Recaps

Redd’s bone knife drained Daemon’s body of its moisture and life, leaving him a desiccated corpse before the weapon shattered. Douglas and the soldiers watched in horror as Redd realized the knife had been single-use.

• Douglas held back his nausea and maintained his composure while Daemon writhed and made inhuman sounds.
• Redd pulled the bone knife from Daemon’s mouth and wiped it on Daemon’s armor.
• The knife’s aqua-blue glow surged, and its energy flowed into Daemon, drying him into a shriveled corpse.
• Redd examined the drained knife and found its glow and edge had vanished.
• Redd crushed the brittle bone knife between his fingers and complained that it had been single-use.

Redd defeated Daemon and the forces at Lys, then ordered Douglas to count survivors, repair ships, and prepare to return home after three days. News of Lys’s destruction spread across the Summer Sea, interrupting Tyrosh’s Hundred Flowers Festival and reaching Myr during a grand auction.

• Redd confirmed that the bone blade had crumbled after a single use and ordered its fragments collected for study.
• Redd told Douglas to clean up the beach, count survivors, repair usable ships, and dismantle the rest for planks.
• Redd planned to rest at Lys for three days before sailing home, while amber eyes watched from beneath the sea.
• A messenger announced Lys’s fall and the deaths of Daemon and Tormund during Tyrosh’s Hundred Flowers Festival, bringing the celebration to a halt.
• News of Lys’s destruction reached Myr while merchants were attending a grand auction.

After Redd annihilated Lys and killed its defenders, news of his victory spread through the Free Cities. He returned to Dragonstone, where he asked Douglas to report on the battle.

• A merchant told the Prince of Myr that Lys had been destroyed, and the prince left the auction in shock.
• News spread to Norvos, Pentos, Braavos, and Lorath that Redd had annihilated Lys, killed its dragons, and defeated the Citadel’s weapons.
• Envoys from Tyrosh and Myr arrived on Dragonstone as the Free Cities confronted Redd’s overwhelming victory.
• Redd returned to Dragonstone aboard King Ghidorah with Douglas, the sole survivor of the fleet, and met with Jasent, Theora, and Marcus.
• Redd asked Douglas to tell the others about the situation in Lys.

Redd rejected the envoys from Tyrosh and Myr, then planned how to govern the Free Cities after their submission. He established a council and divided military authority among Jasent, Theora, Marcus, and Douglas, while warning them that Mysaria's intelligence network would report any disloyalty.

• Redd told the kneeling envoys to surrender their cities' wealth and authority, then said their magistrates could die once the transfer was complete.
• Theora warned Redd that he would need experienced officials, merchants, and fleet commanders to keep the newly submitted cities running.
• Redd appointed Jasent, Theora, Marcus, and Douglas to a council overseeing the nine Free Cities and their magistrates.
• Redd divided military command among the four, assigning Marcus to Dragonstone's guards and mobile forces.
• Redd revealed that Mysaria's intelligence network covered the Free Cities and warned the council members against disloyalty.
• Jasent accepted Redd's oversight, and Douglas vowed to remain loyal.

Douglas recounted the destruction at Lys, and Redd learned that Tyrosh and Myr had sent envoys to submit unconditionally. Redd told the envoys they had come too late and rose to face them, leaving their fate unresolved.

• Douglas calmly described the fleet’s entry into the channel, the battle involving the dragons and King Ghidorah, and Redd’s survival in the fire.
• Jasent asked how the remaining city-states would react, and Redd revealed that envoys from Tyrosh and Myr were waiting at the harbor.
• The Tyroshi and Myrish envoys knelt and offered their cities, wealth, fleets, lands, and people to Redd without conditions.
• After letting the envoys fear his judgment in silence, Redd told them their voluntary submission was too late.
• Redd explained that an earlier submission would have allowed the envoys to keep power, wealth, or status, then rose and approached them.

Redd ordered Daemon’s mummified corpse sent to King’s Landing so Viserys would see what had become of his brother. When Viserys opened the coffin, the sight made him collapse unconscious.

• Redd ordered Daemon’s body returned to King’s Landing in its mummified state.
• Jasent arranged for the corpse to be placed in a black oak coffin and sent across Blackwater Bay.
• A guard told Viserys that men from Dragonstone had arrived with Daemon’s body.
• Viserys opened the coffin and saw Daemon’s mutilated, desiccated corpse.
• Viserys fainted, and the guards caught him and called for a healer.

Viserys woke after a long unconscious spell, devastated by what had happened to Daemon. On Dragonstone, King Ghidorah devoured the Dragons Bloodworm and Raging Tide, then settled contentedly beside Redd.

• Viserys woke in his bedchamber and asked about Daemon, but the Small Council and maesters could not answer him.
• Viserys wept and repeatedly asked why, while those around him remained silent.
• King Ghidorah eagerly tore into Bloodworm and Raging Tide after their bodies were brought to Dragonstone.
• Redd refused Jasent's suggestion to send Bloodworm's remains to King's Landing, saying the news might kill Viserys.
• King Ghidorah ate both Dragons completely, then rested on the beach as Redd patted and comforted him.

Redd watched his plans for his empire advance while Viserys remained gravely ill in the Red Keep after fainting from fright. Viserys sent Alicent away so he could speak with Rhaenyra alone.

• Redd looked out over the moonlit sea and reflected on his expanding empire and the plans unfolding in Westeros and Essos.
• The royal maester treated Viserys, but the king remained pale, weakened, and haunted by the corpse and severed arm he had seen.
• Alicent, pregnant with her fourth child, tirelessly cared for Viserys and kept his maids away from him.
• Viserys woke and asked about Daemon, but Alicent urged him to take his medicine first.
• After drinking the medicine, Viserys asked everyone to leave so he could speak with Rhaenyra alone, and Alicent withdrew.

Viserys confessed to Rhaenyra that he had wronged Daemon and secretly supported his occupation of the Stepstones. He explained that he did so because he feared Redd’s power, which now threatened Westeros across the Narrow Sea.

• Rhaenyra sat beside the ill Viserys and reflected on his frailty and the contrast with Aegon the Conqueror’s strength.
• Viserys admitted that he had wronged Daemon, describing how their family and the court had rejected his brother.
• Rhaenyra remembered Daemon’s affection for her as a child and how he later became angry and left for the Stepstones.
• Viserys revealed that he had secretly helped Daemon occupy the Stepstones, prompting Rhaenyra to ask why.
• Viserys said he had acted because of Redd, whose control of all nine Free Cities, vast forces, and three dragons could let him invade Westeros.

Viserys confessed to Rhaenyra that fear of Redd had led him to use Daemon as a pawn to delay Redd’s advance, and mourned Daemon’s death. He then asked Rhaenyra to tell her husband that he intended to grant Redd the title King of the Narrow Sea.

• Viserys admitted that he had used Daemon and encouraged cooperation with the Triarchy to keep Redd occupied.
• Viserys wept over Daemon’s death and said he had expected Daemon to survive or escape.
• Rhaenyra asked Viserys why he had told her about his actions.
• Viserys said that, as king, he wanted to grant Redd the title King of the Narrow Sea.
• Rhaenyra recognized that the title would formally acknowledge Redd’s independent royal authority.

Viserys offered Redd the title of King of the Narrow Sea and asked Rhaenyra to convey the decision, revealing their exchange as a political negotiation rather than a father-daughter conversation. Rhaenyra left Viserys’s chamber composed but inwardly shaken, remembering Daemon and the mutilated body in his coffin.

• Viserys asked Rhaenyra what she thought of his decision to grant Redd the title of King of the Narrow Sea.
• Rhaenyra recognized Viserys was treating her as a political channel to Redd and calmly agreed to convey the decision.
• Viserys thanked Rhaenyra, but she did not take his offered hand and left his chamber.
• Viserys wondered aloud whether Aegon the Conqueror thought he had been wrong.
• As Rhaenyra walked through the corridor, she remembered Daemon taking her flying and then recalled the black coffin and the mutilated corpse inside.

Rhaenyra hid her grief from Alicent after learning of Redd and Daemon, then went to the Dragonpit to ride Syrax to Dragonstone and find another rider. Alicent stayed beside the sleeping Viserys, exhausted by the masks she wore in court and family life.

• Rhaenyra told Alicent that Viserys had taken his medicine and gone to sleep, then urged the pregnant Queen to rest.
• Alicent entered Viserys's bedchamber, kissed his forehead, and reflected on her weariness from acting different roles for her husband, Rhaenyra, the courtiers, and her children.
• Rhaenyra descended to the Dragonpit and approached Syrax, recalling the dragon's hatching.
• Rhaenyra told Syrax they were going to Dragonstone to find another rider.
• Syrax spread her wings and rushed with Rhaenyra through the passage leading out of the Dragonpit.

Rhaenyra flew from King's Landing to Dragonstone to speak with Redd about Viserys's proposed bargain and the limits of his ambitions. At Redd's study, she found Mysaria leaving in disarray while Redd calmly dressed behind his desk.

• Rhaenyra flew Syrax from King's Landing to Dragonstone, thinking of Viserys and the negotiations she needed to have with Redd.
• Rhaenyra landed in Dragonstone's courtyard and went straight to Redd's study, determined to ask about the title King of the Narrow Sea and the boundary between Westeros and Essos.
• Mysaria opened the study door wearing a revealing gown, her appearance suggesting she had just been intimate with someone.
• Rhaenyra looked past Mysaria and saw Redd behind his desk, adjusting his belt with a satisfied, unruffled air.

Rhaenyra visited Redd to tell him that Viserys intended to grant him the title King of the Narrow Sea. Redd learned that the offer would make him an independent king with recognized rule over the waters surrounding Dragonstone, while Rhaenyra recognized that Dorne had submitted because of Redd’s power.

• Rhaenyra entered Redd’s study despite Mysaria’s offer to let her wait.
• Redd told Rhaenyra that the Prince of Dorne had agreed to swear fealty to the Iron Throne after receiving his letter.
• Rhaenyra realized that Dorne had yielded to Redd, not to Viserys or House Targaryen.
• Rhaenyra told Redd that Viserys wanted to give him the title King of the Narrow Sea.
• Rhaenyra explained that the Iron Throne would recognize Redd’s ownership and rule over the waters around Dragonstone, making him an independent king equal to the King of the Seven Kingdoms.

Rhaenyra asked Redd to keep his forces from advancing beyond Driftmark, and he promised her that his army, fleet, and dragon would stay away from Blackwater Bay and King's Landing. After she left, Redd revealed to himself that his wording still left him free to land west of Driftmark and attack King's Landing by land.

• Rhaenyra told Redd that the Dragon King's army must not pass beyond Driftmark or enter Blackwater Bay or the Seven Kingdoms.
• Redd praised Rhaenyra for speaking honestly and promised her that his army, fleet, and dragon would not approach Blackwater Bay or King's Landing.
• Rhaenyra thanked Redd and left his study, remarking that Mysaria was a very good helper.
• Redd considered his promise and realized he could still land west of Driftmark and attack King's Landing overland.

After overhearing Rhaenyra call her a helper, Mysaria resolved to secure a lasting place beside Redd by becoming the mother of his child. She attended to him in his study, and he carried her to the bath, leaving their intentions uncertain.

• Mysaria overheard Rhaenyra describe her as a good helper and felt she was considered replaceable.
• Mysaria entered Redd’s study and offered him a bath, then massaged his shoulders.
• As she saw the letter confirming Dorne’s submission, Mysaria decided she would make herself indispensable to Redd as a mother.
• Redd carried Mysaria toward the bathroom while the maids withdrew from the corridor.

Mysaria sought reassurance from Redd about having his child and whether he would keep her, while Redd offered no definite answers but held her close. As Rhaenyra flew away from Dragonstone, she weighed his promise and began to suspect he might abandon Westeros for their son.

• Mysaria asked Redd if she could conceive his child, and he answered, "Perhaps."
• Mysaria asked Redd if he would always keep her, but he stayed silent and comforted her as they embraced in the bath.
• A maid overheard them, recalled the Queen calling Mysaria a "Helper," and left the corridor.
• Rhaenyra flew from Dragonstone through the cold night, trying to think clearly about Redd's promise to her.
• Rhaenyra doubted that Redd would give up Westeros for her, but suspected he might do so for their son.

Rhaenyra returned to King's Landing after Redd promised to keep his army and fleet away from the Seven Kingdoms in exchange for the title King of the Narrow Sea. She hurried to tell Viserys, but found his bedchamber door barred from within.

• Rhaenyra rode Syrax over Driftmark and landed in the Red Keep’s dragonpit.
• Rhaenyra recognized a Dragonkeeper as one of the men Otto Hightower had placed in the dragonpit, then watched him lead Syrax away.
• Rhaenyra recalled that Redd had promised not to take his army beyond Driftmark or bring his fleet into Blackwater Bay.
• Rhaenyra hurried toward Viserys’s bedchamber, imagining his relief and gratitude when she shared the news.
• Rhaenyra tried to open Viserys’s door and found it barred from inside.

Rhaenyra was stopped from entering Viserys’s bedchamber without permission, then admitted after waiting outside. She found Viserys looking healthier but greeting her with urgent desperation.

• Rhaenyra found Harrison and a young guard barring Viserys’s door and realized that access to the king now required permission.
• Harrison sent the young guard inside to announce Rhaenyra, leaving her to wait outside the bolted door.
• The young guard returned and gestured for Rhaenyra to enter.
• Rhaenyra entered the bedchamber and noticed the medicinal, unpleasant smell replacing much of the familiar lavender scent.
• Viserys tried to sit up when he saw Rhaenyra, then fell back against the pillows, gasping for breath.

Rhaenyra returned from meeting Redd and told Viserys that he had agreed to keep his army out of the Seven Kingdoms. She left after Viserys focused only on the news and Alicent tended to him with carefully composed concern.

• Viserys urgently asked Rhaenyra what Redd had said, without asking about her journey or wellbeing.
• Rhaenyra told Viserys that Redd had agreed, and that his army would go no farther than Driftmark or enter Blackwater Bay.
• Viserys relaxed with relief and offered Rhaenyra no thanks or praise.
• Alicent gently settled Viserys in bed while Rhaenyra watched her measured, polished movements.
• Rhaenyra asked to leave, waited for Viserys to say more, and then left without receiving any further acknowledgment.

After delivering news from Dragonstone to Viserys, Rhaenyra returned to her room and fell asleep, feeling separated from the family portrait that once represented her place in the family. Alicent watched Viserys sleep, then wrote to Otto about Rhaenyra’s visit and the bewilderment she had seen in her.

• Rhaenyra passed the old family portrait without looking at it and returned to her room, where she collapsed into bed and fell asleep.
• Viserys settled into peaceful sleep after hearing Rhaenyra’s news.
• Alicent rested a hand on her pregnant belly and considered how another child would strengthen her position in the Red Keep.
• Alicent sat at her desk and began writing a letter to Otto, first asking after her family.
• Alicent described Rhaenyra’s overnight trip to Dragonstone and her bewildered expression when she was admitted to Viserys’s bedchamber.

Alicent wrote Otto a detailed account of Viserys and Rhaenyra, then considered the power Redd held over the succession. In Oldtown, Otto opened her letter and recalled the strategy he had advised her to follow.

• Alicent recorded Viserys's reaction to Redd's reply and Rhaenyra's departure, leaving the question of whether to drive them apart to Otto.
• Alicent sealed her letter to Otto, tended to the sleeping Viserys, and reflected that Redd could take the Iron Throne if he wanted it.
• Otto received Alicent's letter in the Citadel and remembered advising her to yield to Rhaenyra until Viserys felt he needed a loyal counterweight.

Otto Hightower read Alicent's account of Rhaenyra being made to wait outside Viserys's bedchamber and saw an opportunity to shift Viserys's attitude toward his daughter. From Oldtown, he planned to make the king feel his authority slipping until Viserys invited him back to King's Landing.

• Otto read Alicent's letter and concluded that Viserys had begun treating Rhaenyra as someone outside his inner circle.
• Otto considered fleeing to Oldtown if Rhaenyra took the throne, but resolved to regain his place at the center of power.
• Otto wrote to Alicent, instructing her to act humble and friendly toward Rhaenyra and avoid showing hostility.
• Otto told Alicent to mention his past advice casually when Viserys felt the Small Council was falling under Rhaenyra's influence.
• Otto expected Viserys to invite him back because the king depended on others to make decisions for him.

Otto Hightower sent Alicent a letter and looked forward to being invited back to King's Landing, while Rhaenyra reflected on the widening gulf between herself and Viserys. Rhaenyra decided to seek allies among the great houses, whose courteous letters had begun arriving from across the kingdoms.

• Otto sealed a letter for Alicent and sent a trusted servant to deliver it to her in the Red Keep.
• Otto imagined returning to King's Landing at the king's invitation and resumed handling House Hightower's affairs in Oldtown.
• Rhaenyra spent the morning reflecting on the growing divide between her and Viserys after being stopped from entering his bedchamber.
• Rhaenyra resolved to seek allies among the nobles and lords of the Seven Kingdoms.
• Rhaenyra's study filled with formal letters from across the kingdoms, including Winterfell, the Eyrie, Casterly Rock, and Sunspear.

Rhaenyra assessed the lords’ political loyalties and wrote Rhaenys Velaryon an offer of equal alliance, hoping to secure House Velaryon’s support. While she awaited Rhaenys’s reply, she learned that Viserys would attend the Small Council again.

• Rhaenyra sorted the lords by their actual willingness to support her and pinned their names to a wall for continual reassessment.
• Rhaenyra decided she had to bring House Velaryon into her camp and concluded that Rhaenys valued formal recognition more than wealth, territory, or military strength.
• Rhaenyra sent Rhaenys a brief letter declaring that Driftmark’s banner should fly alongside House Targaryen’s.
• Rhaenyra waited for Rhaenys’s answer, but learned instead that Viserys planned to attend the Small Council again.