Fire and Blood

Chapter 104: Battle of the Gullet (Part 1)

The Narrow Sea...

Admiral Sharako Lohar, a Lynese admiral for the Triarchy, stood tall on the deck of his flagship, the Hydra's Lament. His piercing gaze swept across the vast expanse of the Narrow Sea, taking in the sight of his fleet of ninety ships cutting through the waves. Each vessel proudly displayed the banners of the Triarchy on its masts, a once powerful political union now reduced to a shell of its former self, a remnant of the past. But as his eyes scanned the vast horizon, memories from the past flooded Sharako's mind when he fervently urged the High Council of Triarchs to deploy the full might of the Triarchy's navy when Craghas Drahar invaded the Stepstones twenty years ago; however, his counsel had been brushed aside. The haughty magisters from each city-state, blinded by their arrogance, ignored his advice and boldly declared themselves untouchable to any external threat. In their eyes, the Targaryen dynasty had grown soft and complacent after six decades of peace.

However, they failed to see the danger that lurked just beyond their borders. In the end, the Triarchy paid a heavy price for this grave oversight when Aeonar Targaryen flew his dragon Vaelor across the sea and systematically laid waste to each of the Triarchy's powerbases one by one, enacting his Plan Zero in a well-coordinated assault. Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh - once the proud city-states in Essos - had been brought to their knees and were left decimated in the Young Dragon's wake. They never saw him coming. Sharako vaguely recalled seeing Lynese streets and buildings reduced to rubble by the raging inferno, shipyards reduced to ruins, and terrified people desperately fleeing for their lives only to be engulfed by the merciless dragonflame. But amidst the destruction, it was the ultimate betrayal that inflicted the deepest wound; some of the High Council's servants turned against them, slitting the throats of prominent magisters, sabotaging their military defenses, and opening the gates to Aeonar's forces, allowing them to storm each city-state. Unfortunately, Sharako realized too late that these traitors had been operating as undercover spies for Aeonar, cunningly embedded within the Triarchy's ranks to provide him with valuable intelligence from within, working in the shadows to ensure its demise. The Triarchy had been infiltrated, and no one even knew it.

Sharako, like many others, was left to grapple with the bitter truth that their downfall had been orchestrated from within. The High Council of Triarchs did not heed his advice, and they all paid the ultimate price. Aeonar Targaryen... you will pay for this. We have not forgotten! I lost a lot of friends because of you. My sons, my daughters, my wife, my brothers and sisters, all of them are dead. Gone, because of you! The Triarchy remembers. At first, Sharako was reluctant to ally with the Caltrops after receiving a letter from Lord Unwin Peake of Starpike. The idea of joining forces with another prominent family was a double-edged sword that could either lead to success or end in total failure. However, the promise of wealth, exclusive trading rights at King's Landing, control of the Stepstones, and most importantly, the opportunity to seek revenge against the Young Dragon and his allies, Corlys Velaryon and Daemon Targaryen, had ultimately proven impossible to resist.

"Ready your steel and strengthen your resolve," Racallio rallied his men, "Within hours, the Velaryon fleet will be shattered. And once we breach the Gullet, their stronghold will be in sight. Ripe for the taking. You can take whatever you can find, whatever your heart desires! Be it wealth, women, men, boys, or girls, keep it! It's all yours!"

"Hoorah!"

Sharako didn't like the Tyroshi general or his ostentatious behavior. "Keep your men on a tighter leash, general," he firmly reprimanded his counterpart. "I do not tolerate their meddling with my crew's duties. I will not tolerate any more of their misbehavior, their presence, or their having any funny business with tampering with any of my ships."

"Our ships, Lohar. You might be the admiral, but don't forget that Myr and Tyrosh are part of this alliance, not just Lys."

"I don't care if you're a general or a stable boy. If you can't keep your soldiers in line, then you have no business being here! It took every ounce of our stockpile reserves, drained the last of our treasury, just to build this damn fleet. We lost here, then it's all over. For you, me, all of us! So, for your sake, general, I will not let this chance slip through my fingers because of your unruly troops!" Sharako turned to his sailors. "Man the oars! Get those bolts up! Ready the scorpions! And get ready! Once we navigate through this blasted fog, the final battle will begin." The sound of thunder rumbling in the cloudy skies above drew his concentration.