The Dragons of Duskendale

I didn't like to brag, but I was the greatest kidnapper of royalty the world had ever known.

Leaning against the moss-covered wall, I watched Arya and Tommen spar with their instructors in Duskendale's practise yard. Both children wore arming doublets and some serious padding that made them look fat (or fatter Tommen's case) as they traded blows with Duck and Damon. Prince or princess, their titles mattered little. Both were hostages and their presence would ensure their kin didn't do anything too stupid. In some ways, I was a true dragon. A kidnapper of royalty or proclaimed royalty in any case. I best make sure I don't lounge on a pile of gold else I might sprout myself a pair of wings.

Arya was the older of the two, taller and faster, and easily the better sword. Since returning from my little expedition down south, I was once more sparring with her, and the girl had improved in more ways than one. No one could say Arya was a slow learner and whenever we sparred she used her speed and poise to score herself a few hits before I adapted to her strategy. She was a small target and I would admit to being easier on her than my fellow sellswords, and who could blame me? The wide smile on her face every time she struck a blow was priceless, and I didn't want to spoil her fun.

Tommen was younger, plump and clumsy but a good-hearted lad who always tried his best and did show promise considering he was seldom permitted to train thanks to Cersei's overprotectiveness. While I doubted he'd become a second Jaime, I'd be happy to be proven wrong. Jon Connington was unhappy with the idea of Duck training Tommen, but I disagreed. He was a sweet boy and not a danger in the slightest. Also, in the medieval period, captured royalty had free reign to set up their own courts and live in gilded prisons. King John of France went so far as to willingly return to English custody after failing to pay his ransom obligations. I didn't trust the Lannisters as much as John did the English, of course, but I was happy to grant Tommen certain luxuries and Daenerys wasn't averse to it so long as he was put under careful watch. Plus, the boy could lose a bit of weight.

Watching the four spar, with Arya against Duck and Tommen against Damon, my eyes drifted to the two blonds and it was eerie how much they looked alike. It wasn't impossible considering Damon was from Lannisport and his father had been a knight with ancestry from House Lannister, but still, the semblance was uncanny.

Jon Connington slipped in beside me, appearing greyer from when I'd seen him last. His pale-blue eyes watched Tommen and he looked like he wanted to send the boy back to his mother in a body bag. "I have just spoken to the Halfmaester. Haldon's received a message from Varys. It's only added confirmation to our sources claiming Lord Stannis has finally moved against King's Landing."

Our source being Lyra who, lacking the credit because of the Faith of the Seven's hatred for magic, was quickly proving herself my best intelligence officer. More efficient than spies and much faster, the glass candle allowed her to gather intelligence on armies, their numbers and where they were going in a similar manner as an eagle looking down at its prey. "We knew he was going to do so," I replied, running a hand through my curls.

No matter what happened, we weren't going to bleed ourselves before we had to. To ensure our victory was guaranteed, we united our twenty-thousand strong host into one army and took a leisurely stroll down the Kingsroad and performed a Renly by visiting all the castles, holding feasts to show off our wealth, letting our mounted units forage, as well as sending saboteurs to make our enemies lives a whole lot harder. The classical Fabian strategy of avoiding pitched battles in favour of wearing down the enemy through a war of attrition. Houses loyal to the Lannisters like Buckwell, Harte and Edgerton were being raided if they weren't being eliminated piecemeal, and the supplies for King's Landing were being disrupted. One by one each Lannister loyalist was being taken off the board and their wealth redistributed to the Golden Company or used to finance the refugee camps being assembled around the towns of Maidenpool, Duskendale and Rook's Rest. Towns that could be easily supplied by sea from our allies in Pentos and the Triarchy. "The price of treason," Daenerys declared. Such a strategy would give Varys more time to strengthen his fifth column inside the city, and us time to increase the propaganda campaign outside. We just had some of the printing presses arrive from Pentos and put to work creating posters. One of my personal favourites was of a woman and her child being shielded by a three-headed dragon against a pack of frothing-at-the-mouth wolves, stags and lions seeking to tear said child apart. A completely unbiased and factual reflection of the war.

"Your witch claims his vanguard has already passed through the Kingswood, and the Spider reports the Imps wildlings are operating there. From what I know of those wildlings in the Vale, they care little for fighting like honourable men and instead prefer ambushes so they will strike Stannis' supplies and camps at night."

"There is little else they can do. Tyrion Lannister doesn't have many options and his clansmen will operate most efficiently in the forests rather than King's Landing itself." Should we take the city, I would need to send Harrando H'arla and his men to deal with them. They were exceptionally skilled cavalry even if they were little better than the Brave Companions in the mindless violence department. "Do you think King's Landing's got a chance against Stannis?"

"We've not been improving their chances, lad." Connington shared with me a ghost of a half-smile. "Despite our actions, they are in a strong position. King's Landing has formidable fortifications created by Grand Maester Gawen and Ser Osmund Strong and should be enough to hold off an army stronger than Lord Stannis' host. They have a port so unless Stannis manages to blockage it, King's Landing can supply itself by sea. If the city does fall, the Lannisters can always withdraw to the Red Keep and hope Baratheon is unable to control the city or reinforcements arrive from Lord Tywin."

"What do you imagine Stannis attempting?"

"He'll need to take the city quickly. He can ill afford to siege King's Landing into submission. He'll need to storm the walls or have the smallfolk open up one of the gates."

I would need to ask Lyra to scry Lord Tywin's location. We knew he tried to strike the Young Wolf to perform a killing blow but was beaten back at the Red Ford by Lord Edmure Tully. A tactical victory for the Northern Kingdom, but a strategic failure considering Robb's inability to inform his uncle into setting up a pincer attack. That would mean Tywin was heading full speed towards King's Landing. I didn't know what would change this time because the butterflies had long since been let loose, especially when it came to the Tyrells. Regardless of who won the Battle for the Blackwater, we were going to be prepared. Since taking Duskendale, I'd ordered Vaquo and his engineers to construct machines ranging from scorpions to deal with archers atop the walls, stone flinging catapults to iron-reinforced battering rams. Even our fleet was preparing for the siege. Tyrion wouldn't be able to pull the same trick twice and, unlike Stannis, our larger vessels were fitted with siege weaponry and powerful hoses to spray flaming wildfire into the city.

Whether it was dragon or stag or lion who sat the Iron Throne at the end of the day, King's Landing was going to be devastated by war's end, and the victor would shoulder the burden of repairing all the damage. There would be no true winners.

The silence between us lingered for a moment as I watched Arya dart back and forth against the slower and larger Duck. While she looked giddy and proud of herself, I knew Duck was holding back for the same reasons I did. "If I were a betting man I would wager the Lannisters will be victorious. They hold the walls and it's said a man atop the walls is worth ten men beneath it. Though I do believe they'll hold only by the skin of their teeth. Yes, I understand he has a priestess of the Red God, but we have a water mage to put out that fire." I smiled self-assuredly at Jon, but the regent didn't return it.

"You would be wise to not be arrogant. Not now we're this close to King's Landing. This won't be attacking the holdings of lesser lordlings along the coast. We'll be fighting the Lannisters at the source of their power. They'll have a proper army and strong fortifications. They'll fight to the death like cornered dogs."

"I'll remember, my lord," I said automatically. "What does Blackheart think we should do? I know he's reluctant to strike King's Landing . . ."

"Only whilst Stannis remains to the south and Tywin to the west," Connington informed me. "He is a cautious man. Much more than he once was." He showed a brief smile. "If Myles was the same man he was when I first joined the Golden Company, we'd be standing in the Red Keep's Great Hall by now. Your wife will be sitting the Iron Throne and . . ." his voice trailed off and I smiled.

"We'll be standing in the Red Keep at the end of this, ser, even if it takes a little longer to get there."

"If I am being honest, lad, I am sick of this. I am sick of caution and being a sellsword. I just want to return to Griffin's Roost and live in peace."

"A shame, for you do serve as regent."

"I do. I still have duties to perform. But that doesn't mean I'm not growing tired. My hair's going grey and I just feel hollow. When I believed you were Aegon Targaryen, I had something to live for. A person to live for. Now all I have is revenge." He looked like he wanted to say something else but stopped himself.

The power of hate was a powerful thing, I knew, but it was short-lived and didn't do much for one's health. I knew Jon wouldn't stop until he got revenge on the Baratheons and Varys. I didn't know what he would do to Cersei's children if he had the chance, but I wasn't going to let him touch the younger two. "You do have someone," I said softly. "You've got a few people."

"Like whom?"

"Blackheart." His eyes widened somewhat, and I smiled mildly. The worst kept secret in the Golden Company. I didn't know how far the Faith's negative view on homosexuality went, but the Golden Company and much of Essos was apathetic. "It is not my business to pry into the private affairs of my lords unless they threaten the stability of our campaign and kingdom – which yours doesn't do – though I do think he'll be distraught if you say that to him. I've plans to make him the general of the legions after the war is done and turn the levies of the Seven Kingdoms into a professional standing army. I do think he'll miss you if you decide to withdraw to Griffin's Roost instead of remaining in King's Landing."

Griff stared at me before weakly nodding. "I can wait for a couple of years until your wife is of an age to properly rule as a king should—as a ruling queen."

And Blackheart will be happier for it. "I understand and am thankful. Though there is one thing that does concern me, and that's the fact you're unmarried. It would be wise if you did so to help forge an alliance. I know no one better to rule the Stormlands and it would be wise if the head of House Connington married someone with a claim to Storm's End as to help ensure stability."

Jon continued staring, this time watching Arya in place of Tommen, and his face tightened like that of boiled leather. "I will need to question Haldon regarding my future bannermen. I do believe Eastermont and Tarth might hold a claim, though it might be a weak one. Other than that, it is known Robert Baratheon sired a couple of bastard children, and then there is Stannis' own daughter. I have no desire to marry anyone born from the loins of that house. I would rather it disappear and never return."

"You need to marry regardless. Blackheart married that Tyroshi girl to gain the support of the Triarchy. Marriages are political, ser, to build alliances and strengthen one's position. You don't have to like it; you just need to get a child on her." Lie back and think of England, you could say.

"Which you've failed to do." Jon's face reddened. "You have yet to get Daenerys with child, so why don't you perform your own duty before you think to lecture me on mine?"

Okay, he had me there with my sexless marriage. And it will continue to be until she's of proper age. Jon shouldn't know it was the case unless he saw right past me during the whole counterfeiting the consummation schtick on our wedding night. "We haven't been sleeping with each other much."

He made a sound in agreement but it was not something he approved of. At least he changed the subject quickly enough, no doubt seeing how red my face had gone. "Do not think Blackheart isn't eager about riding against the Lannisters. Our captain-general is eager to sink his teeth into the Lion of Casterly Rock. He wants to meet both Stannis and Tywin in the field and prove himself as the more capable commander. He's just not going to charge forward like a fool."

"If Lord Tywin is marching to relieve his grandson, we should leave the way open for him. We shouldn't block the way."

"If he wants to strike Stannis, we let him. It'll bloody both their forces. We have been scoring a series of minor victories and now we need to win a decisive one. We have taken Dragonstone and a few castles down the coast, aye, but they are minor victories and do little to show our strength. We need to achieve a decisive victory to show all of Westeros your might. One to show your legitimacy as a proper martial ruler."

"I would rather we chip away at their strength before we make fight them in a pitched battle," I told Jon. "We need to win, but we should ensure all the pieces on the board are in our favour." That way, when we crush our enemy, it'll look even more impressive.

"You sound like a certain Dornish Prince. We should both take our leave. I have duties to perform, just as you do."

I had a few, but having spent every waking hour of late performing my duties - accompanying Daenerys in her royal progress so she could be seen by her subjects, dealing with the Fifth Legion and general staff overseeing the war - I deserved some rest. "And I will complete them, my lord, once those two are finished sparring."

Connington huffed disapprovingly, clearly not liking my answer. "That will be impossible. We have a meeting with the general staff, and we can ill afford to begin without you."

"We have a meeting?"

"Why do you think I came here? Come with me."

I gave Arya and Tommen a quick wave goodbye before trailing behind the regent to Lord Renfred Rykker's private study which had been converted into our base of operations. It was a lush and over-decorated room with a massive chair of leather before a desk hidden under maps and details of troop movements. The details were not easily read for I'd recognised a servant in the employ of the enemy might be bribed to provide information or, in Varys' case, copy said information and learn of our plans without us realising. To make sure our counterintelligence was up to par, we ensured our messages were always encrypted with substitution ciphers. The simplest of encryption but above what Westeros was used to. So, when I write 'Hello, my Lord Connington.' It would instead be written as 'Uryyb, zl ybeq Pbaavatgba.' While it looked like it was written by someone with absolutely no grasp of the English language, that was the point. It also didn't help that we tended to provide false information for the purpose of muddying the waters and spread confusion across Westeros. If it was unencrypted, it was always false.

"Are you certain?" Myles asked Haldon.

They had started the meeting without us, and the rest of them were present including Daenerys who was dressed in the colours of House Targaryen including a scarlet cloak pinned to her with an iron three-headed dragon. She gave me a polite nod, but her face was tight and her lips narrowed in concentration.

"It is, captain-general," the Halfmaester replied before Blackheart snatched the parchment from his grasp.

Blackheart's pale-green eyes scanned the words before he looked up at me and said, "You are late. You should have got here sooner."

"I was distracted," I confessed. "What's happened for this impromptu council to happen?"

Myles put the parchment down. It was the undeciphered translation, of course. "We've just received a raven from our men at Maidenpool. They were attacked by a force under the command of Lord Roose Bolton. No doubt to restore it to the rule of the so-called King in the North. Three thousand Northmen. Lord Roose attempted to storm the walls but the garrison resisted. The Stark host lost two-thirds of their forces including Helman Tallhart before the Lord of the Dreadfort decided to withdraw, but not before having his forces rape, burn and butcher the surrounding lands."

"We had a camp of refugees around Maidenpool," Daenerys said, her voice soft and full of worry. "There were women and children among them. What happened?"

"I don't know. The raven never made mention of them. Unless they managed to escape, I doubt they were free from the Northmen's wraith."

I chewed the inside of my cheek. That wasn't the only news of atrocities House Stark and the North had done upon the Riverlands. While one might raise their hand and say this was war and could be expected because we were enemies, it wasn't like the North had spared their own allies either. While Robb Stark was more moral than most, his forces were no different from the Lannisters and spent their days raping and pillaging their way through the lands they were sworn to protect. Those under the command of the Karstarks and Boltons were the worst, though many Riverlords also took the opportunity to pillage their rivals as well. Which would explain why the Brotherhood without Banners is very anti-Stark. While we had been focusing on the Lannisters and Crownlands to clear the road for King's Landing, we had largely been ignoring the goings-on in the west with Robb and his Braveheart impersonators.

"Maidenpool?" Connington's face tightened. "How dare they! Does this false king think he can just attack us, and we not do anything? Does he think he can afford to start a war against us?"

"We are at war, my lord," Harry Strickland interjected sardonically. "Maidenpool is a part of the Riverlands under the lordship of the Tully's of Riverrun, and we have been capturing castles that belong to them. It would be foolish to forget they might want to take them back."

"We cannot allow that to happen!" declared Grazgan Khaza, commander of the Third Iron Legion, in his thick Ghiscari drawl. He was a tall man and lean, with a narrow cleanshaven face, amber skin and shortly cropped red hair. "Maidenpool is too great a strategic position for it to fall. It commands the mouth of the Trident and a major port. A port that is one of our main supply bases and ferries in grain and weapons and coin from Essos. While Duskendale can fulfil much the same purposes, it'll take time and doesn't make Maidenpool any less important."

"We should repay them in kind," announced Marq Mandrake of the Fourth Black Legion, having just arrived from the Antlers so I guessed his army's movement south had encouraged Roose to launch his attack. "King's Landing can wait. We need to launch an attack upon Harrenhal where Bolton has made his base to attack us. We should storm the castle and put everyone to the sword!"

Daenerys frowned. "I will not have any of you put Harrenhal to the sword. I want justice for Lord Bolton's atrocities, but I'll not follow his example. We are no butchers here." She looked at the map. "Have we sent ravens to Lord Stark?"

"We sent ravens demanding the false king bend the knee, Your Grace," Haldon said. "He only sent one in return. He says the North accepts no king nor queen other than a Stark of Winterfell. He refused and therefore is a traitor."

"He is no Lannister," Daenerys mused, "and has a cause against the Lannisters just as we do. Both our houses had kin killed unjustly by lions. Do you know where he is now?"

"Our informants tell us he's recently returned to Riverrun after campaigning in the south. He used Lord Tywin's absence and our recent invasion to get vengeance upon the Westerlands. The Northmen launched deep raids, reaching the walls of Lannisport where they burnt towns and estates, captured the gold mines of Castamere, Nunn's Deep, and Pendric Hills. Multiple castles have fallen including Ashmark and the Crag."

"Seems our little wolf has been busy," smirked Lysono Maar. "You also fail to mention he had crushed another Lannister army at Oxcross. The Stark boy has yet to be defeated in battle, which is truly noteworthy considering he's a stripling who ran circles around the feared Lord Tywin Lannister and gave him a bloody nose."

"Not forgetting Lord Edmure who pushed Tywin back at the Battle of the Ford," Blackheart added, scratching his chin. "It seems the Lannister reputation has been the thing most destroyed in this war, and it will only get worse if the Seven are kind."

"You said it was three thousand men that attacked Maidenpool?" Ser Tystane Rivers asked and when given confirmation he pursed his lips. "It was only a small host. I imagine it was a probing attack. What would happen if Stark merges his host with that of Bolton and descends upon Maidenpool? He'll cut us off from vital supply lines. Duskendale has relieved our burdens but the threat of having our supplies harassed is troublesome."

"Even worse if he decides to descend upon us," Harry Strickland added. "We cannot ignore the possibility. Depending on what Stark does, we'll be trapped between the hammer and anvil. Should he take Maidenpool, Stark will be in a clear position to move further south or east. Our allies have helped but we have nowhere near enough men to defend our holdings. Nor do we have the strength to divide our forces without them being destroyed piecemeal."

Daenerys stared down at the map and bit her lip. "You might be right, Ser Harry Strickland. We lack the capabilities and can ill afford to fight on two fronts, especially with their hosts being our equal if not outright stronger. Not now. Not when we're spitting distance from King's Landing. Do we have any other allies? What about the Tyrells?"

Now that is the question of the century. I poured myself a cup of water and took a sip. "To our sources, they seem to be remaining neutral and I honestly cannot blame them. The Lannisters are in a tough position and if you look at House Tyrell's bannermen, you know many have Targaryen and Blackfyre sympathies."

"Aye. We still have friends in the Reach," Laswell Peake said, bobbing his head in agreement. "My own kin for one. House Peake has always been loyal to the black dragon."

"But let's not ignore that Mace Tyrell might still side with the Lannisters should he decide it's preferable," I continued. "He did marry Margaery to Renly Baratheon, and it's clear he wants her as queen. Joffrey is the only one who is unmarried and has a claim to the Iron Throne. If such a union is agreed, we might be in a spot of trouble."

"We best make sure that doesn't happen," Queen Daenerys grimaced. "Do we have spies in Bitterbridge?"

"We do indeed," Maar smiled in a way that made a shiver go down my spine. "I have sent several down south. While messages have been rare, it doesn't seem the Tyrells have chosen a side despite both Stannis and King's Landing sending envoys."

"We should do likewise," Dany decided. "Send a couple of lords to speak on our behalf. It'll be beneficial if the Tyrells are on our side rather than the enemy. We could use their armies and grain."

"But what do we offer them?" Myles Toyne asked her. "Mace wants his daughter to be queen so unless Aegon takes her as a second wife – which I don't think you'll want – we can't really offer him that."

"Lands, coin, titles, the usual," Connington answered curtly. "There are many in the Golden Company who aren't married but should be granted rich titles by Her Grace when the war is done. Mayhaps they can be married into various Reachmen houses. You will not beg for their assistance, Your Grace, else you'll appear desperate and weak and that'll only weaken our position in the negotiations."

"Indeed," I agreed before pausing a moment. "We shouldn't rush to meet the Tyrells. So long as they don't get involved, we have nothing to worry about. But we need to an eye on them. If they even think about leaving Bitterbridge, I want to be the first to know. Now, let's talk about the more pressing thing at this moment. Due to our problems with Maidenpool and with our need for our full strength to strike against King's Landing, I say we should make common cause with the King in the North."

The general staff looked at me like I was a fool, some grimacing when I said the title. "Robb Stark is a false king," Connington told me like I was a child who should have known better.

"He may very well be," I allowed. "But both we and House Stark have common cause against the Lannisters. With the Ironmen attacking the North, he is in no position to refuse us."

"Just so," Lysonno Maar smirked, pointing at the Northern Coast. "One army attempted to capture Winterfell but was beaten back by the garrison. The Ironborn prefer to strike along the coast and did manage to take Moat Cailin though they had taken some losses for such a victory."

Butterflies, the butterflies fly. I didn't know what that would cause. Thinking hard, I knew this would change Robb's actions. He married Jeyne Westerling after hearing news of what happened to Bran and Rickon. But with Theon's failure, I wondered if he would. I would need to check my journal for confirmation. If Robb didn't need to marry Jeyne to defend her honour, I wondered if Roslin Frey would be made queen. "I do think it's in our interests to open talks with Lord Stark, if only until the Lannisters and Stannis are dealt with. It'll provide us with the opportunity to secure our western flank and perchance saves us from the Northmen stabbing us in the back when we're battling the lions."

Connington didn't look happy. "You do not negotiate with traitors. The Riverlands and North are the rightful dominions of the crown. Do you seek to make common cause with those that—"

"Aegon and I have spoken about this and have come to a decision, ser," Daenerys interrupted. "Between all other pretenders, I will concede Robb Stark is the best to make common cause with. His sister has been telling me about him and, if half of what she says is true, he can be trusted to fulfil his part. While I am under no delusion we will come to blows sooner or later, I see no reason we cannot agree to work together until that point."

I smiled and bowed my head. "I thank you for taking my side, Your Grace."

"The Lannisters killed my family and the Baratheons usurped the throne. The Starks, well, they are rebels, but you yourself explained to me they had a greater cause considering what my father did to their late lord and his heir. Such misdeeds are unworthy of a king and I hope to correct his failures. They're also not going after the Iron Throne. Haldon, you will send a raven to Riverrun proclaiming we desire to treat with Robb Stark. Mayhaps we can even take advantage of this opening. Maar, will it be possible for you to have your spies infiltrate his camp during these negotiations? There should be many opportunities to get your agents into favourable positions."

"My queen is as cunning as she is beautiful," the spymaster grinned. "It will be done, Your Grace."

"We should do so before going south," I added. "Should we negotiate a non-aggression pact, I do believe we'll be in a good position. We have Arya Stark and should we take King's Landing, we may even get Sansa. We'll have both Stark's sisters and that'll be useful to negotiate his surrender. That's my thoughts on the matter."

"I do not think that is wise," Connington said slowly. "Robb Stark is a traitor. There is nothing saying he won't betray whatever agreement you make, or whether he'll agree. We have held Maidenpool and have many Riverlords as hostages. That's more like to stay his hand."

"We can give the Young Wolf hostages as part of the deal," Myles suggested. "Then keep the rest as a warning should he betray the terms. If needs be, we can send the hostages back piece by bloody piece. Exchanging hostages is a sign of good faith, in which case, Maar has an opening should we do everything right."

"Not Arya though," I said. "She is our most important hostage against the Starks." And Sansa will make a pair that'll much more likely get Stark to bend the knee, helped by his mother's words no doubt. Catelyn Stark did free Jaime Lannister for them so, if I showed up with both, she'll beg her son for anything just to get them back. Even if it means handing Dany his crown. But I was more than happy to turn the North into a protectorate of the Iron Throne, or a tributary instead.

"I never imagined she was on the table in the first place," Myles smiled at me. "Are we in agreement that we should open negotiations with the Starks until King's Landing is with us, Jon?"

"Aye, captain-general," Griff said stiffly after a moment.

Tystane Rivers kept staring at the maps. "We'll be in a better position and with luck, perhaps the Young Wolf will see our alliance as a chance to move his host North to help deal with the Ironborn and that'll be fewer men for us when we finally come to blows."

The other commanders nodded their agreement to the plan and with that, Haldon was sent to write the message for Riverrun.

It was after we dealt with all the little details when I took my leave of the Dun Fort and surveyed the results of our capture of Duskendale. To call it a fight would have been inaccurate. The town didn't resist. Lord Rykker lowered his banners upon seeing our host, opened his gates and bent the knee to the dragon queen who rose his lordship to his feet with dragons hissing from her shoulders. Atop the ramparts, sellswords moved with polearms and bows like black ghostly sentinels. Lining the streets were carriages and oxcarts full of supplies for the army as well as our outreach program that distributed food freely to the locals. The scheme was popular and was easily making Daenerys Targaryen the most popular claimant for the smallfolk. It was expensive though, and we had to keep ahead of everything and use every PR trick in the book and some more of our own. I might even need to take a page out of the modern politician's handbook and form a dedicated team to run public relations and spin everything to our advantage.

At least Duskendale's economy seemed to be improving with the market bustling with commerce. Those who set up stalls were selling much-desired turnips, onions and sacks of grain. Others were selling arms and armour, and very cheaply at that. The scavengers had been busy and were pawning off the gear of my legionaries and local militias. The looters were always there after the battle was done, not long after came the carrion crows. Duck and I passed mail shirts still caked with brown blood, dinted helms, notched longswords, well-used boots, fur cloaks, stained surcoats with their badges removed on some, glaringly obvious on others. Under normal circumstances, I would attempt to cut down on such activities, but scavenging was one of the ways to cut down on expenses, and paying my legionaries was expensive and something we were increasingly struggling to finance. So long as they weren't raping and looting areas we controlled, I was willing to look the other way.

At some point, when I was examining some freshly cooked pastries and deciding which one Dany would prefer, a squire rushed over and saluted, "Your Grace! The watchers on the walls have caught sight of a fleet approaching Duskendale. There's a ship leading them bearing a white seahorse on a blue field. I believe that's House Celtigar, Your Grace."

"House Velaryon," I corrected. "Were you on the walls? What other banners were there? Describe them."

"A white field with red drabs and a few others. I don't know what they are."

"That sounds like the Lords the Narrow Sea." I grimaced for a moment before my lips curled into a knowing half-smile. "Show me to the docks."

Duskendale was a wealthy town even if its importance had greatly diminished since the founding of King's Landing and its growth into Westeros' principal trading centre. The town was built around its harbour with the north rising into chalk cliffs and the south was a rocky headland that shielded the ships at anchor from storms coming up the Narrow Sea. A strategically important location to capture before making our way to Rosby and finally the ultimate objective of King's Landing. Through the ships were tiny on the horizon, they were noticeable even without a Myrish telescope. It was a fleet with thirty ships at least, but there was likely more. At least they didn't look to be enemies, not with the ships bearing Targaryen sails escorting them. Biting the inside of my cheek, I hurried back to the square keep with its massive drum towers overlooking the sea. I was heaving when I passed the doors but paused to straighten my gambeson and make myself presentable before marching into the great hall where Daenerys Targaryen sat straight in the lord's throne. The lord it belonged to, a certain Renfred Rykker, looked uncomfortably uncertain as he stood beside her in a blue doublet with two war hammers crossed on a white saltire. She smiled down from atop the dais, and I explained what I saw.

It was an hour later when the captains entered the Dun Fort. A dozen men in plush silken doublets and an escort of armed guards trailing behind like faithful hounds. Lord Celtigar coughed, covering his mouth with a silken tissue embroidered with red crabs, but was quick to bow his head to Daenerys, while Lord Velaryon smiled wide with perfectly straight white teeth. There were a dozen lesser lords and captains as well, those too minor for me to recognise any of them.

"My Lords of the Narrow Sea," Daenerys began, her voice loud and clear for everyone to hear. "I welcome you to the Dun Fort and Duskendale. We heard what happened in Storm's End and I hope none of you got hurt during your daring escape."

Lord Monford smiled and performed a lavish bow. Just as I assumed, the Lord of the Tides was a strikingly handsome man and younger than I thought he would be in his early twenties. He had long silvery gold hair and was dressed in sea-green silk with an ivory pin of a seahorse holding a satin cloak in place. Standing beside him could only be the equally good-looking Aurane Waters. I could now understand why Cersei gave him a fleet, and why she spent her chapters drooling over him. "It was a daring escape, Your Grace. We left at the cusp of night and, knowing the traitor Stannis would be wroth with our absence, we went so far as to burn his fleet to destroy what little naval power he has compared to yourself. When we heard of your coming, we could ill afford, in good conscience, to remain in the service of a usurper and especially a usurper as cruel a heathen as Stannis Baratheon. The Dark Lord, the smallfolk call him, and with good reason. He burnt the sept at Dragonstone and did likewise at Storm's End. He was our lord, so we were sworn to serve him and his evilness, albeit grudgingly, so when you arrived in the Seven Kingdom's time of need, we knew we had to offer our allegiance to the true queen of Westeros. When the Seven Kingdoms need true leadership to save it from the corrupt rule of the false kings."

Were you practising that speech on the way over? It reminded me of my own theatrics during the tourney of my wedding, and I felt myself cringe at the memory. Aurane looked how I felt, and I would bet good money he heard his brother's speech a few times and had grown tired of it. I didn't trust Monford's flowery words in fact. If they were actually loyal to Daenerys, they would have defected earlier. But like any good sailors, they had seen what direction the winds had turned and wanted to jump ship or be smashed into the rocks. I wasn't going to look negatively on them for doing so. That was just how Westeros operated.

"We thank you for the hospitality, Your Grace," added Lord Adrian Celtigar. He was an old man whose sagging face was crossed with deep lines. He looked somewhat happy for a man infamous for being sour. "While we hadn't managed to destroy his ships, it was enough of a distraction for us to escape and Stannis will be all the weaker for when he engages his fleet in battle."

"Might I ask for permission to speak, Your Grace?" asked the bastard Aurane Waters with the kind of smile that made me want to unsheath my sword.

Daenerys smiled warmly. "Those who stand before me all deserve the chance to speak their minds. I will not ignore the voices of my subjects." She patted Rhaellon's head as the red and black dragon stared at all the newcomers with judging eyes. All four dragons were before her, having torn apart the expensive silken curtains behind the throne and were lounging in a pile at her feet.

"I thank you, Your Grace. We were told you have the naval might of Essos under your command. I believe should we strike soon and use the Stepstones as a base, you have in your power the chance to crush Stannis' fleet in its entirety. My half-brother was involved in Stannis' plans on taking King's Landing and if we move against him—"

"Which we won't do," I interjected. "We are aware of Stannis Baratheon's plans and how he means to strike King's Landing by both land and sea. I see no reason to stop him should he not attack us. It's in our best interest to actively avoid his navy." That way he can set off Tyrion's wildfire for us. "Doing so will permit both the Lannisters and Stannis to waste their lives while we bind our time. If he does try to take Dragonstone or attack our ships in port, we will crush him. Rest assured."

Aurane's eyes narrowed to examine me. "You can claim so, Prince Aegon Blackfyre. But striking Stannis Baratheon will eliminate his power at sea, and he needs those ships to ferry his army across the Blackwater Rush."

"Which is exactly why he needs his fleet to remain above the waterline and not below it. If Stannis is in a weaker position, it'll only give House Lannister the advantage and that'll mean—"

"I am the queen here, Prince Aegon," Daenerys interrupted as she leaned forward with her queen's face. "I have the final say, and I believe Aurane—"

"Not correct, Your Grace," Jon Connington denied, his voice somewhat hushed. "I am the regent. Whilst I have been lenient, I have the final say, not you. Not until you come of proper age. Aurane Waters is correct. It would be wise to crush Stannis' fleet so it cannot be a threat to us."

I shook my head and tightened my hand into a fist. "I will not accept that, Lord Connington. We need Stannis' fleet to survive and lead the way."

"Why?"

"Why? Because of the Alchemist Guild. That's why. Do you think the Lannisters have been twiddling their thumbs, my lord? No. They have the Alchemist Guild producing wildfire. We're not the only people with the substance, and I'll do everything in my power to ensure our own fleets aren't subjected to such treatment. Instead, let Stannis and his men fall victim to it. Let them empty King's Landing's reserves so when we finally storm the walls, our men won't become green flaming cinders." The hall was silent when I finished, and I looked over at Connington. "What say you, regent? Shall we still strike Lord Stannis now or permit him access where we can lock down Blackwater Bay so whatever remains of his fleet can easily be picked off by our own? Or shall we defeat his fleet in the Stormlands, losing men and material there and then lose even more in King's Landing? What say you all in this hall? If you have the final say, regent, what say you?"

Grudgingly, Connington gave his answer to Dany's disapproval, and I was content.