Davos stands on the deck of Black Betha, in a line with Wraith and Lady Marya on Blackwater Bay. Ser Imry Florent commands the fleet from Fury; Stannis is with his troops on land. Ser Imry sends the order to lower sails; the fleet will proceed by oar so it is less exposed. Davos shouts commands echoed by his son Matthos. The line begins to form, with Pride of Driftmark and Bold Laughter moving into position. Harridan and Seahorse are moving into position slowly, however, and Swordfish, armed with the largest ram in the fleet, is lagging way behind. Davos is at the starboard end of the second line. The fleet is organized into ten lines of battle composed of twenty ships each. The first two lines are to smash the small royal fleet, while the remaining ships will land troops to attack the city. The slowest ships will ferry Stannis's army across the Blackwater Rush to attack. Salladhor Saan and his ships provide a rear guard out in the bay. The going had been slow, with storms at several points scattering the fleet and about a dozen ships being lost. Stannis is no doubt impatiently awaiting the ships on the south bank with twenty thousand men, mostly knights and freeriders. The rest of the line has just about formed now, with Red Claw, Piety, Prayer, and Devotion in place. The first line is centered on Fury and consists off the two hundred oar galleys Lord Steffon and Stag of the Sea and the hundred oar Lady Harra, Brightfish, Laughing Lord, Sea Demon, Horned Honor, Ragged Jenna, Trident Three, Swift Sword, Princess Rhaenys, Dog's Nose, Sceptre, Faithful, Red Raven, Queen Alysanne, Cat, Courageous, and Dragonsbane. As the attack approach begins, Davos spies the two new towers and the chain held between them and wonders why the harbor has not been closed to them yet since the defenders seem to have that capability. Davos gives the order for battle speed, and hears his sons Dale and Allard do the same on their own ships. The fleet enters the Blackwater Rush. Davos sees the royal fleet drawn up before them: Prince Aemon, Lady of Silk, Lady's Shame, Wildwind, Kingslander, White Hart, Lance, and Seaflower. Davos wonders why some of the bigger ships, such as Lionstar, Lady Lyanna, and King Robert's Hammer are not there and suspects a trap.¹

As the fleet maneuvers closer, pitch and arrows begin to rain down from the walls of King's Landing, and Matthos hands Davos his helm. Seeing Stannis's army on the south seeing Stannis's army on the south shore flying the fiery heart makes Davos think of Melisandre. After Storm's End was taken, Stannis shipped Edric Storm back to Dragonstone, and his lords essentially forced him to send Melisandre away as well. Stannis was not going to do so until Lord Bryce told him that if Melisandre was by his side when he won at King's Landing, men would say he took the city with magic and owes his crown to her. Prayer, Piety, and Devotion begin to land archers under the walls, and a sortie led by Sandor closes in to meet them. Ship-to-ship fighting commences between the two fleets, and the Three Whores begin launching stones into the fray as well. Stag of the Sea demolishes one of Joffrey's galleys, while Dog's Nose is set on fire. Davos spies Queen Alysanne trapped between Lady's Shame and Lady of Silk and goes to ramming speed. Black Betha and Lady Marya ram Lady's Shame together, and the enemy ship falls to pieces. Queen Alysanne is soon engulfed in wildfire that erupts from the ruins of Lady's Shame, as is her other opponent, Lady of Silk. Moments later, Bold Laughter is hit by a boulder from one of the Whores and explodes. A swarm of smaller boats begin entering the river, none of them large enough to make a difference. Black Betha is rammed by White Hart, but Davos manages to turn so his ship does not sink. His men board the other galley and soon capture her. Davos has a chance to look over the battle. Courageous is sinking, Dragonsbane has had its bottom ripped out, Red Raven is listing, and Stag of the Sea is fighting fires and boarders. Loyal Man, another of Joffrey's ships, has been captured. The battle is almost over. Matthos calls his attention to Swordfish, just now entering the combat and about to ram one of the old hulks. Davos, with horror, sees wildfire leaking out of the ship. Swordfish collides with the hulk, and a gigantic explosion occurs. Davos is knocked overboard. When he comes to the surface, he sees a towering column of wildfire fifty feet high. Swordfish and the hulk have both vanished. Black Betha, Piety, Cat, Courageous, Sceptre, Red Raven, Harridan, Faithful, and Fury are already in flames, as are White Hart, Loyal Man, Kingslander, and Godsgrace on the Lannister side. As Davos watches, Pride of Driftmark is hit and starts burning as well. Davos is starting to be pushed out into the bay, but when he turns around, he sees that the chain has finally been lifted. Over a dozen ships have slammed into it already, and Davos fears his life is over.