Devotion (GOT Fanfic)

Chapter VIII

Act III of Devotion: Liberty

Chapter VIII: The Sons of the Dragon Part I

'Upon the finishing of royal burial of her eldest daughter, the queen urged her husband in bitter tears for her wishes of vengence. My mother had never been one to be so vehemently lost in her anger. Yet with the loss of her first born daughter, the roaring lioness raged with grief and anguish. My father had found himself despondent in the sudden shattering of peace and at the consequence of losing his eldest daughter.

As a result, it was not hard for the king to agree with his wife. The king had many ravens sent to the noble houses of Westeros that a declaration of war against the Ironborn was iminnent and that their banners must be summoned to be ready for a full scale invasion of the Iron Islands as soon as the fleet and the forces could be gathered. 

Soon enough, prince Viserys Targaryen had taken advantage of his brother's moment of grief and had gotten the confidence of Pentos and started a rebellion on the Stepstones. Promising his sister Daenerys to the son of the prince of Pentos, he had garnered much of their financial support to finance his hiring of sellswords and war galleys from the free cities.

This comes after Pentos had been snubbed by a new trade deal between the Seven Kingdoms, much influenced by the queen and the prince of Dragonstone - when he had been hand of the king. The new treaty promised that there would be a joint venture to discover different locals for spices and produce, after Pentoshi trade masters had made various spices expensive and inaccessible - which had caused a crisis for Westerosi merchants.

This had been prince Viserys's second attempt to remove the crown from his elder brother. The first had been quelled before it had even begun, one which the queen Leila had managed to convince her husband to rescind any punishment from being registered against the brother.  Leila Lannister expressed regret at her lacking with Viserys, but agreed that he must be put down before he becomes more of a threat to her children and the throne. The king, already deep in his grief at the death of his daughter, angrily declared that that his brother was both traitor and enemy of the realm and would be dealt with as such. 

The small council gathered and discussed the action of war against the Iron Islands and the vagabond that is prince Viserys. The sons of house Targaryen gathered as commanded by the king. For generations, the princelings of house Targaryen had been those who had taken to the field to defend the honor of the crown and do their duty to protect the realm. This moment had not been different. The sons of the dragon continue this honor.

The eldest, prince Aegon was tasked to lead the forces to Pyke, joining forces with our uncle ser Jaime Lannister. The forces were split however, with his heir Jason Lannister marching across the coast of the Westerlands to fight off raiders where prince Aerion Targaryen joined him.

 Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell and his heir Robb Stark would join later on, as kin and as allies. I myself accompanied ser Stannis Baratheon who was  to lead the royal fleet against the Ironfleet, along with us the Redwyne fleet and Oldtown's oars - as I know them closely due to my fostering as a growing boy.  

The king tasked the leading of the war fleet to ser Stannis Baratheon, upon the suggestion of the prince of Dragonstone. Ser Stannis Baratheon had been at one point the Master of Ships - a position offered by the king to broker a fostering of peace between house Targaryen and house Baratheon. He had since been prince Aegon's  trusted mentor and confidant in his role as master at arms in Dragonstone.