Chapter Summaries

Baelon gave two impoverished women food and arranged for Meiri to be tested for a job at the Perfume Factory after she described her sharp sense of smell. The chapter ended when a noble lord arrived with word from the Red Keep.

• Meiri and Sharon explained that they had walked from Crossed Elm Village to sell moonflowers, earning one copper star for their eleven clumps.
• Baelon gave the women white bread and asked Meiri why she had stayed in King's Landing after selling the flowers.
• Meiri told Baelon she wanted to become a perfumer and claimed she could identify scents from far away.
• Baelon agreed to have Meiri tested at the Perfume Factory, and workers led her and Sharon away.
• Sharon complained that Meiri had taken more bread, so Meiri shoved her down and hurried off without her.
• A noble lord in armor hurried past Sharon and told Baelon that word had come from the Red Keep.

Baelon returned to the Red Keep intending to mediate between Viserys and Rhaenyra, but Lyonel Strong revealed that Viserys was preparing to invade Dorne. Baelon questioned how the king would handle Dornish resistance and began considering an earlier journey to Dragonstone to claim a dragon.

• Baelon instructed Assor Celtigar to keep buying grain from across the Narrow Sea and to purchase modest amounts from the Riverlands without raising prices.
• Baelon learned that Viserys and Rhaenyra were alone in the Kingspyre Tower and sent Ser Uther and fifteen knights away on a separate task.
• Lyonel Strong told Baelon that Viserys had developed ambitions to launch an expedition against Dorne.
• Baelon asked what Viserys would do if the Dornish avoided battle and warned that the king might have to kill every Dornish noble to secure submission.
• Baelon decided that his plans had to change and considered bringing forward his trip to Dragonstone to tame a dragon.

Baelon redirected Viserys’s anger toward Criston Cole and urged Rhaenyra to pursue Daemon after he stole a dragon egg and fled for the Free Cities. The chapter ended with Cole missing from the White Sword Tower and Viserys collapsing into his chair in fury.

• Lyonel Strong realized Baelon was confident and decisive, and Baelon promised to dissuade Viserys from starting a war.
• Baelon entered Viserys’s chambers, where Viserys and Rhaenyra were arguing, and Viserys announced that Baelon would serve as cupbearer on the Small Council.
• Baelon argued that Criston Cole should be stripped of his honors and sent to the Wall, prompting Viserys to summon him.
• Rhaenyra claimed she had initiated the encounter with Cole, just as a dragonkeeper reported that Daemon had stolen a dragon egg and fled with his lover for the Free Cities.
• Baelon urged Rhaenyra to pursue Daemon on Syrax, but the Kingsguard reported that Cole had fled the Red Keep with a large bundle, leaving Viserys furious and collapsed in his chair.

After Criston Cole fled the Red Keep, Baelon arranged for his guards to track him while Rhaenyra rode after Daemon and the Dragon Egg. Cole reached the Mud Gate hoping to escape across the Narrow Sea, but a column of knights blocked his path.

• Viserys ordered the city gates sealed and demanded that Criston Cole be captured, but Baelon urged Rhaenyra to prioritize recovering Daemon’s Dragon Egg.
• Rhaenyra set out after Daemon, declaring she did not care what people said about her and promising to bring the Dragon Egg back.
• Baelon told Rhaenyra that his guards were tracking Cole and warned her not to land in the Free Cities if she could not catch Daemon.
• Before leaving, Rhaenyra asked Baelon not to let Viserys agree to Cole’s Trial by Combat, and Baelon told her to ask Daemon to fight Cole as Viserys’s champion.
• Cole abandoned his white armor and packed valuables before heading through the city toward the Mud Gate, planning to flee to the Free Cities.
• As Cole approached the gate, a column of knights emerged from an alley and blocked his escape.

Criston Cole was captured and brought before Viserys, who condemned him for his affair with Rhaenyra and ordered his execution. Cole demanded a trial by combat, then begged Ser Harrold for a sword as the chapter ended with Viserys’s decision still pending.

• Cole faced twenty-four knights and a second group led by Ser Uther, then surrendered when they surrounded him.
• Baelon told Viserys that Cole might die during his capture, but Viserys ordered him brought to the Red Keep and declared that he deserved death.
• Baelon escorted Cole to the throne room, where Viserys accused him of seducing Rhaenyra and Cole claimed that she had seduced him.
• Viserys rejected the idea of sending Cole to the Night’s Watch and ordered Ser Harrold to kill him.
• Cole demanded a trial by combat, evaded Ser Harrold’s first strike, and begged for a sword so he could die like a knight.
• Ser Harrold stopped his blade and looked to Viserys for permission to give Cole a weapon.

Viserys sentenced Ser Cole to die by combat, but Cole took Rhaenyra hostage when Daemon fought him. As the hall descended into chaos, Rhaenyra tried to reach Cole with memories of their first meeting while drawing her Dragonbone Dagger.

• Viserys declared that Cole had forsaken his vows and ordered him to face a sword-wielding execution.
• Daemon arrived with Rhaenyra, who brought the recovered Dragon Egg, and volunteered to fight Cole.
• During their duel, Cole knocked Rhaenyra down, seized her, and held a sword to her neck.
• Viserys begged Cole to release Rhaenyra, while Baelon silently regretted that his warnings about giving Cole a sword had been ignored.
• Rhaenyra told Cole she had once truly liked him and began drawing her Dragonbone Dagger.

Rhaenyra killed Ser Cole after he tried to kill her, then comforted Viserys as the family gathered around her and mourned the day's violence. As Viserys prepared to sleep, Baelon announced that he planned to leave for Dragonstone and tame Vermithor.

• Cole reminisced about becoming Rhaenyra's White Knight before threatening her, and Baelon reminded him that he might have become a legendary Kingsguard.
• Rhaenyra stabbed Cole in the neck, but he snapped her wrist as he lunged for her; the Kingsguard restrained him, and Viserys embraced her.
• Rhaenyra stopped Daemon from killing Cole, then killed Cole herself with repeated dagger strikes.
• Baelon confirmed Cole was dead and recovered the Dragon Egg, while Grand Maester Mellos warned that Rhaenyra's wrist and fingers might suffer lasting damage.
• Viserys, Daemon, Rhaenyra, and Baelon embraced, and Viserys found comfort in his family after the day's events.
• Baelon told Viserys he wanted to postpone attending the Small Council and go to Dragonstone to tame Vermithor, leaving Viserys stunned.

Baelon persuaded Viserys to accompany him to Dragonstone so he could tame an adult dragon, claiming his dreams had become dangerous. After a miserable sea voyage, they reached Dragonstone, where Baelon prepared to seek Vermithor while avoiding the wild dragons.

• Baelon insisted on traveling to Dragonstone to tame a full-grown dragon, and Viserys agreed after Baelon described deadly dreams and his fear that he might die in them.
• Baelon asked Lola to arrange a place where he could listen to a lonely old man who might visit the Red Keep.
• At breakfast, Daemon mocked Baelon, Baelon insulted Daemon in return, and Viserys tried to quiet the family before leaving with Baelon.
• Viserys and Baelon sailed for Dragonstone, suffered badly from seasickness, and arrived several days later.
• Baelon set his sights on Vermithor, while Viserys warned him to be especially wary of the wild dragon Cannibal.

Baelon entered the Dragonmont and found Vermithor, whose presence captivated him until he formed a connection with the bronze dragon. As Baelon climbed onto Vermithor, another dragon roared from deeper in the cavern.

• Baelon left Viserys and climbed the Dragonmont carrying Jaehaerys's old nightclothes as a dragon-taming relic.
• Baelon ventured into a cavern and followed the heat and sulfurous smell toward a sleeping dragon.
• Baelon discovered Vermithor, faced the dragon without retreating, and embraced his snout.
• Vermithor responded docilely to Baelon, and the two seemed to form a connection.
• Baelon began climbing Vermithor to prepare for his first flight, but another dragon roared from deeper in the cavern.

Viserys waited anxiously outside the Dragonmont while Baelon faced Silverwing inside, praying for his eldest son’s safety. Silverwing accepted Baelon’s touch, and he flew out of the Dragonmont on Vermithor with her nearby.

• Viserys refused to leave the Dragonmont and prayed for Baelon to live a long, peaceful life.
• Orwyle recalled how Baelon had supported and defended his research, and silently worried about the prince’s danger.
• Baelon recognized Silverwing as Alysanne’s former dragon and approached her while Vermithor rumbled nearby.
• Silverwing calmed at Baelon’s words and gently pressed her snout into his palm.
• Baelon laughed, touched Vermithor, and flew out of the Dragonmont on the dragon.

Baelon took his first flight on Vermithor, overcoming the fierce wind and learning to ride comfortably as the dragon soared through the clouds. After landing, he invited Viserys and Maester Orwyle to fly with him, but Viserys let him enjoy the experience with his dragon and approached Silverwing instead.

• Vermithor launched into the sky, and Baelon struggled to breathe and keep his eyes open until he signaled the dragon to slow down.
• Baelon adapted to the flight, tied himself securely to the saddle, and urged Vermithor to fly faster through the clouds.
• Baelon told Vermithor to descend after a little over ten minutes, and the dragon landed near Viserys and Maester Orwyle while Silverwing came out of her cave.
• Baelon offered Viserys and Orwyle a flight, but Viserys declined and encouraged him to enjoy his first flight with Vermithor.
• Baelon proposed returning to King's Landing by dragonback the following day, while Viserys reached toward Silverwing and Baelon warned him that he could touch Vermithor instead.

Baelon entered the Trial Space with Vermithor and used the dragon’s fire to defeat three white wolves, then chose a size-increasing buff for Vermithor. The buff made Vermithor grow and strengthened their emotional connection, but he startled Baelon by swallowing one of the wolves before finally spitting out half its carcass.

• Baelon failed to persuade Viserys to ride Silverwing, and Silverwing flew toward Dragonmont after refusing to approach Dragonstone Castle.
• Baelon rode Vermithor to the cliffs, went to sleep beside him, and discovered that Vermithor’s talent would unlock when their affinity reached level four.
• Baelon entered the Trial Space with Vermithor, where the dragon burned three charging white wolves with Dragonfire.
• Baelon chose the Behemoth buff, which increased Vermithor’s size by two percent and caused the dragon to grow restless.
• Baelon calmed Vermithor through their emotional connection, but Vermithor suddenly swallowed a scorched wolf and only spat out half its carcass when Baelon demanded it.

Baelon discovered that his inventory could store vast quantities of dirt, then had Vermithor dig up the trial ground until three slots were full. They cleared the next stage, chose a dragonfire buff, and entered stage three eager to test how far they could progress.

• Baelon unlocked the inventory, learned that it could hold trial-space dirt, and began collecting soil with Vermithor’s help.
• Vermithor dug a deep pit and filled three inventory slots with dirt, gaining affinity with Baelon as they worked.
• Baelon had Vermithor crush the remaining wolf corpse, searched it for a magic core, and then let the dragon eat it.
• Baelon and Vermithor entered stage two and defeated four charging boarmen with dragonfire.
• Baelon chose the Field of Fire buff to strengthen Vermithor’s dragonfire, then immediately entered stage three.

Baelon and Vermithor fought through the Trial Space, growing stronger and closer until a swarm of pterosaurs overwhelmed them at Level Thirty-Nine. Their first attempt ended in defeat, but Vermithor’s final rampage raised their bond and improved his buffs before they woke in the real world.

• At Level Eleven, a python nearly killed Baelon, but he buried it with Earth Release and calmed the enraged Vermithor afterward.
• Baelon chose a size buff, armed himself with a python fang, and bound himself to Vermithor before continuing through the levels.
• Baelon and Vermithor fought through increasingly powerful monsters, using their abilities and gathered materials to reach Level Thirty-Eight and defeat a sea monster.
• At Level Thirty-Nine, thousands of pterosaurs knocked Vermithor down and swarmed him, while Baelon fought them with the fang and then cut himself free to help Vermithor roll clear.
• The pterosaurs caught Baelon, ending their first attempt, and Vermithor unleashed a vast sea of dragonfire that consumed the valley and the attackers.
• Their bond reached Level Four and Vermithor gained improved buffs; Baelon and Vermithor then awoke pressed together in the real world.

Baelon and Vermithor fought through the Trial Space, gaining strength and defeating a Balrog before entering the fiftieth stage to face Rodan. After their defeat, they returned to the cliff restored and accepted that they could not yet beat him.

• Baelon unlocked fire resistance through his bond with Vermithor, tested it against dragonfire, and entered the Trial Space again.
• Baelon and Vermithor survived the Pterosaur swarm on the thirty-ninth level by sheltering in a cave and fighting together.
• On the forty-ninth level, Vermithor and Baelon killed a Balrog, though Vermithor suffered severe injuries and Baelon was badly wounded.
• Baelon chose the Behemoth buff to increase Vermithor's size, then urged him onward to the fiftieth stage.
• Baelon and Vermithor entered a volcanic arena and faced Rodan, but Vermithor was overwhelmed and Baelon was knocked through the air.
• Baelon and Vermithor returned to the cliff fully restored and accepted that they could not defeat Rodan yet.

Baelon rode Vermithor on their first flight after the dragon’s explosive growth, discovering that Vermithor was drawn toward the southeast before turning him back. They stirred up the Vale’s clouds and flew toward King’s Landing, leaving the Vale’s people stunned.

• Baelon tried to cut one of Vermithor’s scales with a dagger, damaged the blade, and climbed onto the dragon using ropes after removing his broken saddle.
• Vermithor took flight, startling the people of Dragonstone, and Viserys declared the dragon’s growth a gift from the Seven.
• Baelon realized Vermithor was heading toward the Smoking Sea and Old Valyria, then forced him to turn back through their bond.
• Baelon and Vermithor flew over the sea and used wind and dragonfire to disperse the clouds above the Vale.
• Jeyne Arryn and Ser Royce watched in alarm as Vermithor swept up the Vale’s clouds and carried them south toward King’s Landing.

Baelon rode Vermithor over King's Landing and used dragonfire, wind, and volcanic ash to create a rainstorm, leaving the city awed before the rain stopped after only ten minutes. Rhaenyra welcomed him back, while Jason Lannister resolved to win her favor and claim a dragon for his house.

• Baelon arrived in King's Landing on Vermithor, whose immense size amazed the city's residents and Alicent.
• Rhaenyra dismissed Alicent's concerns about Baelon, while Daemon wondered whether Baelon could make every dragon grow and argued with Mysaria about bringing her to the Red Keep.
• Baelon experimented with the clouds above King's Landing, and Vermithor's fire and winds helped produce rain that swept over the city.
• Tyland Lannister and Jason Lannister watched the people react to the storm, and Jason decided to win Rhaenyra's favor, triumph in the upcoming tournament, and bring a dragon to House Lannister.
• Baelon flew Vermithor through the rain and saw people kneeling below, then returned to the Red Keep as Rhaenyra welcomed him and the brief storm cleared.

Baelon returned to the Red Keep with Vermithor, refused Daemon’s request to use the Trial Space, and clashed with his uncle over their rivalry. Before leaving for Dragonstone, he arranged free hot soup for King’s Landing’s poor, while considering a visit to the rebellious Iron Islands.

• Baelon explained that Vermithor had reached his limits and refused Daemon’s demand to let Caraxes use the Trial Space, while the two dragons challenged each other before settling down.
• Daemon teased Baelon about their rivalry over the succession, and Rhaenyra ended their argument by threatening to tell Viserys.
• Corlys Velaryon spoke to Baelon about Laena and their possible marriage, but Baelon said he was too young and did not want marriage to restrict her.
• Baelon ordered Ser Uther to use his gold to make free ginger and herb soup for the people of King’s Landing, then left for Dragonstone on Vermithor.
• Ser Uther organized knights and squires to distribute soup in the streets, where a boy from Flea Bottom asked if rats could become knights; Uther gave him figs and explained that a knight had to choose him as a squire.

After Baelon returned from riding Vermithor, Viserys discussed the dragon’s size and Old Valyria, then became convinced Baelon’s power was a divine gift. Baelon revealed that Vermithor had seemed drawn toward the ruins of Old Valyria, and Viserys ordered the dragon watched constantly.

• Baelon returned to Dragonstone Castle after washing away traces beneath the cliff, where Ser Harrold had been waiting for him.
• Viserys recalled riding Balerion and described the Black Dread’s power and decline.
• Viserys explained Old Valyria’s history and decided Baelon could make dragons grow as a rare gift, which Baelon agreed to claim.
• Baelon questioned how dragons could have died in the Doom and said Vermithor had seemed to want to fly to Old Valyria.
• Viserys panicked and ordered seventy-seven Dragonkeepers to watch Vermithor day and night.

Baelon calmed Viserys after the king panicked at the thought of him exploring Old Valyria, promising not to go without permission. He then persuaded Viserys to summon the Iron Islands to the Landing Day celebration, hoping to secure their fleet, and left the king to rest.

• Viserys ordered Vermithor to live in the Dragonpit and forbade Baelon from visiting the Smoking Sea after recalling Aerea Targaryen's horrific death in Old Valyria.
• Baelon soothed Viserys and swore he would not explore the ruins of Old Valyria without his father's permission.
• Baelon urged Viserys to remind House Greyjoy of its gift obligations, arguing that Vermithor could defend the king's honor.
• Baelon proposed that the Iron Islands attend the Landing Day celebration in a month's time, and Viserys agreed to send a raven.
• Baelon helped Viserys to bed, poured away his wine, and reassured him before they were due to return to King's Landing.