Chapter Summaries

Redd struck the Cold God with his Greatsword, then had King Ghidorah, Ehm, and Aegon destroy the Ice Dragon before fleeing toward the Wall. The wounded Cold God survived, mounted a Griffin King, and pursued Redd with a vast flock of flying creatures as Wights swarmed through the Haunted Forest.

• Redd hurled his Greatsword into the Cold God, badly wounding her and severing the Ice Dragon's tail.
• Ehm and Aegon pinned the berserk Ice Dragon by its wings while it tried to dive toward the Cold God.
• Redd ordered King Ghidorah to fire a Gravity Beam, destroying the Ice Dragon as Ehm and Aegon tore off its wings.
• Redd ordered the dragons to fly toward the Wall, fearing the Cold God would hunt him.
• The Cold God pulled the Greatsword from her abdomen, vowed that Redd would not escape, and mounted a Griffin King.
• The Griffin King carried the Cold God after Redd with griffins, eagles, and other birds following, while Wights swarmed through the Haunted Forest.

Redd and his three dragons fought their way through the Wights toward the Wall, but the Cold God pursued them and struck Redd with a magically guided ice arrow. The arrow pierced Redd’s shoulder and one of King Ghidorah’s necks as they neared the Wall.

• Redd discovered that the Wights’ slaughter was earning him Energy Points and saw their army advancing toward the Wall.
• Redd realized the Wights were ambushing him and led King Ghidorah, Aegon, and Ehm through the flying swarm toward the Wall.
• The dragons destroyed the Wights in their path with Dragonfire and lightning while Redd urged them to fly faster and evade the pursuing Griffin King and Cold God.
• The Cold God used the vision of distant Wights to locate Redd, formed a bow of ice, and fired a Profound Ice Arrow at him.
• Redd tried to dodge, but the arrow pierced his left shoulder blade and one of King Ghidorah’s necks, freezing both wounds.

Redd and the three dragons fought through the wights and escaped the encirclement before the Cold God could catch them. As they raced toward the Wall, the Cold God fired two arrows at Redd, but her drawing hand shattered before she could shoot a third.

• The Cold God's arrow froze Da Lang's neck and head, but golden lightning broke the ice and freed him.
• Redd calmed Da Lang and ordered King Ghidorah to evade another arrow, then led the dragons through the opening it left in the wight horde.
• The Cold God summoned the wights to block their escape, but Redd and the three dragons fought their way out before she reached them.
• The dragons sped toward the Wall and left the Griffin King behind as the Cold God fired two arrows at Redd.
• The Cold God's drawing hand shattered into fragments of ice as she prepared to fire a third arrow.

Redd and his three dragons escaped the Cold God's ice arrows and reached the Wall, but an invisible barrier stopped Redd while the dragons passed through. King Ghidorah caught Redd after he fell, and they discovered the barrier still blocked Redd alone.

• Redd ordered Ehm, Aegon, and King Ghidorah to dodge the Cold God's ice arrows, and the dragons avoided them.
• The Cold God lamented her fragile body and considered sending the army of Wights against the Wall rather than letting Redd escape.
• Redd and the three dragons reached the Wall, where an invisible force blocked Redd but let the dragons fly through.
• Redd fell from King Ghidorah's back, and King Ghidorah turned around and caught him before he hit the ground.
• Redd climbed back onto King Ghidorah and found that the barrier still blocked him while part of the dragon passed through it.

Redd discovered that the ice magic inside him created an invisible barrier that kept him from crossing the Wall, so he ordered his dragons to destroy it. After they opened a breach and he crossed, he looked down at the ruined Wall, leaving its fate and the threat beyond it unresolved.

• Redd realized the barrier near the Wall was connected to the ice magic inside him and decided to destroy the Wall rather than remove the magic.
• First Ranger Tarth ordered rangers to alert Lord Commander Roros Borrelly as Redd and his three dragons approached.
• King Ghidorah blasted a hole in the Wall with his Gravity Beam, but the invisible barrier still stopped Redd.
• Redd ordered Ehm and Aegon to join the attack, and the dragons battered the Wall until a section collapsed into a breach dozens of meters wide.
• The barrier disappeared, allowing King Ghidorah to carry Redd through the breach, and Redd looked down at the shattered Wall.

Redd feared the Cold God and his Wights might cross the ruined Wall, while Daemon and Rhaenys arrived with their dragons and demanded answers about the White Walkers. The Cold God’s forces appeared on the horizon, and Redd left Daemon’s accusation unanswered.

• Tarth arrived at the ruins, drew his sword, and challenged Redd, but his Rangers restrained him and took his weapon.
• Daemon arrived on Cocollacushu, and Rhaenys arrived on Meleys after Lord Commander Roros Borrelly requested their aid.
• Redd was pleased that Daemon and Rhaenys had come, intending to use them and their dragons to buy time against the Cold God.
• The Griffin’s cry announced the Cold God’s arrival, and Redd warned Daemon and Rhaenys that people could die.
• Daemon asked whether Redd was responsible for the White Walkers’ appearance, and Redd replied that they had existed for thousands of years.

Redd refused to explain why he destroyed the Wall as the army of wights approached, forcing the Night's Watch to prepare hurried defenses. The Cold God crossed the Wall on the Griffin King, confirming that its magic had failed, while Redd admitted he planned to flee.

• Daemon accused Redd of a crime punishable by death, but Rhaenys intervened before he could attack.
• Redd dismissed questions about destroying the Wall, and the Night's Watch resented him as the wights drew near.
• Tarth ordered craftsmen to build temporary defenses at the breach and rallied the Night's Watch by promising reinforcements.
• The Griffin King carried the Cold God over the Wall, and Redd realized its magic no longer blocked the White Walkers.
• Daemon called Redd a coward for planning to flee, and Redd openly admitted that was exactly what he intended.

Rhaenys and Daemon joined the battle against the Griffin King and the Cold God, while Redd chose to wait and intervene only if an opportunity arose. Meleys was badly wounded before Caraxes arrived and managed to bite through the Griffin King’s ice armor.

• Rhaenys took to the air on Meleys, and Daemon followed on Caraxes while Redd stayed back, ready to fight or flee depending on how the battle went.
• The Griffin King and the Cold God attacked Meleys; the Cold God covered the beast in ice armor that resisted her Dragonfire.
• The Griffin King overwhelmed Meleys in close combat, tearing her scales and causing dragon blood to burn Rangers and craftsmen below.
• Daemon saw Meleys losing ground and ordered Caraxes to support her.
• Caraxes charged the Griffin King and, after his Dragonfire failed against the ice armor, bit through its defenses by brute force.

The Cold God ordered the Griffin King to bring Redd down with it, then used the Griffin King's explosion to freeze the nearby dragons and people before attacking Redd. King Ghidorah blasted the Cold God out of the air and broke free of the ice, leaving the battle unresolved.

• The Cold God ordered the Griffin King to drag Ehm and Aegon down toward Redd, but Redd escaped the creatures' crashing fall on King Ghidorah.
• The Griffin King charged Redd, and Ehm and Aegon pinned it down while King Ghidorah prepared to strike.
• The Cold God detonated the Griffin King with Ice Magic, freezing nearby dragons and people in place.
• The Cold God leaped at Redd with her Greatsword, but King Ghidorah fired his Gravity Beam and sent her flying onto a distant dragon's back.
• King Ghidorah shook off the ice that had covered him.

Redd ordered King Ghidorah to attack the weakened Cold God, who fought back before Caraxes’s tail sent her crashing to the ground. As she began to disintegrate, Wights arrived, and Griffins and Giant Eagles rushed to shield her from Ghidorah’s next Gravity Beam.

• Redd saw that the Cold God was weakened and ordered King Ghidorah to fire again, despite Daemon and Caraxes being nearby.
• King Ghidorah’s Gravity Beam tore through the Cold God’s chest and arm, broke Caraxes free from the ice, and blasted off Daemon’s left arm.
• The Cold God attacked King Ghidorah with ice, while Daemon vowed to kill Redd and Caraxes pierced the Cold God with his jaws before lashing at her with his tail.
• The Cold God evaded Caraxes’s direct tail strike but was thrown to the ground by its aftershock, where ice fragments began falling from her body.
• Wights arrived as King Ghidorah prepared another Gravity Beam, but Griffins and Giant Eagles swept in to shield the Cold God.

Redd and his allies fought the Cold God’s forces at the Wall, destroying the Cold God and driving back the attackers. As the battle continued, Redd spotted the Night’s King retreating on horseback.

• Redd ordered King Ghidorah to free Ehm and Aegon, who broke out of the ice and burned Griffins and Giant Eagles with dragonfire.
• Daemon and Rhaenys freed Meleys, then sent their dragons to fight the attackers in the sky and aid the Night’s Watch.
• The Night’s King led a vast Wight army against the Wall, where the Night’s Watch struggled against the assault and the airborne beasts.
• Redd ordered his dragons to attack the Cold God, whose body shattered and melted under their fire and golden lightning.
• Redd sent his dragons into the battle to kill Wights as Ellard and the Lord Commander arrived with reinforcements.
• Redd noticed the Night’s King retreating on horseback from the Wall.

Redd pursued the Night's King with King Ghidorah, Ehm, and Aegon, but the Night's King escaped into the Wights and later vanished into the Haunted Forest with his army. Redd returned inside the Wall with over sixteen thousand Energy Points, where the survivors viewed him with suspicion over the dragons breaking the Wall and possibly attracting the Wights.

• Redd ordered King Ghidorah, Ehm, and Aegon to pursue the Night's King, leaving the Night's Watch under heavier attack from the Wights.
• The Night's King abandoned his horse and hid among the Wights, escaping King Ghidorah's lightning and the dragons' Dragonfire.
• Redd found fragments of the Night's King's dark ice armor but could not locate him before the Wights withdrew into the Haunted Forest.
• Redd pursued the fleeing Wights until they disappeared into the forest, then returned inside the Wall with over sixteen thousand Energy Points.
• Redd and the three dragons landed inside the Wall, and the survivors watched him with anger and suspicion, wondering whether he had drawn the Wights there.

Redd refused Daemon’s demand for a duel, trading furious insults with him before ordering his three dragons to attack. The battle left Caraxes pinned to the ground and Daemon fleeing, while Rhaenys watched in alarm.

• Daemon challenged Redd to a duel with the Seven as witnesses, but Redd mocked him for having only one arm and refused to take the bait.
• Redd and Daemon exchanged increasingly vicious insults, and Redd stayed prepared for Daemon to retaliate.
• Daemon ordered Caraxes to attack, but Ehm and Aegon countered with dragonfire while King Ghidorah’s lightning forced Daemon to escape the saddle.
• Redd ordered all three dragons to strike at full strength; Aegon seized Caraxes’s neck and Ehm bit his wing, pinning Caraxes to the ground.
• Daemon ran for his life as Caraxes crashed down, and Rhaenys watched the scene in frantic anxiety.

Rhaenys tried to save Daemon by attacking Redd, but King Ghidorah gravely wounded Meleys and a standoff formed around Redd. Ellard persuaded Redd to stop fighting, and Daemon approached to ask what compensation Redd wanted.

• Rhaenys ordered Meleys to attack Redd, but Redd redirected King Ghidorah’s Gravity Beam and badly wounded Meleys.
• Soldiers, Night’s Watchmen, and northern troops surrounded Redd and aimed their weapons at him.
• Ellard urged Redd to stop fighting because the White Walkers remained a threat, and Redd eventually halted King Ghidorah.
• Redd demanded compensation for Daemon’s attack, and Ellard said Daemon would provide it.
• Daemon pushed through the soldiers and asked Redd what he wanted, while both men kept their hands near their sword hilts.

Redd forced Daemon to surrender Dark Sister, threatened him into silence, and went with Ellard to Castle Black. Daemon was left humiliated and questioning his inability to command another dragon, while Rhaenys urged him to avoid provoking Redd and focus on strengthening the kingdom.

• Redd threatened to kill Daemon and Ellard unless Daemon handed over Dark Sister, and Daemon gave him the sword.
• Redd pointed Dark Sister at Daemon's chest, warned him to watch his words, then ordered Ellard to arrange lodging.
• Ellard led Redd and his dragon toward Castle Black, leaving Daemon behind in humiliation and self-doubt.
• Rhaenys criticized Daemon for acting impulsively, and Daemon insisted Redd and his stronger dragon threatened the kingdom.
• Rhaenys told Daemon that dragons could not sustain rule and urged him to build strength instead of provoking Redd.

Daemon and Rhaenys tended to their badly injured dragons after their clash, while news of the wights’ attack at the Wall reached King Jaehaerys. Vaeserys proposed an alliance with Redd, but Jaehaerys questioned whether Redd would accept, leaving Vaeserys unable to resolve the political obstacles.

• Daemon examined Caraxes’s severe wounds, while Rhaenys saw that Meleys was also too injured to fly and ordered sheep roasted for her.
• Ellard asked Redd why the wights had pursued him, but Redd gave a vague account of his trip to the Lands of Always Winter.
• Ellard and the Commander-in-Chief decided to send a raven to King Jaehaerys about the events at the Wall and the breach that needed repair.
• Ser Otto delivered the report to King Jaehaerys, who summoned Vaeserys to discuss the situation.
• Vaeserys proposed marrying Redd into the royal family, making him a prince, and granting him Castle Black so he could defend the Wall.
• King Jaehaerys asked whether Redd would accept, and Vaeserys fell silent rather than suggest surrendering the North and alienating his supporters.

King Jaehaerys ordered Viserys to arrange Rhaenyra’s marriage to Redd and prepare to face the White Walkers, while Viserys went to the Dragonpit to tame Silverwing. Silverwing accepted Viserys as her Dragonrider, and he felt eager to ride her.

• King Jaehaerys told Viserys that Rhaenyra must marry Redd, and warned him to eliminate Redd only if he was certain he could succeed.
• Viserys said he would send Rhaenyra to support the Wall so she could approach Redd, and King Jaehaerys told him to tame Silverwing and prepare for the White Walkers.
• Viserys left for the Dragonpit, worrying about how to persuade Rhaenyra to accept the political marriage and thinking Aemma might need to help.
• Viserys approached Silverwing and gently touched her snout, while the dragon accepted his affection and formed a bond with him.
• Viserys recognized Silverwing as his newly tamed dragon and felt eager to ride her.

Vaeserys told Aemma that King Jaehaerys wanted Rhaenyra to marry Redd, and Aemma agreed to try to persuade their daughter. As Vaeserys prepared to take Rhaenyra north to fight the White Walkers, the Cold God awoke in a new body and decided to negotiate with Redd, who remained unaware of her plans.

• Vaeserys flew Silverwing, returned her to the Dragonpit, and told Aemma that King Jaehaerys wanted Rhaenyra to marry Redd.
• Vaeserys explained that the marriage could remove Redd as a threat and might give their family access to his way of strengthening dragons, and Aemma agreed to persuade Rhaenyra.
• Vaeserys told Aemma that the Small Council had ordered every lord to send seventy percent of his soldiers north and that he planned to take Rhaenyra ahead of the others.
• The Cold God awakened in a new body at the altar in the Lands of Always Winter and searched for Redd near the Wall.
• Unable to kill Redd under the circumstances, the Cold God decided to negotiate with him while Redd remained unaware in Castle Black.

Redd decided against upgrading Ehm while the White Walkers remained a threat, then faced Viserys and his family when they came to discuss marrying Rhaenyra to him. Their negotiations turned hostile after Redd demanded Dragonstone, and the chapter ended with Viserys insisting that House Targaryen’s dragons gave them the advantage.

• Redd chose not to risk Ehm falling asleep during an upgrade and let his three dragons feast on the food Ellard had supplied.
• Silverwing and Syrax arrived at Castle Black, where Daemon, Rhaenys, the Night’s Watch commander, and the northern nobles went to greet them.
• Viserys approached Redd with Rhaenyra, Daemon, and Rhaenys, but Redd ignored them until Rhaenyra rebuked him for his manners.
• Redd criticized Rhaenyra’s conduct, and Viserys offered him the title of King in the North if he married her.
• Redd rejected the title and demanded Dragonstone instead, prompting Viserys to refuse and Daemon to threaten mutual destruction.
• Redd dismissed Daemon’s threat, and Viserys claimed that House Targaryen’s more than a dozen dragons gave them an overwhelming numerical advantage.

Viserys and his companions left after Redd refused to negotiate, and they agreed to consider giving Dragonstone to Rhaenyra as her dowry. Later, Redd attended a banquet at Black Castle, where Ellard warned him that dragons alone could not rule, but Redd dismissed the need for vassals.

• Redd ended the negotiation by ordering Viserys and the others to accept his terms or leave, and Viserys led his party away.
• Daemon suggested using the wights in the Haunted Forest, but Viserys and Rhaenys rejected the idea and warned him against it.
• Viserys said he could agree to Redd's demands, and Rhaenys proposed making Dragonstone Rhaenyra's dowry; Rhaenyra quietly resolved to wait for a chance to control her own fate.
• Ellard invited Redd to the banquet at Black Castle, and Redd agreed to attend after hearing he might meet interesting people.
• At the banquet, Ellard urged Redd to build an army and win the support of vassals, but Redd insisted that dragons could secure both and that lords would readily pledge allegiance to him.