Recaps

After the battle in the Stepstones, Redd ordered the recovery of the sea monster’s remains and assessed the devastating losses, including Corlys Velaryon’s likely death. He decided to take the survivors to Dragonstone first, leaving the consequences for House Velaryon and the next moves in Westeros unresolved.

• Redd ordered Mysaria to document the battle and collect samples from the sea monster for their Braavosi contacts.
• Redd surveyed the wreckage and considered how Corlys Velaryon’s death would leave House Velaryon and its fleet vulnerable to upheaval.
• Daemon tended to Caraxes and contemplated Corlys’s death, which might give him an opportunity to influence House Velaryon.
• Mysaria reported that about twenty damaged ships remained seaworthy, just over three hundred people had survived, and neither Corlys nor his flagship had been found.
• Redd ordered the survivors to repair ships and gather supplies, then chose to sail to Dragonstone before returning to King’s Landing.

Redd considered his next move after the battle on Bloodstone Island, while Tormund fled to the Summer Isles with his wounded Sea Dragon. Tormund reunited with his hidden fleet and ordered his followers to lie low while seeking supplies and ways to treat dragons.

• Redd reflected on Tormund's escape, Corlys's death, and the dangers revealed by the Naga beast as he weighed whether to remain in the shadows or act independently.
• Tormund flew toward the Summer Isles, where he had sent more than six hundred ships and his core followers ahead to hide.
• Tormund landed Raging Tide in a secluded bay and found the fleet safe, though the Sea Dragon was badly wounded and exhausted.
• Shatterbone asked Tormund what had happened, and Tormund kept the Stepstones' dangers secret while asking Ironhook about the fleet's condition and supplies.
• Tormund ordered his followers to stop raiding, keep a low profile, repair their ships, train their sailors, and seek medicine, iron, and knowledge about treating dragons.

Tormund survived in the Summer Isles, unaware that his brother Corlys had died during the battle, while Daemon and Redd agreed on a cover story for Corlys’s death. The battered fleet regrouped at Dragonstone, and the agreed account portrayed Corlys as a hero killed by a catastrophic sea disaster.

• Tormund sat by the bay, worried about Corlys and planning how to contact him, not knowing that Corlys had already died.
• Redd returned to Dragonstone with only a few dozen battered ships and learned that Corlys had perished along with much of the Driftmark fleet.
• Daemon sought out Redd to agree on an account of the battle before they returned to King's Landing.
• Daemon proposed saying that Corlys died heroically while a Sea Dragon and a deep-sea behemoth unleashed devastating waves.
• Redd accepted Daemon’s cover story, which blamed the losses on the sea monsters and a natural disaster.

Daemon gathered the surviving Driftmark ships and sailors under his temporary command and sailed for Driftmark, while secretly planning to use a pirate prisoner to pressure Rhaenys and House Velaryon. He arrived at High Tide with the prisoner in chains, as Redd ordered Mysaria to watch his movements.

• Daemon persuaded Redd to let him manage the surviving Driftmark fleet, and Redd agreed without interest in the ships or sailors.
• Daemon sailed from Dragonstone toward Driftmark with dozens of battered ships and several hundred sailors, while Redd told Mysaria to monitor him and look for hidden passengers or cargo.
• Daemon kept a captured pirate leader aboard, intending to use a coached confession about Corlys's dealings with Tormund as leverage over Rhaenys.
• Daemon reached Driftmark, ordered the ships to berth and the sailors kept under guard, then escorted the prisoner toward High Tide.

Daemon told Rhaenys that Corlys had died during the disastrous pirate campaign, then used a prisoner’s claim of secret contact between Corlys and Tormund to pressure House Velaryon. He offered to help stabilize Driftmark and the royal navy, leaving Rhaenys to weigh his account and his motives.

• Rhaenys waited anxiously for news of Corlys as Daemon entered her council chamber with a prisoner.
• Daemon told Rhaenys that Corlys had supposedly died while covering the fleet’s retreat from Tormund’s forces and a monstrous sea beast.
• Daemon presented the prisoner, who allegedly claimed that Corlys and Tormund had been in contact for years.
• Rhaenys rejected the accusation but feared the claim could damage House Velaryon and give Daemon leverage.
• Daemon offered to help restore order on Driftmark and support the leaderless royal navy.

Redd returned to Dragonstone and reunited with his pregnant wife, Rhaenyra, before telling her about the dangers and discoveries in the Stepstones. The chapter leaves Rhaenyra confronting the possibility that Daemon can restore dragons and that ancient forces dwell beneath the sea.

• Rhaenys gave Daemon time to consider his offer to support House Velaryon in exchange for control of its fleet, then stayed behind to deal with the pirate prisoner.
• Redd hurried back to Dragonstone and reunited with Rhaenyra, sharing a tender moment as he listened to their unborn child.
• Redd told Rhaenyra about Tormund and his Sea Dragon, Raging Tide, and the battle in which Corlys appeared to die.
• Redd revealed that Daemon's Caraxes was likely the dragon believed dead years earlier and that Daemon had used a forbidden method to preserve or restore its soul.
• Redd recounted Tormund's summoning of a beast possibly descended from Naga and his references to an Ocean Guide and a mermaid.

Redd told Rhaenyra that Corlys was likely dead and warned that Daemon might exploit the crisis to influence House Velaryon, while she resolved to investigate Daemon's plans. In the Red Keep, Otto used the Stepstones disaster and Tormund's Sea Dragon to stoke Viserys's suspicions of House Velaryon.

• Redd told Rhaenyra that Corlys was probably dead and that Daemon had gone to Driftmark to consolidate power and influence House Velaryon.
• Rhaenyra agreed to watch events on Dragonstone and help uncover Daemon's evidence and intentions, while Redd said Mysaria had already begun making arrangements.
• Otto reported the Stepstones disaster to Viserys and suggested that House Velaryon had concealed Tormund's Sea Dragon and might support Daemon.
• Viserys grew furious and suspicious, questioning whether House Velaryon intended to claim the Iron Throne.

Viserys appointed Otto acting Master of Ships and ordered him to stabilize the navy and pursue Tormund, while Otto privately celebrated his growing influence. At Dragonstone, Redd oversaw a bustling hatchery filled with newly hatched dragons.

• Otto warned Viserys that Daemon, House Velaryon, Tormund, and dangers in the Stepstones threatened the realm.
• Viserys ordered Rhaenys to oversee Driftmark, summoned Laenor home, and commanded Daemon to return to King's Landing with the remaining troops.
• Viserys appointed Otto acting Master of Ships and charged him with reorganizing the navy and hunting Tormund.
• Otto left the council chamber pleased that Corlys was dead and that control of the navy had fallen into his hands.
• At Dragonstone, Redd watched Mysaria and loyal attendants care for hatchlings of varied sizes, colors, and forms in his volcanic hatchery.

Redd learned that 307 dragon hatchlings had survived and ordered their growth and magical environment studied while tracking the political struggle among Viserys, Otto, Daemon, and House Velaryon. He then began registering each hatchling as his own, leaving them with a mark that recognized him as their Dragon King.

• Mysaria reported that 307 eggs had hatched, though the hatchlings were smaller and weaker than recorded Targaryen dragons, and Redd ordered detailed records and growth experiments.
• Mysaria told Redd that Viserys had appointed Otto acting Master of Ships and that Daemon had returned to Driftmark, where Rhaenys placed the island under martial law.
• Redd ordered Mysaria to monitor Daemon, Rhaenys, the Driftmark Fleet, and Otto’s plans to reorganize the navy and hunt Tormund.
• Redd told Mysaria to inform Rhaenyra he would visit her, then left the hatchery to share the news and discuss events in King's Landing and Driftmark.
• Redd spent several days performing a registration ritual on the 307 hatchlings, marking their consciousnesses so they would recognize him as their Dragon King.

Redd managed the hatchery for more than three hundred dragon hatchlings while Cannibal repeatedly watched them with an intense desire to eat them. He warned Cannibal away, ordered stronger security and more food, and left the hatchlings under protection as he prepared to turn his attention back to Westeros.

• Redd and Mysaria oversaw the hatchlings’ care, while shipments of meat arrived to feed them.
• Cannibal repeatedly appeared near the hatchery and stared hungrily at the hatchlings, alarming the other dragons and the guards.
• Redd confronted Cannibal and warned that touching the hatchlings would mean death, invoking King Ghidorah’s power through their mental link.
• Cannibal withdrew, but Redd recognized its appetite for other dragons as a dangerous abnormality and considered sending it on risky missions.
• Redd ordered Mysaria to strengthen hatchery defenses, increase Cannibal’s food supply, and try to guide its appetite.

After hearing that Laenor Velaryon had been found murdered in Spicetown, Redd sent Mysaria to investigate and suspected that Otto might have arranged the killing. Mysaria’s report exposed suspicious details and pointed to Daemon as the public suspect, while Rhaenys mourned her son and restricted access to Driftmark.

• Redd learned of Laenor’s death during the turmoil following Corlys’s death and ordered Mysaria to investigate in detail.
• Mysaria’s network reported that Laenor had detoured to Spicetown and was found dead beside a young sailor in a locked inn room.
• The official investigation blamed a violent dispute between Laenor and the sailor, but Mysaria’s investigators found signs that the struggle may have been staged.
• Mysaria’s report noted that the timing benefited those seeking to end Corlys’s direct line and that Otto’s officials quickly discouraged further investigation.
• Rhaenys was devastated by Laenor’s death but did not publicly challenge the official account, while rumors named Daemon as the chief suspect.

Redd suspected Otto Hightower had arranged Laenor’s murder and ordered Mysaria to keep investigating while he watched Rhaenys’s response and Driftmark’s succession. Rhaenys took charge of the funeral and withheld Driftmark’s title, and Redd and the heavily pregnant Rhaenyra traveled to High Tide for the solemn, small ceremony.

• Redd judged Otto Hightower more likely than Daemon to have arranged Laenor’s murder and told Mysaria to investigate the killing and monitor Driftmark, Rhaenys, Daemon, and King’s Landing.
• Redd refused Mysaria’s suggestion to plant clues for Rhaenys, choosing to gather intelligence and wait before intervening.
• Rhaenys stepped forward after Corlys and Laenor’s deaths but did not pass the Driftmark title to Laena or Daemon.
• Redd and Rhaenyra received Rhaenys’s invitation to the funeral and chose to travel by ship because Rhaenyra was heavily pregnant.
• Redd and Rhaenyra arrived at High Tide, where Rhaenys had arranged a small funeral amid House Velaryon’s mourning.

At Corlys and Laenor’s funeral on Driftmark, Rhaenys faced a fragile political situation after the deaths left House Velaryon without a stable succession. She declared herself provisional ruler of Driftmark, blocking Daemon from immediately taking control.

• Redd and Rhaenyra arrived at High Tide with Mysaria and a small guard, where Rhaenys received them before Corlys and Laenor’s funeral.
• An elderly Driftmark maester conducted brief funeral rites, while Redd observed the vassals’ wary distance from Rhaenys.
• Daemon arrived late, claiming he had been inspecting Driftmark’s defenses, and exchanged guarded words with Redd and Rhaenyra.
• Rhaenys declared herself Earl of Driftmark and lawful heir, saying she would oversee House Velaryon’s affairs until the appropriate time.
• Daemon did not challenge Rhaenys publicly, and Redd recognized her declaration as an effort to establish her authority and prevent Daemon from taking control.

As Redd and the heavily pregnant Rhaenyra prepared to leave High Tide, Alicent privately warned him that Daemon was conspiring with the Three Daughters Alliance over control of the Stepstones. Redd agreed to hear more at a nearby tavern, leaving Rhaenyra wary and angry as the threat to his eastern holdings became clear.

• After Redd and Rhaenyra paid their respects to Rhaenys, they left High Tide and reached the harbor to board their ship for Dragonstone.
• Alicent arrived with guards and asked Redd to speak with her alone, upsetting Rhaenyra.
• Redd agreed to meet Alicent at a nearby tavern after she said Daemon was in contact with the Three Daughters Alliance.
• Alicent revealed that Daemon and the alliance were plotting over control of the Stepstones.
• Redd realized the scheme could threaten eastern trade and the security of Volantis, Norvos, and Lorath.

Redd met with Alicent after she revealed that Daemon was conspiring with the Three Daughters Alliance over the Stepstones and seeking contact with Tormund. Alicent offered cooperation between House Hightower and Redd to contain Daemon, though their deeper political loyalties remained opposed.

• Redd asked Rhaenyra and Mysaria to wait aboard the ship while he heard Alicent out, and Rhaenyra reluctantly agreed.
• Alicent told Redd that Daemon had discussed claiming Stepstones islands with the Three Daughters Alliance in exchange for trade concessions and possible action against House Velaryon.
• Alicent revealed that the Alliance wanted the sea dragon and Tormund’s secrets and was trying to reach Tormund through Daemon.
• Alicent said Viserys had been informed but had ordered Otto only to monitor the situation, then offered to share intelligence and coordinate with Redd.
• Redd questioned what House Hightower wanted and how their cooperation would work, and Alicent proposed limiting their efforts to preventing Daemon and the Alliance from controlling the Stepstones or joining forces with Tormund.

Redd accepted Alicent’s offer of limited cooperation against Daemon and the threat in the Stepstones, then sailed from Driftmark while weighing the danger of killing Daemon. He realized that a confrontation with Viserys could force Rhaenyra to choose between her father and husband, but his hesitation gave way to resolve.

• Redd agreed to temporarily share information with Alicent about the Stepstones and Daemon, without changing his position on Rhaenyra’s succession.
• Alicent left the tavern, and Redd considered how Daemon, Otto, and the Three Daughters Alliance were drawing him into their struggle.
• Redd boarded the ship, and Mysaria ordered the crew to sail at full speed from Driftmark.
• On the voyage, Redd weighed the benefits of working with Otto against the risk of killing Daemon and provoking King Viserys.
• Redd saw Rhaenyra with her unborn child and worried that conflict with Viserys would make her choose between her father and husband.
• Redd acknowledged that his family had constrained him, but his hesitation was soon replaced by cold resolve.

Redd resolved to secure Rhaenyra’s position as heir amid Daemon’s alliance with the Three Daughters and the growing political crisis. He told Rhaenyra that Viserys must formally proclaim her the sole heir to the Iron Throne.

• Redd considered ways to counter Daemon, including using House Hightower, dividing the Three Daughters Alliance, and turning Viserys against his brother.
• Mysaria told Redd that Rhaenyra wanted him to return to the cabin, and he went back to her.
• Redd decided that he would no longer hesitate and that he had to discuss Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne with her.
• Redd asked Mysaria to leave them alone, then told Rhaenyra that Daemon was colluding with the Three Daughters Alliance and seeking Tormund and the Sea Dragon.
• Redd told Rhaenyra that Viserys had to publicly and formally confirm her as the sole heir to the Iron Throne.

Redd urged Rhaenyra to prepare to take the Iron Throne, warning that he would use force against her father if necessary. Rhaenyra agreed to first demand that Viserys publicly confirm her as heir, while trying to accept force as a possible last resort.

• Redd warned Rhaenyra that Viserys would likely favor Alicent’s unborn son and said he would coerce the king by force if necessary.
• Rhaenyra recoiled at the prospect of attacking her father and wept over the possibility of kin dying in a fight for the throne.
• Redd proposed that they formally demand Viserys confirm Rhaenyra as Heir Apparent at a gathering of nobles before deciding what to do next.
• Redd told Rhaenyra he would bear the blame and argued that their child would inherit the Iron Throne and his eastern holdings.
• Rhaenyra asked for time to consider the possibility of force, and Redd embraced her as their ship continued toward Dragonstone.

After Daemon was rebuffed on Driftmark, he sailed to the Stepstones, crowned himself king, and allied with the Three Daughters Alliance as Dorne declared independence. On Dragonstone, Redd explained to Rhaenyra how the new alliance threatened the Iron Throne, and suspected Daemon’s move and his interest in Tormund’s Sea Dragon had been planned in advance.

• Daemon left Driftmark and sailed with his fleet to the Stepstones instead of returning to King's Landing or Runestone.
• Dorne declared independence, while Daemon proclaimed himself King of the Narrow Sea and the Stepstones and allied with Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh.
• The Three Daughters Alliance recognized Daemon’s claim and promised him military and financial support, while Dorne made no move against his occupation of the Stepstones.
• Mysaria reported the news to Redd and Rhaenyra on Dragonstone, and Rhaenyra worried that Viserys would have to respond to Daemon’s challenge.
• Redd explained how Daemon’s position benefited the Three Daughters Alliance and Dorne, and said the move had likely been planned with Tormund and the Sea Dragon in mind.

Rhaenyra asked Redd for three days to confront Viserys in King's Landing and learn whether he would support her and preserve House Targaryen's unity. After she left, Redd summoned fifty thousand naval troops from Volantis to Dragonstone, preparing for either outcome.

• Redd warned Rhaenyra that Daemon could build a powerful Stepstones Kingdom with the Three Daughters Alliance and Dorne if he found Tormund and the Sea Dragon.
• Rhaenyra asked what Redd would do if Viserys refused to support her, and Redd said he would act after establishing the king's position.
• Rhaenyra requested three days to visit Viserys in King's Landing, and Redd agreed to wait for her answer.
• Rhaenyra ordered Mysaria to prepare ships and additional guards, then sailed for King's Landing as Redd saw her off.
• Redd instructed Jasent to bring fifty thousand naval troops from Volantis to Dragonstone, leaving Theora and Marcus to manage affairs there.

After waiting three days for Rhaenyra’s return from King's Landing, Redd learned that Viserys had agreed to publicly name her his heir but wanted to negotiate in person. Redd left Dragonstone for King's Landing on King Ghidorah, while ordering Jasent to keep the navy gathered and Mysaria to watch for trouble.

• Redd decided that if Viserys’s weakness continued to endanger the realm, he would remove him from power, even at the cost of Rhaenyra’s love.
• Redd spent three days managing Dragonstone’s affairs and awaiting news from Rhaenyra.
• Mysaria returned and reported that Viserys had agreed to publicly proclaim Rhaenyra his heir, but had invited Redd to King's Landing to discuss terms.
• Mysaria told Redd that Rhaenyra was well and waiting in King's Landing, Viserys had become more attentive toward her, and Otto was absent.
• Redd ordered Jasent to keep the fifty-thousand-strong navy at Dragonstone and told Mysaria to report any unusual activity by raven.
• Redd flew toward King's Landing on King Ghidorah.

Redd met with Viserys in King's Landing to negotiate Rhaenyra's recognition as heir, agreeing to help resolve the realm's crises while demanding Otto Hightower's removal. The chapter ended with Viserys facing Redd's ultimatum and Rhaenyra backing Redd.

• Redd flew King Ghidorah to King's Landing and landed near the Dragonpit before going to the Red Keep.
• Ser Criston Cole escorted Redd to the council chamber, where he met Viserys, Rhaenyra, and Alicent.
• Viserys offered to publicly confirm Rhaenyra as heir if Redd helped bring Daemon back, reclaim the Stepstones, expel the Three Daughters Alliance, and find Tormund.
• Redd criticized Viserys for causing the crises through indecision, then agreed to help because Daemon and the Three Daughters Alliance threatened his interests.
• Redd demanded that Otto Hightower leave the Small Council and King's Landing, and Rhaenyra firmly supported him as Viserys faced the choice.

Viserys yielded to Redd’s demands, dismissing Otto Hightower and publicly confirming Rhaenyra as his sole heir. Redd agreed to address Dorne, Daemon, and the Three Daughters Alliance within a year, while staying with Rhaenyra until their child was born.

• Viserys abandoned the idea of attacking Redd and agreed to his terms.
• Viserys dismissed Otto Hightower, named Lyonel Strong Hand of the King, and confirmed Rhaenyra as his sole heir.
• Redd told Viserys he would deal with Dorne, Daemon, and the Three Daughters Alliance, but needed a year to begin taking action.
• Redd said he would remain with Rhaenyra until their child was born, and she took his hand in support.
• Viserys accepted the one-year deadline, and Redd and Rhaenyra left the Council Chamber as Alicent watched.

After Viserys confirmed Rhaenyra as heir, the realm’s nobles and houses rapidly declared support for her, encouraged by Redd’s military strength. Redd watched the shifting court and waited for Otto and Alicent to reveal their plans while delaying action in Dorne and the Stepstones.

• Viserys sat with Alicent after Rhaenyra and Redd left, and Alicent reassured him that his decision had prevented civil war and kept him alive.
• Fifty thousand naval troops assembled at Dragonstone while King Ghidorah remained outside King’s Landing, and Rhaenys and other nobles publicly supported Rhaenyra’s claim.
• Rhaenyra attended Small Council meetings as heir, where Lyonel Strong avoided opposing her and she steadily learned to navigate court politics.
• Redd waited for Otto’s response from exile and watched Alicent, whose attitude toward Rhaenyra had grown calculating as she carried Viserys’s child.
• Redd postponed action on Dorne and the Stepstones, choosing to observe Daemon and the other powers before making a move.

Redd met privately with Alicent, who asked what future he intended for her and her unborn child after Otto's banishment. He made clear that Rhaenyra and her children alone would inherit the Iron Throne, leaving Alicent to decide whether to accept that future.

• Mysaria told Redd that Alicent had invited him to meet privately in her quarters that night.
• Alicent explained that Otto had left her a letter advising her to wait, and that his influence and connections remained in King's Landing.
• Alicent asked what place she and her child had in Redd's plans, and he said they could retain royal status if they did not challenge Rhaenyra, but would face consequences if they did.
• Alicent asked whether the lords would support her possible son over Rhaenyra's children, citing the question of blood and Rhaenyra's Eastern blood.
• Redd told Alicent that the Iron Throne would belong only to Rhaenyra and her children, and that anyone who challenged that claim would die.