Chapter Summaries

Daeren learned that a Dragon Egg was being transported from Vylos Town and set out to intercept it, while Varys warned that the intelligence might have been leaked deliberately. Tyrion visited Cersei to ask about their mother and rumors involving King Aerys, but she struck him and ordered him out.

• Daeren decided to recover the Dragon Egg and left the new Eastern Expedition under Tywin's command, while promising to bring back the kidnapped Gillian if he could.
• Varys traced the Volantenes' route toward Qohor, and Daeren set out to intercept them before they reached the Forest of Qohor.
• Tyrion told Cersei that their father wanted her to marry Daeren as a second wife, then mentioned that Aunt Genna had arrived and brought gifts.
• Tyrion asked Cersei what she remembered about their mother, and Cersei described Joanna as gentle, beautiful, and perfect.
• Tyrion asked whether King Aerys had taken liberties during Tywin's wedding bedding ceremony, and Cersei slapped him and threatened him before ordering him out.

Daeren and Jaeherys searched Vylos Town for people connected to the Dragon Eggs while Daeren prepared to track a group leaving the city. Meanwhile, Victarion kept watch outside the shrinking Smoking Sea and spotted Volantis patrol ships approaching.

• Daeren told Tyrion to restrain Tywin's retaliation against House Valeryon while he searched for Dragon Eggs in Volantis or Qohor.
• Daeren smacked Inael awake before leaving, then planned to gather information in Myr and possibly visit the Valyrian Peninsula.
• Victarion refused to abandon his watch for Rhaegar and Euron, observed that the Smoking Sea had shrunk, and ordered the ironborn to prepare to attack Volantis patrol ships.
• Daeren and Jaeherys entered Vylos Town in disguise and went to a brothel where Varys's informants were hiding.
• Daeren overheard a group planning to leave town that night and climbed out the window to follow them, leaving Jaeherys to keep the girls occupied.

Daeren intercepted Parachiro Valeros’s caravan, seeking a Dragon Egg, and learned that Volantis and Qohor were involved in the seizure of eggs from the Smoking Sea. Parachiro revealed Volantis’s plan to create its own Dragon Riders, leaving Daeren to learn who was behind it.

• Benerro reassured Parachiro that R'hllor would guide him as their caravan traveled toward Qohor.
• Daeren and Corax attacked the caravan, and Jaeherys flew after those who fled while Parachiro and Benerro raised a white flag.
• Daeren demanded the Dragon Egg, but Parachiro said it had been diverted and described Volantis’s and Qohor’s roles in seizing Dragon Eggs.
• Benerro pleaded for Parachiro’s life, and Daeren recognized them as a possible surrender faction.
• Parachiro told Daeren that powerful figures in Volantis planned to raise their own Dragon Riders, and Daeren asked who they were.

Daeren learned that Volantis and other Free Cities were secretly gathering Dragon Eggs and preparing new Dragon Riders, then recruited Palachiro by accepting three hundred Unsullied and ordering him to monitor Nessiso. In King's Landing, Tywin ordered Jaime to arrest Morfod Velaryon for colluding with foreign powers and leaking the Secret Sail method.

• Daeren pressured Palachiro into revealing that Volantis, Meereen, and other cities were cultivating new Dragon Riders and hiding Dragon Eggs.
• Palachiro described Volantis's Tiger Party and Elephant Party factions, and Daeren agreed to accept his offer of three hundred Unsullied in exchange for friendship.
• Daeren ordered Palachiro to watch Nessiso and support the Tiger Party if he could, while Benerro concluded that Daeren was Azor Ahai reborn.
• Tywin ordered Jaime to lead Lannister soldiers to arrest Morfod Velaryon over alleged collusion with foreign powers and the theft of the Secret Sail method.

Tywin ordered Jaime to arrest Mofford Velaryon and had Tyrion seized after learning he was investigating Aerys and Joanna. At the Small Council, Tywin defended the Velaryon treason charge with records of the family’s dealings with Qohor.

• Tywin questioned Sandor and Petyr about Tyrion, then ordered Tyrion arrested after Petyr revealed his inquiries into Aerys and Joanna.
• Tyrion found Asha murdered in Littlefinger’s brothel and was arrested by the Gold Cloaks on suspicion of killing her.
• Jaime presented Tywin’s warrant to Mofford Velaryon, defeated him in a sword fight, and took him to the Red Keep dungeon.
• Tywin’s arrests and treason accusation against House Velaryon sparked objections at the Small Council.
• Tywin presented records alleging that the Velaryons traded gold and intelligence to Qohor in exchange for Mithril and Blood Sacrifice offerings.

Tywin took control of the Small Council’s investigation into House Valeryon and ordered Mofford interrogated, while Tyrion remained imprisoned for a murder he denied committing. Jaime and Jeremy Lake questioned Tyrion about the dagger used in the killing, and Tyrion became convinced Tywin had framed him to remove an obstacle to his attack on House Valeryon.

• Tywin dismissed Davos’s objections, claimed control of the House Valeryon case, and ordered Mofford handed to the Royal Inquisitor.
• Davos questioned Jeremy Lake, who explained that Tyrion had been found beside a murdered prostitute, though no one had witnessed the killing.
• Jaime visited Tyrion in the dungeon and told him Tywin had refused to release him, then asked Jeremy to help prove Tyrion’s innocence.
• Jeremy showed Tyrion the Lion’s Mane dagger found in the victim’s throat, and Tyrion insisted someone had planted it to frame him.
• Tyrion accused Tywin of arranging the murder and imprisonment to target House Valeryon and take advantage of the king’s absence.

Tyrion realized Petyr Baelish might have framed him, while Lady Olenna offered Jaime help rescuing him and discussed the crisis between House Lannister and House Valeryon with Prince Doran. Tywin revealed his plan to isolate Count Lys and force him to surrender, and Lady Olenna arrived to meet him.

• Jeremy warned Tyrion that the kingdom’s laws protected brothel workers, and Tyrion suspected Petyr Baelish had framed him.
• Prince Doran and Lady Olenna discussed Tywin’s accusation against House Valeryon and considered how House Martell and House Tyrell might respond.
• Lady Olenna told Jaime she would investigate Tyrion’s case and try to clear his name, while Jaime arranged protection for his brother.
• Tywin explained that he had ordered Kevon to blockade the Narrow Sea and planned to pressure Count Lys into surrendering.
• Lady Olenna entered Tywin’s office and greeted him.

Tywin forced Lady Olenna to agree to serve on the jury at Morfod Velaryon's trial by threatening House Tyrell's position in the Reach. At Haystack Hall, Daeren planned a royal career for Sebastian and studied reports that the Smoking Sea's mist was clearing as dragon roars sounded within.

• Tywin proposed that Cersei marry Willas Tyrell, but Lady Olenna rejected the match and Tywin insulted Willas.
• Tywin suggested that Tyrion marry Jeyne Tyrell, and Lady Olenna refused that proposal as well.
• Tywin threatened to expose House Tyrell and Redwyne scandals and strengthen Houses Rowan and Hightower unless Lady Olenna attended Morfod Velaryon's trial as a juror.
• Lady Olenna snapped Tywin's quill, submitting to his demand, and left without agreeing to either marriage alliance.
• Daeren told Lady Shireen he would arrange for Sebastian to join the Constabulary Knightly Order and begin patrolling the Kingswood.
• Daeren received Victarion's report that the Smoking Sea's mist was clearing and suspected dragon roars were coming from within, then wondered where Rhaegar was.

Tyrion devised a scheme to secure his release and interfere with Tywin’s campaign against House Valeryon, but Tywin arranged a public trial to convict him. At the trial, Tyrion confessed to old misdeeds instead of the murder charge and openly challenged his father.

• Daeren returned by dragon to the Prince’s territory and planned a short vacation at Bountiful Hall.
• Jaime brought Bronn and other mercenaries to protect Tyrion, who realized he could use his office to delay Tywin’s attack on House Valeryon.
• Tyrion provoked Mofford into a fight so the jailers would separate him and report the incident, then demanded a chance to prove his innocence.
• Tywin rejected Tyrion’s hopes of release, ordered him pressured into confessing, and agreed to a public trial after Tyrion requested to be judged by his father.
• At the trial, Tyrion admitted to childhood pranks but not the murder, prompting Tywin to denounce him as an unworthy Lannister.
• Tyrion challenged Tywin by asking whether his father, rather than he, had directed the farce.

Tyrion demanded a Trial by Combat after Tywin accused him of murder, but he could find no champion willing to face Sandor Clegane. Daeron III arrived and volunteered to fight for Tyrion, leaving the trial poised to begin.

• Tyrion denied killing the woman and demanded a Trial by Combat, so Tywin chose Sandor Clegane as his champion.
• Tywin refused to let Jaime fight for Tyrion and demanded that Tyrion name a champion immediately.
• Tyrion appealed to the gathered nobles, but no one agreed to fight for him, and Bronn only asked about extra pay before retreating.
• As Tywin prepared to declare Tyrion guilty, Daeron III entered the hall and volunteered to be Tyrion's champion.
• Daeron drew Dark Sister and told Sandor to fight, promising that he would not take Sandor's life.

Daeren defeated Sandor in a trial by combat and secured Tyrion’s acquittal, then warned him not to repeat whatever had angered Tywin. At the Stepstones, Lucerys learned House Valeryon had been accused of treason, and Vargo Hoat attacked him while delivering Tywin’s letter.

• Daeren overwhelmed Sandor, forced Tywin to declare Tyrion innocent, and won Tyrion’s gratitude.
• Daeren questioned Tyrion about Tywin’s hostility, warned him not to repeat his actions, and said Tywin had not wronged House Valeryon.
• Lucerys learned that Tywin had accused the Royal Fleet of treason and feared that House Valeryon’s secret dealings would be exposed.
• Lucerys went to meet two groups aboard ships near the Sea Dragon and identified Vargo Hoat as Tywin’s messenger.
• Vargo Hoat drew a dagger and charged at the unprepared Lucerys.

Count Lucerys survived an assassination attempt by Vargo Hoat and returned to King's Landing, where he accused Tywin of arranging the attack. At the Small Council, Daeren dismissed Tywin as Hand of the King over his actions against Tyrion, while allowing him to remain as a personal adviser.

• Vargo Hoat and the Brave Companions attacked Count Lucerys aboard his ship, but Ser Oswell Whent intervened and drove the assassins to flee.
• Oswell told Count Lucerys that the king had ordered him to escort him back to King's Landing, and the sailors reported that several attackers had been killed while the rest escaped.
• Daeren convened the Small Council after Count Lucerys returned, and Lucerys accused Tywin of hiring the Brave Companions to murder him.
• Tywin denied the accusation and began to accuse House Valeryon of treason, but Daeren stopped him and removed the Hand of the King badge from his chest.
• Daeren dismissed Tywin as Hand of the King because he no longer trusted Tywin to act impartially after his treatment of Tyrion, but permitted him to stay in King's Landing as a personal adviser.

After dismissing Tywin, Daeren appointed Tyrion as the new Lord Hand and confronted Count Lys over his treasonous dealings with Qohor. He spared Count Lys execution or the Wall by ordering him to investigate the Smoking Sea, leaving the disgraced lord to depart with gratitude and grief.

• Tywin left the Small Council after Daeren dismissed him, and Daeren named Tyrion the new Lord Hand.
• Daeren presented Count Lys with evidence of his crimes, and Count Lys admitted to colluding with Qohor and selling intelligence.
• Count Lys revealed that he had shared false maps and only publicly known information about the dragons, then offered to identify the Qohori seller and his accomplices.
• Daeren gave Count Lys a choice between execution, the Wall, or an expedition to the Smoking Sea to investigate the Valyrian Peninsula.
• Count Lys accepted Daeren's mercy and wept as the gathered ministers watched.

After removing Tywin and Lys from their posts, Daeren reorganized the Royal Fleet and appointed new commanders while bargaining with Lady Olenna. He then tasked her with arranging a marriage involving Cersei, leaving the Lannisters stunned.

• Daeren summoned Lady Olenna and offered Willas Tyrell the position of Master of Ships while dividing the Royal Fleet between Mofford and a new royal fleet.
• Daeren secured Lady Olenna's loyalty, gave her Willas's appointment, and asked her to bring Elia back to King's Landing to help care for Rhaenys.
• Daeren appointed Mofford Lord Commander of the Navy and sent a commission to Ser Stevron Frey naming William Borgiali Deputy Commander.
• Tywin packed his belongings as Jaime and Tyrion discussed Tyrion's new position as Hand of the King.
• Lady Olenna told Tywin that the King had instructed her to give Cersei news about her dream coming true, leaving the Lannisters confused.

At Jaeherys and Viserys’s weddings, Daeren learned that Essos’s city-states were forming a Western Essos Federation, prompting him to order Tyrion to begin purging his court by targeting Littlefinger. In Volantis, Nessiso and three Elephant Party candidates watched an Asshai Wizard’s blood ritual reach a critical stage as two oval objects emerged in the flames.

• Jaeherys married Marana Rojar, and Viserys married Diana Borgiali at the Great Sept of Baelor.
• Fredo Rojar told Daeren that Volantis and Slaver's Bay were leading the formation of a Western Essos Federation, with nearly all major city-states joining.
• Daeren asked Tyrion to start cleaning pests out of his court, beginning with Littlefinger.
• In a bunker in Volantis, an Asshai Wizard performed a fire ritual while Nessiso, Aelios, Palachiro, and Belissio watched two oval objects appear in the flames.

Daeren’s Small Council planned the Second Eastern Expedition, the liberation of slaves in the Three Cities, and preparations for the Western Essos Federation’s economic blockade. Varys then reported that Mith Toyne had claimed Blackfyre and that Volantis had allegedly hatched a Young Dragon through blood sacrifice.

• Jaeherys arrived at the meeting, and Daeren began the council without waiting for the sleeping Viserys.
• Tyrion outlined plans to free slaves, launch a three-pronged invasion of the Disputed Lands, and prepare for the Western Essos Federation.
• Daeren approved buying grain from Prince Reoton of Pentos to supply the coming war.
• After the meeting, Varys told Daeren that Mith Toyne had Blackfyre and declared himself a Blackfyre descendant and prince of Aelyria.
• Varys revealed that Volantis had reportedly hatched a Young Dragon through blood sacrifice and was selecting dragonseeds.

Daeren arranged to betroth Cersei and give her the title of Princess Consort, then visited her and began their relationship. Meanwhile, Tyrion arrested Littlefinger at his brothel and declared that his good days were over.

• Daeren told Varys that he would recover Blackfyre and later bring war to Volantis.
• Daeren met Tywin, confirmed that he would soon marry Cersei, and settled on Princess Consort as her title.
• Daeren visited Cersei, promised she would join House Targaryen, and carried her into her room.
• Tyrion entered Littlefinger's brothel with Lannister soldiers and ordered them to arrest Petyr.
• Tyrion slapped Petyr and told him that his good days were over.

Tyrion learned that Petyr had framed him and arranged the assassination of Lord Lusris to destabilize the Lannisters and House Valeryon. Petyr’s ties to Qohor remained to be uncovered as Tyrion continued questioning him.

• Daeren confirmed he would marry Cersei, and Tyrion reacted with alarm before cheering himself up by imagining her children riding dragons.
• Tyrion went to the dungeons, where Bronn had been beating Petyr, and threatened him with Ilyn Payne’s torture methods.
• Petyr confessed that he had killed a girl and framed Tyrion to gain a place on the Small Council while Tywin investigated Tyrion.
• Tyrion pressed Petyr about the Brave Companions’ attack on Lord Lusris, and Petyr admitted hiring them to provoke conflict between the Lannisters and House Valeryon.
• Tyrion concluded that Petyr had connections to Qohor and demanded to know more.

Daeren sent Littlefinger into Qohor’s orbit rather than executing him, while waiting for news from the Valyrian Peninsula and helping Rhaenys with her unhatched dragon egg. Elia returned to the Red Keep, and Daeren planned to visit Ashara as Ser Arthur struggled to understand his intentions.

• Tyrion reported that Littlefinger had sold intelligence to Qohor and plotted to create chaos, but Daeren ordered him sent through Slaver's Bay to Qohor instead of executed.
• Barristan reported that Littlefinger had been shipped away and his property confiscated, while Daeren reflected on Lys's expected arrival near the Valyrian Peninsula and Victarion's Iron Fleet waiting outside the Smoking Sea.
• Rhaenys worried that her pale yellow dragon egg had not hatched, and Daeren reassured her that he would find another solution if it remained dormant for another half year.
• Daeren told Rhaenys that Elia was returning, and Elia arrived at the Red Keep and reunited with her daughter, Queen Mother Rhaella, and Shayani.
• Ser Arthur told Daeren that Ashara had returned with Elia, and Daeren said he would visit her while promising not to tarnish her honor.

Daeren set out from King's Landing on the Second Eastern Expedition with three Dragon Riders and five dragons, while Tyrion stayed behind to serve as Lord Hand. In Aelyria, Graulon prepared to resist the Iron Throne's approaching army as his allies withdrew, leaving him to rely on dispersed mercenaries and pirate raids.

• Daeren refused to take Tyrion on the expedition and told him to remain in King's Landing, govern, and keep Cersei from causing trouble at court.
• Jaeherys and Viserys took to the air on Valhar and Alex, and Daeren rode Corax alongside two more wild dragons as the Royal Fleet crossed Blackwater Bay toward Essos.
• Graulon warned Aelyria's governors and foreign representatives that the Iron Throne's army was approaching, while Mith Toyne demanded to become Prince of Aelyria in return for the Golden Company's support.
• The representatives of Volantis, Meereen, and Qohor announced they would leave rather than fight the Dragonking's army, abandoning Graulon and Aelyria.
• Graulon ordered Aelyria's mercenaries to disperse through the Disputed Lands and its pirates to attack the Iron Throne's sea supply lines, while promising Mith Toyne the princely title.