Chapter Summaries

Aemon and Rhaenyra spent the morning together before she left Raven Ridge, and he returned to River Valley Land to pursue his forging work. Two months later, a raven message reported that the Three Daughters Pirates had disrupted shipping and stranded construction materials at Gulltown.

• Aemon woke beside Rhaenyra, and they shared a quiet morning before she said she had to leave to protect her claim to the Iron Throne.
• Rhaenyra tied Aemon's hair with a black hair tie as a farewell gift, and he gave her the Mythril Sword "Light of the Kingdom" and taught her a basic thrust.
• Rhaenyra's procession departed Raven Ridge, while Aemon returned to River Valley Town with the Vale Knights.
• Two months later, Aemon tested a bronze breastplate he had forged and found that copying the Bronze Shield's ancient runes did not improve ordinary bronze.
• Steve delivered a raven message from Ser Lyon reporting that the Three Daughters Pirates were attacking merchant ships, forcing Gulltown to close its port and trapping construction materials there.

After Gulltown blocked Aemon’s building supplies, he awakened Vermithor and flew east to reclaim his cargo. Over Crab Bay, Vermithor nearly clashed with Vhagar before Laena restrained her, and Laena said she would wait for Aemon in Gulltown.

• Aemon learned that Gulltown had stopped his cargo ships, rejected the suggestion to have Lady Rhea negotiate, and climbed Lonely Mountain to awaken Vermithor.
• Vermithor awoke, roared over River Valley Town, and revealed that he had grown past one hundred meters while regaining speed and agility.
• Aemon rode Vermithor east over Crab Bay, reflecting that Targaryen needed to expand rather than decline in isolation.
• Vermithor spotted Vhagar in the clouds and prepared to attack, but Aemon restrained him as Laena called Vhagar to stop.
• Laena apologized for Vhagar’s domineering behavior and said she would wait for Aemon in Gulltown before flying toward land.

Aemon confronted Earl Bakin Graffson in Gulltown over the seizure of his cargo ship and forced him to promise its release and compensation. Ser Harrold then briefed Aemon on the Three Daughters Pirates, while Aemon and Laena prepared to stay at Graffson Castle.

• Earl Bakin returned to Graffson Castle and found Aemon waiting with Laena, Ser Harrold, and the Bronze Dragon Vermithor outside.
• Aemon accused Earl Bakin of seizing his cargo ship and threatened to take his tongue or hand unless he admitted his crime.
• Earl Bakin confessed and promised to release the cargo and pay several times its value to compensate for the delay.
• Vermithor flew over the castle as Aemon and Laena remarked on how much they had grown.
• Ser Harrold told Aemon that King Jaehaerys was concerned about the Three Daughters Pirates and that Daemon had left the Stepstones to tour the Free Trade City-State.
• Laena and Earl Bakin's daughter offered bread and salt to Aemon, who accepted the hospitality as Earl Bakin promised Gulltown would not disappoint him again.

Aemon rejected Laena’s attempt to draw him into the Velaryon family’s naval alliance, choosing instead to seek a route through Ironoak Castle. Laena then grew intimate with him and later tried to persuade him again, leaving Aemon still unwilling to join Lord Sea Snake’s plans.

• Laena told Aemon that Gulltown had closed its harbor and proposed Velaryon ships, but he refused and questioned what the Velaryon family wanted from him.
• Laena revealed Lord Sea Snake’s plan to ally with House Graffson and House Celtigar against the Three Daughters Pirates, but Aemon declined and suggested transporting goods through Ironoak Castle.
• Laena asked about Rhaenyra’s visit and explained that her parents were worried about Laenor’s marriage.
• Laena drew Aemon into an intimate embrace, and the two kissed.
• Afterward, Laena asked Aemon to fight the Three Daughters Pirates with Lord Sea Snake, but he refused because he and her father did not get along.
• Laena warned that Aemon had few allies in the Vale, then whispered to him and extended her hand.

Aemon returned from Gulltown and surveyed River Valley Town’s growing roads and city before using a Dragon Bone Whistle to summon Grey Shadow and draw Vermithor and Silverwing into the sky. The whistle’s effect on dragons was clear, leaving Aemon with a way to call Grey Shadow and a new insight into dragons’ sensitivity to sound.

• Laena persuaded Aemon to offer support if the Three Daughters Kingdom threatened Gulltown again, then teased him over breakfast as he mentioned Rhaenyra.
• Aemon and Laena departed Gulltown on their dragons, and Aemon returned to River Valley Land after recovering the seized goods and compensation.
• Aemon inspected the completed road sections, the developing Vale City, and River Valley Town’s expanding construction and businesses.
• Jansiff told Aemon about her embroidery workshop and warned him that Earl Waynwood was stingy and foul-mouthed as Aemon considered seeking boats from Ironoak Castle.
• Aemon retrieved a Dragon Bone Whistle from the Blacksmiths' Guild and blew it, summoning Grey Shadow and drawing Vermithor and Silverwing into the sky.

Aemon flew to Ironoak Castle to meet Earl Rede Waynwood, while Corlys considered how Aemon and Laena might advance House Velaryon's interests. The chapter ended with Aemon facing Waynwood and a row of girls in the castle hall.

• Aemon gave Jansiff the Dragon Bone Whistle and left on Vermithor with Silverwing to visit Ironoak Castle.
• Laena told Corlys that Gulltown and Crab Isle had agreed to an alliance and described how Aemon was faring in the Vale.
• Corlys inferred that Laena was captivated by Aemon and discussed his hopes of drawing the Targaryens closer to House Velaryon.
• Rhaenys warned Corlys against arranging for Laenor to marry the princess, and Corlys agreed to let their children choose.
• Aemon arrived at Ironoak Castle, completed the rites of hospitality, and met Earl Rede Waynwood among a row of girls.

Aemon sought House Waynwood’s ships and workers to build a dock on Long Lake, but Rede Waynwood refused after Aemon rejected his marriage proposal. Aemon returned to River Valley Town and ordered preparations for a campaign against the Three Daughters Pirates, leaving Johanna to mobilize the troops.

• Rede Waynwood offered Aemon his daughters in a marriage alliance in exchange for help with the Long Lake dock, and Aemon refused.
• Rede insulted Aemon’s father Daemon and blamed him for House Waynwood’s troubles, while Aemon identified the house’s declining trade as its real grievance.
• Aemon left Ironoak Castle without retaliating, then flew Vermithor over House Waynwood’s docks at the Strait Sea inlet.
• Aemon returned to River Valley Town and told Johanna to summon the bannermen and prepare for a campaign against the Three Daughters Pirates.
• Aemon ordered Gonsal to lead eight hundred longbowmen and assigned the remaining forces to Vale City and the Blacksmiths’ Guild.

Aemon returned to Runestone, reconciled with Lady Rhea, and made clear that his ambitions extended beyond the Vale. As he forged weapons and armor, Royce and Vale forces gathered at Runestone for the coming campaign against the Three Daughters Pirates.

• Aemon found Jansiff at Runestone, where she had already worked to ease the tension between him and Lady Rhea.
• Lady Rhea warned Aemon about his romantic entanglements, offered him the family sword Lament, and urged him to consider the political forces opposing him.
• Aemon told Lady Rhea that he was both a Royce and a Targaryen, declaring that his ambitions reached beyond the Vale.
• Ravens carried orders summoning the vassals, while Aemon forged weapons and armor at Runestone to prepare for war.
• Gonsal, Jeral Royce, and Liane Shett arrived with troops over the following days, followed by Royce branches and House Tollett.
• Walder Corbray arrived with a large force, and Aemon welcomed the assembled vassals as he finished a suit of plate armor.

Aemon secured the loyalty of several Vale vassals by rewarding Addison Tollett with a helmet and formally accepting his oath, while Wald Corbray and Royce branches also pledged themselves. The Redforts sent two thousand troops, and after a seven-night feast, Aemon prepared to march south from Runestone toward Gulltown and an unknown battlefield on the Strait Sea.

• Addison Tollett admired Aemon’s armor, received a steel helmet as a gift, and swore fealty to him.
• Aemon formally accepted Addison’s oath, and Wald Corbray and the remaining Royce branches followed by pledging their loyalty.
• Horton Redfort arrived with Adrian and two thousand Redfort troops, revealing that Jansiff had secretly sent word to her family.
• Aemon’s army grew to nearly fifteen thousand soldiers, and Runestone held a seven-night feast before the army’s departure.
• On the final night, Jansiff told Aemon the preparations were ready, and musicians performed a foreboding piece as he went to meet the gathered representatives.

Aemon outlined a campaign against the Three Daughters Pirates and sent Old Rede a song that left the lord terrified of an impending reckoning. As Aemon marched south toward Gulltown, a letter from Johanna confirmed that his plan was proceeding.

• Aemon briefed the council on gathering at Gulltown, joining Driftmark, and using Pentos as bait to draw the Three Daughters Pirates into a trap.
• Addison asked about the cello music, and Aemon revealed that the song was called “Rainy Season in Kasrome.”
• At Ironoak Castle, Old Rede learned the song’s lyrics described pirates being destroyed by dragonfire and realized Aemon was warning him; he canceled his Name Day and ordered his family to lie low.
• Aemon led an army of fifteen thousand toward Gulltown and received a letter from Johanna bearing the drawing of a Black Rose.

Aemon marched a large army into Gulltown, secured the city’s cooperation, and prepared to travel to Driftmark for the war against the Three Daughters Pirates. In King’s Landing, Viserys learned of Aemon’s alliance with the Sea Snake and agreed to send royal troops to join the campaign.

• Aemon arrived at Gulltown with a vast army and two dragons, then pressured Earl Buckin into letting his soldiers garrison in the city and opening the port for supplies.
• Aemon spent the night in Gulltown, then told Earl Buckin he would send bannermen ahead to Driftmark before following by dragonback.
• Grand Maester Mellos reported that several houses had joined the Sea Snake’s campaign against the Three Daughters Pirates.
• Tyland told Viserys that Aemon had entered the war with twenty thousand men, prompting Viserys to curse Aemon and Daemon for allying with the Sea Snake.
• Hand Lyonel advised Viserys to send royal troops to demonstrate the crown’s authority and support for Aemon, and Viserys agreed.

After the Small Council, Viserys ordered two Kingsguard knights to join Aemon’s campaign and protect him. Aemon arrived at Driftmark, greeted Rhaenys with a show of dragon force, and told her he wanted to ally with Corlys against the Three Daughters; Rhaenys accepted his closeness with Laena but said he would have to explain himself.

• Viserys learned from Ser Harold Westerling that Aemon and Laena had been unusually intimate, then ordered two skilled Kingsguard knights to reinforce Aemon’s campaign and guard him.
• Rhaenys flew Meleys over the Gullet and encountered Aemon riding Vermithor alongside Silverwing; Aemon charged toward her before steering the dragons toward Driftmark.
• Aemon waited for Rhaenys to land on Driftmark, embraced her, and escorted her toward High Tide Castle.
• Aemon told Rhaenys he had come to ally with Corlys against the Three Daughters Pirates and admitted Laena had invited him.
• Rhaenys said she had no objection to Aemon and Laena’s relationship, then told him he would have to leave an explanation before they entered the Nine Voyages Hall.

Aemon arrived at Driftmark to discuss the war against the Three Daughters Pirates, but provoked Laena’s betrothed, Harrold, into drawing his sword. Aemon killed Harrold in front of the assembled Velaryons and defended the killing as the result of a duel, leaving Corlys furious.

• Aemon met Laena, Rhaenys, and Bartimos Celtigar in the hall before Corlys arrived with Vaemond, Laenor, and Harrold.
• Aemon discussed the coming war with Corlys and traded barbed remarks with him and Laenor.
• Laena sat beside Aemon, prompting Harrold to confront him in jealousy.
• Aemon provoked Harrold, kissed Laena, and challenged him after Harrold drew his sword.
• Aemon beheaded Harrold with Lament, then told Corlys that Harrold had agreed to a duel and had drawn his weapon.

After Aemon killed Laena’s fiancé at Driftmark, the allies moved their preparations to Crab Isle for the campaign against the Three Daughters Pirates. There, Bartimos showed Aemon the Celtigar heirloom Crab Claw, a Valyrian Steel axe, and opened a box containing a damaged horn.

• Aemon remained on Driftmark after killing Laena’s fiancé, while Corlys ended the meeting and Rhaenys praised Aemon but warned that he had been too blunt.
• Half a month later, Corlys arranged for the allied forces to gather at Crab Isle and lure the Three Daughters Pirates toward Pentos.
• Aemon, Laena, and Laenor arrived at Crab Isle with Bartimos, while Laena withdrew and Laenor left with Joffrey.
• Bartimos urged Aemon to demand greater compensation from Pentos, but Aemon declined and asked to see House Celtigar’s treasures instead.
• Bartimos showed Aemon Crab Claw, a Valyrian Steel axe that granted him ten Magic Essence, then opened a box containing a damaged brown-black horn.

Aemon acquired lightning magic from the Harpy horn and learned more about House Celtigar’s ancient history before preparing to leave for war. Laena dressed him in armor and asked him to return safely as he departed for the battlefield.

• Aemon touched the broken Harpy horn, gained lightning magic, and saw his bloodline purity increase.
• Bartimos explained the Harpy horn’s history and invited Aemon to study House Celtigar’s library and ancient records.
• Aemon borrowed the horn to study it while the naval coalition pushed the Three Daughters Pirates toward the Strait Sea’s eastern shore.
• Laena visited Aemon before his departure and helped him put on his grandfather’s black-and-red armor.
• Laena told Aemon she had dressed him for battle because she could not feel at ease until she did, then asked him not to get hurt.

Aemon prepared for Prince Reggio’s wedding in Pentos while the Three Daughters Pirates planned an attack on the city’s ports. On New Year’s night, the pirates struck all three ports, and Aemon, Vermithor, Silverwing, Addison, and the Cargyll brothers fought back as the chapter left the battle underway.

• Aemon received letters from the King and Alicent, and Ilik and Alick arrived to assist him in Pentos.
• After Sea Snake Corlys warned that twenty thousand Three Daughters Pirates planned to attack Pentos Port during the wedding, Aemon divided his forces and sent Addison to defend the port.
• Aemon moved eight thousand allied and royal soldiers to Pentos Port, and the New Year’s bells rang as he turned thirteen.
• Rycharino Rendon led the Three Daughters Pirates in an attack on all three ports, setting Kasrome Port ablaze and sending the main force against Pentos Port.
• Addison led the Vale soldiers against the pirates as Vermithor and Silverwing burned their ships and troops; Aemon and the Cargyll brothers ordered the defenders to stop the fleeing pirates.

Aemon and his dragons helped destroy the Three Daughters Pirates at Kasrome Port, then he ordered the pirates’ heads piled into a cairn to terrorize his enemies. He rallied the Vale army around his name and the title “Dragon Slayer,” while Corlys realized Aemon had used the war to build his reputation.

• Aemon, Vermithor, and Silverwing arrived at Kasrome Port and devastated the pirates with dragonflame, while Seasmoke and Laenor burned the fleeing ships.
• The Velaryon fleet and its allies entered the bay, and the pirates across all three ports were defeated before dawn.
• Aemon ordered Lei Charino and the other dead pirates beheaded, directing the soldiers to stack their heads into a cairn.
• Corlys challenged Aemon’s treatment of the corpses, but Aemon said the display let him vent and intimidate his enemies.
• Aemon rallied the Vale soldiers by honoring their dead and declaring they had fought for Aemon the “Dragon Slayer,” and they answered that they would remember.
• Corlys recognized that Aemon had formed the alliance to build a fearsome reputation, and Aemon told him he was old.

After the victory at Pentos, Daemon demanded compensation from Prince Reggio while Aemon's army celebrated in the Vale. Aemon then orchestrated the massacre of House Waynwood and granted Gonsal a new lordship, leaving the Vale nobles with a warning against defying him.

• Daemon arrived at Prince Reggio's palace on Caraxes and demanded repayment from those who had enjoyed his protection.
• Aemon went missing during the celebration in River Valley Town, and Laena concluded that he and the absent Vale Knights would return on their own.
• Old Rede's wedding at Ironoak Castle became a massacre when disguised assassins poisoned the wine and attacked the guests, killing Old Rede and his family.
• Aemon ordered House Waynwood exterminated, sent the bride to become a Silent Sister, and had Ironoak Castle burned down.
• Aemon renamed the lake Black Swan Lake and appointed Gonsal lord of Black Rose Hall, founding an independent House Royce sworn to serve House Targaryen of River Valley Town.

After returning to River Valley Town, Aemon rested with Laena and defended his ruthless actions against House Waynwood. In King's Landing, Viserys dismissed Aemon's request for a title and ordered him confined to his princely domain until Rhaenyra returned.

• Aemon returned to River Valley Town with eight hundred Vale Knights, where Johanna approached him before Laena arrived and took him away to rest.
• Laena warned Aemon that his attack on House Waynwood would turn people against him, but he insisted that his actions would earn respect.
• News of the Battle of Pentos and House Waynwood's destruction reached King's Landing, and Viserys received letters from Jeyne Arryn and Aemon requesting a title for one of his knights.
• Viserys refused Aemon's request, ordered the royal army to leave the Vale after the battle, and told Mellos to keep Aemon confined until Rhaenyra returned from her progress.

Half a year after accepting Viserys’s decree, Aemon developed River Valley Town and uncovered magical materials in the Dragon Nest. A royal tourney summoned him to King's Landing, where he planned to present himself as a loyal servant of the Iron Throne while the Black and Green factions began to take shape.

• Aemon found three dragon eggs in the Dragon Nest, then discovered that the Bronze Godwood’s bells yielded ten Magic Essence each when he collected them.
• Aemon handed the dragon eggs to the Dragonkeepers and reviewed River Valley Town’s completed Vale City, roads, walls, and growing dock.
• Johanna distributed lime and Honeycomb Briquettes to River Valley Town’s allies and vassals, while Aemon recalled the spoils and gifts he had gained after the Battle of Pentos.
• Maester Munkun brought Aemon news that Rhaenyra had returned to King's Landing and Alicent was pregnant, prompting Viserys to announce a tourney and require Aemon’s attendance.
• Aemon decided to portray himself as a loyal servant of the Iron Throne, while postponing his marriage choice between Laena and Rhaenyra.