Chereads / Hugh Hammer (ASOIF/SI) / Chapter 4 - Jacaerys Velaryon II

Chapter 4 - Jacaerys Velaryon II

 "Are you sure?"

 "Positive your Grace" replied Hugh, slightly out of breath "I have

 them, here" he pointed to a spot on the map.

 "How many?" asked Lord Corlys, eager to know the strength of their

 opponents.

 "About ninety ships altogether, mostly galleys, some dromonds

 towards the rear, also several largish Cogs and Carracks. Galleys

 are a mixed bunch, single, double and treble rows of oars, dromonds

 are big fuckers…..sorry your Grace…"

 He waved a hand with a short, barked laugh "never mind Hugh,

 never mind… now, to take them, thoughts?"

 The council consisted of The Hand of the Queen, himself, Hugh,

 Addam and Nettles, Ulf was still out on patrol, Hugh had raced to

 where he assumed Addam was flying and had brought him back to

 Dragonstone, collecting Nettles on their way back in. Also present

 were the Lords of Celtiger, Massey and a few other minor houses,

 along with some Velaryon men.

 The dragon patrols had been running for three days before they had

 caught sight of the Fleet of the Three Daughters, and Jacaerys had

 been on the cusp of ordering the patrols stopped when Hugh and the

 other pair had appeared over Dragonstone with the news that their

 enemy had been sighted. It was just as well he had not sent Aegon

 and Viserys away to Pentos, they might have been captured by the

 fleet of the Three Daughters, and that would have been a disaster.

 He would not have liked to have faced the wrath of the Rogue Prince

 once the news of his son's fate would have reached his ears in

Harenhal.

 Jacaerys shook his head to clear his thoughts, refocusing his mind

 on the council, Lord Velaryon was giving orders to his men, the

 defences of Driftmark were to be prepared and the ships of his fleet

 at sea alerted, a string of small, swift vessels that stayed in visual

 contact with each other to act as message relays would be used to

 pass the necessary orders.

 Once this had been disposed of the matter of attacking the enemy

 fleet with dragons was discussed.

 "Stay high, as high as you can and still rain dragonfire on them, and

 we shall take out the Cogs and Carracks first, knock out their sails

 and they are dead in the water."

 "You dare, you dare order your Prince, you, you Ruffian!" sputtered

 one of the minor Lords, making to draw his sword. Ser Lorent

 Marband, the Lord Commander of the Queensguard and assigned to

 him this day, drew his blade and menaced the minor Lord with his

 sword.

 "ENOUGH!" shouted the Sea Snake "enough! Hugh is a dragon

 rider, and it was his idea that we even know about this attacking

 force. I will have silence, I will, this is a discussion for the dragon

 riders of the Queen, not for all and sundry, who know nothing of this

 art, to intervene, do you all understand?"

 When it looked like the Lords were being far too slow in responding

 Jacaerys knew he had to intervene "My Lord Grandfather is correct, I

 will have silence form those not of the Old Blood who have ridden a

 dragon, the only one I give exception to his Lord Corlys, as Hand of

 the Queen! Now Hugh, you were saying?"

 "Thank you, your Grace, the cogs and carracks first, we come at

 them from upwind, it will slightly lessen the range of any Scorpion

 bolt or arrow they might lose at us. We take out their sails, ignore

 their hulls. The reaction of the galleys and dromonds will tell us

much, if they cluster around to defend them, then we burn the cogs

 and carracks, for they are obviously carrying something the fleet

 values. If the galleys and dromonds ignore our attack or only

 dispatch a small force to defend the cogs and carracks, then we

 ignore the them once we have destroyed their sails."

 "And the disposition of the dromonds would support this?" asked

 Lord Corlys.

 "Aye my Lord, the galleys are arrayed in a crescent ahead of the

 dromonds, too far ahead to be able to support them, I think…"

 "Hrmm, interesting, and you say they are here?" at this Lord Corlys

 indicated a spot on the map.

 "There or there abouts my Lord, about five hours ago now."

 "They will be swinging into the Gullet, likely with most of their force to

 engage my naval strength, the rest will land at Driftmark, that's what

 the cogs and carracks are for, they will be packed to the gunwales

 with troops. The Daughters want revenge for my support of Prince

 Daemon in the Stepstones" declared Lord Corlys, Jacaerys noticing

 a nod pass between Hugh and the Sea Snake.

 "Hugh, anything else?" he asked of their most talented dragon rider.

 "Would that your mother was here and on Syrax, but unfortunately

 she is still indisposed… Against the galleys and dromonds remember

 they will have scorpions and archers and you will have to stand off

 and not get too close. Again, similar to what we would do against the

 cogs and carracks, come in from downwind, attack only the nearest,

 DO NOT overfly the fleet, that is asking for your dragon to get

 multiple scorpion bolts in the gut. We fly together, as a unit, we

 attack as a unit, concentrating fire on one ship each, make a single

 pass, break off before you get into scorpion range, and we climb

 away and reform for the next attack. Again, and again and again,

 that is how we will defeat this slaver scum, no heroics, no glory

 charges, nothing like that, for that way lies defeat and death. We

whittle them down, relentless, terrible, untouchable, and sooner

 rather than later they will break and flee, it does not matter how

 many we sink, if they flee, they are defeated, and we will let them

 flee."

 "That, that is cowardice!" sputtered the lord who had spoken up

 earlier "cowardice your grace, but what could you expect from

 a…..urgkkkkk!!!"

 The man's outburst was stifled by Hugh turning, taking a single, swift

 pace forwards and grabbing the Lord by his neck.

 "I find you lack of faith, disturbing…"Hugh said calmly, while the

 minor Lord chocked and gurgled, no one made to draw a weapon on

 Hugh, until Lord Velyaron simply said "enough of this! Hugh, release

 him!"

 "As you wish" replied Hugh and he let the Lord go, who promptly

 collapsed to the ground and started vomiting and gasping for breath

 on the floor.

 Hugh ignored this and resumed his place at the table, two

 Dragonstone guards lifting the minor Lord up and taking him swiftly

 from the chamber.

 "Why are we letting them go Hugh?" asked Lord Corlys once the

 hubbub has died down.

 "If we slaughter them all we will have won a great victory that the

 bards will no doubt sing about for years to come. But the Three

 Daughters will not hear of this song, they will only know that they lost

 a fleet, and they might be tempted to try again, to intervene is this

 dance between the dragons. But if we let a few escape, then the

 sailors and soldiers abord those ships will tell the true tale of what

 happened all across the wine sinks and brothels of Essos. And the

 surviving officers and high nobles will tell their families similar tales,

 of how it is not worth it to get involved where the dragons dance and

 duel. But all the survivors will tell of how if you try and tweak the tail

of the dragon you will get burned. And the next time the Three

 Daughters think to stick their nose into our business, they will find

 they have no stomach for such a folly!"

 Corlys Velaryon smiled a wolfish smile at Hugh and remarked "you

 know what lad, I'm glad you are on our side!"

 "Your Grace?" asked the Hand of the King, turning away from the

 bastard ex Blacksmith.

 "Seems like a reasonable plan to me, I have no objections….."

 "Good!" announced Lord Corlys, while motioning with his arms for all

 the others apart from the dragonriders to leave.

 Once they had gone his face turned grave and serious "Hugh is right

 Jacaerys, Addam, no bloody heroics now! Stick to Hugh's plan and

 things should go alright…"

 "No plan survives contact with the enemy…" announced Hugh, to

 break the mood somewhat.

 Corlys Velaryon gave Hugh a sharp look at this, the blacksmith

 simply shrugging his shoulders "all we can do is plan and hope our

 plans go right. We have the advantages as we have dragons, but

 they can be countered, all we can do is try and negate these

 counters."

 "And what of courage and strength, of boldness and bravery?" he felt

 obliged to ask of this former smallfolk, who maybe was rising too

 high and too fast above his station.

 "Save them for the songs to make maidens open their legs, you don't

 win by dying heroically, you win by making the other side die

 heroically…."

 With that they had broken up and went to prepare their dragons and

 themselves of the fight to come. Of Ulf and Silverwing there was still

no sign, but when he returned from his patrol, he was to be allowed

 one hour's rest and them he was to be sent out towards where the

 battle would likely be.

 Hugh insisted on sporting that ridiculous looking sheepskin coat and

 hat, he donned his riding leathers and cloak, as did Addam. Even

 Nettles sported a semblance of riding leathers, as each went about

 preparing themselves for the combat to come, within a half an hour

 of the end of the meeting all four were airborne and heading towards

 where the fleet of the Three Daughters should be.

 They flew in line astern, Hugh saying that it would make them more

 difficult to spot, and just below a bank of clouds that stretched to the

 horizon seawards, behind them Dragonstone and Driftmark, which

 he could just make out, were bathed in sunlight.

 Something caught his eye, Hugh was gesturing with his arm, a

 Myrish spyglass to one of his eyes. Jacaerys's mind read the sign

 language, another thing that Hugh had proposed, a simple series of

 arm movements that would communicate orders and observations.

 Jacaerys felt his stones tighten in his groin and tingles rush up his

 spine, for Hugh was signaling 'enemy in sight'.