The Unsullied waited for orders, as they always did. There were around 4,000 in Argentstone, the rest scattered across the lands, protecting the people. Jaehaerys would take only three thousand to war, a modest number, but taking too many could be counterproductive, as there was no proper way to transport them by sea.
He still felt some uncertainty about Euron Greyjoy. Most likely, the man would withdraw from the war, but what if he didn't? Jaehaerys remembered the rain that fell on Lannisport, the sea stirred in Euron's name, and he could repeat the feat once they were out at sea.
Then there was the matter of the horn that could control dragons, a mythical object almost from the invented stories of heroes. Victarion supposedly used it, but it only provoked the dragons and led to his death. Was it a fake? Did Euron have the true one?
"The men are already working on retrieving it from the bottom, although they don't hold out much hope," said Tohrren, looking at the lake. The man had had a rather lengthy argument with his brother.
"It was close to the shore... It's not impossible, keep searching even when I leave for war," ordered the prince.
"I can lead the men, my prince; you don't need to waste your time with them," said Tohrren, trying to sound solemn, but Jaehaerys caught all the hatred in his voice.
It was not hatred directed at him, otherwise the collar around his neck would have reacted, no, it was hatred directed at those born of iron.
"You almost lost Brandon," Jaehaerys nodded. "I almost lost my daughter," Tohrren's face fell at that. Jaehaerys put his hand on the Northerner's shoulder. "You're not the only one who wants to bathe in blood," he whispered. The villagers passing by heard nothing, nor did the men protecting the prince. Only Tohrren.
"I'm sorry, prince, I know the ladies' safety must be the priority," he said through clenched teeth. Jaehaerys could almost hear them grinding.
"Rowena will be back soon," Jaehaerys said. "She's been spotted a week from Argentstone. Men in armies move more slowly."
Rowena Stark had been relieving some tension by killing bandits and capturing stupid young men. Jaehaerys's lands, even during the war, seemed peaceful. Although more chaotic times would come, Baelish is not the only idiot seeking to profit from chaos. Banditry increases when lords leave their castles, too busy attacking others to worry about their own lands.
"When Rowena returns, take the men and go to Maidenpool. Your father or uncle will be there." Maidenpool had not yet been attacked, so its port had become a point of defense. Jaehaerys planned to let Rowena and Sandor protect Argentstone along Brandon. Qyburn was already taking care of his wound.
The prince planned to go to King's Landing on his own, while his army went to Maidenpool. He had arranged with the Manderlys for the delivery of their fleet, as well as additional ships to transport all his men.
Jaehaerys parted ways with Tohrren. The man seemed more relieved after hearing his orders as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Now the northerner was going to protect Daenerys.
He rode on his black steed, surrounded by soldiers; these were times of war, after all. He could not afford to die in a surprise attack. What were the chances that a man could kill him? Close to zero. But they were not nil, and he would not allow his family to be left unprotected because of his arrogance.
Jaehaerys would not go to Maidenpool, but to King's Landing; he would go with the royal fleet to war. During the journey, Aegon received more news from Varys: the Ironborn were regrouping and returning to their lands.
They caused chaos and destruction but did not occupy any major cities. They were not conquerors, nor did they have the strength to hold the towns if they wanted to. Jaehaerys did not know what other goal they had besides slaughtering and stealing. Independence? Who would accept them, not him, not Aegon, not the lords.
It wasn't brilliant, but it was not his place to ask why. Instead, he had to ask how to end it, and he already knew how.
He rode toward the Godswood. Inside, he dismounted, and a stable boy took his horse away. He rode with his men into the forest. He could sense their unease. They already knew what was there; they had seen it before. A few moons ago, no one knew the actual size of dragons. They could only speculate. It wasn't easy to discern their magnitude through flashes of light. Some proclaimed them as large as Balerion, while others said they had seen larger birds.
The truth was, for one-year-olds, they were enormous. As large as Daenerys' dragons had been on the TV show.
The dragons had dug into the earth; they had few activities in their daily lives and were efficient workers. They had created a cave under the Godswood where Blackfyre and the copper dragon slept.
Jaehaerys ordered his men to stop; he could not infer the dragons' behavior with respect to others besides himself.
The dragons... they had no place to rest; they really did it wherever they wanted—some preferred caves. The silver dragon, for example, preferred to sleep in an open-air clearing where the moonlight would shine directly on him at night.
"Moonlight," whispered Jaehaerys. It could be a stupid name or an incredible one. He didn't know, he didn't really care. It was silver, and it liked the moonlight.
The dragon suddenly jumped up, excited. The ground shook beneath its feet as it moved like a puppy coming out to greet its owner after weeks of not seeing him. Luckily, it was aware of its size, or it would have ended up trampling the prince.
Jaehaerys reached out, touched the creature's warm snout, and looked into its eyes. The eyes sparkled with innate intelligence, so human that he was intrigued. Animals responded to stimuli based on instinct. Dragons understood a language connected to humans. Other animal species could do the same, such as dogs, but they needed to be trained.
Dragons did not. Dragons were born with the ability to understand High Valyrian. They were such mysterious, magical creatures. It was a pity that he could not find much information about them; most of the data was about their growth and destructive capacity.
The dragon took a few steps back and then suddenly threw herself to the ground. Jaehaerys looked at her in confusion, then she turned her neck, pointing to her bare back. 'Is she ordering me to ride her?' wondered the prince as he walked toward her.
Jaehaerys climbed onto her back with agility. The scales were not as slippery as he had initially thought. Once on top, he held on tight as he opened his mouth to speak.
"Soves," he intended to say, but as soon as he thought the words, the dragon took flight. It was as if she were anticipating his commands.
Jaehaerys watched the trees rush by below, a flock of birds flying away quickly. Jaehaerys was surprised that there were still animals in the Godswood; one would think that common animals would flee from dragons.
While in the sky, he looked out over his entire castle. It wasn't the first time he had done so; he had already experienced that view from the eyes of his faithful eagle. But it felt different. With a dragon, he felt more powerful, more in control.
Jaehaerys didn't know how to steer the dragon, but it didn't seem necessary. The dragon moved in the direction the prince wanted to go. It even flew over the GodsEye.
The adrenaline rush was inevitable, the air hitting his face, and the sound of the flapping wings was exhilarating. He could understand how the Targaryens of old felt closer to the gods than other humans.
He didn't even stop to wonder how the hell he was breaking the laws of physics and how his body should be falling toward the ground. The air should have been pulling him off the dragon, but surprisingly, it didn't. Something was protecting him. It wasn't as if he didn't feel the pressure, but it wasn't that great.
Riding a dragon was incredible. He returned to the Godswood, and the dragon landed right where it had taken off.
Jaehaerys climbed down, his legs somewhat numb. He brought his hand to his face; the air should have deformed his face, and any insects should have hit him hard. But that wasn't the case; it seemed that the dragon's magic wasn't only directed at the creature.
Jaehaerys wondered what it would be like to ride a dragon in war, how the Ironborn's ships would burn with his dragon's silver fire. The calmness he felt at the thought terrified him a little.