Promise me you will read regardless of the last line, because it is the second to last chapter before they divert into the endings. Also 200k reads, thank you 🥺
Rhaenar knew she had a lot riding on this, that lives were at stake as her hands tightened on the chain, her body pressed closer to Leirion's. They needed this to go well, to actually succeed in getting the Iron Throne. Rhae glanced over, looking to Aegon as he nodded, his own armour shining brightly against the sun as Rhaegal stood just behind him. It would be the three of them, controlling what they could from the sky, and aiding the men below them as best as they could.
The force of the wings rippled at the water, forcing the waves apart as the three dragons soared over the water edge, drawing closer and closer to King's Landing. The Crownlands were clinging to the edge, creeping closer still as they used the rocky landscape to their advantage. Aegon veered right, taking Rhaenys with him as they continued on to approach King's Landing, leaving Rhaegal and Rhaenar to handle the fleet first before moving on to the defences. Leirion took them towards the Crownland ships, hidden by two raised hills in the centre of the bay that cut Blackwater from the sea.
Rhaenar sat up, her eyes searching the sails for the seahorse. Passing crabs, swirls, and stars; they soared between the number of boats before coming to the fluttering sails of the teal, the Seahorse proudly standing in the centre.
The hatted man waited, one leg crossed in front of the other as he lent over the side, arms resting on the bannister. Rhae smiled at Aurane. "Are you ready to move in?" She asked, shouting across as Leirion hovered just shy of the boat.
The pale haired bastard nodded. "Just need your signal." He said, cheerful as he rose up.
"This is the signal." She teased, Leirion readying to move once more. "Stay safe out there."
Her eyes locked onto Arya and Sandor, their bodies rigid as they watched across the water, muttering between themselves. Their eyes were crossed with the same red that bore the men from the Crownlands, and those that hopefully sat on the other side bore the mark to identify them against the other half of the Lannister army and the Stormcrows.
The pair would be one of the few that would accompany Rhaenar into the Keep, who would follow her through until they reached the Throne Room. They nodded to one another before Leirion forced himself up, taking them almost vertically as the Greyjoy fleet grew in size.
She knew her army was standing outside the gates on two sides, stretching Cersei's loyal followers thin as they had to defend not only the Keep, but the city, and the walls. They wouldn't be prepared for the men that would rise up from the bottom.
Leirion was climbing still, reaching closer and closer to the white cloud above them as he broke through, the cold vapour clinging to her skin as her hands numbed. Hopefully the clouds would give them the advantage, dodge any weapons that may be incoming their way. Rhaenar knew they'd be focused on the dragons, and she prayed the armour would be enough to deflect many of them.
They had kept the dragonglass on, hoping the faucets would catch in the light and reflect back in the eyes of the men, giving them more time. As the clouds grew to be below them, Leirion flew forward, Rhaegal at his tail as the two took the skies.
By now, the Greyjoys would be able to see the Crownlands fleet, the one Cersei failed to recognise as a power as a fleet of 700. Admittedly almost half the size of Euron's, but Rhaegal, Leirion, and the ships could handle it. Even from up here, she could hear the sounds of men rushing to man the walls, of scared civilians being told to take to the homes and lock up. They were preparing for an attack, which meant more people would be flooding into the Red Keep.
Knowing she would be over the fleet, her back straightened, her hands pressing to Leirion's neck as she glanced over at Rhaegal who was free of a rider. This would test them, test their ability to not only see what was coming towards them but having to dodge it. Rhaenar nodded, Leirion shifting as he began to nosedive down, Rhaegal following a beat behind.
The wind whipping past them deafened her ears, her hair flying like a cloak of pale white as it joined alongside the deep red cloak she had thrown over one shoulder. With the rage of Visenya inside her, her eyes locked onto the ships, their men crying out as their eyes raised to the blinding sun.
With a burst of speed, the pair rushed forward, a bolt charging through the air as her eyes widened. Leirion tilted, turning them to the left as the huge bolt sailed past, falling into open air behind them. More ships were reading them, men in front getting ready to release. "Dracarys." Rhaenar instructed, throwing her chin up as anger took hold of her features.
Even though they weren't in touching distance of the ships yet, the two dragons followed the commands before lowering themselves further, soaring over the masts of the ships. The red hot jets of fire hit the ships, burning the wood as men scrambled to jump from them and into the choppy water below. Water bubbled high into the air, knocking the ships around them as their crossbows failed to lock onto their targets.
Rhaegal flew right as Leirion used the left to turn, both turning to burn the ships in their path as her eyes focused for Euron's. He wouldn't get out of this, not if she could help it. Euron was in the centre, his ship holding a large red eye as he fired again.
A bolt soared between the air, heading for Rhaenar and Leirion. She knew her dragon had noticed it, his white eyes focusing on the thin metal as his body dived down, Rhaenar pushing against him as it shot the air where they had just been. She could see the chipmunk that was Euron, a smirk on his face as his men readied up the device again.
That was the ship she needed to hit, he was the main one perpetrating them. Huge arrows were coming from all angles as they just slipped past them, using their wings to climb higher and move faster than anticipated as the wings furrowed back in.
Rhae gasped as Leirion was forced to take a fast right, her body slamming into the edge of the seat as she struggled to keep on. With arrows the size of herself, she knew she needed to keep tight to him otherwise she'd be pulled off and lost to the sea below them. With another burst of fire as they kept close to the water, Rhaenar looked for the Crownland ships, finding them edging ever closer. "The kraken." She instructed Lei, pointing towards the largest ship.
Leirion turned in an instant, forcing himself between a narrow passageway of two ships before rising to the centre. Rhaenar could see Euron, and he could see her as they glared at one another. The men were slow to load the crossbow, Rhae smirking as Leirion hovered between them. "Dracarys."
A large jet of fire burst from him, her eyes watching as it rippled against the Hull of the ship, blooming into a fiery ball. The wood caught alight, travelling like wildfire as it engulfed the ship, travelling up the sails as the fabric caught alight. Euron jumped into the water, rendered useless as he was left to tread the water beneath her. Leirion moved away, Rhaegal flying in to burn those that surrounded them.
She could see the Crownland ships were in touching distance now, leading the way was the teal and white Seahorse, fluttering proudly in front of a smaller armada. Rhaenar grinned, bolts turning from the two dragons to the ships as they sailed in.
Rhaenar and the Dragons could move on, head to King's Landing rather than continue burning the fleet that was becoming swamped by other ships. Leirion raised them, falling back as Rhaegal followed suit of his brother, their spines rippling as they grew surrounded by smoke. The smell was a comfort to her, the salt of the water mixing with the ashy scent of the burning wood.
Below her she could make out the bodies, some with burns, others clearly alive. They mingled alongside each other, desperate to get from the burning ships that threatened to fall into the water. The feeling settled deep inside of her, Rhaenar's shoulders falling slightly as their screams echoed into the air. It had to be done, despite feeling guilty. She had to kill her enemies in order to win the war; Jorah had warned her before, and now it was coming true.
Blood was on her hands, like it always had been. Turning from the scene below, Rhaenar looked over to King's Landing, her destination. Already Aegon and Rhaenys were weaving expertly between the arrows being fired their way, but by doing so, they were struggling to burn the crossbows that seemed to be stationed all the way along the city gates.
Leirion knew where to go before Rhaenar did, sneaking silently as well as a large dragon could as he stuck to their blindspots, using the expansive cliffs the city sat on to hide Rhaegal and Leirion. From below, she could hear the chatting voices, men scrambling to move the huge arrows into the bows. There were archers too, set to defend the men.
Rhae bit down on her lip, unsure on what to do. They had the advantage at least. The indigo found the cream of Rhaegal. "Take the other side." She urged, the dragon slinking along the wall like a lizard as he clung to it, not risking the disturbance of the water. Leirion did the same, folding his wings into his body before hooking his claws into the soft rock and crawling.
It felt odd to sit on the back of him as he crawled on the rock, Rhae clinging to the plates rather than the chain as gravity threatened to throw her to the choppy waters below. His claw sunk in, the rock giving away as a short startled whine left Leirion, his claws struggling to cling on. "Ah." A groaned slipped Rhaenar, worry filling her the more he failed to cling to it, her head turning between her child and the sea.
There were a few feet left, easy to climb if he could get the right footing but Leirion was struggling. His wing rose again, digging into the stone as he pulled himself up. With one more try, they'd be up and over. Rhaenar patted his neck, he could do this. Leirion took the encouragement, giving a last little push with his wings as they crawled up. The men cried out. "Turn. Turn. Turn!"
Leirion slinked over, his head raising as a screech rumbled from his lips. All they could see were the shining white, dagger sharp teeth; the lips curled back, and two large, white eyes. He was the face of death as he continued to clamber over the edge, glaring down at them all.
The red cloaked men fumbled, some falling back as they grew desperate to scramble from Leirion; others as still as a post as their eyes drifted from the Dragon to Rhaenar and back again. Soot had clung to her cheeks, dirtying her face, only making her appear fiercer with the streak of red that crossed over the indigo. Leirion's tail came out, smacking into the ballista. It shattered into a million pieces, sending the men hurrying as he jumped into the air, his wings soon unfurling and letting the wind catch within the thin membrane, taking him further ahead.
They soared across, his fire catching onto the dry wood as it burnt between each other the defences, moving faster to the next bolt that threatened to fly their way. They weren't as fast in the movement, unable to use what was beneath them to turn them around. It was to their advantage.
One by one, the bolts were released, Rhaenar hurrying to dodge each one as they flew back out towards the sea, and turning back on the once she knew they had to reload. The short time frame gave Leirion enough time to destroy more of them, leaving the wing closest to the Keep free. It burned behind her, the smoke rising like a warning to the others as she gazed across.
The gate still remained closed, the men still winding between the streets of King's Landing as she looked down at them all. They were prepared, almost every street leading to the direction of the Keep was filled with line upon line of men - all willing to defend Cersei. But, between them and the Keep was a wide stretch of land undefended. Rhaenar frowned, why would it be undefended? It was a clear route to the Keep.
The indigo drifted, over to Rhaegal who was clearing the other side of the keep of the bolts and men, and then to Aegon who was using Rhaenys to fire along certain points of the front. The defences were almost down, and it would almost be time for the men to enter the city.
She needed to speak with the army, to decide what the best move was. "To the others." She told Leirion, directing him to the gates as he took to the air, damaging any of the ballistas that stood in his path. If they were Cersei's main defences, she was done, now having to rely solely on the men.
Rhaenar watched as the Dothraki had taken the back of the army, spread across the two entrances as the Stormlands stood to one entrance, and the Westerlands to the other. The Reach had been split between the pair, as had the Unsullied. The Firebornes and the Golden Company, however, waited patiently with the Westerlands. From the sky, Rhaenar could spot Tywin; his back straight in his red and black armour utop his white horse as his head turned towards her.
With a slow grace, Leirion sunk down, digging into the dry earth before letting Rhaenar slip from his back. Her boots met the dust, her hand running over his scales as she began to walk. He had done a good job, been a complete asset as he gave them an edge of security. "Your Grace." He greeted as he spotted her, seeing Rhaenar stand just shy of his large horse as her hand came out to pet the soft fur of its muzzle.
"How is it looking?" Rhaenar questioned, bringing her gaze up to him but not letting her hands leave the sweet beast whose head rose and fell beneath Tywin.
"We need the gates open, and we can charge in. Once the defences along the walls are down, the men will be easier to handle." He stated cooly, nodding his head. That was good to hear, she decided.
Her mind drifted to the clear valley. "There's a road in the centre of the city, it's cleared from men and will lead straight to the Keep. Is that a safe road to take?" If possible, she would try to spare her men from falling into a trap.
Tywin seemed to think about it. "It's hard to say, were there men around?" She nodded. "Then no, the road may lead straight to the Keep but they'll use the lanes between the houses as a way of ambush. We'll be too busy defending the road to move any forward on it." Tywin advised solidly, seeing no hesitation in the pale green.
Her lips pursed. "Make sure your army knows, and that we use the roads around them. If we can surprise them, it'll be all the better." Their ambushers become the ambushees; like prey who had in turn turned on the predator. "Were the army not anticipated to be outside the gates?" Rhaenar looked to the horse, stroking the pale beast beneath her palms as it preened.
He nodded. "It appears she's kept them in. We'll be facing a hard battle, expect to find men dead by the end of it before the bell's toll." Tywin instructed. "If she thinks she had the upper hand, she'll urge them to keep fighting."
"And if the men refuse?" Her eyes glanced up, away from the horse. The pale green were lined with red, a proud dragon encrusted into one of the Pauldrons of his armour.
"The war will have shifted to the Red Keep. The Stormcrows will fight until Cersei urges them not to, even if the Lannister army has stopped." So they would expect men to die, regardless. "They do what the one who pays them has commanded them to do, it may mean they'll try to aim for you."
She nodded. "That's to be expected. I'll blow down the gate for you, and then you can begin to run in."
He shook his head. "You still need to inform the Stormlands, tell Aegon to do it once he sees you mount the dragon. It'll give a window where they direct their forces to us, and the Stormlands can move in on them from behind." Rhaenar understood as she nodded, her hands leaving the horse as she stepped away.
"Make sure you tell Harry and the others, they'll need to know." Tywin nodded, following her command as his horse moved forward. Rhaenar shot a quick smile to Harry as he began to move back, but she climbed back on top of Leirion before he could reach her. With a new determination, she took to the sky.
The first person she needed to see was Aegon, letting him know of the plan as she came within touching distance of him. "Aegon!" Rhaenar cried out.
Her brother's head turned, finding her. "What's wrong?"
"You need to blow up the gate, but wait until-" Rhaegal's cries shot out from behind them as they turned, finding the beast with a large bolt protruding from his shoulders. Her throat caught, her heart racing at the sight. Thick red blood was oozing from the tip, his body crashing into the dusty floor as a lone man came running.
She recognised the locks of dark raven hair, the armour that sat upon his body. "Go! Go!" Aegon cried out. "I can handle it!" Rhaenar encouraged Leirion to follow his brother as he screeched out, Rhaegal's head raising as he turned towards his brother. She could see Jon up close now, his face holding concern as his hands locked around the bolt.
Rhaenar slipped down, landing with her knees bent before Leirion had even hit it; running over to her dragon with a fierce expression on her face. Rhaenys roared, her tail smashing at the last piece of ballista. "What are you doing here?" She cried out to her twin, anger filling her; especially as he continued to touch her dragon.
"I promised to fight for you didn't I?" He cried out, his hands still tugging at the bolt lodged in Rhaegal. From the wound alone, and those that had only just healed from the Long Night that he wouldn't be able to fly as well, he'd have to remain on the fringes. "This is me keeping that promise."
She shook her head. "Nuh uh! That was void the moment I told you I didn't want to see you anymore." He had directly gone against her, her eyes rose, taking in the downtrodden army of the North as they stood alongside the Stormlands, their cuts as equally bad upon their bodies as those that surrounded them. They were going to be pushing their army too far too fast.
"It doesn't matter what you want, I'm here to help you. To help save the relations between the North and the South!" He hissed, giving a large tug. Rhaegal groaned out, hissing as his body rattled. The bolt wasn't out, but it wasn't as deep as it was before.
"You have your independence!" She screeched, her hands finding the dragon as she tried to sooth him. "What more could you possibly want?!"
The grey turned to her, his body still tugging. "I want you! I don't want Northern Independence, I don't want to be King. I want you." Rhaenar stumbled, her hands freezing slightly as she looked at him. Rhaegal's head moved, trying to get her to rub again, as Jon tugged a second time.
She broke, looking back at her dragon as she touched once more to his cheek, his eyes closing as he nestled into her hand for comfort; Leirion watching on in worry as he came closer, his head lowering to his brother's. "What about Sansa? What about the North?"
"Fuck what Sansa thinks, and look, do you think they would have marched all this way if they didn't believe in you? Aegon gave them the kick they needed, you did too. We want someone to care for us, and that appears to be you." Rhaenar refused to let the words affect her. "The Vale and the Riverlands are defending the Borders just in case we do need to fall back, but it seems highly unlikely."
Jon grasped the bolt in tighter fist, before pulling the last of the tip from the soft flesh. The dragon growled, whirling round as he threatened to snap at Jon. He stepped back. "It is too late Jon. The North made their decision, and I made mine."
"Rhaenar, please. Let us make it up to you." He begged, but she shook her head.
"How could you possibly make it up to me Jon? You and your Northern lot took everything from me." Jorah, Shaqafi, Qotho, Sebastion, Malthar... All of them were gone. As were Meria, Obara, and Tyene. Oberyn had left her because of Sansa and the secret, and she had felt loneliness like never before if it hadn't been for Aegon.
He nodded. "I know, and nothing I can say will ever take that away." He admitted, a thickness growing in her throat as Rhaenar stepped back. "Just let me fight for you, and by the end of this you can decide what you want to do, okay?"
"Okay." Rhaenar agreed, not entirely sure in her answer as she took another step back, crashing into Leirion. The dragon huffed, watching as his mother fumbled to climb onto his back, her movements hurried as she sat back up, her eyes not leaving Jon. With a final look, the two twins weighed up each other, Leirion taking to the sky as he left them below.
Rhaenar swallowed deeply, closing her eyes as she hesitated. The gate, she needed to do the gate. Lerion was one with his mind as they passed over it, turning in the air before releasing his fire onto the wall. The wood caught alight, engulfing the flames as the oxygen only added as fuel to the fire; the Stormlands beginning to run in as Aegon followed suit.
The shimmering armours caught her attention as Rhaenar sat on the wall, watching over it all. There was nothing more she could do, not until the heat from the men below stopped and she could focus on the Red Keep.
Everything weighed heavily inside of her, of Jon who had stripped her bare, of Cersei who had taken her trusted friend. The men below who had joined her only once she had proven herself. They would have never fought for her if she hadn't urged them to see, and what if it wasn't Cersei on the throne? Would they have rallied for her at all?
She was the rightful heir. The rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms; but still, she felt like an imposter as Leirion moved below her. Fire surrounded her, the plies of smoke fogging her head.
Around her she could see the armours, she watched as they hesitated. One by one they threw down their swords, letting them clash to the dry ground at the feet as her own armies glanced on in confusion. Where was their fight? Their drive?
Another screech caught her attention, her head turning to Rhaenys as she began to fall but the body already falling from it. Aegon was falling from the sky, hurtling to the ground at a great speed as her face changed. Rhaenys was the only one in the sky close enough, her body desperate to catch up with him as a whine slipped from her lips.
Aegon's arms were sprawling out in front of him, as though he could grasp onto Rhaenys who seemed so close yet so far from him all at the same time. Her heartbeat took to her ears, her panic driving Rhaenar as she rose slightly from Leirion's back.
His body dipped behind a building, Rhaenys diving at the last moment. They disappeared from view, unsure if she had been unable to reach him as a look of horror took to Rhaenar's face. The roar that echoed next curdled at her blood, turning it to ice as she could feel the pain of Rhaenys from the other side of the city. Aegon was either dead, or he was hurt. Rhaenar's eyes turned to whatever had fired it, finding that it had come from the keep - the only place with two ballistas left.
And then the bells tolled.