Eyriehold, deep in the Red Mountains, was a fortress abandoned by the Dornish. To its west lay the great canyon of Prince's Pass; to its east rose rugged peaks more than two or three thousand meters above sea level, where the Vale River had its source. Before Aegon destroyed it astride his dragon, Eyriehold had been Dorne's most important northern defensive gateway.
To the west, Eagle's Nest City could hold Prince's Pass. If the Dornish wanted to head north through the Boneway to the northeast, they also had to pass along the narrow mountain road south of Eyriehold. To cross the swift-flowing Vale River, their only choices were to take a boat across upstream of Vyr City at the river's mouth or follow the narrow mountain road near Eagle's Nest City.
As long as Eagle's Nest City was held, the Dornish would find it difficult to continue raiding northward. Unfortunately, nothing remained of the old city but broken walls and wildly overgrown thorny vines.
The armies of the Seven Kingdoms had suffered terribly in Dorne during the War of the Conqueror, so they had no desire to fight the Dornish again. Now, only the unremarkable Tower of Joy and a few dozen soldiers guarded Prince's Pass.
After meeting up with the craftsmen and able-bodied workers Mungo had brought, Danyla immediately had them gather all the provisions and equipment the Dornish had left behind, along with their thousand-odd slender-legged horses.
These slender-legged horses could travel almost unhindered through the Red Mountains, which was one of the main reasons the Dornish often held an advantage in battles in the Dornish Marches.
After a brief conversation, Danyla accepted the surrender and allegiance of the valiant Jon Rookton and the dozen or so soldiers of House Roxton he led. At least in the original