Chapter Summaries

Daeren gave Aerys a Dragon Egg in exchange for freedom to lead the Riverlands campaign, then helped Shayani bond with Tessarion and took her flying. They reached Dragonstone, where Rhaegar watched them arrive as Lyanna lay gravely ill with puerperal fever.

• Daeren gave Count Colton a Dragon Egg for Aerys and announced that he would march into the Riverlands to crush the rebels.
• Shayani approached Tessarion in the Dragonpit, and the dragon accepted her as a rider.
• Daeren launched Shayani into the sky on Tessarion, and the people of King's Landing watched the new Dragon Rider fly overhead.
• Daeren and Corax startled Shayani during the flight, but she steadied herself and commanded Tessarion to breathe dragonfire.
• Daeren and Shayani flew their dragons to Dragonstone, where Rhaegar saw them arrive while Lyanna suffered from puerperal fever.

Tywin continued his siege of Riverrun while Hoster Tully faced the likelihood that the rebel cause would fail. Brynden urged Hoster to save his daughters by sending them away, and on Dragonstone Rhaegar begged Daeren to save Lyanna from puerperal fever.

• Tywin ordered catapults brought from the Westerlands to bombard Riverrun every twelve hours.
• Hoster lamented the rebels’ dwindling strength and worried that surrender would leave the Tully Family exposed to the Iron Throne.
• Brynden returned to Riverrun and told Hoster that the rebels could not defeat Daeren and the Iron Throne.
• Brynden proposed sending Catelyn to Winterfell with Eddard and taking Lysa to the Eyrie, while he created an escape opportunity.
• Rhaegar asked Daeren to use his abilities to save Lyanna, who was suffering from puerperal fever.

Daeren returned to King's Landing and took command of the royalist campaign in the Riverlands after Tywin's defeat. He forced the Dornish army to choose between marching with him and returning to Dorne, and the chapter ended with him ordering the host to muster for a march the next day.

• Daeren placed Drogon's Black Dragon Egg in the Junimo Hut at Dragon Tongue Farm, then returned to King's Landing with Shayani.
• Daeren learned that Brynden had raided Tywin's army and that Rhaegar had sailed to Lys, leaving the Dornish troops without their stated reason for fighting.
• Daeren announced that he would take command in the Riverlands and confronted Prince Lewyn and the Dornish lords outside King's Landing.
• Daeren used Corax's dragonfire to kill resisting Dornishmen and demanded that the army follow him or return to Dorne.
• Anders Yronwood pledged five thousand spearmen, and most Dornish lords knelt and agreed to march with Daeren.
• Daeren ordered the remaining holdouts to be burned and commanded the host to muster for the next day's march.

Daeren led the royalist campaign to take Riverrun, execute Hoster Tully and Brynden, and force the Riverlands lords to submit. He then crushed the Bracken and Blackwood feud and reorganized the region under his temporary rule.

• Daeren arrived at Harrenhal and ordered an assault on Riverrun, where Hoster Tully and Brynden surrendered the city to spare Edmure.
• Daeren executed Brynden and Hoster, spared Edmure, and learned from Brynden’s letter that Catelyn and Lysa were staying in Seaguard.
• Daeren demanded the Riverlands lords submit, then burned Count Jenos Bracken alive for ignoring his summons and named Suddley Bracken the new Count of Stonehedge.
• Daeren convened a military council at Harrenhal, declared himself temporary governor of the Trident, integrated the Riverlands and Crownlands armies, and appointed Walter Whent Riverlands Road Admiral.

Daeren and Randyll Tarly trapped Eddard Stark’s Northern army at the Red Fork, where Corax’s dragonfire and a cavalry assault caused catastrophic losses. Eddard escaped, but the royalist forces captured prisoners and Northern banners, and Daeren recognized Lord Wyman Manderly among the captives.

• Daeren assigned Randyll Tarly to lead the campaign against the Northern rebels and ordered House Frey and Howland Reed to secure their retreat routes.
• Daeren established a professional military system and appointed Count Harren as Riverlands Road Admiral, with House Whent’s recruited farmers placed under Randyll’s command.
• Randyll intercepted Eddard Stark’s army at the Red Fork as it tried to retreat across the river.
• Daeren attacked from Corax while Randyll’s cavalry and archers struck the disordered Northerners, killing or wounding thousands and destroying the crossings.
• Daeren burned Jon Umber with dragonfire, while Eddard escaped and the royalist army captured more than three hundred prisoners.
• Ser Jon brought a muddy captive to Daeren, who recognized him as Lord Wyman Manderly of White Harbor.

Daeron detained Lord Wyman and decided to make House Manderly independent of the North, while his commanders chose to wait for reinforcements before advancing across the Trident. Across the river, Eddard faced a collapsing rebellion, and Roose Bolton warned northern lords not to criticize him as their route home remained sealed.

• Daeron questioned Lord Wyman about joining the war, then imprisoned him and resolved to make House Manderly answer directly to the Iron Throne.
• At a military council, Daeron accepted Randyll's plan to confront the rebels across the Trident and wait for the Reach and Dornish reinforcements.
• Eddard learned that the Riverlands lords had withdrawn after House Tully surrendered, leaving his army with fewer than six thousand northern soldiers.
• Eddard and Dennis discussed holding the Trident and called for a council with the Vale lords, including Bronze Yohn.
• Roose Bolton beat a northern lord for speaking against Eddard and privately considered his options because Moat Cailin blocked the Northerners' way home.

Daeren prepared to expand the Crownlands while sending Tywin back to King's Landing to govern, and he accepted Prince Reoton's offer of a military alliance with Pentos. The royalist army marched toward the Trident River, where its dragons faced the rebels across the water.

• At Harrenhal, Daeren told Tywin to return to King's Landing and help govern, then revealed his plan to bring the Riverlands and Stormlands under the Crownlands; Tywin agreed to leave the next day.
• Lord Owen delivered Prince Reoton's letter, in which the Prince of Pentos praised House Targaryen and proposed a military alliance; Daeren wrote a reply.
• Daeren ordered the army to march toward the Trident River and attack before winter, while Barristan briefed Prince Lewyn on the campaign.
• At Harrenhal, Clara Harren befriended Shayani as she fed Tessarion, and Daeren reassured Shayani that Melisandre could remain with the army.
• Randyll's army camped on the south bank of the Trident River and began building a crossing as the North and Vale rebels watched from across the water beneath the circling dragons.

Yohn Royce’s withdrawal shattered the rebel coalition, forcing Eddard and Dennis to retreat toward the Bloody Gate while Roose Bolton stayed behind as rearguard. Shayani and Tessarion joined Daeren’s forces, and the chapter ended with Daeren’s army and both dragons assaulting the Bloody Gate.

• Yohn Royce withdrew Runestone’s troops, prompting other Vale nobles and northern soldiers to abandon the rebel camp.
• Eddard ordered a retreat to the Bloody Gate and appointed Roose Bolton to lead the rearguard.
• Shayani rode Tessarion into battle, scattering rebel cavalry with sapphire-blue dragonfire as Randyll’s army crossed the Trident.
• Jon Arryn and Robert discussed the desperate defense of the Bloody Gate, which the dragons could overcome despite its formidable stone fortifications.
• Daeren sent Corax to attack the Bloody Gate, while Shayani and Tessarion burned its defenders and Randyll’s forces began their assault.

Daeren's royalist army captured the Bloody Gate after defeating the rebels, while Roose Bolton betrayed Eddard and surrendered the defenders. In King's Landing, Lady Olenna sought a Small Council seat for Mace and pressed Tywin about Daeren's plans, hoping to secure House Tyrell's place in the changing realm.

• Daeren's dragons and Randyll's troops routed the rebels at the Bloody Gate, and Dennis was killed by dragonfire while helping Eddard and Robert retreat.
• Roose Bolton stabbed Eddard, bound him, and ordered the rebel forces to surrender as Robert lay unconscious.
• Daeren took the Bloody Gate and announced that the army would march into the Vale of Arryn the next day.
• Aerys celebrated the royalist victories, while Tywin worked on tax policies for the newly pacified Riverlands and Stormlands.
• Lady Olenna asked Tywin to give Mace a Small Council seat instead of the promised land and sought details about Daeren's plans for governing after the rebellion.

Daeren conquered the Vale after taking the Bloody Gate and the Eyrie, then ordered a sweeping campaign to bring its lands under the Iron Throne. With most resistance crushed and Symond Templeton appointed Steward, Daeren summoned the Vale's lords to a Great Council and declared the War of the Usurper over.

• Daeren appointed Lyman Darry commander of the Bloody Gate, ordered Randyll to sweep through the Vale, and sent Prince Lewyn to attack the Eyrie.
• After the royalist army captured the Vale's fortresses, Jon Arryn agreed to surrender, and Daeren took the Eyrie and ordered prisoners held or executed.
• Randyll led seventy thousand Reach soldiers through the Vale, killing resisting nobles and besieging Ninestars.
• Shayani arrived on Tessarion, negotiated Ninestars' surrender, and appointed Symond Templeton Steward of the Vale on Daeren's behalf.
• Symond secured the submission of the remaining Vale families, while Randyll eliminated holdouts and Symond was made a count.
• Daeren summoned the Vale's noble lords to a Great Council and announced that the War of the Usurper had been put down.

Daeron imposed a new order on the defeated Vale, punishing House Corbray and rewarding House Royce with Lady Forlorn to secure their loyalty and divide the Vale's factions. After declaring the rebellion ended, Tywin and Olenna discussed making Daeron regent and replacing Aerys.

• Daeron appointed officials, brought the Bloody Gate under royal oversight, and made Seagard a royal port independent of the Vale.
• Daeron sentenced House Corbray to surrender half its lands and wealth, send two sons to King's Landing, and forfeit Lady Forlorn; its old Count was sent to the Night's Watch.
• Daeron confiscated land from House Royce but awarded Yohn Royce Lady Forlorn, and Yohn pledged his heir Andar to the Constabulary Knightly Order.
• Daeron sent the captured rebels to King's Landing and announced that the rebellion had ended.
• Tywin told Olenna that they should secure the regency for Daeron and replace Aerys.

Lady Olenna and Tywin discussed supporting Daeren as regent while worrying that his Road Admirals and reforms could threaten the nobility. Rhaegar waited as Lyanna recovered in Lys, while Daeren and the victorious royal army returned to King's Landing for a triumphal welcome and banquet.

• Lady Olenna admitted she feared Daeren's growing power, and Tywin suggested they support him while preparing to protect their interests.
• A Yi Ti physician treated Lyanna's puerperal fever in Lys, and Rhaegar sat beside her and their infant after hearing that her condition had stabilized.
• Daeren's red dragon and a cobalt-blue dragon flew over King's Landing as the royal army arrived to cheers from the crowd.
• Aerys hosted a victory banquet in the Throne Room, where nobles gathered before the honors were given.
• Ser Gerold announced the assembled lords, then welcomed Daeren with his many titles as he entered the Throne Room.

At a victory banquet, Aerys lavishly rewarded Daeren for suppressing the Rebellion of the Four Realms, granting him royal mints, the title of Regent, and authority over the Stormlands and Riverlands. The nobles recognized the Crown’s plan to annex those realms, while Daeren turned his attention to Randyll Tarly.

• Aerys demanded that Daeren hand over the rebel leaders, but Daeren refused until he received his rewards.
• Tywin pressed Aerys to reward Daeren, and Aerys granted him the gold, silver, and copper mints.
• Aerys named Daeren Regent, giving him a seat on the Small Council and authority to decide matters of state.
• Aerys also made Daeren Prince of Storm's End and governor of the Trident River, placing the Stormlands and Riverlands under his command.
• Lady Olenna realized the Crown intended to annex the two realms, and Daeren spotted Randyll Tarly among the Reach nobles.

Daeren presided over the royal rewards ceremony while the King slept off a hangover, appointing Randyll Tarly Duke of Casterly Rock and governor of the Dornish Marches. Randyll swore loyalty to House Targaryen, while House Tyrell watched its influence diminish.

• Daeren sat on the Iron Throne and raised Tywin's salary to 10,000 Silver Stags, then appointed Mace to the Small Council.
• Daeren rewarded Howland Reed with command of Moat Cailin and named Ser Stevron Frey Warden of the Green Fork.
• Daeren praised Randyll Tarly's military record and made him Duke of Casterly Rock and governor of the Dornish Marches, assigning him lands across The Reach and the Stormlands.
• Lady Olenna nearly protested Daeren's decision, but Willas Tyrell stopped her, and she left the hall with Alerie.
• Daeren knighted Randyll, who swore to serve House Targaryen; Daeren warned that betrayal would bring dragonfire.

Daeren discussed expanding the Crownlands and reorganizing King's Landing with Tywin, while discovering that Ancient Fruit wine affected people who controlled Life Force. The two agreed to bring proposed changes to the Small Council.

• Daeren told Tywin that Randyll Tarly and the Reach army would soon leave King's Landing, and Tywin advised him to clear roads and pacify the Riverlands and Stormlands before annexing them.
• Daeren shared Ancient Fruit wine with Tywin and Jaime, and the drink stimulated Daeren's Life Force while leaving Tywin lost in memories of Joanna.
• Jaime felt the wine bring his Life Force close to forming a Life Seed, then left to find Ser Gerold and use Dawn's resonance to complete the process.
• Daeren considered testing cheaper Special Crop wines before selling them, since Ancient Fruit wine could disrupt the Life Force of ordinary drinkers.
• Daeren and Tywin discussed relocating King's Landing's excess population, building towns along the Blackwater Rush, and adding Seats to the King's Council before agreeing to convene the Small Council.

Lady Olenna accepted that House Tyrell had benefited despite losing Highgarden, while Jon Arryn and his heir were executed for rebellion. Daeren then proposed a permanent council and four new council seats to strengthen royal administration, leaving the ministers to consider his sweeping reforms.

• Lady Olenna grumbled over House Tyrell losing Highgarden and Casterly Rock, but Willas reminded her that the family had gained power and a council seat.
• Three days later, the King's Justice executed Jon Arryn and Abert Arryn, and Aerys ordered the remaining Arryns killed or sent to the Wall.
• Daeren told Aerys that Eddard and Robert still needed trials and that he would not harm the pregnant Catelyn Tully.
• Daeren reassured Count Staunton and Count Colton that he would not remove them, then announced a permanent council that would meet regularly.
• Daeren proposed four new council seats—Master of Household, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Minister of Works, and Commander of the City Guard—and outlined their duties.

Daeren presented a redevelopment plan for King's Landing and proposed reorganizing the City Guard, while the council warned that his expanding professional forces could strain the Iron Throne's finances. He insisted on building a stronger royal army and accepted Tywin's estimate of the equipment bill, despite its enormous cost.

• Daeren introduced a King's Landing redevelopment plan that would let surplus residents reclaim royal lands instead of being driven from the city.
• Daeren ordered Alliser Thorne to recruit and train Gold Cloaks, retain two thousand regular troops, and form five hundred constables from those removed.
• Count Colton warned that the growing road forces and better-paid Gold Cloaks would sharply increase military costs and could reduce tax revenue.
• Tywin and Aemon explained that the Iron Throne's millions of Gold Dragons had accumulated over generations, and Daeren declared that he would spend them to strengthen the kingdom and expand the army.
• Tywin estimated that armor, weapons, equipment, and horses for the forces would cost about 22,571 Gold Dragons, and Daeren agreed to pay.

Daeren pushed ahead with King's Landing's sanitation reforms while corresponding with Prince Reoton, who sought the Iron Throne's support against the Three Daughters' pirates. He visited the imprisoned Eddard and Robert and decided one would be allowed to redeem himself while the other would be executed.

• Daeren ordered Count Staunton to enforce the public-latrine rules, threatening to investigate his record if he resigned, and Staunton agreed.
• Mace built ten public latrines near the Red Keep, while Elisha arranged street cleaning and Daeren directed workers to compost the waste at Tihuo Town.
• Daeren wrote to Prince Reoton and fished for Corax, feeding the dragon high-quality sea fish to help him grow.
• Prince Reoton learned that the Three Daughters' pirates had captured Bloodstone Island and disrupted Pentos's trade, so he arranged to send a Yi Ti physician and Special Gems to the Iron Throne.
• Daeren visited the injured Eddard and Robert in the dungeon, told Eddard that Lyanna had given birth but suffered puerperal fever, and said he planned to grant Roose Bolton the title of Duke of the Dreadfort.
• Daeren left the dungeon after deciding that one prisoner would have a chance to redeem himself through merit and the other would be executed according to the law.

Varys visited Eddard and Robert in the dungeon with Daeren’s offers, and Eddard agreed to confess and serve the Iron Throne while Robert accepted his coming death. Daeren divided the North between House Stark and House Bolton, then turned his attention to consolidating power and the turmoil in Essos as Count Lys reported that he had secured the Royal Fleet and Dragonstone.

• Varys brought Eddard a healing carrot and Robert a final feast, then told them that Stannis had surrendered and that Renly and Maester Cressen were safe.
• Varys offered Eddard a chance to return to the North if he confessed and pledged loyalty to Daeren, and Eddard accepted after learning Catelyn was safe at Riverrun.
• Three days later, Robert refused the Night’s Watch and went to his death, while Eddard confessed and retained Winterfell but lost the title of Warden of the North and half his lands.
• Daeren appointed Roose Bolton Duke of the Dreadfort and Warden of the White Knife, dividing northern rule between House Bolton and House Stark.
• While tending Corax, Daeren considered consolidating the Crownlands, the chaos in Essos, and the danger of Rhaegar’s return.
• Count Lys told Daeren that he had reclaimed command of the Royal Fleet and brought Dragonstone under control.

Daeren secured control of Dragonstone and the Royal Fleet, and prepared for a possible operation in the Stepstones while considering his path to the throne. At the Red Keep, Queen Rhaella hosted a tea gathering as Cersei continued to pursue Daeren and lingered after the other guests left.

• Daeren learned from Count of Lys that Dragonstone’s garrison had been replaced and the Royal Fleet’s handover had mostly gone smoothly.
• Daeren ordered the Royal Fleet to remain at Dragonstone and await orders, while privately considering how a coming storm might create an opening in the Stepstones.
• Daeren classified those with mastered Life Force as Knight Aspirants and those with a Life Seed or completed Gemstone Sequence as formal knights, and sought Special Gems to train more of them.
• Count of Lys urged Daeren to claim the throne and pledged House Valeryon’s loyalty, while Daeren said he was waiting for the right opportunity.
• Queen Rhaella hosted a tea gathering attended by Shayani, Elia, Cersei, Lady Olenna, Jeyne Tyrell, and others; Lady Olenna left with Jeyne after tasting the tea.
• Cersei stayed behind after the other guests departed, while Queen Rhaella privately resented her shameless pursuit of Daeren.