Capítulo 424: Chapter 424: Aemond’s Petty Thoughts
"Sheepstealer, focus on the soldiers at the city's head first!" Aemond commanded, abandoning his attempt to attack the archers.
The Sheepstealer's dragon head turned upward, reversing its direction, and it unleashed a torrent of Dragonfire toward the Dornish soldiers defending the city.
Boom...
The brown, mud-colored Dragonfire cascaded down, igniting the oil with a loud bang and setting the rolling logs ablaze. A brilliant blood-red glow illuminated the gray city walls.
"Hahahaha..."
Above the blood and fire, the ugly, rotting mud dragon soared back and forth, accompanied by Aemond's reckless laughter.
Whoosh! Whoosh! In an instant, several steel spears flew towards Sheepstealer, attempting to level the playing field.
The Sheepstealer dodged nimbly, roaring in defiance.
Suddenly, there was a commotion on the walls. Dornish soldiers shoved a dozen old and infirm women and children towards the edge.
The Dornish officer hid behind the women's wall and shouted vilely, "Retreat at once, or we'll kill all the prisoners!"
With that, the dozen old and weak women and children were pushed forward by spears.
Below the city wall, the Storm Knights hesitated and looked up at the group of captives.
Seeing the familiar faces, many of them broke into curses of disdain and anger.
"Dracarys!" Aemond was too lazy to waste time negotiating.
"Roar..."
Sheepstealer swooped down and unleashed a mouthful of Dragonfire onto the city wall.
With a pop, the explosion sent up a mushroom cloud of smoke and fire, engulfing the captives.
Before the Dornish could react, Sheepstealer circled back and sprayed Dragonfire again.
Boom...
Dozens of Dornish soldiers were incinerated, leaving charred remains.
The speed of this attack caught everyone off guard. Soldiers on both sides were stunned, not expecting the captives to die so quickly.
"What are you waiting for? Attack the city!" Aemond crouched on Sheepstealer's back, urging his troops forward.
The siege reached a climax.
The Dornish soldiers defended the city, while the Storm Knights attacked with renewed vigor.
A fierce stalemate formed between the siege wagon and the city gate.
Aemond and Sheepstealer's assaults caused significant casualties.
Despite this, the Dornish held their ground, delaying the Storm Knights' breakthrough.
As time passed, casualties on both sides mounted.
"Roar--"
A pitch-black dragon shadow suddenly appeared, diving headlong through the clouds, trailing rolling green fire.
A cold voice, like that of a waxing moon in winter, rang out.
"Retreat!"
An aura of ashes swept across Stonehelm, causing Sheepstealer to turn its head in fear and flee with its rider.
"What are you doing? Don't run away!" Aemond was confused, struggling to comprehend the abrupt retreat.
The earth shook as infernal green flames formed a massive fireball, crashing into the gray city wall like a meteorite.
In an instant, the wall seemed to melt and collapse, resembling a candle disintegrating under intense heat.
"Roar!"
Another thunderous dragon roar echoed through the battlefield as a blue dragon burst forth from the churning clouds above.
Helaena, her expression firm, shouted, "Dracarys!"
Dreamfyre's sleek and well-proportioned body darted down like a streak, unleashing Dragonfire.
Miserable screams followed as a group of archers hiding in the shadows were incinerated into ash.
It was midday, and three massive dragons hovered in the air, each a different color, like three blazing suns.
Aemond stared in astonishment at his siblings who had appeared out of nowhere.
Rhaegar shot him a stern look and admonished, "What are you staring at? Focus on the battle! I'll deal with you later!"
"Huh?" Aemond stammered, feeling a pang of fear.
Dreamfyre brushed past Sheepstealer, andHelaena, tense and determined, warned, "You're in trouble now."
"Don't..." Aemond extended a hand, trying toexplain himself.
Helaena shook her head, her expression cold, and flew away on Dreamfyre, not wanting to waste time on her brother.
The siege was far from over, and there was no time to deal with sibling squabbles.
Aemond turned to Rhaegar with a pleading look, as if to say, "What did I do wrong?"
"Roar-"
Cannibal didn't give him a chance to ponder, ascending high into the air before diving back down with a powerful swoop.
Rhaegar's expression remained calm, his hair whipping about as if it had a life of its own.
Boom--
The black dragon hovered in mid-air, its massive form blocking out the sun before landing steadily on its hind feet just a dozen meters from the ground.
Dust billowed, enveloping the battlefield.
The Storm Knights trembled, momentarily forgetting to continue their assault in the presence of the formidable dragon.
Rhaegar raised his chin and commanded, "Get out of the way!"
The Storm Knights quickly scattered in all directions, abandoning even the siege weapons.
Rhaegar felt a surge of satisfaction and patted the back of his pitch-black dragon.
"Roar--"
Cannibal roared mightily, its powerful tail whipping forward like a battering ram.
With one swift blow, the city gate shattered into rubble.
"Gulp~"
The Storm Knights stared wide-eyed, swallowing hard to suppress their awe.
The solid wood doors splintered into pieces, and the reinforced iron crumbled, reducing the once formidable gate to tatters in seconds.
Rhaegar roared, "The city is breached! Charge!"
"Long live the Young Dragonlord!"
"Long live the prince!"
The Storm Knights cheered and surged into the city with their massive shields held high.
Fighting for the Targaryens was exhilarating.
The dragons made the battle seem almost effortless.
Rhaegar watched in silence, instructing Cannibal to take to the skies for an aerial assault.
"Roar..."
Cannibal let out a low growl, its tail lashing wildly.
Fortunately, the city gate was not as sturdy as it appeared, otherwise, the dragon's wings might have been injured.
Rhaegar gave the dragon a knowing look, indicating he understood its impatience.
He had intended for Dragonfire to clear the way, but Cannibal's brute force was equally effective.
After a moment, the black dragon soared back into the air.
Dreamfyre and Sheepstealer's coordinated attacks had already dealt devastating blows to the defending soldiers.
The spectral green Dragonfire rained down, and the battle quickly turned in favor of the Targaryens.
"Run, the dragons are coming!"
"To the secret passage, quickly!"
The city was engulfed in flames, and the Dornish soldiers' cries of anguish filled the air as they fled, their bodies ablaze.
...
As night fell, Rhaegar, clad in black robes, strode purposefully through the gray city walls. His siblings, Helaena and Aemond, trailed behind him like shadows. Helaena wore a green cloak over her black attire, while Aemond, similarly dressed in green, kept his head bowed, looking defeated.
Helaena remained silent, occasionally muttering to herself. Aemond, feeling his brother's displeasure, dared not utter a word.
The siblings walked past storm warriors who were diligently cleaning up the battlefield. Outside the city, under the moonlight, a massive green bonfire illuminated the night a a black dragon breathed Dragonfire onto a mountain of faceless soldiers.
"Prince, the headcount is complete," a tall officer reported, approaching Rhaegar.
Rhaegar halted and inquired, "How many?"
The officer hesitated before responding, "More than two thousand three hundred Dornish were killed in battle. We captured three thousand five hundred, including dozens of nobles and knights."
Rhaegar frowned. "There were at least ten thousand men besieging Stonehelm."
The officer lowered his head guiltily and whispered, "Hundreds are said to have escaped through secret passages and are still being tracked down. Additionally, a group looted properties near Stonehelm and smuggled them away in advance."
The Dornish, like locusts, had ravaged everything in their path. From Crow's Nest in the north to Mistwood in the east, numerous towns had been plundered.
Rhaegar sighed darkly, recognizing the ruthlessness of the Dornish strategy. "Qoren is truly ruthless," he muttered, grudgingly respecting the Prince of Dorne's tactics.
The officer then asked, "Prince, the dungeon is full. Do we need to build temporary prisons?"
"Are they worthy?" Rhaegar's gaze turned icy. "Detain the nobles and knights. Execute all ordinary prisoners of war."
Nobles were often kept for prisoner exchanges, but Rhaegar had no patience for ordinary soldiers. If they sought death, he would grant it to them.
The officer, feeling the intensity of Rhaegar's stare, quickly retreated. "Yes, Prince."
Rhaegar glanced at his siblings and commanded, "Follow me."
...
Inside the castle, the three siblings walked in silence toward the hospitality hall. Aemond, visibly anxious, finally spoke up, "Brother, why did you suddenly come?" Then he turned to Helaena, pleading, "Sister."
Helaena, clearly uninterested in intervening, edged away, fearing what was to come.
Rhaegar suddenly stopped and turned, his gaze sharp as he addressed Aemond. "Lord Swann was killed in battle, Olyvar Yronwood escaped, and the House Swann captives were burned alive by you," he said, his tone even, merely stating the facts.
"I didn't mean to..." Aemond stammered, his voice small.
"Not on purpose? Then what was on purpose?" Rhaegar's voice rose, and he lifted his hand high.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think that General Dorn would run," Aemond closed his eyes, bracing for impact.
Thump.
A breeze brushed past his ear, and the large hand landed not so lightly on his shoulder. Aemond shivered, slowly opening his eyes to find Rhaegar's face calm, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
"Brother," Aemond mumbled.
"Aemond, I rarely beat you; Aegon experienced more of that," Rhaegar began. "In my opinion, you should be a smart kid, as evidenced by the way you lined up your troops and commanded the siege."
Without the help of a commander, Aemond led an army alone to defend Rainwood.
The attack on the city today was also fought with ferocity, even if the casualties were high, the city would fall sooner or later.
In war alone, the boy proved himself far more talented than Aegon, who neglected his education.
Aemond remained silent.
Rhaegar continued, his voice laced with frustration, "Lord Swann died in battle, your reputation stinks, and the House Swann prisoners of war were killed by you. The royal family's reputation will be implicated by your actions."
No matter how powerful a ruler, the loyalty of his subjects is essential.
It was a very dishonorable move for Aemond to deliberately delay the battle and ignore the deaths of his allies in the midst of a war.
Ask yourself, who would serve a narrow-minded tyrant who caused the death of people and the destruction of their homes?
Aemond's selfish desires not only tarnished his future reputation in the Stormlands but also brought dishonor to the Targaryen name.
Aemond's eyes flickered as he sought help from his sister, but Helaena remained indifferent.
Rhaegar cupped his brother's face, his voice icy, "Aemond, do you even know what you're doing?"
Aemond trembled, his lips quivering, "I..."
He knew he was wrong but couldn't control his desire for revenge. A minor lord had disrespected him, and it had always gnawed at him.
Rhaenyra and Rhaegar had their own fiefdoms and the support of the princes and advisors. Even Aegon had a fiefdom and a castle built by their elder brother.
Free city-states like Myr and Lys were out of reach, and the royal family had no land left to divide into fiefs. After much thought, Aemond set his sights on Stonehelm.
When Dorne's rebellion started, with Rhaegar's nature, it was inevitable that he would subdue Dorne. By occupying Stonehelm, Aemond aimed to gain war credit.
Once Dorne was pacified, Stonehelm's harbor, connected to the Stepstones Islands and the Triarchy, would control Cape Wrath, the lower half of the Narrow Sea, and the sea routes of the Disputed Land. It would ensure a prosperous future in seafaring trade.
(Word count: 1,911)
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