Chapter 20: Chapter 19: The First Daughter
The journey around Westeros was an interesting experience for Theon. It had nothing to do with being his first time sailing around Dorne. Any adventurous spark he had in his blood was snuffed out long ago and these days he barely scraped by so that he himself doubted he was alive. Most of the days he gets by being thankful that he was no longer living in a world of pain and misery. At least, he could say that he was not suffering from any physical pain. His mind on the other hand was another matter entirely.
Fearing retaliation from his newly crowned uncle he and his sister had fled the Iron Islands as swift as the winds could carry their ships. It was only after they neared the coasts of Dorne he felt any relief. It was not just him that was on edge but the entire crew of the 30 ships that followed his sister felt the same. After all, the ships had to sail unnoticed by the Lannister Fleet, Redwyne Fleet or his uncle's Iron Fleet.
It was his sister who charted the course of their ships and her experience in the sea shined through when they needed it the most. They managed to sail around Westeros without anyone noticing. The few ships that managed to spot their small fleet were dealt with and those ships now lay at the bottom of the sea.
They paused their long voyage when they reached the Dornish shores. They raided a few Dornish villages for food, freshwater and thralls. After suffering through Ramsay's hospitality he was not exactly comfortable with the Ironborn raping and reaving along the Dornish shores. But he kept silent as he was already seen as little more than dirt among the Ironborn. It was his sister's presence that protected him from some of the overzealous men.
Already, he was dealing with the backlash from his behaviour at the Kingsmoot. Many among the crew refused to speak or work with him. Fearing for his life he had to stay in his sister's ship throughout the journey. Many among the crew blamed him for their predicament. Most of them believed that Yara would have won the Kingsmoot if it wasn't for his presence.
It was in the Stepstones that he managed to earn a smudge of respect from his fellow Ironborn. He found it extremely appealing to kill pirates and slavers in the Stepstones. That was the only time he felt like he was Theon Greyjoy. Most of the time he don't know who he was. It was hard to break away from being Reek even after he escaped Ramsay's captivity. It didn't help that he hated himself for standing by and letting the Ironborn enslave people as thralls in the ships.
"What are you thinking little brother?" asked Yara as she made herself known to him by standing behind Theon.
Startled he let go of the rope he was meant to fasten on the rails. Thankfully Yara caught the rope and tied it safely back.
"I am sorry Yara…"
"Stop apologising. You are coming with me to my cabin." said Yara before dragging him into her cabin. She closed the door behind her with a bang and glared at him.
"Exactly what do you think you are doing? I have noticed that you seem to be in a different world from time to time."
"I am sorry." He bowed his head but a slap to his face made him rear back in surprise.
"Stop saying you are sorry. The Ironborn won't respect you if you stay indecisive and weak."
"They won't respect me no matter what. I am the reason they had to leave their homes behind. The only reason they tolerate me is because of you, sister." said Theon, which was the inevitable truth.
From the moment that he decided to betray Robb, he knew that he lost his way. Every day he became farther and farther away from who he was and who he wanted to be. Ramsay may have managed to break him but the first steps were already taken by himself. When all was said and done he could only gather bits and pieces of himself.
Never would he ever regain what was lost, this he knew.
"Theon, you are my brother. You…"
"And that's all I will ever be. I have no complaints sister. I will serve you as best as I can by your side." said Theon.
Seeing the conviction shining in her brother's eyes Yara let the matter go. She was hoping to grant him control of a few ships in her fleet but it could wait.
"We will be nearing the coasts of Lys in a few days. I will assign you some men. I want you to take them ashore and gather word about Daenerys Targaryen." said Yara which made Theon look at his sister in surprise.
"I thought the Targaryen Queen was at Mereen?"
"I know. But the word among some of my contacts in the Stepstones is that the Dragon Queen is at war with slavers. They say Volantis sent a fleet against Mereen. I need to be well informed before sailing further east lest we sail into a war unprepared."
As per his sister's orders, Theon and a few men sneaked into Lys under the pretence of traders. At first, he thought it would be difficult to gather information but the whole city was talking about the Dragon Queen of Mereen. What he learned from the city certainly did surprise him.
*******
Vaegon Rogare sat in the study of his mansion pondering about the future of his house. There was a time when the name Rogare commanded respect in the city of Volantis and Lys. But those times were long past and house Rogare collapsed all thanks to the foolishness of his ancestors.
His ancestors unwittingly engaged in Westerosi politics. They tried to play both the Martells and Velaryons against each other hoping to profit from the conflict. Somehow the Martells managed to get a hold of their plot and outmanoeuvre his ancestors. The investments in the Rogare bank began to diminish at an unprecedented rate. The loss of high profile customers along with increased investments with rival banks destroyed the confidence in the Rogare bank. Within the span of a year, the Rogare bank collapsed with his house inheriting a sizeable debt. It also didn't help that they fell out of favour in the Targaryen court. This had resulted in the expulsion of his ancestors from Lys, their ancestral homeland. It had taken considerable efforts from the future generations of his family to regain a smudge of wealth they previously possessed.
"Father! Father, I have had word from the port. It is bad news." shouted his son Rhaemore as he barged into Vaegon's study.
"What has happened to our ships?" asked Vaegon impatiently leaning forward on his desk.
It has been a few days but many of his family's ships never docked in the ports. One or two he could understand as some delays by storms but not a single ship has docked in the ports. This was true for other families as well.
"Our shores are being blocked by an enemy fleet. The Council has ordered Admiral Maerys to keep this quiet but my contacts in our fleet have spoken." said Rhaemore.
"Can we trust these sources of yours?" asked Vaegon not taking his eyes off his son.
"Yes, father. We can trust the information. I checked with multiple sources and all of them confirm its validity."
"What colour did the enemy sails fly?" asked Vaegon hoping against hope that what he feared was not coming to pass.
"Black and red, father."
Vaegon sat back in his chair at his son's answer and rubbed his forehead to alleviate the budding headache.
"I knew nothing good would come off attacking Mereen. It is as if the Council decided to forget the damage done to the Volantine fleet by Aegon Targaryen in the Century of Blood." Vaegon complained, quite vexed that the leaders of his city decided to invite danger to their doorsteps.
"Our city walls have never been breached. We will be safe, father."
"There will be no safety you idiot boy. How are we to fight dragons? No city on either side of the Narrow Sea is impervious to dragon fire."
"Then what should we do father?" Rhaemore asked in fear.
Dong…..
Vaegon paused and looked at his son with wide eyes.
Dong…
He could see understanding dawning on his son's face.
Dong….Dong….Dong….
"The bells are ringing from the south." said Rhaemore with a nervous gulp.
Vaegon could feel himself sweat all of a sudden. The only reason the bells should be ringing only if an enemy fleet has been spotted near the shores of Volantis. In his living memory, he had never heard the bells ring.
"If the Targaryen fleet is here we can expect the dragons any day. We must leave the city immediately. We can take the Valyrian road and make way for Tyrosh." said Vaegon
"No, we can't just abandon everything father." said Rhaemore in horror at what his father was suggesting. He hoped his father was just joking.
"Take everything valuable and pack. I will gather our family and explain. We move today itself." said Vaegon quite seriously contrary to the expectations of his son.
A screech echoed throughout the city freezing both Vaegon and Rhaemore on their tracks. A brief moment of silence enveloped the city like a calm before the storm and then as one the city drowned out with fearful screams of its inhabitants. Vaegon noticed that he was shaking as a primal fear began to take hold of him. He didn't have to look to the sky to know that an apex predator was roaming the skies of his city. He exchanged a fearful glance with his son and together they stepped into the open balcony of their manse.
A rush of wind nearly threw Vaegon off the balcony but luckily his son managed to steady him. Two huge dragons rushed past his manse spearing through the air quite effortlessly. All the bells in the city were ringing but he knew the city was beyond saving at this point. The city of Volantis was built to withstand sieges but never an attack from dragons.
"Father, what will we do?" Rhaemore asked in a scared voice.
"There is nothing that we can do but pray for our lives." said Vaegon never taking his eyes off the two dragons nor the figure atop the huge black dragon.
Then the dragons opened their gigantic maw and began to breathe fire across the Black Wall that stretched across the city. One by one the dragons took turns to breathe fire across the length of the wall from one end to the other.
He watched as some brave men tried to pelt the dragons with arrows only to miss and be burnt alive for their efforts. He held out some hope when he saw several soldiers man the scorpions atop some of the towers around the city. While primarily used to tug down any siege towers the scorpions could damage the dragons, at least he hoped they can do so.
It only took a few moments for the dragons to dash that hope for Vaegon. He was left to stare with horror at the burnt remains of those scorpions and the brave men that operated them. The Targaryen queen was smart to burn all the scorpions along with the towers that housed them after a salvo of bolts were fired aiming at her dragons to little effect.
The dragon queen burned anything that moved over the city walls The dragons circled the city a few times burning the towers until men learned to abandon any notion of fighting the dragons.
Vaegon and his son were joined by the rest of their family on the balcony. They watched grimly as the Dragon Queen burned the Black Wall to cinders with dragon fire. The wall of black granite stone came crashing down to the cheers and screams of many.
"She destroyed the Black Wall! She destroyed it!" Rhaemore whispered in horror but his whole family heard him.
"Nothing can withstand the might of a dragon my son. The dragons forged this city and it can fall only to dragons." said Vaegon grimly.
"She didn't just destroy the Black Wall father. She destroyed a symbol of traditions of Volantis to this day. The Black Wall was a symbol of our Valyrian heritage forged by Dragonfire and now undone by Dragonfire. The High Priest Bennaro has been preaching of this moment since the Dragon Queen took Mereen." said Rhaemore.
"You are correct my son. We are witnessing the end of Volantis. Daenerys Targaryen has brought a new era and I fear we of the Old Volantis will have little say in how this era will be shaped."
Vaegon couldn't have known this at the moment but his words would become reality.
******
Jorah has been given the overall task of taking the ports of Volantis. Sea battle was not his forte but thankfully the fleet had several experienced captains. Most of them were sell-sails that were attracted by the promise of gold and riches by his Queen. Some others were loyal men of Mereen, Astapor and Yunkai. He took their advice and created a blockade of Volantis. The position and strength of his fleet only allowed him to block the sea trade of Volantis as he was not ready to block the Rhoyne.
As someone who fought in the Ironborn Rebellion, he was intimately aware of just how important it was to blockade an enemy fleet. Trade would get disrupted and this would cause the enemy to make terrible mistakes that he could exploit. The Ironborn traded through their reaving while the Volantines traded in silk, gold, silver, spices and slaves.
He has to admit that the captains did an admirable job in cutting off the sea trade of Volantis. Any ships from Volantis were captured and those that tried to access the ports of Volantis were turned away or captured depending upon what was the cargo. The slave ships were captured and the slaves would be set free. The slavers would be hanged as per the command of the Queen.
All of these activities were done from a remote island off the coasts of Volantis. The island was home to sell-sails and pirates. It was no major trading port and it had little in terms of law or resources. But the island served as a perfect strategic point for staging an invasion of Volantis. The island's name was Hernia and he learned about it from eager sell-sails wanting to secure more gold and favours from his Queen. The sell-sail captain was indeed going to be richly awarded for he had made it possible for the invasion to commence without major losses on the Queen's side.
He eyed the sea battle waged between the Queen's fleet and what remained of the Volantine fleet. Oars were smashed, wood splintered and men drowned in their own blood or the sea. Stones dipped in whale oil lit up in flames bombarded the ports of Volantis. In between, some of the best ships of their fleet were ramming into the enemy ships. The Unsullied soldiers would board the Volantine ships and make quick work of the enemies on board. The Queen was clear in her orders to not spare any enemy save children, women and slaves.
While he personally disagreed he would rather conduct the war with dishonour rather than incur the displeasure of his Queen. The Queen had forgiven him for his past transgression. He would not squander this second chance rather he would earn back the trust and his position as the Queen's trusted advisor by bringing her the victory she desired.
"Maerys, signal the fleet to concentrate artillery fire on the south of the port." Jorah ordered to one of his aides seeing as his plan to draw out what remained of the Volantine fleet with an attack from the east worked splendidly.
Drums began to blare loudly signalling the time for an attack as was agreed upon. To further reinforce the orders and attack pattern the remaining ships began to raise a red flag near the sails. The flag would be spotted by spotters on distant ships and the attack would commence without a hitch.
Jorah watched on dispassionately as some forty ships smashed away the meagre resistance put up by Volantis. This was a historic moment to be sure as this would be the first time an enemy force manage to land on the ports of Volantis in a single day of fighting. His name would be immortalized in history if the ports would fall under his Queen's control today itself. That however also depended on the Unsullied and he was sure Grey Worm won't disappoint in that regard.
His decision to concentrate artillery fire on the south bared fruit. The continuous barrage of flaming stone managed to shatter the defences of the port. A satisfied smile stretched across his face as he watched the Unsullied under Grey Worm begin to land on the beaches. Now, it was up to the landing forces to bring the First Daughter of Valyria to heel.
*******
"Shields up!" Grey Worm shouted as he saw archers taking up positions along the shores of the city.
The whistling of arrows became prevalent but he paid it no mind. His brothers in arms expertly locked shields even when they were in a rowboat. Arrows began to impinge wave after wave on their shields but none managed to pierce their shield wall. He observed the beachhead from a small opening between the shields and watched coldly as streaks of fire and stone struck the enemy lines. He could see many were being burnt alive but there were men aplenty to take the place of their fallen.
An enemy artillery piece struck too close to their rowboat for his comfort but his men held on without a twitch. Unsullied do not know fear and the sellswords of Volantis were not going to make him or his men tremble.
Just as their boat's ram pierced into the white sands of Volantis he jumped out of the boat breaking formation.
"Break shields." He shouted. His feet touched water but it was barely above his ankles.
"Form ranks." He shouted as he ran to the shore with his shield held inclined to protect himself from enemy archers.
His men were quick to fall into groups and take up formation. Steadily they made their way into enemy territory with their shields locked in tight. While groups of his men were drawing attention from enemy archers several groups of his men were taking up positions along the beach. Some of his men began to pelt the enemy with arrows suppressing the enemy. When he felt there was a marked lull in enemy archers he gave the command.
"Break shields. Attack!"
Grey Worm led his men in a charge that took the enemy caught off guard. Halfway through his sprint, he realized he was screaming along with his men and the tip of his spear pierced through the heart of an archer. He batted away a spear that was aimed for his throat with his shield. He smacked the enemy soldier with the butt of his spear and moved inside the enemy's guard smashing his shield into the enemy's throat.
He ducked a sword swing from an enemy and punched his spear through the soldier's neck. Red hot blood spilt into his armour and shield but he paid it no mind. He saw an archer aiming at one of his men and he threw his spear aiming for the archer. His aim was true and a moment later he retrieved his spear from the archer's throat.
Systematically, the Unsullied began to cut down the enemy soldiers. A sizeable cavalry force tried to break the Unsullied ranks but the tight formation of his men held strong. The soldiers atop the horses were dragged down and killed without mercy. An hour of fighting saw the enemy fleeing or surrendering in droves. Those who fled managed to keep their lives for another day but those who surrendered were put down permanently.
The white sands of Volantis turned red with the spilt blood of her defenders. Grey Worm rubbed away some of the blood and sweat on his face and waited for more of his troops to land. There was much work to be done before they could conclude the day to be their victory.
Up above in the sky, he saw the dragons of his queen burning the towers of the city walls. Black smoke was billowing out from the city and that spurred him on to further action. He had a port to secure and that's what he was about to do at any cost.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone