Chapter Summaries

Daemon sent his mistress and bastard child back to Lys, then went to Runestone to seek a divorce from Lady Rhea. Aemon raced there fearing Daemon might harm his mother, but found her unharmed and ended the standoff by inviting Daemon to eat with him.

• Viserys refused to let Daemon divorce Lady Rhea, and Daemon left for the Vale after sending his mistress and bastard child back to Lys.
• At the Small Council, Viserys resisted Prince Qoren Martell’s proposed marriage alliance until a Kingsguard reported that Daemon had flown north.
• Aemon hurried to Runestone on Vermithor and confronted Daemon with drawn swords, fearing Lady Rhea was in danger.
• Lady Rhea explained that Daemon had come to negotiate a divorce and that she was unharmed, so Aemon lowered his sword.
• Aemon stopped Daemon from leaving and invited him to share a meal.

Aemon confronted Daemon at Runestone and challenged him to a dragon duel in the River Valley Land, hoping to force a change in their family. As Daemon accepted and Viserys learned of the coming fight, Aemon reached the Dragon Nest and tested his Flame Hammer against the mysterious Bronze Disk.

• Aemon told Daemon that his resentment toward Viserys drove his reckless choices and urged him to prove his independence through a fight.
• Aemon challenged Daemon to a dragon duel, wagering that the winner would inherit the other's holdings, and Daemon accepted.
• Lady Rhea feared the duel would end in kin-slaying, but Aemon promised to try to spare Daemon and announced he would wait in the River Valley Land.
• Viserys learned from Otto that Aemon and Daemon planned to fight and was left shocked and distressed.
• Aemon went to the Dragon Nest, collected a new Bronze Bell from the Bronze Godwood, and struck the mysterious Bronze Disk with his Flame Hammer.

After surviving the night on Lonely Mountain, Aemon sensed an unseen observer as he headed down the mountain. In King's Landing, Viserys and Rhaenys set out for the Vale to stop Aemon and Daemon's impending duel, while Helena delivered a cryptic warning about blood and crimson liquid.

• Aemon woke outside the Dragon Nest, recovered the Bronze Bell from Vermithor, and sensed someone watching him on Lonely Mountain.
• At the Small Council meeting, Viserys decided to travel to the Vale to stop Aemon and Daemon, and Rhaenys agreed to take him by dragon.
• Rhaenys told the Sea Snake that Laena had gone to the Dragonpit and took Viserys with her as they departed King's Landing on dragons.
• Alicent and Rhaenyra worried about Aemon while Aegon explained the dispute to Aemond, who questioned whether his cousin could defeat Daemon.
• Helena suddenly prophesied blood spreading across a lake and warned her siblings to beware crimson liquid flowing from cracks in the earth.

Aemon forged a massive Bronze Throne and learned that King Viserys was traveling toward the Vale as tensions mounted around his expected duel with Daemon. At Long Lake, Aemon and Daemon began their dragon battle, with Vermithor gaining the advantage over Caraxes as night fell.

• Aemon forged a rune-inscribed Bronze Throne from copper and Bronze Bells, depicting Vermithor, Silverwing, Grey Shadow, and the Bronze Godwood.
• Aemon heard that King Viserys was riding Meleys toward the Vale, then waited for Daemon while carving dragon figurines.
• Daemon arrived on Caraxes, and Aemon agreed to fight him with Vermithor alone while Silverwing and Grey Shadow watched.
• Aemon and Daemon launched their dragons into battle, and Caraxes wounded Vermithor with dragonfire before Vermithor damaged Caraxes's wing.
• Caraxes attacked Vermithor at close quarters, but Vermithor caught its shoulder and began tearing into the joint of its wing as dragon blood steamed on Long Lake.

Daemon and Aemon fought on the backs of Caraxes and Vermithor while the dragons tore each other apart, and Rhaenys, Viserys, and reinforcements arrived too late to intervene. As the dragons plunged toward Long Lake, Aemon saved Daemon and used a Binding Spell to rouse Vermithor, while Caraxes broke away and fell into the water.

• Caraxes wrapped its neck around Vermithor and bit into its throat, giving Daemon an opening to attack Aemon with Dark Sister.
• Aemon blocked Daemon with Lady Forlorn and Lament, but Daemon cut his left wrist during the struggle on Vermithor’s shifting back.
• Vermithor tore into Caraxes and burned its back with dragonfire, leaving both dragons and their riders locked in a desperate battle.
• Rhaenys and Viserys arrived with Meleys, then Vhagar and Seasmoke joined, but they could not safely separate the fighting dragons.
• As Vermithor and Caraxes plunged toward Long Lake, Aemon grabbed Daemon’s wrist and pulled him back onto the saddle.
• Aemon commanded Vermithor to fly with a Binding Spell; Vermithor recovered just above the lake, while Caraxes released it and plunged into the water.

Aemon defeated Daemon and spared him after Daemon surrendered and Lady Rhea secured their annulment. As Aemon prepared to leave, he heard a strange voice urging him to kill Daemon, traced it to Lonely Mountain, and flew there on Vermithor to investigate.

• Aemon emerged from the dragon fight with Daemon alive, then demanded that Daemon surrender or die and claim his Lys, children, and himself as spoils.
• Daemon mourned Caraxes and chose death, but Lady Rhea arrived, stopped Aemon’s sword, and persuaded Viserys to annul her marriage to Daemon.
• Lady Rhea, Laena, Laenor, and Rhaenys urged Aemon to spare Daemon, and Daemon surrendered after Rhaenys reminded him of his family in Lys.
• Aemon heard an unseen voice repeatedly urging him to kill Daemon and traced its source to Lonely Mountain.
• Aemon struck down Laenor when he tried to restrain him, mounted Vermithor, and flew toward Lonely Mountain to search for the source of the murmuring.

Aemon used the Bronze Godwood's stored fire magic to power the Flame Hammer and split Lonely Mountain, creating a canyon and an underground volcanic vein. The dragons gathered to claim status around the transformed mountain as Long Lake began boiling again and Daemon sensed something stirring.

• Aemon discovered the Bronze Disk had matured, bonded with the Bronze Godwood, and drew eight thousand points of Fire Magic Power from it with the Flame Hammer.
• Aemon searched Lonely Mountain for a green-skinned Child of the Forest, then warned Laena to keep everyone away before striking the mountain with the Flame Hammer.
• The Flame Hammer split Lonely Mountain, raised its peaks, and created a canyon, a dormant volcanic vein, and a waterfall-fed lake.
• Aemon retrieved the Flame Hammer and returned to the Dragon Nest, while Vermithor and five other dragons gathered around Lonely Mountain and Vermithor fought Vhagar for dominance.
• Long Lake began bubbling again, and Daemon twitched and turned toward the water as he sensed something stirring.

Caraxes crawled into a heated cave beneath Lonely Mountain while Vermithor defeated Vhagar and claimed dominance over the dragon flock. Aemon questioned Yezi, a young Child of the Forest and Green Seer who had tried to alter the future, and ended by asking why she had chosen him.

• Caraxes dragged itself from the lake, then crawled toward Lonely Mountain and disappeared into a hot cave despite its fatal wounds.
• Vermithor defeated Vhagar again, drove off the other dragons, and established itself as the flock's Dragon King with Silverwing beside it.
• Aemon confronted Yezi, a young Child of the Forest, and learned she had crossed the Wall and secretly watched him.
• Yezi revealed that she was a Green Seer who had foreseen Daemon dying with his crimson dragon over a lake and wanted to prevent the dragons' extinction.
• Aemon concluded that Yezi's visions were fragmented and that she hoped Daemon's death would spare Vhagar, then sheathed his sword and asked why she had come to him.

Aemon learned that the Flame Hammer could rival the Children of the Forest’s forbidden Hammer of Sea Water and discovered more about the ancient Bronze Godwood. After extracting magic from Yezi’s Fireflies, he forced her into a debt agreement and arranged for her to settle in River Valley Land.

• Yezi warned Aemon that a fully charged Flame Hammer could devastate the land like the Hammer of Sea Water, then described the Bronze Godwood seed and the decline of the Giants.
• Aemon questioned Yezi about the Magic Tide and dragons, but she could not explain the magical changes he suspected were behind their decline.
• Aemon took Yezi’s pouch, extracted magic from five Fireflies, and rendered the enchanted items useless.
• Aemon threatened to burn the Children of the Forest’s home unless Yezi submitted, then demanded she repay the Flame Hammer’s supposed cost by making three thousand Fireflies.
• Yezi agreed to work off the debt in River Valley Land, and Aemon offered to build her a treehouse at Green Ridge while forbidding her from approaching Lonely Mountain or the Dragon Nest.

After the Long Lake Battle, Aemon settled dragon eggs and Little Aegon in Dragon Valley, then spent five peaceful years raising dragons and his twin daughters. The chapter ended with Laena telling him that Rhaenyra wanted him to return to supervise the princes’ dragon-taming training.

• Vermithor returned with Aemon, and Viserys later briefed the Small Council on the Long Lake Battle and Dragon Valley while Aemon skipped the meeting.
• Aemon took Little Aegon from Lys, brought five dragon eggs to Dragon Valley, and tended a green egg in the volcanic incubation chamber.
• Aemon found Sheep Thief in Dragon Valley, where Vermithor, Silverwing, and Grey Shadow had settled.
• In 121 AC, Aemon fished with the grown Grey Shadow and was joined by his twin daughters, Baela and Rhaenys.
• Laena told Aemon that Rhaenyra wanted him to return and supervise the princes’ dragon-taming training.

Aemon returned to King's Landing and found Jaehaerys bonding with his green dragon, Sunny Day, in the Dragonpit. Jaehaerys successfully commanded Sunny Day to breathe dragonflame, while Aemon caught Aegon whispering to Aemond as the boys appeared to plot trouble.

• Aemon spent time with his family in the Vale, where Jansiff served a new roast meat bread and Laena helped the twins get some after Aemon tried to keep it from them.
• Aemon reviewed the Vale's prosperity and Dragon Valley's fertile fields, then taught Baela and Rhea to read before returning to King's Landing.
• At the Dragonpit, Jaehaerys approached Sunny Day and commanded the hatchling to obey him under the Dragonkeepers' instruction.
• Jaehaerys ordered Sunny Day to breathe dragonflame, and it burned a sheep before feeding on it.
• Aemon entered the Dragonpit and saw Aegon whispering to Aemond while Daeron and Little Aegon gathered around them.

Aemon returned from the Vale, watched Jaehaerys train Sunny Day, and found Aemond humiliated and distressed because he had no dragon. Rhaenyra asked Aemon to help guide the boys, then pulled him into her bedchamber while the children spied and eventually left to play.

• Aemon praised Jaehaerys for commanding Sunny Day and encouraged him to aim beyond simply riding a dragon.
• Aegon, Daeron, and Little Aegon mocked Aemond by presenting him with a pink sow dressed as a dragon, and Aemond nearly entered the Dragonpit to approach Dreamfyre.
• Aemon stopped Aemond at the Dragonpit entrance, reminded him that Viserys had forbidden them from taming Dreamfyre, and tried to comfort him about waiting for a dragon.
• Rhaenyra confronted Aemon about the boys' behavior and asked him to help discipline and guide them.
• Rhaenyra told Aemon she wanted another daughter named Visenya, then drew him into the bedchamber as Jaehaerys, Little Aegon, Daeron, and Aemond secretly watched before leaving.

Alicent asked Aemon to take Helena to the Vale and worried over the children’s marriage plans, while news of renewed pirate attacks raised concern at court. At the Small Council, Aemon learned that Marana had died giving birth to Daemon’s son, and Viserys announced that the court would attend her burial on Dragonstone.

• Aemon visited Alicent and checked on the twins’ dragon hatchlings, Moon Dance and Dawn, while the children gathered in her chamber.
• Alicent told Aemon that Vaemond Velaryon had been ambushed by Three Daughters Pirates, Ironborn, and other attackers, and she worried about the Targaryen children’s marriages.
• Alicent asked Aemon to take Helena to the Vale for a while, and he agreed before leaving for the Small Council.
• Viserys told Aemon that Marana had died from hemorrhaging during childbirth in Lys, though her son had survived.
• Viserys said Daemon would bring Marana’s body to Dragonstone for burial and that the court would attend her final rites.

Helena entered the Dragonpit and bonded with Dreamfyre, then took her first flight above King's Landing. As the royal family sailed for Dragonstone with five dragons escorting them, Viserys began considering a marriage between Helena and Aegon.

• Viserys brought the family to the Dragonpit, where Helena entered a dragon pit despite Aemond's concerns.
• Dreamfyre emerged with Helena, accepted her touch, and allowed the Dragonkeepers to fit her with a saddle.
• With Aemon's guidance, Helena rode Dreamfyre into the sky and drew cheers from King's Landing's smallfolk.
• Aemon reflected on Dreamfyre's past with Rhaena Targaryen and hoped Helena would give the dragon a happier life.
• Viserys and his family departed for Dragonstone aboard a royal ship escorted by five dragons.
• Viserys asked Alicent what she thought about marrying Helena to Aegon.

The royal family attended Lady Marana's funeral on Dragonstone, where Aemon cremated her with Vermithor's fire and was left to care for her infant son, Viserion Targaryen. As the family gathered at the funeral banquet, the Sea Snake told Baela that she was expected to inherit High Tide Castle under an agreement her parents had made with him.

• Viserys and his family arrived at Dragonstone, where they spotted a small scarlet dragon flying through the clouds and Aemond hoped it was unclaimed.
• At Lady Marana's funeral, Aegon complained impatiently, Aemon commanded Vermithor to ignite the pyre, and Daemon disappeared before the funeral banquet.
• Aemon took responsibility for raising Marana's infant son, Viserion Targaryen, while Aegon mocked Helena and exposed Aemond's embarrassing visit to a brothel.
• Rhaenyra and Aemon discussed Viserys's plan for Aegon to marry Helena, and Rhaenyra predicted Alicent would eventually give in to pressure.
• The Sea Snake told Baela that her parents had agreed their first child would join the Velaryon Family and inherit his title and High Tide Castle.

At a funeral gathering, Aemon observed Helena’s troubled visions and the strained relationship between Viserys and Daemon, while Helena quietly watched the family drama. Later, Viserys, Corlys, and Daemon discussed the returning Three Daughters Pirates, but their plans were interrupted when Ser Harrold brought in Aemond for trespassing on Dragonmont.

• Baela sighed with relief after the Sea Snake told her about the matter, while Rhea teased her over the possibility of being adopted by their uncle.
• Aemon watched Aegon grieve, and Aemond comforted him; he later encouraged Helena to be herself as she prepared to visit the Vale.
• Viserys asked Daemon to return to King's Landing, but Daemon refused and left the gathering.
• Viserys, Corlys, and Daemon discussed the Three Daughters Pirates and the Ironborn, with Viserys weighing a response to the threat.
• Ser Harrold arrived with Aemond and reported that Dragonkeepers had dragged him back after he trespassed onto Dragonmont.

Aemond was caught sneaking into Dragonmont and, after Viserys ordered him to prove himself by finding or taming a dragon, set out again with his permission. Three days later, Aemond was hungry and struggling at the mountain’s foot while Aemon and Helena watched from Stone Drum Tower.

• Viserys confronted Aemond after Dragonkeepers caught him entering Dragonmont, and Aemond explained that he wanted a dragon because he had been mocked for having none.
• Viserys told Aemond to find a hatching dragon egg or conquer an ownerless dragon, while Daemon and Corlys agreed to pursue their own plans concerning Qohor and the Disputed Lands.
• After being scolded by Viserys and Alicent, Aemond packed food and entered Dragonmont before dawn with the King’s permission.
• Aemond ran out of food and spent two days hungry, then heard Dragonkeepers warn that a dangerous black Wild Dragon had appeared and decided to keep searching.
• Aemon watched Aemond struggle at the foot of Dragonmont, and Helena said Aemond would need to close one eye to tame a dragon.

Aemond entered Dragonmont looking for a dragon and witnessed the wild hatchlings Urragon, Arrax, and Fire Eater fighting. Fire Eater attacked him, but Aemon rescued him with his Dragonbone Bow and drove the dragon away before Aemond fainted.

• Aemon warned Helena not to accept her visions as fate and told her to remember how the Targaryens survived The Doom.
• Aemond found Urragon fighting Fire Eater, then watched Arrax join the battle; Urragon fled, and Arrax and Fire Eater eventually broke off their fight.
• Fire Eater returned and chased Aemond, who stumbled and nearly became its prey.
• Aemon arrived with the Dragonkeepers and shot Fire Eater with his bow, then used the Binding Spell to frighten it into retreating.
• Aemond fainted from hunger and exhaustion, and Aemon ordered the Dragonkeepers to carry him back to find a maester.

Aemon brought Aemond back safely to Stone Drum Tower, then took Aemond, Helena, and Aegon with him to Myr. At the Emerald Capital, his siblings met his eldest son, Gaemon Swann, and learned about the boy’s birth and place in Aemon’s family.

• Aemon brought the unconscious, severely starved Aemond to Stone Drum Tower, where Alicent and Viserys learned that Aemond had survived a perilous encounter with a red dragon and a black dragon.
• After Aemond recovered, Viserys asked Aemon to take Helena and Aemond away with him, and Aemon also collected Aegon before flying with them to Myr.
• Aemon’s dragons flew over Myr and Long Lake Town, where Luo Bo Rivers reported that Ironborn raiders were causing minor trouble along the frontier.
• Aemon inspected Long Lake Town with Luo Bo, then returned to Myr with his companions and brought them to his residence, the Emerald Capital.
• Aemon introduced his son Gaemon Swann to Aegon, Aemond, and Helena, who noticed the boy’s resemblance to Aemon and his closeness with him.
• Aemon’s family learned that Johanna Swann had arranged for Gaemon to be born before Jaehaerys and secured the Swann name for him through Lord Swann.

Aemon read that Fire Eater had vanished from Dragonstone, then used dinner in Myr to assign Aegon, Helena, and Aemond duties amid trouble in the Disputed Lands. Helena reluctantly agreed to ride Dreamfyre into battle, with Aemond charged with staying close to her.

• Johanna gave Aemon a letter reporting that Fire Eater had disappeared from Dragonstone, likely while recovering from its wounds.
• At dinner, Gaemon showed his superhuman strength by carrying a heavy chair, while Aemon and Johanna discussed his future.
• Aemon ordered Aegon to patrol the Stepstones with Sunfyre and the Myr Navy against the resurgent Three Daughters pirates.
• Aemon told Helena and Aemond to patrol the Stepstones or take the lands of Myr, and rejected Aegon's attempt to choose Myr.
• Helena resisted going to war, but Aemon pressed her to accept her duty as a Dragonrider until she agreed to ride Dreamfyre.
• Aemon ordered Aemond to stay close to Helena, and Aemond promised to do so.