Trials and Tribulations of the Oathkeeper

Chapter 158: Unbridled Fury Unleashed

—At Dragonstone—

Daenerys was absolutely livid; both Jaehaegon and Grey Worm had arrived at her quarters aboard her fleet's capital vessel—the Balerion—and not only informed her of Hand Jon Connington's subsequent betrayal, but also Daveth absconding with Rhaegal before the Dragon Queen had a chance to realize what was going on. With renewed hostilities, she rallied what was left of her armies and quickly made haste to the south atop Drogon before the rest of the royal forces could surround her. Her naval commander, Yara Greyjoy, was noticeably absent and hadn't been seen yet. With the loss of the Golden Company, she had no spymaster to keep her informed. Upon landing in Dragonstone, an emergency session was immediately summoned.

"The longer I leave my enemies alone, the stronger they become," Daenerys said as she laid down a stag figure on the war map, along with a kraken, griffin and sellsword figurine.

"We will storm the city, my Queen. We will kill your enemies. All of them," Grey Worm concluded.

"How long before the others get here? We've only been able to get a head start, but they will close the gap eventually," Jaehaegon mentioned.

"Two days. That's the best our forces can muster. The Oathkeeper's armies will have an even longer time getting here."

The Dragon Queen took notice. "You've heard my child being abducted."

He nodded.

"My own Hand has betrayed me. Yara is not with us, and the Golden Company has broken its contract – which is uncommon among other sellsword companies. A blatant disregard and clear violation of their agreement signed in Meereen."

"Your Grace, I can't speak for mercenaries nor can I comprehend what exactly goes through their minds – it's theoretically possible that whatever is left of the Golden Company's contract lies to whoever pays them to get the job done."

"And yet Connington was one of them."

"Connington was one of them," he confirmed. "I think that when Captain Harry Strickland eliminated at Storm's End, Connington seized control of the Golden Company for his own use under the pretense of restoring House Targaryen to the Iron Throne."

Damn you, Connington. First you lie to me, then you grossly underestimate my enemies... now you betray me. "Do you believe we're here for a reason, Lord Jaehaegon?"

He looked puzzled. "Your Grace?"

"I'm here to free the world from tyrants. It's what I've done since my time in exile across the Narrow Sea. That is my destiny and I will serve it, no matter the cost."

Missandei, who remains standing near Daenerys and Grey Worm, remained silent.

Jaehaegon sighed. "If that's your wish... then we'll do our best to see it through." His eyes glanced down at the war table. "To the best of our knowledge with what little we have, it could be a fortnight before the rest of the Oathkeeper's armies make it down here. In the meantime, we could use this to send a small scouting team to assess how many he has as of right now while at the same time doing the same with this... Euron Greyjoy's fleet along with King's Landing's defenses. I heard it's been drastically modified over the last few years, heavily defended along the ramparts; meaning if we do decide to launch an invasion now it'll be a bloodbath."

"How many do we have left?" Daenerys asks.

"2,000 Unsullied infantry; 20,000 Dothraki cavalry," Grey Worm informed her. "Combined with the total losses we endured north and at the hands of this Oathkeeper himself, more than half our forces are gone."