West and south of the Stepstones.
Led by Dornish guides, The Reach Fleet avoided the deadly whirlpools off the southern coast of Dorne and quickly arrived near the Stepstones, without delay in meeting Rhaegar.
Rhaegar saw various flags unfurled on the fleet, roaring in the wind. The House Redwyne flag, a cluster of purple grapes on a blue field. The House Tyrell flag, a golden rose on a green field, ever-growing. The House Martell flag, a golden spear piercing a red sun, unbowed, unbent, unbroken. The House Fossoway of Cider Hall flag, green apples on a golden field, always verdant. House Tyrell had many powerful sworn bannermen, but also many troublesome ones; otherwise, Mace the Fat Flower could have gathered even more vassals.
Mace Tyrell, full of ambition, commanded the grand Reach Fleet. In truth, his parents still considered him a child and specifically assigned a seasoned captain from House Redwyne to assist him. Prince Lewyn, on the other hand, commanded a small number of Dornish spearmen and Dornish ships, mostly light-armored spearmen, as Dornishmen were more accustomed to guerrilla warfare on their home ground.
The Stepstones were riddled with reefs, sea stacks, and winding waterways, which were now tightly blocked by wooden palisades and sunken ships, leaving only a few open areas.
The Lyseni imitated the tactics of previous Kings of the Stepstones, hoping to resist for three to five years, but the dragons came.
Rhaegar had already agreed with Ser Mace and Prince Lewyn to continue advancing, first occupying the nameless southern island as a forward position, with the ultimate goal of a pincer movement to trap and starve the pirates on Bloodstone.
"After the fleet arrives, draw out the pirates. Using the size of our ships and our crossbows and longbowmen to suppress the pirate's firepower, I will launch a surprise attack. We will clear out the surrounding pirates and then occupy the island!" Rhaegar instructed Mace.
"Don't worry, Prince!" Mace Tyrell thumped his chest. With such a strong ally, he could just lie back and collect points. This man didn't have many other strengths, but his brain cells were indeed insufficient, making him obedient and lacking his own ideas. Ser Mace didn't possess his mother's charisma, which might also be inherited from his father, Duke Luthor.
After giving his orders, Rhaegar once again mounted his dragon and soared into the high heavens, preparing for a decapitation strike.
The Redwyne Fleet was not small, which startled the pirates.
Seeing the Redwyne Fleet approach, the alarm bells rang for the pirates. They did not wait to be slaughtered but steered their ships out to meet them. Pirate ships were smaller and more agile, and the pirates, living by plunder, were indeed skilled navigators, but their efforts were destined to be futile.
As the pirate fleet and the Redwyne Fleet were entangled in battle, Rhaegar suddenly swooped down on his dragon from high above. The pirates were in the midst of their fierce battle when they saw the dragon diving down. They had no time to prepare, only seeing the dragon in the sky growing larger and larger, a trace of its dive.
The dragon soared high in the sky, now diving down onto the field.
Rhaegar's Silver Demon Dragon had a wingspan of thirty-two feet, and the other two, purple and black, also had wingspans of thirty feet. Observed up close, they were still awe-inspiring behemoths. The dragons shrieked and circled, their scales radiating heat; each dragon was a magnificent and terrifying beast.
Before the pirates' eyes, the Silver Demon Dragon, the black dragon on a red field, and the purple dragon danced wildly, and fireballs of various colors roared!
The three dragons accumulated power in their slender necks, and the dragon's breath brought the kiss of death.
Silver, purple, black and red, the fireballs were as bright as the sun, and as scorching as the sun!
The pirates and their ships were engulfed in flames of various colors, then red tongues of fire burned everywhere, and some ships directly exploded.
To catch the bandits, first catch their king. Rhaegar, using his Fire Sight, observed the situation below and, during his dive-bombing, first targeted the pirate leader's flagship. It was also the best-armed and most heavily manned vessel.
The three dragons opened fire together, unstoppable!
Rhaegar, riding the dragon, suddenly appeared before the pirates, causing immense psychological pressure. They had heard of dragons, but the dragons were too small, and no one had expected them to appear so quickly or grow so fast.
"Dragons! Fucking dragons are here!"
"Where are the Scorpion Crossbows? Get them ready quickly!"
"Scorpion Crossbows, spears, crossbows, throw whatever you have!"
"What Scorpion Crossbows? Run for your lives! These are three dragons!"
"These Lyseni bastards lied to us, saying the dragons were only one or two years old, smaller than ponies, and wouldn't come out to fight! Are these dragons really only two years old?"
The pirates roared in panic, fumbling about. The sudden appearance of three dragons made them both terrified and cowardly.
The Scorpion Crossbows and spears were shot crookedly, and with the bronze runes protecting the dragons' vital points, these harassments only provoked the dragons to greater fury.
Those crossbow bolts and spears melted away!
There were even pirate crew members who tried to throw grappling hooks at the scales on the dragon's belly, hoping to link the dragon to the mast and tear its body apart. But in their frantic haste, both the grappling hooks and the men were engulfed in flames, making no ripple.
The Silver Emperor roared in anger, sensing the danger and malice from earlier. Its two companions also began to shriek, the dragons' roars drowning out the screams of men and the crackling of burning warships.
The Silver Emperor's molten gold-like eyes filled with fury and fanaticism. The Silver Demon Dragon spread its wings, soared high, then swooped down, sweeping across the entire pirate fleet, silver flames burning everywhere, and the seawater steaming. The other two dragons followed suit, Balerion roaring with delight, its red eyes like molten lava, and Balerion's purple eyes revealing arrogance and coldness, as they too unleashed their wrath without restraint.
Only one master remained on the battlefield: the dragons! The dragons' breath, the dragons' fire, brought death, pain, and searing heat.
On this day, Rhaegar and the three dragons were the tyrants of the Narrow Sea!
The dragons were majestic and displayed great power.
Thick smoke billowed, warships became ruins, corpses filled the fields, and blood flowed like a river.
As the dragons rampaged, some pirates were burned to death, while others jumped into the sea, feeding the fish.
Rhaegar, in the sky, commanded his dragons to spray flames. Below, the Redwyne Fleet cheered, and the front line advanced. The pirate fleet was completely annihilated. After the Redwyne Fleet removed the water barriers and sunken ships, the fleet began to land on the nameless island.
The Redwyne Fleet completely suppressed the pirates emerging from the island and the waterways. The narrow waterways and wooden palisades not only trapped the enemy but also slowed down the pirates' own reinforcement speed and numbers, especially with dragon support.
This was the southernmost and smallest island of the Stepstones, utterly incapable of resisting dragons and fire!
Rhaegar commanded his dragons to shriek and circle. The few remaining pirates had no effective defenses, and the small island was quickly overrun!
The wooden and stone fortresses burned, and the pirates wailed in the flames. The scattered arrows and spears melted into liquid, and the dragons gave the pirates even more fire.
The valiant Dornish spearmen landed on the beach after the dragon fire and began to finish off survivors everywhere. Some of their spears still emitted a chilling glow, indicating the presence of venom.
The war achieved another great victory, thanks to air superiority, fleet superiority, and a well-rested, sudden attack. Rhaegar would not fight a losing battle; he would not let soldiers sacrifice themselves in vain. Concentrating superior forces and aerial firepower was the trump card of war.
A great emperor once said that water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it!
Rhaegar, riding the Silver Emperor, saw smoke and dust filling the sky. Even the pirates of Bloodstone must have guessed the dragons' arrival. But there were no reinforcements, and even if there were, they wouldn't arrive in time. The pirates on the small island were completely wiped out. However, attacking Bloodstone later would probably be a bit more difficult. There was no other way; the Lyseni hid in their turtle shells and rarely showed themselves.
Rhaegar and the dragons circled the small island three times, then slowly descended to the center of the island.
Rhaegar discovered his new title: Tyrant of the Narrow Sea. The Tyrant and the dragons together destroyed numerous warships in the Stepstones War, killed a large number of pirates, and inflicted huge losses on the enemy.
New flags were erected on the rocky island: black dragon on a red field, golden rose on a green field, purple grapes on a blue field, sun-piercing spear, verdant apple, and so on.
"Congratulations, Prince, we have achieved a great victory! Losses were minimal, a complete triumph, and the pirates' backbone has been utterly annihilated," Ser Mace said with a beaming smile, marking the first victory in the Stepstones landing war.
Prince Lewyn glanced at Mace Tyrell. This was clearly Prince Rhaegar's air superiority driving the entire operation; even with a fleet led by a pig, they could still push through.
"Yes, our great victory, Ser Mace! Prince Lewyn!" Rhaegar clasped the hands of Ser Mace and Prince Lewyn, showcasing it to everyone.
Ser Mace's face turned red, like a puffed-up fish. The Fat Flower was overjoyed; he too had won a victory, let those gossips talk now. Prince Rhaegar had air power and strategy, this was a divine battle.
On the small island, cheers erupted.
The silver-haired, purple-eyed prince stood in the center of the crowd, dragons flying in the sky. He was like the highest mountain, the longest river.
Rhaegar instructed Mace and Prince Lewyn to jointly solidify the island's defenses, to launch a pincer attack from north and south until they encircled Bloodstone, the core stronghold of the pirates and the Lyseni.
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