𝔹𝕦𝕥 𝕔𝕦𝕓𝕤 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕠𝕠 ; (ℂ𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕚 𝕩 𝕆ℂ🐺🦁)

𝟛𝟘 - 𝔸𝕟𝕕 𝕤𝕠 𝕚𝕥 𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕤

𝕋𝕙𝕖 attack came at noon, when the sun was high in the sky. The Golden Company stood at the ready outside the gates, facing the ragtag army opposite them that consisted of Unsullied, Dothraki, Northmen and a few other groups I didn't recognize. Out there, somewhere, was my half-brother, and Cersei's brother, commanding the charge that would be coming for us any moment now. To the other side of the castle, if I leaned out over the balcony, I could just barely see the water of Blackwater Bay, filled with hundreds of black dots - the Iron Fleet. Everyone was in position, only one person had yet to appear: Daenerys with her dragon. The last of the citizens were still streaming in through the castle gates, although we would soon have to close them. Not everyone would be able to get in. I didn't care. I only cared about Cersei and me, as long as we survived, the rest of the world could burn in hell for all it was to me. Cersei, clad in a gorgeous crimson velvet gown with ornate metalwork, nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other. The wait was the worst part. Who would make the first step? Nobody moved. Then, a hint of black on the horizon, a fleeting ghost of movement, gone again so quickly I would have missed it had I blinked. A whistle through the air. One moment, everything was quiet, the next, the bay was on fire. Scorpions fired, flames streamed, and I watched the mighty fleet of Euron Greyjoy being decimated into nothing as if they were merely toys. I looked uneasily back at Cersei, who only pressed her lips together in a tight line. "We still have plenty of Scorpions on the city walls", she said. "At least one of them must hit its mark. All we need is a single well-placed shot." I nodded and continued watching the carnage. The dragon approached the city now. The Lannister soldiers on the battlements fired as one, and Daenerys was forced to turn away if she wished to avoid the deadly bolts. The ballistae were reloaded, but the dragon was faster. Diving up from beneath them, it set fire to the first of the Scorpions, then flew a flaming path along the wall, burning everything in its wake. Suddenly, it banked, flying away from the castle toward the edge of the city. Confused, I looked at Cersei for a possible explanation, but she seemed to be as clueless as me. I grasped the railing of the balcony as I watched and tried to figure out what Daenerys' plan was. 

Then, the city gates exploded outward, burying most of the Golden Company in a cloud of rubble and fire. Daenerys' army charged in through the opening, the Dothraki on horseback slaughtering our foot soldiers lining the streets. Daenerys continued burning the Scorpions. She wasn't stupid, she knew they were the only real threat to the heart of her power. But would she be able to take all of them out before one could land a shot? Abandoning the walls, she circled above the center of the city now, in range of the shooters. A door opened behind us, and Qyburn entered. "Your Grace, my lady?" "You will address Queen Vallery as 'Your Grace', too", Cersei corrected, still tracking the dragon's flight with her eyes. "Of course. What I came to say... The Scorpions have all been destroyed, Your Graces", Qyburn said carefully. I looked back at the city and could see that he was right. Thick plumes of smoke were starting to rise from all the walls where the weapons had once stood. "The Iron Fleet is also burning, the gates have been breached", the alchemist continued. "The Golden Company-" "Our men will fight harder than sellswords ever could", Cersei countered. "They will defend their queens to the last man." "Yes, Your Grace." "The Red Keep has never fallen", she insisted. "It won't fall today." Qyburn bowed and left. "Cersei", I began cautiously, "are you sure about that?" Her head whipped around to look at me, surprised at my sudden doubt, but I continued. "We have no more effective weapons against that thing. Most of our men are already dead. We're running out of options. What exactly is your plan?" She remained silent. "If we cannot win, we have to flee", I went on. "Flee?", Cersei asked, incredulous. "What kind of queen runs from a battle for her own throne?" "A smart one", I said. "Promise me: if our chances get any worse, we go." "And where would we go? How would we escape?", she asked, laughing mirthlessly as she gestured at the burning city walls. I swallowed. We were trapped in our own home. Except for one minute detail. "There's a hidden exit onto a beach, in the tunnels, where Jaime met with Tyrion. It's how he got in. We can leave that way, find a boat - maybe one of Euron's, if any are still intact - and sail away." Cersei didn't respond, so I asked again, "Do you promise?" Finally, she nodded. "If it becomes apparent that we'll lose, I'll go with you", she said dutifully. I smiled, taking her hand and looking out at King's Landing again. "Who knows, maybe it won't come to that. Maybe, by some miracle, something will happen to her dragon - an arrow in the eye when it flies low, a leftover Scorpion bolt used as a spear, or some other solution we haven't thought of. The gods know we've suffered enough already. Shouldn't it be our turn to win for once?" "It truly should", Cersei sighed.