The Iron Fleet had arrived at the mouth of Blackwater Bay several days earlier. After launching a raid on one of Daenerys's patrol ships on the first night to announce their presence, they had since been cruising and demonstrating in the Gullet south of Dragonstone, directly opposite the peninsula.
They had seized the main outbound shipping lane of Blackwater Bay, blocked the Dragonstone fleet's route to attack King's Landing, and had no fear of their own retreat being cut off. It was practically strangling Daenerys's navy, nothing could be more perfect.
Unless Daenerys agreed to a marriage alliance with Euron and willingly climbed into his bed, hostilities would never cease.
Crow's Eye's plan was extremely simple and brutal, roughly as follows.
If Dragonstone sent patrol ships out of the harbor, he would dispatch longships to follow and harass them, picking them off one by one.
If the enemy came out in force by sea and air to confront him, he would use his advantage in speed to retreat and draw them out, looking for opportunities when their formation became scattered. If he found a chance, he would strike. If not, there would be no loss.
And if Daenerys dared to ignore his presence and launch a full assault on King's Landing, the Iron Fleet would sail to the mouth of the Blackwater River when they were exhausted and cut off the Queen's fleet's retreat, annihilating the Targaryen navy in one stroke.
If Aegor could infiltrate the Iron Fleet's war council and learn of Euron's calculations, he would surely exclaim that this bastard was not only not a madman, but had also grasped the essence of the Sixteen Character Maxim.
Faced with Euron's open strategy, the Dragonstone fleet reacted swiftly. After suffering losses in several skirmishes and realizing the situation was unfavorable, they immediately stopped sending ships individually out of the military harbor. On the morning of the third day, the entire fleet sailed out together.
They did not head south toward the Iron Fleet. Instead, they circled halfway around Dragonstone to the north, then sailed west through a secondary channel.
Crow's Eye quickly led his fleet to disperse and shadow them to investigate. He soon discovered two surprising facts. The enemy had not only taken their ships away, but even the harbor defense forces had withdrawn from the docks into the island's castle. As for the departing fleet, their course was direct, sailing toward Duskendale, which lay closer to King's Landing.
The Dragon Queen's fleet had not only abandoned the blockade of Blackwater Bay, it had also yielded control of the entire sea. Had she truly conceded so cleanly?
It was clearly a trick. After dispatching numerous ships for close reconnaissance, Euron quickly discerned the enemy's plan. The Queen's fleet had not given up control of the sea. They had relocated to the docks outside Duskendale, where they were receiving reinforcements from the land army. They were likely preparing to strengthen their forces for a decisive battle.
Was it troublesome?
It was.
After receiving reinforcements from the land army, the Dragonstone fleet would certainly be more difficult to deal with than before.
But this was exactly what Euron wanted.
He had come all the way to King's Landing, circling halfway around Westeros, not to destroy Daenerys's naval power, but to tie down her assault on King's Landing and prevent her from exerting her full strength. The total numbers and equipment of the Unsullied and the Gift Army were limited. Diverting men and weapons from the land forces to the navy would significantly weaken their ability to storm the walls of King's Landing. Although Stannis was a fool, no one denied he was an excellent defender. By helping him share and relieve the enemy's pressure, the chances of him holding King's Landing would increase.
No matter how much the Queen's fleet was reinforced, it could not match the Iron Fleet, but the time gained by dispersing the enemy's siege strength was real. Although the Riverlands had been defeated, their strength still remained, and the attitudes of the Westerlands and the Vale were ambiguous. As long as the conflict dragged on, time was on Euron's side.
Alarm bells rang throughout the fleet, instantly drawing everyone's attention. Captains on each ship raised their spyglasses and scanned the horizon, quickly spotting the enemy ships in the north. The weather was clear, and the black and red sails of House Targaryen stood out sharply against the blue sea and sky, like a crimson tide rising from the edge of the world. Judging by their course, they were heading south, toward the Iron Fleet.
Euron turned his head. "Order the fleet to turn about and sail slowly toward the mouth of the Blackwater River. Keep Daenerys's ships within sight."
Signal flags relayed the command across the fleet. Though these greedy and lustful fools were irritating with their constant chatter in peacetime, they were seasoned veterans in naval warfare. Hundreds of ships began turning one after another. The scene appeared chaotic, yet amid the disorder they maintained stable distances and consistent headings. They did not interfere with one another and even cleared a path for the flagship to pass first, which was commendable.
An astonishing sight unfolded. The Iron Fleet, which had long dominated the seas, was being pursued by House Targaryen with barely half its numbers.
Euron did not halt to engage, not out of fear, but to lure the enemy into pursuit and control the battlefield within sight of Aegon's High Hill in King's Landing, that is, the Red Keep.
Stannis's last royal fleet lay anchored there. If the Queen's fleet attacked King's Landing, Euron would observe and wait for the right moment to intervene. But if Daenerys ordered them to fight the Iron Fleet to the death, the Baratheon royal fleet beneath the Red Keep would certainly not stand idle.
After all, if the Queen's fleet defeated and drove off the Ironborn, they would be next.
Euron had not reached a formal alliance with Stannis, but that did not prevent a certain degree of tacit coordination and shared advance or retreat. After the Gift Army's great victory at the Battle of the Blackwater Rush, both had realized that Daenerys was the greatest threat among all claimants to power.
The pace of naval warfare differed greatly from land battles. Tactical maneuvers were measured in hours. In a chase and retreat, even though the Iron Fleet withdrew slowly, it still took more than an hour from when the lookout first spotted the Queen's fleet through a spyglass until the two sides could see each other with the naked eye. Half a day after the Queen's fleet had assembled and departed, as the sun began to set, the two fleets finally reached the waters east of King's Landing, where the outline of the Red Keep could be seen in the distance.
The Iron Fleet, which had arrived first, ceased its retreat and began forming its battle lines in the outer sea south of the mouth of the Blackwater.
Silence stood at the exact center of the first line. To its left and right were Leviathan and Night Walker, once Balon Greyjoy's flagship. Farther outward were Thunder, Roarer, and numerous massive longships bearing names like Iron something, something King, and others named after real or mythical sea creatures, indistinguishable to anyone not from the islands. The second line consisted of slightly smaller longships. The third line was smaller still. The fourth line, guarding the rear, formed a broad arc larger than the one before it. In addition to the four wide horizontal lines, thanks to their overwhelming numerical advantage, Euron deployed extended wings of smaller longships, enabling him to outflank and cut off the enemy's retreat once the battle began.
Not far to the northwest of the Iron Fleet's vast formation, the Baratheon royal fleet, having already sighted the enemy, hastily formed three battle lines.
The first line, composed of massive capital ships such as King Robert's Hammer, Fury, Sea Stag, and Lord Steffon, was flanked by clusters of medium sized warships bearing aristocratic names like Lady something, Lord something, or Princess and Prince something. After losing control of the Seven Kingdoms and their tax revenues, and without financial support from the Iron Bank, Stannis could no longer sustain the magnificent fleet he once commanded as Master of Ships under his brother Robert. Relying solely on the resources of the Crownlands, he maintained only the most crucial flagships for appearances, along with some medium warships and auxiliary vessels. Many large warships that once filled the gap between them had been decommissioned or sold to various city states.
The consequence was that although the royal fleet's first line still appeared respectable, its overall presence was far from what it once had been. Even Daenerys's fleet, assembled hastily and having sailed from Meereen, could not confront it head on before, let alone the Iron Islands after their frantic expansion.
The two fleets were not facing each other. The Iron Fleet had its back to the coast of the Kingswood, facing north, while Stannis's fleet backed onto King's Landing, facing east. They formed a ninety degree angle, both looking out upon the deep blue sea, which for the moment held no ships in sight.
Under the watch of tens of thousands of eyes, the Queen's fleet finally arrived before sunset, taking its position.
Fearing an ambush upon entering the area, House Targaryen, flying black and red sails, had already begun arranging its formation according to plan as it approached the mouth of the Blackwater. However, compared to the other two fleets that had formed classic battle lines in a pincer like stance, the Queen's formation appeared strange. It was elongated as well, but its narrow side faced the direction of advance, that is, toward King's Landing. The two opposing fleets were arranged in left, center, and right sections, while the Queen's fleet appeared arranged in front, center, and rear sections.
If they charged into Stannis's fleet in such a formation, the center might come under pressure, but the wide wings could easily envelop and surround their vanguard. They could be crushed even without the Iron Fleet intervening.
At first Euron was puzzled, but after observing carefully for several minutes, he suddenly understood the enemy commander's intention. The formation appeared strange only because he had assumed, based on their direction of advance, that they intended to attack King's Landing. In truth, their primary target was him. Viewed from another angle, the enemy's front, center, and rear were still right, center, and left. The entire fleet was advancing toward what was effectively its right flank, which made it appear peculiar.
Daenerys intended to use a few dozen ships on her right flank to tie down Stannis's entire royal fleet, while employing roughly a hundred ships behind them to deal with his Iron Fleet, simultaneously engaging forces that together outnumbered her three to one.
Had Dragonflame burned away this Queen's wits?
Both Stannis and Euron shared this thought, yet the fleet that seemed destined for destruction did not hesitate for even a moment. With the roar of cannons, as soon as it reached position, it launched a general assault on the royal fleet.
The enemy had inexplicably made such an absurd tactical arrangement, so there was no reason to miss the opportunity. Euron laughed loudly and gave the order.
"Order the fleet to lower sails and raise oars. Advance slowly. Engage only after the enemy's vanguard has been tied down by Stannis."
(To be continued.)
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