Chapter 2.1- The Seadragon's Roar

103 AC

“So what are you going to call this one?” Leana asked as we watched my latest invention come off the assembly line. The assembly line itself was one of my inventions. It allowed the shipyards of Driftmark produce ships just as quickly as the famed Arsenal of Bravos. House Velaryon ruled then waves and I would not see our dominance contested by a city of merchants and bankers. Losing my bid for the throne had actually been a boon in a lot of ways. For one, it had shown Father that I could be trusted to handle certain things on my own. I’d turned a sure loss into a narrow thing with a single speech and I’d put that same convincing spirit to work in getting his leave to work on my ships.

“The Red Queen” I said.

“No fair. You already named two ships after Mom. I want one named after me” My sister whined. Just looking at us, it would have been impossible to take us for anything other than twins. We weren’t, of course. But enough people made the mistake that it was just less stressful to go with the flow than it was to oppose it.

“And what would you see me name this ship, dearest sister.”

“Call her the Leana Velaryon” She said.

“Just your name?”

“Just my name” She nodded.

“That’s a terrible idea.” I said, but the smile on her face told me it was one she was going to be sticking by.

—

The Leana Velaryon came off the line to applause from a small crowd of Velaryon watchers and well-wishers. Complete, it was a stout, broad-beamed sailing ship. Reminiscent of what would have been a 15th-Century Carrack. Not like I knew how to build one from scratch but the Velaryons employed some of the best shipwrights in the word, and with an idea here and there, we’d been able to create this masterpiece. The hull was rounded, built out of overlapping planks that gave it a warm brown finish. At its stern rose a tall boxy aft castle with two steeped decks, made to make defending the ship easier. The forecastle was at the bow, forming a raised platform in front of the main deck. It had three masts, a towering main mast, a slightly shorter foremast, and a raked mizzenmast behind the main mast. Both the two prior masts carried large square sails hung from horizontal yards with the mainmast flying a smaller topsail above. Thee mizzenmast was rigged with a triangular sail angled back towards the stern, making it easier to steer and tack.

From the ships bow came a slender bowsprit braced by stays and hosting another small sail, yard swung almost like a mini foremast. Across its body was a forest of shrouds, ratlines, and backstays, acting as crew ladders and helping to stabilize the spars. For decoration, there was a single flag— a grey dragon above a deep blue sea. That was my own standard and every ship I’d designed would wear it.

“How fast is she?” Vaemond asked, looking at my beauty with awe in his eyes. The first things my assembly lines had produced were the kin of ships House Velaryon had made for decades at this point— Galleys. This. This was something new.

“My calculations say we should be able to get her about as fast as a galley” He snorted.

“At that size? Impossible” His disbelief was clear. The Leana Velaryon was the biggest ship in High Tide’s harbour, and it wasn’t even close.