Chapter 77: The Battle Begins

It was a calm and moonless night for the guards on the wall, especially for those stationed at the Dragon Gate. They were much more relaxed than the guards stationed at the Gate of the Gods and Lion Gate, which were on the western side of the city.

This was because the makeshift camp of the northern army was stationed near the latter two gates. Those at the Dragon Gate never would expect that in the middle of the night almost all of the army moved quietly to the northeast, leaving very few men at the camp to make it look like they were still in their camp.

The men left within the camp had made dummies and placed them near fires before lighting them, this would make those on the wall assume that there were many more men in the camp than there really were. Every now and then they even had laughed boisterously to make it seem that they were sitting around fires drinking and telling jokes.

They were close enough to the wall for the men to just barely see some of the camp, but not enough to be able to tell that most of it was all dummies dressed in clothes and armor.

The guards along the Wall surrounding the Dragon Gate were so relaxed many were even sleeping, they knew that after this night they wouldn't get much sleep since they had received orders that starting the following night they would have many more along the walls.

So when Jaime, Barristan, and the others dropped down from above, it came at a complete shock to the men. Before they could sound any alarm or send any signal, the group of ten men were able to slaughter them with ease. They never expected to be attacked not only at night, but so soon after the army's arrival.

Usually a representative would be sent before a battle to parley and discuss terms before any battle occurred, so this attack was completely shocking to them. Barristan was able to lead the men directly to the gates control room undetected, staying within the blindspots of the wall since he knew the city walls like they were his own house.

By the time the City Watch had realized what was happening, the Dragon Gate had been opened and the northern army was already inside the walls and taking control of the Dragonpit. They met little to no resistance due to the Dragonpit was not really defended since there had been no dragons for such a long time.

Aegon, Rhaenys and Egg had waited high above the city, using their dragons to watch for the perfect time to begin destroying the ballista weapons, since they wanted to keep the element of surprise as long as they possibly could. Had they began attacking right away with the dragons, they would've endangered the small group opening the gate.

Upon seeing the army successfully entering the city and making it up the large hill that the Dragonpit was built, the three began to rain dragon fire down onto the wall, first focusing on the covered ballista weapons then onto the men guarding the walls.

As soon as this began, the alarm bells resounded through the city, waking all of Kings Landing from their uneasy sleep. Upon looking outside to investigate, many had been horrified by the large silhouettes that moved through the dark night, only the light of the large fires that were breaking out along the walls showed the dragons as they flew by them, only to dissappear in the darkness until they flew by another flame or launched a stream of fire themselves.

The attack was so sudden that it took the City Watch a long time to rally in order to try to defend the city, it also didn't help that the attack occurred a few hours after midnight. Aegon had chosen this time since he knew the off duty guards would be deep in sleep at that time, which would make it difficult to gather their bearings.

Daemon was shocked by the sudden attack himself, he couldn't believe how quiet the dragons were able to fly. Had he not rushed out to his balcony himself and saw the dragons themselves flying around without releasing noise, he would've never believed they could be so silent.

He expected that such large creatures would make a lot of sound from flapping their wings, which would occur normally had it been some other animal or a young dragon that was inexperienced.

What he failed to take into account was that dragons were apex predators, one of the first things they learn when they start becoming large was to fly quietly If they didn't do so, then any prey they hunted would be able to hear them coming long before they could attack them.

Not only that but the three riders were able to perform magic that allowed them to reduce the sound made by the powerful wings even furthur. Fire magic had many uses, one of which is control of wind. By stimulating and heating the air, you can produce wind currents and make it easier to create thrust for the dragons.

Daemon began to also notice that they had been focusing on his ballista weapons that he had spent a lot of money and effort into not only building, but also placing them along the walls. He still had some stationed within some of the towers of the Red Keep, but those had limited firing capabilities since they were enclosed within towers.

They didn't have as wide of an area that they could be aimed to fire like those on the wall which had a full 180° movement range to aim, they fired from windows and balconies among the castle so they had at most 90° range of aiming area at best. Add to that their smaller size due to a balcony not being as sturdy as a wall, they didn't have as much power as the larger ones along the walls.

"GET MEN ON THE SCORPIONS NOW! TAKE DOWN THOSE FUCKING DRAGONS!" Daemon shouted angrily as he quickly ran back into his room to get his armor on.

Aegon, using his bond with his dragon to see thru it's eyes, was able to see the City Watch beginning to gather in the streets below. After informing Gerold and Arthur of the incoming army, he resumed his consentrated attack on the ballistas.

As he surveyed the sky he noticed Rhaenys' dragon Syrax make a quick and sudden barrel roll as a large object passed thru the air and almost hit the dragon. Syrax let out an angry roar as a gash had opened along one of his limbs, which made Aegon squint his eyes.

He could tell that had the object been a direct hit, Syrax would've been seriously injured or even killed. This came as a shock considering their scales were extremely tough and hard to damage.

Quickly flying over, he could feel his own dragon's, named Drakol, anger beginning to rise as he saw the large ballista being reloaded with a large arrow bolt.

"Go destroy that thing before they can fire again! But watch yourself as well Drakol, they may have..." Aegon started to say in Valyrian but was interrupted by his own dragon making a sudden drop as a large bolt flew by them.

The guards had began to launch bolt after bolt at the three dragons, causing the three riders to have to hold on tight as their dragons began to dance and dash thru the air to avoid the large projectiles.

Had they not been trained so well on aerial movement as well as being hard to see due to it being night-time, they would've been in serious trouble.

Seeing that they were unable to get in close to take out the weapons, doing so would leave them vulnerable to being hit since they travelled at such high speeds, Aegon called off the attack and had Rhaenys and his brother head to the Dragonpit.

They would focus more on the ground battle since they wanted to take Flea Bottom which was just below the hill to the east of the Dragonpit.

Flea Bottom was the slums of Kings Landing, rife with crime. It was a maze of twisty and unpaved alleys and roads, it's buildings were in such disrepair that they leaned over the narrow alleys, their roofs almost touching each other. But due to this it could easily be used to their advantage by utilizing the numerous alleyways to spring traps on the Gold Cloaks.

Landing within the Dragonpit, Aegon ran over to check on Rhaenys and his older brother, "Are you both alright? Hows Syrax?"

Rhaenys was breathing heavy, her dark hair a mess from the sudden movements and aerial acrobatics she had to perform to avoid being hit.

"He will be fine, we need to do something about those big ballista weapons, or at least take out those bolts." Rhaenys responded as she worked on calming down her dragon and inspecting the injury.

"I got a good look at those bolts, they are tipped with Valyrian steel. Where the hell did they get so much Valyrian steel to make those damn things?" Egg stated as he walked over to check on his sister and her dragon.

"I'm not sure, but we will find out once we capture that bastard. Rhae, you stay here and settle the dragons into the pit so they can rest, me and Egg will head down and help the men take Flea Bottom." Aegon said after giving Rhaenys a long kiss and smoothed out her hair.

Aegon and his brother then made their way with Gerold and the other Kingsguard along with Ned and his northern lords to take Flea Bottom. Upon making it into the slum, the air smelled of pigsties, horses, and tanning sheds, mixed with wine and perfume.

The men showed no mercy to any man they came across, they knew that anyone in Flea Bottom that was out this late were up to no good, criminals and rapists stalked this part of the city so they made sure to kill whoever they saw.

The Kingsguard guided the men thru the narrow alleyways and placed men at certain cross streets to be able to ambush anyone that came to attack them. They began to take over and secure all of Flea Bottom, including Chataya's Brothel which was a upscale establishment on the Street of Silk on the outskirts of Flea Bottom.

They knew many guards and even some nobles would be found within, which they were correct, after killing the guards and taking several nobles hostage they awaited the incoming Gold Cloaks.

The brothel was two stories tall, so it gave them a clear view of the large group of guards that were heading their way. Aegon had some men gathered the prostitutes and put them into the basement for their safety.

The battle soon erupted, the clash of metal and various shouts giving orders rang out in the night for hours. Civilians locked their doors and hid within their homes in fear, praying that the fighting remain outside their homes. The bloody clash went on for hours during the night as the northern army ambushed the guards as they tried to retake that part of the city.

By sun rise the streets and alleyways were full of bodies, northerners and Gold Cloaks alike. The roads were red as blood flowed down the hilly terrain like a river, a true testament to the fierce battle that had just occurred.

The Gold Cloaks had retreated back after suffering major loses from several fire balls and ice spikes that had began to be fired upon them. They were terrified by the display of magic the two Targaryen brothers had began to cast, eliminating large numbers of Gold Cloaks all at once.

This finally gave the northern army a respite from the fighting, it also allowed them to kill many of the Gold Cloaks who began to retreat, but Ned's shout had kept them from chasing too far from the area.

The northerners soon began to set up shifts among them, while one group rested, another would build fortifications, while the third group would act as look outs to ensure they wouldn't be taken by any surprise attacks. Aegon had also set a forth group to investigate the tunnels they had found under the brothel.

While the northerners were getting ready for the next round, Daemon and his generals were also making their preparations. Daemon was absolutely livid due to losing three quarters of his scorpions as well as his wildfire traps being absolutely useless. He comissioned more wildfire to be made from the Alchemist Guild, however it would take several days before they would be able to get more wildfire created.

The Alchemist Guild had fallen pretty far from a decade ago. After Aerys' death they no longer received many requests thus the number of knowledgable alchemists was very low, many of the alchemists had left to try to make a living elsewhere since the money hadn't been coming in like it did during the Mad Kings reign.

Not only did Daemon suffer heavy losses of his scorpions, he had lost quite a few men of the City Watch, especially when they tried to retake the Dragonpit. They had not realized that the northern army had taken Flea Bottom, so when they were ambushed along the road leading from Flea Bottom up to the Dragonpit they had lost a big chunk of men in a short time.

The northern army had lost hundreds of men while the City watch lost over a thousand, a crushing defeat to say the least. The moral of each side was like night and day, the northern army had all the momentum, while the City Watch was terrified.

Not only did the northerners have magic wielders, they had three dragons that could appear out of nowhere, a devistating combination within the city.

"How the fuck did this happen? I told you to watch the northern army for any movement, bring me the man in charge of the wall for the Lion Gate and Gate of the Gods! If they don't give a satisfactory answer as to why no one was notified of not only a obvious large movement of the army itself, but three dragons were able to move freely over my city." Daemon angrily demanded.

Jonas Slynt, quickly answered Daemon, "My King, they did watch the Northern camp, however due to a moonless night, they only had the fires from the enemy camp to use as a means to see the camp. They report seeing men all night within the camp, it was impossible to notice any other movement they made."

As Daemon and his men discuss what happened, outside the Red Keep, word spread fast regarding what had happened and many people began to grow fearful. They now knew that three dragons were within the city along with an army of northerners, not only that but the Targaryens had command over real magic.

Many attempted to leave the city, however they were stopped by the City Watch at the gates. Upon learning that King Daemon had issued an order that none may leave, the commoners began to talk amongst themselves.

They believed that he wanted to use them as shields, cannon fodder to protect himself against the Targaryens who have come to reclaim the throne.

As this was going on, the northern army was also mapping out the labyrinth of underground tunnels that ran all over Kings Landing, the brothel they were using during the night was connected to these tunnels.

The brothel had access to these tunnels thanks to a Hand of the King long ago commissioning it to be connected to them so he could visit the brothel in secret. They found passages into the various districts within the city.

What they also discovered was large caches of wildfire. These caches were from the days of the Mad King Aerys himself, he had planned to use these to burn the whole city down during Tywin's sacking of the city. Upon learning of these hidden stockpiles of wildfire, rather than take them and relocate them, Aegon planned to use them in a way far more deadlier than their intended purpose.

Using the tunnels to sneak around the city, he had his men begin to spread rumors that Daemon planned to burn down the entire city, that he would rather destroy the realm than to lose power over it. They spoke of the Blackfyres history of betrayal and lust for what didn't belong to them, of four failed rebellions that made the Blackfyres mad from failure.

This would slowly began to worsen the environment within Kings Landing, creating a tension that could be felt throughout the city more and more as the days went on.