Chapter 11: Battle of Fair Isle

289 AC

Illyrio's Manse

Pentos, Essos

Illyrio Mopatis

"My friend, It's good to see you again" I call out to my best friend and good brother Varys as he enters my manse.

"It's good to see you, my friend," Varys says with a smile "It's been far too long," I say as I embrace him. "Yes, it has but for a good cause," He tells me and I nod "Yes, tell me, is my son doing well," I ask him and he nods with a smile "Truly, the boy has taken to his duties as a fish to water" My heart rejoices on hearing that.

My son Aegon Mopatis or as to how he has now taken his mother's name as Aegon Blackfyre was sent a year ago to Myles Toyne, the Captain-General of the Golden Company to serve as his cupbearer and then as his squire. It was a tradition from my wife Saera's family to send the future king to be a squire to the Captain-General in the Golden Company so that they learn how to command an army and get familiar with all the soldiers who will one day lay down their lives for them.

"It is truly delightful to hear that my friend," I tell him as we stop before a statue, a statue of myself back when I was six and ten as a bravo.

"What news do have of Westeros?" I ask Varys.

Varys and I were best friends growing up in the streets of Pentos, it was with his help that I have become such a respected magister of Pentos. In our trade of dealing in secrets. At first, Varys would steal things and then I would return them for a fee. Varys began to steal information from ledgers, letters, and from the wealthy and powerful and then sell them to those who seek to profit from the information known to me through my connections, and just like that I soon became one of the richest men in Pentos. In contrast, Varys became infamous for his spy network.

Varys and my wife Saera were the children of Maelys the Monstrous, they were born sometime before the War of the Ninepenny Kings and after Maelys was killed, their father's erstwhile friend Alequo Adarys sold them both into slavery as they were no longer valuable, Varys to a troupe of mummers and Saera to a pleasure house.

For a while, it seemed to be the end of House Blackfyre, but Varys managed to get away from his troupe, and even though he was gelded he managed to survive I met him, and despite all our schemes he was most concerned with finding his sister and so to help him I decided to go to every single pleasure house in Lys to find her, it was a fun thing to do, I eventually ended up finding her, to my joy she was my favorite and when Varys and Saera found each other I shared in their joy and I spared no expense in freeing her.

Later I married Saera while the three of us plotted to finally put an end to the Targaryens once and for all. And an opportunity was given to us on a silver platter in the form of King Aerys II. Aerys called Varys for his skill as a spymaster and we decided to take the opportunity.

Varys would destabilize the Targaryens and feed the Mad King's growing madness while Saera and I will have a child and raise him to be the perfect King, the kind of King who sees the crown as a burden and a duty to his people not as a deserving prize or birthright like how the Targaryens have treated it as such. Varys was to buy time for us while he ensured that by the time Aegon invades Westeros, the Seven Kingdoms will be divided and as such an easy prize as previous attempts have proved that a united Westeros is too strong. The Gods were cruel however for a few months after giving birth to a beautiful boy, the grey death arrived and took my Saera but I vowed to win the crown for our son if that is the last thing I do.

Unfortunately, those plans were discarded when Rhaegar decided to commit outright kinslaying to stop his father, once again proving how immoral Targaryens could be. While Varys barely escaped with his life as Rhaegar went after him and has now put a sizeable bounty on his head. So our plans have changed to grooming Aegon and waiting for the right time. And after the War of the Pretender, the scars of this war are deep and with Rhaegar showing himself to be a ruthless king who is stamping on the powers of the nobility to increase his power we have no shortage of friends in Westeros who want him dead.

"The Greyjoys have rebelled, my friend just like I said they would, they have begun by burning the Lannister fleet, ensuring that Tywin's wrath falls on them," Varys tells me, I shake my head "And it will just as quickly be put down, and knowing Rhaegar it will be done ruthlessly" Varys nods "True, but at the same time it is a good way of seeing how strong Rhaegar's control over the other Kingdoms is," I tell Varys but he shakes his head.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, for Rhaegar has commanded that all of the Great Houses send only five hundred for the war, I believe that Rhaegar wants to win this war on his own to show his power to the other Lords to discourage them from rebelling and I believe that Rhaegar already had prior knowledge of Balon Greyjoy's plans most of the Royal fleet was already in the Stepstones by the time word arrived in King's Landing and nearly immediately the Royal fleet set out from the Stepstones to the Sunset Sea"

"I see, looks like Balon's folly will be his undoing but what about others in Westeros," I ask him and Varys tells me "Olenna Tyrell is open to siding with us provided we show that we are capable of winning, and as for Tywin he is still willing to put his horse with the Targaryens mostly because he believes that Rhaegar is following in his footsteps of being king as most of Rhaegar's actions look similar to what he would have done"

"The Tyrells are not exactly the best option, Rhaegar has empowered their vassals while slowly decreasing their power," I tell Varys and he nods "Yes, and that is also the main reason why Olenna is willing to side with us provided we make her granddaughter queen"

I shake my head, "What about the Northern bastard?" Varys says "Elia has taken the child as her own, it will be difficult to tear them apart, I will see what I can do but I don't have high hopes"

"Don't worry my friend for we shall prevail" I assure Varys. "For Saera" And he nods, determination filling his eyes "For Saera"

BATTLE OF FAIR ISLE

Victarion Greyjoy

There is an excitement in the air as we approach Fair Isle, the might of the Iron Fleet will soon descend upon this isle and wreak havoc upon it of the like not seen since the days of the Red Kraken.

I followed my brother Balon through thick and thin, and when he decided to rebel from the Iron Throne I followed him and I was instrumental in burning down Tywin Lannister's fleet, even if Euron concocted the plan. I have to respect my brother for this, it takes balls to say Fuck you to the Iron Throne. And Balon also said that Rhaegar's support was weak and that no other Great House would support him other than the Martells and those sand eaters and Goatfuckers are useless on the sea where we Ironborn rule all we have to do is defeat the Royal fleet and the Redwyne fleet which Balon said will arrive after a few weeks. And after defeating them we will rule the Sunset Sea like in the days of the Hoares.

"Captain, we are ready, to begin the attack," Nute the Barber tells me and I grunt "Good, let's kill some Greenlanders"

"WHAT IS DEAD MAY NEVER DIE" I scream out to my men,

"BUT RISES AGAIN HARDER AND STRONGER" They scream back, the Island is starting to emerge from the horizon, we are approaching from the East along with the rising sun, so the guards will have to stare into the sun. Euron also came up with this plan and as much as it pains me to admit this, Euron may be mad but he knows how to plan an attack.

"Captain, ships at portside," the lookout on the crow's nest yells just as I put on my helmet, I turn sharply to see the ships of the Royal fleet sailing towards us.

How?? Balon assured me that the Royal fleet would take time to rally, Both Euron and I planned accordingly, Roderick was supposed to join us after he was done with Seagard before we met the Royal fleet.

"Captain ships at Starboard" Another man yells I turn again to see Redwyne and Velaryons ships approaching.

HOLY SHIT!! We are trapped with Fair Isle in front of us and the mainland behind us and the Royal fleet coming from the South and the Redwyne and Velaryon fleet coming from the North we are done for.

Not on my watch, I am the Lord Captain of Iron Fleet, and I won't lose to a bunch of Greenlanders.

I yell at my First Mate "Tell Dagmer and my brother Euron to take half the Iron fleet and deal with the Royal Fleet, tell my brother Aeron to join me in destroying the Velaryons"

"Yes, Captain"

"HARD TURN TO STARBOARD" The helmsman shouts and the Iron Victory starts to turn. We break off our attack on Fair Isle to prepare for the main attack on the Royal fleet.

'Come on Greenlanders, let's see what you are worth'

Soon enough the fleets align and begin the final attack run

"WHAT IS DEAD MAY NEVER DIE" I scream to rally the men and they shout back "BUT RISES AGAIN HARDER AND STRONGER"

"RAMMING SPEED" I yell at the oarsmen as we get closer.

This is it. I hoped for more time to deal with the Royal fleet with more ships and on the water of my choosing but that's alright, we Ironborn don't fear anyone.

But then suddenly, I see an unholy green light flash in front of me and suddenly the sounds of screaming men fill the sky.

Aurane Waters

"Alright, Aurane this is it, we destroy the Ironborn and with this victory we regain our lost glory and pride," My brother Monford tells me, his eyes gleaming.

Ever since the death of the Mad King, House Velaryon lost all Royal favor, mostly because my father was the Mad King's sycophant, but thankfully the Gods were merciful and the King put together a trading expedition to the East which changed everything.

The impact that the expedition had on House Velaryon was phenomenal, within days of the ships making port in King's Landing, our father began to repair High Tide and reconstruct Spicetown, just like how it was before the Dance. House Velaryon was back to its glory days.

And within four years, House Velaryon was back in Royal favor in the court and already our father is hoping to regain the position of Master of Ships.

Right now we are in a bitter struggle with the Redwynes like how we always have been in the years after the Conquest but this battle was a godsend opportunity.

After all, in a battle, people die and it will be very unfortunate that Lord Redwyne dies for Monford has had quite several men infiltrate the Redwyne fleet and one of them managed to get himself on board Paxter Redwyne's flagship 'the Arbor Queen' and he was given the job of making Redwyne die during the confusion of the battle or to poison his drink after the battle.

"Brother are you ready," Monford asks me and I nod with a grin, I can't wait to try out the new flamethrowers

"Good, Now prepare the flame throwers, let's give these Ironborn scum a real taste of fire" Monford rallies the sailors and the marines.

We were given word of the Greyjoy rebellion a month ago by the King, So both the Velaryon and Redwyne Fleets were ready and we linked up with the Royal Fleet under Ser Richard Lonmouth to put destroy the Iron Fleet once and for all.

As for the flamethrowers, Our father spent nearly two years begging, cajoling, and bribing the King for him to agree to outfit the Velaryon Fleet with flamethrowers, and finally, after a lot of gold, the King agreed but with a few hefty conditions, for starters, the flamethrowers will be maintained by the Crown, and all of the Wildfire tanks will undergo regular maintenance checks from the Crown and any refilling of the tanks has to be approved by the Crown and all paid for by House Velaryon. And after every use of the Wildfire, a detailed report has to be given on how and why it was used along with appropriate justification.

Our father did not like such restrictions but he acquiesced, even Lords Tywin and Paxter Redwyne wanted some of the flamethrowers since they did not know how effective it was and also because their pride wouldn't allow them to beg the King so they left it be. But my brother and I have seen the test trials of the flamethrowers, they were utterly amazing and now the Ironborn would learn that the hard way.

The Ironborn are fierce sailors indeed but they do not make a good fleet as each Captain is obsessed with his glory instead of the Greater Good and as such we will make them pay for that, in this strait their numbers are an impediment to them and they are nothing more than sitting ducks.

"RAMMING SPEED" Monford yells and speed picks up.

"READY THE FLAMETHROWERS" I yell at the handlers.

"ANY MOMENT NOW"

"STEADY"

"ALMOST THERE"

"NOW, FIRE" Monford and I yell at the same time

And suddenly the prows of our ships breathe out ribbons of green fire and the decks of the Ironborn longships are ablaze.

The Ironborn longships have no defense, the Ironborn starts screaming in pain and many try jumping into the water but wildfire won't stop burning even with water, you need sand for that, and many Ironborn who wear armor begin to sink. The Ironborn screams fill the sky while Monford looks on in glee, "Looks like the flamethrowers were worth every single copper"

I nod, staring dumbly as people writhe in pain and scream through the flames, some kill themselves just to get rid of the pain, the lucky ones died instantly the not-so-lucky ones get burnt but don't die and live in that agony of pain

An unholy green glow blankets the battlefield, nearly all the Ironborn ships are either burning or sinking.

Even many on our side are stunned at the power and effectiveness of the flamethrowers. But it's those of the Royal Navy who not only use flamethrowers but also Wildfire grenades to great effect, the Ironborn have no idea what has hit them.

Is this what it was like in the Mad King's court I wonder looking on as the green flames light up the sea.

I can make out the green flames from the other side of the battle, the Royal fleet is destroying their side, Balon Greyjoy you are fucked in the arse. And the Ironborn are now slowly being cooked.

For every single ship that a Velaryon or a Redwyne is sinking, the Royal fleet is destroying nearly ten.

Just then Ironborn raiders swing onto our ship and board us, their leader is a large and powerful man who is wearing plate armor and wields a fierce-looking ax, his helmet is decorated with an Iron Kraken, and he is wearing gauntlets and has a golden cloak, no doubt he must be Victarion Greyjoy. His face is ash-stained and he is a bit burnt and looks worse for wear just like the others with him.

"YOU BLOODY GREENLANDERS, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO FIGHT LIKE TRUE MEN" He hollers like a Madman.

He savagely cuts down a few men who had the misfortune of being in front of him at the wrong time "YOU NEED FIRE TO HELP YOU LIZARDS CAUSE YOU CAN'T BEAT US LIKE MEN, HAVE YOU NO HONOR" He screams

"IRONBORN SCUM LIKE YOU DESERVE NO HONOR" Monford screams back "KILL THE SQUIDS, ON ME" My brother screams as he leads us into an attack.

"KILL THEM ALL" The Greyjoy screams leading his men into the melee

And for what seems like hours on end, we fight to the death, we don't stop we just keep fighting for our lives, it's a fight to the end with no holds barred and no prisoners taken. I have fought against pirates before but this is completely different.

I dodge, slash, parry, and kill with my cutlass but the Ironborn fights back with untold savagery, I find gaps in their armor between their necks, their arms, or sometimes directly into their faces. I lose count of the number I have killed and I witness my brother fighting the Greyjoy. Before I can go to help him, I face another Ironborn who stops me.

This Ironborn is a thickset man who is skilled at throwing axes, I barely dodge the first two before the third ax grazes me and the fourth ax strikes me in the forearm causing me to drop my cutlass. And then he jumps and kicks me straight in the chest causing me to fall on the deck

"What happened little seahorse, is the dragon not here to save you" He laughs uproariously as he stands over me, I grit my teeth in pain as my fingers curl around the handle of my knife behind my back while my other hand throbs in pain, "They call me Nute the Barber because I can throw an ax so fine that I can shave you with it, should I shave you as well, because I would love to see to have your amazing silver gold, you know what I will take that as the Iron price from you" He gloats over me, while I look around myself for any advantage because there is no way in hell that I will lose to a man like him.

If I can just get in a good kick or a swing at his legs I will be able to make him fall,

"Something you forgot squid" I whisper "Oh, yeah, well what did I forget sea horse" he whispers back not believing I am a threat "A fight isn't over until it's over" Before that cunt can get meaning of my words, I swing my leg with all the power that I have left straight at his knees and he not expecting that loses his balance and falls over and with the last of my strength I swing myself on top of him and I draw out my knife and just as he kicks me in the groin I drive my knife deep into his eye and twist it, he screams in pain at first and tries to get away from me but I draw my knife out and push it into his other eye and again I twist it.

The cunt is done for

His screams turned into whimpers, he doesn't die immediately but slowly in agonizing pain before I cut his throat.

I look around to see all the Ironborn are dead except for the Greyjoy, he is still fighting my brother but I am unable to help him as my vision is blurring. Greyjoy is fighting with power while Monford is using his speed. But I can see that Monford is tiring.

I see the Greyjoy punch, my brother, in the face with his gauntleted hands causing him to lose his balance and drop his sword and then he buries his ax in Monford's face

"NOO" I scream with a hoarse voice before my voice cuts, I can't believe this, my brother, this isn't true, this isn't true WHAT WILL I TELL FATHER

Then when the Greyjoy tries to remove his ax from my brother's face, one of the remaining marines on the ship drives his spear through the Greyjoy's head.

I think 'Why didn't you try that sooner?'

After that, the darkness pulls me under.