A/N: Hey guys! Hope you guys are healthy and safe still!

Since I was on vacation, I had to quickly hurry to write up this chapter. Have to maintain my routine, after all. Hope this will meet expectations!

ORYS VI

Orys put his hand on the railing of his ship. He didn't go for any fancy names for a vessel of his use like other vain captains, deciding only on "Fire Antler." The name might not have said much, but it suited his purpose and helped further symbolize the union of the dragon and stag to the rest of the captains.

Orys knew that he would be leading his ships on an unprecedented voyage around Dorne towards the southern shores of the Reach, with Oldtown as their ultimate destination. It all served the purpose of ensuring that the enemy remained off-balance, as the sight of his vessels just within striking distance of their largest port would force them to reposition their troops and also bring fear to the population. We have to show that we can be anywhere, dragons or no dragons. It also served the purpose of cutting off any hope of escape and resupply that the sea might offer the Reachmen, as they won't be able to send out their merchant ships without running the risk of being sunk.

However, Orys had to assemble his fleet carefully. Bringing galleys was out of the question. Even though they were swift and maneuverable, the crews required frequent stops for food and water. Not only was Dorne a neutral territory, it was mostly desert and had no ports to even dock at, so any ship that Orys would bring had to sail nonstop. We might sacrifice speed, but we can keep moving.

The type of watercraft that Orys had to include in his fleet were cogs, carracks, and longships.

Cogs were mostly propelled by sails, which made them difficult to sail, especially upwind, and they were affected by breezes and currents in a way that a swift galley was not. However, cogs could better manage rough seas and its small crew and ample storage space gave it greater freedom of movement, making it perfect for trade or equipment transport. In this case, Orys planned to store as much provisions, weapons, and men as he could fit on them.

Carracks was the type of ship that Orys sought the most for his fleet. It was large enough to be stable in heavy seas and could carry a large cargo and the provisions needed for very long voyages. It usually had square rigs on the foremast and mainmast and a lateen rig, or triangular sail, on the aft mast. They had a high rounded stern with a large stern section, the upper deck, and bowsprit at the stem. Compared to the cog, the carrack was a more superior type of boat and would last very long on the high seas. However, it was more difficult to build than the cog and given the resources that Orys had at his disposal, the carracks would have to be part of the Orys' personal component, as they could be used to turn the tide on the seas if necessary.

Orys decided to incorporate the longship into his fleet. Primarily used by the ironborn, they were long, narrow, light, wooden craft with a shallow-draft hull designed for speed. The ship's shallow draft allowed navigation in waters that were only one meter deep and permitted beach landings, while its light weight enabled it to be carried over land journeys from one anchorage to the next. Longships were also double ended, the symmetrical bow and stern allowing the ship to reverse direction quickly without having to turn around. This trait proved particularly useful at northern latitudes where icebergs and sea ice posed hazards to navigation. Longships were fitted with oars along almost the entire length of the boat itself. In short, it was a very efficient design that Orys was not going to just ignore.

But Orys knew that he would most likely fight the ironborn as soon as he reached the southern shores of the Reach, and they would have a better understanding of the longship than he could ever hope for. If he wanted to incorporate that ship into his fleet, he needed to make some modifications to better suit it for his use. Consulting with Daemon Velaryon and the ironborn defectors, he went over the design of the longship.

"If you plan to take on the ironborn on the high seas, you need to be faster, more armed to the teeth, and sink more of their ships than they would yours," Daemon told Orys. "At the same time, all of the ships that you will take with you also have to fight the fleet that can be gathered by the Redwynes at the Arbor. In any conventional fight, your odds against the naval might of the Arbor are stacked against anyone."

"I can guess that," Orys agreed. "If I were to install missile weapons on the decks of my ships, would that give me a better chance against them?"

"That would only buy you time, Orys. When it comes down to it, all battles on the seas are as much determined by the sword as on land. Just remember that in any case, you will be heavily outnumbered and possibly outmatched by the combined might of the Redwynes and the ironborn," Daemon outlined.

"I wouldn't worry so much about the ironborn and the Redwynes working closely together. They only are joining hands because the Faith told the Arbor to do so, but that will not erase the amount of bad blood between them, especially since they are rivals on the sea," Orys pointed out.

"That maybe the case, but you're still outnumbered, and you have to last as long as you can if you are to win. We all know the results that will come if you do, but just understand that it will be difficult, maybe near impossible for you to achieve such an outcome."

"Understood," Orys acknowledged. "The reason why I called you and the others here today is to discuss how I can adapt the longship to my purposes. Once that's been covered, we can begin to discuss how we can fight both the Redwynes and the ironborn when battle is upon us."

"Lord Orys," one of the ironborn spoke up. "I, alongside the others in this room, are grateful for your kindness and generosity in allowing us to live and serve another purpose. Being on the greenlands has taught us much about how to life differently and I believe that I speak for everyone in that we will give you the best advice possible in order to counter King Darvin."

Orys nodded his thanks. "I thank you."

"With that said, you have to consider the purpose of the longship. It was made to transport reavers over long distances in any type of water and to engage other crews in close combat as fast as possible," the ironborn defector continued. "But if you want to have a chance at fighting our brethren, we have to rethink the design of the longship. We still want to transport troops over the sea, but we also have to make the vessel into one that can sink others as well."

"What did you have in mind?" Orys leaned in, interested.

"To start with, we have to make the longship larger. The usual would be with thirty oars, but we'll have to increase to sixty. We must also build with high sides, which will increase the fighting capability of the ship rather than just pure navigation."

"But won't that make it just another galley, then?"

"With more men, you'll be able to last longer than a regular longship. And keep in mind. The main ship that the ironborn use against larger craft is the cog. If they will use longships in battle, it's mostly to outmaneuver larger ships like the cog and carrack while getting close enough to board. You want ships to counter them and that is what our type of longship will accomplish."

"You're implying that a certain type of ship is not enough to defeat the ironborn on the high seas?" Orys asked.

"If you want to beat any formidable foe on the sea, you have to out-sail them. That would include developing new type of craft, but that's only part of how you would win," the ironborn defector told him.

Realizing that he needed more ideas, Orys turned to the Haru man he also invited to the meeting. Named Taro Kajiwara, he was a cousin of both Arata and Kenzou Haru and one of Konno's relatives who fled the Golden Empire of Yi-Ti before his family was affected as part of the "guilt by association" policy. But unlike most of his Haru cousins, he could speak the common tongue very well, but with an accent. And the reason why Orys invited him was because he used to serve in the Yi-Ti fleet.

"Master Kajiwara, how would Yi-Ti conduct combat on the sea?" Orys asked.

"From my experiences, we mostly prefer to engage our enemies from a distance because we had certain weapons that would allow us to do so. But considering that this place doesn't have the resources to build such weapons yet, there is one type of craft that could be used to solve your particular quandaries," Kajiwara began with.

"And what would that be?"

Kajiwara then explained in great detail of a certain type of craft from Yi-Ti developed to counter pirates that raided commerce routes. The ship was called a "turtle boat", which was named after the steel plating that would protect its crew and resemble that of a turtle shell. It was typically a hundred to hundred and twenty feet long and was made of wooden pegs, matching indentations, and interlocking teeth. Most ships were made with a combination of wood and metal, but the metal nails would rust and later snap after several moments of exposure to seawater. That's quite an innovation.

Realizing that most of those who attended the meeting would be unable to visualize the ship, Kajiwara took the time to draw it out from his memory. Both Daemon Velaryon and the ironborn defectors watched closely, as the turtle boat was outline on the paper before all of them.

Orys himself watched as the ship took shape. He could see that on the bow of the vessel a head resembling that of a phoenix, which Kajiwara described as the symbol of the emperor, was mounted there. He said that sulfur smoke was released from the phoenix head to effectively hide its movement from the enemy in short distance combat. The phoenix head, which was considered the most distinguishing feature of the vessel, was large enough to fit a missile weapon inside it. The phoenix head served as a way to frighten the enemy in combat, with the aim of striking fear into the hearts of enemy sailors. Early versions of the turtle ship would burn poisonous materials in the dragon's head to release a poisonous smoke, which would add to the fear that pirates would have of it.

In the front of the ship was a large anchor. Below the anchor was a wooden crest that was shaped like a face, and these were used to ram into enemy ships.

In line with the standard design of Yi-Ti naval ships, the turtle boat had two masts and two sails. Oars were also used for maneuvering and increasing speed. Another advantage the turtle ship had was that it could turn on its own radius, which even the longship couldn't do. This is getting more and more interesting.

The turtle ship had 10 oars and portholes on each side, from which missiles could be released through and even spears if an enemy ship got too close. Usually, there was one porthole in the phoenix head's mouth, from which the gas would be released. There were two more portholes on the front and back of the turtle ship. The portholes allowed the crew to use special wooden bolts several feet in length, with specially designed iron fins, to be released via mounted ballista. These bolts would carry enough power to cause large holes in the hull of a ship. As for the crew itself, the complement usually comprised about fifty to sixty warriors and seventy oarsmen, as well as the captain.

Kajiwara then drew what looked like spikes on top of the ship. He said that the sharp iron spikes protruded from hexagonal plates covering the top of the turtle ship. An advantage of the closed deck was that it protected the sailors and fighters from enemy missiles and other types of projectiles. The spikes discouraged pirates and enemy sailors from engaging in the primary method of sea combat, which was to grapple an enemy ship with hooks and then board it to engage the crew in hand-to-hand combat.

All in all, Kajiwara drew the outline of what looked to be a maneuverable ship, capable of sudden bursts of speed. The turtle boat featured a U-shaped hull which gave it the advantage of a more stable platform for releasing missile, and the ability to turn within its own radius was useful to attack enemies by spinning at the same spot using either bows or other missile weapons mounted on the four sides of the turtle ship, as they all needed time to reload. However, Kajiwara stated that the main disadvantage of a U-shaped bottom versus a V-shaped bottom was a somewhat slower cruising speed, and he said that the turtle boat was most useful in coastline battles.

Kajiwara stated that as the centuries passed, the Yi-Ti navy implemented some structural changes as opposed to earlier versions. For example, more recent versions of the turtle boat had a higher bulwark height. This alteration in the design was made so that more bulwark slots could be added. In turn, these slots could be used for additional weaponry or ventilation for the crew. Early versions of the turtle boat also had overlapping planks on the deck structure, while later versions had the deck of the vessel covered with flush, hexagonal plates made of wood or iron. What didn't change was that in both versions, it was incredibly fast and maneuverable, as it was could be propelled by both oar and sail. Most importantly, the spikes remained, meaning that that this was a proven strategy to repel boarders.

"But Master Kajiwara," Daemon looked over the design in amazement. As a born sailor, he was always on the lookout for new ship designs and before him was a novel idea. But as someone who commanded much experience from the sea, he also was aware of any potential weaknesses new ship designs might have. "You say that this would only be useful in coast battles. How would this fare in an actual battle between ships on the high seas?"

"You'll be hard pressed to find a vessel more maneuverable and sturdier than the one you're looking at," Kajiwara stated.

"I could only imagine how expensive this type of vessel must be," the ironborn defector noted. "Not only do you have to use particular types of wood to make this ship possible, you also need to cover the top of the deck with iron. No ship that I am aware of requires this much metal and this would require more iron that would usually be seen."

"I admit that it's quite a price to meet, considering the materials and specific design of this ship," Kajiwara shrugged. "However, this type of ship will be incredibly difficult to sink. Most importantly, nobody would dare to board it, unless they like to have their bodies pierced with spikes."

"Master Kajiwara, this is quite something," Orys could say. "But as good as this ship is, I have to also make my fleet as cost effective as possible. Surely, the navy you served in wasn't dominated by these 'turtle boats.'"

"No," Kajiwara admitted. "For every twenty ships that the fleet had, they had one. But they proved quite effective against pirates. Now considering those ratios, you have to see just how deadly this ship is."

Orys rubbed his chin in thought. The more Kajiwara talked about this ship, the more he really wanted it. At the same time, he could afford to make only one of these, maybe two if time and resources allow, and they could only be used for shock attacks. Also, he never seen them in action before and was thus skeptical of what they could actually accomplish in battle.

Then again, Orys needed all the help he could get, and he wouldn't be able to confidently take on the combined might of the Arbor and the ironborn unless he had a trick or two up his sleeve. This might be it.

"Master Kajiwara, I hereby direct you to oversee the construction of this ship," Orys urged. "Build another, if you can. Once completed, I intend to make it my flagship, to show my trust in his input."

"Orys, you sure that's a good idea?" Daemon might have also liked it, but he was more unsure. "We haven't seen this type of ship in Westeros before."

"Many things have not been seen in Westeros before we came. No harm in adding more," Orys shrugged. "You got any better ideas on how we could fight an enemy that will for sure outnumber us?"

Daemon had nothing to say to that. As for the ironborn, Orys told them to start building the ships as the lead defector suggested.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Erik, my lord," the defector answered.

"Well, Erik, if all goes well on the seas, I intend to make you a lord. You will also be entitled to a small portion of the spoils of war that will be collected when this is over," Orys promised.

"I… thank you, my lord," Erik bowed.

"Let's get to work," Orys commanded.

While his brothers were winning in the Reach and his sisters were giving the Vale quite the beating, Orys oversaw the additions to his fleet.

But he also found time to return to Storm's End. As the household bowed before their lord paramount, Argella was out to greet him. His heart felt at ease upon seeing her warm smile, and he himself was grinning as they embraced in front of their servants. Kissing her forehead, she went with him back into Storm's End, her arm wrapped around his own, and they went to the solar in the castle's large and only tower, where he found an elaborately arranged meal waiting for him.

"What is this?" Orys turned to his wife.

"A victor must always come home to nice meal," Argella guided Orys to his seat. "And you're about to sail soon, so you must also have good food before facing the rigors of the sea again." She kissed his cheek as she sat across him.

As the lord of the castle, Orys had first choice on all cuts of meat, sweets, and wine. But after cutting a slice of roasted auroch, he gave it to Argella, who was surprised.

"A lord doesn't eat after his lady wife," Argella lightly reminded him, but she wasn't rejecting it.

"You prepared this meal, Argella. It's only right that you have the first taste," Orys shrugged.

After also getting his cut of auroch, Orys poured Arbor gold into their goblets. "To us," he proclaimed.

"To us," she answered with a large smile as they clinked their goblets.

Orys and Argella spent the next hour in each other's company over the dinner table, with a band of bards and musicians keeping the air lively. Although it was their own private time, it felt like a feast and Orys enjoyed every second of it.

Argella wore a dress in bright red and yellow, which certainly fit the mood that filled the solar. Her black hair was loose and flowed past her shoulders, and her skin was just as white as when he first saw her. But as his eyes looked down from her dazzling face, away from her powerful blue eyes, past her red lips, and her strong but lean neck, he noticed that she was wearing a necklace made up of tiny Valyrian steel rings and lined with dragon heads. The centerpiece of the necklace was the dragonstag of their new house, with tiny ruby eyes and topaz mouth that resembled fire.

"Do you like it?" Argella noticed his eyes gazing upon it.

"Yeah," Orys shook himself out of the trance. "How did you get it?"

"I sent a letter to Lord Rahitheon. I told him that you asked for a necklace that would symbolize the union of the dragon and the stag and that it had to be made of Valyrian steel and the finest jewels," Argella told him.

"You said that I asked him to do it?" Orys clearly didn't remember that.

"I had to… take some liberties in order to get what I wanted. Can't say that I blame the Rahitheons for still holding a grudge against me, considering what my father did to their relative," Argella shrugged.

Clever, Orys thought approvingly. "I'll talk to Lord Rahitheon about it. Glad that he fulfilled a request in my name, but that he has to move on."

"I wouldn't push too hard on him. He might be stubborn in some cases, but he's a good craftsman and engineer. Wouldn't do us any good if we were to incur his anger."

Orys sighed before he drank from his goblet. "I really like it, Argella. But what prompted you to get it made?"

Argella rubbed the necklace in thought before setting her fork and knife down. "I just thought it would be time for me to really express my peace with my current station. A few of the household were still skeptical of me accepting you as the lord of this castle and one of them even told me that he would be willing to support me if I wanted to take back what was mine."

Orys blinked. "Who said that?"

"The head cook, out of all people," Argella shook her head with indifference.

He felt his fist tighten at the thought of one of their servants daring to talk treason in her face. "He really said that?"

"Of course, I had to warn him in unequivocal terms to never speak in such a way again. I also reminded him that since you did claim Storm's End on the field of battle, this castle was yours. But more importantly, you never abused me or tried to dishonor what my father left behind and that you were the best one to carry out the Durrandon legacy."

"I'm guessing that didn't work?" Orys could tell from how she spoke of that servant.

"When he still remained obstinate, I had him thrown in the cells. He's still there."

"Why didn't you kill him? He said that he would commit treachery and that is enough to warrant his head on a spike," Orys wanted to go down to the cells and do the deed himself.

"I wanted to hear your words on what should be done with him. But I also want to show you that I am loyal to you and to our new house."

Orys' face softened. "You don't have to do anything more. If there is someone who must do that, it's me. I didn't build this castle."

"I am not showing it to you. I am showing it in front of the others. No matter what you do, perception matters and the problem with the head cook might not go away unless they truly understand the new state of things," Argella explained.

"Ah," Orys bobbed his head, now seeing her thoughts, and sighing. "I guess what we feel about each other is not enough. We have to show others that."

"Is there a problem?" Argella's face revealed surprise. "You said before that you are better with me at your side and I did show you that I had affections for you. What's the harm in showing others how happy we are?"

Orys conceded. But then, an important issue came to his mind. "Argella?"

"Hmm?" she gave him her full attention.

"It's been nearly a year since we were married. And my father broached the subject with me, but I didn't want to push you. However, since you talked about perception, I felt that… we might need to consider the next steps," Orys was trying to approach it as delicately as he could.

However, Argella was not having it. "Orys, if you have something, please just say it. Do not beat around the bush."

"It's true on what you said. Everyone should see how happy we are, but you're not with child yet," Orys didn't want to come off the wrong way and was really hoping that she didn't misinterpret his intentions.

Argella leaned back against her chair. "Do you want to have children with me?"

"I do," Orys stated honestly. "I don't want to burden you, but since we both a house to attend to, we have to make sure that there are those of our blood that will be here long after we're gone. Egg and Rhae will have their child, and so will Vis and Jae. And if you're not pregnant after a while, people will start asking questions."

"I know all of that. But I'm asking you directly," Argella leaned on the table. "Do you want to have children with me?"

Orys took in a breath and exhaled, before nodding. "Yes, I do."

"Why?"

Orys became a little agitated. "Do you doubt my intentions, Argella?"

"It's not that. I want to hear your reasons for wanting to be a father. Nothing political, nothing material. Just your thoughts," Argella explained.

Now that he thought about it, Orys never saw himself as a father. He would undoubtedly have a hard time explaining to his family and to his bannermen why he didn't have an heir. But more deeply, he didn't want to force himself on Argella despite how strong their bond had become in the past months.

As he opened his mouth, he was not going to let himself think so hard. Whatever came from his heart would pass through his lips. Let that be enough.

"Children only know of one father and one mother. I never knew my mother apart from her being a bastard daughter of House Celtigar, but my father took me in when my grandsire refused to acknowledge me. Even though I was a bastard, to my father and to my siblings, I was just his son and their brother. Because of them, I had a family and I grew up knowing what love looked like. But I think I took it for granted."

"Why did you take it for granted?" Argella cocked her head at him, more curious.

"I spent much of my free time outside of the training yard whoring at Dragonstone's brothel without realizing the consequences. The gods were kind enough to prevent any pregnancies from my many… sordid dalliances. As I thought more on it, however, I reflected on what my father did. Despite me being a bastard and despite my visits to the brothel, he still loved me. He might not have liked it, but he accepted it. That was when I truly felt part of the family."

Argella put her chin on her raised knuckles as she rested her elbows on the table.

"If I had any children, I want to them to feel the same love that I received from my father," Orys continued. "Maybe love is seeing all of the flaws in another and not only accepting them, but I hold them dear no matter what. That's the kind of bond that I want to have with my children. And I want to pass on my experiences, because there is no point in having them if I won't share them with others."

Argella's face relaxed considerably. Orys was still unsure if his words had any effect on her, but he felt like a huge weight was lifted off of his heart, one that he didn't know existed.

"You know, Orys. That reminds me of one time that my father talked to me about what others told him about his own succession."

It was then that Orys still noticed that the band was still playing. Gesturing them to leave the solar and thanking them for their performance, he looked into her eyes. "You were saying?"

"Everyone still remembers him as the warrior king that led armies into battle ever since he was a child, but no one but me saw him as a father. He had so much guilt after not being by my mother's side and many of his bannermen were offering either their daughters or their sisters as replacements, hoping that he could have a son and a male heir. They couldn't understand when he said no, and at the time, I didn't," Argella divulged.

"What made you understand him?"

"He told me, and I remember his exact words, 'I lost the love of my life, your mother. While she was alive, I could fulfill all of the duties required of a father and provide the love that my child deserved. But you should understand that there could only be one person who will be the other half of your soul, and that died when your mother died. And I don't want a second wife to experience the lack of warmth that I will give her, and I cannot promise that I will love any children begotten by her. The only one who got everything that I could ever give was you, and no one else will.'"

As she revealed that story, Orys could see a few tears drop from her eyes. He immediately stood up from his seat and sat next to her, taking her hands in his.

"No matter how much pain I had suffered because I was his only heir and a woman, what he said to me made all of that become insignificant. I received all of his love and that's more than what anyone could hope for. You say that you want to be like your father. So do I."

Orys pulled her into a hug, feeling her tears fall as he shushed her. "Thank you, Argella. I didn't know about that side of your father, and I'm glad you told me. Shows that he was indeed a great man."

Argella looked up into his eyes. "So… now we both know what unconditional love is, and I agree with you. It should be passed on."

"What are you saying?" Orys wanted her to say it.

"I am saying that I also want to have children with you. I just needed to hear your reasons for wanting to become a father, and now I know that our children will be in very good hands."

Orys smiled before Argella brought her lips to his and they shared a kiss in the solar. As it became deeper, their tongues danced with each other and he felt himself overwhelmed by the pleasure that gave him. Their hands felt each other's bodies, his hands gliding over her graceful back and hers running over his shoulder blades.

But before their kiss became more intense, she pulled back from him. "What was that for?" Orys felt robbed of the moment.

"You know what? I think I found a way to keep you tied to me. You're just going to have keep winning and come back to me alive," Argella moved away and moved her legs onto their seat, her feet just inches away from his own legs. All the while, he began to notice something that he never expected to see. Her smile turned sultry as she puffed her chest, the lining of her bosom revealed through her red and yellow dress.

Then, she did something that he went beyond his expectations. She pulled up her hem over her bent knees and widened them. He felt his eyes widen as he saw that she wore no smallclothes and thus, her opening was exposed to him.

Orys gulped. "Was this your intention?"

"I was considering it when we went to our chambers tonight, but I couldn't wait to show you what you will have," Argella was trying very hard to tempt her husband.

Without thinking, Orys saw his hands move towards her opening, wanting to insert his fingers in there as he did in the brothel on Dragonstone. But before he got close, Argella sat back up, closed her legs, and pushed his forehead away with her fingers. "Ah, ah, ah," she shook her head with a smirk. "I will only give you my maidenhead, truly, after you come back alive. Figured that would be good motivation, and I won't be like the whores on Dragonstone that you know well. Everything has a price after all."

Orys groaned in sadness, the opportunity to finally touch his wife in her intimate places denied. At the same time, he felt ready to rise to her challenge. "All right. We'll do it your way then. When we meet again, I will touch you there."

"When we meet again, I will give you more than that," Argella counteroffered.

So, that's how it's going to be. "You promise?" She nodded while keeping her luscious smile. This is a very different side to her, one that I had never expected.

They laid together that night, but only in each other's arms. Orys knew that Argella wanted to take things a step further, but with the promise, he was going to respect her maidenhead until she willingly gave it.

Orys remembered the last night they spent in each other's embrace, a step away from full intimacy but a step closer to it, as he watched the ocean pass by his ship.

Upon full inspection and after getting all troops and ships readied, Orys had about seventy ships under his command, which had about than five thousand men and two troops for every one crewman. And two were the turtle boats that Orys had commissioned, but he had Master Kajiwara replace with phoenix heads with dragon heads to better portray who the ships fought for.

Although Orys wanted to make one of the turtle boats his flagship and had announced it so, he realized that he needed to be seen by the other captains and crews if he wanted to be an effective commander. But he kept the turtle boats close to his flagship, as they would personally sail with him into battle.

With the corsair threat from the Stepstones largely quiet from his earlier action, it was mostly quiet as they sailed around Dorne towards the southern shores of the Reach. But the tense moment of the voyage came when the fleet was within sight of Sunspear. Although Dorne had no navy courtesy of Nymeria burning her ten thousand ships, any wrong move on his part could spark a conflict with Dorne, which was what they didn't need. Moreover, the Dornish could very do some damage on land in response, which would cause some serious complications to the campaign elsewhere.

"Do not go past ten miles of Sunspear and their shores, coxswain," Orys ordered. "We don't want any entanglement with the Dornishmen."

"Aye, my lord," the coxswain complied.

Orys then signaled to the rest of the fleet to do the same. Given the stormlanders' animosity with the Dornish, at least a few of the captains would be tempted to provoke them. However, they had bigger fish to fry at the moment and they all followed his orders.

Orys tapped his fingers nervously on the railing. What stumped him was that the Dornish, despite being followers of the Faith, had not involved themselves in the war. But whatever their reasons, none of them could be good. And Orys had heard rumors of the reputation of the Yellow Toad of House Martell. We don't need to fight her at the moment.

Miraculously, nothing happened as the fleet passed by Sunspear. Orys would have to report this to the rest of the family, as the Dornishmen could have easily attacked him. And the worry would not stop until they sailed clear of Dorne.

For the next few weeks, all Orys could see as they sailed was more sand. On the bright side, that was their marker and would allow them to navigate all the way around.

But more importantly, Orys began to prepare himself for the trials ahead. This would not be like the Stepstones. He would fighting those who had more experience on the sea than he had and they would most definitely be outnumbered. On the other hand, he knew that he had two advantages on his side.

First, the Redwynes and the ironborn would most likely not cooperate with each other. Second, out of the hundreds of ships they both could amass, only a handful were actual warships while the rest were merchanters. As for Orys, every ship was built for combat and all carried their own provisions. Also, they would attempt to engage from a distance using missiles, but all of the crews were trained for close combat. Let that be enough, Orys hoped.

But for extra measure, he sent an approximate time to all of the family, including his father, that he would arrive at the mouth of the Torrentine, the major river of Dorne. From there, it would take only a few days to sail to the Arbor. On the off chance that they encountered no resistance, they would drop anchor outside of both Blackcrown and the Three Towers, as the two castles controlled the entrance to the Honeywine, on which Oldtown stood.

Once they got the message, at least one of them will fly on their dragon to help me. I might need some fire to help even the odds. Orys had to prepare for every eventuality, since he could not take any chances.

"Land sighted, my lord!" one of the crew shouted.

Running onto the deck, Orys plucked out his far-eye and looked in the direction of the finger of the ship's lookout. Scanning the sea, he then spotted a forested island with a port and ships coming out of it. Looking closer, he saw a banner with the grape cluster against a blue field, the unmistakable sigil of House Redwyne.

"Signal the fleet! Be ready to engage!" Orys shouted to the crew.

Although he could see no ships around the Arbor, that didn't mean that they weren't there. If not at the Arbor, it would further north.

Please protect us, he prayed. And the rest of you, please hurry.

A/N: Didn't expect Argella to be so... voluptuous, huh? Here's to Orys fulfilling his promise and getting back to Argella safely ;)

The turtle boat is an actual ship from Korean history and has been used very effectively, but for obvious reasons, had to substitute the cannons for weapons more fitting of the period in Westeros.

And I wanted to add more backstory for Argella, which will strengthen the bond between Orys and her.

Even though Orys finally made it to the Arbor, that's only the beginning. He's got a bigger challenge ahead of him.

Next, things get closer to the first climax in the Conquest.