-Chapter 97-

-Chapter 97-

-22nd day of the 3rd moon of the year 299 AC-

-3rd Person POV-

Early in the morning, King Aegon's army gathered in the ruins of the old port of Lordsport to await the arrival of the Iron Fleet, which did not take long to arrive, as it showed up early in the morning.

Viserys Targaryen, at the forefront, stepped forward and harangued, "PREPARE TO WELCOME THESE SQUIDS PROPERLY. THE KING IS WITH US, AND WE HAVE TWO DRAGONS WITH US. NOTHING CAN STAND AGAINST THE IRON THRONE AND HOUSE TARGARYEN."

"LONG LIVE THE IRON THRONE!"

"LONG LIVE HOUSE TARGARYEN!"

The king, slightly set back with the mounted unit, continued to watch all this with a detached air, expressionless, leaving complete control of his army to his uncle, Crown Prince Viserys.

Nevertheless, he gestured to the artillery officers to start preparing to fire projectiles at the fleet of more than a thousand ships that was heading straight for them.

"LOAD THE SCORPIONS!"

"LOAD THE TREBUCHETS!"

"LOAD THE CATAPULTS!"

The king had unloaded all the siege weapons from his ships at the port to sink the Iron Fleet before it had a chance to dock.

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-POV Viserys Targaryen-

"Are you following me?" I asked Bronn.

"I'm paid to ensure your safety, Your Highness," said Bronn, nonchalantly.

"You better do it properly," I said, giving him a sharp look.

Bronn rolled his eyes and then said, "I think it's time for you to let the siege weapons start doing their job."

"I was about to," I said.

I signaled the siege weapons to start firing without thanking Bronn, who said, "You're welcome, Your Highness."

I ignored his remarks and then focused on the unfolding battle. I was stressed because I knew this was a test from Aegon to evaluate my real combat situation skills. He wanted to see what I had learned from watching him and his war council flesh out their plans.

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-POV MC-

"Do you really think he'll make it?" Jaime asked.

"I don't know and honestly, I don't care as long as he understands what real responsibility and the pressure a king endures throughout his reign mean, and if he gives up the crown, that's fine by me," I said.

"And if he enjoys commanding men and the thrill of battle?" Sandor asked, unconvinced.

"Then he can command men when we conquer distant lands," I said indifferently.

"We should be careful, who knows, maybe he's the cause of all these troubles," said Gerold Dayne, placing his hand on Dawn.

I internally rolled my eyes because he never let go of that sword, holding it everywhere as if it was his baby.

"Viserys is not the cause of the troubles occurring all over the kingdom," I said confidently.

"Have you already investigated this?" Jaime said, realizing I was already aware of my enemies' plan.

"Hmm, unfortunately, they left a significant clue unintentionally," I said calmly.

"Why do you continue this war if you can stop it now?" Loras asked, in a confused and almost accusatory tone.

I shrugged and said, "I need to know how many people will remain loyal to the crown or decide to join the other side."

"They're starting to land," Jonothor said, drawing our attention and cutting the discussion short.

Almost simultaneously, Viserys began to give his orders, and a wall of soldiers formed, preventing the soldiers from gaining a foothold on the beach.

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-POV Viserys-

"They're coming," said Bronn.

"I know... SHIELD WALL!"

As soon as I said that, the previously separated formations came together to form a front line stretching over a hundred meters, and then I said, "CROSSBOWMEN FORWARD... ARCHERS AT THE READY."

I was about to order them to attack, but Bronn subtly stopped me and said, "Wait, this isn't the moment. Let them believe we're caught by surprise and that we have no counterattack strategy."

"They can see we're not; we've managed to prepare for their arrival," I said, irritated that he questioned my orders.

"Yes, but they don't yet know our numbers. Let the enemy believe we don't have crossbowmen for now. Less than a third of their men have started to land. We must hold until the entirety jumps into the fray," he said.

I quickly weighed the pros and cons. I had 4,500 heavy infantry soldiers under my command and 3,000 crossbowmen and archers who could join the battlefield as light infantry but only in case of dire necessity, and behind me was Aegon's cavalry, counting