The people of Dorne were known for their fearless tenacity, charging with such ferocity that ordinary soldiers couldn't withstand them.
Cole fought fiercely, refusing to retreat as his bloodlust intensified.
"Filthy Dornish bastards!"
Hailing from Blackhaven, Cole's father had served as a steward under Lord Dondarrion.
He had once participated in skirmishes repelling Dornish invasions and naturally harbored a deep hatred toward them.
However, the king's soldiers were disappointing and no match for the Dornish troops.
As more comrades fell, the Dornish gradually gained the upper hand.
Suddenly—
A crimson shadow swept across the sky as dragonfire scorched the beach, reducing the Dornish soldiers to ash.
Greedflame followed closely, his emerald flames dividing the battlefield.
"Greedflame, land!"
After a brief moment of thought, Rhaegar issued the command.
With both sides tangled in chaotic combat, further dragonfire would cause unnecessary casualties.
Greedflame beat his wings and landed heavily, crushing several soldiers beneath his claws before letting out a deafening roar.
"Retreat! Fall back now!"
Realizing they had no chance of victory, the Dornish soldiers panicked and fled.
"Warriors, pursue them!"
Cole beheaded an enemy with a single stroke and ordered the pursuit without hesitation.
Rhaegar frowned and barked, "Cole, fall back immediately!"
The Dornish retreat played into his strategy.
One blast of dragonfire from Greedflame would be enough to annihilate the fleeing enemy.
If Cole led his troops into a pursuit, they would only get caught up in renewed chaos.
Hearing the command, Cole raised his blood-soaked face to look dazedly at Rhaegar, his white robe drenched in crimson.
The soldiers halted their chase and instead focused on eliminating the Dornish fighters who hadn't managed to escape.
Most of the remaining Dornish fled toward the coastline, hoping to board small boats and retreat.
"Dragonfire!"
Rhaegar gave the order. Greedflame unleashed a torrent of flames, engulfing the retreating enemy.
Their agonized screams filled the air before they were completely incinerated.
"Whew! The battle is over."
Seeing this, Cole removed his helmet, revealing a handsome face etched with exhaustion.
---
**Noon**
The Sea Snake rested at Bloodstone Island, nursing his injuries. Weymond led the soldiers in cleaning up the battlefield.
Lannino patrolled the waters aboard Sea Smoke to guard against a surprise attack by the Three Daughters.
It wasn't until this moment that the fleet from Storm's End finally arrived, fashionably late.
Sixteen warships and two thousand soldiers sailed through the scorched sea, where emerald flames still flickered, before docking along the Bloodstone coast.
Rhaenys came forward to receive them on behalf of her husband.
Rhaegar, Lannino, and Tyland followed closely behind.
A small boat beached on the sand.
Surrounded by a dozen soldiers, a stout middle-aged man with curly black hair and lavish attire disembarked.
Rhaenys's expression darkened as she spoke grimly, "Cousin, you're late!"
The rotund man, with a loud and boisterous voice, responded, "Cousin, my father and I came as soon as we received the message."
Rhaegar gave him a scrutinizing glance before subtly looking toward Lannino.
Without missing a beat, Lannino murmured, "That's Borros Baratheon, eldest son and heir of Duke Beaumont."
"The idiot who can't read a single word?"
Rhaegar frowned.
Beaumont Baratheon was a remarkable and distinguished lord, whose life had been filled with extraordinary accomplishments.
But his son was utterly useless.
Borros, standing before them, was his only child—a reckless brute with a volatile temper who even needed a maester to read letters for him.
Rhaenys spared Borros no courtesy and stepped forward to confront him. "We sent the raven last night. You should have arrived this morning."
If Storm's End had sent reinforcements sooner, her husband wouldn't have been forced into such a desperate battle.
"Cousin, I came here in good faith to join the fight. You shouldn't be yelling at me!"
Borros's face turned red as he bellowed defensively.
---
**"Borros, you're delaying the battle—aren't you afraid of tarnishing the Baratheon family's honor!?"**
Rhaenys was not one to tolerate nonsense. She pushed past the guards and grabbed Borros by the collar.
Borros' face darkened. He glared at Rhaenys angrily but dared not speak recklessly again.
Rhaenys stared at him coldly and leaned in slightly, catching a strong whiff of alcohol.
In an instant, she understood what had happened.
**"Borros, you dared to drink while marching!?"**
Her expression turned icy, and her voice was sharp with fury.
No wonder the Storm's End fleet had taken so long to arrive.
Borros must have been drinking excessively, delaying their journey.
Realizing he had been exposed, Borros became both embarrassed and enraged. He tried to argue, **"I only had a few drinks—it's nothing."**
**"Shut your booze-reeking mouth!"**
Rhaenys snapped, her eyes filled with disappointment. **"Leave the fleet behind and take your guards back to Storm's End. I will send a raven to inform your father of this disgrace!"**
Her mother was born into House Baratheon.
Borros' father, Boremund, was her uncle.
Even Rhaenys' hair was mostly black, with only a few streaks of silver.
She never expected this.
With war looming, her cousin Borros had proven utterly unreliable.
Without another word, she ignored his protests and turned away.
The Sea Snake had already been injured before, and today he had taken another arrow—he was now unconscious.
As his wife, it was Rhaenys' duty to care for him.
As she walked, she turned to Rhaegar and asked, **"When will the Riverlands reinforcements arrive?"**
**"By tomorrow night at the earliest."**
Considering the distance from Blackwater Bay to the Stepstones, Rhaegar gave an honest estimate.
**"The fleets of House Velaryon, Celtigar, White Harbor, and Stormlands have already gathered. The rest of the reinforcements need to hurry."**
Rhaenys sighed in relief. **"At least the Three Daughters and Dorne's fleets have been completely wiped out. That gives us a chance to catch our breath."**
More than eighty warships had been burned, and nearly ten thousand soldiers perished in dragonfire.
The alliance between the Three Daughters and Dorne had suffered a devastating blow. They wouldn't be able to invade the Stepstones again anytime soon.
Talon quickly spoke up, **"We lost ten ships, and many others are damaged. Our food and fresh water supplies are also running low."**
**"Get the shipwrights to repair the vessels. As for supplies, send someone to expedite the shipments."**
Rhaenys was exhausted and didn't want to dwell on battle losses.
The past few days of defending Bloodstone Island had been relentless—constant patrols and fighting had left the entire army drained.
**"I'll handle it."**
Rhaegar stepped forward and said, **"The Three Daughters won't attack again for now. Lannino can patrol Bloodstone, while I'll take Greedy to Tidehead Island to speed up the supply shipments."**
Tidehead Island controlled the Gullet, the gateway between Blackwater Bay and the Narrow Sea.
With war in the Stepstones, Tidehead's many ports had naturally become a crucial supply hub.
King's Landing would send supplies to Tidehead Island, where they would then be transported to the Stepstones.
Rhaenys thought for a moment before nodding. **"That's a good plan. You'll escort the supply ships."**
She needed to remain at Bloodstone Island—she couldn't leave.
Rhaegar and Greedy could make the trip to Tidehead much faster.
And with a dragon escorting the supply ships, they could save manpower and transport more goods efficiently.
**"I'll leave immediately—no point in delaying."**
With his mission clear, Rhaegar wasted no time.
Bloodstone Island was littered with corpses, and crabs had already begun to swarm the blood-soaked shores.
Talon would handle tending to the wounded and repairing the defenses.
Rhaegar had little to do on the island.
Greedy lay sprawled on the beach, gnawing on a charred corpse.
Seeing Rhaegar approach, the dragon spat out half a body in disgust and snorted.
**"Let's go, buddy."**
Rhaegar climbed onto Greedy's back and settled into the saddle.
**"Screeech—"**
Greedy let out a piercing cry, spread his wings, and took off into the sky, soaring toward the Gullet and back to Tidehead Island.
**(End of Chapter)**