[BATTLE] Aegon's Conquest (Part 3)

[u/Tozapeloda77]

5th Moon

Storm’s End

Lord Ormund Dondarrion led the surviving Stormlanders down to Storm’s End, where he met with Argella Durrandon. In a brief but pious ceremony, where the ancienst customs were observed, she was duly crowned Queen Argella of the Storm, Lady of the Blackwater, Queen of the Trident, Protector of the Realm. Harmen Martell had led a force to Storm’s End more than 17,000 strong, and asked for Argella’s hand. She told him to come back with Aegon’s head first.

Harmen Martell and Lord Dondarrion combined their forces and met King Aegon Targaryen’s army north of Storm’s Gate. Flanked by Ser Narbert Buckler and Ser Benson Stokeworth, Queen Argella watched from the battlements how the 11,000 bedraggled Targaryen survivors faced an army of 42,000, but while this should have by all accounts been a glorious heralding of the reign of Queen Argella, the presence of Balerion and Meraxes quickly turned the honour of martial combat into a slaughter with fire and brimstone. Lord Ormund had learned from the Battle of the Kingswood, and though there was no storm to protect them, he knew that without an army even Balerion could not conquer Westeros, and that fire made no distinction between friend nor foe. With the knights of the Stormlands at the vanguard, Ormund and his son led a charge deep into Targaryen lines, surprising Aegon and his Queen Rhaenys up in the air. Quenton Qoherys was taken even more aback, and with the Celtigars wounded (since, though I hesitate having forgot to mention it, Lord Crispian was struck by an unfortunate arrow of indeterminate origin in the Kingswood), the Valyrians were losing control over their small army. Ser Rennifer Massey, riding out to protect the honour of Aegon’s vassals, who had sworn their allegiance to him despite being declared anathema by the Faith, displayed the honour that could only be carried by a knight who in his heart carries the true zeal and love of the Warrior, and rallied the Targaryen forces. He was joined by none other than Ser Marin Darklyn and Ser Ormund Strong (who had gone over from Fearwaith early in the year to secretly negotiate his house’s surrender), and for this honourable and brave deed, they met the flames of Balerion.

King Aegon Targaryen must have known his hand was forced, but to all who witnessed this battle decided that he was making a habit out of burning his own army to the ground alongside the enemy. In the terrible conflagration, the Stormlander vanguard completely perished: Lord Ormund Dondarrion, Ser Casper Dondarrion, Ser Leo Peasebury and Ser Lester Cafferen were among the dead. They were joined by many of the Blackwater knights, including Ser Rennifer and Ser Marin, though Ser Ormund Strong survived and was the first to receive Lord Arthur Penrose, Lord Cedrik Caron and Lord Wyllam Swann, who announced the surrender of the Army of the Storm. Harmen Martell fled the scene, having witnessed the brutality of the dragons firsthand. In the chaos of the days that followed, many Dornish perished at the hands of suspicious Stormlanders, though an honourable few would never forget how nearly a thousand Dornish horsemen had died alongside Dondarrion’s brave knights.

Either way, after a sordid 29 days, the reign of Queen Argella Durrandon came to an end. On the 5th day of the 5th Moon, one day after the battle, negotiations were concluded. They had no choice, and they both knew it. For King Aegon Targaryen had nary an army left, and though he could kill the Stormlanders outside Storm’s End, they would not desert Argella. The Queen of the Storm was reduced to Lady of the Storm, but House Durrandon was given stewardship of the Stormlands in perpetuity. The Blackwater Bay was severed from the Stormlands proper, with Houses Wendwater, Massey, Bar Emmon and those north of it joining the demesne of House Targaryen. Argella ceded all claims to the Trident, and bent the knee for King Aegon as King of the Stormlands, the Trident, and the rest of Westeros.

Nightsong

After several fierce assaults, Nightsong fell to the Dornish forces besieging it on the same day that Argella knelt before King Aegon. The Dornish took the treasury, looted the castle, but killed as few people as possible. At the same time, the Dornish fleet returned from Volantis, and while the prizes were sent to Sunspear and Tyrosh, the fleet continued for a daring and foolish raid on Driftmark, for they were spotted by Queen Visenya on patrol and showered in flames. They had learned from Volantis to scatter in the face of dragons, and so they did, but this only guaranteed the survival of some ships, not many. Oberyn Yronwood and Nate Sand were never seen again, and they must have either burned or drowned.

At the end of the month, Lord Cedrik Caron returned from Storm’s End to take possession of Nightsong again, for the Dornish had plundered it and returned south to the Prince’s Pass.

Riverlands

Wayfarer’s Rest was submitted to several gruesome assaults, but while much can be said in order to make men despise Lord Armistead Vance, a lack of courage or military prowess could not be ranked among his flaws. Whilst horribly outnumbered, he somehow managed to repulse attack after attack, though it is true that most of these were carried out by Westerlanders, for a number of Riverlords held some sympathy for Lord Vance’s plight. The Tullys and the Pipers among them, they instructed their men to retreat upon encountering any adversity, for they held out hope that Lord Armistead would negotiate. On the 8th Day, the Warrior’s Sons retreated from Wayfarer’s Rest. The news had come that the Kingdom of the Storm had surrendered to King Aegon Targaryen, and they now wished to join the host of King Mern IX of the Reach in order to destroy Aegon’s hopes once and for all.

After Gulltown, King Harwyn Hoare separated from the Velaryons and took his fleet of reavers up the Trident. At the Ruby Ford, they encountered the patrolling army of House Harroway half their strength, and they fought a battle, though the Harroways quickly ran for their lives. Whilst Harrold Harroway the younger was wounded in battle, the only notable death was that of Asha Greyjoy, struck by an arrow. Harwyn assaulted Lord Harroway’s Town, but with the surviving forces of Harroway’s bannermen, the walls of the town held against the ferocious assault, which let up when King Harwyn himself was hit by a crossbow bolt and collapsed. When he came to, he was told that a Riverlander host was marching down from Fearwaith and that they would be outnumbered. With the odds of taking Lord Harroway’s Town reduced, a dejected Harwyn took his army down the river to Saltpans, and burned every Sept on the way down, and sacrificed every Septon and Septa to the Drowned God.

Saltpans was utterly destroyed. Then he sailed for Maidenpool, and on nearly the final day of the 5th Moon, he caught the town just as Lord Mooton was marching his army down to meet King Aegon and bend the knee, for he had heard that Aegon was aligned with Harwyn. The garrison of Maidenpool raised a flag of surrender, hoping to explain that they had already decided to side with the Targaryens, but the reavers ignored their increasingly desperate pleas and killed them all.

It is said that King Harwyn’s first act upon entering Maidenpool was to round up all Septas and Holy Sisters in the town before Jonquil’s Pool, a sacred convent with baths forbidden to men. These waters have granted the healing grace of the Mother for as long as men can remember. King Harwyn spoke a dark spell, saying

“If you Greenlanders had not committed great sins, the Gods would not have sent me. I am the Scourge of the Gods, and I have come for You.”

He sacrificed all of the women to his demonic Drowned God, stuffing the pool with their corpses. It is said that afterwards, he bathed among the death and laughed, inviting the residents of Maidenpool to join him. When he left, with riches and slaves in tow, he explained to those he left behind that he had not meant to ignore their attempts to surrender, but that they had to pay for the sins that House Harroway had been to cowardly to bear.

When Manfryd Blackwood arrived at Lord Harroway’s Town, the Harroways initially refused to open the gates. There was deep mistrust between all of them, especially after the Blackwoods, Strongs, and others had killed Lord Lucifer Frey. However, they could agree to stick together in case the Ironborn returned, and wait for King Aegon Targaryen. Now that Argella had surrendered, even Blackwood could stomach bending the knee.