Chapter 69

When Dona caught sight of the mighty walls and towering pyramids of Meereen in the distance, she could hardly contain her growing excitement. War – if there was one thing she had longed for all her life, it was this. The tension of an approaching fight, the uncertain knowledge of whether you would live to see the next sunrise. The dance on the edge of death was an rush that words could hardly describe.

Since her childhood, she had always thrown herself headlong into every dangerous situation that presented itself. Back then, it was her brother that she saw fighting for the first time, and from that day on, her longing for battle was ignited. But nothing could compare to the scent that hung in the air when the battlefield lay before her – blood, ash, death and fire. For her, this scent was like an addiction she could never resist.

Many called her crazy, and maybe they were right. But she didn't care. Since her birth, only a few people had had the right to tell her what she was allowed to do and what not. That select group included only her father, mother, and brother. Her younger sister, on the other hand, allowed her to get away withwhatever she wanted without attempting to correct her, and her older sister Seraphine believed that Dona, as a noble lady and dragonrider of House Baelaeron, was entitled to do as she pleased.

If there was one thing she had never grown to love, however, it would be her married life. Her husband was a clever man, handsome and of impressive stature, but he did not share her passions. She loved the chaos of battle, not the calm of family life.

Still, she had to admit that the sex was amazing, perhaps the only reason she tolerated the marriage at all.

And then there was her son, Draegon, the living result of that union. In him, she found everything she had ever wanted in a son. He didn't have his father's keen intellignce, but that was precisely why she loved him so much. Draegon was not stupid, but like her, he preferred to solve things in the simplest and most direct way possible...by force.

Like his mother, Draegon had found a deep pleasure in fighting, training, and killing. She recognized herself in him, and that filled her with pride.

Roaring beside her was Valyrax, her mighty bronze dragon, and his roar rang out through the skies as he sensed Dona's excitement through their mental bond.

Rhaegor, her son's dragon, answered with a roar just as mighty. When Dona looked over at Draegon, she met his face and saw the wild, crazed grin that he wore mirrored in her own.

Their hearts beat as one, the fire of dragons flowing through their veins, and the battle they had longed for so much was within their grasp.

Her eyes flicked to the golden and bronze Harpies that crowned the tops of the pyramids of Meereen, and she could not wait to consume them in the Dragon's fire. In her mind, she saw the monumental statues melting under the heat, like wax on a candle, and flowing down the pyramids' walls.

It was a mockery that these symbols of old Ghiscari greatness still existed at all. How could such monoliths be allowed to stand while Mother Valyria reigned over them?

These harpies were nothing more than a provocation, a remnant from a time long gone, and an open affront to the old and new empires that Dona served.

An insult of the highest order. And she would personally see to it that this insult would not last much longer.

The Valyrians had once shown mercy, but now that Valyria had fallen, these so-called Great Masters of Meereen were once again showing their fangs, believing that their pyramids and walls could offer them protection.

But they were sorely mistaken.

Their proud buildings would be of no use to them, and their golden harpies would crumble to dust. No stone in Meereen was strong enough to withstand the wrath of Valyrax and Rhaegor, let alone Ancalagon.

But first, there was a battle to be won.

Her brother had given her and her son the task of supporting the Volanten army in its campaign, in his name, in the name of the Eternal Empire. The Volante troops fought loyally for Kaelarys Baelaeron, and their loyalty would have to be proven on the battlefield today.

A large portion of the Volantenian forces had either fallen in the Battle of Lys or were on their way to conquer Myr. Nevertheless, Volantis had managed to raise another army in a remarkably short time, determined to prove their loyalty to the Empire.

Volantis, the oldest, most powerful, and wealthiest daughters of Valyria, could afford to do so. With its enormous population and extensive trade relations, it had resources that dwarfed other cities. And though they were losing soldiers and ships in the here and now, they knew that they had more to gain in the long run.

For Dona, however, the game was different. She wasn't here for some political game or to make friends; her brother or her sister Seraphine were good for that, but not her.

She was here to shed blood and unleash the fury of Valyrax on those who stand in the way of the empire.

Dona scanned the land outside the high walls of Meereen and immediately realized that a fierce battle must have taken place here.

Thousands and thousands of corpses lay scattered on the blood-soaked ground, their bodies still frozen in the final stages of the battle, as if they had only recently met their death.

'Perfect,' she thought to herself, as a satisfied smile played around her lips. The dead were still lying in their ranks, and she was already planning how she could send them to Azorath as quickly as possible once Meereen was taken.

They would serve wonderfully as a resource for the elixir of life, and she didn't want to waste a single corpse, not a single valuable resource.

Together with her son, she flew on in the direction of where she could sense Death's presence.

Dead bodies littered the ground, their blood soaking the soil and still steaming slightly in the cold air. Banners, weapons and broken shields lay abandoned in the sand, witnesses to a fierce battle that had raged not too long ago.

Two different armies fought bitterly in the distance, and she could tell at a glance which of the two forces was about to lose the battle.

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the colors and crests of the two armies and the mercenaries before she made a decision.

Without hesitation, she gave Valyrax the command, and in a heart-stopping dive, her mighty dragon shot down from the sky, its wings slicing through the air with the force of a storm. The soldiers on the ground raised their heads, their eyes widening in terror as the dragon's shadow fell over them.

"Dragon!" one of them screamed as he dropped his lance and shield.

With a thunderous roar, Valyrax opened his mouth and a mighty tongue of flame erupted, shooting through the air in a glowing arc. The fire hit the front rows of the opposing army, devouring armor, flesh, and bone in a split second. The soldiers screamed in desperation, but their cries were quickly muffled by the crackling of the flames as they mercilessly engulfed the battlefield.

The army's rear ranks tried to retreat, but Valyrax was faster. A second, even more powerful blast shot out of its jaws, cutting off their escape route. Horses and men alike turned to ash, weapons melted in the heat, and the battlefield turned into a sea of flames.

Men ran, tumbling over their fallen comrades, trying desperately to escape the flames, but there was no escape. The army, which until now had been certain of victory, was wiped out in an instant.

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Hey, so I wrote half of the chapter while drunk, but anyway, I hope it's halfway readable.

But let's get to more important things: I've started writing a Black Clover fanfic.

Do you want the Mc to have:

Chaos magic?

Sunshine magic?

Copy magic?

Or something completely different?

Men scroll

Men see

Men smile

Men gifts Stones

Men leaves Review

Men leaves happily.

Yours,

Jasonenrick!