From Storms to Thrones (Part 1)

Chapter 39: The Clash of Titans

The two dragons stood side by side, their heads low, waiting for Rhaenyra's command. She held the child close as she gave the order, her voice unwavering.

"Dracarys."

The word hung in the air for a breath, then fire erupted from the dragons' mouths, a torrent of flame engulfing the pyre. The heat was immense, the light blinding as the bodies were consumed by dragonfire. It wasn't just destruction; it was cleansing. The fire rose higher and higher, swallowing the village's dead in a blaze of brilliant, searing light. The grief of the village seemed to ascend with the flames, carried on the smoke toward the heavens.

***

The dark, looming fortress of Harrenhal appeared on the horizon, its jagged towers and walls barely discernible against the pitch-black sky. The landscape was cloaked in shadow, but the faint glow of countless campfires dotted the ground below, like fireflies scattered in the distance. The soldier tents, small and numerous, stretched out across the plains, their flickering lights a stark indication of the force Daemon had managed to gather. A formidable army—loyal to him, not to Rhaenyra.

As I descended the rope ladder from the Cannibal's back, the air around me was thick with tension. My boots hit the ground with a soft thud, and the cold chill of the night pressed in around me. I took a steadying breath and rounded the massive bulk of the Cannibal, the beast's black scales blending into the shadows as though he were one with the darkness itself. My eyes found Rhaenyra, standing still at the edge of the hill, her silhouette stark against the dim glow of the campfires below.

She stood with an almost statuesque stillness, her gaze fixed on the sprawling army that stretched before Harrenhal. The distant flames danced in her eyes, and though her expression remained calm, there was a quiet storm brewing within her.

I moved beside her, the silence between us heavy, filled with unspoken thoughts. We both stared down at the lights below, knowing what they represented—the forces Daemon had amassed under his name. The enormity of the task ahead weighed on both of us, the sheer numbers making it clear that Daemon had managed to rally support where Rhaenyra's influence should have reigned.

We stood there, side by side, until a small, soft sound broke the silence. The sound was so innocent, so fragile, that it was jarring against the grim reality of our surroundings.

Both Rhaenyra and I glanced down at the child, and the weight of her presence settled between us. Orphaned, utterly alone. No family had survived the massacre, no home to return to, and the village itself was nothing but ashes now—barely clinging to existence. Rhaenyra couldn't leave her behind; there was no one left to care for her, no one left to love her.

But the truth ran deeper. I knew why Rhaenyra had brought the child with us, why she held her so close despite the dangers that lay ahead. It wasn't just out of compassion. It was guilt—a heavy, unshakable guilt that gnawed at her. The girl's mother had died in the massacre, a massacre that had happened under Rhaenyra's name, even if she hadn't given the order. This little girl, her future, her very survival, was now bound to Rhaenyra, and the queen could not, would not, abandon her.

I could feel the unspoken thoughts swirling between us, the burden that Rhaenyra carried as she looked out over the vast army that awaited. She was preparing for war, preparing to face Daemon and the consequences of his rebellion, but with each breath, the child in her arms became a symbol of something far more intimate. This fight wasn't just for the throne or for control of Westeros—it was for the innocent lives caught in the crossfire, for the future they deserved, for the child who now depended on her.

The sound of boots crunching against stone pulled both of our gazes toward the darkness. Emerging from the shadows was a stout man, his silver hair and beard glinting faintly in the low light. His eyes, sharp yet weary, flicked nervously to the dragons before settling on Rhaenyra.