Chapter Summaries

Baelon visited Dragonmont with Vermithor and Silverwing, hoping to see Dragonstone’s wild dragons, and later promised shepherds compensation for sheep stolen by dragons. He left the shepherds with questions about the island’s people and livelihoods.

• Baelon brought Vermithor to meet Silverwing, and the two dragons recognized each other and reunited affectionately.
• Baelon flew with Vermithor and Silverwing to Cannibal’s territory, but Cannibal stayed hidden in its cave until they left, then flew away.
• Baelon spotted Cannibal in flight and admired the black dragon, while Sheepstealer fled when Vermithor and Silverwing arrived.
• Baelon asked two shepherds about the wild dragons stealing their sheep and gave them his golden hairpin as compensation.
• Baelon promised to repay the shepherds for future losses and asked about Dragonstone’s other residents and their work.

Baelon returned to King's Landing with Viserys and arranged for Larys Strong to become Master of Whisperers. After taking Vermithor to roost outside the city, Baelon found a shadowy visitor waiting in his dark bedchamber.

• Viserys, Baelon, and Maester Orwyle flew back to King's Landing on Vermithor, while Silverwing returned to Dragonstone.
• Viserys ordered more Dragonkeepers and discussed filling the vacant Kingsguard position with Baelon.
• Baelon recommended Larys Strong as Master of Whisperers, and Viserys appointed him to the role.
• Larys asked Viserys and Baelon to keep his appointment from his father, Lyonel Strong, until later.
• Baelon returned to his bedchamber after settling Vermithor outside the city and called out to a shadow in the corner.
• The shadow answered, addressing him as Prince Baelon.

Larys visited Baelon to thank him before joining the Small Council, and Baelon urged him to use his abilities to pursue ambitions beyond King's Landing. Baelon described his plans for conquest and legacy, then asked Larys to be buried beside him, leaving Larys deeply stirred as he approached.

• Larys thanked Baelon for helping him and prepared to take his place on the Small Council.
• Baelon challenged Larys to prove he could help dismantle the alliance of the Three Daughters and told him to look beyond King's Landing toward the Stepstones, the Free Cities, and Essos.
• Baelon considered Westeros's readiness for war and resolved to guide the kingdom toward expansion and conquest.
• Baelon told Larys he wanted to be buried on a hill beside the Blackwater Rush and asked Larys to be buried with him.
• Larys was moved by Baelon's vision and walked toward him without answering.

Baelon secured Larys Strong’s service as Master of Whisperers and discussed how to exploit the Three Daughters’ rivalries. After Larys left, Baelon considered whether he could truly trust him and looked forward to attending the Small Council for the first time.

• Larys asked Baelon to grant him the honor of serving him, and Baelon filled Larys’s golden cup with wine and promised it would never run dry.
• Baelon and Larys discussed the Three Daughters’ divided government and its rivals, and Baelon offered Larys whatever resources he needed to spread rumors and sow suspicion.
• Baelon explained that Balerion’s reaction to strangers had revealed Larys’s presence in his bedchamber, and said he would station guards outside it in the future.
• Baelon wagered that Lord Lyonel would be shocked to see Larys seated on the Small Council, but Larys declined to bet.
• After Larys left, Baelon questioned whether he had truly won Larys’s loyalty, then comforted Balerion and prepared for his first Small Council meeting.

Rhaenyra confronted Grover Tully after he insulted Queen Aemma and defended her mother’s honor, while Borros Baratheon agreed with Grover’s views on male heirs. Baelon attended his first Small Council meeting, where Larys Strong was introduced as Master of Whisperers and the council learned of an agreement between the Triarchy and Dorne.

• Rhaenyra met Grover Tully, who praised Baelon’s claim and said Riverrun would support him, then insulted Queen Aemma after Rhaenyra left.
• Rhaenyra returned and threatened to defend her mother’s honor with sword and dragonfire, while Grover refused to retract his beliefs about women’s power.
• Borros Baratheon sided with Grover, saying he would give Storm’s End to a son if he had one.
• Baelon arrived early for his first Small Council meeting, greeted Viserys and Otto Hightower, and took his seat after pouring wine.
• Viserys introduced Larys Strong as Master of Whisperers, surprising Lyonel Strong.
• The council began with disputes between Houses Bracken and Blackwood, then Corlys Velaryon reported that the Triarchy had made an agreement with Qoren Martell.

The Small Council debated how to answer the Crabfeeder’s seizure of a Velaryon merchant ship, with some urging war and Lyonel Strong warning against attacking Dorne. Viserys appeared increasingly drawn to war but had not declared his decision when Rhaenyra arrived late.

• Corlys Velaryon demanded retaliation after the Crabfeeder detained one of his merchant ships.
• Daemon urged the council to use their six dragons to punish Dorne, while Lyonel Strong warned that war could invite raids from the Stepstones and the Iron Islands.
• Lyman Beesbury argued that the Crown could afford a war, and Lyonel proposed taking and fortifying only the Stepstones.
• Otto noticed that Viserys was listening without urging peace as he usually did, while the king considered the strength of his council and kingdom.
• Viserys addressed Corlys but had not revealed whether he would authorize war when Rhaenyra arrived late.

At the Small Council, Corlys Velaryon urged Viserys to seize the Stepstones, while Otto warned that doing so could draw the Triarchy and Dorne into war. As Viserys hesitated, Baelon challenged the assumption that defending the islands would require costly stone fortifications and began laying out historical lessons about island campaigns.

• Rhaenyra arrived at the Small Council and stood without a seat, while Baelon signaled that she could take one.
• Corlys Velaryon reported that the royal fleet had grown to 109 warships and described his preparations and knowledge of the Stepstones.
• Daemon urged Viserys to take the Stepstones, but Otto warned that the Triarchy and Dorne could turn the campaign into a war on two fronts.
• Viserys remained silent as Daemon grew angry, and Rhaenyra declared that the Targaryens had dragonriders.
• Baelon asked why they needed to spend so much manpower and resources on stone defenses, then considered historical examples of successful and disastrous island expeditions.

Baelon proposed brick construction and star-shaped angular fortifications, then used a claimed prophetic vision of Sunspear burning to persuade Viserys to attack the Stepstones. Viserys finally ordered the realm to seize the islands, though Baelon reflected on how difficult it had been to secure even that decision.

• Baelon offered free bricks for the realm’s defenses and sketched star-shaped fortifications whose projecting bastions could eliminate blind spots with crossfire.
• Corlys praised Baelon’s design and argued that the Stepstones’ islands could be permanently defended, while Otto warned that attackers might tunnel beneath earthen works.
• Viserys hesitated over whether the realm could hold the Stepstones against Dorne and the Triarchy, and Corlys grew disheartened by the king’s lack of resolve.
• Baelon claimed he had seen Sunspear engulfed in flames and dragons circling above Dorne, then argued that war was already brewing and the realm should strike first.
• Lyman Beesbury recalled how three dragons had destroyed a Dornish fleet, Otto urged war before negotiations, and Larys proposed dividing the Triarchy and allying with Pentos and Volantis.
• Viserys ordered the realm to attack with all its strength and take the Stepstones, while Baelon reflected on the struggle it had taken to win the king’s decision.

As Viserys’s war preparations gathered momentum, Baelon grew anxious about the Stepstones campaign and tried to guard against danger to himself and Vermithor. He met Lord Grover Tully, who praised his own jousting record and warned Baelon to choose the Kingsguard carefully.

• Viserys ordered preparations for war, while ships, supplies, letters, and soldiers gathered in King's Landing.
• Baelon became uneasy amid the city’s growing confidence in victory and rode Vermithor over King's Landing, where people hailed him as the “Cloud Rider.”
• Baelon waited for helmet designs for Vermithor and met Lord Grover Tully in the Red Keep’s courtyard.
• Baelon praised Grover’s jousting, prompting Grover to boast that he had broken ten lances against Ser Ryan Redwyne.
• Grover warned Baelon to be discerning when selecting the Kingsguard and criticized Cole Criston for filling Ser Ryan Redwyne’s vacancy.

Baelon arranged a protective eye guard for Vermithor while Ankatu Mork took measurements, and Lord Grover Tully announced his intention to fight at the front in the Stepstones war. In the Godswood, Rhaenyra confided to Alicent that she felt alone in remembering her mother.

• Baelon chose a steel eye guard with a narrow slit for Vermithor, and Ankatu Mork faltered at the prospect of measuring the dragon.
• Lord Grover Tully told Baelon he planned to seek the honor of fighting at the front in the Stepstones war, despite Baelon urging him to direct troops from the rear.
• Ankatu Mork stumbled back and fell when Vermithor raised his head and growled, so Baelon told him to stay back and give instructions.
• In the Godswood, Alicent asked Rhaenyra whether Baelon’s place on the Small Council had upset her, but Rhaenyra denied it.
• Rhaenyra told Alicent that she felt she was the only person at court who still remembered her mother.

Rhaenyra confided in Alicent about her resentment over Viserys’s treatment of Aemma and invited her to escape with her after the war. Baelon sought advice about naval warfare before Viserys summoned him, leaving him wondering whether the Iron Islands had replied.

• Rhaenyra told Alicent that Viserys’s dream of a prophesied son had led him to treat Aemma as a vessel, and she blamed herself for failing to protect her mother.
• Rhaenyra admitted she had briefly believed Baelon might be the prince of prophecy, then felt guilty for the thought; Alicent comforted her.
• Rhaenyra proposed that she and Alicent travel the world together after the war, but Alicent revealed that she was pregnant.
• Baelon asked Corlys how naval warfare worked, and Corlys explained that battles at sea often came down to boarding and fighting to the death.
• Ser Harrold told Baelon that Viserys wanted to see him, and Baelon wondered whether the Iron Islands had sent a reply.

Baelon persuaded Viserys to let him fly Vermithor to the Iron Islands and seek Balon Greyjoy’s allegiance. He and Ser Harrold reached Ironborn Bay after dark and planned to travel to Pyke the next morning.

• After the Iron Islands ignored Viserys’s summons, Baelon volunteered to confront Balon Greyjoy, and Viserys reluctantly approved the journey.
• Viserys gave Baelon anxious travel advice, while Baelon and Ser Harrold prepared to leave on Vermithor.
• Baelon promised Rhaenyra he would return safely and set off with Ser Harrold toward the Iron Islands.
• During the flight, Ser Harrold warned that a dragon might not make the Ironborn submit sincerely, and Baelon acknowledged their devotion to the Drowned God and the Old Way.
• Vermithor landed on a tidal flat in Ironborn Bay at night, and Baelon decided they would rest before heading to Pyke.

Baelon waited for Ironborn raiders to attack his camp so Vermithor could frighten them, but Balon Greyjoy and Dalton Greyjoy fled after seeing his silver hair and smile. A second ship charged toward shore, and Vermithor emerged and attacked as Baelon demanded that the survivors choose how to reach land.

• Balon Greyjoy led a longship toward the camp, intending to raid it, while nine-year-old Dalton Greyjoy anticipated his first taste of slaughter.
• Dalton noticed Baelon's silver hair and saw him smiling, prompting Balon to turn the ship around and flee.
• Baelon shouted insults after the retreating Ironborn and prepared to pursue them on Vermithor.
• A second ship arrived, mocked the fleeing crew, and charged onto the tidal flats.
• Vermithor revealed himself and unleashed flames on the newcomers, while Baelon gave the survivors a choice between sailing back or swimming through boiling water.

Baelon and Vermithor subdued Balon Greyjoy’s raiders, and Baelon searched the dragonfire-scorched shore for salvage. He found a Valyrian steel sword and had the Ironborn recover the wreckage, while Ser Harrold declined to take any spoils.

• Balon Greyjoy led the Ironborn ashore after Vermithor burned their raiding ship and its crew, and Dalton Greyjoy reacted in horror to the dragon’s power.
• Baelon questioned Balon, then had Ser Harrold collect the Ironborn’s weapons and bind them.
• Baelon searched the wreckage and discovered a Valyrian steel sword that had survived the dragonfire.
• Baelon ordered Ser Harrold to untie the Ironborn and sent them into the water to salvage the wreckage.
• Baelon offered Ser Harrold his choice of spoils, but Ser Harrold refused.

Prince Baelon used the Ironborn’s funeral customs and faith to win their obedience, then offered them spoils in exchange for swearing fealty. The chapter ended with Ironborn sailors declaring him their new captain because they believed his attack and seizure of treasure followed the Old Way.

• Baelon ordered the Ironborn to return their dead to the sea, earning respect from Balon Greyjoy’s crew.
• Baelon challenged devout Ironborn to follow the dead into the Drowned God’s Watery Halls, and several filled their clothes with stones and drowned themselves.
• Baelon offered his share of the spoils to Ironborn willing to kneel and serve a new captain.
• Balon Greyjoy watched as sailors began swearing fealty to Baelon, while Dalton Greyjoy objected.
• An Ironborn sailor declared Baelon his new captain, and the others recognized Baelon’s raid as an example of the Old Way.

Baelon captured Baren Greyjoy and his men, then gave the gathered Ironborn all his spoils except a Valyrian steel sword, winning their cheers and loyalty. Baren warned him that the title Seaboss belonged to the ruler of the Iron Islands and had been granted to House Greyjoy by Aegon.

• Baelon refused Dalton Greyjoy's demand for single combat and ordered the captured Greyjoys bound.
• Baren accepted that he and his men were Baelon's spoils, while the sailors demanded their promised share of the captured wealth.
• Baelon displayed the treasure from Baren's ship, then declared that all his spoils except the Valyrian steel sword would go to the Ironborn.
• The Ironborn fought over the riches and hailed Baelon as their Dragon Seaboss, urging him to lead them across the Sunset Sea.
• Baren reminded Baelon that Seaboss was a title reserved for the ruler of the Iron Islands and had been granted to House Greyjoy by Aegon.

Baelon rejected the idea of building a royally chartered maritime trading company and decided to seize direct leadership of the Ironborn instead. He announced that he would revive the Kingsmoot at Old Wyk, leaving Barren Greyjoy protesting that Baelon had no right to challenge House Greyjoy’s rule.

• Baelon considered using the Ironborn and Corlys Velaryon’s sea knowledge to build a powerful trading and raiding fleet, but decided he would not sacrifice his will for profit.
• Baelon recalled how Aegon the Conqueror had let the Ironborn choose their ruler, and concluded he could bypass House Greyjoy by seeking the Ironborn’s allegiance himself.
• Baelon told Barren Greyjoy that he would go to Old Wyk rather than Pyke, then announced to the Ironborn that he would lead them in reviving the Kingsmoot.
• The Ironborn cheered Baelon and the Kingsmoot, while Dalton Greyjoy struggled to join the gathering.
• Barren Greyjoy argued that Baelon was an outsider and Prince of Dragonstone who had no right to strip House Greyjoy of its rule.

Baelon spared Barren Greyjoy and ordered the Ironborn to sail for Old Wyk, confident they would choose him at the reopened Kingsmoot. As morning came, his ship set out with defected sailors at the oars, while Dalon Greyjoy had declared his intention to join the contest.

• Baelon promised Barren Greyjoy he would spare him and his men and return them to Balon Greyjoy for ransom.
• Ser Harrold warned Baelon that reopening the Kingsmoot could encourage raids and that the Ironborn might not choose him, but Baelon reassured him.
• Dalon Greyjoy denied being Barren's son, claimed Balon Greyjoy as his father, and said he wanted to take part in the Kingsmoot.
• Baelon ordered Barren and his sons aboard the ship and told the sailors to set sail for Old Wyk.
• The defected sailors steered the ship into the sea as dawn revealed the Ironborn waking after the Feast of the Blood-stained Flats.

Baelon sailed toward Old Wyk to revive the Kingsmoot, and rumors of his call swept across the Iron Islands and Westeros. As Ironborn gathered and rival powers reacted, Viserys feared for Baelon and ordered ships and ravens sent to learn what was happening.

• Baelon flew Vermithor toward Old Wyk and left a taunting message urging the Ironborn to attend the Kingsmoot.
• Balon Greyjoy welcomed the chance to claim the Driftwood Crown and ordered Euron to ready the ships for Old Wyk.
• Ironborn across the islands turned their longships toward Nagga's Bones, while priests of the Drowned God headed for Nagga's Hill.
• Earl Farman of Faircastle sent ravens to Casterly Rock and King's Landing, seeing the Ironborn upheaval as a chance for vengeance.
• Viserys worried that Baelon was in danger, and Corlys ordered ten warships sent while Viserys called for reports from nearby strongholds.

Baelon patrolled the Sunset Sea ahead of the Kingsmoot as rival priests spread contradictory songs about him, while Ironborn raiders grew resentful of their captains’ greed. The sailors began to look toward the dragon captain as a possible true king.

• Baelon heard two priests claim that the Drowned God had sent them opposing revelations about him, and recognized one as a man he had rescued from the sea.
• As the rival priests’ followers began fighting, Baelon pulled Ser Harrold out of the crowd and continued patrolling the coast to prevent raids before the Kingsmoot.
• Baelon and Ser Harrold noted that ships had vanished from the coast as the Kingsmoot approached, and Baelon remembered that his ship should have reached Blacktyde.
• At Blacktyde, a raiding captain hoarded most of the loot and threatened his crew, while the sailors complained that their shares were meager.
• The sailors recalled the dragon captain who shared his treasure and said the Ironborn needed a true king at the Kingsmoot.