Aeron II
27AC
"Are you mad? We need your ships at Grey Gallows! Not Sunstone!" Ser Osmund roared, and Aeron winced in turn. He was standing at the back of the cabin with many of the different guards and his father had once again goaded Ser Osmund into an argument.
"Sunstone is not yet cleared of pirates! Only once that island is clear can we move on!" his father retorted with a yell of his own and Aeron could not help but recall the argument a moon ago when the pirates slipped behind their lines in a storm and recaptured Torturer's Deep. They had failed to secure all the coves and after a few ships got through the fighting picked up in earnest once more.
Their whole campaign here had been slow and painful. Since the moment they arrived, they have been fighting tooth and nail for the tiny scraps of wind-swept rocks that made up this hellscape. They captured Bloodstone quickly, Maegor and Terrax destroying much of the Pirate fleet here before Ser Osmund managed to capture the peak of the island.
It took them almost a full moon to find every last cave the pirates were hiding in. While all the soldiers got to go out and fight for honor and glory he had to stay behind on the ships with his father.
When he learned that he was to be a squire he rejoiced. ' A chance for real combat! To earn my knighthood! ' he had thought at the time. Only he was a fool and did not truly consider his father's character.
Aethan Velaryon may be a knight but he was no warrior. No doubt his father was skilled with a blade but he preferred to stay on the ships. He was someone who commanded from the back, rather than the front and it vexed Aeron to no end. This was his chance! A real chance to make a name for himself, to fight dastardly pirates with his friends and he has been cooped up inside of this cabin instead!
All the while his other friends had already been earning fame. Jasper was currently being squired by Ser Gawen, the very same knight who trained Maegor and he had already seen combat. ' Sure he was near the back but at least his sword has been drawn, ' Aeron thought with bitterness and a hand clasping around the hilt of his blade.
That was not to mention Maegor, who had been earning fame the moment he set foot on Bloodstone with his Dragon. He had wrecked the large pirate fleet stationed at the island and cleared the way for their landing.
He had then participated in the intense cave fighting with his Valyrian Steel Sword and was the one to clear the last cave. Meanwhile, his father sat in port and established "safe harbor and supply lines."
Ser Osmund then set up a camp on the high ground of Bloodstone and that was when the arguments had begun in earnest. His father and Ser Osmund disagreed on every little thing that Aeron could imagine. The specifics of deployments, logistical support, battle plans, camp organization. It had gotten so bad that his father and Ser Osmund had refused to meet for a time. Before necessity, and Maegor's increasing ire, had brought them back together.
They were on his father's personal ship now, Viper's Veil. The ship was crafted from the great Arsenal on Driftmark during his grandfather's rule of the island and had been gifted to his father on his sixth and tenth name day. It was part warship and part pleasure yacht. The interior cabin held many different wonders and treasures yet it was also outfitted for war. His father refused to meet with Ser Osmund in the main camp on Bloodstone so the staff meetings happened on Viper's Veil instead. Much to Ser Osmund's wrath.
Ser Osmund had gotten his own ways of getting back. Refusing to send more reinforcements to islands that sorely needed them. He basically forced his father to disembark a few of his ships and deploy the marines he would use for naval combat as infantry. Both sides already hated each other before this expedition and Aeron feared it would only get worse and worse.
"I am the Hand of the King! We need to secure our foothold on Dark Den! We can double back to Sunstone later! That island is already almost cleared!" Aeron zoned back in to hear more shouting from Ser Osmund.
"Yet I am Master of Ships! These ships are mine and last I checked the Hand of the King has nothing to do with naval matters. I can give you a few ships but I have already disembarked many crews to serve as infantry. I do not have many to spare," his father told a bald faced lie and Aeron knew it was only to provoke Ser Osmund further.
"Ugh, very well. What of the next supply fleet? Has Tyrosh agreed to give us more support or will we have to send more of the ships off to the Stormlands?" Ser Osmund moved on and Aeron breathed a sigh of relief. He had seen the two go in circles for hours on end and the only thing that would stop them would be…
The entire ship shook with great force as Aeron's thoughts were abruptly cut off. The ship rocked back and forth from the sudden impact and the delicate finery his father had on his desk soon rolled off and clattered to the ground. Thankfully, albeit unsurprisingly, his father left the fine porcelain imported from Yiti on Driftmark so all his finery was metal. The soldiers shouted at the commotion outside but quickly quieted after the rocking slowed.
All eyes turned to the door and this was an all too familiar scene during this campaign. Maegor Targaryen opened the door and stepped through with his ever-present shadow, Ser Robin Darklyn. Aeron remembered that Uncle Corlys had actually volunteered to serve as Maegor's sworn shield for the expedition but King Aegon refused the offer. Stating that he already had duties protecting his sister Alyssa.
The two entered quickly and Aeron caught a glimpse of the coal-black mass that had rocked the boat so ferociously. Terrax was perhaps the one save and grace of this whole expedition. He and Maegor destroyed more pirate sorties than the rest of the Velaryon fleet combined.
"Having meetings without me?" Maegor japed as he removed his imposing helm and one of the lesser officers his father had brought from Driftmark quickly rose from his seat to free it for Maegor. The table quieted as he took his seat and the ship rocked again, no doubt from Terrax leaping off the boat.
The table remained silent for a time and Aeron caught the look of apprehension on Ser Osmund and his father's face. Nobody here had the will to command Maegor, save for Ser Robin when it came to his defense. His father and Ser Osmund bickered and argued endlessly over who was truly in charge but neither here could command Maegor to do anything at all. He volunteered for this expedition and King Aegon had not placed him in command or under the command of another.
His father was hesitant to try anything at all. He privately shared with Aeron that he feared that Maegor hated him. Aeron doubted that notion, though Maegor was definitely done entertaining Alyssa, much to his joy. However, his friend's fed-up nature towards his sister meant that his father was all too cautious around Maegor. Tiptoeing when he could probably get away with more. Maegor was not an overly serious person, and if his father truly thought an idea was good Maegor would no doubt hear him out.
Aeron suspected similar notions were swirling inside of Ser Osmund's head. He knew little of the Hand of the King, only what he could glean from what Maegor or his father said, plus whatever he observed. His father called him an upstart nobody and a backward Andal, Ser Osmund was merely a knight yet he held more power within the realm than perhaps anyone but the Targaryens.
It vexed his father to no end and he was still upset about the appointment almost a decade after it happened. He had expected to be appointed to the position of Hand of the King after Orys Baratheon resigned, but the position eluded him still. First, it was Lord Tully and now Ser Osmund.
His father could accept Lord Tully as Hand, he was an amicable man and plenty happy to work with his father on all his projects. The same could not be said for Ser Osmund. Their relationship started out icey and after Lord Alton was dismissed it got a lot more heated. Though he heard that Ser Osmund was less zealous than Lord Hightower and Lord Tarbeck in destroying his father's power.
"Ahem… Prince Maegor. We were just discussing the battle on Sunstone." His father took the lead and Aeron spied Ser Osmund's face contort in displeasure. Maegor's tendency to arrive late to these meetings meant that he had to be filled in. His father was more than happy to twist the truth to get what he wanted, which Aeron knew from experience.
Ser Osmund's reaction was not lost on Maegor as he stayed silent but held Aethan's stare.
"Right, tell me of the situation there, I was scouting Grey Gallows. From what I can tell the main pirate force is not there."
"The situation is not ideal, my prince. We have cleared most of the coves and dens but the caves remain elusive to us. I need more men to flush them out yet if I disembark any more of my men I fear we will not be able to continue sufficiently protecting our gains in this archipelago," his father meticulously laid out the situation of Sunstone and from what Aeron knew it was accurate. His father had been trying to piece Maegor together for a while now and he settled on taking the same approach he said he used with Queen Visenya. Be direct and to the point.
"Can Ser Osmund not spare more men? Where is the main force? I did not see many in camp."
Ser Osmund coughed into his hand and began speaking in earnest. "My prince, the main force on Sunstone was cleared out almost two sennights ago and thus the soldiers there were rerouted to other islands. The few soldiers we have here are getting much-needed rest from combat. The main bulk of the currently active forces have moved onto Dark Den. So that we may finally find Sargoso and end this campaign."
"Hmm, I think we should finish clearing out Sunstone," Maegor quickly said, and before either party could agree or object respectively Maegor continued.
"I spotted another storm south of Grey Gallows. A big one, we need to pull the soldiers into camp lest they get swept away by the winds. I reckon we have perhaps a day and a half before the storm is on top of us. I will rest for a bit before I head there myself," Maegor finished before abruptly standing up from his chair and leaving the room. With Ser Robin following close behind him. Aeron was kind of awed by Maegor's tact here. Regardless of whether it was intentional or not he managed to take a side without coming off as extremely biased.
"Well you heard the prince, we best clear Sunstone. I will speak with the Tyroshi envoys and try to secure more supplies. We may have to cut rations for this storm if we cannot secure a quick deal," his father said and Ser Osmund narrowed his eyes before he whispered something to one of his aides.
Ser Osmund was the next to leave with the rest of his staff and aides as they all filed out of the large cabin that served as their meeting place. As they filed out Aeron was going to go and try to speak with his father but he quickly sprang into action and ordered the ship to raise anchor and sail for Tyrosh. The sooner they secured fresh supplies the better. They had once been rained in for almost a full sennight straight and Aeron really did not want to have to cut his rations again.
…
Aeron always loved sailing. The gentle or sometimes not rocking of the waves, the breeze that swept through his short, silver-blond hair. The feeling of excitement as the ship carried him to a new place. All of it enticed Aeron.
Yet the more he sailed recently the more he disliked it. He was not allowed to sail for fun anymore, not here. Here he sailed to get somewhere else and that was all. It took all of the magic out of it. There was no adventure sailing a ship from one barren rock over rough seas to another. It was just a dangerous job.
Those were Aeron's thoughts as Viper's Veil sailed towards the Free City of Tyrosh. The Archon had initially been cautious of the presence of the Velaryon fleet and an army from Westeros. So much so that he had actually hired a few free companies to bolster Tyrosh's defenses.
Maegor himself flew to Tyrosh to assuage the fears of the Archon. He was not clued into the details of that meeting but he does know that the only people present were Maegor and Ser Robin Darklyn. Not even his father or Ser Osmund were permitted into the meeting.
After the meeting, the Tyroshi tentatively agreed to support the expedition. Under the express promise that the fleet was not there to conquer the Stepstones and merely clear out the "Lyseni" presence.
Little of that mattered now though. They were still a few hours out and Aeron just wanted some fresh air. He could only take so much of being stuffed inside of the cabin. He had been his father's shadow the last few moons and he had clawed for every ounce of freedom he could get.
This whole squireship was a farce. He never trained with his father as he was always "too busy" instead Aeron was a glorified cupbearer. He was present during meetings and followed his father around but he was not exactly learning anything from his squireship.
He had been hoping to maybe win over one of the Kingsguard. His sister was to be queen one day and if he showed enough drive he was hoping that one of them might take him on. Though he would never take the handout offered by his sister. He wanted to earn it. He would even take the younger knight Ser Raymont Baratheon.
Yet here he was, squire to his father, who was not a great warrior by any metric. Of course, his father was not inept in the art of combat. He was decent with a sword and could hold his own against most men.Yet he lacked the skill and experience that Aeron desired so fervently to learn from. Maegor had learned under a veteran tourney winner and general. Aeron was squiring for a man who had not fought in a war since the First Dornish War. Even then all he did was blockade Planky Town, until King Aegon turned the whole town to ash that is.
As he was pondering his situation he was quickly broken from his self-imposed isolation at the bow of the ship by one of the officers his father had brought along with him.
"Lord Aeron, Lord Aethan wishes to speak with you." The loyal servant bowed and Aeron noticed his attire. Clad in the fine teal that made up half of their house's colors he recognized the man as having risen through the ranks of the Velaryon navy.
His great grandfather Aenar Velaryon had tried to reform the Velaryon navy. Attempting to copy some of the innovations by the guilds at Dragonstone. He had created a professional core of officers and skilled sailors to command the large fleet and provide counsel. Each of these skilled men would then pass their knowledge off to a successor.
This hodgepodge of a system gradually crystallized into a sort of small-scale school. Much like the small ones found on Dragonstone. Where experienced sailors who could no longer reliably sail due to poor health, injuries, or just old age, would teach the next generation of sailors, well those that could afford the admittance fee that is.
This messenger was one of them. Earning first-hand sailing experience in the field. He was still a student but actually looked older than he was.
"Uhm, my lord?" the young man questioned again and Aeron realized he was just staring at him.
He quickly coughed into his hand. "...Right, I will go there now," Aeron said with haste and moved towards the stuffy cabin once more.
"Father, you wished to speak with me?" Aeron asked as he pushed open the ornate door. The inside of the cabin kind of shocked him. The staff were all dismissed and his father was sitting alone in his seat.
"I did, Aeron. Take a seat," he gestured across from him to one of the many open seats that surrounded the table his father had brought in to replace his old desk.
Aeron had a bad feeling the moment he sat down and his gut was proven true when his father began speaking once more.
"Aeron, might you reconsider? I need your support," his father said in what he imagined was a sincere tone but Aeron could not help but sigh. He had absolutely no idea what went on in his father's head but he had been very clear about this. He wanted Aeron to tell him everything he could about Maegor.
Aeron had rebuffed him of course. He would not spill his friend's secrets so easily. As a result of Aeron's dogged refusal to give up any information, it led to his father bumbling around Maegor. He had said earlier in one of their previous meetings that he had no idea of what Maegor wanted. His actions were seemingly erratic and he had no obvious loyalties.
"Please Aeron, I am not asking you to give up his every secret. I just need to understand who he is. It is vital for the future of our house!" His father was growing more and more dissatisfied with Aeron's refusal of him and his attempts had gotten more heated.
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why is it vital to our house?"
His father sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his right hand. "Our house is in a dangerous position Aeron," his father said before he stood up and walked towards one of the windows.
"We were ascendent a mere three years ago. We had all the control a family could ever want. We were in the perfect position to fulfill our destiny as a house. To be the second house of the realm. The most reliable supporters of House Targaryen, to aid them where possible and reap the rewards from their success. Yet it has all slipped through my fingers!" he grew angrier as he spoke and Aeron was shocked.
In mere moments every conversation with his father, everything his brother Daemon ever told him about their father, and everything he knew from his learning of history flashed in his brain. His father was telling him what his plans for House Velaryon were. To his knowledge, not even Uncle Corlys was clued into this degree.
"It all started so well. Our number one rival to our destiny disappeared with King Aegon's bastard brother throwing his tantrum. Then I managed to secure the important positions in the Small Council and even got Alyssa betrothed to the crown prince," his father had entered a tirade and Aeron could not and most of all did not want to stop him.
"Yet it has all been going downhill since then. The signs were there and I should have seen it early. What was King Aegon thinking? Appointing a mere knight to the position of Hand of the King?! I am his kin, his own cousin, how could he not have selected me for the position?"
"Then who should have been my natural ally has become my most dogged opposition. I had expected trouble in the Small Council after the fat fanatic in Oldtown made that offer but to have my cousin, Queen Visenya turn against me? We were close before, we should be natural allies yet I am fighting two battles at once with no support of my own."
"Not to mention your sister making rapprochement with Queen Visenya nigh impossible. I entertained her delusions at first. I figured that Queen Visenya would just let it go. With her having to deal with her own troubles with King Aegon and Prince Maegor's impending marriage I thought she would not bother with the slap back by Alyssa but now I have had to clean up her messes. Distracting me even more from what I should be doing!"
"So I ask you once more Aeron. Please. Prince Maegor is the key to rapprochement with Queen Visenya. I need to know more about him, lest our house fall even further into disgrace. We cannot compete with the Hightowers and Her Grace. I am not asking you to give up his secrets. Just tell me about him. What he fights for, what he believes in." His father's earnest request struck deep in Aeron. His conflicting obligations warred in his chest and he had no idea what to do.
' Do I support my house or my friend? ' Aeron thought as he bit his lip. Images of his little brother and Daemon flashed through his eyes and he came to a decision. He would support his house, but he would not betray his friend. Maegor's secrets would remain hidden but he could tell him about his character.
"Prince Maegor does not hold allegiance to anybody but his family and friends," Aeron started simply and was taken off guard when his father quickly moved to the table. Ready to absorb whatever he said.
"Uhh, truth be told I do not really know what he wants but I do know he cares nothing for House Hightower. He is loyal to his family and will do anything to support them," Aeron told a bit of a white lie, Maegor had long since told all of his friends about his goals, it was part of the reason he wanted to be his friend. They both wanted to make a difference, and leave their mark on the world
His father looked deep in thought and his left hand rose to shift through his short beard.
"Thank you Aeron, I will see if I can work with this," he said before he walked towards a cabinet across the room and pulled out a number of papers.
Aeron got up to leave but was stopped. "Aeron wait!" his father called out and Aeron could not help but freeze in his tracts.
"Come here." He gestured over to the table and began laying out numerous maps and charts.
"What now Father?" Aeron was confused. His father already got what he wanted. ' What more could he want from me? ' Aeron thought with narrow eyes as he spied a map of the Stepstones. Each island was clearly labeled and even the currents that flowed through the numerous straits were marked.
"I have been neglecting your education. You will one day need to support Daemon, it is time you began learning in earnest," his father said and placed both his hands on the desk.
' What the hells happened to my father? ' Aeron thought with bewilderment. He had been ignored most of his life. Now he was his father's center of attention and he did not know how to feel.
After a moment's pause, he walked back towards the table. He may not be sure of what to think of his father but he would not turn down education by an experienced commander.
Maegor X
27AC
Leaving the cabin and moving back towards the shore was a relief for me. The endless arguments between those two overgrown children grated on me. I had tried numerous times to get them to compromise but nothing seemed to work.
You would think that two grown men could put aside their differences to win a war but all the major actions taken since the capture of Bloodstone had been compromises I had forced. I was tired of dealing with their bullshit. ' Is it that hard to get along? ' I thought as I finally disembarked, my boots landing on the hastily constructed dock.
I decided I would take some time to rest. I had been flying all day and immediately jumping into combat would be stupid with my level of exhaustion. I would go to camp and fetch something to eat. I should be able to catch the tail end of the fighting tomorrow on Sunstone anyway.
"When are you going to put your foot down, my prince?" Ser Robin spoke from behind me and I was rudely reminded of his presence.
My father had ordered me to take a Kingsguard with me to the Stepstones and he had even picked out Ser Robin for me. He was an excellent warrior but a total bore to be around. He was all business and no fun. At least Corlys was interesting and Raymont could crack a joke.
"Did I not? Sunstone is the objective," I replied back with some side-eye. Ser Robin was just as fed up with our "leaders" as I was and he was trying to get me to take command. It was an open secret around camp that I was forcing the leaders to agree. I heard the whispers telling me to take command but I was hesitant.
Potentially alienating the two aside, my experience with The Giant of the Trident had humbled me. I still had a lot to learn and immediately jumping into command was a recipe to fuck up along the line. Should I force my authority as prince and take command and something went wrong, whether or not it was my fault, I would not only get all of the blame, but I would also no doubt earn the ire of my father. Whom I had been working quite hard to earn the affection of. Forcing the issue was off the table for now, too many risks and not enough rewards. I would settle with getting experience with the smaller, much more manageable-sized force I brought from Dragonstone.
"You could do more," Ser Robin said flatly and I rolled my eyes as we finally made it to my section of the camp. Ser Robin had been bringing this up consistently ever since their bickering started and I had long since grown tired of it. He was supposed to guard me, not comment on my every action.
Dragonstone was not the most militarily powerful fief in the Kingdom, that honor probably went to Oldtown or Lannisport, but Dragonstone was wealthy enough to field around four hundred well-equipped men-at-arms and employ a good number of knights. I had brought two hundred and fifty soldiers with me from Dragonstone and we had carved out a slice of the camp just for us.
I brought some of the younger men with me this time to get them some experience along with me and it was generally working out. After remedying some flaws on Bloodstone, I now had a small, but skilled fighting force to wield. The best part was I did not need to rely on Aethan or Osmund for anything with them.
I moved towards the center of the Dragonstone section of the camp. I was quite proud that this area of the camp was clean and orderly.
Disease was the greatest killer in medieval warfare so I worked hard to keep the camp clean. The last thing we needed was an outbreak of dysentery to truly end the campaign. So there were designated spots for waste far away from the tents and so, besides the occasional cold, disease had yet to riddle the camp.
Ser Osmund was more traditionalist in his approach and I had to force through my organization efforts. He preferred letting the different lords organize their men but I forced the issue. One of the idiots getting sick could easily spread it to the other men and it was my responsibility to keep my force out of harm's way at the very least.
Speaking of responsibility, I was glad that Terrax had left the island. I had worked hard to tame him over the last year and he no longer lashed out nearly as much but his being surrounded by curious young men all day was a recipe for disaster.
So I generally sent my dragon away, he would roost in one of the many, many, many caves of the Stepstones and he would also thankfully hunt for himself. Feeding my ravenous dragon on top of our already strained logistics might have pushed us into starvation, which we had luckily avoided until now.
I moved towards a campfire and called out to some of the soldiers currently cooking up whatever supplies we had available.
"What is on the menu boys?" I asked easily, taking a seat on one of the many stones that surrounded this fire pit.
"M'lord prince, some gruel and salted pork," the soldier looked shocked by my question and stopped stirring the pot.
"Well, pour me a bowl," I said expectantly and he jumped into action.
Practically everyone on the island was shocked by my demeanor towards the common soldier. The nobles had luxurious tents and ate the best supplies imported from Tyrosh and meanwhile, I mostly ate the same as the common soldier.
Of course, sometimes I would eat with other nobles and I would eat fancier foods then but I ate most of my meals with the soldiers from Dragonstone. They offered a bit of familiarity in this hellscape and it also endeared me to the rank and file.
I knew from my past life that betrayal was common in this world and endearing me to the common soldiers not only boosted my image in their eyes but also made them more willing to fight for me. I had worked hard to cultivate my image on Dragonstone and I would continue working here.
I spent untold hours on Dragonstone hearing endless petitions, apparently my mother was quick to dismiss many of the issues raised by the common folk, to the point many stopped coming to her with complaints at all.
It only took a few instances of me helping the particularly brave with their issues before I was practically flooded with an endless stream of petitions and requests.
I was more than happy to fulfill every one I could of course. Dragonstone was my domain, its prosperity was my own, not to mention I got plenty from it too, it was not long until I was beloved by practically everyone on the island. The guilds especially liked me.
Ordering new sets of armor for the castle guard, introducing my new compass to the small trading guilds, paying for the few craftsmen left on the island to survey the roads and do repairs where needed, along with putting in a few orders for wildfire. I personally went to each of the guilds and asked what they needed.
All of these were gradually emptying my coffers but spending money to earn some favors and good PR was better than it just sitting in a vault for the rest of time. Thankfully my father was footing the bill for my soldiers in the Stepstones. So I wouldn't run my finances into the ground just yet.
Unlike so many of my lordly peers, not having a fat stack of gold in a vault did not irk me. I detested the state of governance in most of Westeros. Most nobles were happy to sit on their domains like fat cats and leech off their lands, giving nothing in return. It bred complacency and the same stagnation that had gripped Westeros for untold generations.
Even the best rulers had a tendency to fall back on complacency. My mother for example was an excellent administrator but frankly, she did a poor job of her own PR. She had never cared for the smallfolk and in return, they hardly cared for her too.
"E're you go, m'lord prince," the one manning the cooking pot said and I gave him a friendly smile as I took the steaming bowl from his hands.
The pork on its own was unpleasantly salty as it hit my tongue but in combination with the gruel, it evened out. One downside of my eating with the rank-and-file soldiers was no spices beyond salt but I could live without spices for every meal. Though the other nobles looked at me like I had a second head.
I was kind of burning through some of my good image with the nobles doing what I was doing but I figured it was a worthy sacrifice. Devotion from the common soldiers was what separated the great conquerors and leaders from the fools who got a knife in the back after all. Plus I had plenty of goodwill to burn.
My killing of the Giant of the Trident earned me fame kingdom wide and my time on Dragonstone had only boosted it. My not being in court allowed rumors to spread about my fight with the giant and by this point, I think everyone in all the Seven Kingdoms knew of it.
My volunteering to fight again also did wonders. Before I left I heard many nobles praising my willingness to fight. I also caught a few whispers about Aenys but I decided to shuffle them away. I could focus on my brother later, right now I had my own issues to deal with.
"Any word from the higher-ups, my prince?" one of the other soldiers asked me and I had to sigh.
"Nothing good," I replied with a bit of a sneer.
"There are more storms coming, so get ready to hunker down again," I said to a chorus of sighs.
"If only the damn storms would blow the Dornish off these rocks," I heard another say and it pretty much summed up my main concern right now.
This war was already beginning to drag and we were only a few moons in. There were few sorties or naval combat in the many straits, thanks to myself and Terrax but the pirates were unexpectedly dogged in their defense of the caves and coves.
Sargoso Saan was a Lyseni, along with his other pirate commanders and most of the sailors but the majority of the pirates were Dornish. When I asked Aethan or Osmund why this might be they never gave me an answer but regardless of their reasoning, they made this campaign harder than it should have been.
Not to mention that Terrax was not so useful in cave warfare. Sure he could blast some fire into the entrances but he was too small to truly melt the stone and seal the damnable pirates in their tombs. He was too small to melt the entrances but still too large to fit into many of the caves and we had no idea how deep they were so they all had to be cleared manually.
Hence we have been here for almost four moons now and we have only cleared three, almost four islands. A few factors were slowing us down, the three main ones were incompetence in the high command, extremely poor weather, along with dogged defenders. This campaign should have taken a moon or two tops but we were staring down a year-long campaign at least.
I finished my gruel and shook my head. Getting all pessimistic was the wrong move here. I just needed to rack my brain for a solution. Surely there should be an easier way to clear the pirates out but I had yet to find it.
"Well boys, get some rest, we will be deploying in the morning to hopefully clear Sunstone before the storm arrives," I told the men and they all shouted "Yes m'Lord prince!" before they began clearing their campfire.
"Ser Robin, might you send for my squire?" I turned around to ask a request of my ever-present shadow and he nodded silently and walked away.
I might have felt better about being shadowed by Ser Robin constantly if he were my Kingsguard, the only problem was he was sworn to my father and my father alone. Anything I told Ser Robin would inevitably end up in my father's ears and it made communicating with my friends harder, normally I would pick their brains for their opinions and rant to them but foolishly spilling my plans could land me in trouble.
So I calmly made my way back to the largest tent in the camp and began fiddling with my chest plate. I now had a squire to help me equip and unequip my armor but he was quite a bit shorter than me and asking him to lift my heavy ass chestplate felt cruel.
My tent was near the center of the camp so it was not long before I peeled back the large entrance and slipped inside my temporary abode.
It was by no means extravagant but I refused to live a completely spartan lifestyle. My tent was a mix of black red and gold coloration and it was a pleasant look on the eyes after staring at the boring grey islands all day. ' At least Dragonstone has some green, ' I thought as I finished removing my gauntlets and chest plate. I would let my squire deal with the rest.
Speaking of said squire, he soon burst through the tent opening like a battering ram, and rushed over to me.
"M'lord prince!" he said quickly before he bowed.
"It is my prince, Dick," I said for what felt like the hundredth time and smiled at my young charge.
Taking Dick Bean on as my squire raised quite a few eyebrows but I could not help it once I had found him. I knew the man he would end up as and I couldn't help but take him under my wing. ' Loyal men are hard to come by, ' I thought at the time and I was glad I did.
Dick Bean was by no means the greatest warrior to ever exist. Though he did show promise, he had the blood for it at the very least. His father was a guard in the town below the fortress and he was more than glad to let me take him under his wing as my squire.
My philosophy was that competence should be rewarded but loyalty should also be high on the docket. What good was the greatest warrior in the realm if he would stick his sword in your back for a sack of gold after all?
"Right! My prince!" he said again and I smiled at the black-haired youth. He was nearly five years younger than me and an eager learner.
"Remove my armor," I said simply and he dove right into the work. My mother was perhaps the most shocked when I took a commoner on as my squire and she had quite the scolding prepared for me on my next trip to King's Landing.
I waved away her concerns though, I had long since built up enough of a reputation to make a few strategic "blunders" here and there, and securing a loyal, skilled, warrior was a worthy sacrifice for the occasional weird stare.
It also helped that Alyssa was too cowed to spread any whispers about it. A few well-placed glares and not speaking with Alyssa drew my father and brother's attention faster than I had even hoped and soon enough Alyssa was on the receiving end of quite a scolding.
It brought a smile to my face and best of all it also brought one to Shiera's. My… friend, had managed to regain some of her lost confidence over the last year and I was glad to see it. Seeing Alyssa laid low, my mother taking more of an interest in her, and what I hoped was the most influential, our budding relationship had boosted the confidence of my white-haired friend and I was glad to see her getting back to her old self.
Of course, thinking of her brought me to another one of my concerns. Ceryse Hightower, I was still steadily informing my father and the rest of my family that could be trusted that I did not want to marry her but it seemed my father was dead set on the match. It was part of the reason I decided to go on this expedition. Of course, increasing my own reputation, sticking with my friends, and getting some actual war experience under my belt were the main reasons but getting away from my betrothed was nice.
She had been growing more clingy ever since I had returned from killing the Giant and I was lucky enough that she was never sent to Dragonstone. Had she been I likely would have moved back to King's Landing just to avoid her.
She was haughty, entitled, and most frighteningly for me, pious. It only increased my desire to stay away from her and the mush I had just eaten and my uncomfortable cot in this tent was preferable to her company.
"Finished, my prince," Dick said and I patted him on the head before I moved towards the candles in my tent.
"Get some rest, Dick, we will be training in the morning tomorrow," I said and I caught the excited look on his face before he darted out of my tent as fast as he had arrived.
I blew out the candles and made my way back towards my bed. Tomorrow would be a fighting day and I welcomed the sleep which had been tugging at me for a while now.
…
A great THWACK resounded across the camp as I blocked the blow from my squire's practice blade. I brought him along mostly as a helper but teaching someone really lets you spot your own flaws.
His attacks were simple but he had good fundamentals. I had worked hard to teach him the correct footwork and stances but his actual combat mindset was simple. Luckily he was young so I had more time to teach him but I just needed to figure out how.
I had picked up swordfighting quickly so actually teaching how to predict enemy movements was something I did not know how to do. I just knew how to do it myself from instinct and experience.
'I will just have to leave it for later I guess,' I thought as I sidestepped my squire and swept his feet out from under him. I was almost twice his size so it was not difficult but to his credit, he immediately jumped back to his feet.
"You did good today, Dick, go and get some rest," I said before I racked the wooden sword I had picked up for this little mock duel.
"Aye m'lord prince," Dick said again and all it took was a sigh for him to correct himself.
"Sorry, my prince," he said again and I just tapped him in the chest with my wooden sword before I walked off.
' Come to me, ' I thought into my open mind and I felt my connection tug at the back of my mind. Signaling my dragon had received my command.
Commanding a dragon with your mind was difficult, I spent almost as many hours in the Dragonpit as I had sitting on the throne of Dragonstone hearing petitions. Yet the results were amazing.
I could send my dragon away and call him back later. Giving complex battle commands using my mind was a little too advanced to learn in a year but I was starting to gain the hang of using my mind in conjunction with spoken commands.
It was all part of the connection a Targaryen shared with their dragon. So many Targaryens never went beyond spoken commands and it truly limited them. Growing closer with your dragon meant that it could begin to act on what you wanted to do before you could even think it. In battles where even a second could decide your fate, learning this skill was a necessity.
"I will be moving for the boats now," Ser Robin spoke from behind me and I nodded. Obviously, he could not fly with me but he did have to guard me. I had no idea when he slept but he was my shadow and he was a damn good one at that. I had only seen him fight a few times but he lived up to his Kingsguard status.
I walked further towards one of the cliff edges and by the time I could see over the ledge I saw Terrax appear on the horizon. He was still growing and I could have sworn he was getting bigger every day. He was now equal with Quicksilver and after this expedition was done he might even surpass her.
A resounding thud broke the sound of the churning waves as my dragon touched down on the cliff ledge.
"Good Morrow Terrax," I said, running a hand across his head and my dragon did not look at me confused this time. My busy life in King's Landing really hampered the time I should have been spending with my dragon and getting some quiet time on Dragonstone again let me fix my own schedule to see him more.
Sure you could fly your dragon daily but it was the smaller things that truly built a bond. Feeding your dragon, brushing them down, just talking to them. Dragons were smart creatures and treating them like tools would get you nowhere.
Terrax responded by lowering his wing and I spotted the same look I had seen all too many times in his eyes. My dragon relished in combat and he could already tell where we were going.
I sent a smile his way and clambered atop my dragon. Stashing Dark Sister in one of the many pouches of the saddle.
" Soves! " I roared into the air and my dragon took a great leap off the edge with his powerful muscles and soon we were soaring towards the barren rock called Sunstone.