Chapter Summaries

Aemon and Rhaenyra discussed her planned tour of the Seven Kingdoms and her desire for greater power, while Aemon encouraged her to develop her dragonriding. At dinner, Aemon secured Viserys’s permission to take an unspecified item from the Red Keep’s cellar before preparing to leave for the Vale the next day.

• Rhaenyra told Aemon that Viserys wanted her to tour the realm and choose a husband, and Aemon said the tour could help her find allies.
• Rhaenyra said she needed power to keep Aemon by her side, and Aemon promised to take her to the River Valley Land to hone her dragonriding skills.
• At dinner, Viserys explained Rhaenyra’s tour and asked whether Aemon had heard from Daemon; Aemon said he had not.
• Aemon asked Viserys to let him take something from the Red Keep’s cellar, and Viserys agreed.
• Alicent gave Helena to Aemon, and Helena offered him a seashell from her pocket.

Aemon left Alicent and her children to accompany Rhaenyra to Dragonstone, where he planned to awaken Silverwing and move the dragon to the River Valley Land. He found Silverwing asleep in the Smoking Cave and approached it, leaving its response uncertain.

• Aemon said goodbye to Alicent and her children at Mud Gate, and Alicent kissed his cheeks before leaving.
• Rhaenyra grew furious at Alicent's kisses, scrubbed Aemon's face, and warned him not to return to King's Landing while she was away.
• Aemon and Rhaenyra flew to Dragonstone on Vermithor and Syrax, and Aemon explained that he wanted to awaken Silverwing for the River Valley Land.
• Aemon entered the Smoking Cave alone while Vermithor waited, then found Silverwing asleep in its cavern.
• Silverwing opened its eyes as Aemon approached, and he raised his hand and called for it to look at him.

Aemon awakened Silverwing and flew with her and Vermithor, discovering he could form a deeper bond with dragons. When they returned to Dragonstone, a black wild dragon emerged from Dragonmont and attacked the injured Sheep Thief.

• Aemon ordered Silverwing to stop fighting, endured her nudges, and gained 100 essence as his bloodline purity rose to 41.5%.
• Silverwing followed Aemon to Vermithor, then chased them into the sky as he flew and commanded Vermithor to breathe fire.
• Rhaenyra watched the two dragons fly together and celebrated Aemon's success, while Syrax roared to make her presence known.
• Aemon sensed a deeper connection with Vermithor and flew with both dragons over Blackwater Bay as Sheep Thief watched from Dragonmont.
• A dark green dragon emerged from Dragonmont, burned holes in Sheep Thief's wing, and lunged at the injured wild dragon.

Aemon and Vermithor fought the Cannibal alongside Silverwing and killed the ancient wild dragon above Dragonmont. As the dragons gathered in an unexplained circling dance, Aemon saw a vision of a Dragon King leading dragons to feast on a slain dragon, while more dragons joined the gathering.

• Cannibal attacked the Mud Dragon, and Aemon sent Vermithor and Silverwing after it.
• Cannibal wounded Silverwing, but Vermithor seized it and blasted its head with Bronze Dragonflame.
• Rhaenyra flew after the battling dragons on Syrax, while two young dragons broke free from their Dragonmont lair and followed them.
• Aemon saw a vision of a black-and-red dragon leading other dragons as they devoured a slain dragon, and he called it a Dragon King.
• Vermithor, Silverwing, Syrax, and the two young dragons circled Dragonmont until the dust settled and Aemon confirmed Cannibal was dead.

Aemon and Vermithor completed the ritual after killing the Cannibal, and Aemon survived being drenched in dragon blood, earning the Dragonkeepers’ cries of “Dragon Slayer.” Half a month later, Aemon began planning the development of his domain and possible marriage alliances.

• Silverwing, Sheepstealer, Syrax, and the other dragons feasted on the Cannibal’s corpse while Dragonkeepers watched and celebrated the ancient ritual.
• Vermithor tore off the Cannibal’s head, and its blood drenched Aemon, who survived the burns.
• The Dragonkeepers hailed Aemon as a Dragon Slayer, and Rhaenyra confirmed that he was unharmed.
• Laena watched Aemon fly away with Silverwing while Vhagar drove off a man who approached her; a Mud Dragon secretly followed their scent.
• Half a month later at Runestone, Aemon began a five-year plan covering River Valley Land development and marriage alliance candidates.

Aemon planned possible marriage alliances and his future foothold in the Vale, then inspected River Valley Land’s construction preparations and card-supplied materials. After recruiting Maester Munkun and deciding to make lime mortar, he saw a dragon emerge from a mountain cavern as his development plans advanced.

• Aemon weighed Rhaenyra Targaryen, Laena Velaryon, and a Vale marriage candidate, then resolved to build allies and power in the Vale.
• Aemon took Johanna to meet the arriving migrants and used Vermithor to impress her, gaining her as a steward.
• Aemon inspected the construction site and abundant card-supplied bricks, tiles, timber, and food, and told Johanna to say the materials came from across the Strait Sea.
• Aemon met Maester Munkun, who explained the local mortar mixture and suggested lime as a stronger adhesive.
• Aemon decided to burn lime and watched an enormous dragon emerge from a cavern in the mountains.

Aemon used Vermithor to make slaked lime for construction, then assessed the challenges facing River Valley Land’s newly relocated settlers. He ended the chapter with Grey Shadow growing rapidly from a Bloodsource Fruit and Aemon obtaining a Bronze Shield from his card panel.

• Aemon and Maester Munkun experimented with Vermithor’s dragonflame to fire limestone and make slaked lime, then had masons test it as mortar.
• Aemon sent Vermithor back to his lair after the dragon frightened the workers, while Silverwing briefly watched from High Mountain Dragon Nest.
• Aemon learned that 509 relocated households totaling 1,824 people had settled by Long Lake and worried about how they would earn a living after their food ran low.
• Aemon spotted Grey Shadow, whose size had increased to about eight meters after eating a Bloodsource Fruit, and the young dragon knocked him to the ground affectionately.
• Aemon exchanged 250 Essence for a Bronze Shield inscribed with First Men runes.

Aemon organized labor and materials for River Valley Land’s construction, promising settlers and the New Field Orphans wages, land, and houses to secure their commitment. He assigned the workers to lime burning, stone quarrying, and coal mining, then ordered the palace foundation enlarged and reinforced with lime, sand, and clay.

• Aemon reviewed his Magic Essence and personal panel, then ordered Johanna to remind Ser Lyon to prepare for another shipment of building materials.
• Maester Munkun tested the slaked lime and estimated the workers needed to supply enough lime for construction; Johanna reminded Aemon that coal could replace firewood.
• Aemon addressed the new settlers and New Field Orphans, offering wages, six acres of land per person, and houses to those who stayed in River Valley Land.
• Aemon divided the settlers and orphans into work crews for burning lime, quarrying stone, mining coal, and cooking, while the Fire Smith Tribe continued hauling stones as prisoners.
• Aemon called Grey Shadow to help make lime samples and instructed Maester Munkun to enlarge the palace foundation and compact it with lime, sand, and clay.

Aemon began construction on his palace, Vale City, and unveiled Meraxes’s skull to establish a new form of worship in the River Valley Land. As work began and the dragons celebrated overhead, Aemon received letters from Lady Rhea and Lady Laena.

• Aemon gathered the people of the River Valley Land to begin the Prince’s Palace and revealed the skull of Meraxes as a founding hero to be worshipped.
• Aemon led the crowd in kneeling before the skull, while Lady Rhea refused to join them.
• Johanna displayed old Bronze Armor and Maester Munkun revealed burning lime as Aemon activated Jade Tower’s red card and named the palace Vale City.
• Vermithor, Silverwing, and Grey Shadow flew overhead as the crowd took the card’s calming effect as Meraxes’s blessing.
• Aemon laid the first blue brick crooked at the future Throne Hall, then watched the workers begin construction across the vast foundation.
• Johanna gave Aemon letters from Lady Rhea and Lady Laena, and he prepared to read them.

Aemon rejected Lady Rhea’s attempt to force him into marriage and led a dragon-backed attack on the Fire Smith Tribe, bringing its survivors under his rule. After the battle, he discovered a Shadow Lynx and was shown its newborn cub.

• Aemon read Laena’s visit announcement and Lady Rhea’s threat to cut off Runestone’s support unless he accepted a Vale bride, but he refused to be coerced into marriage.
• Aemon enlisted the Fire Smith tribesmen as guides and ordered them to meet him at Long Lake at dawn so he could conquer the Mountain Clans.
• Aemon, Vermithor, Silverwing, and the Vale Knights attacked the Fire Smith Tribe’s hidden stronghold while Ga Gu prepared to sacrifice tribesmen who had urged surrender.
• The dragons and Vale Knights devastated the stronghold, killing Ga Gu and many tribesmen, and the roughly fifteen hundred survivors swore fealty to Aemon.
• Aemon inspected the ruined valley, identified a dead beast as a Shadow Lynx, and saw a Vale Knight carrying its newborn cub.

Aemon expanded Vale City’s trade and military preparations before Rhaenyra arrived after slipping away from her husband-selection tour. He recruited her dragon and help to build a road, leaving her questioning the favor he had requested.

• Aemon adopted a Shadow Lynx kitten, but the Gold-Nosed Rat attacked it after he put them together in his pouch.
• Aemon learned that his marriage prospects had been delayed, oversaw the sale of Honeycomb Briquettes, and went to inspect eight hundred recruits training near Long Lake.
• Rhaenyra arrived at Summerhall on Syrax and told Aemon she had slipped away from her tour because she had chosen him.
• Rhaenyra explained that Arnold Arryn’s claim had delayed the Vale marriage arrangements, then asked when she could join Aemon in fighting the Mountain Clans.
• Aemon brought Rhaenyra to Raven Ridge, where Syrax’s dragonfire helped workers make quicklime for a sanhe soil road.
• Aemon praised Rhaenyra for helping with the road, and she asked whether that was the small favor he had meant.

Viserys learned that Rhaenyra had gone to the Vale to visit Aemon and agreed to hold a grand tournament after her royal progress. In River Valley Land, Aemon trained new longbowmen, dealt with Mountain Clansmen stealing livestock, and decided to use a tribe as a test for his forces.

• Alicent told Viserys that Rhaenyra was in the Vale with Aemon and that Lady Rhea was seeking a marriage match for her son.
• Viserys dismissed the marriage threat, agreed to scold Rhaenyra in a letter, and proposed a grand tournament for the following year.
• Aemon trained eight hundred new recruits in River Valley Land while Ser Lyon warned that Three Daughters Pirates were disrupting maritime trade and construction shipments.
• A recruit reported Mountain Clansmen stealing livestock, and Aemon led the longbowmen to capture them.
• Aemon learned that the captives belonged to the three-thousand-strong Black Ear Tribe and decided to test his troops against a Mountain Clans tribe.

Aemon welcomed Jansyfe of the Redfort Family to Vale City and discovered that her visit was meant to explore an alliance and possibly a marriage match. Jansyfe arranged a grain-for-Honeycomb Briquettes trade and asked to stay in Vale City, while Aemon recognized Redfort as a valuable ally.

• Aemon and Rhaenyra greeted Horton, Adrian, and Jansyfe Redfort when their convoy arrived at Long Lake.
• Horton left most of his knights with Adrian and Jansyfe, and Aemon assured him he would treat Jansyfe only as a guest.
• At dinner, Jansyfe proposed that Redfort become an ally of Aemon and offered to trade grain for Honeycomb Briquettes and help sell them to local nobles.
• Jansyfe asked Aemon to let her stay in Vale City so she could remain near her aging father instead of going to The Eyrie as Lady Jeyne's companion, and he agreed.
• After dinner, Aemon found Adrian and William talking together and reflected that Redfort would be a strong first ally.

Aemon led an army into the Moon Mountains to hunt the Mountain Clans, but their hidden tribes eluded him while Rhaenyra joined the expedition. After challenging Rhaenyra to reconsider what the Iron Throne meant to her, Aemon learned of Mountain Clans activity in a valley and prepared to search it, unaware a sighthound was spying on his camp.

• Aemon took Rhaenyra into the Moon Mountains with Gonsal and nearly a thousand soldiers, relying on Syrax and Grey Shadow rather than Vermithor.
• Aemon killed a black-haired sighthound belonging to the Painted Hound Tribe and learned that its hunters were rumored to be skinchangers.
• After half a month without finding the Mountain Clans, Rhaenyra said she wanted to be queen while enjoying a carefree life, and Aemon challenged her to consider her responsibilities as heir.
• Aemon received a report of Painted Hound Tribe sighthounds and Mountain Clans activity in a valley, then ordered the army to search it the next day.
• A sighthound watched the camp, memorized its scent, and slipped away into the forest.

Aemon led his troops into a Mountain Clans ambush, relying on Rhaenyra and the dragons to overwhelm the attackers. Syrax began eating burning men while Rhaenyra froze in shock, and the battle turned against Aemon’s archers as the White Hart was struck and Aemon was surrounded.

• Aemon led eight hundred longbowmen along a mountain path as bait, and the Mountain Clans attacked from the slopes with hounds and archers.
• Aemon charged into the ambushers on the White Hart while William sounded a horn and the archers held their formation.
• Rhaenyra attacked with Syrax, and Grey Shadow joined the battle, scattering Mountain Clansmen with dragonfire.
• Syrax landed to eat burning men, leaving Rhaenyra frozen as the Mountain Clans regrouped and pressed the longbowmen in close combat.
• Mountain sighthounds and spearmen attacked; when Aemon rode to rescue Rhaenyra, the spearmen struck the White Hart and surrounded him.

Aemon defeated the Mountain Clan ambush with his twin swords and dragons, then captured the surviving clanspeople and demanded their submission. Half a month later, he reorganized them into two tribes and ordered them to help build Vale City, promising they would become subjects.

• Aemon fought through the Mountain Clan spearmen as Gonsal led Vale Knights into the battle, while Syrax and Grey Shadow attacked from the air.
• Aemon scolded Rhaenyra for losing control of Syrax, then killed the attackers who tried to take him hostage, including a spearman whose strike could not pierce him.
• Aemon pulled a spear from the White Hart and, after the battle was decided, went to collect the Mountain Clan survivors.
• The Bronze Dragon in High Mountain Dragon Nest awoke briefly, sensed something to the south, and returned to sleep.
• Half a month later, Aemon summoned the captured chiefs before Long Summer Hall and learned that fewer than six thousand Mountain Clanspeople remained.
• Aemon accepted the Painted Hound chief’s submission, merged the tribes into the Black Stone Tribe and the Burning Clan, and ordered them to join Vale City’s construction projects.

Aemon brought captive clanspeople to build the road to River Valley Town, comforted a guilt-ridden Rhaenyra, and used the Bronze Wall card to name the town and set its construction period. The chapter ended with the captives beginning work on the town’s immense double walls.

• Aemon led the captive women and children from Raven Ridge to the roadworks, where they joined the construction crews under new tattoo rules.
• Aemon tried to train Grey Shadow to respond to a bone whistle, then considered using dragonbone for a better one.
• Aemon comforted Rhaenyra over the longbowmen who had died in the melee, and she told him the road crews’ progress.
• Johanna and Maester Munkun staged a ceremony displaying Meraxes's skull, prompting Hei Gu and Xia Ga to submit to Aemon.
• Aemon activated the Bronze Wall card at the foundations and named the city River Valley Town, setting its construction period at two years.
• Hei Gu and Xia Ga ordered their clanspeople to begin digging foundations, hauling stone, and burning lime for the walls.

Aemon established a copper mine in Vermithor’s lair, used a Bloodsource Fruit to strengthen the dragon, and acquired a mysterious Bronze Godwood before running low on essence. A month later, he demonstrated his new Dragon Mouth Plow to River Valley’s settlers, who crowded around him in gratitude.

• Aemon activated Heaven-Sent Bronze in Vermithor’s lair, creating a natural copper mine inside the mountain.
• Aemon used a Bloodsource Fruit on Vermithor, who swallowed it and went to sleep to absorb its effects.
• Aemon exchanged 2,000 essence for the Bronze Godwood and planted it in the lair, where it appeared as a small bronze tree with unusual objects on its branches.
• Aemon found that he had only 127 essence left and could not afford the Bronze Armor card.
• A month later, Aemon demonstrated the curved-shaft Dragon Mouth Plow to Johanna and the farmwomen, promising plows and oxen to help reclaim farmland.
• The grateful farmwomen surrounded Aemon, leaving him overwhelmed as someone took the chance to grope him.

Aemon developed River Valley Town, acquired a valuable Mithril Bean, and received a scathing letter from the king ordering Rhaenyra and him to return to their duties. At the evening banquet, Aemon arrived late with a gift he had forged, and Rhaenyra confronted him about leaving her alone.

• Aemon inspected River Valley Town’s growing walls and discussed its gates and resources with Johanna.
• At the Blacksmiths' Guild, Aemon exchanged 300 Essence Points for a Mithril Bean and found it unusually durable.
• Cole delivered the king’s handwritten letter to Aemon, who read its insults and learned that Rhaenyra would return as soon as possible.
• Aemon decided to make Rhaenyra a farewell gift and worked on a sword blank before the banquet.
• Rhaenyra grew exhausted and lonely at the banquet while waiting for Aemon, who arrived late and told her she could have found someone to talk to.
• Rhaenyra complained that Aemon had not shown concern for her, and Aemon retorted that she and her father had no conscience.

Aemon gave Rhaenyra a mithril-forged sword named Light of the Kingdom before her departure and urged her to learn restraint. The chapter left them alone together in his bedchamber as Rhaenyra reached for the ribbons of her dress, while Johanna fed the fat cat outside.

• Rhaenyra told Aemon she was leaving the next day and named the road she had built Vale Road.
• Aemon explained that Fertility Hall was named after Syrax, the goddess of fertility, and invited Rhaenyra to see a gift.
• Aemon presented Rhaenyra with Light of the Kingdom, a finely forged sword made with mithril, and she accepted it despite knowing little about swordsmanship.
• Rhaenyra moved to offer Aemon a gift, but he told her to learn restraint and explained that they were not old enough to act on their feelings.
• Rhaenyra reached for the ribbons of her dress as Aemon wondered what she had understood, while Johanna fed milk to the fat cat outside.