Chapter Summaries

Daeren and Corax turned the battle at Casterly Rock into a rout, driving Robert's Stormlands rebels across Blueburn River and capturing many nobles. Robert escaped, Tywin reached Green Valley City and vowed revenge, and Daeren began judging the prisoners by executing Count Harllo Buckler.

• Daeren led the three-house alliance in a counterattack while Corax's dragonfire scattered the Stormlands rebels.
• Robert charged Corax with his warhammer, but the dragonfire melted the weapon; Count Ralph saved Robert and was captured while Robert fled.
• Daeren pursued the rebels across Blueburn River and five kilometers beyond, then celebrated victory with his soldiers and received their cheers as the Young Dragonlord.
• Tywin escaped across Blueburn River to Green Valley City, where Count Meadow refused him entry, and he swore to settle his blood debt with Robert.
• Daeren offered Count Harllo Buckler a chance to surrender and help restore the Stormlands, but Harllo refused, so Daeren executed him.

Daeren rallied the surviving Crownlands soldiers at Stone Town, punished those responsible for betraying and terrorizing the city, and promised its people tax relief and compensation. After beating Tygett and confronting Gregor Clegane, Daeren crippled and tortured him with his swords and Corax’s dragonflame, leaving Gregor screaming as the onlookers watched.

• Daeren gathered the surviving Crownlands forces at Stone Town, where Tygett and Tywin joined him.
• Daeren executed Lord Fuedley for colluding with the rebels, then promised Stone Town’s residents a year without taxes, partial reimbursement for looted merchants, and help for women who had been violated.
• Furious over the harm done to the townspeople, Daeren beat Tygett unconscious when he asked whether the prince wished to see Tywin.
• Gregor Clegane confronted Daeren and admitted he had committed atrocities under Tywin’s orders, so Daeren challenged him to fight either the prince or a dragon.
• Daeren wounded Gregor, pinned him to the ground, and mutilated him with Dark Sister.
• Daeren ordered Corax to blast dragonflame beside Gregor, burning his helmet onto his head while Daeren stood unharmed nearby.

After Daeron defeated Robert at Casterly Rock, Aerys appointed him Grand Marshal of the Seven Kingdoms and gave him command of the royalist campaign in the south. As Robert moved toward Summerhall, Daeron ordered reinforcements there while Randyll Tarly prepared an ambush.

• Daeron took command of the southern battlefield from Tywin and warned him not to repeat the destruction at Stone Town.
• Aerys heard of Daeron’s victory at Casterly Rock, stripped Tywin of command, and appointed Daeron Grand Marshal of the Seven Kingdoms.
• Count Staunton tried to criticize Daeron, but Colton, Lusris, Varys, and the other ministers rebuked him.
• After Daeron received news that Robert was approaching Summerhall, he ordered Lord Cafferen to send three thousand men there.
• Randyll Tarly positioned cavalry near the Kingsroad outside Summerhall and planned to ambush Robert’s army.

Daeren learned that Randyll had crushed Robert’s rebel army at Summerhall, then rode Corax to help the Reach coalition rout Robert’s fleeing forces. The rebels suffered two major defeats, Robert escaped toward the Riverlands, and Daeren noticed Randyll’s isolation at the victory banquet as Duke Mace claimed credit for the victory.

• Daeren received word that Randyll had gone to battle against Robert’s rebels and reflected on the importance of deception in warfare.
• At Summerhall, Randyll used the rainy terrain and a cavalry ambush to defeat Robert’s larger army, killing twelve thousand and capturing more than three hundred.
• Robert fled toward Cafferen, where the prepared Reach coalition attacked and broke apart his exhausted forces.
• Daeren arrived on Corax and used dragonfire to suppress the Stormlands rebels as Brynden, Jaime, and other knights fought Robert.
• The rebel army routed after its second defeat, while Robert escaped across the Blueburn River toward the Riverlands.
• At the victory banquet, Daeren noticed Randyll sitting apart while Duke Mace boasted that the Reach army had won under his leadership.

After the Battle of Summerhall, Daeren reassured Randyll and gave him healing supplies while allowing Mace to take credit for the victory. At Bronze Gate, Daeren changed Randyll’s plan for subduing the Stormlands, assigning Mace to besiege Storm’s End and himself to clear the Kingswood.

• Mace praised Daeren during the Reach nobles’ celebration, and Daeren chose not to correct him or challenge Mace over Randyll’s contribution.
• Daeren gave Randyll a quiet promise of royal recognition, then had Davos deliver him Golden Star Cheese and a bottle of Life Elixir.
• Randyll drank the Life Elixir and felt it ease his injuries from fighting Robert.
• At Bronze Gate, Randyll proposed a campaign to isolate Storm’s End and clear the Stormlands, but Daeren reassigned the tasks: Mace would besiege Storm’s End while Daeren attacked rebels in the Kingswood.
• Mace eagerly accepted the siege and promised Daeren he would take Storm’s End within a month.

Daeren’s victories strengthened the royalist cause, and he arrived on Corax at Storm’s End to demand its surrender. After months of siege and dwindling supplies, Stannis yielded the castle.

• Daeren assigned Mace the attack on Storm’s End and planned to give Randyll Tarly the military credit for taking Bronze Gate and later govern the Dornish Marches.
• Aerys celebrated Daeren’s victories but postponed rewarding him until he had pacified the Stormlands.
• By mid-April 283 AC, Stannis and eight hundred men had endured a three-month siege at Storm’s End while Robert remained away recovering in Stone Town.
• Daeren arrived alone on Corax and landed inside Storm’s End as Mace and Randyll’s forces waited outside.
• Stannis faced Daeren and Corax, threw down his sword, and surrendered Storm’s End.

Daeren secured Stannis Baratheon’s loyalty and spared Renly, while Aerys’s bid to annex the Stormlands met fierce opposition from Tywin. When Daeren’s victorious army returned to King’s Landing, Lady Olenna confronted Tywin and declared her intention to secure a marriage between one or both of her daughters and Daeren.

• Daeren accepted Stannis’s pledge of loyalty, spared him and the innocent defenders, and ordered him to send Renly to Essos and keep him hidden from Aerys.
• Aerys proposed annexing the Stormlands into the Crownlands, but Tywin opposed him and warned that the plan would provoke the nobles; Aerys erupted in anger at the council.
• Half a month later, Tywin and the court welcomed Daeren’s returning army at King’s Gate as commoners gathered to support him.
• Lady Olenna traded barbs with Tywin, claimed credit for Mace’s contribution, and announced that she intended to offer one or both of her daughters to Daeren.
• Daeren’s Three-Headed Red Dragon banner appeared on the horizon as Lady Olenna and Tywin faced off.

After pacifying the Stormlands, Daeren returned to King's Landing and received a vast land grant from Aerys, who resisted giving him a fitting title. Lady Olenna challenged the King to recognize Daeren’s authority, leaving the reward dispute unresolved.

• Robert mourned the loss of Storm's End, swore revenge on Rhaegar over Lyanna, and then took comfort with several women.
• Daeren rode into King's Landing on a white deer as the commoners celebrated him and his dragons as signs of victory.
• Aerys praised the returning commanders but offered Daeren only gold and orders to conquer the Riverlands before Tywin pressed for a proper reward.
• Aerys granted Daeren Stone Town and the Kingswood north of Rose Road, greatly expanding his territory.
• Lady Olenna argued that Daeren needed a recognized title to command the royalist army, leaving Aerys unable to answer.

Daeren used his new authority as Protector of the Realm to intervene in the Small Council’s dispute over Storm’s End. He proposed temporarily governing the Stormlands and creating royal offices to oversee its roads, troops, and nobles, leaving the council confronting his plan for stronger royal control.

• Aerys granted Daeren the title of Protector of the Realm after Lady Olenna haggled over his land grant.
• At the Small Council meeting, Aerys argued that Storm’s End and the Stormlands should belong to the Crown, while Tywin opposed the plan and rejected Aerys’s suggestion that Jaeherys become duke.
• Aerys and Tywin argued over candidates to rule Storm’s End, and Lady Olenna urged Daeren to speak up for House Tyrell’s interests.
• Daeren argued that the rebellion remained unsettled and proposed acting as Duke of Storm’s End until the rebellion was initially subdued, after which the position would be decided by vote.
• Daeren announced plans for a Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, a Bronze Gate checkpoint, and a King's Road Admiral to oversee security, troops, roads, and merchant taxes in the Stormlands.
• Tywin recognized that Daeren’s proposed offices would establish armed royal oversight of the Stormlands nobles, while Daeren defended the plan as a step toward centralizing rule.

Daeren forced the Small Council to approve a new system of royal officials governing the Stormlands, seeking an independent political and military base. In Dorne, Rhaegar negotiated with Prince Doran for House Martell’s support, agreeing that Rhaenys would be his heir unless Elia later bore him a son.

• Daeren argued that a Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and a King's Road Admiral would bring the Stormlands under the Iron Throne’s direct authority, while Tywin and several ministers objected.
• Aerys initially praised the proposal but demanded control over appointments; Daeren threatened to proceed himself as Protector of the Realm and declared that he would decide military matters in wartime.
• Lusris, Varys, and Scholar Aemon supported or accepted the plan, and the Small Council passed it despite opposition from Aerys and Tywin.
• Daeren resolved to use his forces to transform the Stormlands into an independent base, aware that Aerys, Tywin, and Lady Olenna opposed his growing power.
• Rhaegar told Prince Doran that he would keep Elia as his wife and also marry Lyanna, proposing to restore House Targaryen’s tradition of polygamy.
• Prince Doran demanded that Rhaegar name Rhaenys heir, with the option to replace her with a son Elia might bear; Rhaegar agreed, and they began negotiating House Martell’s support.

Rhaegar returned to King's Landing and resolved to seek a Dragon Egg after realizing Daeren's dragon threatened his claim. Meanwhile, Daeren expanded his farming and brewing operation and worked to establish his new system in the Stormlands, where local hostility toward Reach troops stalled recruitment.

• Rhaegar returned to King's Landing, learned of Daeren's victories and rapidly growing dragon, and decided to search for a Dragon Egg after winning the war.
• Daeren collected oak resin and ripe fruit, upgraded his cottage, built a large house, and started brewing Ancient Fruit wine in small barrels.
• Daeren appointed Barristan Selmy, Lord Manwoody Stockworth, and Davos Seaworth to new posts and organized the Kingswood Guard and Road Guards.
• Davos told Daeren that Stormlands locals opposed the Reach troops and obstructed recruitment for the Bronze Gate garrison and Road Guards.
• Daeren decided to summon Lord Cafferen and the other Stormlands lords in his capacity as acting duke of Storm's End and consider how to win their support.

Daeren rewarded Stormlands lords who supported the Iron Throne and began visiting local houses to build backing for his reforms. His visit to Haystack Hall won Lady Shireen Erol’s support for the King's Road Admiral and its Road Guards, while Tywin and Lady Olenna discussed how to keep Daeren from gaining unchecked power.

• Daeren rewarded Lord Cafferen, Lord Fair, and Lord Grandison for their support, then sent tax relief and supplies to Blackhaven and Nightsong.
• Daeren announced that he would visit the Stormlands' vassals, while privately considering how to divide his rivals and attract allies.
• Daeren encountered Rhaegar at the Red Keep and suspected Aerys, Tywin, and Lady Olenna were maneuvering against him.
• Tywin told Lady Olenna that Aerys was blocking the Reach army from reinforcing the Riverlands because Daeren's success would make him too powerful, and they agreed to demonstrate their houses' value to him.
• Daeren visited Haystack Hall, met Lady Shireen Erol and her son Sebastian, and discussed the Stormlands' new road administration.
• Lady Shireen agreed to follow Daeren's orders and send ten knights to serve as Road Guards under the King's Road Admiral.

Daeren consolidated his control over the Stormlands by hosting a banquet for its nobles, where they increasingly accepted his rule. As Eddard and Dennis hurried toward Riverrun, Tywin learned Robert was hiding in Stone Town and prepared to attack; the chapter ended with Daeren waking beside Lady Shireen after their night together.

• Rhaegar brought ten thousand Dornish Spearmen to King's Landing, but Aerys refused his proposal to lead them into the Riverlands and intended to place them under Tywin's command.
• Eddard told Dennis Arryn that the North had sent thirteen thousand five hundred warriors, then learned Robert was recovering in Stone Town and hurried toward Riverrun.
• Tywin learned Robert's location and ordered the royalist army of nearly thirty thousand men to attack Stone Town.
• Daeren hosted a three-day banquet at Storm's End, where Selwyn Tarth, Byron Caron, and other nobles toasted him and rallied around his rule.
• Lady Shireen danced for the gathered nobles, then joined Daeren for the night after Barristan encouraged him to accept her invitation.
• Daeren woke beside Lady Shireen the next morning.

Daeron learned that Illyrio had acquired three petrified Dragon Eggs in Pentos and began considering how to seize them. Meanwhile, Rhaegar faced Lyanna’s grief over the deaths in the war, and news from Pentos arrived at Dragonstone.

• Daeron rejected Aerys’s attempt to persuade him to surrender his dragon and refused Melisandre’s request to worship the Lord of Light, though he heard her warning of the approaching Long Night.
• Stannis told Daeron that Illyrio had secretly met merchants from Asshai and that Illyrio’s deceased wife Serra might have been connected to the Blackfyre Family.
• Daeron recognized the three Dragon Eggs in his drawing as the eggs Illyrio had found in Pentos and considered taking them by force.
• Lyanna asked Rhaegar whether Eddard would be killed after learning that her father and Brynden were dead, and urged Rhaegar to stop the war.
• Ser Arthur Dayne announced that the spies Rhaegar had sent to Pentos had brought news.

Rhaegar learned that Illyrio possessed three apparently petrified Dragon Eggs, while Tywin failed to capture Robert during the Battle of the Bells. Daeren then comforted Shayani after she dreamed of a Young Dragon hatching from stone and warned him about the Red Priestess.

• Ser Arthur told Rhaegar that Illyrio was connected to the Blackfyre Family and the Golden Company, and that three petrified Dragon Eggs were hidden in his estate.
• Tywin's soldiers searched and ravaged Stone Town while trying to find Robert, but the townspeople kept Robert's hiding place secret.
• Hoster Tully's forces arrived, and Robert emerged from hiding to fight; Robert killed Gregor Clegane before both armies withdrew.
• Aerys raged after hearing of the Battle of the Bells, while Robert was carried away by Ned and Hoster returned to Riverrun wounded.
• Shayani told Daeren that she had dreamed of a Young Dragon hatching from stone and warned him not to trust the Red Priestess.
• Daeren comforted Shayani and promised Jaeherys a Dragon Egg someday, while Shayani watched the petrified Dragon Egg uneasily.

Daeren taught his younger brothers about dragons and the dangers of House Targaryen’s inheritance customs while Shayani fed Tessarion at the Dragonpit. Brynden left for Riverrun to persuade Hoster to surrender, as Daeren intended to prolong the war and use it to weaken the nobles.

• Daeren explained dragon behavior to Jaeherys and Viserys and resolved to educate them so the Targaryen family would avoid future conflict.
• Shayani fed Tessarion a sheep while Toothless playfully chased Jaeherys and Viserys, and Daeren’s Dragon Guard reported a visitor.
• Brynden told Daeren he was returning to Riverrun to persuade Hoster to surrender, and Daeren urged him to go without risking his life for his brother.
• Brynden swore that Riverrun would raise the royal banner again, then rode toward the Riverlands.
• Daeren concluded that the rebels were outmatched but chose to keep the war going so he could seize control of the Stormlands and weaken the nobles.

Illyrio decided to cultivate a relationship with Rhaegar while pursuing a Yi Ti Wizard, and killed a retainer who heard a baby crying in his bedroom. In King's Landing, Rhaegar recruited Daeron to help attack Pentos and seize Illyrio's Dragon Eggs, leaving Daeron waiting for Rhaegar's plan to proceed.

• Illyrio considered giving Rhaegar three petrified Dragon Eggs and inviting a Yi Ti Wizard, but a retainer reported that pirates had robbed his merchant ship.
• After hearing a baby cry in his bedroom, Illyrio killed the retainer to keep him from discovering what was inside.
• Aerys told Daeron that Tywin had lost and berated Rhaegar for refusing to lead the Dornish army into battle.
• Daeron met Rhaegar in the Red Keep gardens, where Rhaegar proposed a surprise attack on Pentos to seize Illyrio's Dragon Eggs.
• Rhaegar offered Daeron first choice of one Dragon Egg and the rest of Pentos's plunder, and Daeron agreed to wait for his notice.

Rhaegar agreed to delay the war while seeking dragon eggs, but Daeren ignored their arrangement and gathered forces to seize Seagard and raid Pentos. The chapter ended with Daeren attacking Pentos by dragonfire and reaching Illyrio’s estate to claim the eggs.

• Rhaegar accepted Doran’s advice to prolong the war until he could find dragon eggs and strengthen his claim.
• Victarion, Daeren, and their allies retook Seagard from the Vale garrison, and Daeren restored Count of Graveson as its lord.
• Daeren arranged for Grafton ships and a Stormlands army to support an attack on Pentos, while Doran used a fleet as bait to justify the war.
• Daeren and Corax attacked Pentos, burning its port defenses and breaching the city gate as Stannis led troops toward Illyrio’s estate.
• Daeren reached Illyrio’s estate seeking the dragon eggs, while Governor Odero fled the burning city.

Daeren killed Illyrio during a surprise attack on Pentos, reclaimed three Dragon Eggs, and returned to King's Landing as his victory spread across the realm. At the Red Keep, he learned Rhaegar's son had been born and found Queen Rhaella angry over Rhaegar's plans to marry Lyanna and legitimize the child.

• Daeren split Illyrio's axe and killed him, then carried the Dragon Eggs and Illyrio's head from the burning estate as Victarion and Davos arrived.
• Daeren declared the war won, and his soldiers cheered as Corax's roar announced the victory across Pentos.
• Rhaegar learned Daeren had killed Illyrio and reclaimed the Dragon Eggs just as Lyanna gave birth to a boy.
• Daeren returned to the Red Keep and showed Jaeherys and Viserys the three Dragon Eggs.
• Daeren visited Queen Rhaella, who revealed that Rhaegar wanted to marry Lyanna and legitimize her son; when she nearly fell while holding a Dragon Egg, Daeren caught her.

Rhaella urged Daeren to distrust his father and brother, marry Shayani, and secure power with his dragons, but Daeren chose to preserve his alliances and end the rebellion first. He left determined that victory would make him a legitimate candidate for the Iron Throne, though his father would not name him heir.

• Rhaella warned Daeren that Aerys and Rhaegar were selfish and advised him to marry Shayani instead of relying on Tywin Lannister or Olenna Redwyne.
• Rhaella explained that Rhaegar’s ties to Dorne and the concentration of Dornish influence at court could provoke the realm, casting Daeren as a potential rival like Daemon Blackfyre.
• Rhaella proposed that Daeren marry Shayani, give her a dragon, and establish themselves at Storm’s End, but Daeren weighed the risks of alienating the Lannisters and Tyrells.
• Daeren rejected his mother’s more drastic course and decided to end the rebellion quickly, hoping to consolidate the Crownlands, Riverlands, and Stormlands.
• Rhaella reminded Daeren that Aerys would not name him heir, but Daeren left with the dragon eggs, convinced that pacifying the rebellion would make him qualified to become king.