Halfhand's Legacy: A Dance of Dragons - A Self-Insert Tale

129 AC

Jacaerys looked out of the Chamber of the Painted Table, he could see the Velaryon fleet harboured outside while Vermax and Moondancer flew overhead circling each other. If only things in life were as simple as Vermax and Moondancer dancing around each other.

The war had just begun, he had scarcely arrived and already it seemed that everyone had lost hope then a word from the Reach and the Vale arrived making it take a turn for the worse, he sighed before turning back inside, Baela, Rhaena, Joffrey, Grandfather Corlys and Grandmother Rhaenys, Grand Maester Gerardys, Lord Commander Steffon Darklyn and Lords Bartimos Celtigar and Gormon Massey were inside talking amongst themselves.

Mother hadn't recovered from Luke's death and Daemon was away in Harrenhal. Jace cleared his throat and made everyone look at him, "Grand Maester, anything new for us?" He asked hoping against hope that not everything was going to shit.

Gerardys replies taking out a missive from his robes, "Ser Joffrey Arryn has rallied the houses in the Vale for Lady Jeyne and says that he will soon launch a counterattack. Lady Jeyne requests the presence of a dragonrider to end the rebellion of the Graftons and Royces. Isembard Arryn has hired sellswords and sellsails to augment his forces, it would be ideal if Lord Corlys sends his fleet against them."

"I can go with the fleet," Joff boldly declares, "I will put the whole rebel army to rout with Tyraxes, this rebellion will be over in less than a week." Jace gave a rueful smile upon hearing his brother's eagerness, he was just as eager when Jace propositioned going to the North and sending Luke to the Stormlands.

"If we send the fleet then the Gullet will be open to the Greens," Lord Bartimos cautions.

"Perhaps that is what they want, they want us to devote our men and ships to the Vale so that their ships can slip through the Gullet," Lord Gormon adds thoughtfully.

"Regardless, the fact remains, the Vale is under siege, the Queensmen need our help, to do nothing is a sign to our other supporters that we cannot help them against the Usurper's dogs." Baela declares defiantly. "We must help Lady Jeyne, else our supporters in the Riverlands, the Reach, and the North will lose heart for fighting for our Queen. Already most of our supporters in the Reach and the Crownlands have been overrun, only a few holdouts remain."

Grandmother then speaks, "I should go with the fleet, Jace and Baela can hold the blockade. Meleys is enough to deal with anything the Usurper's dogs can throw at us."

"I think I can spare a quarter of the fleet without stretching the blockade too thin. Of course, we might need two dragons instead of one," Grandfather then spoke and everyone turned to look at him.

"Let me go, I may be young but I can put down this rebellion, Tyraxes has grown big enough to be ridden into battle," Joff pressed before Grandmother stopped him.

"No." Jace declared before the argument could continue, "It must be me, I am the one who brought the Vale to our fold, I gave Lady Jeyne my word that I would protect the Vale from the Greens. I promised her that I would send a dragonrider to the Vale to defend her from Aemond or Aegon and I hold myself to that pledge, it must be me."

"Let me go with you then," Baela pleaded but Jace shook his head.

"No, you must stay here with Grandmother and hold the blockade and protect Dragonstone, there is a chance that this might be a trick from Aegon so that we split our dragons so that they can launch a direct attack on Dragonstone."

"Would they even try something like this?" Lord Bartimos asks with shock.

"After hearing what they did in King's Landing, at this point, they can do anything," Grandfather replied with a snort. "Who would have thought that after a lifetime of trying to drink himself to death, a vicious fox lurked underneath Aegon the whole time."

I did, Jace thought with an involuntary shiver, his hand unknowingly, nearly went to his throat a reminder of the time he almost died. There was a monster inside Aegon the whole time. it never came out until then and stayed inside until he was crowned. Joff remembered that night as well. Everyone laughed when they heard that Aegon had kicked out Otto as Hand but then Aemond killed Luke and Aegon destroyed the Gold Cloaks. While Mother and Daemon found it hard to believe that the lazy drunkard Aegon was behind it, Jace knew it was all his work.

"What if they attack Duskendale?" Lord Commander Steffon brought up, "They have already captured Rosby, Stokeworth, Hayford and Tumbleton. Duskendale is next for certain followed by Rooks Rest." Jace agreed with the man. "The Queen's supporters have suffered enough under the Usurper, we must send aid." Jace nodded to what he said, and he had a point, his mother's supporters were lacking in morale.

"I am going to the Vale and that is final for it is my duty as the Prince of Dragonstone who gave his word to the Eyrie," Jace announced, "Baela, you and Grandmother will be holding the blockade. But at the same time should Aegon march on Duskendale and Rooks Rest, the two of you must respond to it. Joff, you will be in charge of defending Dragonstone which is vital especially since Mother is not ready."

Joff was not happy but he acquiesced. Grandmother nodded but she too wasn't pleased as was Baela.

"I shall prepare the fleet," Grandfather informed and Jace nodded before dismissing everyone from the chamber except his family.

"Are you sure it is wise for you to fly over to the Vale on your own?" Rhaena worriedly asks, a sentiment shared by both Baela and Grandmother.

Jace replied determinedly, "It is something I have to do, I gave my word to Lady Arryn. Our banner has the Arryn Falcon on it, with our defeats in the Crownlands and the Reach we do not have a choice, it has to be a show of force and strength to our supporters that we are not out of the fight. It is bad enough that Aegon has destroyed Goldengrove and Bitterbridge, all our support in the Northern Reach has been wiped out."

"Costayne, Mullendore, Tarly, Beesbury, and Grimm are still with us," Rhaena replied with hope but Baela snorted.

"Just like how in the Vale, Grafton, Royce, Gulltown Arryns, Templeton, Tollet, Coldwater, and Dutton have declared for Aegon," Baela walked around the table before turning to him and pleading, "We must strike back hard and fast and two dragons are better than one, please Jace let me come along with you or at least Grandmother."

Jace relented, "Very well, you are right, you can come with me."

"What if Aegon or Aemond arrive in the Vale?"Grandmother worriedly asks. "As big as Vermax and Moondancer are growing, even Tessarion is larger and of fighting size. Moondancer is still not ready to be in battle, she is too young."

"Moondancer is big and faster than most arrows, she is more than enough to deal with armies that do not have dragons," Baela responds but Grandmother shakes her head.

"I should still go," She insists. "I can deal with the rebels in the Vale, Jace you are needed here with your mother and Baela, Moondancer may be fast but a lucky arrow could still hit you."

"Which is why I will wear armour," Baela retorted undeterred.

Jace tries to placate his Grandmother, "Grandmother, we all know that should you face Aemond upon Vhagar, there is a very good chance that you will win which is why we need you here. If the moves Aegon has done in the Crownlands are any indication, Aemond will march up to Duskendale, then Rooks Rest and then Crackclaw Point, should these places fall we will have no more strongholds in the Crownlands. You are needed here to counter him, we need you here. Once Aemond falls, so too will the Green cause."

Jace continued, "Aegon is in the Northern Reach putting our supporters to the sword, Daeron has gone south to deal with the Vulture King in the Dornish Marches, and Aemond alone sits in King's Landing with Helaena and Dreamfyre. He will not move as long as Daemon is in Harrenhal. We have a small window of opportunity to bring the Vale wholly to our side until Aegon arrives back at King's Landing. We can fly to the Eyrie and put down the rebellion and reopen Gulltown and return."

"That window will not last for long," Grandfather warned, "It has been three months since the purge of the Gold Cloaks, the Green army is almost ready and soon they will march, either to Duskendale or to Harrenhal, mayhaps both. The only thing we needn't worry about is their fleet. It will take them more than half a year more to ready their fleet and should it come to a battle, our ships will outclass them every way. Their rowers and sailors are inferior to ours."

"We just need one proper battle against the rebels in the Vale," Baela remarked, "Once they have been routed, we can let the Arryns do the rest while we return."

"The fleet can take care of any of the sellsails that Grafton and Isembard Arryn have hired." Grandfather confidently said, "As Joff has stated, this will be over within a week."

As everyone left, Jace was left alone with Baela in the chamber, "Are you alright?" She worriedly asks him.

"I am," Jace nods but he doesn't believe and Baela picks up on that.

"Tell me what is wrong? I saw you clutching your throat when they were talking about Aegon. You cannot let him rule over you like that," Baela said to him holding his hand.

Jace sighed, "You do not understand, Baela, if Ser Lorent was even a second late, I would have been dead."

Flashback:

120 AC

"Alright, all of you, let us just calm down," Aegon said as he rushed forward and came between them. The three of them with practice swords had surrounded Aemond who had just arrived after bonding with Vhagar. Mother had warned them that their uncles were not their friends, they were the enemy and now Aemond had bonded with Vhagar, which was unacceptable.

"Aegon, they are attacking me," Aemond complained.

"Yeah, I can see that, Aemond and you are so fucked once mother finds out." Aegon sarcastically replied before turning to them, "Why are you attacking him?"

"He took Vhagar and you helped him," Luke yelled before swinging his sword only for Aegon to catch it with his hand and throw it away.

"For goodness sake, Aemond is a Targaryen and he has a right to bond with a dragon just like the rest of us, so do me a favour and go back to bed," Aegon replied only for Joffrey to come at him.

"Go to hell, bastards. You Strongs need to learn your place," Aemond then taunted. Jace knew what he meant, he was calling him a bastard of Harwin Strong, he felt his anger boiling before he gripped his sword tightly.

"Oh for fucks sake, Aemond, are you trying to start a fight," Aegon exasperatedly asks as he pushes Joff away easily. Aegon was taller and stronger than the three of them but Jace couldn't tolerate Aemond calling him a bastard so he tried to attack him but Aegon came in between.

Aegon once more caught the training sword in his hand before trying to pry it off his hands but Jace wouldn't let go, while that happened Luke attacked Aemond while Joff came to help Jace in attacking Aegon by whacking at his leg.

Aegon grunted in pain before kicking Joff in the face, "You asked for that." Joff was flung back even as Jace tried to grapple with Aegon.

"What is wrong with you kids?" Aegon grunted as he shoved Jace away before trying to remove Aemond from pummeling Luke.

"You bastard Strongs are worthless, you are not even strong," Aemond taunted as he began beating Luke black and blue, Jace could see that both of Luke's eyes were now black. Jace gripped the knife in his belt.

Before Aegon could stop Aemond, Joff rushed at Aegon once more and bit him in the arm "Argh, kid you are making this worse for yourself, I am trying to stop this fight." Aegon lifted Joff and threw him over Jace and into the dragon droppings once more headfirst and then as Jace looked on, he saw Aemond pummeling Luke viciously before Luke drew out his knife.

"Luke, Aemond, NOO," Aegon screamed before Luke slashed at Aemond's face and then Jace drew out his knife and tried to attack Aegon, he once again caught the knife in his hand by the blade and blood began to flow.

"AAARGHHH," Aegon screamed, "WHERE THE FUCK IS THE KINGSGUARD?"

Jace began to twist the knife even as Aegon held it and then Aegon snapped in the pain, it was then Jace realized that Aegon was holding back when he bashed his head against Jace knocking him over. As Jace fell he saw Aegon rush over to Aemond who was bleeding on the ground before Luke tried to slash him as well only for Aegon to grab his knife by the blade and pry it off and then he smashed Luke's head head against the wall, knocking him unconscious.

Then Aegon looked at his fingers before turning back to Jace with a mad fury in his eyes and even as Jace tried to grip his knife, he lifted Jace by his neck and lifted him off the ground before he began to tighten his fingers around his neck, "YOU FUCKING BASTARDS, WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU?"

Even as it became difficult to breathe, Jace tried to stab Aegon only for him to catch the blade once again, no matter how hard he tried and twisted the knife through Aegon's fingers, Aegon did not let go even as his fingers tightened around his throat and even as Jace began gasping for air only to receive none. Black spots began clouding Jace's eyes and just before they became full black the Kingsguard arrived and Ser Lorent Marbrant pushed Aegon away from Jace.

Jace was received by Lady Jeyne in the Eyrie along with Baela though it was a far less welcoming reception than he received the last time he arrived at the Eyrie.

"I declare for your mother, My Prince and I receive this as my reward? A rebellion from my vassals," Lady Jeyne remarked as they gathered in the High Hall alongside her loyalist Lords and advisors. She sat upon the throne of weirwood meant for the Lord as she did the last time he visited but this time she wore a cuirass instead of the fine courtly dresses.

The last time he was here, it was a feast in his honour but now it was a war room, the long and austere hall, with walls made of blue-veined white marble was covered in banners of the various houses that declared for Lady Jeyne, he could see the hearts of House Corbray, the wheel of Waynwood, the Redfort, and many others. It was the Hour of the Bat when they assembled, the torches mounted by the scones in between the narrow and arched windows burned brightly illuminating the hall.

"The Usurper has been devious but it ends here, Lady Baela and I will put an end to this rebellion for good. A fleet has been dispatched from Dragonstone and it is heading for Gulltown as we speak. This will be over quickly Lady Jeyne," Jace assured her.

"I should hope so, My Prince," She remarked as her cousin and heir Ser Joffrey Arryn, the Knight of the Bloody Gate, fully armoured in blue enamelled plate armour stood by her side as did Ser Corwyn Corbray and Lady Jessamyn Redfort.

"What is the situation as of this moment?" Baela as they were introduced to all the knights in the High Hall.

Ser Joffrey spoke first, "House Corbray, Hunter, Crayne, Redfort, Waynwood, and surprisingly enough the Sunderlands have stayed loyal and true to Lady Arryn, while the rebels are disunited and broken in spirit. We can win a straight fight and with the dragons, we are most assured of victory, My Lady."

"How the rebels disunited?" Jace curiously asked.

Lord Leowyn Corbray answered, "The only thing that keeps them together is the fact that they oppose Lady Jeyne and they are united under the Usurper who isn't here. The Royces believe that her cousin Arnold should be the next Lord of the Eyrie while Isembard Arryn, that copper counter believes that he should be instead, it is truly a miracle that they haven't started fighting themselves."

Lady Jeyne darkly remarked with a chuckle, "A pity indeed that I had Arnold thrown out of the Moon Door the second his shrewd son Eldric declared for the Usurper," She said pointing to the weirwood door that made the executions in the Eyrie.

"How large is your army that has been assembled by the Gates of the Moon?" Jace then asked.

Ser Joffrey promptly answered, "Around ten thousand, we could have had more but the Mountain Clans are an ever-persistent threat and so we couldn't spare more."

"Ten thousand is more than enough, especially with two dragons," Lady Jeyne confidently asserted.

"How many men do the rebels have?" Baela questioned with a nod.

"Around eight thousand, disunited men and sellswords. They will never fight as hard as our loyal and true knights of the Vale," Ser Joffrey responded to cheers and calls of 'Ayes' from the others in the hall. It was good, Jace noted that the men were confident.

Ser Joffrey then announced his plans, "The rebels do not know that you are here my Prince, and we have the advantage which we will push forward. Our men are ready to march and we will march at first light. The rebels are marching on Ironoaks as slowly as they can and that is where we shall make our stand and force them into a decisive battle. Ironoaks sits by a lake that feeds into the Narrow Sea, we can cut them off on two sides by the river and the lake, and our army will hold their centre, while My Prince and the Lady Baela can cut off their retreat from the rear make it into a massacre."

He finished it with a grin, a grin that was shared by everyone else in the hall.

The Arryn army and the rebel army faced off by the lake in front of Ironoaks. Their banners of Royce, the Golden falcon of Isembard, and the tower of the Graftons stood against the falcon of the Arryns, the hearts of the Corbrays and the Redfort. The two armies filled the valley with a gap between them. At first glance, it looked like the two armies were equal.

Jace and Baela stood atop the nearby hill watching it all unfold even as the dragons were waiting down below out of sight of the rebels. Jace decided to fly into the battle only once the two sides were engaged to ensure a complete victory once the rebels inevitably broke and fled.

"I will cut off their escape, you can wreak havoc upon their lines. Try not to burn our men, most of the rebels will break then and there upon seeing the two of us," He said to Baela who snorted in derision thinking about the rebels.

"Our first battle," Baela remarks with a smirk, "And it will be a slaughter."

Then they heard the sounds of trumpets blaring, Jace and Baela turned to look at the knights of Vale form up on both sides before with another trumpet blast, they charged.

The knights began to trot before they cantered and then the lances dropped as they galloped, the ground began to shake even as far as where Jace and Baela were standing and then they clashed into a mass of steel and horses as the two sides drew first blood followed by a terrible burst of arrows from both sides and knights fall and are trampled. Screams of the dying echo all around them in the valley.

"Shall we leave now?" Baela asks but Jace shakes his head.

"Not yet, the rebels have not committed fully." Once he was certain that the rebels had thrown all they had into the battle, he would attack.

In the course of the battle, a sellsword captain serving on the rebel left flank, deserts with his men and the Arryns swarm this open edge the rebels are entrenched in a bloody melee, and knights in the eye of the storm tear each other apart with swords, axes and spears even as archers on both sides rain down arrows upon them from the edges. As the rebel lines begin to crumble the rebels throw their last reserves in a last-ditch attempt to stem the flow and that was his chance.

"Let's go," He said to Baela as they ran down the hill to their dragons. Vermax and Moondancer were lazily lounging about on the grass. The two green dragons raised their heads upon seeing the riders arrive and they knew exactly what time it was, Vermax was already aroused by the smell of the blood that was coming from the battle.

As they fastened their chains, Jace called out to Baela, "Let us see who will kill the most Greens."

Baela took the challenge with a grin as she snapped her whip and Moondancer rose into the air before Jace did the same.

Vermax and Moondancer announced their entry into the battle with a roar that for a moment stopped the fighting until the Arryns reinvigorated by the presence of dragons fought harder with the knowledge that victory was coming.

The dragons descended upon the battlefield before the rebels even knew how fucked they were, Vermax and Jace attacked their rear. The archers were caught unprepared as Jacaerys screamed for the first time in a battle, "DRACARYS."

Vermax unleashed a blinding stream of flames toward them, it was as if a hot yellow sword cut through the archers before Jace turned his attention to what he presumed were the commanders of the rebel army. Ser Eldric Arryn, Isembard Arryn and Gunthor Royce. Their resplendent armour gives them away and turns them into easy targets as they stick out as a sore thumb from the rest of their men.

They tried to flee with their guards but they were too slow and too late as Vermax engulfed them and their horses in his flames. The stench of the dead and the burning could not overpower his satisfaction at seeing the traitors burn.

Jace turned to see that Baela and Moondancer had broken the main rebels and they were beginning to flee straight into his arms. The emerald fire from Moondancer cut burning swathes into the rebel army and as the fire began to burn through them the screams of panic and terror began to rise higher and higher.

Vermax descends upon the running rebels who run back through the same pass that they came through and begins to burn them. The fighting became terrifying and chaotic where the rebels were pushed into the lake in their heavy armour where they were either cut down or drowned. It was the Stranger's choice to either drown or be butchered by the vengeful Arryn knights for their treason.

In the three-hour-long massacre, more than four thousand rebels were killed while an equal number were captured. The entire rebel army had been broken and only a few hundred managed to cut their way from the flames. As the sun began to set, Jace flew over the battlefield to see a blood-red lake and a sea of rebel bodies.

Gulltown stood defiant, despite the knowledge that two dragons had arrived to help Lady Arryn the Grafton resisted. Aegor's banner flew with the Grafton tower on their walls as the Arryn army marched on Gulltown after their crushing victory at the Battle of the Bloody Lake.

Lord Jon Grafton managed to make his way out of the battle with a few hundred men but most of them must be burnt and broken, and their spirit to fight on must be crushed.

"Something is wrong, the fleet must have arrived by now. Gulltown must have fallen," Baela worriedly remarked as they approached Gulltown.

"Perhaps the fleet was caught in a storm," Ser Corwyn tried to explain. Jace frowned, while it made good reason there was a sense of foreboding that Jace misliked.

"Perhaps, My Prince, you should fly over and burn their walls perhaps that will bring their senses back," Ser Joffrey advised as they halted a fair distance from Gulltown after obtaining the submission of Runestone.

Jace nodded, "Yes, I will do that but first send an envoy to demand their surrender, they know that two dragons fly with this army and it is complete and utter folly for them to even imagine to resist us."

Ser Joffrey agreed and within the hour, a rider was sent alone with a flag of parley to Gulltown. Jace made sure that both Vermax and Moondancer were standing in front of the Arryn army that had assembled a fair distance from its walls. The dragons could easily be seen by the defenders yet the gates remained closed until the wicket gate was opened for the envoy.

After nearly an hour, the wicket gate opened once more and the envoy came out, Jace could see that something was wrong as the man was a in mad hurry, he clambered over his horse and rode hard and wildly back to the army.

He jumped off his horse and rushed to Jace, Ser Joffrey and a couple of knights came in front, Jace could see that the man was pale, he was white as milk.

"I have been instructed to deliver his message to the Prince," He nervously and hurriedly said holding a scroll.

"Let him through," Jace called out and the shaking messenger came before him and with shaky hands delivered the scroll. It had no seal, no nothing on it.

"What has frightened you so, Edric?" Ser Joffrey asked the man while Jace rolled out the scroll with Baela by his side. It was a large piece of parchment with only a single sentence written and as they both read the message they too paled.

You owe me three fingers bastard and I am here to take my due.

Then the messenger said, "He is here and he is not alone."

Then a massive roar split the skies with birds from the city of Gulltown taking flight and that roar was soon echoed by another shrill roar as two dragons took to the skies from Gulltown. The sunlight glints off their gleaming golden and blue scales.

Aegon had come to the Vale and he was not alone.

How Aegon and Daeron have arrived in the Vale will be explained in the next chapter.