Recaps

Margaery took Daenerys to see Highgarden’s golden rose fields, where they walked among the blossoms together. Meanwhile, Viserys and the Tyrell lords discussed where Asha Greyjoy’s fleet might be hiding and planned to search the coast by dragon.

• Margaery and Daenerys rode west from Highgarden with City Watch guards and Viserys’s three dragons following overhead.
• Daenerys admired the golden roses on the hill beside the Mander River and walked among them with Margaery.
• Willas proposed that Asha Greyjoy’s fleet might be hiding in the Stone Reef Cluster to obtain supplies and avoid detection.
• A Tyrell captain described caves and shallow waters among the reefs where Ironborn longships could hide.
• Viserys ordered the captain to mark possible hiding places along the Sunset Sea coast so he could inspect them from the air.

Viserys prepared to leave Highgarden with Daenerys to hunt down the Ironborn, while Margaery revealed that House Hightower had been secretly seeking Valyrian Dragonlord descendants to create dragonriders. Viserys recognized the Hightowers’ longstanding ambition to control dragons, and the chapter left their plans exposed as he prepared for the hunt.

• Viserys told Willas and the Tyrell lords that he and Daenerys would leave within two days to find and burn the Ironborn longships, despite warnings about coastal fog and archers.
• Viserys asked Willas to forward ravens from King's Landing and elsewhere to the Wall after they departed, then left the Council Chamber.
• Viserys joined Daenerys and Margaery in the flower fields, where Daenerys asked when they would set out against the Ironborn.
• Margaery told Viserys that House Hightower had been gathering people with Valyrian Dragonlord blood and intended to make them riders for his unclaimed dragons.
• Margaery added that Hightower vassals, some Citadel archmaesters, and people in the Faith of the Seven had helped or encouraged the secret effort.
• Viserys said House Hightower had pursued dragonriders since before the Dance of the Dragons and had always wanted to control dragons.

Viserys told Margaery that he would postpone dealing with House Hightower until the threat of the Others was defeated, since keeping the Reach stable and its grain flowing was essential. After planning to leave Highgarden at dawn for the Ironborn and then the Wall, he attended a banquet where Reach lords discussed the harvest and news from the North.

• Viserys warned Margaery that the Citadel and Faith might oppose House Hightower's efforts to obtain dragons, but said he would address Oldtown after the Others.
• Viserys told Margaery he and Daenerys would leave Highgarden at dawn to deal with the Ironborn and then travel to the Wall, while House Tyrell accommodated the arriving attendants.
• Viserys explained that keeping the Reach stable was vital to feeding Westeros and said he would settle Oldtown's affairs after the northern threat was defeated, potentially with Margaery's help.
• Viserys returned to the castle, bathed with Margaery and Daenerys's help, and joined them at the Highgarden banquet.
• The Reach lords at the banquet discussed the grape harvest and news from the North, while experienced men shared what they knew about the region.

At a feast in Highgarden, a Hightower knight stressed the hardships of fighting in the North while Viserys quietly watched the Reach lords for signs of their concerns and loyalties. Olenna remained unusually silent as the feast continued, leaving the Hightowers’ intentions and the lords’ unease unresolved.

• A stocky knight of House Hightower described the North’s snow, ironwood, supply routes, and dangerous winter camps, repeatedly glancing toward Viserys.
• The Reach vassals kept up a courteous show at the feast despite their unease over the North and their ties to House Hightower.
• Daenerys spoke quietly with Margaery while Viserys accepted the lords’ toasts and observed their expressions and reactions.
• Viserys noticed that the knight watched for his approval, while the lords truly troubled by the coming war stayed quiet and studied his face.
• Olenna sat beside Willas and listened without raising a topic or making one of her usual cutting remarks.

After the feast at Highgarden, Viserys and Daenerys returned to their room, where Margaery followed to speak with them before Viserys left the next day. Margaery warned that Olenna saw Highgarden as a source of leverage, and the chapter ended as she told Viserys she did not want Highgarden to be a card in her grandmother’s hand.

• Viserys and Daenerys left the feast, while Margaery watched them go and spoke quietly with Olenna.
• Viserys used a warg-controlled mouse to watch Margaery and Olenna after he left.
• Margaery hurried to Viserys and Daenerys’s room, shut the maids outside, and told Viserys she regretted their imminent parting.
• Viserys said they might return to Highgarden before traveling north, depending on how long they searched for the Ironborn.
• Margaery told Viserys that Olenna had been calculating what Highgarden could gain from him, and said Highgarden should not be a card in her grandmother’s hand.

Margaery reassured Viserys that she would handle what came next, while Daenerys struggled with jealousy and embarrassment after witnessing their intimacy. The next morning, the group prepared to ride to the square, with Daenerys still unsettled by what she had seen.

• Viserys told Margaery that he trusted her, and Margaery leaned against his chest as her emotions calmed.
• Daenerys interrupted them and reminded Viserys that they had to say goodbye to the people from Highgarden before leaving.
• Margaery and Viserys emerged the next morning to find Daenerys waiting in riding clothes with her sword, Silverwing.
• Margaery reported that the horses were ready and that Willas had packed Viserys's supplies for the dragon saddle.
• Daenerys recalled leaving the room after Viserys and Margaery invited her to join them, then lay awake listening to them before eventually falling asleep.

Daenerys, Viserys, and Margaery prepared to leave Highgarden and rode to the square, where King Ghidorah and the other dragons were waiting. Viserys planned to fly north and search the waters beyond the Shield Islands for Ironborn longships, though Margaery questioned whether the trip was worthwhile.

• Daenerys got ready and waited for Viserys and Margaery, then set aside her resentment when she learned they would leave that day.
• An attendant reported that the horses were ready, and Daenerys, Viserys, and Margaery rode through Highgarden to the square.
• King Ghidorah and Acmot, Viserion, and Vermax waited in the square, keeping the attendants and horses at a distance.
• Daenerys dismounted and headed toward King Ghidorah while Viserys approached the dragon and soothed her.
• Viserys told Margaery they would fly north and search the waters beyond the Shield Islands for Ironborn longships, and Margaery asked why they would not search suspicious places near Highgarden first.

Viserys concluded that the Ironborn would likely flee toward the waters around the Shield Islands and ended his visit to Highgarden. He departed with Daenerys on King Ghidorah, leaving Margaery watching them go while he relied on the Godswood’s weirwoods to monitor House Tyrell.

• Viserys told Margaery that searching near Highgarden would waste time and that the Ironborn were more likely to head for the Shield Islands.
• Viserys said goodbye to Margaery, exchanged restrained courtesies with Willas and the others, and reminded them of their promised arrangements.
• Willas promised to obey the Iron Throne’s commands and keep the Reach’s nobles in line, while Viserys relied on the Godswood’s weirwoods to watch House Tyrell.
• Viserys helped Daenerys onto King Ghidorah, mounted behind her, and prepared to leave Highgarden.
• Margaery stood in the square and watched Viserys and Daenerys depart on King Ghidorah with restrained envy.

Viserys and Daenerys left Highgarden aboard King Ghidorah with three other dragons and followed sea-chart routes across the Sunset Sea in search of Ironborn traces. At dusk, Viserys found ships hidden among a vast reef cluster and discovered a sheltered cove at its center.

• Margaery wished Viserys and Daenerys a safe journey, and the pair departed Highgarden on King Ghidorah as Acmot, Viserion, and Vermax followed.
• The four dragons flew northwest across the Reach, leaving Highgarden and its golden fields behind.
• North of the Shield Islands, Viserys recalled the sea charts and sent King Ghidorah routes to search among reefs and shoals along the Sunset Sea.
• Viserys used his mental power to search the waters as the dragon group moved between reef clusters throughout the day.
• At dusk, Viserys sensed ships and scattered signs of human activity among a large cluster of reefs, then found a calm, enclosed cove at its center.

Viserys identified the ships in a secluded bay as Halag’s depleted Ironborn fleet, which had left Asha after she rejected his marriage proposal. Halag planned to sail for the Stepstones and unite the scattered Ironborn there, unaware that the bay would become their grave.

• Viserys recognized the silver scythe of House Harlaw on the longships and realized they belonged to Halag’s fleet.
• After losing many men in a raid on the Arbor’s supply fleet, Halag sought a marriage alliance with Asha to unite their dwindling forces.
• Asha rejected and publicly humiliated Halag and his son, so Halag swallowed his anger and later left her fleet with his men.
• Halag chose a sheltered bay near the Shield Islands as a temporary hiding place while waiting for the Reach’s blockade to ease.
• Halag planned to sail to the Stepstones, gather the Ironborn already there, and use his men’s skill navigating reefs and shoals to build his power.

Viserys used King Ghidorah to search the Shield Islands and discovered Halag and his Ironborn hiding their longships in a concealed cave. After finding no other signs of them, he turned toward their refuge as night fell, leaving Daenerys on alert when he told her not to move.

• Halag planned to lead his men south, gather scattered Ironborn, and build a new foothold by attacking pirate dens and raiding ships.
• Halag kept his longships and men hidden in a cave near the Shield Islands while his scouts watched the patrols for a chance to escape.
• Viserys used King Ghidorah and his mental power to locate the concealed fleet and search the surrounding waters for other Ironborn.
• Viserys found no other activity and directed King Ghidorah toward the hiding place as darkness fell.
• Viserys told Daenerys not to move.

Viserys brought King Ghidorah down over the Ironborn hiding in a cavern and attacked their ships and shelter. The cavern burned as the Ironborn faced the destruction.

• Daenerys trusted that Viserys had a reason for circling the cove and waited for him to explain.
• Viserys confirmed that the Ironborn ships had returned to the cavern, then brought King Ghidorah within striking distance.
• King Ghidorah's middle head blasted a hole through the cavern entrance with a golden beam, killing everyone and destroying everything in its path.
• King Ghidorah's right head unleashed Dragonfire into the cavern, setting the Ironborn ships ablaze.
• Sparks from the burning ships ignited vessels farther away, and firelight spread across the cove.

Viserys and Daenerys’s dragons destroyed the Ironborn encampment inside the cave, killing Halag’s men and burning their ships. After confirming that no Ironborn or intact ships remained, Viserys had King Ghidorah take flight again.

• Acmot and the other dragons attacked the Ironborn tents, trapping the men in dragonfire, smoke, and boiling seawater.
• Viserys ordered Acmot, Viserion, and Vermithor to attack freely while King Ghidorah circled above the cave.
• The three dragons burned the remaining shipwrecks and drove hidden Ironborn toward the entrance, where dragonfire killed them.
• Daenerys watched the attack from King Ghidorah’s back as the cave filled with flames and the Ironborn cries stopped.
• Viserys landed King Ghidorah outside the cave, checked that the ships and Ironborn were gone, then flew back over the sea.

Viserys and Daenerys rested in a sheltered cave after the dragons burned the Ironborn wreckage. As the tide rose and Daenerys asked whether he was still thinking about the Ironborn, the chapter left Viserys yet to answer.

• Acmot, Viserion, Vermithor, and King Ghidorah flew west to a rocky islet after Vermithor burned the Ironborn wreckage again.
• Viserys and Daenerys settled in the islet’s cave, spread out Margaery’s blanket, and shared bread and dried meat.
• Daenerys worried that Ironborn remains might drift near them and that people would condemn Viserys as a tyrant.
• Viserys reassured Daenerys that, as long as they had dragons, they need not worry about such things.
• Daenerys nestled against Viserys and asked whether he was still thinking about the Ironborn.

Viserys explained why he suspected the Ironborn had been left as bait and laid out a plan to search west before deciding whether to head north. He told Daenerys he intended to fly to the Wall rather than keep pursuing events in the south.

• Viserys told Daenerys that the Ironborn near the reefs might have been deliberately left as bait because their position made little sense as a hiding place.
• Viserys decided to search west at first light for Ironborn ships or traces near the islands and Fog Sea.
• Viserys said they would not chase the Ironborn south if the western search failed, since that would mean cleaning up House Hightower's mess.
• Viserys planned to follow the Westerlands coast north and continue to the Wall if they found nothing to the west.
• Daenerys accepted that they might have a long flight the next day, and Viserys urged her to sleep.

Viserys spent the night in a sea cave with Daenerys and their four dragons, then prepared to continue their journey north. After Daenerys woke, he told her it was time to leave.

• Daenerys fell asleep against Viserys while he reviewed their route from the western islands toward the Wall.
• Viserys woke before dawn, warmed Daenerys's cold hand, and quietly left her resting in the cave.
• Viserys used his warg ability to stop Viserion from waking Daenerys.
• After sunrise, Daenerys woke, and Viserys told her to get ready to leave.

Viserys and Daenerys left their cave and searched the western waters for signs of people or sea monsters. Near the Fog Zone, Viserys sensed a populated island where old captains from Highgarden had marked a possible smuggling site.

• Daenerys lingered in the cave, savoring a quiet morning with Viserys before he teased her about still being in bed.
• Viserys packed their belongings, and Daenerys washed her face before they mounted the dragons and flew west.
• Viserys searched the empty rocks and islands with his mental power but found only seabirds and small animals.
• As the dragons reached the Fog Zone, Viserys found no legendary sea monsters in the waters he could probe.
• Viserys sensed many people on a small island at the edge of the Fog Zone, near a bay and a forest where old captains from Highgarden had noted a smuggling site.

Viserys found the Ironborn abandoning their island camp and ordered King Ghidorah and Daenerys's dragons to pursue their fleeing longships. The dragons destroyed several ships and killed their crews, while King Ghidorah bore down on House Greyjoy's flagship as it headed into the Fog Zone.

• Viserys discovered that the Ironborn had left their camp and were scattering across the sea, with House Greyjoy's flagship heading toward the Fog Zone.
• Viserys ordered King Ghidorah to pursue the flagship and sent Acmot, Viserion, and Vermax after the other longships.
• Acmot burned a fleeing longship and then engulfed the Ironborn struggling in the water with dragonfire.
• Viserion and Vermax attacked longships fleeing in opposite directions, burning some vessels and capsizing others.

Viserys and King Ghidorah destroyed the fleeing Ironborn fleet while Viserion, Vermax, Vermithor, and Acmot hunted down the other ships and survivors. After the slaughter, Viserys returned toward the island still sensing a familiar presence near the camp.

• King Ghidorah pursued the Ironborn longship into the fog and burned it and its crew after Viserys saw its leader wearing House Greyjoy’s kraken sigil.
• King Ghidorah carried Viserys and Daenerys above the bay as the other dragons destroyed fleeing ships and attacked survivors in the water.
• Viserys suspected the fleet’s leader had a significant connection to House Greyjoy, since a collateral relative seemed unlikely to command so many ships.
• Viserys confirmed to Daenerys that the Ironborn had been cleared out and directed King Ghidorah back toward the island.
• Viserys continued sensing the island and noted that a familiar presence near the camp had remained in one place.

Viserys and Daenerys discovered that Asha was unconscious near the Ironborn camp on the island. As King Ghidorah descended, Viserys ordered Acmot to hunt down the Ironborn hiding along the coast.

• Viserys sensed an unconscious woman near the Ironborn camp and recognized her aura as Asha's after Daenerys suggested it might be her.
• Viserys recalled meeting Asha once in a tavern in Lys years earlier.
• Viserys used his mental power to search the island and nearby rocks for Ironborn and other people.
• Daenerys warned Viserys that Asha might be unable to leave or plotting something, but Viserys said she seemed unconscious.
• Viserys had King Ghidorah descend beside the pine forest and ordered Acmot to attack the Ironborn hiding around the island.

Viserys and Daenerys found Asha Greyjoy unconscious in an Ironborn camp and discovered signs that she had been struck from behind. Viserys suspected the Ironborn had deliberately left her there.

• Daenerys warned Viserys that Asha could escape through underwater channels, but Viserys said he trusted himself and King Ghidorah to stop her.
• Viserys landed King Ghidorah in the Ironborn camp, where the dragon’s arrival stirred the empty tents.
• Viserys entered Asha’s tent and found her unconscious, with a swollen mark on the back of her neck and a hand axe at her waist.
• Viserys took Asha’s hand axe and called Daenerys over to inspect her.
• Daenerys questioned why the Ironborn had left Asha behind, and Viserys guessed they had done so deliberately.

Viserys explained to Daenerys that the Ironborn had left Asha alive in the camp as a chance for her to survive while they drew him away. After examining Asha, he argued that the Iron Throne could not safely let her live, leaving Daenerys torn between mercy and political necessity.

• Daenerys questioned why the Ironborn had left Asha unconscious in the camp, and Viserys reasoned that they had prepared food and blankets for her rather than abandoning her to die.
• Viserys explained that the Ironborn had drawn him toward the Fog Zone to buy Asha a chance of survival, expecting him to think she had drowned with their ships.
• Daenerys asked whether Asha should be killed or given a chance to live, and Viserys examined her injuries before answering.
• Viserys told Daenerys that the Iron Throne could not let Asha live without risking future danger, while Daenerys struggled to see the unconscious woman as an enemy.

Viserys agreed to let Asha live until the next day so Daenerys could question her, but he still planned to kill her unless she survived ten moves in a duel. He reassured Daenerys that he would not be in danger, then led her away from camp to a beach.

• Daenerys argued that Asha might not be responsible for the Ironborn attack and asked Viserys to wait until she woke before deciding her fate.
• Viserys agreed to stay in camp overnight and said Asha would have to survive ten moves against him to earn another chance to live.
• Daenerys urged Viserys to kill Asha immediately because she feared he might be hurt, but he reassured her that Asha could not threaten him.
• Viserys took Daenerys from the camp to a clear stretch of beach and set down water and provisions beside a rock.

Viserys and Daenerys waited by the shore before returning to camp, where Asha awoke from her injuries. When Asha recognized the two Valyrians at her tent, she reacted with sudden alarm.

• Viserys told Daenerys that Acmot and the others were searching for the Ironborn hiding nearby.
• Viserys and Daenerys sat on the reef watching the ships’ wreckage drift toward shore, then returned to camp at sunset.
• Viserys prepared dinner from his own supplies rather than risk eating the Ironborn’s dirty food.
• Asha woke and struggled to sit up despite the pain in her neck.
• Viserys and Daenerys entered Asha’s tent, and Asha recognized them and stiffened in alarm.

Asha awoke in Viserys Targaryen’s tent and learned that her Ironborn men had all been killed. When she demanded to know why Viserys had attacked the Iron Islands, he accused the Ironborn of past crimes against Valyria and Westeros.

• Asha recognized Viserys and recalled no visit to the Red Keep, while Viserys told her they had met in Lys.
• Asha asked where her men were, and Viserys confirmed that every Ironborn with her was dead.
• Asha asked Viserys why he had sought to destroy the Iron Islands.
• Viserys cited Euron Greyjoy’s blockade of his harbor in Valyria and accused the Ironborn of generations of pillaging and enslavement.