Chapter Summaries

At Corlys’s banquet, Harrold Nollton insulted the royal family and Aemon drove him off with a threat of dragonfire. Rhaenys grew affectionate toward Aemon, who later left the feast to look for Laena.

• Harrold greeted Corlys, Viserys, Alicent, Rhaenyra, and Rhaenys with an arrogant lack of respect.
• When Harrold approached him, Aemon told him to get lost and cut a lock of his hair with a dining knife.
• Aemon threatened Harrold with dragonfire, and Harrold retreated to his seat while the guests mocked him.
• Rhaenys explained that Aemon’s name had been her grandfather’s compensation to her and invited him to visit Driftmark, warning him not to ride dragons recklessly.
• Aemon left the banquet to look for Laena while Alicent and Rhaenyra remained surrounded by guests.

Aemon met Laena on the coast, heard her concerns about her unsuitable marriage match, and accompanied her to watch Vhagar feed. He admired the ancient dragon but recognized that it remained dangerous, leaving him wary of challenging it directly.

• Aemon found Laena sitting alone by the sea and asked about her troubles with the proposed marriage alliance.
• Laena explained that the match was unsuitable and that her father, Corlys, would take her wishes into account.
• Laena led Aemon to a clearing where Vhagar was feeding on sheep and warned him not to approach the dragon.
• Aemon studied Vhagar's immense but aged body and concluded that, despite its frailty, it was still too powerful to confront head-on.

At the Nine Voyages Hall feast, Corlys pressed Viserys to marry Rhaenyra to Laenor and invoked the threat Daemon posed to her succession, provoking the King’s anger. Viserys made clear that he favored Aemon, and Rhaenyra hurried out to find him.

• Viserys watched Harwin dance with Rhaenyra while Lyonel warned him about Corlys’s marriage plans and Harwin’s interest in the Princess.
• Corlys toasted Viserys and proposed continuing the Velaryon-Targaryen marriage alliance by marrying Rhaenyra to Laenor.
• Corlys argued that the Velaryons could protect Rhaenyra’s claim and hinted that Daemon’s control of the Stepstones threatened her.
• Viserys slammed the table and shouted for Rhaenyra, demanding to know where Aemon was.
• Rhaenyra said Aemon had gone out and hurried off to find him as Viserys called him his great contributor.

Rhaenyra found Aemon with Laena after leaving the feast, and the three spent time together before the royal family toured Corlys’s trophies the next day. Aemon’s reckless chess style unsettled Corlys, who wondered if the boy might grow into another Daemon.

• Rhaenyra left the feast in anger and found Aemon sharing food with Laena in a secluded clearing.
• Laena fed grapes to Aemon and Rhaenyra, while Rhaenyra decided to stay and enjoy the view with them.
• The next morning, Corlys hosted the royal family and showed them the treasures in Nine Voyages Hall.
• Aemon noticed a chessboard, and Corlys invited him to play before the royal family departed.
• Aemon lost eight games but repeatedly chose aggressive captures, leaving Corlys to wonder if he was another Daemon.

Aemon left Driftmark on Vermithor while Daemon rejected Corlys’s plan to join forces against Viserys and warned Rhaenys not to threaten his son. As Aemon continued toward King’s Landing, he resolved to train with the Dragonkeepers, and the chapter ended with a notice that he would grow up in the next chapter.

• Rhaenys said goodbye to Aemon as he departed Driftmark on Vermithor, relieved that the royal family had another heir.
• Daemon denied agreeing to work with Corlys and warned him that anyone who targeted Aemon would face consequences.
• Daemon left for the Stepstones, and Rhaenys comforted Corlys before they returned inside.
• Vermithor turned back toward Driftmark when it noticed a silver-gold-haired rider, then resumed flying across Blackwater Bay after Aemon calmed it.
• Aemon decided he needed to learn dragonriding from the Dragonkeepers in King’s Landing.

Four years later, Prince Aemon dazzled the people of King’s Landing with a dragonriding display alongside Vermithor and a golden dragon. After dinner, he announced that he would return to the Vale to raise his own banner, leaving the strained royal family behind.

• Aemon rode Vermithor through a spectacular display over Blackwater Bay while Viserys, Lyonel, and the crowds watched from Mud Gate.
• At the Red Keep banquet, Aemon reunited with Viserys, Alicent, Rhaenyra, and Alicent’s children, including the timid Aemond and unruly Aegon.
• Aemon announced that he would return to the Vale the next day to raise his own banner, despite Viserys urging him to stay in King’s Landing.
• Alicent suggested that Rhaenyra see Aemon off, but Rhaenyra rejected the suggestion and clashed with Alicent again.
• Aemon ended the argument by saying no one needed to see him off, determined to leave the court’s growing tensions behind.

Aemon returned to Runestone and persuaded Lady Rhea to give him men so he could survey House Royce’s lands and seek territory to develop. He led 150 Vale Knights to a poor fishing village on the East Land Horn, where he planned to spend the night and observe how his subjects lived.

• Aemon arrived at Runestone on Vermithor and reunited with Lady Rhea.
• Aemon asked Lady Rhea for soldiers to help him find territory to develop, and she agreed.
• Aemon set out with 150 Vale Knights to inspect Runestone’s lands, choosing to travel on the White Hart rather than Vermithor.
• Aemon led the party to a poor fishing village on the East Coast and decided they would rest there for the night.

Aemon learned that a timid pale grayish-white dragon had been stealing fish from an East Coast village and promised to deal with it. That night, he reviewed his dragonriding progress and accumulated Essence, then discovered a Bloodsource Fruit card that could accelerate bodily growth.

• Aemon shared dinner with a fisherman’s family and asked how the village made its living.
• The fisherman explained that a small dragon had been stealing the villagers’ catch, and Aemon recognized it as Fish Thief and promised to help.
• Aemon inspected his panel and reflected on the incomplete Binding Spell, his growing bloodline, and the limits of Targaryen dragonriding.
• Aemon counted his remaining 2,280 Essence and reviewed the cards and items he had purchased over the years.
• Aemon opened the refreshed cards and found a blue Bloodsource Fruit card priced at 500 Essence.

Aemon discovered that the Bloodsource Fruit could accelerate growth and suspected it would benefit dragons. He captured Grey Shadow after catching the young wild dragon stealing fish and decided to take it under his care.

• Aemon examined the Bloodsource Fruit and reasoned that Vermithor and other growing dragons could benefit from it.
• Aemon saw Grey Shadow steal a fish from a returning boat and ordered the fishermen to return to the village without alarming the dragon.
• Aemon laid out a net of live fish on the beach and waited for Grey Shadow to approach.
• Grey Shadow recognized Aemon from when he had fed it as a hatchling and relaxed enough to eat near him.
• Aemon tackled Grey Shadow, pinned its neck, and forced it to choke back its dragonfire.
• Aemon declared that Grey Shadow would follow him and receive three meals of fish each day.

Aemon captured Grey Shadow, fed it a Bloodsource Fruit, and formed a faint connection with the young dragon, though Grey Shadow recoiled after sensing Aemon already had a bond with a Bronze Dragon. Three days later, Aemon rode with the Vale Knights through the western Vale, inspecting its lands and villages.

• Aemon caught Grey Shadow while it was eating fish, but the hungry dragon stopped resisting and continued to eat.
• Aemon offered Grey Shadow a Bloodsource Fruit to persuade it to stay in the Vale, and the dragon accepted the fruit and rubbed against him for more.
• Aemon and Grey Shadow began forming a faint bond, which caused a Bronze Dragon near Runestone to awaken and roar furiously.
• Grey Shadow saw the Bronze Dragon reflected in Aemon’s eyes and pulled away, while Aemon’s panel showed his bloodline purity had increased by 2.5%.
• Three days later, Aemon led the Vale Knights through the western Vale, surveying its farmland, villages, and sparsely populated lands near the Moon Mountains.

Aemon discovered an exposed coal deposit at Raven Ridge and learned from Gonsal that an abandoned Royce outpost beyond the ridge guarded unclaimed territory in the Moon Mountains. Before Aemon set out to inspect it, he received a letter from Viserys summoning him to King's Landing to discuss Rhaenyra's marriage.

• Aemon reconsidered where to establish his own territory as he traveled through House Royce's lands, then rode toward the Moon Mountains with Gonsal.
• Aemon found coal scattered at Raven Ridge, and Gonsal confirmed it was stone coal and explained that locals avoided burning it because its smoke was poisonous.
• Gonsal told Aemon that unclaimed land lay beyond Raven Ridge in a mountain valley that had once served as House Royce's outpost, and Aemon decided to inspect it.
• Aemon chose to take only two squads of Vale Knights into the mountains, while Gonsal went to gather them.
• Steve delivered a raven letter from King's Landing, and Aemon learned that Viserys wanted him to return to discuss Rhaenyra's marriage.

Aemon explored the River Valley Land beyond Raven Ridge and found fertile black soil, useful stone deposits, and a strategic route toward Arryn Valley. When the Fire Smith Tribe ambushed his small party, he led the Vale Knights in a charge.

• Aemon rode across Raven Ridge and decided the mountain roads needed repairs before armies could use them safely.
• Aemon and his party discovered the River Valley Land’s fertile black soil and learned about the ridges guarding Arryn Valley.
• Aemon surveyed Green Ridge’s abandoned stone quarries and recognized its strategic position between Arryn Valley and Runestone.
• A hidden arrow struck at Aemon, but he cut it aside as the Vale Knights formed a defensive shield wall.
• Gonsal identified the approaching attackers as the Fire Smith Tribe, and Aemon ordered the Vale Knights to charge despite being heavily outnumbered.

Aemon led the Vale Knights against the Mountain Clans, with Grey Shadow and Vermithor joining the battle. The clans fled into Green Ridge, where Aemon mounted Vermithor and continued the pursuit with devastating dragonfire.

• Aemon charged the Mountain Clans on the White Hart as Gonsal rallied the twenty Vale Knights to follow him.
• Aemon and the Vale Knights cut through the disorganized clans, but one knight was killed by arrows.
• Grey Shadow returned and attacked the Mountain Clans with dragonfire, strengthening the Vale Knights’ resolve and forcing the clans to flee toward Green Ridge.
• Aemon stopped the knights from pursuing on horseback as Grey Shadow grew exhausted, then Vermithor arrived and burned dozens of fleeing clansmen.
• Aemon mounted Vermithor, ordered it to fly, and pursued the Mountain Clans with a fierce attack that left ash-black slag across the mountainside.

Aemon used Vermithor to destroy the Mountain Clan fighters on Green Ridge, then forced the surviving Fire Smith tribesmen to swear loyalty. He rode beyond the mountains to survey Arryn Valley and began planning a trade route linking it with East Land Horn.

• Vermithor's dragonfire devastated Green Ridge, and the terrified Vale Knights watched as the Mountain Clan force was overwhelmed.
• Steve reported that seventy-four of the Fire Smith Tribe's 2,300 members had survived, and Aemon ordered the tribe to submit or face dragonfire.
• The survivors swore loyalty to Aemon as the Dragon King, and he sent messengers to summon the rest of their tribe down the mountain.
• Aemon rode Vermithor beyond the mountains, while Grey Shadow struggled to keep up and Vermithor nearly attacked it.
• Aemon surveyed Arryn Valley from the Moon Mountains and considered linking it to East Land Horn with a trade town and route to Gulltown.

Aemon returned to Runestone and asked Lady Rhea for the people and supplies needed to develop the River Valley Land. Lady Rhea offered her support on the condition that his future wife come from the Vale.

• Aemon arrived above Runestone on Vermithor and complained about the dragon’s temper.
• Aemon offered Johanna a position as his steward, but Lady Rhea’s arrival interrupted her answer.
• Aemon asked Lady Rhea for craftsmen, three thousand able-bodied men, and logistical support to build a castle.
• Lady Rhea asked what Aemon thought of the King’s marriage proposal, and he showed little interest in marrying Rhaenyra.
• Lady Rhea offered Runestone’s resources if Aemon agreed to marry a girl from the Vale.

Aemon learned that Lady Rhea wanted him to marry a Vale woman so House Royce could secure the Vale nobles’ support for his plans to develop the River Valley Land. He rejected her proposed compromise and declared his intention to challenge House Arryn and reshape the Vale by force.

• Lady Rhea told Aemon she opposed his marrying Rhaenyra or Laena because both had Targaryen blood, and Aemon admitted he felt no affection for either woman.
• Aemon realized Lady Rhea feared that a Targaryen marriage would weaken House Royce’s hold on Runestone and that the Vale’s nobles would resist his plans for the River Valley Land.
• Lady Rhea explained that the River Valley Land had long been contested among Vale houses and urged Aemon to marry a Vale woman to gain the nobles’ recognition.
• Aemon refused to follow the Vale’s rules and asked why he should not overturn them, challenging House Arryn’s authority.
• Aemon resolved to seize power in the Vale and declared himself a true dragon who would rule over its sheep.

Aemon chose a site by Raven Ridge for a new city and used a wonder card to design a palace. He left the construction plans ready while considering how to gather enough workers and provide materials for the city walls.

• Aemon embraced Lady Rhea, who promised him Runestone but insisted that he marry a Vale girl.
• Aemon led craftsmen and fifteen hundred laborers to Raven Ridge, where he chose a gravel shore between the mountain and lake as the city site.
• Aemon assigned Gonsal to command the Vale Knights, Steve to oversee the craftsmen, and William to watch the Fire Smith Tribe.
• Aemon used the Jade Tower card to design a white palace complex, then planned to give its blueprint to the craftsmen.
• Aemon considered how the wonder cards would supply building materials and how he could recruit enough people to meet the Bronze Wall card's five-thousand-worker requirement.

Viserys's Small Council agreed to have Rhaenyra tour the Seven Kingdoms and consider more marriage candidates, while Aemon returned to King's Landing and spoke with her about their families' pressure to marry. Their conversation ended with them revealing that their parents had proposed different matches for each of them.

• Viserys's Small Council debated Rhaenyra's marriage, and Mellos proposed that she tour the Seven Kingdoms to meet more eligible men.
• Tyland and Jasper supported Mellos's proposal, Lyonel abstained, and Viserys approved Rhaenyra's tour as heir apparent.
• Aemon returned to King's Landing and met Rhaenyra, who said Viserys had sent her away from the Small Council meeting.
• Aemon encouraged Rhaenyra to be braver, and she began thinking about building a stronger faction and finding allies.
• Aemon and Rhaenyra admitted that their parents were pressuring them to marry, with Viserys wanting Aemon to choose Rhaenyra and Aemon's mother wanting him to marry a girl from the Vale.

After Rhaenyra fled from an awkward conversation, Aemon confronted Garwin Hightower for insulting Cole and spreading rumors about the Princess. Aemon left the Red Keep with Rhaenyra’s necklace and headed outside the city to recruit people for his return to the Vale, while Rhaenyra watched him go with growing affection.

• Rhaenyra hurried to her bedchamber after Aemon called after her, and ordered Cole to stop him.
• Garwin Hightower mocked Cole and made insinuations about rumors involving the royal family.
• Aemon beat Garwin and demanded to know who had sent him, but Garwin claimed he had acted out of jealousy.
• Aemon told Cole he should have fought back, then asked Rhaenyra for people to help him return to the Vale.
• Rhaenyra handed Aemon a necklace and watched him leave, admiring how much he had grown.
• Aemon tucked away the necklace and headed outside the city to recruit the people he needed.

Aemon reunited with Rhaenyra in the Godswood, where she confessed her feelings and kissed him. Alicent witnessed their intimacy from her window and grew jealous, though she hid her anger when Viserys and Garwin arrived.

• Viserys offered Aemon three hundred craftsmen for his planned town, while complaining that Aemon barely spoke to him.
• Aemon found Rhaenyra beneath a weirwood, and she asked him to stay in King's Landing with her.
• Rhaenyra asked whether Aemon would accept being her King Consort, then read his feelings in his eyes and kissed him.
• Cole saw Aemon and Rhaenyra together, but turned away rather than interrupt them.
• Alicent watched Rhaenyra straddling Aemon from her bedchamber, struck the window in anger, and then soothed the crying Helena when Viserys and Garwin entered.