and the Iron Bank, primarily set between a faction focused on peaceful trade and mercantilism and one who followed the ambitious warmongering and expansionism of the late Yaaro Antaryon. Jaekar had been aware of the numerous poisonings, stabbings and intrigues which surrounded the city, yet he had never truly thought he would be in danger, even though he was a supporter of the mercantile faction.
Yet the killer's accent and equipment had betrayed him as a Braavosi…..Braavos and the Sealords court were no longer safe for him, and it was clear he must have made powerful enemies. Taking his family, Jaekar Tendfyre would flee to the Volantene Orange Shore, forced to seek refuge in the slaver city of Olvys Mell where he would find work as a seneschal, and for now, he leaves this chronicle.
Jaekar Tendfyres flight from Braavos coincided with a decisive end to the court war in Braavos, as the warmongering and expansionist faction finally prevailed and took control of the Sealords court and its council positions, holding great influence over the quiet and unassuming new Sealord Zorapho Fregar, who was content to attend balls and masquerades, leaving the major decisions to his council.
As for the siege of Lys, Prince Valerions threats delivered by the Lyseni prisoners proved very effective and the Sea Gates of Lys were opened by a group of mutinous soldiers who feared for their families if the city were to be sacked and the Westerosi needed no further invitation to pour into the city, where a subdued and largely peaceful (if any looting of a city can be described as such) pillaging of the cities famous wealth began, with much wealth loaded into the galleys of the Westerosi and their allies of the Free Sisters.
The nobility of Lys watched the looting from their fortified inner castles, which unlike the majority of the city were well provisioned and some, such as the Tear Tower were said to be impregnable and would cost hundreds of lives to assault and take months to siege, and with only one unwounded dragon, the small Saphyre, it was deemed foolish to attack them head on.
It would not come to this however as the Lyseni magisters convened and quickly offered peace terms to the Free Sisters, leveraging the fact that Tyrosh and Myr were beset by many wars and slave raids on the Volantene frontier to push for a white peace with no concessions as opposed to additional tribute.
Many Westerosi thought this was an insulting proposal, and Valerion suggested they subject the captured city of Lys to ruthless reprisals until better terms were offered, yet Grand Prince Xhal of Tyrosh wanted an immediate end to the Lyseni to focus on combating the Volantene incursions and agreed….. Leaving Lys humiliated if not truly defeated……the war was over.
7th Moon, 122 AC -
The crown's intervention into the war between the Lyseni and the Free Sisters could be viewed as a success, in a little under three years they had greatly humbled the Free City with relatively light losses, ending any present threat of Lys annexing Myr and Tyrosh.
Additionally large amounts of trade goods had been plundered from Silkhead and Lys, and the leaders of the campaign sold large amounts of this loot to Westerosi merchants, leading to a boom in the silk trade as many new dresses and noble clothes found their way into the closets of the nobility.
King Aurion welcomed back his younger brothers, his friend Norman Tyrell and Viserys Goldfyre, whose wounded dragon Kastax had been transported back to the dragonpit by ship, with a large feast in the Red Keep to celebrate their many victories.
King Aurion however was not a man to sit idly by for long, and after welcoming his brothers back, he immediately announced his intentions to begin his third great progress of the realm since the shadow of war had passed and his hand, Lord Alan Oldflowers had sufficiently settled into his role to handle things in the capitol in Aurions absence.
Like all of his previous progresses, King Aurion would travel with only a small retinue, not wishing to strain the resources of the castles and lords whose hospitality he would rely upon and Aurion made the decision to leave Vhagar behind in the dragonpit as well, Royal Progresses could last well over a year, and finding places and food for the large dragon to sleep and eat was always a constant logistical challenge, not to mention that as the last of the three original Targaryen dragons, Vhagar was growing older and a year or more of extended travel would likely be too much for the old dragon with a notoriously lazy and wrothful temperament.
While Aurion meant to travel most of the progress with only a small retinue, the first two stops he would be joined with his wife Alicent and eldest son Maelyx with all the retainers and servants appropriate as their escort.
The first stop on the progress was to be at Storm's End, fortress of the Baratheons, being the second time Aurion had begun a progress by traveling to Storms End.
It would be perhaps the most important stop the King would make as he was not on particularly good terms with his distant kinsman Ronnal Baratheon, the son of the late Princess Daeoril. Aurion was aware of this and hoped perhaps that honoring Storms End again might mend the rift between the two men.
On the King's last visit to Storm's End, as part of a promise made to his wife Alicent, Aurion had all but forced Ronnals younger half-brother Raymont to permanent exile with the religious order of the Warriors Sons as punishment for the man's brutal beating of his wife. Ronnal Baratheon, the Lord of Storm's End had been on good terms with his younger half brother and had accepted the King's judgment reluctantly with quiet fury, and was known to still grumble about the event and the banishment of his younger brother from his own hall.
Unfortunately, the visit was not to start out as well as the King had surely hoped as another quarrel had broken out with the Lord of Storm's End when Aurion learned of a recent development in the Stormlands.
Lord Ronnal Baratheon was a generally humble man, yet at the same time possessed no small amount of the famed Baratheon temper.
The late Anders Swygert, a Stormlander and the Lord of Galemont, who had been Hand of the King to Aurion for over fifteen years had been a very respected man in the Stormlands and the realm in general, and there were no shortage of whispers of how many thought house Swygert was a house on the rise as the influence Anders had gained during his time in the capitol had survived him.
It was not lost on Lord Ronnal that no Baratheon had been honored with a spot on the Royal council, much less being named Hand of the King since Orys Baratheon had served as Hand of the King over a century ago. Furthermore, Ronnals second wife, a woman of humble merchant stock but with a great sense of ambition spoke of how it was unseemly for such a minor house to be spoken of with such reverence and hold so much respect.
Ronnals eldest son and heir, Richard Baratheon was also envious of House Swygerts ascendency and more than once counseled his father that something should be done about this upstart house that people spoke of as being almost equal to House Baratheon and stated perhaps it would be for the best if the forests of Galemont and their incomes should be wrested away from the Swygerts and instead be added to the Baratheons personal demesne.
With all of these influences in his ear, and constant whispers of the rising House Swygert it perhaps should come as no surprise that Ronnal Baratheon found some excuse to revoke Galemont from Alec Swygert, the new Lord of Galemont. Lord Swygert knew that resistance was futile and fled the castle with all his family, while Ronnal granted Galemont to one of his brother Raymonts sons, keeping the newly gained incomes within the family.
The King was none too pleased when he heard of this, Anders Swygert had served very effectively and loyally as Hand of the King for fifteen years, almost single handedly overseeing the construction of the Kingsroad….his son and house did not deserve to lose their ancestral lands.
For Ronnal Baratheons part, he was also upset, King Aurion had come to Storm's End before and exiled his own brother while Ronnal was powerless to do anything but watch from a corner in his own home, and now he had returned and was once again meddling in Baratheon affairs.
Ronnal Baratheon had respectfully yet firmly with evident frustration and anger in his eyes told the King that, while Aurion may be his King and could expect his obedience in many other matters, he had no legal right to get involved in this affair…the land had already been granted to his nephew…Galemont now belonged to the Baratheons….
The two had left the hall both in frustration, and to Aurions dismay his personal Maester confirmed the crown had no legal right to overturn the revocation. The King, while frustrated, realized there was little he could do….and the risk of leaving Storms End with even worse relations with the Baratheons seemed likely….so the King adapted and made preparations for one last attempt to honor the Baratheons and mend the rift.
9th Moon, 122 AC
Crypts of Storms End, Storm's End
Aurion slowly walked through the cavernous crypts beneath the castle of Storms End, faded statues depicting the Durrandon Storm Kings of Old staring listlessly at the one who had disturbed their rest.
Aurion had ventured to Storms End once before but had not found cause to visit the crypts, but he had resolved to do so this time.
He had visited the crypts of Winterfell before and could not help but compare the two. For starters the crypts of Storms End were smaller than those in Winterfell and far less gloomy, while the crypts of Winterfell would be pitch dark if not for the torch sconces on the walls, here in Storms End it was brighter as there were thin slitted open air windows carved into the wall overlooking the stormy seas below, and the smell of salt and wind as well as the sound of crashing waves were in abundance and the statues were positioned as if looking out the small windows, facing the stormy seas.
The statues were very different as well, in Winterfell they were carved in stone, while the statues depicting the Storm Kings of Storms End were carved in wood made from timber in the Rainwood and Shipbreaker Bay. The salty air had rotted most of the oldest statues' features, though there was a sense of power and strength still visible in their carved limbs and the warhammers and battleaxes in their clutches still looked formidable enough.
There were many missing Storm Kings along the line however as Aurion knew many of them had not wished to be interred in the crypts and instead constructed mausoleums and barrows along the stormy coasts of the Rainwood, Shipbreaker Bay and Cape Wrath.
As Aurion slowly walked down the line, he enjoyed the sights of these crypts far better than those in Winterfell, there had been something disconcerting about the tombs of the Kings of Winter, as if he were a stranger that was not welcome there….but in Storms End he did not feel entirely a stranger….for the blood of the dragon was present within these halls of salt and wind.
As he got closer to the end of the line of statues, the quality of the wooden carvings improved so that he could make out features on the faces of these powerful and dark haired Storm Kings.
Finally he reached the statues he had been searching for, those of Orys Baratheon and Rhaenys Targaryen, the rumored half-brother and the sister of the Conqueror. The wooden statue of Orys was that of a tall and powerful one-eyed man clutching a sword while the diminutive woman standing next to him was clearly depicting an exceedingly beautiful woman with long silver hair and a coiled dragon whip in her hand.
Aurion wondered for a moment why his distant kinswoman Rhaenys had chosen to be interred among these Storm Kings, but as he looked at the statue of Orys standing next to her, he thought he understood ... .the two had clearly been very close.
For a moment the King was filled with a sense of melancholy…..it seemed almost cruel that the four conquers who had left Dragonstone together were separated in death…..the ashes of Orys and Rhaenys were interred together, side by side, while Visenya Targaryen, whom all members of the House of the Dragon were descended from was interred in Dragonstone….while Aegon the Conqueror was forever lost to the waves of the Sunset Sea.
He was shaken from this thinking by the sound of approaching footsteps and turned, smiling lightly when he saw his eldest son Maelyx walking down the hall. When his son had been a young child, Aurion had not been particularly close with Maelyx, not having much time for the boy as the matters of rulership often kept him busy…but as he had grown older the two had become closer as a father and son should be.
Maelyx joined the King in front of the statues of Orys and Rhaenys and the two took in the sight of it in silence.
‘’Four children of the Dragon, three of silver, one of black
Stood around a map of wood, eyes turned towards the west
The eldest raised a hand and silenced all the rest
To Westeros we go, with Fire and with Sword
To subdue all of the seven Kingdoms and make this place our home
With justice and with honor, we set out to take the throne’’
Aurion recited softly, remembering a rhyme he had heard as a young child at one of his fathers feasts, it had been drunkenly composed by a visiting bard and poorly done, but the memory of it remained all the same.
‘’Very nice….but I suspect you didnt call me down here to recite bad poetry.’’ His son jested with a small smile.
Aurion nodded ‘’No I did not……Dragonstone is our history….it is their history.’’ Aurion began, gesturing to the statues of Orys and Rhaenys before continuing ‘’ It is where the story of our family in Westeros began……before we had the Iron Throne or a crown all we had was Dragonstone…..it needs a man to hold it…..do you understand what I am saying son?’’
‘’I do….and I am ready father….I have been for quite some time.’’ Maelyx answered.
‘’Dragonstone is not all I am entrusting to you.’’ Aurion began, raising a hand before continuing.
‘’You are well liked throughout the realm and are quick with words…..I want you to serve as my Master-of Laws on the small council….with luck we can avoid what has happened here with the Swygerts from happening again.’’ Aurion said.
Maelyx nodded.
‘’You will be kept busy.’’ Aurion warned ‘’When you are not occupying your seat on the council in King's Landing you will be traveling the realm castle to castle as my voice….and of course you and your wife will be expected to reside in Dragonstone for at least a few weeks of every year….you will need to appoint a castellan to handle things there in your stead….Orys Bar Emmon has been the man I have entrusted that task to since his fathers death, an honorable and just man that would be my recommendation…but the choice is yours of course…..are you prepared to take up these duties…if you are not ready….’’
‘’I shall do my duty…..though I suppose I should enjoy the feast tonight…it may be my last quiet moment for a while.’’ Maelyx said with a small smile.
‘’Tonight will perhaps not be as quiet as you think.’’ Aurion said curtly as their gaze returned to the statues of Orys and Rhaenys.
That night was to be their last in Storms End before continuing the progress and Ronnal Baratheon had ordered a farewell feast as was his duty, though no doubt pleased to finally see the King depart after their quarrel.
King Aurion had stood at the beginning of the feast and stated that he could think of no better place than the storied halls of Storms End than to make his announcement, declaring that in the sight of Gods and Men it was his intention that his eldest son Maelyx officially be recognized as heir apparent to the Iron Throne and the Prince of Dragonstone, the declaring Maelx as the heir was a mere formality, but after the rather uneasy circumstances of the inheritances of Laena and Jaerion it was a welcome gesture to the Lords of the Realm to have clarity, and it was no small honor that the King had bestowed upon Lord Baratheon and his house to make such a declaration in Storms End rather than the capitol.
And so the King had departed from Storms End certainly not on warm terms with Lord Baratheon but on better than might have been expected after their quarrel, and the visit had been prevented from being a complete disaster.
10th Moon, 122 AC-
Following their departure from Storms End, King Aurion and his retinue traveled southwest to the mountainous area just north of the Stormlander fortresses upon the Dornish Marches, stopping at the castle of Fawnton, Seat of House Cafferen.
There, Queen Alicent held a successful womens progress, while Lord Barron Caffren escorted King Aurion and Prince Maelyx on a tour of the mountains surrounding the castle.
Just before the royal party was to depart, several Caffren household knights and local hedge knights, noticing the rather small size of the Royal Party swore their blades to the King and asked if they might be allowed to escort the King on his progress and bring honor to Fawnton.
King Aurion accepted this request at once, welcoming the men to his retinue and promising to find them positions in the Dragon Cloaks, the Red Keeps guard should they serve him well, thus honoring not only the men but also House Caffren by taking several men of Fawnton into his service.
Following the visit to Fawnton, the royal party would split up, Queen Alicent would return to King's Landing to see to their children, claiming that young Princess Rhaena and Prince Taegar had been without their mother long enough. Furthermore, their second child, Prince Jaenar would be finishing his education in Highgarden under Norman Tyrell soon and she wished to welcome him home personally.
Prince Maelyx on the other hand would leave for Dragonstone to consolidate his new holding and settle matters there so that he might take his seat on the small council as the new Master-of-Laws.
And so King Aurion would continue on the rest of the progress alone with a smaller retinue than he had set out with under fifty men in total, including servants and squires, though the Kingsguard knights Ser Maynard Mormont, old Ser Edmure Darry and Ser Moribald Ambrose would ride at his side to keep him from harm, with all three being skilled fighters, especially Ser Maynard Mormont who was quite possibly the fiercest warrior in all the seven Kingdoms. There were also thirty mounted knights riding with the King, including the newcomers from Fawnton and ten squires so he was not entirely unprotected.
From Fawnton, the King and his party would make the long ride to Riverrun to visit his cousin Horas Tully, and thus become the first Targaryen monarch to visit Riverrun since Aegon the Conqueror over a century earlier.
The ride took several weeks, though King Aurion had traveled in the general region during his first progress before the construction of the Kings Road and found the going much easier than before due to the paved and wide cobbled roads, in addition seeing many more merchants and caravans then before….the realm was truly prospering.
The visit to Riverrun was pleasant, King Aurion had of course heard the rumors of his cousin Horas Tully from Valerion and it was true the man had not made a particularly good impression at Maelyx’s wedding in King's Landing, but on further discussion with his man he found Horas to be a hard working family man, his sexual proclivities and rather exorbitant love of wine notwithstanding.
Following this, Aurion set out for the castle of Fieldstone, seat of House Strong and visited the construction site of Oldstones several times from the nearby castle. He also visited the nearby lands of Willow Wood, the seat of House Ryger, enjoying the sights of the nearby large forest groves of Weeping Willow trees, from which House Ryger derived their sigil. It must be said the Lords Ryger and Strong were quiet men who made for little company but King Aurion was content to spend most of his time touring the villages and small hamlets of the surrounding lands rather than being cooped up in a castle.
After his visits in the Riverlands, Aurion made the short trip to the Bloody Gate of the Vale which guarded the entrance to the Kingdom. There, Aurion encouraged the defenders who so assiduously guarded against the fierce mountain clansmen of the Vale, for the garrison of the Bloody Gate did not just sit at the gate all day in time of peace, but rather in shifts would accompany and escort merchant caravans or noble parties who passed through the Bloody Gate to their destination before returning to their posts. King Aurion took a tankard of ale in the tower house with the aged gate commander Ser Eddison Strongstone, a pleasant man who recounted the gates famed history and all the attacks it had repelled through the centuries.
Finally, King Aurion set his sights on the final part of his progress, as he would once again be returning to the North.
After a hard ride of several weeks, Aurion arrived in Winterfell for the second time, reuniting with his old friend Harwin Umber, a warrior in service of Winterfell whom he had met and befriended while on his first visit. The two hunted the nearby forests for a final time before Harwin Umber declared that for some time he had been intending to go north and join the brothers of the Night's Watch and defend the realm against the Wildlings, an honorable calling.
King Aurion was moved by his friends decision, and declared that he would not travel to his post alone and without honor, instead promising that the finest warrior of the Kingsguard, Ser Maynard Mormont would escort him all the way to the Wall, the greatest honor he could bestow to the one who would surely become one of the finest rangers in the Nights Watch. In keeping with his charitable nature, the King also instructed Ser Maynard that he should visit with his kin in Bear Isle on the way back and return to King's Landing after….he would manage fine with Ser Edmure Darry and Ser Moribald Ambrose he assured his greatest knight.
After seeing off his old hunting buddy and enjoying the comforts of Winterfell, the King set out west towards the Stony Shore, perhaps the poorest region of all the seven Kingdoms, but Aurion had declared that even the poorest and lowliest of his people should have the opportunity to be honored by the crown. Thinking ahead, he also brought ample supplies from Winterfell so as to not strain the resources of the poor region and to give gifts to the poor fisherfolk.
After a long ride to the small timber motte-and-bailey castle of Reaverswatch, Lord Gawen Fisher informed him that not all was well in the desolate lands of the Stony Shore.
Some weeks earlier two longships of rogue Ironborn had landed on the coast at a small fishing hamlet and attacked, putting most of the men to the sword and keeping the women for themselves.
Such raids were not entirely uncommon Gawen Fisher explained,sadly guzzling a tankard of ale, rogue Ironborn bearing no clan sigil came perhaps once or twice a year to loot and plunder or carry off women as thralls and salt wives, but these raids were small-scale and they almost always immediately fled.
This group had not left however, occupying the village and setting up a small whaling enterprise, emboldened by the fact that none had come to drive them off.
When Aurion asked the region why he had not sent men to fight them, Lord Fisher had explained that his men were too poorly armed and armored to take on Ironborn, and his liege Lord, Lord Stonewolf,a cadet house of the Starks, was only a boy of five and his lands were currently involved in a border dispute with a distant kinsman and the boys mother and regent would not spare any men. He had however sent the small castles only raven to Winterfell and he hoped that a Stark relief force was on its way.
Aurion was forced to explain to the man that something must have happened to the raven as Winterfell did not seem aware of these developments and had sent no men when he had been there. Lord Fisher morosely stated that he would have to send a rider, though he would be hard pressed to spare even a single man since he was spread thin garrisoning his own castle and sending men to the nearby fishing hamlets which the Ironborn had recently harassed for food and supplies.
The King, hesitating only a moment, had chivalrously declared that he would take his retinue and deal with these rogues himself. True enough he could order his personal Maester to send one of the caged ravens they had brought along with them to Winterfell or Deepwood Motte, but it would be weeks before any reinforcements arrived, and Aurion would not let the poor people of the Stony Shore suffer any more, nor would he abandon them in hopes that reinforcements would eventually show up.
6th Moon, 123 AC
Fishing Village of Ardfar, The Stony Shore
Aurions black destrier, Sable, snorted impatiently as the King and his company of thirty mounted knights, many of them heavy cavalry hung back in the thin pine forests which were inland from the coastal fishing village of Ardfar, a small poor hamlet of perhaps fifteen to twenty hovels situated on a beach of gray pebbles, the sound of dark gray waves being heard from their position in the woods. Several of the buildings were burned partially from the Ironborn attack.
Aurion supposed that it was perhaps a foolish decision for him to join the battle personally, especially considering the small scale of the battle, none would expect the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms to risk his life in a skirmish with a few rogue clanless Ironborn, but when they had arrived at the place they would give battle the thought that he might remain back and watch seemed unthinkable….he had brought these men to one of the farthest and most desolate corners of his realm and had asked them to risk, or even give their lives to save those of some poor fisherfolk…honor compelled him to share in the danger and fight alongside his men.
And besides that, the simple truth was that, as strange as it sounded, the King was craving a fight, it had been 18 full years since Aurion had last seen true combat, fighting against the Dornish assassins in Kingsgrave, and while Aurion was a diligent practice in the training yard, devoting at least an hour of each day to sparring with men of the Dragon Cloaks and the Brothers of the Kingsguard when he resided in the Red Keep, no training could replicate what he felt now….the adrenaline and excitement of an incoming fight ….he felt for a moment almost as if he were a boy of 14 again, standing beside his uncle Aemorys preparing to ride against the forces of Septon Arstan…the excitement was almost intoxicating and Aurion forced himself to calm, he was not an eager squire awaiting his first battle but a King.
With a nod from Aurion, the men from Reaverswatch that Lord Fisher had given them began to set off towards the village, there were perhaps thirty of them, all infantry and poorly armed and armored, looking at the state of their equipment Aurion understood why Gawen Fisher had been unwilling to give the Ironborn battle.
It had been one of the knights from Fawnton, a lowborn man named Ser Garon who suggested that perhaps they might use the troops from Reaverswatch as a ruse…..he wisely pointed out that the Ironborn would hardly wish to give battle if they saw thirty calvary rushing the town, and would either flee to the woods or hold inside the buildings, making it much tougher to destroy them, but if they could lure them out into the open….
Aurion had taken the man's advice and things seemed to be going just as Ser Garon had claimed, as the company of men from Reaverswatch advanced on the hamlet with their billhooks and rusty spears, the hamlet, which had seemed almost deserted before suddenly was swarming with perhaps fifty Ironborn rousing themselves from their hovels, who armed with shield and ax eagerly formed battle lines, no doubt thanking their Drowned God that the northmen had so eagerly walked into the krakens den and given them the prospect of an easy victory and plundering.
The two sides engaged, and it was clear that the Ironborns confidence was not unwarranted as they began to quickly rout the Northmen, who had been instructed to quickly retreat towards the woods. The reavers, seeing their enemy flee, pursued them towards the woods with a battle cry, abandoning the town and the buildings and quickly becoming disorganized in their blood lust….the time was now.
Aurion raised Blackfyre above his head in signal and spurred Sable forward and in that moment thirty mounted knights, many of them heavily armored and with lances lowered, thundered out of the woods over the stony pebbled ground, sending gray pebbles flying in their wake, the Kingsguard knights Darry and Ambrose rode beside the King, their white cloaks billowing in the wind behind him.
The terror the Ironborn felt at such a sight can only be imagined, many of them immediately began to flee towards the woods, while braver men stood their ground with braced spears or hurled javelins at the incoming riders.
Sable crashed through the Ironborns disorganized line, and Aurion, leaning slightly in the saddle, took a man in the thigh, nearly cleaving his leg off, it appeared he was not as rusty as he had thought. All around him his knights charged into the Ironborn with lance and sword…the hunters becoming the hunted.
As one might expect, the Ironborn did not manage to resist long before almost all were captured, killed, or set to flight to the nearby woods.
While the Fisher men had taken a few dead, Aurions own retinue had suffered only one man killed and three wounded, the dead man one of those that had pledged him his loyalty in Fawnton, the King ordered some of his men to bear the man's body all the way to the Flint Cliffs to the South and find a ship to take them to Seaguard and leave his body in the care of the Silent Sisters there, with the Kings own instructions to bear his bones back to Fawnton….a lot of trouble to go too for a lowborn knight some of his men grumbled, but the man had chose to follow Aurion and died as a result….he deserved to rest in his homeland.
As for the Ironborn prisoners, Aurion gave them to the men from Reaverswatch to take back to Lord Fisher…..it was his domain that had been pillaged and therefore his decision on what to do with the men. The rescued women of Ardfar would accompany them back to Reaverswatch as well, though most had lost their husbands to the Ironborn.
The King and his retinue had begun to make their way back towards Reaverswatch for a small feast and a few final days of rest before they continued on the final leg of the progress to the Flint Cliffs.
One of the few Ironborn who had escaped the melee into the woods however, seeing their longships burning on the coast understood that he truly was a dead man, it was only a matter of time before he was caught, and he knew that he could never enter the Drowned Gods watery halls if he fled like a coward….so he lay in wait in the woods, determined to die like a man.
The King and his Kingsguard spotted the danger too late, a sudden movement in the wooded treeline, with Aurion only turning slightly when he heard a strange whistling sound coming from his side.
The javelin took the King right in the shoulder, the force of the throw puncturing his black plate shoulder plate and knocking him from Sable and onto the dirt below, everything going black as the frantic cries of his retinue and the sounds of the dying Ironborn slowly faded……
6th Moon, 123 AC-
When the King was thrown from his horse to the ground, blood pouring from the shoulder of the unresponsive Aurion, his men must have feared the worst.
Luckily for the Targaryens, King Aurion was a strong man and the wound proved not to be fatal as he soon regained consciousness, wounded but alive.
Aurion was tended to by the personal Maester in his party, who quickly stopped the bleeding on the shoulder, but declared the most serious injury stemmed from the injured ribs the King had sustained when he fell from his horse.
Aurion and his retinue traveled back to Reaverswatch where the King recovered until he was able to sit a horse and from there Aurion traveled south to the Flint Cliffs, the last stop of his progress.
The King spent two weeks completing his recovery there, taking in the sights of the towering cliffs which Aegon the Conqueror had once visited, flying his dragon Baelerion above the waters and the chalky white cliffs.
Aurion and his retinue then chartered a ship to Seagurd, and from there began the journey back to King's Landing, arriving back to the capitol on the 11th Moon of 123 AC, having been gone for one year and four months
While King Aurion no doubt saw his return to the capitol as a reprieve from the hardships of the road, little did he know that the peace of the city was soon to be shattered.
4th Moon, 124 AC
Queens Ballroom, the Red Keep, Kings Landing
The King sat in the Queens Ballroom with several members of his family, breaking their fast, normally the King broke his fast early in the morning and alone while he prepared for court, but today he had excused himself from court early so that he could eat with his family which was a welcome change, and one he thought necessary to support Alicent.
Joining the King was his wife Alicent and their daughter Rhaena, who seemed more interested in her sowing than the food in front of her. Their daughter-by-law Myria Tyrell, the wife of their eldest son Maelyx was also seated, joined by their eldest son Prince Taegar, the infant prince Valaenor and the little baby Naehna who was seated upon Myrias lap. Rounding out the group was the King's great aunt the Princess Larrisa, now a woman of 72 and the last surviving daughter of Queen Laena. Aurions younger brother and Kingsguard protector Vaeron stood at the door, on duty.
Aurion would have liked to be joined by more of his children but it was a rare occasion when they all got to break bread together as a family, and many of his children were busy this morning. Maelyx had left on a diplomatic mission to the Stormlands where there were rumors of discontent amongst the Stormlords, the King had not been alone in being upset with Lord Baratheons revocation of Galemont from the Swygerts.
His son Jaenar was making preparations for his upcoming betrothal feast and selecting suitable clothes with the help of a tailor, the boy had not only returned from Highgarden but also returned with a proposal from the Tyrells, who proposed the young Prince be betrothed to Aurions close friend Normans youngest sister Olene. Aurion had hashed out the details with Norman upon his return from Lys and match had been agreed too and the proper nuptials set for later that year, with the betrothal feast would take place in the coming months.
His son Maegor, a quiet yet charitable boy of 15 had accompanied Septon Durwald and a squadron of Gold Cloaks to help distribute alms in Flea Bottom. 12 year old Vaegon was serving the Kingsguard brothers in the White Sword Tower as a squire, Baela was breaking her fast with the other noble maidens of the castle while her twin Yraenor was in Highgarden with Norman Tyrell, finally, little six year old Taegon was serving as a page to Lord Oldflowers, the Hand of the King.
Even with the majority of their children not present, he knew his wife Alicent appreciated being among family.
Aurion, reminded of her situation, gave her hand a comforting squeeze. Ill news had reached the Red Keep late the previous night, a raven from Oldtown bringing news that Alicents mother Lady Graceford and her youngest brother Luther Hightower had perished due to a fever which had spread through the Hightower. Alicent had not been particularly close with her younger brother, being ten years older, and she had not seen her mother since Maelyx’s wedding, but she was a kindhearted woman and grieved them both all the same, and Aurion was determined not to let her suffer from grief alone.
‘’This one reminds me much of my sister, Daeoril……so skilled in needlecraft.’’ Larissa said with a smile, looking at Aurions daughter Rhaena, who was hard at work with needle and thread, though there was a hint of sadness in the old woman's eyes. Aurion understood, it could not have been easy to the the last of six siblings.
‘’Thank you Princess.’’ Their daughter said politely, earning a smile from Alicent, who had done a fine job instilling a sense of courtly manners in their youngest daughter, certainly more so than their eldest daughter Baella, whose sharp tongue was well known throughout the Red Keep.
The aged Princess then turned her attention to Taegar, Aurion and Alicents eldest grandchild.
‘’And this one will be a great warrior and King, just like his grandfather.’’ Larissa said, running a hand through his short silver hair and giving his cheek a gentle pinch.
‘’Dont touch me you old hag!’’ The little prince protested, wriggling away from her grasp like an eel.
‘’Taegar!’’ Myria Tyrell gasped.
Aurion was about to strongly chastise his young grandson's disrespectful behavior when suddenly the sound of bells from the small sept in Kings Landing began to ring, joined by what sounded like a wave of shouting and alarm from the distant city streets.
‘’Wait here.’’ Aurion commanded to his family, walking briskly in long strides through the Queens Ballroom towards the door, accepting his sword from his squire Raymund Tyrell, Norman's eldest son and Myrias brother.
Vaeron fell in behind Aurion as the two left the room and made their way to the red brick ramparts, the Dragoncloaks, the red caped castle guard were being ordered to all corners of the Red Keeps walls by Ser Marq Marbrand, their commander.
When the King ascended the ramparts, it did not take long to locate the source of the the panic, the shouts from the city now clearly evident. Several unfamiliar ships were sailing through Blackwater Bay and in their wake was a large pillar of smoke rising into the morning sky…..one of the galleys of the Royal Fleet was aflame and sinking…..its Targaryen banner falling below the waves…..Kings Landing was under attack.
The King wasted no time, grabbing Vaeron by the shoulder ‘’Post a guard outside the Queens Ballroom, keep my family safe…guard them with your lives……my other children are elsewhere in the Red Keep….Taegon is with the Hand, Vaegon with your sworn brothers….find Baella….if things go south, find Aelor, he knows the secret ways out of this castle….with your life brother.’’ Aurion commanded, to which his brother nodded grimly.
The King then shouted to Ser Marq Marbrand, commander of the Dragoncloaks to put together two squadrons of mounted dragon cloaks at the gate. He caught sight of his brother Balaeron rushing out into the courtyard, sword in hand and half armored.
‘’BALAERON, MOUNT UP, WE NEED TO GET TO THE DRAGONPIT.’’ Aurion commanded and his youngest brother complied immediately. The knights of the Kingsguard were also mounting up, and he caught a glimpse of his young son Vaegon helping them with their armor and shields, the King quickly sent a man to escort his son to the Queens Ballroom, a panicked city was no place for a boy of twelve to accompany them, squire or not.
All together there were perhaps fifty mounted men, dragon cloaks and Kingsguard ready at the gates, Aurion quickly divided them into two groups of twenty five, ordering Ser Marq Marbrand to ride to Flea Bottom and find his son Maegor and escort him back to the Red Keep. The other twenty five would ride with Aurion and Balaeron to the Dragonpit, among them Ser Garon, the foremost of the knights from Fawnton, and the Red Keeps new Master-of-Horse. Aurion gave a brief order that in his absence, the defense of the Red Keep was to fall to his younger brother Vaeron.
The gates were quickly opened and the mounted men began to stream out of the castle, suddenly Aurion caught sight of a young man armored in black plate, mounted and armed with a sword, it was his son Jaenar who was mustering with volunteers who were going to ride to the docks and join the galleys of the Royal Fleet in combating whatever enemy was outside the city.
‘’Go and join your mother in the Queens Ballroom.’’ Aurion commanded but his son made no move to obey.
‘’I'm a man grown, and knighted.’’ His son said haughtily, having won his spurs in Highgarden after completing his education there.
Aurion silently cursed, he did not have time for this….and deep down he knew that it would be humiliating for any knight, even one of sixteen to be whisked off and made to hide with the women and children. Aurion, silently cursing Norman Tyrell for having him knighted so young and praying that Alicent would forgive him, reluctantly nodded his assent.
He turned to the Kingsguard Ser Moribald Ambrose ‘’Follow my son……stay at his side, represent the crown in the field of battle.’’
The Kingsguard nodded his assent and the three groups of men rode forth from the Red Keep, one to the Dragonpit, one to board the galleys at the docks, and the last towards Flea Bottom.
The going was agonizingly slow as the city streets were packed and filled with frightened citizens, either fleeing to their homes or venturing out to see what was happening, Aurion slowly gathered that this was likely not a full scale assault, but rather a raid of some kind, with the city folk clamoring of pirates, Lyseni, and half a dozen other wild claims, both possible and ridiculous.
The streets became so packed that they could barely ride forward through the crowds, even with the Targaryen and Kingsguard banners raised high above them and the shouts of his men to make way for the King, at one point a panicked crowd ran towards them, almost knocking several men from their horses, with one man grabbing his brother Balaerons reigns to steady himself.
Aurion saw his brother reach for his sword but the King shouted him to stop at once, these people were panicked and had little idea of what was going on, fear could make men wild , if they began hacking down the crowds to reach the dragonpit rumors could reach the people that it was the crown at the center of this uproar and they could be torn apart.
Eventually as they reached the Hill of Rhaenys, the crowds began to slowly dissipate and they made it to the Dragonpit after more than an hours ride, with Aurion and Balaeron quickly dismounting and rushing to the pits to mount Vhagar and Saphyre, hoping they were not too late.
Some Time Earlier
Deck of the Smiths Hammer, Waters of Blackwater Bay, Kings Landing
The pirates from the Stepstones swarmed the royal galley
Smith's Hammer from multiple sides shouting a terrifying war cry as they descended upon the lightly armored and unprepared defenders of the royal galley, wielding cleavers, clubs, swords and all manner of weaponry.
The battle was going poorly, despite the attackers only having fifteen ships, the pirates had the element of surprise and the twenty royal galleys in Kings Landing were lightly manned and not prepared for combat, with the ships sailing out of the city in small groups when they organized some semblance of readiness and being destroyed a few at a time, as evidenced by the well over a dozen burning royal galleys which were sinking in the bay, all the while hundreds of pirates had descended upon the city in small rowboats and were pillaging the wharves, huts, and wooden shanty town dwellings which were built outside of the city walls of Kings Landing, adorning them like barnacles.
Prince Jaenar and his Kingsguard defender Ser Moribald Ambrose fought on desperately as the pirates boarded their ship, the galley completely surrounded after being foolish enough to leave the city to give the pirates battle with only one other ship.
‘’The battle is lost my Prince….save yourself.’’ His Kingsguard knight shouted over the sounds of battle using the pommel of his longsword as a club in the close quarters, striking a charging pirate in the face and knocking him back.
The young Prince fought on grimly, he was aware that many of the crewmembers of
Smiths Hammer were leaping from the ship, hoping to swim towards shore, but he was a Targaryen and a prince at that, he would not flee.
He found himself separated from his Kingsguard protector, a pirate in a tattered vest and holding a falchion running at him striking at him with ferocious powerful blows that made the young princes arms ring in pain every time he brought up his shield to block it.
He felt himself being pushed backwards, but he was powerless to hold his ground, only able to barely block the mans powerful blows, he raised his sword to parry but the blade was knocked out of his hand, desperately he tried to raise his shield with two hands in front of him, the final strike slamming deep into the metal shield, causing him to lose his footing and fall backwards into the waters of Blackwater Bay.
Dead men and wooden shards of ship and cloth sails were sinking around him as Jaenar desperately tried to swim towards the surface and undo his boots and sword belt, his lungs close to bursting as the water closed in around him……
Some Time Later
Above the Waters of Blackwater Bay, Kings Landing
Aurion ordered Vhagar over the waters, his younger brother Balaeron doing the same on the much smaller Saphyre.
It was clear the battle had not gone well, there were well over a dozen burning or sinking royal galleys in the bay, and it was apparent the 20 galleys of the royal fleet in Kings Landing had been decimated in the unexpected battle, as only three of the smaller pirate galleys of the Stepstones had been left behind.
With each burning ship the King passed over, he felt a feeling of dread in his chest caused by the knowledge that any one of the damaged or destroyed ships could have been the one his son Jaenar boarded, but he forced himself to keep hope, he had seen 3 royal galleys limping back to the city, Jaenar could have been lucky enough to be on one of them, or perhaps he had arrived at the docks too late to even board one of the galleys.
He heard a cry over the wind, and turned to see his brother Balaeron, mounted on Saphyre pointing in the distance where a pillar of smoke could be seen…..the escaping pirate fleet.
The King gestured for Balaeron that they would pursue….the pirates had been bold to attack the city, successfully catching its defenders by surprise…but they had been foolish to believe they could make their escape with their plunder before the dragons were upon them….and now they would pay for that mistake.
Even with the dragon's speed it took several minutes to catch up with the escaping pirate galleys, who bore the hanged man banners of Grey Gallows.
The shouts from the pirates were heard even from the skies as they saw the dragons…and their doom approach them, but there was little they could do, Aurion ordered the angry Vhagar to bathe the ships in green-orange flame while Balaeron ordered Saphyre into a dive, finishing the work….within ten minutes, ten pirate ships were sinking to the bottom of the sea, the screams of burning and drowning men evident.
Balaeron shouted something, pointing in the far distance where two more pirate ships that had been smart enough to split from the main group were sailing away in escape, but Aurion shook his head and gestured towards the city…..it was time to return.
Aurion did not even fly Vhagar to the Dragonpit, ordering it to land outside the city gates on a large beach of sand, running towards the smell of smoke, his brother Balaeron doing the same and following him.
The shanty hovels and dwellings which many poor fisherfolk dwelled in outside the walls of the Iron Gate had been well and truly looted, and the King saw dozens of bodies of men, women, and children lying butchered outside of their ransacked homes and shops, not failing to notice that many had been shot by crossbow bolts, no doubt from the defenders of the Iron Gate who had no choice but to fire indiscriminately from the city walls into the massacre.
The area was full of wounded peasants, patrolling men-at-arms, and gold cloaks, but amidst the crowd he made out a familiar face, his kinsman Matagar Goldfyre, an officer in the Gold Cloaks who was leaning against a fence, holding his arm which had been struck by an arrow.
‘’Is it over?’’ Aurion asked, approaching the man.
‘’Yes your Grace……we sallied out and sent the fuckers running back to their ships…….they killed many of the smallfolk though….we saw smoke on the horizon, I take it they were paid back in kind?’’ The gold cloak officer said, grimacing as he ran a hand on his gold plated shoulder which an arrow had pierced.
‘’Yes….all but two ships are burnt or sunk….now, the survivors of the Royal Galleys which took to sea…where are they?’’ Aurion demanded.
‘’Not many ships returned, only three out of twenty were undamaged.’’ Matagar replied absentmindedly, looking at his wound.
The King grabbed the man by the shoulder roughly,, not something he would normally do but he was running out of patience ‘’My son was on one of those ships….now where.’’
Matagar grimaced due to the sudden movement in his shoulder ‘’Them that have washed up or made it to shore are staging near the Iron Gate, they are taking a count of survivors there.’’
Aurion nodded his thanks and swiftly made his way towards the Iron Gate, where sure enough there were many waterlogged sailors huddling by fires, and more ominously, a line of corpses on the beach.
Desperately looking through the crowd, he saw a familiar face, the Kingsguard Ser Moribald Ambrose, missing most of his plate armor but still wearing a damp white cloak.
‘’My son……where is he?’’ Aurion demanded as he approached, a pit forming in his stomach.
The Kingsguard knight opened his mouth to respond, but before he could form the words Aurion heard a voice from the crowd.
‘’Father.’’ Jaenar said simply, looking waterlogged but otherwise unhurt.
Wordlessly the King embraced his second son.
The pirate raid on the outskirts of Kings Landing would be a bloody affair, seventeen of the twenty royal galleys in Kings Landing were sunk or damaged in the surprise raid, and when the royal fleets losses were combined with the slain smallfolk living outside the city walls, over a thousand sailors, peasant men, women and children were killed in the attack, though the Pirates of Grey Gallows would not enjoy their victory or plunder, with only two of their galleys escaping to the Stepstones, the rest put to flame by Vhagar and Saphyre.
After the attacks, there would be no shortage of rumors that the Lyseni had paid the pirates off to enact some measure of revenge against the Westerosi who had humiliated them, though this would never be proven. It was also rumored the pirates had launched the bold attack based on old intelligence that the King had been wounded far to the north and was not present to defend the city with his dragon.
Nevertheless, perhaps the pirates of the Stepstones' boldest raid would also be the final nail in their coffin, as the King declared that honor compelled the crown to strike back hard and fast and finally drive these killers and thieves from their last strongholds in the Stepstones.
King Aurion had long been preparing a final decisive campaign against the pirates, having procured claims on Wreckstone, Shame Isle, and Last Refuge, though he had not yet made sufficient preparations to attack Grey Gallows, the pirate stronghold responsible for the raid on Kings Landing, though this issue was solved when the Prince Aurion made clear his own claim to the islands.
The war against the final four pirate strongholds lasted less than six months, with King Aurion personally leading much of the campaign, including at Grey Gallows, where without even his men disembarking from their ships, the King, flying atop Vhagar, set an army of several hundred pirates to rout before burning much of the fortress, similar events occured at Shame Isle where King Aurion reduced much of the fortress and its foolhardy defenders to ash. Other men gained renown as well, including the Stormlander Lord Morgan Estermont, a Lord of rising renown who captured both Wreckstone and Last Refuge……after 123 years of Targaryen rule, well over a century since the Conqueror's conquest of Sunstone, the frontier of the 7 Kingdoms which had seen near constant conflict, raids, and skirmishes had finally been tamed.
King Aurion quickly set about distributing the newly conquered islands, Wreckstone was granted to his brother Matarys, who in addition to his title as Master of Coin was named Lord of the Central Stepstones and would take the Seafyre name, the King's brother Aelor would also add the island of Grey Gallows, since called Flame Isle to his domain and would be named Lord of the Southern Stepstones.
Shame Isle, henceforth called Boar Isle would be granted to Ser Forley Crakehall, perhaps one of the finest warriors and commanders in the realm. House Crakehall was an old and prestigious house known for producing great warriors, but decades earlier had lost their seat in the Westerlands, the King thought it unseemly such a noble house be forced to live as unlanded knights and hoped that these fierce warriors would prove to be a boon to the new frontier of the Kingdoms, the island of Last Refuge was set aside to be granted at a later date.
Aurion hosted a great feast in King's Landing to celebrate the taming of the Stepstones which had taken well over a century to complete, and promised that when the situation was stable enough the new frontier would be officially made a Lord Paramountcy of the Kingdom, and a capable ruler established.
The feast was complete not only with good food but also with dancing and music, a pleasant event by all accounts.
What the realm could not know however, that it would not be long before an altogether different dance would be recorded in the annals of the House of the Dragon, and for multiple Targaryens in attendance, the sand in their hourglass was running to empty.
