Inviolable Bindings | Aemond & Aegon II Targaryen

Chapter 30

Camp had been disassembled quickly the next morning as the army was to make the final half day journey towards Duskendale. The rest of the night had been free from ambush or unannounced visitors, a worry that had been Viserra's alone. They had quickly readied themselves in the morning before attending a brief meeting to discuss their plan of action for the ambush.

Aegon and Viserra took to the skies on dragonback, their loyal beasts soaring through the clouds while they looked for any danger from above. The eager men trudged forth at an impressive pace, making good time and arriving at Duskendale as the sun shone highest in the sky.

The army closed in on the town, breaching its walls with ease. As soon as the battle began, the two dragons swept down to the unsuspecting harbor and unleashed their flame upon the anchored ships. The element of surprise had successfully worked in their favor and it did not take much to overpower their foe. The sea had been turned into a raging fire as the wooden vessels continued to burn. It was not until they had all capsized there in the port that the dragons headed back to the land.

Duskendale, initially taken aback by the sudden attack, was not able to mount an effective defense. The chaotic scene unfolded quickly and within the hour it was clear that Aegon's army was now the one holding the town.

The dragonriders landed their mounts within the walls and Viserra took note of the cityfolk that were left scrambling. She watched as several of their men took the lives of anyone that came across their paths, not sparing even the innocent. Her stomach turned at the sight and it did not sit well that there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to their slaughter.

A piercing scream rang above the rest of the chaos and Viserra's attention was pulled sharply to her right. Two of their men had cornered more smallfolk and she watched as one snatched a small child from the arms of its mother. He placed a blade to the child's throat while laughing and taunting the hysterical woman. Viserra suddenly felt a different kind of fire rage through her veins and Rhyn closed the distance between them as if he felt her intention.

"Release the child!" She commanded, her voice cutting through the air.

The soldier turned and gave her a defiant look. "This one's mine, dragon bitch. Not all of us get to hide in the sky while the real glory happens on the ground."

Viserra's eyes narrowed with anger and she unstrapped her legs from her saddle. Without another word, she dismounted the dragon with haste and walked towards them. Both men were ugly and scarred up close, and the one's accent gave away that he was not from these lands. Their lack of respect towards her and pleasure they took in needless slaughter made her think they must have been sellswords.

"Release him now and I might consider sparing your life," she spoke, her hand tightening its grip on the hilt of her sword.

Both of the men burst into laughter, the gesture filled with mockery. "Spare my life? You may have a dragon but you're just a girl playing soldier out here."

A bold thing to say to a girl with a dragon, she thought. Incredibly irritated, she took a few more steps towards them. "I am Viserra Targaryen, the daughter of the man who has paid for your swords. I am a cousin to the King. And a girl who does indeed know how to use the blade on her hip. Release the child and leave the woman alone."

The one man, undeterred, pressed the blade closer to the crying child's throat. "This is war, and in war, you do what you must to get by. Though, I don't take orders from women."

"You will take orders from her." A voice interjected from behind Viserra's back. She turned to see that Aegon had dismounted his own dragon and had come to see what the commotion was about.