Chapter Summaries

Lonzell and Lingor discussed a possible match between Daenerys and Baslon Stark, then secretly followed the children on their outing to the Summer Market. The children arrived at a circus, where Igor asked to see its wyvern from Sothoryos.

• Lonzell teased Lingor about Daenerys's temperament and raised the possibility of her marrying Baslon Stark.
• Lingor admitted he had considered the benefits of Baslon joining their family, though he knew he could not interfere with Winterfell's succession.
• Lonzell asked Lingor to find Rey so they could secretly follow the children to the Summer Market.
• Ilyena, Cerina, Rhaena, Helaena, and Valenna accompanied the children through the crowded city, where people recognized the silver dragon banners and made way for them.
• The circus troupe knelt before the children, and Igor asked the ringmaster to show them the Sothoryos wyvern.

At a circus, the troupe master explained that sailors had seen a true dragon in Sothoryos, and the Valaerys family asked him for details. As he showed them a chained, mutilated wyvern, Cerys giggled at it and Brynden suddenly fainted.

• The troupe master realized Daenerys and the other guests were dragonriders, but Daenerys assured him that they only wanted to hear about the dragon.
• The troupe master described how merchant crews had spotted dragons along Sothoryos, while Sebastian explained how wyverns were often mistaken for them.
• Serina and Valenna joined the children as the beast tamer revealed a chained wyvern with cut wings and a severed tail spike.
• The troupe master insisted witnesses had seen a crested dragon breathe fire and roast a spotted wyvern, and said the dragon had grown more active in recent months.
• Cerys looked at the caged wyvern and giggled, and Brynden fainted after looking at it.

Brynden experienced a brief vision of a caged creature’s rage, while Igor questioned a circus master about a shadow longwing and demanded his Sothoryos map. In King's Landing, Lonzell trapped a raven that complained he had broken their agreement.

• Brynden recalled a fleeting vision filled with rage, pain, a whip-wielding man, and the smell of sulfur, then tried to hide his distress from the adults.
• Siri pointed at Brynden and asked to be held, but Princess Ilyena picked her up instead.
• Igor questioned the circus master about the captured shadow longwing, and the master insisted its injuries and chains made it safe.
• Igor demanded the circus master hand over his Sothoryos map and the reported locations of the dragon in exchange for a reward.
• Lonzell trapped a raven inside a ring of fire in his chamber, and the raven told him their actions were not what they had agreed upon.

Lonzell confronted the Three-Eyed Crow over its plan to weaken dragons and prepare for the coming Long Night, refusing to sacrifice the song of fire. The Three-Eyed Crow accepted his decision and left him with a message to seek a gift in Sothoryos.

• The Three-Eyed Crow protested that Lonzell had brought Brynden Rivers to King's Landing instead of letting him grow up among noble bastards and follow his destined path.
• The Three-Eyed Crow warned that preserving dragons and magic would make the coming Long Night far more dangerous, with tens of thousands of Ice-Eyed Kings and ice dragons awakening.
• Lonzell rejected the Crow's implied request to reduce the dragons, arguing that magic and dragons supported the world and that his descendants would remember the danger.
• The Three-Eyed Crow revealed that its plan had been to weaken the song of ice by making dragons disappear and buy time for a reincarnated hero, but Lonzell's thriving dragons had disrupted it.
• Lonzell told the Three-Eyed Crow to stop its agents' interference and said his children would answer the prophecy; the Crow accepted his choice and told him to seek a gift in Sothoryos.

Daeron prepared to travel to Sothoryos aboard the Explorer with Senzorlos, despite Captain Misamben’s warnings about the continent’s dangers. In King’s Landing, a dragon’s unexpected arrival and departure startled the court and raised alarm about Prince Baelor.

• Daeron waited at Wine Harbor with Senzorlos for Captain Misamben and the Explorer to arrive.
• Captain Misamben warned Daeron that Sothoryos’s rainforest was full of poisonous plants, venomous insects, and dangerous creatures, but agreed to make the voyage.
• In King’s Landing, Count Farman was interrupted while discussing plans to establish sea routes to Naath and Sothoryos.
• Torchfire, Prince Baelor’s dragon, flew over the city and headed east, prompting the Master of Coin to summon the king and princes.

Prince Baelor flew east on Torchfire to follow Dan’s expedition to Sothoryos, while Count Farman and Prince Aemon tried to alert King Daeron. Daeron allowed Baelor to go, but he suspected someone had already begun targeting the Targaryens.

• Count Farman carried the Grand Maester to find Prince Aemon and reported that Torchfire had flown east with Prince Baelor aboard.
• Baelor explained that he had left the Black Palace to follow Dan’s voyage to Sothoryos and search for Moondancer and Aunt Baela.
• Torchfire changed course toward Dan’s ship as Baelor settled into the saddle and let the dragon slow down.
• Count Farman and the Grand Maester told King Daeron that Baelor had left, and Aemon presented Baelor’s farewell note.
• Daeron refused to send anyone after Baelor, saying Dan would keep him safe, then warned Count Farman not to overstep the Small Council’s authority.
• Daeron rose and suspected that someone had set their sights on the Targaryens.

Daeron ordered Aemon to investigate the unrest in King's Landing after realizing someone had deliberately stirred the crowds. Aemon's Gold Cloaks uncovered those behind the conspiracy, and the arrests led to executions and the seizure of Earl Darry's office.

• Daeron told Aemon to identify who had incited the unrest and ordered Andre Farman to remain in Maegor's Holdfast while the investigation proceeded.
• Aemon mobilized the City Watch, which quickly found and arrested the people responsible for stirring up the crowds.
• A captured conspirator begged Aemon to spare his elder brother, Ser Darry, and Aemon said Daeron would decide the succession question.
• Aemon granted Earl Darry and Castle Darry mercy but reclaimed the earl's office and forbade him from taking his bastard child.
• A Gold Cloak strangled Ser Darry, while arrests and executions unfolded in other mansions across King's Landing and the Red Keep.

Count Herman Bulwer became Hand of the King as the king tightened his hold on King's Landing, while Lingor's children discovered Brynden could skinchange. The chapter ended with a strange creature fleeing a fiery predator in a Sothoryos swamp.

• The king replaced the Hand with Count Herman Bulwer, a loyal noble from the conquered lands, and King's Landing returned to peace.
• Otherys, Daemion, and Igor questioned Brynden about skinchanging after Igor dreamed of animals sharing Brynden's birthmark and eyes.
• Daenerys and Igor brought a cat to Brynden, who apparently succeeded in changing its eyes, prompting a Silver Guard to summon them to Lingor.
• Lingor scolded Daenerys and Igor for risking Brynden's life by experimenting with magic.
• In a swamp in Sothoryos, a strange figure crawled from the mud, then fled into the water as shadows and a fire-wielding predator approached.

Dan and Misamben sailed toward Tear Island to resupply, while Baelor secretly waited there for his uncle’s ship. Baelor’s meeting with a tavern thug ended in blood.

• Dan told Misamben that the ship was on course to reach Tear Island in three days, and Misamben warned him that pirates still gathered there.
• Dan insisted that Senzoros would protect them, and the crew rested before sailing faster with the night wind.
• Baelor arrived at Tear Island ahead of his uncle, hid Torchfire, and waited in town for the ship to appear.
• Baelor bought wine from a tavern owner, who offered to connect him with southern goods in exchange for his Westerosi silver.
• A burly man reached to grab Baelor’s robe, and blood sprayed across the tavern.

Baelor confronted smugglers on Tear Isle and used Candlefire to force them to explain their trade, while Dan flew ahead after Senseros sensed the dragon. At Harrenhal, Aegon considered the succession and decided he needed to reunite with Rhaena and Daeron, as Aegor Rivers quietly dreamed of riding a dragon.

• Baelor killed a burly smuggler, summoned Candlefire, and demanded to know what goods the smugglers brought from Sothoryos.
• Dan sensed Candlefire on Tear Isle, flew ahead on Senseros, and told Captain Misben to dock the ship directly at the harbor.
• Lord Lucas told Aegon that the king had purged several men they had recommended, and Aegon warned him against asking questions before urging him to leave for Castle Darry and Lord Harroway's Town.
• Aegon reflected that Rhaena and Daeron's absence could affect succession and decided he needed to find them and settle down.
• Aegor Rivers told a silver-gold-haired boy that they were Rivers, not Targaryens, while secretly longing to ride Syrax.

Egg Rivers and Garmon Waters discussed their place among Aegon’s bastards, while Diana resolved to seek an audience with King Daeron for her son Daemon. In Sothoryos, Dan confronted Baelor for leaving home and ordered him to return, but Baelor claimed his return would throw King’s Landing into chaos.

• Egg Rivers told Garmon Waters that their status as bastards made a return to King’s Landing dangerous, and reflected on how differently Aegon treated his children.
• Diana watched Daemon sleep, vowed to reclaim what she believed he was owed, and left her room to ask a Kingsguard to take her to King Daeron.
• Dan arrived at the tavern on Tear Isle, seized Baelor, and rebuked him for leaving and worrying Cerelle and the family.
• Baelor said he had left a letter for the king and that his brother knew he was going, then asked Dan to take him along into Sothoryos.
• Dan refused Baelor’s request, but fell silent when Baelor insisted that returning to King’s Landing would cause chaos.

Daeron confronted Diana over her affair with Aegon and the threat it posed to her son’s future. He banished her from King's Landing with land and income, ordering her never to return.

• Diana saw how ill Daeron had become, and he reproached her for neglecting him and bringing disgrace upon the royal family.
• Daeron told Diana that he had no children and explained that her actions had barred her from inheriting the Iron Throne.
• Diana defended her refusal to marry outside the family and accused Daeron of denying the sisters any right of succession.
• Daeron revealed that he had considered forcing Diana’s son to serve the realm for life, but Diana pleaded for the boy’s safety.
• Daeron granted Diana land and ordered her to leave King's Landing with her son and never return.

Diana secretly met Aegon and demanded a dragon egg for their son, Daemon, while Daenerys pressed Sebastian to explain the purpose of a Stark marriage alliance. In Sothoryos, Baelor confirmed he would join Dan’s expedition into the unknown forest, and the group set out.

• Diana met Aegon in disguise at a country sept and asked him to take responsibility for Daemon.
• Diana urged Aegon to give Daemon a dragon egg, but he refused to do so for now and worried he had started something dangerous.
• Daenerys told Sebastian she was willing to wait for Vomysor or Shadowmare and asked what he thought of Baslon Stark.
• Daenerys pressed Sebastian to explain why their grandfather wanted her and Igore to marry into the Stark family, and Sebastian said it was a responsibility their generation or the next would bear.
• In Sothoryos, Baelor confirmed to Dan that he would join the expedition, and Dan led the fully armed party into the forest as their dragons took flight.

Dan led Baelor and their party into the dangerous rainforest of Sothoryos, where protective magic guarded them from its hostile air and waters. Juehuo killed a giant fish, and a strange Valyrian-speaking man approached with a monkey, offering food for trade.

• Dan and an old soldier guided Baelor through the rainforest while warning him not to remove his magically protected clothing or touch anything unfamiliar.
• Baelor recalled Queen Nymeria's failed attempt to settle Sothoryos, and Dan demonstrated that the local water was unsafe by smashing a jar containing water that rippled with unseen creatures.
• A hidden, humanlike figure killed a red-maned monkey with a stone spear and carried it toward Dan's party.
• Juehuo dragged a huge, toothy fish from the river and roasted it with Dragonfire while the maester identified it from the records.
• A strange, heavily built man emerged from the forest, placed the monkey before the party, and offered food for trade in accented Valyrian.

In Sothoryos, Dan and Baelor encountered Gadaguga, a patterned man seeking salt or weapons, and Dan offered him a dagger if he guided their expedition to its target. In King's Landing, the Small Council argued over whether Princess or Prince should succeed the ailing King Daeron, and Herman Boll forbade further succession discussions until the king awakened.

• Gadaguga explained through Dan that his tribe wanted salt or weapons and could trade food, gold, and spices.
• Dan offered Gadaguga a dagger if he guided the expedition to its target, and Gadaguga hesitated.
• On the Small Council, Stokeworth and Clinton called for the succession to be clarified while Daeron was gravely ill.
• Farman asked the council whether they favored the princess or the prince, and Stokeworth proposed sending ravens to Prince Lonzell and the nobles.
• Herman Boll stopped the assistant maester from releasing ravens and declared that anyone who discussed succession before Daeron awakened would be executed as a rebel.

Herman Poole ended a council dispute over the succession by warning the ministers to wait for the King to decide. In King's Landing, Lonzell questioned Igor about whom the Valaerys family should support, and Igor challenged whether preserving stability served Westeros.

• Herman Poole threatened ministers who disputed his authority and reminded them that only the King could decide the succession.
• Andre Farman argued that the prince would consider the realm's future, but Ser Garin Dingwat warned him against being used in a conspiracy.
• Herman Poole ended the council debate and turned to routine petitions and disputes brought before him.
• The children played a boisterous knight game while Igor watched over them in Lonzell's chambers.
• Lonzell asked Igor whom he would support if he led the Valaerys family, and Igor said he would back Baelor and make his father Hand.
• Igor asked Lonzell whether stability truly mattered and whether Westeros's current state suited his needs.

Igor challenged Lonzell over the Valaerys family's growing power and the danger that future royal bastards might become Dragonriders, asking why his grandfather would not take the Iron Throne. Lonzell explained that the throne could corrupt the family's unity, then asked Igor what he would do if dragons eventually fought in chaos.

• Igor argued that the Valaerys family would soon surpass the royal family in dragons and Dragonriders, while the royal line faced a shortage of potential riders.
• Lonzell warned that bastards descended from a Dragonlord could tame dragons and that Prince Aegon might allow it if he followed Viserys's intentions.
• Igor asked whether Lonzell had considered taking the Iron Throne and argued that the Valaerys family already held greater military and political power than the royal family.
• Igor pointed to Lonzell's intelligence network and influence as evidence that he had prepared to rule, while Lonzell explained that a powerful Hand could wield freer authority than a king.
• Lonzell said the royal family should bear the throne's corrupting ambitions to protect Valaerys unity, then asked Igor what he would do if dragons clashed in chaos.
• Igor declared that dragons were weapons against the Long Night as well as companions and family, and vowed not to let them become uncontrollable.

Lonzell and Rey discussed royal heirs, Aegon’s bastards, and the dangers facing the royal children while Igor listened. Lonzell then shared Dan’s report from Sothoryos, which described ancient ruins and possible evidence of prehistoric dragon-like creatures.

• Igor candidly explained that the family needed leaders with different qualities, and Lonzell and Rey praised his cunning.
• Rey described the Peake family’s schemes and Aegon’s royal bastards, while Lonzell reflected on the royal family’s struggles to produce heirs.
• Lonzell told Rey that Dan’s expedition had met an enlightened tribe of patterned men who could safely send ravens.
• Lonzell read Dan’s account of traveling south along the Yi River, finding a damaged abandoned temple, and searching for Moon Dancer.
• Lonzell reported that Dan believed he had found evidence that dragon-like creatures had existed in ancient times.

Dan and his companions traveled up the Yi River toward a strange tower, where blood-drinking vines and a spreading gray mist attacked them. They escaped the mist, but one sailor began transforming into a scaled creature.

• Dan’s boats passed beneath a gate of tangled trees, where blood-drinking vines seized a Silver Blood Army soldier and Senzhuolosi burned the vines and forest with dark green fire.
• Dan spotted a tiered tower ahead, and Gadaguga warned him that scaled demons used warriors’ hearts for sacrifice and that gray mist made people disappear.
• As gray mist spread over the river, Juehuo dragged Dan’s boat away from it, and Dan ordered everyone to retreat.
• After the boats escaped the mist, a sailor clutched his throat as gray scales and black patches spread across his body, and Dan watched in shock.

Dan’s party encountered deadly gray mist on the Yi River, where two dragons’ fire briefly cleared a path but could not stop the fog from returning. Dan halted the journey and ordered the group to wait for the mist to disperse, with the pyramid of Yeen still ahead.

• A silver-haired sailor from Wine Harbor jumped into the Yi River and was devoured by its carnivorous fish.
• Juehuo and Senzolos attacked the gray mist with their flames, briefly burning open a path before the fog gathered again.
• Dan ordered Senzolos and Juehuo to retreat, then asked the Gada Guga guide about the unusually thick mist.
• Dan asked Baelor to leave for safety, but Baelor firmly refused to go.
• The maester identified the distant structure as a pyramid and suggested it might be the pyramid of Yeen.
• Dan ordered the party to rest and wait for the fog to disperse before setting out again.