Out of tactical curiosity, Ser Barristan asked to see exactly how Roman used his legendary flight and magic, hoping to confirm the stories he had heard in King's Landing.
Roman gladly agreed. To Barristan's astonishment, the Dragon Lord rolled his shoulders, extended his massive leathery wings, and launched straight up into the sky with a thunderous crack of displaced air.
Roman accelerated quickly, performing flawless aileron rolls, steep glides, supersonic dives, sharp banking turns, and perfect stationary hovers. Because Barristan's eyesight was not what it once was at long distances, Roman flew at a lower altitude directly over the Gods Eye, giving the crowds of nearby civilians a clear, spectacular view.
Normally Roman stayed at extreme heights during reconnaissance to avoid enemy fire, but today he made an exception. Watching him execute those high-G maneuvers, Barristan quickly realized that Roman's aerial agility was something traditional Westerosi scorpion ballistas simply could not track or hit. More importantly, unlike a mindless beast, Roman had a sharp tactical mind. He knew exactly which artillery targets posed the greatest threat and dealt with them first.
Barristan then witnessed a controlled display of Roman's devastating magic: sustained torrents of liquid Pale Flame, concentrated Magic Missiles, and crackling bolts of lightning that seemed to ignite the air itself.
The old knight instinctively rested his hand on the hilt of his Spellblade. The sword resonated strongly with the magic pouring from Roman above, vibrating in its scabbard and shedding faint sparks of White Flame and static.
Barristan was now certain that the magical properties in his blade came directly from Roman's aura. He had recently toured Harrenhal's Special Steel Manufacturing Plant with Roman, where advanced alloys were forged daily in large quantities. Roman had explained that the elite Vanguard troops received weapons and armor made from this steel, but only Barristan's blade had been forged with Roman's blood magic. The rest of the industrial steel went into critical infrastructure—pressure containers, steam boilers, and diamond-tipped cutting heads for the new hydraulic lathes.
When Roman finally landed beside him, Barristan was still deep in thought. Fili stepped forward and politely offered the old knight a skin of cold water.
"Ser Barristan," she said with a warm smile, "you look lost in thought. Did Lord Roman's flight give you any new ideas?"
"My lord," Barristan said, turning to Roman, "I have been thinking about how to best combine your aerial superiority with the disciplined formations of the Harrenhal Vanguard. Most Westerosi armies still rely on primitive, chaotic tactics compared to what you have built here. We have many effective ways to shatter them."
Barristan had spent the past several days studying Roman's modern battle formations and combined-arms tactics at the training grounds. The old knight had quickly grown to admire these revolutionary strategies, which replaced the disorderly fighting he had known for most of his life.
Roman nodded approvingly. He was about to discuss broader strategy when he noticed Fili staring at the clouds with clear longing on her face.
"Fili," Roman said with a warm laugh, "would you like to go up for a while?"
"Huh?" Fili's face turned bright red. "No, no, Lord Roman! I didn't mean to suggest that. You have important military matters to discuss with Ser Barristan. I don't want to disturb you."
Roman chuckled and gently pinched her soft cheeks, squeezing them until her face squished adorably. "Your face gives you away every time, Fili. I have been too focused on military logistics lately and have not spent enough time with you. Consider this my way of making up for it."
He turned back to Barristan. "Ser Barristan, do you mind if Fili and I take a short flight?"
Barristan smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Please, go ahead, Lord Roman. I can use the time to study your flight patterns. It will help with our future combined operations."
With Roman's steady help, Fili climbed onto his armored back and wrapped her arms tightly around his thick neck. This time Roman launched gently, avoiding any violent acceleration. He wrapped her in a soft, insulated aura of warm White Flame to shield her from the cold winds at altitude.
Fili lay flat against his back, legs wrapped securely around his waist. Though she was used to seeing the world from above through her Apostle ravens, nothing compared to experiencing flight in person.
"Lord Roman!" she shouted over the rushing wind, pointing down. "There are huge networks of irrigation canals crossing the land below. Did our Vanguard engineers build all of those?"
"Yes," Roman replied, his voice rumbling through his chest. "They've been working on them for months. You've reminded me to check the latest reports. The irrigation networks now cover so much of our new territories that I estimate over ninety percent of our farmland can survive even a severe drought."
"Lord Roman!" she pointed again. "That large area to the east isn't planted with regular winter grains. What are those strange purple crops?"
"Those are fields of specialized medicinal herbs," Roman explained proudly. "They provide the raw materials for Maester Tom's advanced tonics. All our military-grade insecticides, surgical anesthetics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and civilian medicines are made from them."
Fili blinked. "Why are there several large lakes over there? My raven maps showed that area as nothing but muddy wasteland before."
"That used to be a toxic mosquito swamp," Roman said. "I ordered the construction corps to build reinforced river embankments during the dry season to prevent flooding in autumn. The project also created artificial reservoirs. We use the lakes to breed carnivorous fish for food and to irrigate nearby fields. The fertile farmland around them was reclaimed from the mud once the embankments were finished."
Fili pointed out landmarks and asked questions nonstop, like an excited child. Roman enjoyed the rare peaceful moment with her.
When they finally landed gently back in the training yard, Barristan stepped forward to help Fili dismount safely.
"Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Ser Barristan," Roman said, folding his wings away. "It is time for the evening meal. Let us eat and discuss the war."
Later that evening in the war room, Barristan shared his experienced views on Vanguard deployments and offered sharp suggestions on how Roman could best use his aerial mobility.
Roman quickly realized that Barristan Selmy was not only an exceptional swordsman but also a brilliant strategist. The old knight had absorbed Harrenhal's combined-arms tactics after just a few days of observation and had already begun adapting them.
Barristan, however, saw his rapid learning as nothing special.
"Lord Roman," he said humbly while studying the map, "your Harrenhal Vanguard can carry out complex orders without hesitation. Their equipment is standardized, and every man is a disciplined professional soldier, not a peasant levy. It is not that I learn quickly. It is simply that your army is an overwhelmingly strong force. Even a mediocre general could make it perform at its full potential."
With Barristan's help, Roman felt truly empowered. Before, he had been forced to oversee every military engagement and logistical detail himself. Now he could confidently entrust large, complex operations to the legendary knight.
Roman trusted Barristan completely. The old man was the kind who would never betray a lord he had sworn to serve. If Roman ever made a poor or cruel decision, Barristan would blame himself for failing to advise properly and work to correct it.
Barristan, in turn, was deeply moved by Roman's unconditional trust. He had worried that his past broken oaths as a Kingsguard—to Aerys, Robert, and Joffrey—might disqualify him from leading Harrenhal's honorable army. Yet Roman had given him this command without hesitation.
Working together, the Dragon Lord and his new Lord Commander developed deadly new tactics and put them to use against the Lannister host in the west.
Barristan's approach was simple but effective: he would command the heavily armored ground forces as the anvil, while Roman acted as the mobile hammer from the sky. They communicated in real time through Fili's Apostle ravens.
With Barristan anchoring the defense on the ground, Roman was free to strike Tywin Lannister's supply lines with devastating precision. He would dive in at supersonic speed, unleash pillars of fire and concentrated Magic Missiles on the supply trains, incinerate grain and siege equipment with White Flame, and pull away before archers could respond.
Roman avoided deliberately targeting unarmed teamsters, but the destruction of the supply carts caused severe shortages. Starving Lannister soldiers began disobeying orders and hoarding what little food remained.
Thousands more of Tywin's levies deserted at night after hearing that the honorable Ser Barristan the Bold had sworn fealty to House Whent. Following Tywin meant cold, hunger, disease, and being hated by the local populace. Following Roman meant subsidized food, warm clothes, and at worst, organized labor camps. As long as deserters committed no crimes, defecting was the far better choice.
Enraged by the losses, Tywin Lannister planned a desperate surprise attack. He hoped to copy Roman's hit-and-run tactics, bypassing Barristan's main Vanguard force at the stronghold to burn the agricultural lands west of the Gods Eye.
His vanguard was intercepted the moment it emerged from the forest by Barristan's perfectly positioned heavy infantry and light cavalry. As the Lannisters tried to retreat, Roman struck them from behind with fire from the sky. The Lannister force broke and fled in chaos, leaving behind charred corpses and shattered armor.
After the battle—won with zero casualties on their side—Roman landed, armor still smoking, and clasped Barristan's gauntleted hands.
"Ser Barristan!" Roman laughed, his blue eyes bright with respect. "With your command on the ground, I can finally unleash my full power in the sky without worry. You are to me what Ser Duncan the Tall was to Aegon the Unlikely."
Even Barristan the Bold, a veteran of decades of bloody wars and political storms, felt hot tears welling in his eyes at the praise.
After years of serving cruel and mad kings, he had finally found a lord worthy of his life and honor.
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