Chapter Summaries

Dorne launched a surprise invasion of the Stormlands and besieged Stonewatch while Prince Viserys grew restless at Storm's End. After receiving Count Sven's plea for help, Viserys headed to a council eager to take part in the war.

• Corlys explained that the conflict among the Free Cities had given Dorne a chance to invade the Stormlands and Reach, then dismissed Haman Uller's complaint about Olivi's assignment.
• Olivi led a night assault on Stonewatch, and Dornish forces seized the port and surrounding defenses before besieging the castle.
• At Storm's End, Sheepstealer knocked Viserys down, and he insulted his fiancée Cassandra when she asked where he was going.
• Viserys learned that Rhaegar had conquered Myr and Lys and complained that he was stuck guarding Storm's End.
• Maester Phyte delivered Count Sven's plea for help from besieged Stonewatch, and Viserys eagerly went to join the council.

Viserys and the Small Council discussed the costs of feeding Myr and Lys and the threat of a Dornish invasion of the Stormlands. Viserys agreed to muster troops but was forbidden from going to war himself, while the council accepted Aemond's planned counterattack.

• Viserys ordered Mogul's head returned to the Red Keep rather than paraded through King's Landing.
• Otto warned that Myr and Lys needed grain, and Viserys ordered grain requisitioned after the council agreed to notify the Tyrell and Tully lords.
• Tormund reported that Dorne had crossed Windy Cape and besieged Stonewatch, prompting Viserys to call up three thousand troops and the council to plan a response.
• Tormund relayed that Aemond had gathered Stormlands forces and was preparing a counterattack, despite Viserys ordering him to remain at Storm's End.
• Viserys proposed riding Vermithor to the Stormlands, but the council persuaded him to stay, then agreed to let Aemond fight.
• Lyonel left to arrange the grain requisition.

Viserys and Alicent argued over the risks their children faced in the war and whether Alicent’s children would receive recognition for their sacrifices. In Lys, Rhaegar responded to news of Dorne’s invasion and adjusted his forces while Tyrosh remained under siege.

• Viserys returned to his quarters, where Alicent raised Aemond’s battlefield service and urged him to show her children more affection and reward their sacrifices.
• Viserys and Alicent argued over Rhaegar’s relationship with Alicent’s children, then agreed to discuss the family after the war; Alicent also told him that Laena had returned to Driftmark before being transferred to Dragonstone.
• Rhaegar read news of Dorne’s invasion in Lys, played with Slax, and wrote letters to King's Landing and Storm's End.
• Johanna told Rhaegar that Tyrosh’s ruler, Myles, had turned commoners against the Iron Throne and was suppressing the wealthy and slaves.
• Rhaegar ordered Daemon to continue the siege of Tyrosh for another half month and asked the Sea Snake to recall Laenor to the Stormlands.

Daemon grew tired of waiting for Rhaegar’s orders and launched a night attack on Tyrosh with Caraxes. As Caraxes burned the Archon’s residence, Daemon searched for Myles’s bedroom.

• Daemon tore up Rhaegar’s order to wait, killed a Tyroshi envoy, and vowed to claim a city-state for himself.
• Daemon ordered his army to attack Tyrosh that night and flew toward the city on Caraxes.
• Tyrosh’s wealthy elite secretly debated killing Myles and negotiating with the Iron Throne through the Black Swan of Lys.
• When the harbor horn sounded, Caraxes attacked the Archon’s residence and burned the pavilion where the elite had gathered.
• Daemon praised Caraxes and searched the burning residence for Myles’s bedroom.

Rhaegar learned that Daemon had launched an unauthorized assault on Tyrosh and flew there aboard Cannibal with Grey Shadow and reinforcements. After three days of fighting, Daemon’s exhausted forces faced defeat until Laena arrived on Vhagar and unleashed dragonflame across the harbor.

• Daemon and Caraxes attacked Tyrosh’s governor’s mansion, drawing the garrison away while the Iron Throne fleet assaulted the harbor.
• A deputy carried news of Daemon’s unauthorized war to Lys, where Rhaegar mounted Cannibal and ordered the Sea Snake to send twenty ships and three thousand men to Tyrosh.
• Daemon and Caraxes fought for three days against Tyrosh’s defenses, burning buildings and ships while the fleet struggled to break through the harbor defenses.
• Daemon rejected an officer’s call to withdraw and led Caraxes and the fleet into a final charge against more than twenty Scorpion crossbows.
• Laena arrived on Vhagar, whose dragonflame melted the incoming steel spears and swept across half the harbor.

Laena joined Daemon’s attack on Tyrosh, while Rhaegar intercepted the fleeing Archon Myles and secured the surrender of wealthy captives and mercenaries. After Daemon and Laena argued over his decision to start the war, Laena went into labor, leaving Rhaegar outside as he heard her cries.

• Laena rode Vhagar into the battle for Tyrosh, and Daemon followed with Caraxes as their dragons helped their army break through the city’s defenses.
• Daemon’s troops captured the western district and surrounded Archon Myles’s residence, but Myles escaped toward the beach with treasure and wealthy hostages.
• Rhaegar and Cannibal found Myles’s fleeing group; Cannibal killed Myles with Emerald Green Dragonflame, and Rhaegar accepted the hostages’ allegiance and ordered the surviving mercenaries to protect them.
• At the Archon’s residence, Laena confronted Daemon for attacking Tyrosh without Rhaegar’s orders and rejected his claim that he had fought for her and their unborn child.
• Laena’s waters broke during the argument, and Daemon carried her inside as soldiers went to fetch a Maester.
• Rhaegar heard Vhagar’s sorrowful wail, hurried to the residence, and realized Laena was giving birth when her cries came through the door.

Laena suffered a dangerous premature labor, and Rhaegar helped her choose a Caesarean when Daemon could not decide. As the operation turned bloody, Rhaegar’s Glass Candle drew him into a vision of his mother Aemma’s fatal childbirth.

• An old Maester warned Daemon that Laena’s eight-month pregnancy made delivery dangerous and could not help the child emerge.
• The old Maester proposed a Caesarean, but Daemon hesitated to choose; Rhaegar urged him to ask Laena what she wanted.
• Rhaegar showed Laena his Blood Witchcraft and a healing snake, and Laena chose to have her belly cut open.
• Rhaegar strengthened the operation with the Glass Candle while the old Maester performed the Caesarean, but the blood loss threatened both Laena and the child.
• The Glass Candle activated [Mirage] and [Dream of Sight], transporting Rhaegar to a vision of Viserys and Grand Maester Mellos attempting to deliver Aemma’s child.

Rhaegar saved Laena after a fatal childbirth, but Daemon’s newborn son died. Rhaegar confronted Daemon over his seizure of Tyrosh and left him with the child, while Cannibal’s growth became clear; meanwhile, Dornish forces prepared an ambush for Storm’s End’s reinforcements.

• Rhaegar watched a vision of his mother before waking to Laena giving birth, and he used his remaining Fire Magic while the Maester stitched her wounds and the Ouroboros helped them heal.
• Laena survived but the baby died, and Daemon thanked Rhaegar as he carried their son’s body.
• Rhaegar rebuked Daemon for disobeying orders and taking Tyrosh, then promised to ask Viserys to grant Daemon the city as his lands and formally name him a prince.
• Rhaegar left Daemon with the dead child and rode Cannibal away, observing that the dragon had grown to rival Vhagar after devouring Mogul.
• In the Rainwood, Batte Jordayne led Dornish soldiers into position with Scorpion crossbows and ordered them to prepare an ambush for Storm’s End’s approaching reinforcements.

Aemond and Laenor routed a Dornish ambush with Sheepstealer and Sea Smoke, then chose to secure Rook's Rest while awaiting reinforcements. In Lys, Rhaegar rejected attempts to divide the spoils of the conquered Three Daughters and proposed a tower council for Lys alone.

• Bather's Dornish forces ambushed the Storm knights, but Aemond arrived on Sheepstealer and burned the Scorpion crossbows and much of the enemy force while Laenor attacked on Sea Smoke.
• Royce Kalen decided to clear the road to Rook's Rest and wait there for reinforcements before advancing toward besieged Stonewatch.
• Rhaenys reported that Daemon had captured Tyrosh and was still suppressing the fighting there, while Corlys Velaryon urged Rhaegar to summon Daemon before the Small Council.
• Rhaegar refused Corlys Velaryon and Tessario's attempts to discuss the spoils, insisting that they focus on securing waterways and restoring trade.
• Rhaegar unveiled a tower council plan for Lys, with a prince above multiple councilors, and said the system would not be extended to Myr or Tyrosh.

Rhaegar returned to King's Landing after conquering the Three Daughters, where his family welcomed him and the court gathered to celebrate. At the council meeting, he noticed that Viserys looked gravely unwell and resolved to help him again.

• Fishermen at Mud Gate discussed Rhaegar's return and the prospect of gaining from the Three Daughters' defeat.
• Rhaegar arrived at King's Landing with his fleet, accompanied by Cannibal and Vhagar.
• Helaena and Rhaenyra greeted Rhaegar, and he felt the baby move in Rhaenyra's belly.
• Viserys, Alicent, Rhaegar, and the gathered lords and envoys met in the council chamber to discuss the aftermath of the conquest.
• Rhaegar noticed Viserys's pallor, dark circles, and exhaustion, and thought about helping him heal his cuts.

The Small Council debated reopening trade with the Three Daughters and Otto challenged Daemon’s seizure of Tyrosh. Viserys postponed the dispute, while Alicent questioned how long Rhaegar would keep protecting Daemon.

• Corlys urged the council to reopen trade with the Three Daughters, and Lyonel warned that instability and Braavos’s intentions made it dangerous.
• Jasper argued that supplying the cities was draining the Crown’s finances, and Viserys and Rhaegar backed reopening the ports so the cities could support themselves.
• Otto raised Daemon’s occupation of Tyrosh, and Viserys summoned Daemon to answer for claiming the city without permission.
• Laena offered to speak for Daemon, and Viserys showed her compassion and ordered a chair brought for her.
• Viserys deferred the Tyrosh dispute and returned the council to trade, and Alicent asked how long Rhaegar would keep covering for Daemon.

Rhaegar and Viserys arranged Corlys’s return as Master of Ships while discussing how the conquered city-states would be governed. Rhaegar backed Rhaenyra as Lys’s future queen, and she won support from the ministers as Otto objected.

• Viserys and Rhaegar persuaded Corlys to resume the Master of Ships position and offered a Velaryon a seat on the tower council in Lys.
• Rhaegar explained the tower system and declared that he intended to support Rhaenyra as Lys’s ruler.
• Otto challenged Rhaenyra’s claim by citing male-preference succession, but Rhaegar insisted that he would decide how the conquered city-states were divided.
• Rhaenyra reminded the ministers of their past oaths and argued that she could govern Lys while fulfilling her responsibilities as wife and future mother.
• Viserys encouraged Rhaenyra after she appealed to him for support.

Rhaegar negotiated the governance of Lys and the division of its revenues with the Small Council and foreign envoys, while outlining plans for Myr and the realm’s craftsmen. The chapter left Otto examining Rhaegar’s proposal for a craftsman register as Rhaegar explained how it would protect and cultivate skilled workers.

• Rhaegar appointed Johanna Swen as a councilor in Lys, and Corlys secured a second councilor seat for House Velaryon.
• Viserys offered Pentos and Valantis the last councilor seat but refused to give them land or enslaved people from the Three Daughters.
• Rhaegar proposed distributing Lys’s port taxes for a hundred years among the Iron Throne, the Prince of Lys, House Velaryon, Pentos, and Valantis in exchange for help rebuilding the ports.
• Rhaegar said Myr would be governed directly as part of the Crownlands and invited Otto to help select promising young people for the city.
• Rhaegar gave Otto a plan to create craftsmen’s registers that would classify trades and preserve skills across generations.

After receiving good news from the Stormlands, Viserys ordered reinforcements while Rhaegar urged continued vigilance against Dorne. Alicent then tried to arrange marriages for Aegon and Helaena, suspecting Helaena’s feelings for the already-married Rhaegar, while Helaena secretly hoped to join him and Rhaenyra.

• The Pentoshi and Valantene envoys accepted Viserys’s invitation and the proposed division of Lys’s port taxes, while Corlys left to oversee the port’s restoration.
• Rhaegar approved the craftsman registry and considered further reforms to build a stronger royal system in Myr.
• Tormund read a letter reporting that Rhaegar’s younger brother had routed the Dornish and lifted the sieges of Rook’s Rest and the Eyrie; Viserys ordered three thousand soldiers sent as reinforcements.
• Rhaegar told Tormund to keep Bone Road and Prince’s Pass on alert and warn Highgarden and Blackwater Bay to remain vigilant.
• Alicent proposed bringing Aegon home for Maiden’s Day and finding a husband for Helaena, while Viserys suggested Helaena might marry Aegon or Daeron.
• Alicent warned Viserys that Helaena had feelings for Rhaegar, and Helaena secretly watched Rhaegar and Rhaenyra, thinking that a dragon had three heads.

Rhaegar oversaw the young dragons, arranged for craftsmen to be sent to Lys, and attended to Maiden’s Day preparations in King’s Landing. In the Red Keep, Helaena gave a cryptic prophecy about a city and the price required to obtain it.

• Blizzard fought Tessarion in the Dragonpit, injuring it before Rhaegar ordered the dragons to stop.
• Rhaegar instructed the Dragon Trainer to care for Blizzard and Slax and keep watch on Tessarion; he learned Tristan had taken up dragon training and planned to bring Tristan’s daughter to serve Helaena.
• Rhaegar traveled through King’s Landing, considered taxing and regulating brothels, and learned from Tormund that five hundred registered craftsmen were already on their way to Lys.
• Alicent welcomed the nobles gathered for Maiden’s Day while Helaena played with tangled threads and said that someone seeking a city would have to pay a price.
• Alicent sent Rhaella and Molly away so she could speak privately with Helaena.

At the Maiden's Day celebration, Alicent struggled to make Helaena meet potential suitors, while Rhaegar reunited with his siblings and helped the underdeveloped dragon Dawn. Aegon entertained marriage candidates with an exaggerated account of his victory, leaving Rhaegar and Daeron unimpressed.

• Helaena rejected Alicent's attempts to embrace her and argued against marriage, choosing instead to handle Long Summer before agreeing to meet people.
• Rhaegar arrived at the Red Keep celebration and joined Daeron, Benella, and Rhaenia behind a beaded curtain.
• Rhaegar used Fire Magic to help Dawn, and Rhaenia promised to keep taking the young dragon to Dragonstone Mountain's fires.
• Daeron showed Rhaegar where Aegon was meeting potential brides, including Margaery Tyrell and daughters of several noble houses.
• Aegon boasted that he and Sunfyre had defeated Braavos's fleet, while Rhaegar and Daeron watched and called his performance embarrassing.

At a gathering in King's Landing, Rhaegar kept Margaery at a distance while Aegon rejected the idea of marrying Serena Hightower. In the Stormlands, Aemond returned from burning Dornish forces and urged Royce Kalen to support Mistwood City after a raven reported it was under threat.

• Margaery left Aegon's gathering to greet Rhaegar, who put the Twins between them while she charmed the children into conversation.
• The Lannister and Tarly girls joined Margaery, leaving Aegon with Serena Hightower and Anna Bisbury; Aegon declared he would rather die than marry a Hightower.
• Aemond returned to the Rainwood camp on Sheepstealer, praised the dragon, and ordered soldiers to bring it mutton.
• Royce Kalen told Aemond that the army could soon relieve Stonewatch, while Aemond questioned what to do about Dornish bands in the Rainwood.
• Cole reported that thousands of Dornishmen had gathered to attack Mistwood City, and Aemond urged Royce to send support there first.

Aemond agreed to send Laenor to relieve Mistwood City while he stayed in the Rainwood, and he considered how to punish Count Sven. In King's Landing, Mysaria handed Otto her informants as she prepared to leave, while Viserys celebrated the defeat of the Three Daughters without his family beside him.

• Aemond agreed that Laenor would lead troops to Mistwood City while he remained in the Rainwood, and Royce ordered Cole to deliver the military orders.
• Aemond considered how to deal with Count Sven, whose House had opposed his fiancée inheriting Storm's End and slandered the Targaryens.
• Mysaria told Otto about instability in Myr and Braavosi sellswords sending shipments to Sunspear, but Otto focused on the political opportunities in Myr.
• Mysaria entrusted her orphan informants to Otto before leaving King's Landing, and Otto offered to pay them for gathering information.
• Viserys celebrated the Three Daughters' defeat at the Red Keep, but Rhaegar and his other children were absent, as was Alicent.

Alicent tried to secure stronger marriage alliances for her children and met with Ulwyn of House Peake, who offered to help arrange Aegon’s marriage. She refused Ulwyn’s request to marry Helaena but invited him to attend a Maiden’s Day exhibition feast, leaving his hopes dependent on winning the Princess’s favor.

• Rhaenyra fell asleep in Rhaegar’s arms after the feast, while Alicent argued with Aegon about accepting a marriage alliance and slapped him.
• Alicent left Aegon with Arryk and reflected on using her children’s marriages to strengthen her family’s political position.
• Alicent met Ulwyn of House Peake, who offered to use a potion and his connections to encourage Aegon to accept a bride.
• Ulwyn revealed that he wanted to marry Helaena, but Alicent refused to force her daughter into the match.
• Alicent invited Ulwyn to the Maiden’s Day exhibition feast, where he could try to win Helaena’s favor.

On Maiden's Day, Viserys held a royal matchmaking event for Helaena and Aegon while nobles and their families crowded the Red Keep. Helaena endured the suitors uneasily, Aegon resisted choosing anyone, and the chapter ended with Harwin warning Lyonel about unrest in Flea Bottom.

• Commoners received porridge and bread from the Crown's Porridge Houses and offered blessings for Rhaegar's unborn children.
• Rhaegar entered the Throne Room with Helaena and Daeron as Viserys began the matchmaking ceremony; Helaena struggled with the attention from suitors of all ages.
• Thaddeus Rowan greeted Viserys, while Corlys and Rhaegar discussed the prospect of Helaena marrying an older nobleman.
• Rhaenyra and Laena attended the banquet, where Aegon refused to choose a prospective bride and privately resented Alicent's expectations.
• Harwin limped over to Lyonel and reported that activity had increased in Flea Bottom and several Gold Cloaks had resigned without explanation.