The sunlight on the armor of the guards and knights of the king's train was enough to dazzle the eyes. Overhead the dragons sailed, calling out in their eerie high-pitched way, only just heard above the sounds of men and horses. Jaehaerys was riding back from the head of the column, his kingsguard ranged around him as he spoke with Lord Florent.
It had been a solemn journey, since they had taken their leave of the Dornish near the Boneway, where Henry's men had taken possession of Elia's remains, and now the court was making its way through the marches before they turned north toward Highgarden.
There was nothing in the king's mind beyond half-minding where the dragons were at- it would not do to let them range too far on their own. That was how children got mistaken for sheep. Balerion screamed, not a usual call but almost like a warning, and a moment later one of the outriders tumbled from his horse with an arrow in his head.
"ATTACK!" Someone yelled. The riders swelled from over the ridge, hitting not the front of the train but the middle. With the terrain so rough it would be madness turning the outriders back to defend the rest...
Panic flashed through Jaehaerys. Where was Aenyris? Rhaeys? His cousins... That faded from one instant to the next as his training took over. Sword in hand, he looked to his guards who were gathering in around him. "The princess!" he called to Jahar and Prosperyn. "Where is she?" The world around them was already dissolving into madness and the screams of battle and death. Aeny could summon Balerion and the dragons to her, but dragons were little use in close combat, and they were not yet grown...