According to the original plan, this was the mont to concentrate fire on Drogo.
But his charge had been too fierce. The Dothraki and Targaryen soldiers were already completely entangled.
"If we fire into the mist, we'll inevitably hit our own n."
The concern was valid.
For many commanders, victory was all that mattered. Whether a soldier died by enemy hands or friendly fire made little difference.
Bones would only beco stepping stones for the next generation of nobles.
But Gohor was not like that.
With the mindset of soone from another world and the experience of a teacher, Viserys could not treat lives as re numbers or expendable costs.
Those around him had been influenced by him as well, gaining a bit more restraint and humanity.
But the battlefield allowed no hesitation.
"Have the longbown fall back two hundred paces from the mist and fire from there!"
In the end, Viserys made his decision.
Though the two armies were mixed together, Targaryen soldiers wore armor.
At two hundred paces, the arrows would still be lethal to the Dothraki while minimizing harm to their own troops.
Connington agreed. There was no better option.
He raised his signal flag.
The longbown, already prepared, withdrew quickly and ford ranks under their officers' commands.
"Draw!"
"Loose!"
A trained longbowman could fire one arrow every ten heartbeats.
That ant ten, even twelve or thirteen arrows per minute.
Three thousand archers fired continuously into the mist for three to four minutes.
Over a hundred thousand arrows filled the sky, forming a shadow beneath the sun.
The wind from their flight even began to disperse the mist created by Lothan and his water mages.
In the distance, Arthur noticed the situation.
He pressed his legs hard against his horse's flanks, urging it forward.
He did not know exactly what was happening ahead.
But he knew that if the center broke, the army being split in two would be the least of their worries.
If sothing happened to Viserys, everything would collapse.
Yet the distance was too great. Even with full speed, the Dragonriders could not reach the center imdiately.
Still, when the mist appeared, Arthur understood that Lothan had acted. And when the arrows ford a gray curtain in the sky, he let out a breath.
In his mind, no unarmored man could survive such an attack.
But the next mont shattered that belief.
Sothing burst out of the mist.
It looked like a living pincushion, its body covered in arrows, white fletching trembling as it moved.
It was clearly riddled with arrows.
Yet its size was enormous, its form dark and unclear. No one could tell what it was at first.
Then those closest saw the truth.
It was a man carrying a horse on his shoulders, running forward at terrifying speed.
The horse's body was full of arrows.
He hurled it forward violently.
The corpse smashed into the formation, tearing open a gap.
Then Khal Drogo grabbed two more bodies from the ground and charged toward Viserys.
The sight shook the Targaryen soldiers to their core.
It was like seeing a man crawl out of a smoking crater in the age of gunpowder, only to roar and charge again.
The soldiers in his path faltered.
For a brief mont, their morale broke. So Dothraki recognized their khal.
Their spirits surged instantly.
"Drogo! Drogo! The Horse God!"
"Drogo! Drogo! The Horse God!"
Dothraki riders from across the battlefield surged toward the breach like madn.
Drogo himself reached the slope where Viserys stood.
The once-solid line had collapsed in an instant.
If the army were split in two, even survival would co at a devastating cost.
But the priority was clear.
Protect the king.
"Your Majesty, retreat! I'll hold him!"
Connington turned in alarm.
But Viserys was no longer there.
At so point, he had already descended from the command platform.
With a portion of his guard, he was charging straight toward Drogo.
"Stop him!"
For a mont, Connington felt the world spin.
To him, this was no different from charging headfirst into a speeding war machine.
He could not understand why the normally composed king had made such a reckless decision.
But soon, Viserys answered him with action.
Drogo saw him approaching and grinned savagely.
He hurled a corpse at him.
Viserys dodged lightly.
Drogo drew his curved blade.
One on horseback, one on foot, they closed the distance in only a few heartbeats.
Then they collided.
Connington, Gerold, Arthur, Oberyn, and Ogo all watched.
Arthur's eyes widened.
Viserys's Valyrian steel greatsword t Drogo's strike head-on.
The clash rang out across the battlefield, a piercing sound that seed to shake the sky itself.
Drogo's eyes filled with disbelief.
How is this possible? I have been blessed by the Horse God. How can he match ?
"You've killed many of my soldiers, Drogo. Impressive."
Viserys's voice was cold, like ancient ice buried beneath the Wall. "I will offer you to the Horse God! I'll drag you back and make you dance!"
What man did not dream of supre dominion? If Drogo fell, Viserys would beco the true khal of all khals.
The Targaryen soldiers, who had begun to falter, saw their king standing against the monster.
The royal guard surged forward to join the fight.
Their courage returned.
The collapsing line stabilized.
"Long live Viserys! Kill!"
With steel and renewed will, they held their ground.
On the other side, Drogo realized sothing terrifying. Viserys was stronger than him.
In strength, speed, and skill, he was completely suppressed.
Is there a god greater than the Horse God? No... impossible.
His power ca from the Horse God.
If sothing stronger existed, then everything he believed in began to crumble.
That mont of doubt was enough.
Viserys seized it.
He drove his foot into Drogo's chest.
The massive warrior was sent flying backward. And the silver-haired king followed, his Valyrian steel blade already in motion.
___________
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon/BloodAncestor
User Comments
0 comments from readers