"Dodge!!"
As soldiers fell before his eyes, Rhaegar quickly shouted to warn Rhaenyra and the others inside the carriage.
*Clang! Clang!*
Bone arrows rained from the sky. Rhaegar swiftly swung his dragon claw, deflecting the incoming projectiles.
*Neighhh~~*
Though Rhaegar managed to block the arrows, his white horse was not as fortunate.
An arrow pierced the horse's eye, causing it to scream in agony before collapsing to the ground with a violent struggle.
*Thud—*
Rhaegar was thrown off the horse, rolling to the side just in time to avoid being crushed by its falling body.
Arrows continued to fall, embedding into the ground dangerously close to him. Several nearly found their mark.
*Clang!*
Regaining his footing, Rhaegar swiftly swung his sword, knocking away another arrow midair.
He was agile enough to evade the deadly rain, but the remaining soldiers were not so lucky.
"Ahhh!!"
Caught in the narrow valley, they became easy targets—dying swiftly and brutally.
Rhaegar couldn't save them. His focus was solely on the two carriages.
Rhaenyra was still inside.
Fortunately, the four-wheeled carriages were made of solid hardwood. The bone arrows weren't sharp enough to pierce through the three-inch-thick wooden planks.
A few iron-tipped arrows did manage to puncture the carriages, but only their tips made it through—the shafts remained outside.
Keeping low, Rhaegar sprinted toward the carriages, dragon claw slashing through the air to deflect incoming arrows.
With a final leap, he pressed himself against the side of a carriage. Suddenly, everything seemed to quiet down.
"Rhaegar!"
Rhaenyra's panicked voice came from within.
The carriage had two small windows on either side, through which a few bone arrows had slipped inside.
Thanks to Rhaegar's warning, Rhaenyra had shrunk into a corner just in time to avoid being hit.
"Stay down and keep quiet!"
Hearing her voice, Rhaegar exhaled in relief. While still deflecting arrows, he reassured her.
Aside from his father, Rhaenyra was the most important person to him.
Nothing could happen to her.
"Rhaegar, are you hurt? Get inside the carriage!"
Her voice trembled as she pressed herself into the corner.
She had heard the dying screams of the soldiers outside and was terrified something had happened to him.
Rhaegar had no time to answer. His gaze snapped to the second carriage.
Jeyne and Janesva were inside. He could hear their muffled screams—they were still alive.
As he processed the situation, the rain of bone arrows ceased.
Rhaegar remained pressed against the carriage, unwilling to move recklessly.
Who knew if a second wave of arrows was coming?
On both sides of the canyon, mountain clansmen emerged from the brush and rocky outcroppings, wielding bows and crude weapons.
"Kill them! The Vale whore is in the carriage!"
A hideous, burly man stood atop a boulder, shouting commands at the raiders.
The clansmen tossed aside their crude bows and, like a swarm, began tumbling down the slopes into the valley.
Rhaegar peeked out, quickly scanning the enemy numbers. There were at least a hundred of them already in the valley.
More continued to pour in from both sides.
"Damn it, this is bad."
Pressing his back against the carriage, he gripped his dragon claw tightly.
He hadn't expected to be ambushed by mountain clansmen between Runestone and Gulltown.
This road had never been dangerous before.
"Hold on! Glutton is on its way back!"
Rhaegar shouted toward the carriage, more to steel his own resolve than anything else.
The moment the first arrows had fallen, he had already summoned Glutton to return.
If he could just hold out a little longer, they would survive this.
Within moments, hundreds of mountain clansmen had flooded the valley, rushing toward the carriages with murderous intent.
"Rhaegar!"
Rhaenyra peeked out, gasping in horror at the approaching horde.
Her dragon was not with her—she couldn't help.
Inside the other carriage, Jeyne and Janesva clung to each other, huddling in the corner.
**Jansif took an arrow to the arm, and fresh blood soaked through her sleeve.**
"The Mountain Clan—we've been ambushed!"
Janie lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, her fingertips trembling as she saw the Mountain Clan closing in from all directions.
Her father and brothers had died at the hands of the Mountain Clan.
They had perished in an ambush just like this one.
Seeing the grotesque faces swarming outside, Janie turned pale with fear, her pupils quivering.
She might die here!
"Surround the carriage! Kill the Vale whore!"
The Mountain Clan's leader bellowed the order.
At his command, the clansmen encircled the two carriages, gripping their weapons as they advanced.
Sensing the imminent danger, Rhaegar made a quick decision and stepped out from behind the carriage.
In just a few minutes, the Devourer would return.
He had to stall for time.
Gripping the **Dragonclaw** tightly, Rhaegar positioned himself in front of the carriage.
Seeing that only one person stood in their way, the Mountain Clan laughed wildly, tightening their formation.
"Stop!"
Rhaegar roared, his blood surging.
No one listened.
The Mountain Clan continued their approach, treating him as nothing more than a joke.
Just a half-grown boy—one swing of an axe would end him.
Rhaegar took slow, deliberate steps forward, meeting their gaze with icy resolve.
"I am Rhaegar Targaryen, heir to the throne! Stand down at once!"
"Ha!"
Laughter was his only response—no one cared about kings here.
The Mountain Clan had slain multiple Dukes of the Vale over the years. Chaos was their way of life.
"Rhaegar, listen to me! Go! You can still make it out alone!"
Rhaenyra's voice rang out from behind him.
She knew Rhaegar's skill, and if he made a break for it before the encirclement closed, he might still have a chance.
But Rhaegar ignored her. His expression softened, his gaze steady as he watched the enemy ranks.
Behind him stood Rhaenyra.
And the Duchess, Janie.
There was no way he would run and leave them behind.
"I am of the blood of the dragon..."
Rhaegar murmured, raising **Dragonclaw** before his eyes, the blade glinting coldly.
His father had once asked him what the sword symbolized.
He had answered: **"Fearlessness."**
Now, in this moment, he had to embody that ideal.
"Kill him!"
The Mountain Clan leader roared, pointing at Rhaegar as he readied himself to fight.
"Kill!!"
Obeying the order, more than a dozen warriors at the front charged forward.
The distance between them closed rapidly—Rhaegar could almost smell their stench.
He steadied his breathing, gripping the hilt with both hands, waiting for them to come.
"Heh! I'm gonna chop off that white-haired head of yours!"
The first attacker rushed in, raising a stone axe high before swinging it down at him.
Rhaegar shifted his right foot, sidestepped, and swung **Dragonclaw**—severing the man's head.
**Thud.**
A head rolled to the ground, and more warriors lunged at him, weapons slashing and striking.
In an instant, he was surrounded.
**Slash!**
He drove his sword through a man's throat, then pivoted and swung to the left.
The blade sliced through another enemy's neck, spraying blood into the air.
The Mountain Clan warriors shouted curses, attacking with stone axes, spears, and clubs in a relentless barrage.
Rhaegar weaved between them, cutting down enemy after enemy.
Every strike hit its mark.
**Dragonclaw** moved like a blur, its steel flashing through the chaos. Rhaegar, drenched in blood, swung faster and faster.
He was trapped, under siege from all sides.
If he didn't kill those around him, he would be struck down.
And then—he would die.
"Get out of my way! I won't die here!"
Rhaegar fought with growing ferocity, his blade a whirlwind of steel and blood, his determination unshakable.
But the Mountain Clan warriors kept coming, crowding him in tighter, layer upon layer.
Corpses piled up around him, restricting his movement.
The stench of blood was nauseating.
Yet he fought on, his sword dancing through the air, his pale skin turning crimson as his body temperature rose.
*(End of Chapter.)*