Crushing Victory

Early days of 295 AC, Winterfell.

King Robert Baratheon, at this point, has three legitimate children, all from Lyanna Stark. The King and Queen would visit Winterfell as often as possible despite the difficulties and length of such a journey. Lyanna wished to see her nephews and nieces (and her first son, of course) while Robert followed her wishes. He, too, liked the thought of seeing his greatest friend in Eddard Stark and the Stark children once in a while. As there were no obstacles other than the journey itself, they visited at least once every two years.

The three children of King Robert Baratheon were Artos Baratheon, Jocelyn Baratheon and Orys Baratheon. Artos Baratheon, born in late 284 AC, was almost a perfect reflection of a young Robert. He was tall and strong for his age, similar to his father. However, instead of his father's bright blue eyes, he inherited Lyanna's grey, steel-like eyes. He idolised his father and wished to become a warrior as great as him. Artos shared in his father's dislike towards House Targaryen because they were a threat to his father, himself and House Baratheon itself. Not only that but he also wanted Robert to be proud of him... so, naturally, he thought in a similar manner.

Robert sat with Eddard at a table, conversing with him and having a good time. After becoming King, he did let his god-like physique go for something more fat. However, due to Lyanna's remarks and looks of distaste, he had kept himself in decent shape. He was still fat to a degree but not quite as fat as he would have been. He cared a little more for his duties as King, too, making his peaceful reign a time of greater prosperity.

Robert consumed some of his wine before changing the topic.

"The dragonspawn... he still lives till this day. I would pay no mind if he had stayed in Dorne but now he has gathered a host of pirates. Pirates, I say!"

Robert Baratheon wheezed from the mere thought.

Eddard, however, did not find it amusing. "This should not be taken lightly, Your Grace. Men flock to his cause with every passing day. Many say that he wields the power of magic and control over the dead much like the Others used to eight thousand years past."

"Oh, not you too, Ned. They are but the tales of his pirates who love to frighten the weak." Robert laughed. "No living man has that power."

"Whether he has this power or not, what will you do with him?"

"I would have summoned the Royal Navy if not for this journey, Ned. While the dragonspawn hid in Dorne, I could only send assassins after him. If I wanted to get to him... I would have had to fight Dorne. But he has sailed on his own."

"When I heard this news, it felt too good to be true." Robert laughed. "I can now crush the 'magical sea dragon' and the dreams of the remaining Targaryen loyalists with him."

"Viserys, the son of the Mad King, would still live," Eddard replied. "The death of Aerion Targaryen would not make them forget... they would only turn to him."

"Hahahaha... the beggar king is a beggar king and nothing more. Aerion Targaryen has caused some chaos that no ordinary man could manage... especially one as young as him. He could very well claim the title 'King of the Narrow Sea' before I crush the dragonspawn. What is the beggar king to him?"

"Their dreams will die with the last son of Rhaegar Targaryen, Ned. I have already prepared my Warhammer for that day."

"So you intend to face him directly."

Robert nodded. "He has lived for far too long."

Afterwards, he would ride back to King's Landing before preparing the Royal Navy.

~

295 AC, the fall of the first moon.

Aerion had avoided actively harassing Westerosi ships, instead focusing on ships from the Free Cities. If a Westerosi ship did cross his sight, however, he would take it for himself. The Free City that suffered the most from his 'ravaging of the Narrow Sea' was Tyrosh. As the weeks past, the merchants had enough so the archon, ruler of Tyrosh, had to act. He gathered Tyrosh' navy and bought several groups of sellswords with gold to shatter the ever-growing pirate fleet.

Aerion's fleet encountered the Tyroshi navy in the sea, near Tyrosh itself. Aerion had been expecting this response so he kept his fleet together instead of letting his pirate captains separate and cover more ground. A scattered pirate fleet would not fare well against a more organised Tyrosh navy, after all, so he had to be prepared.

Aerion looked towards the distance and spotted the rather grand navy. Thirty ships had gathered with about nine hundred men in total while Aerion's fleet consisted of thirty-five ships and a mighty thirteen hundred man army. Around eight hundred were pirates and Dornishmen, while the other five hundred consisted of undead skeletons and greater undead.

At long last, they act.

Aerion smiled and turned to face the men on his ship which he had named the Mad King. It would not be long before his navy would clash with the lesser Tyroshi navy.

"Who are these Tyroshi dogs to us, pirates of the Stepstones?" He addressed his men. "I'll tell you... they are prey... victims to be killed and robbed clean. Their navy is lesser than ours, both in ships and men. More so, it is led by nobody in particular as the man behind this navy is not even worth mentioning!"

"Now... who is it that leads you?"

"King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea!"

"Aye, and what is it that we will do to them?"

"Slaughter and plunder!"

"Indeed, we will!"

Aerion drew his sword.

Minutes later, the Mad King rammed into one of the Tyroshi ships in the attack that would commence the battle. The surrounding pirate ships behind the Mad King followed, attacking the Tyroshi ships with volleys of arrows before ramming into them as well.

Aerion's Mad King boarded its first ship after the boarding bridge (corvus) was put in place. From the lower deck, a dozen flaming skeletons emerged and were the first to cross the bridge. Most of the men were in a state of fear once they saw the terrifying band of flaming skeletons. But they managed to fight back... although, the only clear weakness of the undead skeleton was constant exposure to water and the lack of swimming itself. Once thrown off the deck, the skeletons would drown and their fire of life would extinguish in the waters. They were weak to extreme flames as well since their bones could melt but the sellswords did not have anything capable of producing such a flame.

Aerion and his pirates joined the boarding party soon after, slaying what remained of the Tyroshi sellswords. Only seven undead skeletons had fallen while they had slain nearly twenty men on their own.

A Tyroshi ship intended to ram itself into Aerion's newly occupied ship but he started to call upon the wind with his magic.

Mighty Roar.

Before it could reach his ship, the Tyroshi ship was ripped apart by the howling wind along with the men aboard.

~

Aerion cut through the last sellsword aboard one of the last remaining ships with ease. It was a decisive victory for his fleet, a victory in which he had lost very few men and gained many more. The only issue was that he had to wait to regain his magic vitality to raise the dead sellswords so he disposed most of them into the sea while keeping as many as he could for later. Corpses did not have the best smell so it was not a great idea to keep too many of them.

The scattered remains of the Tyroshi fleet retreated to Tyrosh. Only seven ships would return from the original thirty... and, more importantly, they would return as the vanquished.

Aerion gathered his pirate fleet close together so that more of the pirates could hear him.

"We have emerged victorious over the Tyroshi fleet! Their remains are scuttling back to where they came from... the Free City of Tyrosh! Yes, a few of them have escaped our grasp but not for very long."

Aerion smiled. "That is because we will be following up this glorious victory with an even greater one and that is... the conquest of Tyrosh itself!"

There was a thunderous roar of approval among the pirates, most of whom were willing to fight and die for the King of the Narrow Sea. They had never suffered a great loss under his leadership and only proceeded to grow greater in numbers. This victory over the Tyroshi fleet made it all too clear... as long as they followed him, they were unstoppable!

The morale was at an all-time high and there was no better time to strike Tyrosh than now. The majority of its forces had been thoroughly crushed while the pirates were ever so thirsty for more blood... and gold.