Chapter 372: Fireflies Over the Sky

Boom--

A tornado of dragonfire descended from the sky, hitting the mercenary ship like a tempest.

"Get out of the ship!"

"Run away!"

The orange and yellow flames, mixed with azure hues, erupted magnificently. The wide deck was instantly ablaze, engulfing the catapult and hundreds of mercenaries in a sea of fire.

"Dreamfyre, Dracarys!" Helaena commanded, her small face tight with determination as she rode on the dragon's back.

"Roar..."

Dreamfyre deftly lifted its wings and spun, unleashing another torrent of dragonfire upon the mercenary ship before soaring back into the air. Below, the mercenary ship was a blazing inferno, its three sails reduced to cinders. The mercenaries, engulfed in flames, screamed and leapt into the sea, desperately trying to flee towards the harbor.

Gerold, guarding the harbor, was overjoyed. "The dragon is here! Guard the harbor tightly!" he shouted.

Inside the watchtower, Jeyne looked up at the light blue dragon soaring in the night sky and sighed in relief. In a sea battle, the presence of a dragon could tip the scales decisively.

"Dracarys!" Helaena shouted, her face pale as she looked down at the burning ship below. It was her first time in battle, and the thrill of riding a dragon and burning ships was both exhilarating and terrifying.

"Roar..."

Dreamfyre's age granted it wisdom. The dragon soared over the sea with pleasure, swooping and spraying dragonfire intermittently. Repeatedly, the dragonfire claimed the lives of many mercenaries who had jumped into the water.

Wooooooooo--

Near the Bay of Crabs, the exchanges between the two sides grew more intense. The mercenary ships pressed forward, dispersing the guard fleet and closing in on the harbor over the wreckage of sunken ships.

Seeing the dragon wreaking havoc, the blood-soaked Pymon shouted in anger, "Scorpion crossbows ready! Shoot that dragon down!"

Two dozen intact warships set up their scorpion crossbows, aiming at Dreamfyre. "Fire!" Pymon commanded.

With a series of clicks, steel spears shot out, blocking Dreamfyre's retreat. A spear grazed the dragon's wings, causing Dreamfyre to shriek in surprise and quickly ascend, dodging the deadly bolts.

"Dreamfyre, be careful," Helaena whispered, lying close to the dragon's back, eyes closed in trepidation. She had little experience in dragon-riding for battle and was instinctively fearful.

Dreamfyre dove into the thick clouds, seeking temporary shelter for its rider. Moments later, the dragon swooped down low, spewing dragonfire sideways. The flames blasted the sides of several ships in a series.

"Scorpion crossbows ready!" Pymon raised his one-handed sword high, aiming at the dragon in mid-air.

...

In Front of the Gull Tower

"Roar..."

A pained roar echoed as the golden dragon, Sunfyre, struggled to move, resembling a massive, shimmering golden loach.

Plop!

A three-foot-long steel crossbow bolt stained with blood clattered to the ground as it was pulled out.

Exhausted, Aegon lay on Sunfyre's pale pink wing membrane, his voice gentle yet weary, "There, Sunfyre, the bolt is out."

The barbed tip had been lodged deep in the dragon's keel, requiring forceful removal.

"Roar..."

From afar, a mellifluous dragon roar sliced through the night, and the silhouette of a light blue dragon, Dreamfyre, cut across the sky. Aegon looked up, startled. "Helaena?"

He strained to hear the distant sounds of battle echoing from the harbor, chaotic and unrelenting.

Gulp~~

Aegon tugged at his hair, muttering worriedly, "We should be able to hold them off."

His primary duty was to patrol the Narrow Sea and monitor Braavos' fleet. Now, he bore the responsibility for the enemy's surprise attack on Gulltown.

"Roar..."

Sunfyre groaned lowly, its wings splayed against the ground as it struggled to move, bright red dragon blood staining its wing. Dragons, especially young ones like Sunfyre, had a vulnerability: their eyes and the thin scales on their wings which couldn't block close-range military crossbows.

Sunfyre's low flight altitude had made it an easy target for the mercenaries.

"Roar..."

The distant roar of Dreamfyre was filled with rage. Aegon's heart raced as he recalled the massive fleet he'd seen near the Three Sisters Islands. Knowing Gulltown's defenses were insufficient compared to the enemy's forces, he felt a surge of fear and urgency.

Climbing onto Sunfyre's back, Aegon ordered through gritted teeth, "Sunfyre, fly!"

In this moment of crisis, retreat was not an option.

He thought anxiously of his foolish sister, inexperienced in dragon combat, "Just don't get caught by those scorpion crossbows."

"Roar..."

Sunfyre roared in frustration, its body going limp, heavy breaths escaping him. The pain in its wing was overwhelming, and instinctively, he resisted Aegon's commands.

Hearing the continued roar and chaos from the harbor, Aegon slapped Sunfyre's back and urged him, "Come on, Sunfyre, we need to get up!"

Across town, the bay was ablaze, the night sky lit with fire and smoke. The intensity of the battle was palpable, signaling that a fierce fight was underway.

Crackle!

A clap of thunder exploded overhead, and the sky churned with dark clouds. The coastal air was thick with the humid embrace of July; rain began to fall, cooling the fiery aftermath below.

"Roar..."

Dreamfyre shouted as she dropped through the clouds, her pale blue silhouette meeting the rain and slamming into the warships below.

As the rain intensified, lightning split and thunder roared. Dreamfyre's flight and the power of her dragonfire waned, her natural aversion to such stormy conditions evident.

Seizing the opportunity, the mercenary ships sailed into the harbor, their scorpion crossbows aimed at the low-flying dragon.

Rain washed over the wreckage, diluting the blood that stained the sea and dimming the flames that had engulfed the harbor.

At the Gull Tower, a drenched Aegon pounded on Sunfyre's scales, shouting over the storm's fury, "Sunfyre, fly! We must rise now!"

"Roar..."

Fueled by his rider's emotions and his own instincts, Sunfyre's anger surged. He flapped his wings vigorously, clawing at the slippery ground.

Aegon, driven by a mixture of fear and determination from past humiliations, admonished, "Do not let them look down on us, Sunfyre! We are not cowards!"

Ever since he'd been terrorized by Aemond's henchmen, he'd been holding back, barely able to breathe.

His foolish sister was in front of him, facing the enemy, so he couldn't cower like a coward.

With a mighty roar, Sunfyre's pupils dilated with determination. His hind legs kicked into the muddy earth, launching him into the rainy sky.

"Sunfyre, well done!" Aegon cheered as the dragon shook off the rain and charged toward the harbor. Ahead, the silhouettes of mercenary ships loomed ominously.

Crack!

Lightning illuminated the scene, casting a glimpse of a massive shadow across the sky.

Sunfyre, unnerved, looked up, the oppressive clouds swirling ominously above.

"Roar--"

A massive black dragon burst through the rain curtain, its presence commanding as it sailed through the clouds with eerie grace. On its back, a silver-haired figure sat sternly, his torso bare against the storm, his voice cutting through the tumult: "Dracarys!"

Cannibal, the black dragon, unleashed a haunting green dragonfire that clung to the raindrops, transforming the night into a spectacle of ghostly green luminescence.

The droplets hit the decks of the mercenary ships, igniting the surfaces in an eerie blaze. The ghostly flames spread rapidly, engulfing the ships and the surrounding sea in a devastating inferno.

"Ah! Fire in the rain..."

"The seawater... the seawater is burning..."

Mercenaries screamed in agony as the spectral flames clung to their bodies, their skin blistering under the relentless assault, worse than any death they could have imagined.

In the midst of dodging crossbow bolts, Helaena turned at the sound of the new dragon's roar, her eyes widening in recognition. "Brother!" she cried in shock and relief.

In front of Gull Tower

"Roar..."

Dreamfyre growled fiercely at Cannibal, distancing herself as if it feared the fiery chaos the black dragon wrought.

This protective move shielded Helaena, who was attempting to close the distance. Flames marked every path Cannibal traversed, posing a threat to the young rider.

As the heavy rain continued, Rhaegar swept past his siblings, his voice piercing the storm, "Aegon, protect the harbor! Helaena, follow me!"

Haunted by visions of the "Flames of War" from his dreams, Rhaegar had awakened to use the ancient blood sorcery of "[Reflections of the Moon]" to peer into the terrible sea battle at Gulltown. This ability has been critical in the crisis.

"Roar..."

Sunfyre responded with a roar of alarm, circling the harbor but keeping his distance. The black dragon emitted a pungent odor, almost signaling a threat to his own kind.

Aegon, rain streaming down his face, ceased urging Sunfyre into the fight, his anxiety easing as the dragon relaxed.

"Roar!"

Cannibal's menacing glare turned into action as it swooped down, unleashing torrents of dragonfire. The mercenary ship, laden with oil, erupted into a series of violent explosions upon contact.

"Quickly run!"

"Hold your positions, ready the Scorpion Crossbows!"

Faced with the overwhelming presence of a mountain-sized dragon, the mercenaries lost their composure and scrambled in fear.

Pymon, the mercenary leader, shouted orders to rally his men, but his shouts were futile against the might of the raging storm dragon.

"Brother!"

Helaena's eyes sparkled with realization as she gradually mastered dragon riding and guided Dreamfyre to catch up. She could vaguely feel Rhaegar teaching her through the battle.

Cannibal roared furiously, swooping low to unleash dragonfire on another intact mercenary ship. His massive body cut through the storm, his presence alone enough to send the ship rocking violently.

Boom...

His fiery assault scorched the deck, bathing it in a spectral green blaze.

"Roar..."

Dreamfyre echoed Cannibal's path, striking the burning ship with a second wave of dragonfire.

Helaena's heart raced, her gaze never straying from Rhaegar's silver-haired figure.

"Maintain your ground, reload the Scorpion Crossbows!"

Despite Pymon's desperate shouts, his commands went unheeded as an ethereal green flame engulfed him and his crew, sweeping across the deck with relentless fury.

From high above, Rhaegar watched the destruction unfold, his violet eyes gleaming with icy determination. The battle at Crabs Bay was nearing its end, with Gulltown's fleet badly damaged, but the remaining mercenaries holding off.

Looking back, he saw the mercenary ships engulfed in green flames, their chances of escape dwindling by the second.

"Follow me!" Rhaegar commanded, leading Cannibal to dive toward the remaining ships in the Bay of Crabs, his dragonfire devastating the enemy lines.

Helaena, close behind Dreamfyre, mirrored her brother's charge. Together, the siblings obliterated the remnants of the mercenary fleet.

As they continued their rapid flight, thoughts raced through Rhaegar's mind, driving the Cannibal to accelerate toward the Narrow Sea.

Helaena, without hesitation, urged Dreamfyre to keep pace. Like twin shooting stars under a rain-soaked sky, the dragons sped toward the Bite.

Arriving under a moonlit sky, they found the Three Sisters Islands shrouded in smoke, with a dozen mercenary ships at anchor.

"Dracarys!"

Rhaegar showed no mercy, directing Cannibal to incinerate the ships.

Wooooooo...

A distant horn sounded solemnly as a fleet from White Harbor, sails adorned with mermaid emblems, approached. The combined firepower of the fleet and the high-flying dragons swiftly dealt a crushing blow to the mercenary forces.

Within moments, the fleet faced devastation, and only a few sought to escape the fiery wrath unleashed by the dragons.

(Word count: 1,871)