Trials and Tribulations of the Oathkeeper

Chapter 159: Battle of King's Landing (Part 1)

—At King's Landing—

King's Landing — Blackwater Bay...

"Keep up the pressure!" shouted a royal sailor.

"Get those ironborn out of our harbor!"

"Evasive maneuvers!"

Flaming arrows and flares fly across the skies along the Blackwater Bay, all as a result of the ongoing naval battle between the Royal Fleet and Iron Fleet. To break the blockade of King's Landing and resupply the mainland armies on the ground, the Royal Fleet under the acting command of Lord Paxter Redwyne had to first break through Euron's ships. Despite having the advantage of superior numbers, the Iron Fleet were proving to be quite harassing as well as problematic due to their ship's upgrades provided to them by Euron and Connington while they occupied the capital city.

"Incoming!" one yelled.

Suddenly, a huge bolt pierces through the Lionstar – accompanied by three more which tore through the war galley. The sailors on deck shout in confusion and race around; another giant bolt zooms through the ship's mainmast, damaging the wooden structure which caused it to crack and slowly collapse, loudly crashing onto the deck and splashing into the Blackwater's oceanic surface – thereby crippling the vessel.

"Mast down! Mast down!" a sailor warned.

"Spears!"

"They're coming around again!"

Meanwhile, across from them was the Iron Fleet, upgraded with long-range artillery weapons—the scorpions—mounted on their foredecks, one of which is manned by Yara Greyjoy. Her crew repositions the huge siege weapon for another shot, waiting patiently for her moment to strike.

"Now! Let loose!" Yara yells. Foolish mainlanders. The kraken rules the seas!

One by one, the ironborn crew unleashed a volley of scorpion bolts with a grunt. Other ships follow suit, sending off a brutal assault. The volley of giant bolts tore apart some of the Royal Fleet's closer longships. Several of the crews were knocked off their feet by the force of the impact as others were sent overboard.

"Man overboard!"

"Get to your stations!"

"Go!"

"Clear!"

The sea spurts over the railings as the massive scorpion bolts destroy the Lionstar's hull. More bolts scream through the air relentlessly and destroys the railing on the far side of the deck. Paxter frustratingly growls at the ironborn tenacity and signals the fleet to mount a counterattack. For Yara, the design of her longships was designed to be faster and more maneuverable than the Royal Fleet's war galleys—making hers appear to outpace and avoid any counterattack the Royal Fleet had to throw at them, so long as she kept hers at a relatively safe distance.

"Blasted ironborn!" Paxter exclaimed. "All hands, get those trebuchets on deck!"

"Man the trebuchets!"

To avoid further damage to their ships, the royal sailors hurriedly scrambled onto the deck as more longships were felled by another volley of scorpion bolts. Ducking their heads sideways as woodchips scatted across the air, more avoided flaming arrows streaking in before triggering the mechanical levers. Aboard the King Robert's Warhammer, the arms of the trebuchets rose one, two, three and ten stones hurtling high into the blue skies. Each one was engulfed in tar and fire; when they fell, they sent up great gouts of water, smashed through oak planking, and turned living men into bone and pulp and gristle. All across Blackwater Bay, three war galleys of the Iron Fleet were destroyed by the Royal Fleet's counterattack but the ironborn smaller longships were again proving to be more agile, with only the sterns rocking with the waves as they sailed out of the way.