Chapter Summaries

During a family tea in the Red Keep, Jaehaerys's relatives teased Daemon Targaryen about his betrothal to Rhea Royce and Daemon Blackfyre Targaryen about romance. The mood collapsed when a messenger reported that Lord Arryn, his lady, and their young princes had been killed by Stone Crows, leaving Aemma unconscious and the royal family in shock.

• Baelon teased Daemon Targaryen about his coming marriage to Rhea Royce, and Jaehaerys reminded him to treat her with care.
• Jaehaerys asked Daemon Blackfyre Targaryen about potential romances, while Viserys teased him about Alicent Hightower and Alysanne whispered to the blushing Gael.
• The Master of Coin and a messenger arrived with news that Lord Arryn, his lady, and the young princes had been killed in a Stone Crows ambush in the Mountains of the Moon.
• Aemma collapsed after hearing the news, Viserys tried to catch her, and Rhaenyra began to cry as the pavilion descended into chaos.
• Baelon read the messenger's scroll and looked toward Daemon Blackfyre Targaryen, who realized his warning had not prevented the tragedy.

After the Arryn duke and his family were massacred by the Stone Crows, Jaehaerys and Baelon prepared a dragon-led campaign of vengeance. Pressed to explain how he had known the Wildlings were dangerous, Daemon Blackfyre claimed he had seen the slaughter in a dream.

• A messenger reported that the Stone Crows had ambushed and killed the Arryn duke’s convoy in Widow’s Wail Canyon, leaving no survivors.
• Baelon’s suspicion focused on Daemon Blackfyre, who had warned the Arryn duke about the Wildlings, while Daemon Targaryen learned that his betrothed’s family was dead.
• Jaehaerys ordered the Small Council summoned and the available dragons prepared to punish the Stone Crows and the tribes sheltering them.
• Daemon Targaryen confronted Daemon Blackfyre and demanded to know how he had foreseen the massacre.
• Daemon Blackfyre decided to conceal the truth and told them that he had dreamed of blood and fire.

Daemon Blackfyre claimed that his visions were Dragon Dreams, using the story to explain his warning and secure a place in Jaehaerys's campaign against the Stone Crows. The group prepared to fly to the Vale at sunrise, while Daemon Blackfyre considered how to sustain his dangerous deception.

• Daemon Blackfyre described a vision of a caravan destroyed by boulders, arrows, and fire in the Mountains of the Moon, then mentioned other fragmented dreams.
• Jaehaerys believed Daemon Blackfyre might be a Dragon Dreamer and ordered him to join the expedition on Glutton.
• Daemon Targaryen celebrated their coming journey together, while Gael gave Daemon Blackfyre a silver dragon-scale charm and asked him to be careful.
• Jaehaerys announced that Vermithor, Vhagar, Caraxes, and Glutton would carry the group to the Mountains of the Moon at sunrise.
• Daemon Blackfyre reflected that the Stone Crows would survive the coming attack and planned to invent more dreams to protect his secret and guide future interventions.

King Jaehaerys, Prince Baelon, Daemon Targaryen, and Daemon Blackfyre Targaryen rode their dragons to Widow's Wail Canyon and unleashed dragonfire on the Stone Crows. After witnessing Glutton's unnatural black flames annihilate wildlings, Daemon Blackfyre confronted the bloody weight of his Targaryen name.

• King Jaehaerys ordered Vermithor, Vhagar, Caraxes, and Glutton to fly from King's Landing toward Widow's Wail Canyon.
• The dragons descended on the Stone Crows' camp, and Jaehaerys and Baelon commanded Vermithor and Vhagar to burn the wildlings.
• Daemon Targaryen sent Caraxes on repeated attacks, burning wildlings hiding along the canyon cliffs.
• Daemon Blackfyre commanded Glutton to unleash black dragonfire, which silently froze the life from a group of wildlings and reduced them to ash.
• As the surviving Stone Crows fled into the burning canyon, Daemon Blackfyre felt sickened by the slaughter and thought of Gael while recognizing the bloody burden of the name Targaryen.

At the Arryn funeral in Moon Gate Keep, Queen Alysanne asserted the Iron Throne’s protection of Jeyne Arryn and her claim to the Vale. Gael reunited with Daemon, and the gathering moved from the sept into the courtyard after the prayers ended.

• The Vale nobles attended the funeral of Jeyne Arryn’s parents and brother while Count Yorbert Royce stood guard over the young heir.
• Queen Alysanne arrived on Silverwing with Gael and declared that Jeyne was the lawful heir, warning the Arryn relatives against challenging her rights.
• Count Yorbert swore that House Royce would protect Jeyne until she came of age.
• Alysanne encouraged Gael to approach Daemon, and Gael told him she had come because she was worried about him.
• The funeral prayers ended, and the mourners left the sept for the inner courtyard.

Daemon Targaryen met his betrothed, Rhea Royce, whose blunt appraisal wounded his pride, while the royal family secured Jeyne Arryn’s position in the Vale. As they flew back toward King’s Landing, Daemon Blackfyre carried Gael’s parting gift and faced the dangers awaiting him.

• Lord Yorbert Royce introduced Rhea Royce to Daemon Targaryen, and she criticized his ornate sword and focus on appearances.
• Daemon Targaryen concealed his anger at Rhea Royce’s blunt words, while Daemon Blackfyre recognized their meeting as the beginning of their unhappy marriage.
• King Jaehaerys appointed Yorbert and reaffirmed the royal family’s support for Jeyne Arryn’s inheritance, and Queen Alysanne gave Jeyne a falcon brooch.
• Gael gave Daemon Blackfyre calming grass and a charm before the royal family departed the Vale.
• The dragons carried the royal family toward King’s Landing as Daemon Targaryen brooded over Rhea’s remarks and Daemon Blackfyre held Gael’s gift.

Daemon Targaryen and Rhea Royce’s hostile marriage ceremony and feast ended with Daemon trapped at Runestone. Days later, he flew Caraxes back to King’s Landing, leaving Daemon Blackfyre to expect renewed chaos.

• Rhea Royce vowed to protect the alliance with House Targaryen but said Daemon Targaryen would have to earn her obedience, and Daemon answered with a mocking threat about Caraxes.
• At the wedding feast, Rhea discussed the Vale’s defenses while Daemon drank and ignored King Jaehaerys’s attempts to improve the mood; the newlyweds argued outside their bedchamber.
• When Rhaenys teased Daemon Blackfyre about marriage and suggested Laena, Gael blushed and Daemon Targaryen complained to Viserys and Aemma that he wanted to leave Runestone.
• Several days later, Daemon Targaryen returned to the Red Keep on Caraxes and announced that he would not stay at Runestone.
• Daemon Targaryen ignored King Jaehaerys’s angry shout and headed for the study, while Daemon Blackfyre realized his return would disrupt the peace in King’s Landing.

In the warm chamber, Baelon refused to remarry and embraced Daemon Blackfyre as his youngest son, while Jaehaerys set aside marriage talks for the younger generation. Daemon Targaryen arrived injured after Jaehaerys and Baelon had punished him for threatening House Royce, and the family ended the evening together in warmth and laughter.

• Baelon told Jaehaerys and Alysanne that he would remain devoted to Alyssa and named Daemon Blackfyre his youngest son.
• Gael said she wanted to stay at the Red Keep longer, and Daemon Blackfyre deflected Jaehaerys's marriage suggestions by mentioning his age, Glutton, and the Stepstones.
• Daemon Targaryen entered on a cane with a badly injured leg, prompting Alysanne to call for a maester.
• Daemon Targaryen recalled how Jaehaerys and Baelon had tied him up and injured him after he threatened to burn down House Royce's gates.
• Jaehaerys postponed marriage discussions and teased Daemon Blackfyre about bringing him a granddaughter-in-law when he grew up.

As Daemon Blackfyre prepared to leave King's Landing on a royal progress, Daemon Targaryen escaped his confinement through a secret passage and persuaded him to sneak out together. The pair disappeared into Silk Street while Gael and Alicent considered following them, leaving Jaehaerys suspecting that Daemon was causing trouble again.

• Alysanne argued with Jaehaerys over Daemon Targaryen's harsh punishment, while Baelon failed to mediate.
• Daemon Blackfyre burned Otto Hightower's proposal for a royal progress and comforted Gael before his departure.
• Daemon Targaryen crawled through a secret passage into Daemon Blackfyre's room and convinced him to go out for an hour.
• Gael and Alicent discovered the secret passage and watched the two Daemons leave.
• The Daemons entered Silk Street as the dragons roared, and Jaehaerys suspected that Daemon was responsible for the disturbance.

Daemon Targaryen took Daemon Blackfyre to a pleasure hall, where Young Eagle’s Wine left him drugged and helpless with Mysaria, a frightened girl forced to serve him. Daemon Blackfyre lost consciousness without realizing she was Little Mei, the future White Worm.

• Daemon Targaryen brought Daemon Blackfyre to Mera’s pleasure hall on Silk Street and ordered Young Eagle’s Wine for him.
• Daemon Blackfyre drank the wine and resisted the women who crowded around him as its effects took hold.
• Daemon Targaryen chose three women for himself, then selected Mysaria to accompany Daemon Blackfyre.
• Mysaria and the other women carried the incapacitated Daemon Blackfyre upstairs to a private room.
• Mysaria tearfully explained that Mera would sell her if she failed to serve him, while Daemon Blackfyre succumbed to the drug and lost consciousness.

Daemon woke in a Silk Street brothel beside Mysaria and discovered Gael and Alicent asleep on Dreamfyre in the plaza below. After Gael found Mysaria with him, she summoned Daemon downstairs, leaving him facing her icy anger.

• Daemon woke with a hangover beside Mysaria and saw the red-glowing dragon brand on his shoulder.
• Daemon looked out the window and found Gael and Alicent asleep on Dreamfyre in the plaza.
• Gael demanded to know where little Daemon was, and the frightened Daemon Targaryen revealed that he was upstairs.
• Gael saw Daemon with Mysaria and her concern gave way to a cold smile.
• Gael descended from Dreamfyre, approached the Pleasure Hall, and ordered little Daemon to come down.

Gael confronted Daemon Blackfyre Targaryen over his night with Mysaria, but learned Mysaria had been coerced and comforted her. The Kingsguard took them back to the Red Keep for questioning, while Gael decided Mysaria would become her maid and charged Daemon Targaryen for her purchase.

• Gael accused Daemon Blackfyre Targaryen of being with Mysaria, and Alicent defended him as someone who would not have done so willingly.
• Mysaria revealed that Mama Mera had forced her and that she feared being beaten or sold into slavery; Gael embraced her and promised to protect her.
• Ser Lyan Redwyne arrived with the Kingsguard and ordered Daemon Blackfyre, Gael, Alicent, and the other relevant people to return to the Red Keep for questioning.
• Gael asked Daemon Blackfyre to buy Mysaria and make her her maid, then told him to put the cost on Daemon Targaryen's tab.
• Daemon Blackfyre anticipated questioning by King Jaehaerys and others as the group headed back to the Red Keep.

Jaehaerys reprimanded Daemon Targaryen for drugging Daemon Blackfyre and ordered Daemon Blackfyre to begin a progress through the Seven Kingdoms. Three days later, Daemon Blackfyre departed King's Landing on Glutton, carrying his family's support as he set out to consider his place and future.

• Gael confessed that she had secretly taken Dreamfyre to find Daemon Blackfyre, and Alicent and Viserys defended her actions.
• Jaehaerys punished Daemon Targaryen for taking Daemon Blackfyre to the Pleasure Hall and drugging him, ordering him to clean Caraxes's droppings and remain in his tower for a month.
• Jaehaerys moved Daemon Blackfyre's progress through the Seven Kingdoms to three days later, and Daemon agreed to consider marriage.
• Gael gave Daemon Blackfyre a pouch of Calming Herb and asked him to write, while Alicent promised to care for Gael and watch the Master of Laws.
• Daemon Blackfyre rode Glutton away from King's Landing as his family gathered at the harbor to see him off.

After Daemon Blackfyre flew off on Glutton, Jaehaerys ordered tighter security around the dragons and decided to rewrite Daemon’s origins as those of a legitimate Valyrian-born son of Aemon. Princess Gael then flew away on Dreamfyre with Mysaria to chase Daemon, leaving Jaehaerys fearing the trouble her escape would bring.

• Jaehaerys ordered Baelon to double the guards at the Dragonpit and Dragonstone and keep outsiders, especially Dragonseeds, away from the dragons.
• Jaehaerys decided to claim Daemon Blackfyre’s mother was a Valyrian noblewoman who had lawfully married Aemon in Myr, and said he would explain the change to Jocelyn.
• Gael flew out of King’s Landing on Dreamfyre with Mysaria, while Jaehaerys ordered the city gates closed and riders sent to track them and ask Gael to return.
• Daemon Targaryen shouted from his tower for Gael to take him along, but Dreamfyre’s wing gust knocked him to the floor.
• Gael told Mysaria they were going to chase Daemon, and Dreamfyre carried them away as Jaehaerys watched and the dragons of the Dragonpit roared.

Daemon visited Rosby and rejected the earl’s suggestion that he seek power across the Narrow Sea, saying he wanted to protect his family. The visit ended when Dreamfyre appeared over the town, leaving Daemon worried that Gael had followed him or was in danger.

• Daemon arrived at Rosby on Glutton and was welcomed by the sickly Earl of Rosby and his family.
• The earl introduced his heirs, Gyles and Rayford, and spoke to Daemon about Maegor and a rumor that Maegor had sought conquests in Essos.
• Daemon said he had no desire to claim the Iron Throne and wanted to use Blackfyre to protect his family.
• Rayford declared that he wanted to follow Daemon, and Daemon agreed to take him along.
• Isabella escorted Daemon from the feast, but Dreamfyre’s roar sounded over Rosby and Daemon wondered whether Gael had come or needed help.

Daemon’s journey to Maidenpool gathered more young Crownlands followers, prompting him to consider guiding them rather than letting them repeat his past mistakes. At Maidenpool, he accepted Count Jona Mooton’s bastard brother as a follower and found comfort in Gael as he reflected on the home and family he wanted to protect.

• More young men joined Daemon’s party on the road, and Gael told him that his reputation for taming Glutton had made him a legend among them.
• At Sow’s Horn, Daemon admitted that the young followers reminded him of the reckless men who had died beside him in his previous life, and Gael urged him to guide them as Baelon had guided him.
• Gael revealed that she and Mysaria had flown ahead to catch up with Daemon, and the party reached Maidenpool, where Daemon recalled the danger Queen Alysanne had faced there.
• Count Jona Mooton asked Daemon to take in his bastard brother, and Daemon accepted the boy as a follower.
• At the feast, Jona recalled his youthful adventures with Princess Senyra and described how the king’s mercy had allowed him to marry Lady Freyana.
• Gael joined Daemon in bed that night and comforted him as he admitted to missing home; he then fell asleep resolved to protect the warmth of his family and rewrite the tragedy of the Dance of the Dragons.

Daemon's party traveled to Crab Claw Peninsula, where he learned that Wildlings had seized Whispering Castle and begun attacking House Crabb. He set out to confront them with Rayford and his followers, while Gael flew overhead on Dreamfyre, and the party arrived within sight of the castle.

• Count Simon Staunton warned Daemon about the conflict between House Bren and House Crabb and gave him a ruby-studded dagger before the party left Rook's Rest.
• Daemon reached Dyre Den, where Count Bren welcomed him and Daemon spent a quiet evening with Gael.
• Lubert Crabb arrived at Dyre Den, wounded and desperate, reporting that Wildlings had taken Whispering Castle and were attacking his family's town.
• Daemon agreed to help House Crabb, gathered Rayford and his followers, and accepted Gael's offer to accompany them on Dreamfyre.
• Lubert described Whispering Castle's defenses and a cave beneath its cliffs as Daemon's party approached the ancient stronghold.

Daemon Blackfyre drove the Wildlings from a town in the Crabb Lands and rallied its people and his young followers to defend the Crab Claw Peninsula. As Count Bren arrived, Berna Blount realized he wanted to follow Daemon.

• Daemon, Glutton, Dreamfyre, and his followers charged the Wildlings, breaking their attack and helping the townsfolk fight back.
• Daemon defeated the Wildling leader, forced him to retreat, and ordered Rayford to count casualties and have the wounded treated.
• Daemon learned Baron Kleb had been gravely wounded and promised the people he would not abandon them; he offered land and royal commendations to those who fought alongside him.
• Rayford, the Crabb Lands men and women, and Raynavor joined Daemon's call to defend the peninsula.
• Count Bren arrived with his army, and Berna Blount decided that Daemon was the man he wanted to follow.

Daemon and Glutton led the assault on Whispering Castle, defeating the Wildlings, but Count Bren was mortally wounded. Before dying, Bren entrusted Berna’s future to Daemon, leaving Berna grieving and newly resolved.

• Daemon left Gael and Dreamfyre behind in the Crabb Lands and flew Glutton to Whispering Castle.
• Daemon set Whispering Castle ablaze with dragonfire while Count Bren led the ground assault.
• The Wildling leader struck Count Bren in the chest with a thrown axe before Daemon killed him with Glutton’s dragonfire.
• Daemon returned to the Crabb Lands, executed the captured Wildlings, and learned Count Bren’s wound could not be saved.
• Count Bren urged Berna to protect their family and asked Baron Kleb to care for his son before the maester ended his suffering.
• Berna mourned his father beside the body, gripping his sword with renewed resolve.

Daemon witnessed Jaehaerys’s decree granting Berna Blount and Kleb equal counts’ titles, then accepted the fealty of Rupert and Berna. He left Crab Claw Peninsula with his resolve strengthened, bound for High Tide to face the Sea Snake.

• Clymon Clegane proclaimed Jaehaerys’s decree naming Berna Blount Count of Dyre Den and Kleb Count of Whispering Castle, with House Crabb responsible for restoring the castle.
• Berna and Kleb swore loyalty to the Crown, and Kleb embraced Berna and promised to treat him as family.
• Rupert Crabb offered Daemon his sword, and Daemon accepted his fealty and promised to treat him justly.
• Berna offered Daemon his sword and pledged House Blount’s loyalty; Daemon accepted and urged him to protect his home and family.
• Daemon departed Crab Claw Peninsula with his party and headed toward High Tide, where the Sea Snake awaited him.