Chapter Summaries

Igor discussed the danger facing the royal family’s descendants and Daemon Waters’s return to the Conquest Lands, while Ig prepared to tame the dragon Sheepstealer. The chapter left Ig set on risking his life to claim the dragon.

• In Tyrosh, Damion brought Igor to the arena, where Igor explained that his sister feared their children might undergo dragonization.
• Igor told Rhaegon he knew about Daemon Waters, and Rhaegon said he and Irena were preparing to join the fighting in the Conquest Lands.
• Igor noted that Gaels Rivers had tamed the young dragon Jelorion but continued to suffer from severe burns.
• In King's Landing, Ig worked on armor bearing his chosen sigil, a galloping horse with dragon wings.
• Ig told Garmon he intended to tame Sheepstealer, and Garmon warned him of the danger before urging him to return alive.
• Ig asked about their newly discovered brother, and Garmon called him the noblest among them.

Igg refused to abandon his plan to tame Sheepstealer despite Garmon’s warnings about the danger and the political risks for Aegon’s bastard Dragonriders. On Dragonstone, Queen Rhaena prepared her grown son Daeron to face his duties, and Daeron said he was ready to approach the gentle dragon Stormcloud.

• Garmon warned Igg that Aegon valued his royal Dragonriders more than the other bastards and would likely never let him claim a dragon larger than those of the legitimate royal family.
• Garmon cautioned Igg that Sheepstealer was dangerous, had eaten people, and might be too large for a bastard to control, especially with winter approaching.
• Igg insisted that taming a dragon was their last chance and vowed that he would never give up.
• Queen Rhaena told Daeron that he had grown up and must now face certain responsibilities.
• Daeron told Rhaena that Ser Rhaegon had taught him how to approach and communicate with dragons, and that he believed gentle Stormcloud would accept him.

Queen Rhaena discussed Stormcloud and Daeron’s chances of bonding with him before Igor and Damion arrived at Dragonstone. When Daeron knew nothing about the Second Sons’ reported cooperation with the royal family, Rhaena asked Igor to protect her son.

• Rhaena praised Stormcloud and told Daeron that his father had once tried and failed to tame the dragon.
• Daeron said he had approached Stormcloud and that the dragon did not resist his presence.
• Damion and Igor flew Shayel to Dragonstone, where Rhaena and Daeron were waiting.
• Damion explained that the royal family planned to send Dragonriders to help the Conquest Lands fight the Dothraki.
• Igor asked Daeron about reports that the Second Sons would cooperate with the royal family, but Daeron said he knew nothing about it.
• Rhaena asked Igor to protect Daeron.

Dan and Baelor returned from their journey to report that the ancient peoples they had visited would not help prepare for the Doom, and they planned to travel north next. Meanwhile, Daeron met Stormcloud, which accepted him.

• Shayer carried Daeron, Igor, and Damion to the Black Palace, where Dan and Baelor welcomed them.
• Igor told Dan that Lonzell had withdrawn to the Dragonpit, Rey was in poor spirits, and the kingdom’s families were fighting over conquered lands.
• Dan and Baelor reported that Yi Ti’s rulers rejected their proposal, Asshai trusted its fire magic, and Sothoryos’s lizardmen attacked them.
• Dan said he and Baelor would rest in King’s Landing before traveling north at Lonzell’s wish.
• Daeron approached Stormcloud, and the dragon touched his hand after recognizing him.

Rey and Lonzell discussed the fading of magic, the growing power of the Heart of Winter, and the choices needed to preserve dragons. Lonzell visited Melisandre to hear her prophecies, which showed dragons fighting and hinted at two sword-wielding heroes as Doom approached.

• Rey visited Lonzell in Vomysor's lair and urged him to return to his tower.
• Lonzell explained that the Heart of Winter had been gathering strength and that magic needed to be sustained to preserve the dragons.
• Rey worried that Lingor and Lonzell were growing old and that Igor would inherit their burdens.
• Lonzell went to Melisandre, who said her recent visions concerned both Doom and dragons.
• Melisandre showed Lonzell flames depicting dragons fighting and said she had also seen two figures holding swords.

Lonzell told Melisandre that he would soon withdraw beneath the dragon lair and charged her with supporting the royal family until the Long Night. In the Black Palace, Igor questioned Garin about the Crown's Dragonriders and learned that Aeg Rivers appeared to be pursuing Sheepstealer.

• Lonzell confirmed that Melisandre had seen two people draw Lightbringer in the flames.
• Lonzell told Melisandre his lifespan was nearly over and said he planned to be buried beneath the dragon lair in two or three years.
• Lonzell rejected Melisandre's offer to use magic against the royal family and said Igor should become Daeron's sole Hand.
• Melisandre swore by R'hllor that she would not betray Lonzell or his plans.
• Garin told Igor that Bensen avoided the royal family and preferred patrolling Blackwater Bay, where he excelled at fighting from dragonback.
• Garin said Aeg Rivers had secretly bought sheep to pursue Sheepstealer, prompting Igor's interest.

Garin reported that Igor was being watched as a potential dragonrider while the Valaerys family’s growing strength contrasted with the decline of the royal Dragonriders. Bensen Dragonheart refused to attend court or a royal banquet, choosing to keep himself apart from politics.

• Garin told Igor that Sheepstealer accepted the sheep Igor brought, though it was unclear whether the dragon had chosen him, while Stormcloud favored Crown Prince Daeron.
• Garin considered how the Valaerys family’s dragons and the royal Dragonriders’ decline had shifted the balance of power.
• Bensen rejected his attendant’s request to attend court, saying he would only act if ordered to fight.
• Bensen refused an invitation to the Black Palace banquet after learning that Prince Baelor, Prince Dan, and Prince Igor would host it.

Igor and Daemion examined a strange scaled corpse from Gogossos and suspected it came from an experiment to recreate the origins of tameable dragons. In King's Landing, Ig and Garmon watched a prince prepare to tame a dragon while Garmon faced his likely appointment to the Kingsguard, and Ig learned that Brynden Silver Blood would arrive the next day.

• Igor praised Benson Dragonheart's caution and explained that understanding the Dragonriders' characters mattered more than meeting them.
• Daemion found scales growing from the corpse's flesh, and Dan said the body might have come from Gogossos blood mages trying to recreate the birth of tameable dragons.
• Ig and Garmon watched the prince's procession head to the Red Keep before the prince's dragon-taming attempt.
• Garmon said he expected Aegon to appoint him to the vacant Kingsguard post and asked Ig to help him if Ig tamed Sheepstealer.
• Ig learned that Brynden Silver Blood would arrive the next day to take part in dragon taming, and reacted sharply because of his Bracken heritage.

Brynden arrived at the Black Palace and warned Igor that his visions showed Aegon preparing dangerous plans, a black dragon, and disaster in King's Landing. The group remained uncertain of Aegon's intentions as Brynden prepared to take part in dragon-taming under King's Landing's rules.

• Salafasys flew into the Black Palace at night, where the dragons and the gathered Valaeryses noticed her arrival.
• Brynden told Igor that his visions showed Aegon amid wine, a hero drawing a pitch-black sword, a black dragon, and flames consuming King's Landing.
• Baelor asked whether the sword was Blackfyre, and Brynden explained that he could not identify it or see Aegon's movements clearly.
• Brynden reported that Aegon was taking medicine from Essos and that Daemon Waters commanded a quarter of the Second Sons' forces.
• Dan assured Baelor that the Valaerys family would protect Crown Prince Daeron's authority, while Igor warned Brynden to avoid the green dragon during the upcoming dragon-taming.

Crown Prince Daeron tamed Stormcloud while Aemon worried over King Aegon's absence and his own declining strength. The next day, Aegor prepared to claim Sheepstealer, while Brynden attempted to skinchange into Blood Eye and mounted the dragon after briefly sharing its vision.

• Crown Prince Daeron rode Stormcloud through the sky and landed clumsily, while Aemon arrived on Seasmoke and praised Daeron's success.
• Aemon lamented that he could no longer fight on dragonback and questioned why King Aegon had not attended Daeron's taming.
• Garin warned Aegor that the White Queen could not protect him from Sheepstealer, and Aegor said he was prepared to claim the dragon.
• Garmon chose to join the Kingsguard, while Brynden entered the Dragonpit intending to tame Blood Eye.
• Brynden failed to skinchange into Blood Eye but briefly experienced the dragon's vision, after which Blood Eye showed no hostility and let him mount.
• A mighty roar erupted from the Dragonpit as Brynden mounted Blood Eye, drawing the attention of Dreamfyre and Caraxes.

Brynden learned that Ige had tamed Sheepstealer and could communicate smoothly with the dragon, while Aegon defended allowing him to ride it despite Ilion’s objections. In the Conquered Lands, Jacaerys spotted a vast enemy force but questioned why the Westerosi army had requested dragons when it seemed strong enough to win without them.

• Blood Eye told Brynden that Sheepstealer was fierce but could be befriended with mutton, while Brynden watched Ige negotiate with the dragon over its daily sheep ration.
• Ige and Brynden exchanged greetings while each felt unexplained hostility tied to the Bracken and Blackwood families.
• Ilion challenged Aegon for allowing a bastard to tame Sheepstealer, but Aegon argued that Ige’s dragon strengthened the declining Targaryens against the Valaerys family.
• Jacaerys scouted a huge khalasar and Qohori raiders from Kongyi as the Westerosi forces assembled in the Conquered Lands.
• Jacaerys questioned why the army had called for dragons when its forces appeared capable of defeating the invaders on their own.

Jacaerys reported that the Dothraki were trapped and weakened by the allied forces of the Conquered Lands, while Daemon Waters distinguished himself in a raid. In King's Landing, Aegon told Aemon that he wanted competition within the royal family to keep the Targaryens from becoming Targaryen Valaerys.

• Jacaerys arrived at the Archon's Palace in Tyrosh and explained that the Dothraki had been cut off from retreat and supplies.
• Jacaerys and the other Dragonriders discussed how the allied lords had united against the Dothraki and why Aegon did not need to lead the fight himself.
• The forces of Houses Osgrey, Bolton, and Red Tully attacked the Dothraki, while the Second Sons raided their camp and destroyed much of their livestock.
• Daemon Waters led the Second Sons' raid and gained notice as a rising bastard knight and the youngest knight.
• Aemon asked Aegon what benefit the conflict brought the family, and Aegon said the royal family needed competition to remain distinct from House Valaerys.

Lonzell explained to the three-eyed crow that he was allowing dragons and conflict to grow so they would be tempered for the coming Song of Ice. Meanwhile, the Conquered Lands and the Dragonriders crushed a Dothraki khalasar, leaving Jacaerys Valaerys to dismiss the battle as a clumsy script.

• Lonzell told the three-eyed crow that dragons needed experience and control before the coming final battle against the creations of the Song of Ice.
• King Aegon, the Targaryen royal Dragonriders, and the Valaerys Dragonriders gathered above the battlefield as the hunters signaled the start of the attack.
• Daemon Waters led three hundred knights in a surprise assault on the Dothraki rear, beginning the general attack from six directions.
• The Conquered Lands' forces overwhelmed the Dothraki, while Syrax and the other dragons occasionally attacked the scattered horse herds with Dragonfire.
• Daemon Waters and his companions killed the khal, and the victors displayed the khal's head and braid on a spear.
• Jacaerys Valaerys watched the battlefield and judged the victory to be a clumsy script.

Aegon honored Daemon, his bastard son, before the gathered lords and warriors, naming him a royal knight and entrusting him with Blackfyre. The unexpected appointment alarmed the royal family and left the crowd wondering what Aegon intended.

• Osserys, Sebastian, Serina, and Jacaerys discussed the battle, Daemon, and Aegon’s reasons for letting events grow more chaotic.
• Maegon refused to join the ceremony, criticizing Aegon for using Dragonriders in a war that did not need them.
• Daemon knelt before Aegon, who praised his service and spoke about the legacy of his name.
• Aegon knighted Daemon with Blackfyre and entrusted him with the sword until his heir could wield it.
• Valys was stunned by Aegon’s decision, and Maegon moved to mount his dragon.

King Aegon gave Blackfyre to Daemon, a bastard Dragonrider, alarming Maegor, House Valaerys, and Queen Rhaena. Daeron urged his mother not to act and revealed that he had secretly sought help from his great-uncle.

• Jacaerys had Osseris stop Maegor from confronting King Aegon over Blackfyre.
• Maegor saw the Second Sons and the lords react to King Aegon’s decision, while Eustace Osgrey and Oscar Red Tully failed to dissuade him.
• King Aegon gave Blackfyre to Daemon and praised him before the assembled soldiers and lords.
• Maegor told Jacaerys that he wanted to see Prince Lingor, and Jacaerys said King's Landing would welcome him.
• Queen Rhaena tried to reach Daeron on Dragonstone, but her guards held her back until Daeron arrived and warned her that action by her or House Valaerys would worsen matters.
• Daeron told Rhaena he had secretly visited his great-uncle, then repeated the words, “My Blood Runs Silver, I Will Not Betray the Pact.”

Daeron urged Queen Rhaena to settle his betrothal to Princess Cerys and discussed the threat posed by Daemon. Meanwhile, the Dragonseekers planned to exploit the king’s death to claim dragons, Daemon struggled with the meaning of Blackfyre, and Cerys faced a decision in King’s Landing.

• Daeron told Queen Rhaena that his succession was secure but Daemon’s role as the king’s tool could threaten him, and they considered how to handle Daemon.
• Daericys and Aegon Sunfyre discussed the Dragonseekers’ dwindling political support and their plan to seize dragons during the chaos after the king died.
• A Dragonseeker proposed using magic to make the king die naturally after Daemon had tamed a dragon, and Aegon warned him not to tell Daemon.
• Daemon confided his unease about Blackfyre to Trystane, who urged him to accept his position and choose how to face the crown prince, queen, and Dragonseekers.
• In a gloomy hall in King’s Landing, Cerys was told it was time for her to decide.

Cerys considered whether to accept a marriage tying her family to the Targaryens, then sought space to think in Summerhall. After asking Brynden about his feelings and learning he could not marry her because of his duties, she seemed to make up her mind.

• Lingor told Cerys that her family would leave the marriage decision entirely to her, and she left the hall to think.
• Cerys recalled the royal family's political plans and went to Summerhall to clear her mind.
• Brynden found Cerys in the Summer Market and bought her an amethyst necklace.
• Cerys asked Brynden whether he had ever liked her and whether he would be unhappy if she married someone else.
• Brynden admitted he liked her but said his green seer duties prevented him from proposing, and Cerys responded with apparent relief and resolve.

Cyrie declined to claim a dragon because Igor’s long-term political plan required her to remain a non-Dragonrider for now. As she and Brinden walked through the marketplace, they realized King Aegon’s debasement of gold coins had caused trouble for a merchant.

• Brinden asked Cyrie why she would not claim a dragon, and she said she did not want to disrupt Igor’s plans.
• Cyrie and Brinden reflected on the Valaerys family’s political influence and the divided loyalties of Westeros’s kingdoms.
• Cyrie said she was indispensable to Igor’s plan whether she became a Dragonrider or not, and that for now it was better if she did not.
• A merchant from King’s Landing emerged from a spice shop, angrily cursing before returning inside.
• Brinden pointed out Cyrie’s necklace and said the king’s adulterated gold coins had finally caused trouble.

Garin learned that the royal mint’s underweight Gold Dragons had triggered rising prices and a currency crisis, and Harry asked him to arrange a meeting with Valaerys. At the Red Keep, Aemon told Aegon that the royal family needed Valaerys to stabilize the economy.

• Harry visited Garin through a hidden passage and explained that the royal mint had debased Gold Dragons, disrupting exchange rates and driving up prices.
• Harry asked Garin to arrange a meeting with Valaerys’ envoy, but Garin told him to stay the night and eat his bread and salt in the morning.
• Benson learned that food prices had risen beyond his salary and sent his attendant to arrange a secret visit to Garin.
• Aegon questioned the Master of Coin about the currency crisis, while Aemon warned that the treasury and private vault could not solve it indefinitely.
• Aemon told Aegon that Valaerys was now essential to the royal family and would clear the way for the heir.

Igor and Lonzell discussed King's Landing's worsening currency crisis and how Cerys could make Aegon stabilize the market using the royal house's credit. Cerys flew with Brynden before returning to the castle, while Daemon met Igg and Garmon in the Red Keep and was challenged to prove he deserved Blackfyre.

• Igor told Lonzell that Aegon III's Gold Dragons were losing value and proposed making Aegon spend the Targaryen royal house's credit while Cerys played an important role.
• Cerys asked Brynden to take her flying on Blood Eye, and he granted her request as Igor and Daemion watched.
• Cerys and Brynden flew over Summerhall, shared a quiet farewell, and returned to the castle.
• Igg introduced himself to Daemon as his elder brother and challenged him to prove he was worthy of Blackfyre.
• Garmon Waters introduced himself as a Kingsguard member and said he had come specially to meet Daemon.