Familiarity ||| Jacaerys Velaryon

thirty-five

The battle was undoubtedly in the Black's favour before it even began. Yet big egos and god complexes prevented the Hightowers and Baratheons from backing down.

"Boys and women," Lord Borros said. That's what they were facing.

And four dragons, if he cared to remember.

Still, they did not yield. Even when their prince's dragon was dead, they continued to try and fight.

It truly was a field day for the dragon riders. Especially once Caraxes and Meleys destroyed all of the scorpions and crossbows. Cannibal rejoined the battle and suddenly three full-grown dragons were bombarding the soldiers and bathing them in flame.

They didn't stand a chance. The only ones urging them to continue were their commanders. There would be no surrender. Not from proud men.

That ended, however, when Lord Borros and Lord Ormund were killed.

Lord Borros was ended by Lord Cregan Stark and his ancestral sword Ice. A swift death; neck met Valyrian steel. He would not yield and Lord Cregan was not a man fond of mercy for dishonourable foes.

And Lord Ormund was killed the same way his men were. Dragonfire. Ceaseless burning until he was nothing but ash.

The armies crumbled after. Never having been in a true battle, they weren't a match for the dragons or the other soldiers. And as more and more of them died, they realized that it wasn't worth their death too.

They were going to lose. Why make it worse and kill themselves as well? Maybe they could join the other armies or perhaps be sent to the Wall. At least they wouldn't die.

And so, hours into the battle, as the momentum was all on the Black's side, the surrender came. White flags waving, soldiers kneeling.

"We yield!"

Daemon would have preferred to keep going. Burn every Hightower and Baratheon he could get his hands on. But there was a rule that would come after the war. And he'd sworn to his wife he wouldn't be unnecessarily cruel.

He was forced to accept the surrender. To land the beasts of war, guarding the yielding soldiers. Daemon began the game of forcing every single soldier to either swear themselves to the service of the rightful Queen or meet their end by the blade of Dark Sister.

While her father played his games of power, Alyssa returned to Jace. By the side of his injured beast, Jace was looking a little better. More aware.

Though he also had another prisoner to add to their list. Daeron was alive and he'd been bound by Jace. The Northerners took care of the young prince, dragging him off to be kept guarded.

Alyssa attached herself to Jace's side. Many would note how much time the two spent together after the battle. And when history began to recount the Dance of the Dragons, it would be stated as the true beginning of their love.

No one knew what memories they had shared before. Only that the battle had scared Alyssa enough that she only felt secure when she was with her betrothed.

So much so, that Alyssa flew Jace back to camp on the back of Cannibal. Vermax was too injured to carry Jace right away; he needed time to heal his wounds.