Chapter 12.4- The Seadragon's Roar

“What do you think would happen if we fought here?” He asked, unknowingly echoing the question I’d been wondering about earlier.

“One of us would die. Both of our dragons would probably be too injured to continue this war. Whoever wins would probably be exiled— either to the Wall or to Esso’s” I said simply, staring him down. I wasn’t completely certain that I didn’t just want to risk it regardless. Something about this man’s face, his bearing, his whole existence got on my nerves. Maybe it was the arrogance. He was the perfect example of undeserved arrogance because what was he in truth— an above average fighter who just happened to fall out from the right pair of legs. He’d lost to Criston Cole proving that he wasn’t the greatest warrior of the age. He mutual suicided along with Aemon, proving he wasn’t the undisputed greatest dragon rider either. And yet, he held himself like god’s gift to mankind. This man whose greed, selfishness, and stupidity would play a massive role in the realm’s burning.

“Indeed. But whoever? What whoever? I would win, boy”

“Want to find that out for ourselves?” I challenged again. I could feel Igneel rearing up beneath me. Just like me, he was ready for a fight. We trained day and night while Caraxes gorged himself on sheep and peasants. He was bigger and definitely stronger, but we were faster, and I’d bet our flames again the Blood Wyrm’s any day.

Maybe it was something he saw in my eyes. Maybe it was the understanding that if we fought here there would be no true winner, but Daemon harrumphed and turned about, leaving on his dragon and continuing to shadow his fleet. I considered it then. If we attacked now, there would be no chance of him reacting in time. We could take Daemon out in one swoop and outrun Caraxes with little difficulty. I looked beneath us. There was a fleet filled with men who wouldn’t hesitate to spread word of what happened. Taking down Daemon was possible, I just had to do it with the knowledge that it would be the end of my own life as well.

And a draw was no true victory. I turned about and left. My orders had been to protect the fleet, but if Daemon was there, there was no point either way. Say what you would about him, but he was at least competent enough to burn some pirates. Besides, Igneel and I had been flying for hours now and could do with a bit of rest before we had to get in the skies again.

—

Daemon had started the assault on Bloodstone some hours ago, our scout reported after making the journey between islands on Caravel. We were sitting, our fleet at least, behind an outcropping of rocks that kept us from view of those who called Grey Gallows their home. While the island did not have as many natural caves or protections as Bloodstone, it was still a large island and one of the few with a sizable forest for the pirates to retreat to. We wanted to give them as little warning as we could. That way they would have less time to run about and give us a harder time.

I waited patiently by Igneel’s side as we watched Corlys get the fleet in order and prepare to attack. Grey Gallows was a large island but was almost impossible to attack from the South as it as guarded by the outcropping of rocks that we presently moored behind. That meant that thee Pirate King who called this place home had placed the bulk of their shipbuilding facilities here rather than on any other area in the island.Those shipbuilding facilities would be one of the first things we seized on the island and would act as the launching point for our full scale invasion. That was why when Corlys blew the born, Igneel and I shot into the air, planning to start the attack from the East.

The shipyard, while far from the quality of ours or even the Bravosi’s was at least something and that meant that we could not risk destroying it. Not when it would be much harder and less efficient to build a new one from scratch all over again. We banked left and got to see one of the many shanty towns on this island. Another difference between Grey Gallows and Bloodstone was that despite the latter’s smaller size, it had a much larger population. Probably because of the forest to sustain some hunting and gathering, and the fact that the pirate king that called this place home was less stupid than the average pirate and less prone to killing an torturing people for no reason.

We turned towards the town, and I took a deep breath. There was only one policy that we would be enacting when it came to these islands for ur pacification— scorched earth. As long as there are those who remember the old, then there can be no acceptance of the new. “Dracarys”, I roared.