The Conqueror's Brother

Chapter 11

The storm had rolled in while the royal army marched to The Riverlands. Maegor led the charge on the back of his dragon Balerion, his mother the second in command on Vhagar. The rebels? Loyal to his niece Rhaena, who had replaced her husband Aegon as the claimant. The leader of this army? His uncle Maelor. The rebels were boosted by the men of The Westerlands. It was said that Maelor had sent ravens to every Lord in The Westerlands from Casterly Rock, where he announced his grand-niece as The One True Queen and demanded they bend the knee to her. Or else Cannibal would descend on them and make a second Dorne out of the Westerlands. Visenya had laughed hysterically at that while Maegor only grew tensed and angry. It was something Aegon would have done, was Visenya's answer. But that was all the men that Rhaena could gather behind her. The North, The Vale, The Stormlands and The Reach remained neutral in this war, as they had been since the very beginning.

A roar of thunder broke Maegor out of his thoughts. They were close to their enemies. He couldn't see well thanks to the weather, but he could feel it. The Riverlands were his, as were the Crownlands. But even with those two lands together, the rebels outnumbered him. The Westerlands were that vast.

Lightning flashed and Maegor saw the silhouette of two dragons. Another flash and he saw a larger one behind them. They must still be some distance away if Cannibal looked so small. But then another flash occurred and he saw another silhouette, larger than all the rest. There were four dragons on the enemy side.

"Meraxes" he heard his mother shout over the howling winds. Vaena had joined the rebel side. It didn't change anything for Maegor. He was here to put an end to this rebellion and return victorious.

The ground troops met first and immediately the rebel troops were on the front foot. The royal armies were not bad fighters, but there was almost double the number of men in the enemy camp. Maegor knew leaving them to be would end in his loss. But when Balerion went to descend on them, Cannibal was there, his claws sinking into Balerion's shoulders and yanking him away from the ground troops. Balerion roared in outrage, glaring at Cannibal.

"You betrayed me, Uncle."

"Betrayal? I never accepted you as King of the Seven Kingdoms' nephew."

The two dragons roared and charged. Lightning flashed as they met mid-air. Great beasts battled for dominance, roaring and biting at one another. Their riders grit their teeth pulling them away from one another before charging once more. The dragons were equal in physical power, and each time they clashed, lightning flashed or thunder boomed. The stormy skies were illuminated for a prolonged moment when both dragons roared and breathed flames at one another, green against black, clashing for dominance.

Maegor took stock of everything around him. Below him, he couldn't see the men. But above the battlefield, he saw Vhagar and Meraxes clashing, the latter being supported by Quicksilver and Dreamfyre. He shook violently when Cannibal knocked Balerion down with a slam of his tail.

"Pay attention nephew. You are as much in this battle as your dragon" Maelor roared, Cannibal spewing his green flames and sending Balerion crashing onto the ground. The men around him screamed, some rushing away in time while the unlucky ones died under the dragon. Maegor was unharmed and Balerion took flight once more.

The battle raged on well into the morning. The storm had subsided and the sun was slowly rising. Vhagar had been overpowered, but not killed. The great she-dragon was grounded, injured wings and all. Quicksilver, Dreamfyre and Meraxes stood around her victorious. Visenya had given her surrender and was being tied down by Vaena and a few Westerland men. The ground war was Rhaena's as well, the numbers in her favour bringing her the result. The only battle still happening was Cannibal and Balerion, neither of them looked ready to give up, but neither of them looked in the best shape either. Both dragons were injured, covered in slashes and cuts that were bleeding freely.