Chapter Summaries

Aemon led his dwindling force through Mortarion’s underground fortress, realizing its tunnels were part of the fortress itself and ordering a fast assault. As his men pushed deeper, Dreamfyre and Senzrolos attacked the structure from above.

• Aemon’s force fought through thirteen outposts and lost several dozen men as mercenaries used the narrow tunnels to defend the fortress.
• Aemon recognized that Mortarion had built the fortress as an expansive underground cavern, and Lord Reyne compared its layout to Casterly Rock.
• Aemon ordered the archers to support a charge led by himself, Lord Reyne, Lord Domeric Bolton, and six chosen warriors.
• The archers and assault party swiftly wiped out the next outpost, and the remaining men continued charging deeper into the fortress.
• Dreamfyre tore open the fortress’s surface battlements, allowing Senzrolos to pour sickly green flames through the breach.

Horus and Mortarion were trapped in the main bunker as Westeros’s forces closed in, while Aemon led an assault through its tunnels. Aemon found the bronze gate and summoned Seasmoke, whose dragonfire shattered the cavern ceiling and opened a route from above.

• Horus learned that no reinforcements were coming and ordered more men to defend the Bronze Gate while hoping Kago Kao would arrive.
• Aemon pressed on through the tunnels, refusing to leave the front despite the White Knight’s concern about the dangerous defenders.
• Jacaerys and Dan searched the ruined surface for Aemon’s position, relying on Senzolos to listen for the soldiers underground.
• Aemon’s troops reached a cavern guarded by arrow slits and a bronze gate, where crossbow bolts struck his shield and armor.
• Aemon called to Seasmoke in High Valyrian, and the dragon’s fire brought down the cavern ceiling as a massive claw reached through.

Daeron, Dan, and Aemon’s forces discovered and breached the fortress entrance beneath the river, where Senzelos’s Dragonfire melted the defenses. As the army prepared to storm the fortress, Horus accepted that its defenses had fallen and put his Valyrian steel sword to his throat.

• Daeron and Dan realized the fortress entrance lay beneath the riverbed, and Dreamfyre and Senzelos broke through the ground above it.
• Senzelos squeezed into the cavern and burned the defenders, the stone wall, and the bronze gate with Dragonfire.
• Count Reyes renewed his determination to remain loyal to the dragons, while Aemon rallied his soldiers to storm the fortress and capture Horus and Mortarion.
• The soldiers cheered Aemon as the Citybreaker and Dan as the Destroyer.
• Horus heard the fortress defenses collapse and placed his Valyrian steel sword against his throat.

Aemon captured the fortress and found Horus dead and Mortarion guarding his body; Mortarion died after asking forgiveness for Horus, earning Aemon’s admiration. Daeron’s campaign in the Disputed Lands reached a temporary end, and Dan and Jacaerys departed after completing their mission.

• Aemon and his forces broke into the fortress and found Horus dead by his own hand, with Mortarion beside him.
• Mortarion refused to surrender, asked forgiveness for Horus, and poisoned himself; Aemon honored him as a true knight.
• Aemon sent Horus and Mortarion’s bodies away on Seasmoke, and Daeron entrusted their final rites to him.
• Dan told Daeron that the mission was complete and that he and Jacaerys were leaving at their father’s request.
• Daeron’s campaign ended after Governor Salis surrendered and became a duke and governor, while Khal Kago and his khalasar were consumed by dragonfire.

Jacaerys and Dan reported to Lonzell that the war in the Disputed Lands had ended in the king’s eyes, while warning that the new rulers might not be secure. They explained Daeron’s plans to divide the conquered territory among knights, leaving the family concerned about how those grants could be governed.

• Jacaerys and Dan knelt before Lonzell and reported that the war in the Disputed Lands was effectively over.
• Dan said Governor Shalis’s surrender seemed insincere and described Prince Rhaegar’s appointment and the other princes’ refusals of royal posts.
• Dan explained that King Daeron planned to divide the Disputed Lands among knights and grant castles to those with greater merit.
• Jacaerys and Dan pointed out that the region lacked castles built like those in the realm and that the new knights might struggle to obtain reliable subjects.

Lonzell and his family discussed Daeron’s war plans and Sallis’s hidden motives, then Serina revealed the troubling events she had witnessed at Harrenhal. The chapter ended with the family learning that Aegon had rejected Rhaena’s pregnancy and accused her of infidelity.

• Dan recalled that Daeron had distrusted Sallis’s offer, while Lonzell explained that Braavosi bankers and people from Valantis were backing him for their own purposes.
• Dan reported that Sallis planned to crown Daeron at Ho Saru, and Lonzell noted that the king had not revealed his next plans to Jace or Dan.
• Lonzell dismissed the nobles and asked Serina to report on Harrenhal, while Igor and Daenerys secretly listened from a ventilation shaft.
• Serina said Aegon had placed three pregnant girls with a pimp and described Melissa’s pale newborn son, who had one red eye and a red crow-shaped birthmark.
• Serina revealed that Rhaena was pregnant, but Aegon refused to acknowledge the child and claimed she had been unfaithful because he had eaten moon sugar.

Serena told Lonzell that Aegon had manipulated several women and their families, then asked to adopt Melissa’s child, Brynden Rivers. After Lonzell destroyed an infiltrator at King’s Landing, the story shifted to Daeron’s conquest in Essos, which ended when he and his dragons returned to Westeros and chaos followed.

• Serena explained that Aegon had spread rumors about Rhaena and used his relationships with noblewomen to win favors for their families.
• Serena revealed that Diana had fallen for Aegon and said she planned to bring Melissa and her child to Raventree Hall before asking to adopt the child as a Silver Blood.
• Lonzell sensed an intruder at King’s Landing, and the climber burned to death from within after Lonzell unleashed his power.
• Lonzell remarked that dragon blood remained and that his great-grandson’s conquest might not go smoothly.
• Daeron was crowned at Ho Sar, spent six months holding court, and used dragons to drive the Dothraki from northern towns and secure blood oaths from their leaders.
• Daeron and his dragons returned to Westeros, driven in part by Queen Jannie’s pregnancy, and chaos returned as they left Essos.

Rhaegar struggled to govern the Conquered Lands as local lords resisted his efforts to stabilize the war-ravaged territory. At a banquet in Ho-Sure, an attendant approached him with a question about the deaths of scattered Dragonlords and stabbed him through the heart.

• Rhaegar recalled how disputes over ruined fiefs, seized smallfolk, and mounting debts had left him unable to properly govern the Conquered Lands.
• At a banquet, Rhaegar pressed Count Fogen to support relocating smallfolk, but Fogen said the local lords would resist and suggested importing farmers or buying slaves.
• Rhaegar refused Fogen’s suggestion and left the banquet hall for the terrace to seek quiet.
• A plainly dressed attendant asked Rhaegar how the scattered Dragonlords had died during the Century of Blood.
• When Rhaegar turned toward him, the attendant drove a blade into Rhaegar’s heart, and Rhaegar heard a roar before losing all sensation.

An urgent report that Rhaegar had been assassinated reached King's Landing as Jannie suffered a life-threatening labor, leaving Samantha collapsing after hearing the news. Horn Tide flew toward King's Landing, and Flicker’s cry rang across the city.

• A raven brought word of Rhaegar’s assassination, and Lingor ordered Dan to summon the family’s Dragonriders as he learned Horn Tide had destroyed Ho Sule and was flying toward King’s Landing.
• Samantha awoke from a disturbing dream about Rhaegar and Jannie, then rushed to the birthing chamber when she learned Jannie was in critical condition.
• The Grand Maester warned that Jannie’s unborn child was killing her, but Samantha ordered the maesters to keep trying to save her.
• A maester announced Rhaegar’s assassination, and Samantha collapsed beside Jannie’s bed.
• Flicker screeched from the Red Keep courtyard, and its cry carried across King’s Landing.

After a monstrous birth killed Queen Jannie and Queen Mother Samantha died, the grieving Baelor found comfort in Cinderfire. Meanwhile, Lonzell rallied Valaerys’s Dragonriders to avenge Rhaegar’s murder in Essos.

• Queen Jannie died giving birth to a scaled, winged child, and Daeron learned that Queen Mother Samantha had also died.
• Baelor grieved his mother, Rhaegar, and Jannie alone in the rain at the Black Palace.
• Cinderfire comforted Baelor, carried him onto its back, and sheltered him from the storm.
• Lonzell gathered Valaerys’s Dragonriders and declared that Rhaegar’s killers and those responsible would face blood vengeance.
• Lonzell ordered his family and their kin by marriage to mount their dragons and show their enemies the wrath of the true dragon.

A dragon host led by King Daeron and Lonzell launched a devastating campaign across the Conquered Lands to avenge Prince Rhaegar’s assassination, destroying towns and killing the nobles blamed for the unrest. After Ho Sarru burned, the Dragonriders received news that Baelor had tamed Juehuo.

• On Grey Terror Island, Morra and Aegon watched a vast dragon host fly toward the Conquered Lands, and Morra feared that nothing could resist it.
• Knight Charlie warned Lord Darrin to raise a Targaryen banner and shelter his people as the local lords’ rebellion spread.
• At Rikka Raklon, Lonzell rejected Viserys’s plea to spare the local nobility and ordered Braavos, Valantis, and Lys to answer for their part in the crisis.
• Daeron and Lonzell unleashed the dragons on the gathered nobles, then the dragon host burned castles and towns across the Conquered Lands, including Ho Sarru.
• After Ho Sarru was reduced to ruins, Daeron mourned Rhaegar, and the Valaerys Dragonriders learned that Baelor had tamed Juehuo.

The Valaerys family debated the consequences of Baelor bonding with Torchfire, a powerful dragon that could threaten their future claims. Rey reassured Lingor that their father knew about the matter and urged him to learn more about Baelor, leaving Lingor to plan how to approach his nephew.

• Daniella warned Lingor that Baelor's bond with Torchfire could keep the dragon from returning to the Valaerys family, especially if Baelor became Daeron's heir.
• Lingor considered how Torchfire might become a king's dragon and how reclaiming it could damage relations between the Valaerys and Targaryen families.
• Rey told Lingor that their father already knew about Torchfire and advised him to give their father peace while their mother's condition was poor.
• Rey asked Lingor to have Serina spend more time with Baelor so they could understand what kind of child he was.
• Lingor realized the Valaerys knew little about Baelor, who had been raised in the Black Palace, and decided to act on Rey's advice.

Lingor proposed keeping Baelor from inheriting the throne or tying Torchfire to House Valaerys, while Serina worried about separating Rhaena’s family. Viserys resolved to keep Torchfire with the Targaryens, and Baelor prepared to approach the dragon before familiar voices stopped him.

• Serina hesitated over Lingor’s plan to control Baelor’s succession, while Dan supported his brother’s ruthless proposal.
• Rhaena told Rey she trusted her brother and Lingor, and asked him not to worry about her.
• Viserys blamed Aegon for missing the chance to join the campaign and decided Baelor must marry a Targaryen so Torchfire would remain in the family.
• The dragon host finished purging the conquered lands and redistributing their territory, then left Essos as cities and peoples across the region feared its power.
• Baelor returned to the Valaerys Black Palace, resolved to handle Torchfire himself, and set off for the courtyard before familiar voices called to him.

Baelor told Daeron and Serina that he would leave Dragonfire behind and renounce his royal rights to prevent conflict between their families. Serina comforted the grieving brothers and urged Baelor to wait before deciding his future.

• Daeron saw Serina arrive with Baelor and realized she had come for the boy and Dragonfire.
• Baelor offered to leave the Black Palace and never ride Dragonfire, then declared that he would renounce his succession rights.
• Daeron promised that no one would force or harm Baelor, while Baelor said he believed the Citadel would suit him better.
• Serina embraced both nephews, reminded them that their family still needed them, and urged them to take time before making decisions.

Baelor secured the Black Palace and the freedom to come and go from King's Landing while refusing to become Daeron's heir. Viserys planned to retire to Oldtown, Daeron began writing an account of his conquest to cope with Queen Jannie's death, and Diana asked Lonzell what his beloved was.

• Daeron gave Baelor the Black Palace and the right to enter and leave King's Landing, and Baelor swore to honor his oath.
• Viserys reflected on the growing power of the Valaerys family and told Larra to take the children to Oldtown, leaving Aegon behind.
• Daeron rejected the steward's attempt to send girls to his bed and ordered him to compensate them.
• Daeron began writing the Eastern Expedition Record and dedicated it to Queen Jannie and the knights who fought for him.
• Diana told Lonzell she had seen the Stranger and asked him what his beloved was.

As Diana lay dying, she spoke with Lonzell about their marriage, their children, and her fears for Daenerys’s dragon ambitions. Diana made Lonzell promise that Daenerys would not try to tame Vomysor, then died in 173 AC and was honored as the Silver Mother.

• Diana told Lonzell she had never blamed him and reflected on the family and children she would leave behind.
• Diana asked Lonzell to look after Sebastian, Igor, and Daenerys, and warned him that Daenerys wanted to claim one of the elders’ dragons.
• Diana made Lonzell promise that Daenerys would not touch Vomysor because the dragon was too dangerous.
• Diana died in 173 AC, and Vomysor cremated her before her ashes were placed in the crypts beneath King's Landing.
• Septon-built memorials and later historians honored Diana as the Silver Mother, or the Mother Incarnate.

After Viserys died, Aegon came to King's Landing, where Princess Ilyena confronted him over his affair with Diana. Diana survived a difficult childbirth, but Ilyena saw triumph in her eyes and feared the consequences.

• Viserys died in Oldtown after suffering severe abdominal pain, and his family dispersed, with Aegon eventually arriving in King's Landing.
• Ilyena drove Aegon out of the Red Keep courtyard after learning that Diana had become pregnant by him.
• Aemon told Ilyena that Diana was still in labor and that King Daeron had refused to intervene, telling Aegon and Diana to resolve the consequences themselves.
• Aemon said Daeron had ordered the manuscript of Record of the Eastern Expedition given to Daeron.
• Diana emerged from the birthing chamber alive, holding a healthy infant, and Ilyena saw a look of victory in her eyes.

Princess Ilenna flew to King's Landing to seek advice from Lingor after learning that Diana had given birth to Aegon's son, Daemon. Lingor warned that mishandling the royal bastard's birth could bring chaos.

• Princess Ilenna arrived at King's Landing on Sunshine and asked to see Lingor or Raegon.
• The Silver Guard escorted Ilenna to Lingor after confirming that Rhaena and little Daeron were staying in the Purple Palace.
• Lingor assured Ilenna that Rhaena already knew about Diana giving birth and was coping with the news.
• Ilenna blamed Diana for resisting the king's decisions by bearing Aegon's child and worried about the royal family's reputation.
• Ilenna told Lingor that Diana had named the child Daemon, and Lingor feared the matter could lead to chaos.

Lingor reassured Eirena that Daeron was Rhaena’s only legitimate heir, while privately considering the danger posed by Diana’s child. Daeron finished the first draft of the “Eastern Expedition,” and Lingor brought his concerns about Eirena’s visit to Lonzell.

• Lingor calmed Eirena by explaining that the king’s suitors for Diana had included several powerful heirs and that Daeron remained Rhaena’s legitimate son.
• Lingor argued that Daeron’s commission of the “Eastern Expedition” affirmed Daeron’s legitimacy, though he privately feared Diana’s child could cause succession trouble.
• Daeron completed the first draft of the “Eastern Expedition,” portraying himself as the decisive hero of the campaign.
• The narration noted that later published versions exaggerated Daeron’s role, leaving historians to rely on a flawed but important firsthand account.
• At Silver Blood Tower, Lingor told Lonzell he had a bad feeling after Eirena’s visit.

Lingor worried that inheritance disputes and the ambitions of land-hungry lesser nobles could spark unrest, but Lonzell said there was no need to be too tense. Lonzell then asked what Lingor thought of a boy from House Stark.

• Lonzell asked Lingor what was worrying him as they sat by the hearth.
• Lingor said he feared Aegon and Princess Diana's son would disrupt Lonzell's plans over his inheritance rights.
• Lingor explained that lesser nobles and unsuccessful conquerors, rather than the great lords, could drive the next unrest by craving land and titles.
• Lonzell asked whether Lingor meant to remove the boy, suppress the ambitious young men, or conquer more of Essos.
• Lingor reflected on his father's preparations, including stockpiled Valyrian steel, strengthened dragons, and efforts to find a northern bride for little Igor.
• Lonzell told Lingor not to be too tense and asked what he thought of a boy from the Stark family.