The King of Winters

Chapter-91

When she took in the layout of their camp from above, she flew past them for a proper look on the city. She rounded above the walls of the city like a hawk circling an unsuspecting prey, before it comes swooping down to snatch the life out of the air. She made a slow descent, taking a good look at the walls of the city, the defences and the defenders, the traps and weapons mounted on the walls to counter her dragon. From the back of Drogon she could see the men on the walls, the huge trebuchets within the walls, the catapults and the scorpions and ballistae on top of them, where the main part of the city's garrison was positioned, which gates were well defended and which were less defended.

Drogon growled when he looked at the scorpions and ballistae lined along the walls. He was annoyed with the arrowfire that scattered off his scales that had become common. She would have to burn all of those down first, Dany thought. Such great number of scorpions and ballistae would surely pose a problem for herself and Drogon if left unchecked. And the myriad of trebuchet and catapults should be taken care of as well. By the time she flew back to her camp half a league upriver the Honeywine from the city, Dany felt as if she had won the battle before it could even start.

Back in the camp her men were waiting for her. Her soon-to-be goodfather was the first one to greet her back from her scouting back to the camp. "There is another army close by the city," Dany told them as she climbed down from top of Drogon. "About four thousand men, with cavalry on the flanks. Lances and mounted knights, with swords and axes for the close work. The Cuys on the left wing, the Costaynes to the right. About five hundred men apiece. They fly the High Tower of Hightowers and the sunflowers of Cuy and other banners, all sworn to Oldtown."

She had seen the Hightower of Lord Leyton streaming from the tallest spears. The other lords flew their own standards beneath those of the city they served: on the right silver chalices on black quartered with a black rose on gold, on the left six yellow flowers on blue. "The Hightowers hold the center themselves, along with the Beesburys, Bulwers and Mullendore," Dany noted. She had seen their banners too, three yellow beehives on a black pale over a paly black and yellow field, black-and-orange butterflies strewn over white for Mullendore and the bull's skull of Bulwer, bone over blood.

"Who is leading them?" Lord Appleton asked. "It couldn't be Ser Baelor by any means."

"Might be some other son of Lord Hightower," suggested Lord Raymund Rhysling. "The Hightower family is a big one."

"What say you? Can we defeat this army?" Ser Bayard Norcross asked.

"Easily," Mace Tyrell said. "Four thousand men are no match for us in any way."

"It's not the army you should be worrying about," Lord Titus Peake adviced. "Oldtown will never fall just as easy as these armies."

Not without any bloodshed as well. This time part of it will belong to her own people. She had seen the city, prepared for the siege, or for assault. Either way the Hightowers will resist.

"We might win a battle here, my lords, but at such cost we cannot take the city." Ser Parmen Crane shook his head, already garbed in his bright purple armour, with the crane of his house enameled on the breastplate.

"That is ever a risk," Lord Victor Vyrwel said. "Oldtown is forewarned of our arrival. They will be prepared for us."

Dany considered. The Hightower host seemed small compared to her own numbers with the combined force of the Lords of the Reach and the Crownlands, but even then it would not be easy to dispatch them. She could obliterate the army like Aegon the Conqueror had done in the Field of Fire. Drogon could have a easy time at it than the men, but she could never take the city without the help of her men. "We can take the city with Drogon's help," she said. "Send word  to Oldtown that we will be coming for the city today by evenfall. I will be expecting them to have the city doors open at my arrival. If I find them open, then I shall be merciful and spare the city off any harm. If not then, I shall bring Fire and Blood upon them."