Chapter Summaries

Daeren fought Lord Rickard in a Trial by Combat and killed him after Brynden broke free and attacked. Aerys ordered the Stark father and son’s heads displayed, while Daeren turned to the other young nobles imprisoned in King's Landing.

• Aerys allowed Daeren to fight Lord Rickard in a Trial by Combat after Scholar Aemon announced the charges of rebellion.
• Aerys had Brynden and the other imprisoned young nobles brought into the hall, then tied Brynden to a pillar to watch his father fight.
• Daeren used Dark Sister and his Life Force to overwhelm and grievously wound Lord Rickard, offering him the chance to go to The Wall.
• Brynden snapped his rope and charged at Daeren, who beheaded him; Daeren then killed Lord Rickard.
• Aerys ordered the Stark father and son’s heads displayed on the city walls, and Daeren approached the kneeling young nobles.

Daeren manipulated Abert and the King’s demands to push Jon Arryn toward rebellion, then planned to use the coming war to expand the Crownlands. The chapter left Daeren preparing to let the rebels advance so he could identify and purge their supporters.

• Daeren convinced Abert that Jon Arryn had abandoned him, then released him to return to the Eyrie.
• Aerys demanded that Jon Arryn send Eddard Stark to King’s Landing, while Daeren arranged for the other captured young nobles to be treated according to their rank.
• Jon Arryn read the King’s letter and summoned Robert and Eddard, deciding that the great houses had to rebel before the Targaryens grew stronger.
• Daeren visited Longtable, advised Lord Owen on caring for his special cows, and learned that Jon Arryn had raised the banner of rebellion and Robert was heading south.
• Daeren ordered the Count of Graveson to avoid fighting the rebels and let Robert pass, while planning to win over the Reach and bring much of the Riverlands and Stormlands under the Crownlands.

Olenna questioned why Daeren had left Seagard unreclaimed and was heading south, while Tywin planned to seize Riverrun and contain the rebels. Daeren arrived at Highgarden on Corax as Mace prepared to welcome him.

• Olenna read that Seagard had fallen and wondered why Daeren and the royalist forces had not acted to retake it.
• Mace proposed preparing House Tyrell’s army, but Olenna questioned why they should offer themselves up for use and noted that Daeren was heading south.
• Aerys appointed Tywin to command the rebellion-suppression army, and Tywin planned to take Riverrun and block the rebel forces at the Trident.
• Mace organized a grand welcome for Daeren at Highgarden as his force approached along the Rose Road.
• Corax flew over Highgarden and gave a warning cry above the castle.

Daeren visited Highgarden and negotiated with Lady Olenna over House Tyrell’s support in the war against the rebels. They agreed that Tyrell would receive territory after victory, while Daeren took Willas as a retainer and Shayani took Jeyne as a companion; Olenna ended by asking whether Daeren knew how to sleep with a girl.

• Mace welcomed Daeren to Highgarden, where Corax frightened the gathered Reach nobles before Daeren calmed the dragon.
• Lady Olenna greeted Daeren with unwanted kisses as playful revenge for Corax’s threatening display, then discussed the rebellion with him and Mace.
• Mace declared that House Tyrell would fight for Daeren, and Olenna asked what the family would gain for its support.
• Olenna proposed that Daeren marry her daughters, but he instead suggested an engagement between Viserys and Jeyne, and the two bargained over the terms.
• Daeren and Olenna agreed that House Tyrell would receive part of the Riverlands and Stormlands after victory, Willas would become Daeren’s retainer, and Jeyne would accompany Shayani.
• Olenna offered Daeren further leeway in pursuing her family’s women and bluntly asked whether he knew how to sleep with a girl.

Lord Hoster accepted Jon Arryn’s offer to join the rebellion after Petyr Baelish nudged him toward choosing the rebels, while Jon Arryn weighed the rebellion’s military position. At Highgarden, Daeron prepared for the Reach’s mobilization and learned that Randyll Tarly was on his way.

• At Riverrun, Lord Hoster feared the Lannister army outside the castle and the Riverlands houses watching for his decision, then read Jon Arryn’s invitation to join the rebellion and marry Catelyn to Eddard Stark and Lysa to Harrold Arryn.
• Petyr Baelish told Lord Hoster about a sick donkey and the need to kill its mate, prompting Hoster to agree to Jon Arryn’s terms and send Lysa to the Eyrie that night.
• At the Eyrie, Jon Arryn assessed the rebels’ forces, supply lines, and the danger posed by royalist Graftons at Seagard, while hoping Robert would soon gather the Stormlands.
• At Highgarden, Lord Mace publicly declared support for the Iron Throne, and Lady Olenna told Daeron that Randyll Tarly would arrive in about ten days.
• Ser Flement Kenning explained that the Reach could deploy its armies but had to leave the Shield Islands fleet in place to guard against Ironborn raids.

Daeren learned that the Reach’s fleets could defend against Ironborn raids, while Quellon Greyjoy resisted his sons’ plans to restore reaving. As Quellon’s failing health threatened his control, Euron secretly absorbed Special Gems and prepared to pursue his own ambitions.

• Ser Fotimo and Lady Olenna explained the Reach’s defenses and warned Daeren that Quellon Greyjoy’s sons might reject their father’s peaceful policies.
• Balon Greyjoy and Victarion urged Quellon to raid the Seven Kingdoms, while Euron proposed targeting the Stepstones; Quellon rejected their plans and ordered them out.
• After his sons left, Quellon endured severe stomach pain and worried that he could no longer control them, so he considered choosing an heir.
• Euron returned to his quarters, absorbed diamonds and emeralds from his Chest to enhance his abilities, and vowed to conquer the Stepstones and Essos.
• Euron found a vial of the Lysene poison called the Strangler at the bottom of his Chest.

Daeren destroyed an Ironborn fleet near the Shield Islands and gathered Reach and Stormlands forces as he planned to secure the rear before marching north. Robert returned to Storm’s End determined to kill Rhaegar, while Stannis prepared to support his brother and find a way to defeat the dragons.

• Daeren rode Corax to the Shield Islands, burned the Ironborn ships, and returned to Highgarden before noon.
• Daeren met Mathis Rowan, Randyll Tarly, Davos, and Brynden, then learned the Reach could raise 60,000 men and Stormlands lords had answered the Iron Throne’s call.
• Daeren decided to deal with the Ironborn of the Iron Islands before marching, and Randyll asked whether he should intimidate or defeat them.
• Robert sailed into Shipbreaker Bay, remembered his parents’ deaths, and vowed to kill Rhaegar.
• Stannis watched Robert approach Storm’s End, refused to arrange a feast, and resolved to help his brother find a way to win despite the dragons.

Daeren and Randyll prepared to meet Robert’s forces while the Ironborn exploited the Reach’s apparent weakness to attack the Shield Islands and raid the Mander. Randyll’s ambush trapped Balon’s fleet on the river, and Daeren arrived on Corax to burn the Ironborn ships.

• Daeren and Randyll planned the Reach coalition’s campaign, arranging for Tywin to support Casterly Rock if Robert attacked it.
• Balon persuaded King Quellon that the Reach was vulnerable, and Quellon agreed to raid the Shield Islands.
• Balon led fifty longships against the Shield Islands, broke through their defenses, and took thirty ships down the Mander while Euron continued the attack.
• Randyll’s soldiers ambushed the Ironborn on the Mander with volleys of arrows, trapping their ships and wounding King Quellon.
• Daeren rode Corax over the river and unleashed dragonfire on Balon’s fleet.

Daeren and Corax destroyed the Ironborn fleet on the Mander, while Balon, Euron, and Victarion struggled to escape the dragonfire. Daeren captured Victarion and offered him the chance to kneel and serve him.

• Balon survived the first wave of dragonfire but was burned as he swam through boiling water toward shore.
• Daeren and Corax set the Ironborn ships ablaze while Randyll Tarly’s soldiers blocked the riverbanks and killed Ironborn who tried to land.
• Euron abandoned his fleet by diving into the water, and Corax destroyed the One-Eyed Crow with dragonfire.
• Victarion rescued the wounded King Quellon and Balon, then fought the pursuing forces until he was captured.
• Randyll received word that the Redwyne Fleet and half the Shield Islands Fleet had returned, while Daeren planned to attack the Iron Islands and keep King Quellon alive.
• Jaime identified the captured man as Victarion Greyjoy, and Daeren asked him to kneel and serve.

Daeren led the Redwyne and Shield Islands fleets to attack the Iron Islands, using Corax, Tessarion, and Toothless to break through Great Wyk’s defenses. Balon took control after King Quellon named him heir, but the dragons and fleet launched a swift assault on Great Wyk, where Lord Gode was killed by dragonfire.

• Daeren sailed toward the Iron Islands with the Redwyne and Shield Islands fleets, intending to pursue the Ironborn and force them to submit.
• At Pyke Castle, King Quellon awoke and named Balon his heir, while Euron left in anger.
• Balon took over his father’s authority, prepared to defend the islands, and kept watch on Euron.
• The Redwyne Fleet approached Great Wyk, while Daeren and the three dragons destroyed coastal defenses and cleared the way for a landing.
• Lord Paxter led the sailors onto Great Wyk, and Toothless killed Lord Gode with dragonfire.

Daeren’s forces battered the Iron Islands with dragon-backed raids while Balon refused King Quellon’s advice to flee. After conquering Harloi, Daeren’s men captured Ten Towers, where Jaime killed Rodrik Harlaw and prepared to search for the Harlaw family’s Valyrian Steel sword.

• Balon told King Quellon that dragons were coming, but rejected his father’s plan to hide half the Iron Fleet in the Summer Sea.
• Daeren and Corax broke Hammerhorn’s defenses, and the Redwyne Fleet’s troops slaughtered the remaining Ironborn.
• At Seaguard, Daeren reprimanded Toothless for hunting a living Ironborn, then accepted provisions from Lord Jason Mellister and departed.
• Daeren and Lord Randyll coordinated dragon strikes and fleet assaults to conquer Harloi while keeping the Ironborn trapped in the islands.
• At Ten Towers, Jaime killed Rodrik Harlaw in a duel, and he told Brynden that Daeren had ordered them to find the Harlaw family’s Valyrian Steel sword.

As Daeren and the allied fleets attacked Pike Island, Euron prepared to flee and Balon sought the Drowned God’s help, then discovered their father King Quellon had been poisoned. Daeren sensed a magical upheaval and withdrew as a storm gathered, while Balon declared himself King and hunted for Euron.

• Euron packed to escape to the Stepstones with Dunstan Drumm, secretly planning to kill him and take his Valyrian Steel sword, Red Rain.
• Balon considered the Drowned Men’s offer to sacrifice King's Blood and a hundred Ironborn to seek the Drowned God’s aid.
• Daeren and Corax attacked Pike Island as the Redwyne Fleet and the Shield Islands Fleet approached, while Euron prepared to flee with a longship and killed a man who questioned him, feeding his corpse to a hidden Kraken.
• Balon found King Quellon suffocated and suspected Euron had poisoned him; he learned Euron had escaped and declared himself King of the Iron Islands.
• Daeren sensed ominous magical fluctuations, ordered the dragons and fleets to retreat, and Brynden warned that a storm was coming.
• As lightning and rain swept over the Iron Islands, Balon searched the shore for Euron, convinced that Euron threatened his claim to the throne.

Daeren escaped the Iron Islands’ unnatural storm, then returned with the fleets to find Pyke devastated and its survivors ready to surrender. After killing Count Dunstan Drum in single combat, Daeren claimed House Drum’s Valyrian steel sword, Red Rain, and accepted the Ironborn lords’ surrender.

• Daeren reached Seaguard ahead of the storm and feared that Ser Brynden and the fleets were still trapped in Ironmen Bay.
• Several days later, the Redwyne and Shield Islands fleets returned with losses of more than a dozen longships and four or five hundred men.
• Daeren led the fleets back to Pyke, where the storm had devastated the Iron Islands and the surviving Ironborn had no will to resist.
• Daeren ordered his soldiers to guard the docks and cremate the dead instead of massacring the survivors.
• Count Dunstan Drum challenged Daeren to single combat, and Daeren killed him with Dark Sister.
• Daeren took Red Rain from Dunstan’s body, then recognized that the Ironborn lords and captains had surrendered.

Daeren subdued the Iron Islands, executed Balon, and appointed Victarion as Warden while planning the islands’ reconstruction. As rebellion spread through the Riverlands, Rhaegar confronted the consequences of his choices and decided to seek House Martell’s support in Sunspear.

• Daeren discovered that Ironborn Blood Sacrifice had caused the deadly storm, then burned the ritual instructions.
• Daeren beheaded Balon and appointed Victarion Warden of the Iron Islands, binding House Greyjoy to the Iron Throne.
• Toothless found a hidden sea cave while searching for fish on Pyke Island.
• Hoster Tully rebelled against the Lannisters, and fighting spread between Riverlands lords choosing royalist or rebel sides.
• Rhaegar learned of the Tully rebellion and Prince Lewyn’s warning that Dorne would withhold support unless he showed himself.
• After Ser Arthur urged him to act, Rhaegar sent men to protect Elia and decided to sail to Sunspear to meet Prince Doran.

Daeren learned that Hoster Tully had joined the rebellion and planned to return to King's Landing while Brynden headed north. At the Eyrie, Littlefinger manipulated Abert into appointing him Seagard's tax collector, positioning himself to profit from the war.

• Daeren read Aemon's letter, then told Brynden to return to the Reach and head north while he traveled back to King's Landing.
• Corax and the two young dragons feasted on a huge Kraken that Corax had hunted in a reef cave.
• Littlefinger arrived at the Eyrie and concealed the truth about his affair with Lysa and her pregnancy, which Hoster had ended with moon tea.
• Littlefinger provoked Abert by raising the rivalry between him and Dennis, and Abert seized him by the throat before letting him go.
• Littlefinger persuaded Abert to send him to Seagard, where Abert appointed him tax collector instead of placing him in charge of military provisions.
• After Abert left, Littlefinger revealed that he intended to use his new position in Seagard to make a profit and gain from any change in the war.

Tywin agreed to send troops to Stone Town and besiege Riverrun as Daeren returned to King's Landing and assessed the war. Daeren rejected Shayani's request to give Rhaenys a petrified dragon egg, then learned that his mother was pregnant.

• Scholar Aemon challenged Tywin's delay in intervening in the Riverlands, and Tywin agreed to send forces to Stone Town and order Kevon to besiege Riverrun.
• Daeren returned to King's Landing on Corax, met with his younger brothers, and learned that Tywin was preparing to march.
• Daeren assessed the shifting alliances and planned battles, intending to wait while the rival forces gathered.
• Shayani showed Daeren her tapestry of a dragon hatching from an egg and asked to put the Yellow Dragon Egg in Rhaenys's cradle, but Daeren refused.
• Shayani comforted Daeren as he rested, then told him that their mother was pregnant and worried that their father might have harmed her.

Daeren learned that Rhaella was expecting Daenerys and decided he needed to recover the petrified dragon eggs before someone else could hatch them. After Varys told him about a Red Priestess and a rising Magic Tide, Daeren used the Junimo Apple to choose two dragon eggs to receive life force.

• Daeren visited the pregnant Rhaella with Cersei, then spoke with Elia about Rhaegar and her fears for Rhaenys's future.
• Varys told Daeren that a Red Priestess could foresee the future in flames and had mentioned a Magic Tide, prompting Daeren to consider retrieving the eggs from Illyrio.
• Daeren completed the Boiler Room and Vault bundles on his farm and chose the bronze-green Dragon Egg and the Yellow Dragon Egg for the Junimos to awaken.

Daeren learned that the Junimo Hut had preserved the two Dragon Eggs he chose, then discussed the Faith, royal marriage traditions, and rule over the smallfolk with Scholar Aemon. Meanwhile, Tywin began requisitioning supplies at Stone Town, and Robert’s army advanced toward Casterly Rock, leaving the campaign poised for battle.

• Daeren found a Junimo Hut on the isolated island at Meadow Farm and discovered his two chosen Dragon Eggs inside it.
• Scholar Aemon warned Daeren that Tywin’s selfishness made him dangerous and explained how the Faith’s agreement with House Targaryen had ended royal polygamy.
• Daeren told Scholar Aemon that he wanted to restore the tradition of multiple wives, and Scholar Aemon warned him about opposition from the Faith and noble lords.
• Scholar Aemon urged Daeren to use his dragons to change the balance between the Royal Family, nobles, and commoners, then revealed his anger over Aegon V’s death.
• Tywin demanded provisions from Lord Fuedley at Stone Town, accepted a smaller supply, and threatened the family while secretly giving instructions to a Lannister soldier.
• Robert led the Stormlands army toward Casterly Rock and called on his lords to capture it before marching south into The Reach.

Tywin Lannister’s troops looted Stone Town while Tywin planned to lure Robert’s army into a trap, but Stannis learned of the scheme and warned Robert. Robert diverted to Stone Town, where Lord Fuedley betrayed Tywin at a banquet, and Robert’s forces stormed the city as Tywin fled.

• Gregor Clegane led Lannister soldiers through Stone Town, looting shops and assaulting the shop owner’s wife and daughter while Tywin justified the plunder to Tygett.
• Maester Cressen received Lord Fuedley’s message that he would join the rebels, and Stannis recognized the royalist ambush plan and sent Robert warnings to change course and seize Stone Town.
• Robert redirected his army toward Stone Town while Tywin prepared to attend Lord Fuedley’s banquet with Gregor and Tygett.
• Lord Fuedley’s disguised crossbowmen attacked Tywin and the banquet guests, but Gregor shielded Tywin and smashed open the doors as Tygett was wounded.
• Robert’s vanguard surprised the royalist troops outside Stone Town, and Robert entered through a gate secretly opened by Lord Fuedley’s men.
• Robert identified Tywin by his red cloak, offered five thousand Gold Dragons for his capture, and led the pursuit as Tywin fled on horseback.

Robert’s forces routed the Lannister army and besieged Casterly Rock while Daeren learned that the Magic Tide might return to the level of ancient Valyria. As Casterly Rock’s defenders prepared a desperate counterattack, Daeren arrived on Corax and unleashed dragonfire on the besiegers.

• Robert chased Tywin through the fleeing Lannister soldiers, but Tywin escaped alone and was later turned away from Green Valley City because Lord Mett could not confirm his identity.
• Melisandre told Daeren that the Magic Tide was in turmoil and could recover to its pre-Doom strength, when the Valyrian Freehold had hundreds of dragons.
• Daeren ordered Randyll Tarly to support Casterly Rock and Tygett to harass Robert’s army, then flew toward the besieged castle on Corax.
• Robert’s forces battered Casterly Rock’s gates while Lords Cafferen, Fair, and Grandison prepared to lead a desperate sortie.
• Daeren arrived on Corax and attacked the besiegers with dragonfire, allowing Casterly Rock’s defenders to break open the gates and charge out.