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

130 AC

Outside Casterly Rock

"I am going to say it first if no one else will, this war is going nowhere," Elmo remarked sitting by the campfire outside Casterly Rock with his sons, Benjicot Blackwood, Forrest Frey, Roderick Dustin, Derrick Darry, Jorah Mallister, and Walys Mooton.

"On the contrary, I would say that the war is going on elsewhere except here," Derrick Darry replied before deeply drinking the wineskin they were sharing.

Forrest Frey remarked taking the wineskin from Derrick, "We have captured tunnels, dungeons, storerooms, barracks, halls, grand halls, stables, stairways, courtyards, balconies, gardens, sept, passages, caves, mines, galleries, chutes, wells, barracks, armouries, chambers, servant's quarters, and everything else from both the Lion's Mouth and the sea gates and yet we find ourselves barely scratching the surface of the Rock, not to mention we tend to lose what we have captured as well."

Every time the Queen's forces would capture any part of the Rock, there would be a counterattack from the Lannisters deeper within that would drive them off. Prince Daemon, Lord Roderick and Elmo launched successive attacks to seize the Golden Gallery only for their men to lose it within a day. Most men would stop fighting to plunder the gold-strewn and to rest, leaving them vulnerable to the Lannisters hidden deep inside the castle. The gold was a curse to them all, now everyone was afraid to plunder the gold that was before their eyes for it was a trap. Only the Northmen did not go plundering the gold for they came south not for plunder but a warrior's death.

Johanna Lannister was a witch most men in the army claimed, even with a captured Roland Westerling, her father, she would not surrender. Prince Daemon fed the old man to his dragon and all it did was harden her resolve. Eventually after much bloodshed, Elmo and the other Lords managed to convince Daemon to starve them out instead of yet another bloody storming that would result in nothing. Whilst Daemon decided to prepare for his fight with either the Usurper or the Kinslayer.

Elmo pointed out to the men, "We are running out of supplies, all the grain we have taken from the West is nearly over and the same can be said about the supplies taken from the Rock. We need to leave this place or establish supply lines from the Riverlands."

"Not to mention, the surviving Westermen are harassing our foragers, we are lucky if our foragers return alive with or without forage. Mostly without," Jorah Mallister groused.

It was the supply ships from Seagard that truly kept the campaign running. Now that they had stripped the Westerlands bare there wasn't much that could sustain a siege for them. The army had laid a trail of waste and destruction in their wake of the scale unseen before in Westeros. It will take the Lannisters a generation and gold to buy a kingdom to bring the land back to its feat. However, Elmo was certain that the Lannisters had that much gold.

"If the Usurper still hasn't come to the West, doesn't that mean he must have attacked Dragonstone," Kermit curiously asked. The boy always had an observant mind that most would not pick up.

Roderick Dustin nodded, "Most likely, laddie, most likely. We have yet to receive word but in all probability, Dragonstone has been attacked. Even the Prince has accepted that." Elmo had a newfound respect for the old Northman, he fought like a beast inside Casterly Rock. He killed Erwin Lannister in single combat inside the Hall of Heroes and half a dozen other knights that day. Nearly half the Northmen died trying to capture the Rock, still, they fell short of capturing the Hall of Heroes.

To demoralize the defenders, Prince Daemon ordered that all the heads of those killed in Lannisport be piled high into a pyramid of skulls in full view of the garrison in the Rock. While there was indeed a steady trickle of deserters it wasn't enough to weaken the Rock.

"What if the Usurper prevailed at Dragonstone?" Benjicot asked worriedly.

"If he did prevail, I do not doubt that he paid a grievous price for it," Walys Mooton replied with a reassuring smile.

"You have that right, Lord Mooton," Prince Daemon's voice cut through their conversation. All heads turned sharply back to see Prince Daemon emerge from the shadows into the light of the fire. Prince Daemon sat down on the log next to him carrying his wineskin. Prince Daemon explained, "My cousin Rhaenys can take on Vhagar all by herself with Meleys. My daughter flies Silverwing, the Good Queen's dragon who happens to be bigger than my usurping nephew's dragon and of course, our Queen flies Syrax a formidable dragon in her own right. If the Usurper does attack Dragonstone, I doubt that he will win and if the gods are indeed cruel, the Usurper will find himself to be a broken winner."

Prince Daemon continued, "The Prince of Dragonstone, Prince Joffrey and my sons have left Dragonstone for the North. So I can assure you my Lords that this war is not over no matter what happens."

"The North will fight for the Queen and in her name, no matter what," Lord Roderick declared with his horn of ale.

"As shall the Riverlands," Oscar and Kermit announced, followed by cheers of acknowledgement and agreement from the other riverlords around them.

"I appreciate your loyalty to our Queen, my Lords, more than you know." Daemon nodded, "I understand that this campaign is not going as expected. Which is why I have decided that we shall be departing the Westerlands and we shall march down the Ocean Road to Highgarden."

"What about the Rock?" Derrick curiously asks as Prince Daemon gives him his wineskin.

"We will seal the tunnels and mineshafts that are securely in our control. Let that bitch Johanna dig herself out. We have done what we need to do in the West. We now march on Highgarden. This is not even mentioning, the Hightower army marching ever slowly up the Goldroad as reported by our scouts." Prince Daemon revealed.

"Should we not march to face the Hightowers?" Elmo asked bemusedly.

Prince Daemon explained, "No need to, I will destroy that army on my own tomorrow morning. I will be leaving in a few hours before daybreak. They are marching slowly no doubt waiting for the Usurper or his brother to arrive. It will be too late for them. Meanwhile, you shall march south to Highgarden while the Ironborn attack the Shield Islands for daring to switch sides after declaring for our Queen. I will catch up to the army after I am done wiping out the Hightower army from existence." Prince Daemon had a savage smile at the end.

"When do we march, my Prince?" Roderick asked.

"Tomorrow at first light. Lord Roderick, you will lead the van. Lord Frey you are in charge of the rear guard, be sure to seal the mineshafts and tunnels before you leave. While Ser Elmo, you are in charge of the main column, leave behind a barren wasteland for the Lannisters as you march. I will likely join you by the time you reach Crakehall."

"I will see to it, my Prince," Lord Frey nodded.

Prince Daemon then got up, "Sleep well, my Lords. For you march tomorrow."

Old Oak

It was beginning to rain and a misty drizzle was being carried inland on the saline air. A sign that winter was approaching ever closer. Elmo stared out into the ever-darkening horizon with a sigh as he stood by the sea. The supply ships had arrived mere hours ago and the ships now reassembled in a deep inlet to shelter from this upcoming autumn storm. The inlet used to serve as a harbour for ships of House Oakheart but now it served them.

At Crakehall, the last stronghold of the West, they received word of the attack on Dragonstone. Prince Daemon in his fury destroyed the large forest outside the castle. The news of the Queen's death had a devastating impact on the morale of the army but the news that her heirs were alive and well in the North did save the army. Now they fought for honour, they fought for pride, and they fought for the Queen's heirs. The news of the second Hightower army marching into the Riverlands hardened their resolve with the Usurper seizing all of the Riverlands. There was no mercy for them so they decided to fight to end.

The only good news was that Vhagar could no longer fly and Prince Daeron was killed which left the Usurper alone against Prince Daemon. This could go their way if only they persevered long enough. Prince Daemon could kill the Usurper and then all of a sudden, they would have uncontested dominance in the skies. It all hinged on Prince Daemon. This war was not over just yet.

"The threat worked," Lord Jorah Mallister remarked, "The threat of Caraxes was enough to convince Lord Oakheart to bend the knee."

"Good," Elmo nodded, at least something was going right in this war. "Let us go inside, I wish not to be caught in this storm."

Old Oak was a strong castle but most of its strength had marched with Ser Moryn Tyrell into the Stormlands hence the old Lord Humpfrey Oakheart decided to bend the knee under the threat of Daemon. With large and strong towers with pointed green roofs, and tall curtain walls with a moat and drawbridge, it was a formidable castle that even crazy Lord Roderick would have a hard time capturing.

"When will Prince Daemon arrive?" Lord Jorah as they walked back to the castle through the camp as it began to drizzle. Prince Daemon had left once he was done torching Crakehall. They hadn't seen him since. The soldiers had already set their tents in the tourney grounds and most were already taking shelter while others went into the castle or the town. Elmo had a feeling that this was going to be a powerful storm.

Elmo replied as they crossed the wicket gate into the castle, "I have no idea, but regardless of whether he comes or not, we continue our march to Highgarden. He has already destroyed the Hightower army by the Goldroad. The Ironborn have already taken the Shield Islands and have begun raiding the Mander. There is no turning back now. We march to Highgarden once the storm ends."

Once they entered the Great Hall of Old Oak which was filled with tapestries, murals, and paintings of the Oakhearts fighting against the Dornish. The Great Hall was crowded with soldiers seeking refuge from the storm. Elmo found Lord Roderick and Lord Derrick warming themselves by the hearth while the others drank ale and wine from Lord Oakheart's cellars. They sat upon the high table on the dias while the other lower nobles and knights sat on the trestle tables down below. Lord Oakheart made sure not to show his face around them no more than necessary.

"We march on Highgarden once the storm clears," Elmo announced to the Lords once the Maester laid out the map on the table.

"The road is bound to be muddy after this storm, it will slow us down significantly," Derrick noted as thunder boomed outside.

"It matters not, I suppose. For I have a good feeling that we will face an army from Highgarden." Forrest Frey replied.

Then suddenly the doors of the Great Hall were thrown open and a rain-soaked man ran in frantically, "M'LORDS, M'LORDS," Elmo turned to look at the man, he was a Tully man, Delp, one of Riverrun's finest trackers and the leader of the scouts in their army.

"Stop right there," Lord Jorah said as some of the other knights stopped him before he reached the high table.

"Let him through, he is my man," Elmo called out, the knights turned to Elmo to see him nod before letting Delp through. He reached the high table dripping wet, Elmo asked him as he tried to catch his breath, "What is it, Delp? I thought that you had gone out foraging. For a moment I was worried you were lost in the storm when you didn't return?"

"I was nearly captured whilst most of my men were killed, I barely managed to escape with my life, m'lord" Delp began to ramble before Elmo could calm him.

"Captured, killed. Who did this?" Oscar then asked before Elmo or the others could.

"The Tyrells, m'lord" Delp replied with a wheeze, "I saw the golden rose, their army is marching up the Ocean Road as we speak."

Walys Mooton scoffed, "Marching, through this storm. What nonsense, sure the Tyrells might be marching up the Ocean Road but we expected that. Surely they must have stopped to shelter from this storm."

Delp shakes his head frantically, "They were marching in the storm, they did not stop to camp. I counted them to be nearly ten thousand strong. The man leading them was not a man with Tyrell colours, m'lord. It was a man wearing a white cloak with the golden dragon on his banner and there were three of them."

A White Cloak, everyone around the table immediately became silent upon hearing that. The Usurper's Kingsguard was here and if his Kingsguard was here then Usurper was here.

"Criston Cole is here," Lord Roderick said, "I do not doubt it which means that Usurper is here. He is the only one who might make an army march through a storm."

Then a bellowing roar cut through the din of the storm, it was not the shrill roar of the Blood Wyrm. It was a different dragon and Elmo had a sinking feeling who it was.

"SOUND THE ALARM, ASSEMBLE THE MEN, PREPARE FOR BATTLE." Roderick Dustin roared as he got up from his chair as the men rushed out of the Great Hall.

"Are you crazy, we cannot fight a dragon," Elmo remarked with aghast.

"No, we will fight the Kingmaker's army while we hope the storm forces the Usurper's dragon to stay on the ground. It will give us all the time we need until Prince Daemon arrives," Roderick replied hotly as he hefted his axe.

"Perhaps, we might as well kill the Usurper on the field," Walys added as he unsheathed his sword.

Elmo rushed into the courtyard in the pouring rain as the men scrambled about, the gates of the castle were opened and the men from the camp and town outside were brought into the castle. Elmo ran over with his sons to the battlements on the castle walls. The lightning and the thunder came together with the pouring rain, and the sky was black as night though it was supposed to be the afternoon.

"Most of the men have been brought into the castle," Jorah Mallister reported, "The draw bridge is ready to be raised. The camp in the tourney grounds has been evacuated as have our soldiers in town."

"Good, now raise the drawbridge. We do not have time to waste." Elmo ordered as Jorah Mallister rushed off to give the order to the men at the gates.

"This castle only has a handful of ballistas and scorpions," Kermit added as soldiers raced about the castle walls.

Then one of his household knights, Ser Robert Ryger arrived, "My Lord, we have sight of the Usurper's army. There before us," He pointed out and Elmo looked out in the rain, even in the darkness he could see an army marching up the Ocean Road. A bright flash of lightning illuminated the sky and for a moment, Elmo could see the Usurper's banner, the three-headed golden dragon on black. He also saw the man with the white cloak leading the army, it was Criston Cole.

If Delp was right then they had an advantage in numbers, fifteen thousand against ten thousand but that was not counting dragons. The Green army had stopped outside, the wind was blowing against them. This was not looking good. Yet there was hope, the drawbridge was raised and the moat was deep. Elmo couldn't see any siege engines which meant that any challenge to the castle was futile for any attacker unless there was a dragon. There were only columns of knights that happened to grow in size along with spearmen and what Elmo guessed due to the rain were archers. Though likely their bowstrings were now wet.

"What madmen will ever march during a storm?" Elmo muttered before looking into the sky to see where the Usurper's dragon was. Some of the guards atop the towers did see a dragon before it flew back into the clouds.

"Clearly, it is Criston Cole," Kermit dryly remarked even as the gates of Old Oak were closed and the portcullis came down.

Then two dragons joined the crash of the storm, Elmo looked up in terror to see two dragons emerge from the stormy clouds. The next lightning illuminated them, one golden and the other grey. How could there be two dragons? Prince Daemon assured them that Sunfyre was the only dragon the Greens had left.

"There are two dragons, not one, which one is this?" Derrick frantically asked in fear.

"Do I look like I fucking know the answer?" Roderick angrily replied as the storm began to batter them further.

"During the Last Storm, Meraxes could not take to the skies, surely this will be the same," Benjicot said with worry. His sons and Benjicot looked like fearful boys for the first time for that is what they were, boys. The war had changed them but dragons were a different matter altogether.

"Looks like those two don't give a fuck about the storm," Walys remarked as he joined them on the walls.

As the two dragons approached, Elmo felt his heart thumping further inside his chest and then suddenly a welcome roar cut through the storm. This was a roar that Elmo had long awaited. The spirits of their men soared as they cheered for it was the Blood Wyrm. Elmo looked up with the others to see the Blood Wyrm descend from the black clouds, his long serpentine figure seen even in the dim light of the storm. The men across the battlements cheered for Prince Daemon as the Blood Wyrm faced off against the two dragons.

"DAEMON, DAEMON, DAEMON, DAEMON," The men began to shout as the Blood Wyrm stayed aloft in the storm. Elmo noticed that the larger dragon was the Usurper's golden dragon while it could stay aloft in the storm the same couldn't be said about the other smaller grey dragon.

The Blood Wyrm roared once more challenging the two dragons before flapping his wings and soaring higher into the clouds and then the Usurper's dragon unleashed his flame and three dragons began a terrible and fierce dance.

It was a fight to the death, due to the storm all three dragons were no more than a hundred up in the air before all three crashed into each other. Tearing each other apart with the jaws and claws. Elmo and the others atop the battlements and those standing outside looked up in terror to see fireballs bloom in the middle of the storm. Elmo had to shield his eyes even as the rain began to hiss with the fire. It was like a sun had bloomed in front of them.

And then, Elmo watched in shock as the entangled mass of all three dragons began to come closer to the castle and then Roderick shouted, "TAKE COVER." Instinctively Elmo ducked underneath the merlons and he pulled his sons down with him and the next moment a dragon's tail cut through the air where they had been standing. Had he been a second late, he and his sons would have been split in two.

Others were not so lucky, three men atop a nearby tower were killed when a dragon's tail snapped like a whip and cleaved through them while the fourth was flung away into the courtyard below where his body was impaled upon a wooden stake.

Boiling dragon's blood began to fall upon them as the dragons battled to the death above and as men began to flee, Derrick Darry was not so lucky as a massive glob of boiling dragon blood fell straight upon him. It happened in the blink of an eye, he didn't even have time to scream but Benjicot standing next to him did scream in horror.

Elmo grabbed Benjicot and his sons, "BOYS, GET INTO THE GREAT HALL, IMMEDIATELY, DO NOT COME OUT UNTIL I OR SOMEONE ELSE YOU KNOW TELLS YOU THAT THE BATTLE IS OVER. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" Kermit wanted to protest but Elmo wasn't having his son's boldness today as he shook him by the shoulders, "DO YOU UNDERSTAND, SON?"

Kermit reluctantly nodded as the three of them ran off back into the Great Hall while Elmo moved into one of the towers with Roderick and Forrest to watch the dragon's brawl whilst a sun exploded over their heads. Jorah Mallister was not lucky enough to join them as when a dragon's tail smashed into the merlons of a tower, one of them was dislodged and fell straight upon his head. Not even Elmo's worst nightmares could make up anything like this bedlam.

Then finally, the Blood Wyrm prevailed over one of the dragons and tore off his neck. It was the smaller grey dragon, Elmo noticed as the bigger golden dragon was still in the air, though he could see blood smoking from more than a dozen wounds.

The remains of the grey dragon then fell straight down into the courtyard below the battle. No doubt, killing more unfortunate souls who were unlucky to be under a dragon fight. When people talk about being killed by a dragon, Elmo doubts this was what they had in mind.

"DAEMON, DAEMON, DAEMON, DAEMON," The men began to cheer in the castle, one dragon was gone while the other was left. "Daemon is going to kill the usurper," Forrest excitedly said as the two dragons separated and mercifully away from the castle.

"The usurper's dragon is smaller, he is done for," Roderick said with a laugh. Even with all this carnage, those two were still in good spirits.

But Elmo didn't cheer, he looked at the Blood Wyrm and the flash of lightning confirmed his fears, the Blood Wyrm was equally injured. Elmo warned them "Don't cheer just yet, Prince Daemon's dragon is injured as well."

Then as it felt like the storm was finally abating, the two dragons clashed once more in yet another bloody mortal combat. This time the vicious fight between the dragons dragged over to the Green army. The golden dragon banked and rolled and looped, spitting fire and snapping before dodging any of the Blood Wyrms attacks. The serpent like Wyrm was able to keep up with the smaller dragon with all his twists and turns.

If this came down to who could outlast the other, Prince Daemon was sure to win. The Blood Wyrm was bigger than the Golden though Elmo could see that the beast that brought the Eyrie low and killed the Queen was a formidable foe indeed. Elmo thought with grim anticipation as he and thousands of others watched on as the battle to decide the fate of Westeros was waged on the backs of two dragons tearing away at each other.

The golden dragon then retreated into the clouds but the Blood Wyrm did not follow him instead, Prince Daemon turned his attention to the Green army below him. The Blood Wyrm loosed his wroth upon the Kingmaker and his army while the men inside the castle cheered once more. The Blood Wyrm loosed his hellfire upon the Green army even as the storm began to diminish further.

"This is it, we are winning, The war is won," Forrest said as he could barely contain his excitement and his smile but Roderick and Elmo couldn't smile. Elmo knew this was not over yet and so did Roderick.

"The Usurper is not dead yet, sonny, this war is not yet won," Roderick warned and he was proven immediately right as the Golden dragon emerged screeching from the grey clouds and slammed straight into Caraxes. The Blood Wyrm was no more than twenty feet above the ground and he was caught off guard, Elmo looked in horror as the two dragons slammed into the mud. The Green army began to break as men were beginning to be crushed and the two dragons began to roll and tear away at each other in the mud.

Tails snapped like whips all around, and wings began to beat, fire began to bloom into the ground yet the two dragons were so entangled that neither could break free.

"Surely, the Blood Wyrm will tear the usurper apart, his dragon is bigger and heavier," Forrest said desperately, his earlier good mood had vanished.

"Not big and heavy enough to make a difference," Roderick shook his head. "The usurper's dragon is more than half of the Blood Wyrm and perhaps less than two-thirds. That difference isn't enough for an easy victory."

Then finally both dragons broke free of each other and took to the skies for what Elmo assumed for the final attack. Elmo and everyone in both the castle and the disarrayed army outside held their breath as the two dragons rose higher into the air, much higher than before, around a thousand feet Elmo guessed. Then they turned to face each other.

They slammed into each other with terrible force, their roars echoed as the two dragons began to grapple and tear away at each other. The clouds began to break and the sun began to shine its light upon a blood-red and gleaming golden dragon even as their bright flames became a competition to the sun. As everyone watched with bated breath, the two dragons locked into each other and began to tumble down to the ground.

Then another roar came out from the east, Elmo whipped his head in the direction of the roar as did everyone around him. From the grey clouds emerged yet another dragon, this one much larger than both the Blood Wyrm and the Golden, its scales looked greyish blue and the horns shone like silver in the sun.

"Where the fuck did this dragon come from?" Roderick asked with aghast and no one could answer him.

"Is it a friend or is it a foe?" A panicked Forrest asked but no man could say which. Forrest received his answer from the new dragon herself, the dragon opened her maw and unleashed its unforgiving flames upon the Blood Wyrm's back even as the two dragons began to tumble.

"It's a foe," Elmo muttered in terror. Was this Queen Helaena on Dreamfyre? But Prince Daemon said that she would not fight.

The larger dragon slammed into the locked mass of the two dragons, Elmo watched in shock as the blue dragon closed her jaws around the Blood Wyrm's neck even as the Golden stretched forth his wings and broke free of Caraxes' talons and tried to fly away but the wings of the Usurper's dragon were too tattered to hold his weight and a heartbeat later, all three dragons crashed into the earth.