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The waves of the Blackwater Bay were calm this day and hardly rocked the ships. All of us should have been taken away by the beauty of the calmness of the water and blueness of the sky. The only exceptions should have been the Dothraki that still did not feel comfortable when their feet weren't on solid ground. Yet all of us were on edge.
I turned to Ghost who seemed to be the only calm person on board the ship. He sniffed the salty air and looked at the water as if he wanted to jump in. If not for the fact Euron Greyjoy's fleet could be close by, I would have been more than happy to see him swim. As a younger man I might have even joined him.
"No." I reprimanded him as his haunches prepared to have him sail above the railings to the water down below.
"You should let him have his fun." Missandei said.
"The Greyjoys could attack and Ghost would be needed then."
"What could a giant dog do if Euron attacked us?"
"I don't know."
I was unsure if Ghost could be any help at all. Direwolves weren't famed for their ability to fight at sea. Though I was loathe to admit it to anyone but Khaleesi, I wanted Ghost by me because he made me feel safer. He was like the covers to a scared child. Those thoughts were unsuited for the King of Westeros.
Missandei rested her arms on the railing as she looked out to the horizon. Unlike most she was extremely calm. She didn't appear fearful that Euron's fleet would attack us. Maybe it was the fact she was one of Daenerys' strongest supporters. If one truly believed in our queen, one would not be afraid that we would be caught unawares by an enemy. Especially when both Daenerys and Jon had dragons that were patrolling the waters for enemies.
"When we feel Dragonstone underneath our feet, Ghost can roam where he will." I said. "No enemy will be there."
"You're sure no one will be hiding there ready for us?" Missandei asked.
"Dragonstone is a distance from King's Landing. Cersei won't need to leave her walls as she has Euron to patrol these waters. House Greyjoy is most notable for their ability to battle at sea. Someone as knowledgeable as Euron will want to keep the fight to where he is the strongest."
Rhaegal and Drogon roared from overhead. Both were trying desperately to dive down toward the water but their riders were stopping them. The long journey must be getting to them. Such large creatures needed to eat a lot. While my love had focused on winning the war against the dead, Sansa had made sure there was food for everyone. Even the dragons she didn't seem to care for. Was her dislike of dragons merely an act? Or was it a rare bit of honesty from the woman?
How could anyone hope to control such creatures? Khaleesi was so much like a dragon herself that her and Drogon shared a special bond. Jon being able to hold Rhaegal back was a miracle. It could be that once Drogon was restrained so was Rhaegal.
"Do you think more dragons could come into being?" Missandei asked, her eyes on the dragons.
"Before Daenerys' children, I wouldn't have thought it possible." I replied. "Now I have seen dragons and an army of the dead. There isn't anything impossible in the world anymore."
"She'll make her House stronger than before."
"And you'll be able to have a dragon of your own."
"I don't think a dragon will allow a former slave on their back."
"It wasn't only Targaryens who were able to ride dragons. Anyone, no matter the blood in their veins, has the ability to ride one of the creatures."
"Even a Mormont."
"I don't belong in the sky."
"And Dothraki don't belong on the sea."
She turned her gaze from the dragons to me. Those of House Mormont weren't known to ride direwolves, yet I rode Ghost as if I had been doing so for years. As if my House had been riding the creatures for generations. So why were dragons so different?
Because I was so in awe of the terrible beauty that was Daenerys. She was fire and blood made flesh just as much as any of her dragons. The same life that ran through her entire being was not the same that ran in mine. Was that the same fear Jon had every time he mounted Rhaegal?
"I will probably be dead before another dragon hatches." I said.
"And what if you aren't?" Missandei asked.
"If another dragon hatches, I hope that our queen chooses her dearest friend as its rider over her king."
Ghost moved away from the edge as the boat started to rock more. It was a minor burst of wind and the water only grew rockier for a few minutes. Yet the direwolf was tensed up as if a great danger was upon us. If it was anyone but Ghost, I would have dismissed the warning. But I trusted Jon's gift more than myself at predicting danger. With a slight nod to Missandei, the woman quickly made her way below decks. As an advisor, she was invaluable. During battle, though, she was useless.
I put a hand on Heartsbane and a second later Rhaegal dove down. Jon flew just low enough that I could make out his body.
"Euron's fleet!" Jon shouted at the top of his lungs.
Though it took a few tries for the entire warning to be heard, all of us had started to move to our battle stations before we fully understood the warning. I held Heartsbane high in the air as Jon flew back up to where he would be more useful. Most likely there wouldn't be much of a battle for me after the dragons destroyed the fleet.
"Your Grace, are you just going to wave that ******* sword or are you going to be useful?" Davos yelled as he directed men around the ship.
I lowered my sword but still positioned it to be used at a moment's notice. Most of the men had moved quickly as they knew what they were doing. The rest were slow and moved as if they hadn't been in a battle before. One man in particular looked sick which meant he hadn't yet grown used to being on a ship.
"Boy," I yelled to get the man's attention. "You are defending our queen's right to rule. Throw yourself overboard if you can't handle the fight."
"Yes, Your Grace!" The man yelled and his posture became more sure.
From the other ships shouts and yells could be heard. Now that I was reacting to Euron, it felt like a great weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. It helped that I left a majority of control to Davos who was more familiar with sea battles than myself.
"Why are we preparing to fight?" A young man complained. "The dragons will do all the real fighting."
"Someone will have to handle the prisoners." I snapped. "Now, get to your position and maybe I'll lessen your sentence after the battle."
The young man quickly turned away from me. He knew I was on this ship but for some reason thought I wouldn't be near enough to hear him. I looked around at my men and all of them avoided my eyes. They made every excuse not to look at me.
"Davos," I said once most of the men were in place. "I'm going to check the status of the rest of our fleet."
"Yes, Your Grace." He replied and I walked to get a better view of Khaleesi's fleet.
On other ships there was frantic movement as everyone prepared themselves. The ships with mostly Dothraki did the worst and for their sakes I prayed to the gods for the dragons to do the brunt of fighting. Since I was Azor Ahai, my prayers must have a greater chance of reaching their ears.
Over the course of a few minutes the ships faced the direction Jon had flown in from. My own ship was near the back as I was the king. The feeling of safety made me feel like I had committed a grave sin. Was that why Ghost wasn't by my side? Or was he making sure no danger came to me?
I looked up at the sky to look at the dragons. How they reacted should tell me what the rest of the battle would be like. If they were frantic then I would be worried. If they were calm then I would trust that the battle would go our way. While I had reprimanded the young man, I too felt a slight disappointment as the dragons would do the majority of the fighting.
What would be left for a man like me? A few broken men that only fought me to end their lives honorably? Those who felt like me would cling to any fighting that wasn't completed by the dragons. No matter how demeaning that fighting was.
I couldn't see Rhaegal which most likely meant he was approaching Euron's fleet from the opposite end. Drogon was poised in front of a fleet that was quickly growing visible. He circled so that he never drifted too far away from where Khaleesi wanted him. The Greyjoy must be feeling fear as there were two dragons coming after him.
"He must have something planned." I muttered under my breath.
Someone like Euron would have a plan so that he would win the battle. I remembered talks about the Scorpion bolt that had forced Drogon to land. What if his entire fleet was equipped with such weapons? If he managed to shoot down both dragons, our fleet would be helpless against him.
My feet went swiftly over the deck. I ignored everyone and didn't bother reacting to any signs of respect. Now was not the time to get lost in playing the part of the king. Now was the time to help the people I was sworn to protect. Davos was looking out to the opposing fleet that appeared to grow larger as it got closer.
"Euron Greyjoy has scorpion bolts." I told Davos. "That's why he's attacking."
"Could one of those bolts even pierce a dragon's hide?" He replied.
"One pierced Drogon well enough to force him to land. Maybe the bolts can't kill a dragon, but they can cause enough damage to win a battle."
"I'm assuming the dragons are higher than Drogon was when he got shot."
I looked up and tried to judge. Because I hadn't been there when Drogon had been shot down, there wasn't a way to be accurate. It was hope that made me believe that they were too high up to get injured. It was hope that made me believe that the two dragons wouldn't get injured and instead would turn the Greyjoy fleet into ashes.
Before I could reply to Davos, Rhaegal and Drogon let our roars that should have stopped our enemies. Even so far away, the dragons sounded like they were standing right next to me. Yet Euron's fleet did not waver.
As I had guessed, Euron unleashed a flurry of Scorpion bolts at the two dragons. Davos winced as one bolt hit Drogon and a moment later a second bolt hit Rhaegal. Ghost stood next to me as we watched to see what would happen to the dragons. Would they fall into the waters below? Would they die? Were they be far enough away to not be injured at all?
I breathed a sigh of relief when the dragons didn't come crashing down into Blackwater Bay. The bolt that had torn into Drogon had been a lucky shot! There was still hope for the battle! Sparing a look at Davos, I saw a large grin on his face. We both watched with a more hopeful attitude as Euron continued to fire Scorpion bolts at the dragons whenever they dove down. Each time the dragons were left uninjured.
Euron had deadly bolts but there was a finite amount of them. Jon and Khaleesi knew this. So they made themselves into appealing targets so Euron wouldn't think of aiming them at our fleet. Finally there were no more bolts left.
"Should we attack now?" Davos asked.
"No, the dragons can destroy Euron's fleet easily now." I replied. "If any ship tries to flee we can go after them."
Davos went to give my order to the helmsman who would in turn give the order to the rest of the fleet. Ghost put his paws onto the railing as he watched the massacre that would soon follow.
"Fire and blood." I whispered under my breath.
It seemed to take ages until the dragons dove towards Euron's fleet. To his credit, Euron attempted to fight against an unbeatable foe. But there was no hope for him. He was merely a man. Rhaegal and Drogon were dragons. No man could hope to escape the flames that poured forth from their mouths.
Rhaegal and Drogon seemed to dance in the air as they continued to burn Euron's fleet. Drogon sometimes dove down low enough to eat people while Rhaegal made sure there was no piece of wood that lacked fire. The brothers soon filled the air with ashes and smoke and cries of the dying.
Where was Eu-
"Euron!" A man shouted enthusiastically as he pointed. "Euron!"
I followed the man's finger and saw a burned corpse. Though his features were distorted, it was clearly Euron Greyjoy. He hadn't died as a great warrior but as a commoner. There was no one to mourn him and even the Drowned God would not recognize him. It was a fitting end for such a monster.
One man cheered and then another one joined in until the entire fleet was crying out joy. Khaleesi and Jon had protected us. After seeing the savage way they had destroyed our enemies, it was hard to be worried about King's Landing. How could Cersei defeat us when Euron had been killed so easily? Who was there that could dare defy us?
Amongst the cheering, I was able to concentrate on the Greyjoys that had survived. It was certain that most had followed Euron out of fear than any genuine love of the man. If the Iron Throne needed to rule the waters, House Greyjoy would help to put fear into Khaleesi's enemies. Though we would always need to watch out for the countless rebellions that had littered the House's history.
I looked around me to men who still had bloodlust in their eyes. It would take all my strength to make sure they didn't kill the prisoners. I knew a lot of the men would not be satisfied unless they spilled blood. No matter how that blood ended up being spilled.
Ghost followed Daenerys with his eyes as Drogon hovered close to the ship. I was so used to bowing to my love that I nearly knelt. It took me a moment to realize that everyone had grown silent at our queen's presence.
"Daenerys," I said. "What do you want done with the prisoners?"
"Prisoners?" Daenerys asked. "Those monsters tried to kill me and you. Why should we grant them any semblance of mercy?"
In her eyes there was as much compassion as in Drogon's. It had been no secret that she was a killer, but she also held a kind heart. She cared about doing the right thing and merely failed at understanding how to do so. Yet there was no sign of that kind heart in her eyes now. There was only anger.
I wanted to argue that senselessly killing prisoners was not a way to break the wheel. Word of her cruelty would get out so that the commoners would think they were caught between two cruel rulers. Daenerys would not leave the world a better place if she continued down this dark path of hers.
If she continued to embrace cruelty, not even I would be able to stop her.
"You're right, my love." I agreed merely to keep up appearances. "I'll have our men kill any Greyjoy that survived."
"Supervise that yourself, Jorah." Daenerys commanded. "I want to be certain no Greyjoy leaves these waters alive."
In thirty minutes time the fleet was coordinated enough to search the waters for any Greyjoy that dared flee. While most of us were searching the waters for Greyjoys, some of the ships scouted the wreckage for any survivors. With every Greyjoy killed I felt more nauseous. This was wrong but there was nothing I could do about it.
"Look at him!" A man laughed as a Greyjoy tried vainly to climb up.
"Our queen commanded us to kill all the survivors." I reprimanded him. "She didn't command us to play with them."
Once the Greyjoy had climbed high enough, I shoved Heartsbane through his head. He let out a faint cry as he fell back into the water.
"Watch him." I commanded the man who had laughed. "Make sure he is dead. Don't play with his corpse."
I looked at Ghost who had stayed close by my side ever since the 'battle' had ended. Earlier he had wanted to swim but now he seemed afraid of the water. He knew that killing the Greyjoys was wrong and would have no part in the travesty. He knew that Daenerys was wrong.
Missandei looked around the ship in a daze. The men were shouting in joy every time they could kill a Greyjoy. She tried to look into my eyes but I avoided her. She, as well as I, knew a righteous battle from a massacre. Daenerys could have commanded we take prisoners. But instead she allowed everyone's bloodlust to take control.
King's Landing would be won, there was no doubt in my mind about that, but the men would turn into animals at our victory. That was the way with such things. However, before today I had thought Daenerys would try to enforce her men to a higher standard.
Now, though, I wasn't so sure.
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