Capítulo 37: Chapter 36: The Storm is Coming
Year 284 AC, June.
Three months had passed in the blink of an eye.
The heavy sky was laden with thick clouds, as if a torrential downpour was imminent.
In the distance, a storm was brewing, lightning flashing and thunder rolling, with fierce winds and pounding rain.
Beneath this impending catastrophe, warships spread out across the sea, silently cleaving through the waves as they set sail for the horizon.
Viserys stood on the second level of the Black Death's deck, facing the howling sea breeze, his silver-gold hair blowing freely in the wind, revealing his pale forehead.
The boy wore clean and tidy leather armor, with metal plates embedded on crucial areas like his chest and abdomen for protection. A short sword hung at his waist, and he held a bow in his hand, with a quiver of arrows slung across his back, looking dashing and spirited.
Below him on the deck, numerous soldiers busied themselves with various tasks, lowering the sails and securing anything on the deck that couldn't be stored away, preparing for the oncoming storm.
"The storm is coming."
"Your Grace."
At that moment, a hoarse, aged voice came from behind Viserys. It was Ser Joffrey, the commander of the Dragonstone fleet.
The old man had now changed out of his casual clothes and donned armor, as their destination was not far away.
"Why did you choose this time to launch the attack?"
As a veteran who had spent most of his life at sea, Ser Joffrey was no stranger to storms. Half a month ago, the skies around Dragonstone had grown ominously dark, signaling that a fierce storm was approaching.
Initially, Ser Joffrey had decided to have all the ships of the Dragonstone fleet remain in port for a few days, waiting for the storm to pass.
Based on the old knight's lifelong experience at sea, storms were not too fearsome. As long as they didn't set sail during the storm and secured the ships with ropes, the damage from a storm wouldn't be too significant.
However, for some reason, Viserys wanted to launch a surprise attack on the still-unfinished Baratheon fleet at Storm's End just as the storm was about to arrive.
His reasoning was that the enemy would never expect them to attack during the onset of a storm.
Moreover, they could destroy all the enemy's warships in one fell swoop at this time, dealing a heavy blow to their morale.
This strategy of striking while the enemy was only halfway prepared was more effective than harassing Storm's End from the beginning to prevent them from building a fleet.
And it would also allow their fleet to avoid the brunt of the storm's assault.
However, although Viserys was eloquent, his argument was somewhat thin and lacked substance.
Furthermore, this was a very risky course of action.
To everyone's surprise, after deep contemplation, the old knight actually agreed to Viserys' bold and adventurous plan.
So, the Dragonstone fleet set sail, fleeing from the eye of the storm at top speed. They passed through the storm-tossed Blackwater Bay and the Gullet, went around the Claw, and sailed towards the distant horizon.
...
In the beginning, everything seemed fine. The fleet had left Dragonstone early, well before the storm arrived.
However, as the days went by with the fleet sailing on the open sea, Ser Joffrey's heart grew colder, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.
The fact that they had been sailing for several days and had not yet escaped the storm's reach showed just how massive it was.
If he had not heeded Viserys's advice and stubbornly decided to keep the fleet anchored in the harbor, hoping to weather the storm, the royal fleet might have been severely battered and nearly swallowed by the sea.
Thus, he was curious as to how Viserys had made such a judgment, why he had insisted on the fleet leaving Dragonstone on a voyage during a critical time when the queen was about to give birth.
Had the boy foreseen that the storm would be unprecedented in its size?
"Did Your Highness guess something?" Ser Joffrey asked curiously.
At that moment.
Boom—
The waves raged on the surface of the sea, the surging waves crashed violently against the deck, and the storm finally caught up with the fleeing Dragonstone fleet half a month later.
Splash—
A torrential downpour started in an instant, releasing the pent-up fury of the past few days. The soldiers on the lower deck scrambled to secure everything in place.
Viserys stood above, gripping the railing tightly, the howling sea wind filling his ears, almost drowning out the sound of their conversation.
The boy strained to hear Ser Joffrey's words and then shook his head, responding loudly.
"No!"
"I was just guessing!"
However, Ser Joffrey was not satisfied with this answer. He held onto the railing, raised his head to look at the dark sky in the distance, rain pouring down overhead, fierce winds, and torrential rain.
"Oh, really?"
He then withdrew his gaze from the horizon, turned his head, and gave the boy a meaningful glance.
Ever since their first meeting three months ago, Ser Joffrey felt that the boy seemed somewhat magical, sometimes appearing very intelligent, yet at other times seemingly foolish.
He had agreed to Viserys's risky plan to set sail on an expedition just before the storm hit because he had received a letter from the Citadel not long ago.
The maesters of the Citadel were responsible for observing celestial phenomena. In recent days, they had sent letters to cities, islands, and ports along the eastern coast of Westeros.
These letters all stated that, according to the observations of the maesters of astronomy, the Narrow Sea was about to experience the most powerful storm surge in history.
A maester wearing a bronze chain collar had predicted that the largest storm vortex ever seen on the continent of Westeros would be centered near Dragonstone.
The Citadel had not changed its attitude due to the change in the Iron Throne. The maesters' purpose was to serve all humanity. Like the brothers of the Night's Watch, they were considered the servants of Westeros.
In theory, any maester should have no political inclination.
As a result, they had sent a letter to Dragonstone as well, conveying a warning.
At first, Ser Joffrey didn't take it seriously.
But as the terrifying celestial signs became more evident, Ser Joffrey's heart began to waver, yet he could not bring himself to make a decision.
After all, with the queen about to give birth, the fleet should be guarding the side of Dragonstone, strictly preventing any accidents from happening again.
However, Viserys's words were like the last straw that broke the camel's back, finally convincing Ser Joffrey to make up his mind and lead the fleet away from Dragonstone.
If the fleet had been lost in the storm, the safety of the queen could not have been guaranteed.
However, Viserys's words were like the last straw that broke the camel's back, finally convincing Ser Joffrey to make up his mind and lead the fleet away from Dragonstone.
If the entire fleet had been destroyed in the storm, the safety of the queen would have been at risk.
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