Daenys was filled with energy.

Every last bit that had been stowed away during her grief was bursting out now as she found a new motivation. She started to eat again and started to prepare for her death... which would be nothing short of glorious. She'd ensure that, to leave Rhaenyra with only prosperity ahead.

Faircastle had fallen to Dalton Greyjoy, while Longtable was yielded to Lord Ormund Hightower by Lady Merryweather to continue the march to Bitterbridge. A confirmation had come that Cole had abandoned Harrenhal, striking south along the western shore of the Gods Eye with thirty-six-hundred men behind him. Thankfully for them, death and disease and desertion had thinned the ranks.

Lady Sabitha Frey had informed them of her own victory the moment Aemond left Harrenhal unattended. The castle had stood empty no more than three days before she swooped down to seize it. Her raven told of one of Lord Strong's supposed bastards– Alys Rivers, who was a wet nurse and purported witch– claiming to be carrying Aemond's child. Daemon had met Alys, and claimed that if this was so, Aemond had seized her by force. Daenys made note to have both of Alicent's raper sons gelded before she killed them.

But Aemond had not gone without purpose. House Darry was the first to taste Vermithor's fires, Then came Lord Harroway's Town, then Lord's Mill, Blackbuckle, Buckle, Claypool, Swynford, Spiderwood... word from the Riverlands was not good. There was no confirmation yet whether Cliff had found Elmo or not, and both Daenys and Rolf worried that their son would soon encounter Vermithor and Aemond with only small Goldhorn to contend with a massive beast. On the ground, Daenys knew her son would make quick work of Aemond. In the sky, however... no, she would not think of it.

Though, the combined work that Daemon, Rolf, and Aenar had put in wasn't for naught. The Lords of the Trident were gathering forces like never before, with archers hiding amongst the trees to pick off outriders and stragglers. In a village commons at Crossed Elms, those who appeared to be rotten dead rose to attack Cole's outriders, all part of a ploy by the Myrish sellsword Black Trombo, who was currently in the service of Lord Vance.

That was when the best news came. Ser Garibald Grey, Pate of Longleaf– now known as the Lionslayer for cutting down Jason Lannister– Roddy the Ruin, and Roderick Dustin had treated with Cole before the battle. Cole had been killed, with arrows assailing him from all sides. It was Cliff who had sent word of it, having encountered the force and taken to the skies on Goldhorn to preserve as many Rivermen and Northmen as he could.

The battle was to be known as the Butcher's Ball, for many had fallen on Cole's end, and even more had fled when they saw the man who was once Ser Criston Cole dead on the ground. Daenys had replied with proud words for Cliff, who had presumably rid himself of much anger in the burning of Cole's army.

Three hundred white ravens had come to herald the coming of winter, but none at the Red Keep were concerned with so much to celebrate. With her new sense of motivation, Daenys was able to try harder to gain the smallfolk's love for Rhaenyra– which was still proving difficult, no matter what she did to demonstrate generosity and work to cut down their taxes by refilling the Crown's vaults. Still, elsewhere, House Velaryon and House Greyjoy dominated the seas on both sides, no match for any of Aegon's allies. Jeyne Arryn had sent men by sea to join Rhaenyra's hosts, and warriors were coming from White Harbor, led by Lord Manderly's sons Medrick and Torrhen.

Still, Daenys's greatest task– one she was involving Alyssa and Bertram in– involved locating Aegon. While he was missing and Aemond was running amok burning towns, Rhaenyra's crown was still not secure. Daenys had already told Rhaenyra to betrothe her son Aegon and Jaehaera, to ensure that no arguments could be made about Jaehaera's own claim to the throne. It would be a good thing for innocent Jaehaera and join her to Rhaenyra's family, attaching her to the third in line for the throne.

Aemond was especially becoming increasingly problematic. He'd turned Vermithor's flames on Old Willow, White Willow, and Hogg Hall. Merrydown Dell was an equal victim, as was Harrenhal when he returned unexpectedly. Lady Sabitha Frey had escaped with her life after hiding in a privy, and took with her as a captive Alys Rivers, to be hidden in the twins.

Daeron was someone that Daenys worried would become a problem even if the eldest two were dealt with. He was flying with Ormund's host, crossing the Mander and crushing Rhaenyra's loyalists wherever he found them. Alyssa had stated she had no qualms about Kinslaying, and was happy to use her much larger Frostbite to kill at least Tessarion and rid the Hightower army of their advantage. Daenys worried about the risk, and though she did not wish to kill her nephew, who had always been kinder than his brothers, she knew that if it had to come to that, it should be her whose name was marred with the stain of Kinslaying, not Alyssa's.

Corlys had come to Rhaenyra with a proposal, to see what could be done about the other lords who remained Green. He had thought Rhaenyra should offer pardons to Lords Baratheon, Hightower, and Lannister if they bent their knees, swore fealty, and offered hostages to the Iron Throne. He even thought that Alicent and Helaena should be given over to the Faith.

Daemon and Daenys had both disagreed, especially when he said that perhaps Aegon and Aemond should be allowed to join the Night's Watch. It was Daemon's opinion that these lords should be crushed, and that the war should be brought straight to Aemond and Daeron. Daenys at least agreed with Corlys in that they could not destroy those two ancient and noble houses entirely.

So, it was decided that Aemond and Daeron were their primary targets. Until those two threats were dealt with and until Aegon was found, no pardons would be offered. For now, Rhaenyra agreed to send envoys. Bertram offered to marry one of Borros Baratheon's daughters and be named Lord of Storm's End regardless of his blood, if only to bring the Stormlands to heel. As for the Lannisters, Rolf admitted he would be willing to sit the seat at Riverrun if it would give Cliff an opportunity to marry one of Jason Lannister's daughters and preside over Casterly Rock until a suitable replacement was found.

With all this talk of heirs, Corlys had made his announcement. He would name Addam of Hull his heir– legitimizing him as his son, Addam Velaryon– to strengthen the succession of Driftmark. Should Rhaena return soon, Corlys would ask her if she would be willing to marry Addam, to keep Valyrian blood strong and, presumably, add a greater semblance of legitimacy to Addam's future rule.

"I don't want you to go," said Alyssa, seated at the edge of Daenys's bed while she watched her mother don her armor. "At least not without me."

"You must remain to protect the city," said Daenys. "Rhaenyra is sending Ulf with me. Keep Gemma company, she and Dyana spend much time nursing Hugh's daughter. She's getting better, perhaps she likes being included in the 'girl talk.'"

Alyssa huffed. "You don't want me to go because you're afraid to lose me."

Daenys gave her a significant look. "Of course I'm afraid, Alyssa. But it's more than that. Daeron and Tessarion will be at Tumbleton. It is unlikely they will survive. Rhaenyra is sending Ulf with me because... if it comes to it... he and Silverwing will make quick work of them and prevent me from becoming a Kinslayer. I do not want that stain on your name. You're still teaching Bertram much about dragonriding... stay here, please, take care of everyone. Keep your father company, you know he needs it. And keep an eye out for Rhaena and some word from Cliff."

Alyssa scrunched up her face, and at first Daenys thought she'd snap at her. Instead, she said, "It's only... Cliff gets to go out there and burn things... I want that, too."

Cliff insisted from the first he couldn't stay here. You did. I thought you wanted to be here with everyone. "We may discuss that when I return," said Daenys. "Chin up, my girl. If all goes well, this will be another great victory for Rhaenyra. Perhaps, I will send you to meet with Roderick Dustin wherever he goes from here, so you may fight with the Northerners and have them get to know you better as Cregan's betrothed."

That satisfied her, for the moment. Daenys knew it wouldn't last. Alyssa was too restless to be contained for long, and her lifelong anchor had been gone long enough for her to start losing old habits of restraint.

Daenys led the way to Tumbleton, with Ulf and Silverwing behind. Vhagar certainly liked to fly with Silverwing, and it seemed Alysanne's mount of old did like Ulf as well, but Daenys remained wary of him. At least, the man's fear of her seemed to keep him obedient.

Tumbleton stood on the headwaters of the mighty Mander, a thriving market town and the seat of House Footly. The castle was stout and small, garrisoned by no more than forty men. Thousands had come from Bitterbridge, Longtable, and further south. From the Butcher's Ball had come Ser Garibald Grey and Longleaf the Lionslayer with Criston Cole's head upon a spear– Daenys was glad to confirm it herself, though the head was well-rotted. She'd identified it best from the crookedness of Cole's nose, after she'd broken it on Rhaenyra's wedding day.

There came also Red Robb Rivers and his archers, and the last of the Winter Wolves, as well as a score of landed knights and petty lords whose lands lay along the banks of the Blackwater. Among them were Moslander of Yore, Ser Garrick Hall of Middleton, Ser Merrell the Bold, and Lord Owain Bourney. The forces numbered near nine-thousand at Daenys's count, though they remained outnumbered by the strength Ormund had gathered even after his defeat. With Daeron flying with them, it seemed, morale had improved so much that men were willing to join the fight believing they would not be further burnt.

She'd smelled something ready to go wrong when there was a sudden flood of people in the town, reported by Ulf after he'd taken a night's watch in the sky. They claimed to have been fleeing before Lord Hightower's army, but Daenys had watched them assimilate all too quickly into the ranks of Tumbleton. She made note of their faces to question after the battle. The air smelled of treachery when Daenys guided Ulf into the skies, flying over their men as they made for Ormund's host.

Ser Garibald Grey led out six-thousand men first, while Daenys instructed Ulf to circle above on a watch for Tessarion whilst she and Vhagar made quick work of Ormund's archers before they could thin their ranks. The Winter Wolves had streamed in later with Roddy the Ruin, old Northmen shouting terrifying wary cries that Daenys had scarcely ever heard the likes of. Alyssa was sure to enjoy the people of the North– as she clearly already had in Cregan.

An unfamiliar screech turned her attention west. Tugging hard at Vhagar's reigns, Daenys lifted her dragon to where Ulf circled as Tessarion approached full force. The Blue Queen, as they called her, was hardly bigger than Moondancer, and certainly not near the size of her childrens' dragons. Daenys slid her palm along Vhagar's neck to calm her, the dragon feeling her anxiety at the thought of killing Tessarion but somehow finding a way to spare Daeron. If she could yell over the wind perhaps and urge the boy to yield to her, perhaps she needn't kill a dragon–

She felt a rush coming at her and barely managed to flatten herself on the saddle when Silverwing's massive form crashed into her and Vhagar. It sent them reeling through the sky, Vhagar croaking and kicking back at Silverwing with her hind legs. "Ulf!" shouted Daenys as the dragon recoiled. "What are you doing?!"

He didn't reply to her. "Silverwing!" he yelled. "Dracarys!"

Vhagar surged up as fast as she must have been able to, turning her belly towards Silverwing's flame and protecting Daenys from the blast. Tessarion's screech was right behind her, and Daenys had to force Vhagar back down, letting the heat of the flames wash over her, to prevent being clawed at from behind.

The scorch was terribly hot, and Daenys felt her armor wanting to sear into her flesh. She and Vhagar dove down, pushing hard to get out from under Silverwing before they turned back up. "Ziry vestragon īlva iksin iderēbagon syt īlva, uēpa riña," said Daenys. (T: It seems our path was chosen for us, old girl.)

As Daeron turned Tessarion onto Tumbletown, diving down much faster than Vhagar could at this age, she heard her nephew call out shrilly for more dragon fire. Flames bathed over the town, shops and homes and septs and people al beginning to burn. Ulf and Silverwing were flying back towards Daenys– gods, it had been a mistake to ever disclose Vhagar's age as a weakness in the presence of the other dragonriders.

"Gods forgive me," said Daenys as she tightened her grip on the saddle. "Grandmama, forgive me." She pushed Vhagar back at them, Silverwing less experienced in battle– as long as her attacks were calculated, she'd be able to overwhelm Ulf. It was Silverwing who would pay the price.

Ulf seemed more than happy to continue dousing her in flames. He yelled another 'Dracarys' that Daenys used to her advantage. As the flames and smoke obscured Ulf's vision, she let Vhagar turn up on her belly again, only this time, with her hind claws extended outwards. "Angōs," said Daenys, "Ossēnagon zirȳla, Vhagar." (T: Attack. Kill him, Vhagar.)

As Ulf and Silverwing thought to sail above them, Vhagar caught Silverwing's own legs with her own, tugging the dragon sharply down. Vhagar spread her wings to keep upright as she leaned down to bite at the base of Silverwing's neck, keeping her head down. Ulf shouted out in fear, thrashing in the saddle while Silverwing snarled. "Vhagar," shouted Daenys, tugging back at the reins to signal for her to let go. "Dracarys."

Vhagar unlatched her jaws, turning her head up and spewing flames right onto Ulf. He lifted his hands to shield his face in a futile motion, the flames turning him into nothing more than a corpse atop a dragon. As soon as Vhagar released Silverwing, the dragon dove back down, wiggling violently too-low over the lines of men until at last, it seemed, Ulf's charred corpse fell off the saddle– or, perhaps, burst to ash with the wind and left Silverwing feeling free.

The dragon was left to her own devices, making eastward. Daenys hoped she would return to Dragonstone. I am sorry, my dear. I remember how much my grandmother loved you. I did not want you hurt, I only needed you not able to protect him from me. Gods, if Daenys had seen Ulf on the ground, she would have tortured him for days and made his death a spectacle.

Daeron and Tessarion remained above Tumbleton. Daenys could hear the screams of people from within, some of them innocents and some the same fighters intending to give their lives for Rhaenyra. That, she had to put a stop to. She turned Vhagar towards Daeron, hoping that with a smaller dragon– assuming it did not slip away with ease– they could more easily kill the beast then bring it down to the ground and free Daeron from the saddle unharmed.

But as she rode towards the Blue Queen, a glimmer of white shone like a star in the morning sky. "Gods be good," said Daenys under her breath. "That girl."

Alyssa and Frostbite broke through the lowest layer of clouds, a beeline made for Daeron and Tessarion. Daenys urged Vhagar, "Aderī, istiti dohaeragon īlva talī." (T: Quickly, we must help our daughters.) With a roar, to announce that they'd spotted them, Vhagar beat her wings hard into the wind, trying to reach Tessarion before Frostbite did.

The girls were too determined to be stopped. Tessarion's flames ceased when Daeron noticed the second dragon making its way towards him. She saw him turn Tessarion upwards, but it was futile. Frostbite's claws caught Tessarion's face, scratching at her eyes while Alyssa lifted her spear from the saddle, throwing it directly down at Daeron. She'd never done it before, and still it was so calculated that Daenys almost wanted to applaud her, though she knew she was about to give Alyssa a scolding that she'd never received before in her life.

The shaft was buried in Daeron's stomach, Frostbite ripping at Tessarion until at last the Blue Queen tried to flee while Daeron bled. Alyssa would not let them leave so easily– not without collecting her spear. Frostbite remained hot on her tail, and Tessarion had nowhere else to go– she could not avoid both Vhagar and Frostbite, and had halted in fear at the sight of Vhagar approaching. That lost her time she could have used to dive in any other direction– by the time she wanted to, Frostbite was behind her, hind legs ripping at Tessarion's back.

"ALYSSA!" shouted Daenys. "ALYSSA, LEAVE HIM!"

Alyssa either pretended not to hear her or genuinely did not– Daenys often noted that when in a rage, her own ears seemed clouded by the sound of her heartbeat, and she seldom heard when someone was trying to calm her down. Tessarion wailed, beginning to sway and sink beneath Frostbite. At last, Frostbite delivered a bite to her throat. The Blue Queen fell, and Daeron did with her.

Daenys and Vhagar dove down, only to see Tessarion crash into an already-burning sept. She'd fallen on her own face to save Daeron, but the boy had been flung out of the saddle, landing in a small ball under a burning beam. Daenys saw him grabbing his abdomen, reaching for Tessarion, and then, the rest of the sept's roof collapsed on them.

She turned to look up at Alyssa, who looked much like Gemma had when she realized the weight of murder. For a moment, when she first saw her, it seemed there was a glint of pride in Alyssa's eyes. But as the sept finished caving in, flames and smoke concealing the bodies of Tessarion and Daeron, Alyssa turned Frostbite back to the castle, looking over her shoulder in what no longer appeared to be glee.

"What were you thinking?" said Daenys the moment she dismounted, Alyssa hugging Frostbite and caressing her neck.

"I was thinking you might need help!" said Alyssa, whirling around with tears plastered on her cheeks. "And I was right! I saw Silverwing rushing off riderless– you were against two dragons, Mother! You were lucky that Ulf's avarice was greater than his wit."

Daenys reached her, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Alyssa, what you did today was reckless, even for you. I told you when I left, I was afraid of losing you–"

"What if I was afraid, too?" said Alyssa, voice breaking. "What if I was telling you to bring me because I was afraid of what might happen to you if you were alone? Gemma and Bertram have always idolized you to the point that they believe you indestructible, but I know better. If Aemond were to have happened upon you... Ulf would've fled even if he hadn't turned a traitor. Vhagar cannot protect you as well as she once could. I wanted to be here and fight as hard as you would, I wanted– I wanted– I thought I could handle it!"

She moved away from Daenys, holding her head. "Battle, battle, I've always wanted it, I loved it, I enjoyed burning the men I did when I kidnapped Otto. I've fought and I've seen blood and I'm not as fearful as Gemma, I'm more experienced than Bertram. I didn't think it would be so different to face another dragon in battle. But Tessarion and Daeron, I saw them, I remember when Daeron first introduced us to Tessarion after those years we were away, I remember he got upset when I hit Aegon for touching me. He wasn't like Aegon and Aemond, he wasn't..."

Daenys knew as much. Alyssa might've hardly known Daeron, compared to how she knew the others, but even she recalled that she'd never held animosity towards him teh way she did for his brothers. As far as they knew, Daeron had been manipulated, tricked, misled. It had been Daenys's hope to fell his dragon and take him prisoner, or somehow give him a reason to side with them.

If Alyssa had cared to listen, Daenys would have told her the plain truth before– she did not think Alyssa could handle killing one of her own family members. It was no easy thing to be a Kinslayer, as much as they all talked about killing Aemond. Daenys feared that her daughter would not forgive herself for this.

Alyssa hiccuped, starting to hyperventilate, "Aenar used to think me too bold, too careless, too apathetic. I thought I was, I thought I wouldn't care. But he would be so angry at me, he would think I've gone mad for hurting Daeron like this. Aemond, he would have deserved it, but Daeron, Daeron is younger than Bert, he was still so little when I last saw him, oh gods, Aenar would hate me. All of you, all of you are right– Cliff and I have always been burdens. I see it now, I see it."

Daenys approached her carefully, cupping her face. "No, my girl. You two have never been burdens. It is not a burden to be overconfident, it is only something to be cautious about. I'd hoped you'd see real battle where other dragons weren't involved. I wanted you to learn from experience but not... this experience. Perhaps I did not do well enough conveying to you why I did not choose for any of you to come with me. My dear, I trust you very much, I value you and your many strengths. It's why I assigned you to fetch Otto."

Alyssa spluttered, blinking up at her between tears, "I killed him, I killed my cousin, I killed his little dragon. Aenar was right, Aenar was always right..." She let her head fall on Daenys's chest, sobbing and sniffling as Daenys hugged her, rocking her gently and shushing her soothingly.

"I'm sorry," murmured Daenys. "For all of it. For all that's happened that I should've prevented."

"I want it to end," said Alyssa, still a flood of tears. "I want it to be over, I am tired, I am so tired of all this death. It's never going to end, never, never..."