Inviolable Bindings | Aemond & Aegon II Targaryen

Chapter 31

The night passed quickly, and both Aegon and Viserra alternated their patrols in the sky. Not long after they had both changed out twice, the sun began to rise on the horizon. The army was roused in good spirits, satisfied from the food and indulgences the evening before.

Viserra landed within Duskendale's walls for the last time, coming upon Aegon, his Hand, and other commanders discussing the plans that would soon come to fruition once they descended upon the next city.

"Most importantly, you both will stay at the rear while we lay siege to Rook's Rest," Cole began. "It is imperative that your dragons stay back and very much out of sight until they are needed."

Viserra and Aegon exchanged brief glances before nodding in agreement. No doubt Lord Staunton would have received word by now about their army advancing north. If the city didn't fall as effortlessly as Duskindale, a crucial aspect of their plan relied on the lord assuming they were launching an attack without the aid of dragons.

Begrudgingly mounting her horse after the others, she took note of the destruction they were leaving behind. Aegon's mood remained playful as he talked and bantered with a few of the commanders but Viserra kept quiet and tried to enjoy the coastal scenery.

The journey to Rook's Rest took three whole days. Cole had marched the men before the sun would rise and only let them set up camp after dusk. The amount of time they spent on these tiny beasts was not to her liking and she was more than eager to patrol the skies when it was her turn.

On the day of their arrival, both Aegon and Viserra did one more search on dragonback before leaving them free to roam the cliffside. They would ride on horseback until the afternoon when finally coming upon Rook's Rest.

Just as they had thought, their arrival had been expected and the city was surrounded by a small army. While not as undefended as Duskendale, they would greatly outnumber Lord Staunton's men almost ten to one.

Without hesitation, Aegon's army descended upon them and it quickly erupted into bloody chaos. The dragonriders held back as instructed, watching their men pave their way to the cityfront with ease.

By nightfall, the last defending man had been slaughtered and Cole took a large selection of their soldiers to test the permeability of their walls. As expected, they would not be able to make it through with just their men and he returned to them to further plan out their next move.

Camp was set up quickly and the army was divided into two groups: one to rest and one to keep watch. Since nightfall was already upon them, they had agreed for Viserra to leave at first sunlight. She would ride back south to reunite with her dragon and from there, the journey back to King's Landing would be less than a half day's flight.

The tension that hung through the air in camp did not go unnoticed. Most of the men remained attentive and eager to keep their posts as this was the first time they had been actively in siege during the night hours.

Viserra was distracted with other thoughts, however, worried to leave Aegon in the company of his brother. The two had not proven they could withstand each other for long bouts of time and it would certainly be detrimental for her to be brought up between them. Whatever happened was out of her control, and that is something she just had to accept.

Even without Aegon's usual persuasions, Viserra opted to spend the final hours with him before her departure. Disregarding the new lady's maid's attempts to assist her in undressing for the night, she chose to don a simple gown and joined the king in his tents.

Aegon's eyes did not light up the same way as they usually did when she came through the tent door. She walked to him straight away and climbed onto his lounging figure in the chair. The dark circles under his eyes were noticeably more apparent than usual and she felt a twinge of sadness knowing she would be leaving the next morning.