Chapter 14: The Dragon Ascendant
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The war is not yet won, but we have earned some peace here in Sharp Point. As both are now of age, I therefore decide it would be good for the morale of all if the wedding of Aelix and Visenya took place now. I order a wedding and feast to be prepared. In the midst of war and winter, this will be a welcome moment of levity for us all. Given that we are celebrating the close of the wars and a new marriage, I opt to spend lavishly on the affair.
The wedding is a great success, and the bedding at the end of it took place without a hitch, as far as I know. Aelix has sadly not gained many skills outside of his flair with the sword, but he is not shockingly incompetent either. With Visenya at his side, he should be okay.
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Finally, after over four years of war, the great Essosi Slave Raid on Westeros has been repelled. A white peace has been signed and the Pentoshi, Myrish, and Lysene slink back home in disgrace. We have little hope of recovering those who were enslaved by them during their long raids, but I shall be sure to punish the Free Cities when I am Queen.
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With the end of the war and a short period of recovery the time has come. I call my bannermen up and declare war on Lord Wallace Massey of Massey’s Hook. I could attempt to force him through intrigue, but who knows how long that might take? No, the time has come to begin demonstrating House Targaryen’s power, to remind people that we are not gone and that we will take what is ours with fire and blood.
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I am able to raise 1270 men in Sharp Point and another 1140 in Plankytown. Marching from Dorne would take them months, so I hire a sellsail fleet to perform transport duties. I know Lord Massey can muster perhaps three thousand men, so we are outnumbered, but it is a surmountable opposition with the aid of mercenaries. I hire two companies and bolster my numbers in Sharp Point to almost 2600 soldiers, which should be sufficient until the men from Plankytown arrive. I estimate that I have two possible strategies here: The first is to remain on the defensive until my reinforcements arrive and then strike back; the second is to strike now at Wallace’s soldiers before he can form a single force from his holdings. I recall the old texts which recommend striking fast and striking hard. Giving the enemy the time he needs to organize his forces is giving him an advantage.
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I order the soldiers south towards Stonedance, myself in the vanguard, Kennett leading the left flank, and a mercenary leader on the right. The mercenary leader is a curious chap, Riverlander in accent and manners, clearly Westerosi in appearance, but named of Hrazeffner, which I take to be a name from Slaver’s Bay. In any event the man has clear knowledge of his trade. I have instructed my half-brother Jacaerys to oversee the army in Plankytown and ensure their safe transit north. We shall arrive in Stonedance long before their forces can join, and we will outnumber those we find there. Unless we are particularly unlucky, we should soon rout them.
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The battle is joined! To my surprise Wallace Massey is missing a flank, a bizarre oversight which I mean to take full advantage of. It does not last long thanks to this, and we kill ten times more than we lose. I had hoped for a solid showing; I had not dared to dream of such a crushing victory. Half of Lord Massey’s army is now destroyed and a third of his remaining forces are retreating in disarray.
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After the battle I am brought news that King Alaric has declared a war upon the Vale, seeking to… take the province of Wickenden for Adela Waxley. What Waxley has done to win Alaric’s favor remains a mystery, but I’m nonetheless pleased as it means his attention will be directed somewhere other than his feuding vassals. It is preposterous that he would war against a Lady Paramount over such a small territory, anything less than King’s Landing, Highgarden, or Harrenhal would hardly be worth it, but if he wants to spend his treasure and blood on this venture he is free to do so. It will make my task far easier. What follows a couple of days later is a tremendous surprise and will do much more to make my task easier.
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King Alaric wishes me to join his Small Council as Master of Laws. Unlike similar positions I have held before this is not only prestigious, but a tremendously powerful role. In purely legal terms I will be one of the most powerful people in the realm, although how effective that power is depends on any number of factors only some of which are within my control. I, of course, immediately accept. I have no desire to openly antagonize King Alaric currently, and if he wishes to name me Master of Laws he evidently has little issue with my assault on Lord Wallace. More importantly the position will give me tremendous opportunity within the Red Keep. Not only will I be in charge of the gaols and dungeons, but I will have great influence over the City Watch and Goldcloaks, influence on the Small Council, and possibly the ear of the King. All can be turned to my advantage.
I inform Alaric that I will gladly take the position he has offered me, and that I shall ride to King’s Landing as soon as my war is done. Turning back from that particular concern I order my men to march. We outnumber the enemy considerably and we have reinforcements coming. Better to settle this on the field than being forced into long sieges.
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Just hours before we join battle, I am brought a message from Sharp Point. I worry for a moment as the messengers seems most urgent, but the news is wonderful: I have a granddaughter! Apparently the bedding ceremony went well indeed, for Visenya has had a child by Aelix, a girl whom they have named Rhaenys. I approach the battle with joy in my heart, and we again win, routing the Massey army a second time. They retreat south, towards Haystack Hall, and we again give chase. I estimate that it will not take much more to break their will and force a surrender.
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It takes less than I expect. We manage, during the fight, to capture Lord Wallace himself. This solves everything. I have him brought to my command tent and accept his surrender on the spot; Kennett stood beside him and glowered in a most intimidating fashion, his hand on the pommel of his sword.
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For the first time in sixty long years, House Targaryen has risen again in stature, prestige, and in power. I am now Lady Rhaella of Massey’s Hook, not merely Sharp Point. My vassals are Lord Wallace, who remains in my dungeon, and Lord Jaremy Wendwater, a personal friend who I trust greatly. I ponder the long-term fate of the area briefly, but I must wait for a higher position than this before I can distribute it.
Since the time of Aegon, the Crownlands have not had a Lord Paramount, but have answered directly to the King or Queen. I am greatly empowered by being directly beneath the King. Most of my options until now were curtailed as another Lord sat between myself and him, due to the legal considerations that position creates. As Master of Laws and Lady in my own right, the possibilities have opened up dramatically.