Recaps

Daemon toured Rose Field as Highgarden prepared to host a tourney in three days, while Reach lords and young knights gathered around him and his dragons. After Larys warned him that House Peake had brought fifty knights and meant to challenge House Tyrell, Daemon resolved to watch the tensions as the tourney approached.

• Mathos and Martyn Tyrell showed Daemon the tourney grounds and explained the events, prizes, and safety measures, while Garlan oversaw preparations.
• Gael, Mysaria, and the Redwyne duchess discussed the Dornish and Lysene pirates as Larys chased his donkey through the garden.
• Alyn Redwyne challenged Daemon to a joust, Mace Florent offered to guard him, and lords from several Reach houses arrived at Highgarden.
• Lucas Tyrell hid from Daemon, still fearful after Daemon unhorsed him at the previous year's tourney in King's Landing.
• Larys warned Daemon that House Peake had brought fifty knights, and Daemon noted their hostility toward House Tyrell before the lords went to the banquet.

Daemon and his allies competed in three days of tourneys at Rose Field, winning the team contest and archery final while Colin Celtigar and Jarman Waters distinguished themselves. The festivities ended with a feast invitation at Highgarden, as Daemon remained mindful of the Reach’s unrest and the threat from Dorne.

• Colin Celtigar defeated Lubert Crabb in the jousting semifinal, then lost the final to the experienced Thaddeus Rowan.
• Rayford Rosby led Daemon’s team to victory over Duke Mathos’s bastards in the team flag contest.
• Jarman Waters won the archery final by striking the golden rose at the center of the target, beating Harlan Hunter and Ser Leo.
• Duke Mathos invited Daemon and the others to feast at Highgarden and announced that more contests would follow the next day.
• Daemon watched Glutton and Dreamfyre as the tourney ended and felt his dragon brand grow warm while thinking of the dangers ahead.

Daemon entered the Rose Field tourney disguised as a mystery knight and defeated Mathos Tyrell’s bastards and the challengers sent against him. After revealing himself as Prince Daemon, he was joined by Glutton, whose arrival left the field stunned.

• A black-armored mystery knight entered the jousting field and pinned Mathos Tyrell’s bruised-eyed bastard to a wall with his lance.
• The mystery knight defeated Mathos Tyrell’s other bastards and the knights who answered Mathos’s bounty, then faced the remaining nobles and knights.
• The mystery knight unhorsed Alyn Redwyne and Earl Thaddeus Rowan gently, but defeated Garlan Tyrell after Mathos ordered him to defend House Tyrell’s honor.
• The mystery knight told Garlan Tyrell that he was fighting for him, then removed his helmet and revealed himself as Prince Daemon.
• Glutton flew over Rose Field, roaring above Daemon as the tourney field fell silent.

Daemon exposed a plot by several Tyrell bastards to seize Highgarden and the Reach, then received the lords’ respect as he crowned Gael Queen of Love and Beauty. The conspirators were imprisoned, and Daemon and Gael flew over Rose Field on Glutton as the feast began.

• Daemon revealed that Tyrell bastards planned to seize the Reach and had recruited outlaws to capture the lords.
• Daemon identified the bruised-eyed bastard who had tried to recruit him, and Mathos ordered the conspirators taken to the dungeon under guard.
• The Reach lords remained wary of Mathos as they prepared to move to the feast in the main keep.
• Gael scolded Daemon for facing danger alone, but he crowned her Queen of Love and Beauty.
• Daemon climbed onto Glutton’s back with Gael and circled above Rose Field as the lords watched.

Daemon and his party departed Highgarden aboard Earl Redwyne’s fleet, beginning a voyage west along the Mander toward the Arbor and Oldtown. The chapter left Daemon looking ahead to meeting Vaegon Targaryen and Lyonel Strong, strengthening his ties in the Reach, and preparing for the threats to come.

• Martyn Tyrell and the Reach lords saw Daemon’s party off, while Mathos Tyrell stayed hidden in the keep.
• Tommen Peake and Lia Osgrey promised to join Daemon in King’s Landing, and Earl Redwyne invited the party to travel aboard his fleet.
• Gael told Daemon that Jaehaerys and Alysanne had asked them to stop at the Citadel and bring Vaegon Targaryen and Ser Lyonel Strong to King’s Landing.
• Daemon accepted Redwyne’s invitation and boarded the Arbor with Gael, Mysaria, and his followers as Glutton and Dreamfyre circled overhead.
• The Redwyne fleet sailed west along the Mander, and Daemon looked forward to visiting the Arbor and Oldtown before the year-end tourney.

Daemon and his companions visited the Arbor, where Earl Redwyne welcomed them with a feast and warned that Dorne might be conspiring with the Ironborn and Triarchy pirates. Daemon accepted Alyn and Horas into his following and agreed to stay on the island for a few more days before continuing toward Oldtown.

• Alyn Redwyne guided Daemon, Gael, and their companions to Lyan's Port, where Earl Redwyne welcomed them with wine and introduced his family.
• Daemon's followers sparred on the beach, and Daemon taught Alyn and Horas sword techniques while Margaery asked to see Dreamfyre.
• At the feast, Earl Redwyne warned Daemon that Dornish ships had contacted Ironborn and Triarchy vessels and offered the Redwyne Fleet as an escort.
• Earl Redwyne asked Daemon to take Alyn and Horas with him, and Daemon accepted their allegiance.
• Daemon agreed to stay on the Arbor for a few more days before continuing his journey toward Oldtown.

Daemon, Gael, and their companions arrived in Oldtown, where Hobert Hightower welcomed them and described the threats facing the city’s trade routes. The group planned to visit the Citadel the next day to meet Vaegon and Ser Leonno and learn more about the Ironborn and pirates.

• Daemon and his party sailed into Oldtown, where Hobert Hightower welcomed them alongside his children, Bethany and Mund.
• Gael gave Mund berries to feed Dreamfyre, while Bethany offered to show Mysaria the Citadel’s library.
• At a feast beneath the Hightower, Hobert warned Daemon that pirates, Dornish dealings with the Triarchy, and Ironborn raids threatened Oldtown’s shipping.
• Daemon promised to watch the situation and offered Glutton and Dreamfyre’s help; Mund eagerly asked to join him if the Ironborn attacked.
• Hobert arranged for Bethany and Mund to accompany Daemon’s party to the Citadel the next day, and Daemon and Alys discussed seeking Ser Leonno’s knowledge of Dorne and the Ironborn.

Daemon visited the Citadel on Jaehaerys’s orders to bring Vaegon to the year-end tourney and recruit Lyonel Strong as Master of Ships, while arranging for Beren Dustin to study there. The meeting ended with Vaegon noticing how much Gael had changed after riding Dreamfyre and wondering what Daemon meant to her.

• Bethany Hightower guided Daemon and his companions through the Citadel and explained its sphinxes and the maesters’ chain links.
• Daemon met Vaegon Targaryen and Lyonel Strong in the Hall of Stars and explained why he had come.
• Beren Dustin asked to study history and astronomy, and Lyonel defended his admission before Vaegon sent Bernard to register him.
• Daemon told Vaegon that Jaehaerys wanted the Citadel’s scrolls about the Long Night and reminded him to call the king his father.
• Gael told Vaegon she had ridden Dreamfyre, and Vaegon observed that Daemon had helped her overcome her fear.

Daemon toured the Citadel and discovered that its maesters had extensive records about dragons, including Glutton, deepening his suspicion of their motives. That night, Alys Rivers appeared in his room and embraced him, promising to guide him toward answers in the flames.

• Bethany Hightower showed Daemon's party the scribes' court, where maesters helped Oldtown residents with letters, maps, and records.
• Gael and Mysaria discussed dragonfire, and several maesters questioned Daemon about Glutton before an elderly maester silenced them.
• Vaegon led the party to the Seneschal's Court, where a doorkeeper confirmed that the Citadel recorded the Targaryen dragons but did not answer whether it had records of Glutton.
• Larys warned Daemon that the Citadel's ravens carried information across the Seven Kingdoms and that its maesters concealed their ambitions behind wisdom.
• Daemon reflected on the Citadel's knowledge of Glutton and the powers of his dragon brand, then sensed someone watching him in his room.
• Alys Rivers emerged from the shadows, said she could not see the answers in the flames this time, and embraced Daemon to guide him toward them.

Daemon and his fleet sailed from Oldtown toward King's Landing, with Bethany and Mund Hightower joining the voyage and the party stopping at Three Towers. They settled in for a brief rest while the unknowns of the Dornish Sea and their wait in King's Landing remained ahead.

• Hobert Hightower sent Bethany and Mund with Daemon to King's Landing, while Beren Dustin stayed in Oldtown to study at the Citadel.
• Daemon's fleet sailed west from Oldtown, and his followers settled into shipboard duties as Glutton and Dreamfyre circled overhead.
• Lyonel Strong questioned why Alys Rivers was traveling with Daemon, and Larys said she had shown interest in Daemon's brand.
• The fleet reached Three Towers, where Earl Costayne welcomed Daemon and prepared food, lodging, and supplies for the party.
• Daemon and his followers rested at Three Towers as night fell, with the voyage and the wait in King's Landing still ahead.

Daemon and his companions sailed south aboard the Redwyne fleet, stopping at Three Towers and Sunhouse for supplies before continuing along Dorne’s coast. The voyage approached the Stepstones, where the next leg promised new challenges.

• Daemon and the Redwyne fleet departed Three Towers after House Costayne supplied them with freshwater barrels.
• Earl Cuy welcomed Daemon, Gael, and the Hightower siblings at Sunhouse, provided food and sailing cloth, and warned them about reefs and hostile fleets.
• As the fleet sailed past Dorne, Maester Bernard taught the followers about the region while Alys Rivers, Lyonel Strong, and Vaegon Targaryen held their own lessons.
• Dragons deterred Ironborn ships, Dornish patrol vessels, and Triarchy merchants from approaching the Redwyne fleet.
• On the seventh day, Ser Big Horas told Daemon they were rounding the Cape of the Broken Arm and entering the Stepstones.

Daemon Blackfyre and the Redwyne fleet intercepted Lysene ships and discovered they were carrying enslaved captives, including Johanna Swann. After freeing them, Daemon set course for Stonehelm to confront Johanna’s uncle and the Stormlands lords who had allowed their people to be sold.

• Daemon noticed three suspicious Lysene ships and led Glutton to stop them while the Redwyne fleet prepared to board.
• Daemon exposed Pero’s deception, deflected a crossbow attack, and captured him as his men searched the ships.
• Alyn and the others found enslaved captives, and Johanna Swann identified herself as the niece of the Earl of Stonehelm and accused the Lysenes of abducting her.
• Pero blamed Craghas Drahar and the Kingdom of the Three Daughters, while Daemon ordered the Lysenes arrested and the captives’ identities and stolen belongings recorded.
• Johanna asked to accompany Daemon to Stonehelm, and he changed course to confront her uncle and the Stormlands lords over the enslavement of their people.
• Daemon told Alyn the fleet would depart for Stonehelm the next morning, while Johanna hoped he would help her obtain justice.

Daemon and Gael’s fleet punished lords involved in slave trading as it sailed along Cape Wrath. After learning that Lord Swann had never intended to ransom her, Johanna left Stonehelm with them and joined Gael’s household.

• Earl Estermont handed over five men who had traded slaves with the Lysenes, and Daemon sent them to Storm’s End for judgment.
• Earl Mertyns executed his uncle and other suspected traffickers, while Gael urged him to spare his young son from witnessing the killings.
• A minor lord resisted Daemon’s fleet, but Lyonel Strong and the others subdued his soldiers and sent the lord and his accomplices to Storm’s End.
• Lord Swann welcomed Daemon and Gael with a feast at Stonehelm, concealing that he had refused to ransom Johanna after believing she was lost at sea.
• Johanna caught up with the fleet and told Daemon that her uncle had wanted to save her dowry rather than ransom her.
• Gael welcomed Johanna as her maid, and Daemon’s fleet departed Stonehelm with her aboard.

Daemon’s fleet stopped at Rain House to replenish its supplies, where he met the young Jasper Wylde and reflected on the man he would become. After departing, the fleet continued toward Tarth with Johanna, Gael, and Mysaria aboard.

• Daemon decided not to punish House Swann for the future threat posed by Byron Swann, and promised to teach Johanna swordsmanship after they reached King’s Landing.
• Alyn Redwyne announced that the fleet had reached Rain House, where Jasper Wylde welcomed Daemon and offered supplies and a half-day’s rest.
• Daemon recognized Jasper as the future Ironrod and wondered whether he would choose a different side if the Dance of the Dragons came.
• Daemon declined Jasper’s invitation to visit the watchtower and asked him to load the fleet’s supplies quickly so they could sail that evening.
• After the supplies were loaded, Daemon’s fleet departed Rain House and continued toward Tarth.

Daemon and his companions visited Tarth, where Earl Cameron mistook Daemon for Prince Aemon’s son and welcomed him with deep affection. Daemon left with Budimir and Brienne as guards, and with Tarth’s promise of support, while Cameron’s warning about hidden arrows stayed with him.

• Big Horas Redwyne negotiated with Tarth’s merchants while the group explored the island and traded goods.
• Earl Cameron greeted Daemon as Prince Aemon’s son, recalled their shared past, and persuaded him to stay at Evenfall Hall.
• Cameron assigned his son Budimir Tarth and his daughter Brienne of Tarth to protect Daemon and the princesses.
• The fleet departed the next day, and Cameron embraced Daemon and warned him to beware hidden attackers.
• Gael and Brienne gave Daemon a cloak aboard the ship as he remembered Cameron’s promise that Tarth’s fleet would fight for him.

Daemon and his companions arrived at Storm’s End, where Borros and Duke Boremund welcomed him warmly and celebrated his deeds. Boremund revealed that Jocelyn hoped Daemon would accept her as his mother; Daemon asked for time but began to imagine Storm’s End as another home.

• Borros greeted Daemon at Storm’s End and invited him to feast, drink, and compete in the training grounds.
• Borros and Boremund praised Daemon’s accomplishments and the rescue of Stormlands people from slavery.
• Boremund told Daemon that Jocelyn had accepted him and wanted him to call her Mother, while he hoped Daemon would call him Uncle.
• Daemon thanked Boremund but asked for time, and Borros affirmed that he would stand by him as family.
• Later, Daemon watched Shipbreaker Bay from the terrace and reflected that he was beginning to look forward to calling Jocelyn Mother and Storm’s End home.

At Storm's End, Duke Boremund Baratheon executed seven people involved in trafficking Stormlands subjects and declared that anyone who sold their people to the Three Daughters would be treated as an ally of Dorne. The ceremony strengthened the alliance between House Baratheon and Daemon, and the chapter ended with Daemon agreeing to call Jocelyn “Mother” when he returned to King's Landing.

• Daemon and Borros discussed the injuries Borros had received in their friendly bout as the Stormlands lords gathered for the executions.
• Boremund used his ancestral battle-axe, Stormbringer, to execute the seven criminals, including the trafficker who had targeted Johanna.
• Boremund denounced the traffickers, proclaimed their acts a betrayal of the Stormlands, and threatened anyone who sold subjects to the Three Daughters with punishment for colluding with Dorne.
• Daemon drew Blackfyre as Glutton circled overhead, and Boremund declared that future offenders would face either his axe or a Targaryen dragon's flames.
• Johanna thanked Boremund for delivering justice, and Boremund credited Daemon while encouraging Johanna to pursue what she wanted.
• At the feast, Boremund told Daemon that Jocelyn hoped he would call her Mother; Daemon agreed to do so when he returned to King's Landing.

Daemon joined Borros Baratheon and the young Stormlands nobles on a hunt at Griffin's Roost, where he welcomed Criston Cole and chose not to kill a young stag. The party continued deeper into the woods together, leaving Daemon among new companions and the beginnings of future bonds.

• Borros gathered Daemon and several young Stormlands nobles, including Lorent Grandison, Jon Cafferen, Roland Connington, Alaric Dondarrion, and Criston Cole, for a hunt at Griffin's Roost.
• Gael, Johanna, and Mysaria gave Daemon supplies and personal requests before he rode out with the party and Dreamfyre and Glutton flew after them.
• At Griffin's Roost, Daemon rejected the nobles' argument over teams and asked Criston to lead them to the deer’s watering places.
• When Willie startled a stag at a pool, Daemon pursued it but spared it because it was still young, and praised Criston's tracking judgment.
• Daemon urged Borros and the others to keep hunting, and they rode farther into the woods as the afternoon passed.

Daemon and his companions departed Storm’s End after receiving gifts and farewells, then sailed through Massey’s Hook toward the Gullet. In the night, Glutton and Dreamfyre sensed an intruder aboard the fleet, and Daemon confronted a shifting shadow on deck.

• Borros, Lorent, Roland, the Fell brothers, Jon, Criston, and Boremund bid Daemon farewell and gave him gifts as the fleet left Storm’s End.
• Gael, Mysaria, and Johanna reflected on their farewells as the fleet rounded Massey’s Hook and stopped at Stonedance, where Earl Massey welcomed Daemon and praised House Targaryen.
• Earl Bar Emmon received Daemon at Sharp Point, showed him the Gullet, and presented him with a preserved swordfish specimen.
• Daemon dreamed of Alys Rivers and Dragonstone, then awoke when his Dragon Mark grew hot and Glutton roared at an unfamiliar presence near the fleet.
• Glutton and Dreamfyre confronted a moving shadow beside the dried fish on deck, and Daemon approached it with Blackfyre and ordered it to come out.

Daemon encountered the reclusive wild dragon Grey Ghost aboard his fleet and gained his trust, while surviving Grey Ghost’s Dragonfire unharmed. As the fleet sailed toward King’s Landing, Daemon accepted Grey Ghost as part of his family, leaving the dragon’s arrival poised to change the future.

• Grey Ghost emerged from hiding on Daemon’s ship, and Vaegon identified him as the wild dragon from Dragonstone.
• Daemon calmed Grey Ghost and let him approach, while Glutton and Dreamfyre moved away to ease the little dragon’s fear.
• Glutton startled Grey Ghost with Dragonfire, and Grey Ghost fled back into hiding before threatening Gael with Dragonfire.
• Daemon stopped Grey Ghost’s jaws with his bare hands and emerged unburned, astonishing Gael, Vaegon, Alys Rivers, and the others.
• Daemon’s followers welcomed Grey Ghost, and the sailors prepared to gather fish cooked by the dragons’ fire as the fleet sailed toward Blackwater Bay.
• Daemon held and stroked Grey Ghost, deciding that the wild dragon would be part of the family he wanted to protect.

Daemon returned to King's Landing with his companions and was welcomed by the royal family. He reconciled with Jocelyn by calling her Mother, then headed to the Red Keep for a feast as Grey Ghost secretly followed him into the city.

• Daemon fished a grouper from the Redwyne fleet while Grey Ghost followed the ships and accepted fish from the crew.
• The fleet reached King's Landing, where Jaehaerys, Alysanne, Baelon, and the royal court welcomed Daemon and the returning party.
• Daemon Targaryen told Daemon that he had become commander of the City Watch, then greeted Daemon and his companions.
• Daemon called Jocelyn Mother, and she embraced him in tears as the royal family looked on.
• Daemon soothed the crying Princess Rhaenyra, who stopped crying and giggled in his arms.
• Jaehaerys led the party toward the Red Keep for a welcoming feast, while Grey Ghost secretly followed Daemon into King's Landing.

Daemon Blackfyre was welcomed at a feast in the Red Keep, where his achievements and growing influence drew praise and wary speculation. Later, Gael and the others joined him in his room, where they accepted Grey Ghost and shared a warm moment together.

• Jocelyn Baratheon and Queen Alysanne served Daemon Blackfyre food at the banquet, while Gael, Viserys, and Rhaenyra joined in the lively meal.
• Baelon praised Daemon Blackfyre’s accomplishments across the Seven Kingdoms, and Otto Hightower, Lyonel Strong, Vaegon, and Jaehaerys added their approval.
• Daemon Targaryen teased Daemon Blackfyre about women and Grey Ghost, while lords and Otto Hightower privately worried that Daemon’s influence might threaten Prince Viserys.
• Larys Strong signaled an attendant to carry a message as the banquet ended.
• Gael, Mysaria, Johanna, Brienne, and Alys Rivers visited Daemon Blackfyre with wheat cakes and gifts, and Grey Ghost revealed a shed scale from Glutton hanging around his neck.
• Gael agreed that Grey Ghost could stay nearby, and Daemon Blackfyre watched his friends gather around the timid dragon.

Daemon and his followers spent a peaceful morning training and socializing in King's Landing before Lyonel Strong delivered the king’s plans for their posts and Robin Shaw summoned Daemon Targaryen to the Small Council. The chapter left Daemon watching Ser Harrold Westerling teach Mys Rivers a lesson in swordsmanship beside the docile Grey Ghost.

• Daemon sparred with Daemon Targaryen while their companions trained, studied, and watched around the grounds.
• Lyonel Strong told Daemon that the king wanted him and his followers to take government or military posts, and Daemon sent Jarman Waters and Harlan Hunter to assist Lyonel and guard him and Larys Strong.
• Ser Robin Shaw summoned Daemon Targaryen to the Small Council, and Daemon Targaryen left after promising Daemon another bout.
• Lubert Crabb and Lyonel Corbray admired the Kingsguard, and Ser Harrold Westerling offered to demonstrate swordsmanship by sparring with Mys Rivers.
• Harrold easily outmaneuvered Mys and advised him on his technique while Daemon watched from beside Gael, Rhaenyra, and Grey Ghost.

Jaehaerys appointed Daemon Blackfyre Targaryen Master of Whisperers and gave him sweeping powers to form the Dark Blade Guard, despite objections from his family and council. He later explained that Daemon and Daemon Targaryen were meant to serve as two royal swords, while warning that their power could threaten Viserys’s future reign.

• Jaehaerys announced Daemon Blackfyre Targaryen’s appointment as Master of Whisperers, prompting Baelon, Leonno Strong, Grand Maester Alar, Viserys, and Queen Alysanne to object.
• Daemon Targaryen drew Dark Sister on Otto Hightower, accusing him of trying to weaken Little Daemon, before Jaehaerys ordered him to sheathe it.
• Daemon Blackfyre Targaryen swore to serve the Iron Throne, and Jaehaerys appointed him to the Small Council with authority to form the Dark Blade Guard and execute first in emergencies.
• The council accepted Jaehaerys’s decision, while Otto regretted that his proposal had strengthened Daemon instead of weakening him.
• Jaehaerys told Baelon and Vaegon that Daemon Targaryen would be the sword in the sunlight and Daemon Blackfyre the sword in the darkness, meant to reclaim royal authority and check threats to the crown.
• Jaehaerys worried that Viserys might not be able to keep the two swords loyal or prevent them from turning against each other.

Daemon managed intelligence work in the Red Keep before joining the royal family at Blackwater Bay to welcome Rhaenys and her children. The reunion ended with Daemon carrying Rhaenyra toward the Red Keep alongside Gael and Laena.

• Daemon assigned Jarman, Larys, Colin, and Alyn to check reports and avoid clashes between the Gold Cloaks and the Dark Blade Guard.
• Daemon joined Jaehaerys, Alysanne, Baelon, Viserys, and the others at Blackwater Bay to await Rhaenys, Laena, and Laenor.
• Meleys brought Rhaenys and her children to the docks, where Rhaenys reunited with Jocelyn Baratheon.
• Laenor ran to Daemon, who instead picked up Laena and passed Laenor to Daemon Targaryen.
• Rhaenyra cried until Daemon took her from Viserys, then calmed and smiled in his arms.
• Jaehaerys led the group back to the Red Keep as Daemon carried Rhaenyra and Gael walked beside him with Laena.