Chapter Summaries

King Ghidorah defeated Grey Ghost and tried to carry him through the fissure, where living roots attacked them. After blasting the roots aside with Gravity Beams, King Ghidorah emerged from the fissure with Grey Ghost in his jaws as Redd watched.

• King Ghidorah easily knocked Grey Ghost down and rendered his Dragonfire useless against his golden scales.
• The cavern’s roots awakened, ensnared both dragons, and forced King Ghidorah to release Grey Ghost’s neck.
• King Ghidorah fired three Gravity Beams that shattered the roots, which dissolved and quickly regrew around the cavern.
• King Ghidorah carried Grey Ghost toward the fissure while using Gravity Beams to repel the roots that approached.
• Redd watched from outside as King Ghidorah emerged from the fissure with the powerless Grey Ghost in his jaws.

Redd learned through King Ghidorah that a vast cavern beneath Dragonstone’s volcano held thick, regenerative white roots that pursued them from a fissure. After King Ghidorah destroyed the roots and sealed the fissure, Redd resolved to uncover the island’s secrets and turned his attention to the injured Grey Ghost.

• White roots pursued King Ghidorah and Grey Ghost from the fissure, wrapping around King Ghidorah as they tried to drag it back into the darkness.
• King Ghidorah dropped Grey Ghost and blasted the roots with its Gravity Beams, destroying them and collapsing rock that sealed the fissure.
• Redd wondered what the roots and underground cavern had to do with Dragonstone’s volcano, then decided he would investigate the island’s mysteries.
• King Ghidorah conveyed what it had seen underground to Redd through their mental connection.
• Redd recognized the injured Dragon as Grey Ghost and learned it had been hiding near the fissure, unable to fly, before Cannibal’s roar frightened it into falling inside.
• Redd suspected Cannibal had caused Grey Ghost’s injuries and prepared to deal with it.

Redd tried to make Grey Ghost submit, but the injured dragon refused, so Redd captured him and brought him to the Dragonpit. The chapter leaves Grey Ghost guarded there while Redd waits for Glass and feeds the dragons.

• Redd offered Grey Ghost a chance to follow him, but Grey Ghost refused despite being trapped and badly injured.
• Cannibal, Sheepstealer, and King Ghidorah surrounded Grey Ghost until he stopped resisting, and Redd decided to imprison him rather than kill him.
• Redd rode King Ghidorah back to the Dragonpit while Cannibal carried Grey Ghost and Sheepstealer guarded his flank.
• At the Dragonpit, Redd had an attendant summon Glass and kept Cannibal and Sheepstealer on guard because he had no chains for Grey Ghost.
• Redd took out meat from his storage space and fed the dragons while he waited for Glass.

Redd realized King Ghidorah needed radioactive or concentrated energy, which was difficult to find in a world with limited technology. After Douglas arrived, Redd asked him to arrange strong chains for Grey Ghost and explained how the dragons would be fed.

• Redd recognized that ordinary food did little to satisfy King Ghidorah's energy needs and worried about finding a suitable supply.
• King Ghidorah finished eating, lay down in the Dragonpit, and fell asleep to recover from battle.
• Douglas hurried into the cavern, and Redd asked him to have chains forged strong enough to restrain Grey Ghost.
• Douglas saw King Ghidorah, Cannibal, and Sheepstealer nearby and trembled with fear before Redd reassured him.
• Redd told Douglas that all the wild dragons on Dragonstone were in the Dragonpit and needed daily food.
• Douglas worried that no Dragonkeepers or Dragonriders remained, so Redd told him to send livestock into the Dragonpit for the dragons to hunt.

Redd instructed the dragons to remain in the Dragonpit and left Douglas puzzled by his ability to command them in the Common Tongue. After Laena and Laenor departed for Driftmark, Rhaenyra weighed her limited choices and decided to return to Dragonstone Castle.

• Redd told the three dragons to stay in the Dragonpit, and Douglas asked how he could command them without speaking Valyrian.
• Redd brushed off Douglas's question by saying he was special.
• Redd noticed the white tree root in the Godswood but dismissed the idea that it was connected to the Heart Tree.
• Laena and Laenor bid farewell to Redd, then flew from the beach to Driftmark on Vhagar and Seasmoke while Rhaenyra watched them go.
• Rhaenyra considered returning to King's Landing, joining Laena and Laenor, or going to the Eyrie, but chose to return to Dragonstone Castle.
• Rhaenyra told Syrax to fly to the Dragonpit on her own.

Cannibal attacked Syrax in the Dragonpit and drove her into the sea, where she extinguished his green dragonfire and escaped. Syrax returned to Rhaenyra with scorched scales, and Rhaenyra realized a wild dragon had occupied the supposedly empty Dragonpit.

• Cannibal attacked Syrax in the Dragonpit while Sheepstealer and Grey Ghost watched, and he struck her with green dragonfire as she fled.
• Syrax plunged into the sea and extinguished the flames, while Cannibal stopped pursuing her at the Dragonpit's entrance because he obeyed Redd's orders.
• Cannibal returned to the Dragonpit and decided to wait there for Syrax to come back.
• Syrax flew to Rhaenyra with badly scorched scales and roared toward the Dragonpit to show where she had encountered her attacker.
• Rhaenyra inferred that a wild dragon had occupied the Dragonpit and wondered where it had come from.

Rhaenyra mistook the dragons near Dragonstone Castle for untamed wild dragons and demanded that Redd drive them away. After Redd refused to tell her how many he had subdued, she went to the dragon lair and saw Sheepstealer, Cannibal, and Grey Ghost there without restraints.

• Rhaenyra found that a wild dragon had frightened Syrax and went to ask Redd to help drive it away.
• Redd told Rhaenyra that he had subdued the island’s wild dragons and housed them in the dragon lair.
• When Rhaenyra asked how many dragons he had subdued, Redd mocked her claim that she had a right to know as his fiancée.
• Rhaenyra left the meeting hall and rode Syrax to the dragon lair while Redd watched without stopping her.
• Rhaenyra saw Sheepstealer, Cannibal, and Grey Ghost in the lair, confirmed they were calm, and quickly left.

Rhaenyra reported Redd’s growing dragon strength to Viserys, who decided to secure him to House Targaryen through marriage and inheritance rights. After King Jaehaerys died, Viserys rushed to King's Landing to take the throne, while Redd and an eager Rhaenyra prepared for the coronation.

• Rhaenyra sent Viserys a raven reporting that Redd had tamed three wild dragons, and she feared the growing threat to House Targaryen.
• Viserys decided to arrange Rhaenyra and Redd’s marriage and grant Redd’s descendants a claim to the Iron Throne, and Daemon agreed with his plan.
• Earl Otto Hightower sent Viserys word that King Jaehaerys had died and urged him to return to King's Landing as heir.
• Viserys hurried to King's Landing, took charge of the transition, and summoned the lords to Jaehaerys’s funeral and his own coronation.
• Redd received news of the king’s death and formed plans for the ceremony, while Rhaenyra flew to King's Landing on Syrax, appearing eager rather than sorrowful.

Redd bound Grey Ghost in the Dragonpit, watched Aegon and Ehm return from the volcanic crater able to draw energy from magma, and considered letting King Ghidorah absorb geothermal heat. After Douglas told him House Martell had arrived at Dragonstone Castle, Redd went to meet its delegation.

• Redd ordered Douglas to bring chains and smiths to the Dragonpit, where Cannibal and Sheepstealer restrained Grey Ghost as Redd chained her.
• Redd flew King Ghidorah to the volcanic crater and saw Aegon and Ehm emerge from the magma, their bodies radiating heat.
• Aegon and Ehm told Redd they could replenish their energy from magma, and King Ghidorah said it could absorb geothermal energy occasionally without causing natural disasters.
• Redd inspected the slow Dragonpit construction and considered increasing the workforce to seven thousand.
• Douglas reported that House Martell's delegation had arrived, and Redd found an elderly woman, a young child, and five men waiting in the castle hall.

Marei Martell told Redd that a Faceless Man had impersonated the Prince of Dorne during the assassination attempt and warned that more attacks might follow. Redd suspected House Targaryen might be behind the plot, then demanded one million Gold Dragons from House Martell or threatened to fight Dorne for House Targaryen.

• Redd demanded an explanation from the visitors and threatened to keep them on the island if he was not satisfied.
• Marei Martell identified herself as the Princess of Dorne and said a Faceless Man had impersonated the Prince of Dorne in the North; she presented a gold coin and warned that the assassins might strike again.
• Redd questioned House Martell's responsibility because Dornishmen had been among the ambushers, while Marei offered compensation and suggested someone else had orchestrated the incident.
• Redd considered House Targaryen a possible culprit because it had a motive to prevent his alliance with Dorne, then demanded one million Gold Dragons from House Martell.
• Marei Martell angrily slammed the table and accused Redd of threatening House Martell, declaring that Dorne would not fear his three dragons.

Redd forced the princess of Dorne to agree to pay one million gold coins in exchange for his promise not to attack Dorne for five years. After she left Dragonstone, he told Douglas that House Martell was preparing to break completely with House Targaryen and warned him to keep that knowledge secret.

• Redd threatened to send five dragons to war unless the princess of Dorne paid to avert conflict, and challenged her claim that House Targaryen had plotted against him.
• The princess of Dorne agreed to pay one million gold coins and demanded that Redd refuse any order from House Targaryen to attack Dorne.
• Redd promised not to send soldiers or dragons against Dorne for five years if the payment arrived, but said another assassination attempt would void the agreement.
• The princess of Dorne left Dragonstone with the boy and warned that House Martell would fight Redd if he broke his word.
• Redd told Douglas to receive the million gold coins and explained that House Martell was about to break completely with House Targaryen.
• Redd told Douglas not to let the information become common knowledge.

Redd weighed the dangers of going to King's Landing and spent the afternoon fishing, unaware that two Faceless Men were secretly tracking him. As he passed the harbor, a cart attack drenched the road in black sludge filled with worms, and Redd blocked it with an ice wall.

• Douglas promised Redd he would keep the matter secret, and Redd offered him responsibility for assembling the fleet if he handled the task well.
• Redd considered Viserys, Daemon, and Corlys as suspects in the assassination plot, while two Faceless Men secretly watched him.
• Redd spent the afternoon fishing but caught nothing, then blamed King Ghidorah for eating the fish around Dragonstone.
• A horse-drawn cart charged toward Redd near the harbor, scattering barrels of fish before the remaining barrels burst and spilled black sludge.
• Redd raised an ice wall to block the sludge and saw that it contained countless wriggling worms.

Redd pursued two Faceless Men, captured one alive, and killed the other. He brought the surviving captive to Dragonstone Castle and ordered Jasent to prepare for interrogation.

• Redd caught a poisoned crossbow bolt and sent it back at the shooter, wounding him as he dodged.
• Redd caught up with the disguised old man, slashed his back, and severed the hand holding a dagger.
• Redd shot the fleeing accomplice through the neck, killing him.
• Redd broke the captive Faceless Man’s remaining hand and tore away his disguise, but the man refused to speak despite Redd’s threats.
• Redd took the Faceless Man to Dragonstone Castle, ordered him locked in the dungeon, and summoned Jasent to interrogate him.

Jasent tortured the captured Faceless Man, who revealed that the assassins had an unknown employer and that another Faceless Man remained on the island. Redd learned the black bugs were a sunlight- and fire-sensitive magical curse creature, then received a summons from Viserys and decided to delay answering it.

• Jasent tortured the Faceless Man through the night until he confessed that the assassins had received their mission through an intermediary and did not know who had hired them.
• The Faceless Man told Jasent that another Faceless Man might still be on the island, and Jasent reported that he had sealed the harbor.
• Redd ordered Jasent to string up the captive at the harbor and keep him alive in agony.
• Redd examined the black bugs with the system, learned they were Dark Night's Sorrow, and stored them in his pet space after discovering they could not follow commands.
• A raven delivered Redd a letter from Viserys asking him to come to King's Landing, but Redd decided to put off the journey because he did not want to attend Jaehaerys's funeral.

Redd released Cannibal and Sheepstealer from the Dragonpit and left the dead Faceless Man hanging at the harbor as a warning. In King's Landing, Viserys pushed for Rhaenyra to marry Redd to secure his dragons, while Daemon revealed that Corlys had agreed to his marriage to Laena on one condition.

• Redd let Cannibal and Sheepstealer roam freely, and both dragons flew from the Dragonpit while Grey Ghost remained chained.
• After three days, Redd found the suspended Faceless Man dead and ordered that his corpse remain at the harbor as a warning.
• Viserys grew furious that the Dornish nobles had ignored Jaehaerys's funeral and worried that he could not secure their oaths of fealty.
• Daemon suggested that a war against Dorne could establish Viserys's authority, and Viserys said Rhaenyra must marry Redd because House Targaryen needed his dragons.
• Rhaenyra protested that she could fight for her house herself, then fled the study in tears as Aemma followed her.
• Viserys asked Daemon about his progress with Laena, and Daemon said Corlys had agreed to the marriage but had one condition.

Viserys agreed to support the conquest of the Stepstones but refused Daemon permission to tame Vermithor, revealing that he had claimed the dragon himself. After Daemon drowned his sorrows in a tavern, Kinvara and two Red Priests revived him with a potion and demanded he honor their agreement, but Daemon tried to renegotiate.

• Daemon told Viserys that support for the Stepstones conquest was the condition, and Viserys agreed.
• Daemon asked to tame Vermithor, but Viserys refused and said he had already tamed the dragon.
• Daemon left the Red Keep and drank himself into a stupor in a tavern.
• Kinvara and two Red Priests carried Daemon to an alley and poured a potion down his throat, clearing his head after he vomited.
• Kinvara reminded Daemon of their agreement, but he demanded that she do him another favor before he handed over the goods.

Daemon gave Kinvara three dragon eggs in exchange for her help reviving his dragon, but she could only use the dragon’s remaining magic to hatch a new one. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra wept to Alicent over being forced into a marriage alliance.

• Kinvara swore by the Lord of Light to help Daemon, and he handed her the three dragon eggs.
• Kinvara examined the dragon’s charred bones and said she could not restore it whole, but could gather its remaining magic to make a new dragon hatch.
• Kinvara used her ruby to absorb the dragon bones, then gave the gem to Daemon and told him to place it on a suitable dragon egg.
• Kinvara left, saying she was following the will of the Lord of Light, while Daemon suspected she was using him but trusted in House Targaryen’s strength.
• Rhaenyra cried to Alicent that she did not want to marry the man chosen for her, and Alicent comforted her by saying noblewomen could not choose their marriages.

Alicent reported Rhaenyra’s feelings and what she learned about Redd to Otto, who considered using Alicent to investigate Redd’s Blood Magic and Valyrian legacy. Meanwhile, Redd survived another poisoning at Dragonstone, though Jasent had still not found the hidden Faceless Man.

• Rhaenyra told Alicent she did not want to marry Redd and considered fleeing Westeros, but agreed to try to get to know him after Alicent urged her to stay.
• Alicent relayed Rhaenyra’s thoughts and her knowledge of Redd to her father, Otto Hightower.
• Otto ordered Alicent to attend to Viserys and report everything to him, then weighed whether to seek Redd’s Blood Magic and possible Valyrian legacy.
• Otto decided Alicent should discreetly contact Redd if an opportunity arose and look for clues about his powers.
• Redd felt a potent poison take hold, but the pain subsided after two breaths and he survived.
• Redd suspected the hidden Faceless Man had poisoned him in retaliation for the exposed corpses, while Jasent’s searches of Dragonstone Castle had failed to find the assassin.

Rhaenys arrived at Dragonstone on Meleys to demand that Redd attend Jaehaerys's funeral in King's Landing. Redd refused while a Faceless Man remained at large and demanded half of House Velaryon's fleet in exchange, leaving Rhaenys chasing him to the harbor.

• Redd waited for the third Faceless Man to reveal himself after killing two assassins and refusing to risk leaving Dragonstone.
• Rhaenys arrived on Meleys and confronted Redd about missing Jaehaerys's funeral.
• Redd explained that a Faceless Man was still hiding on Dragonstone and refused to travel to King's Landing until the assassin was caught.
• Rhaenys urged Redd to attend the ceremony to show that the two dragonlord houses were on good terms.
• Redd demanded half of Driftmark's fleet, while Rhaenys offered three warships.
• Redd rejected her counteroffer and walked to the harbor, where Rhaenys caught up with him.

Redd refused Rhaenys’s demand to join a war against Dorne, then helped capture the Faceless Man who had been hiding among Dragonstone’s slaves. As Redd demanded to know who hired the assassin, the man tried to poison himself, but Redd neutralized the poison and kept him alive.

• Redd told Rhaenys he would go to King's Landing only if given half the fleet, but would not fight Dorne, and she flew away in anger.
• Redd decided to remain neutral in the conflict between House Targaryen and House Martell, hoping both sides would weaken each other.
• After a slave's body was found, Douglas suspected the Faceless Man had disguised himself as a slave, and Jasent ordered a brutal inspection of the slaves.
• Redd watched as the Faceless Man was exposed and captured during the screening.
• Redd demanded to know who had hired the Faceless Man, then used azure light to neutralize the poison the captive had taken.