Rise of the North (asoiaf)

Chapter 12: 12. End of Dance



Around the time of First Tumbleton, the merchant cog Nessaria made a stop at Dragonstone for repairs and provisions, having been driven off course by a storm. They spotted two fighting dragons while passing the Dragonmont. Inspired by the story from those of Volantis, local fishermen took their boats for a look the next morning, and they reported the burned and broken remains of the Grey Ghost. Ser Robert Quince, Dragonstone's castellan, named the Cannibal as the killer.

Lord Larys Strong had disguised King Aegon II during the fall of King's Landing and smuggled him to Dragonstone, where Aegon was later found by Sunfyre. It had been Aegon's dragon who had actually killed the Grey Ghost, not the Cannibal. Rider and dragon went out flying again, regaining strength, while Aegon's supporters found locals willing to betray Rhaenyra, due to mislike for her.

Poorly defended Dragonstone fell easily, with Robert being slain by Ser Alfred Broome, who was angered at not being named castellan by Rhaenyra. Lady Baela, Prince Daemon's daughter, escaped her attackers on her dragon, Moondancer. Sunfyre blinded Moondancer with fire, however, and eventually killed the younger dragon after they crashed to the ground. The burned and battered Baela was taken captive, and King Aegon the Elder now held Dragonstone, although he broke his legs in the fighting.

Rhaenyra ordered Lord Manfryd Mooton of Maidenpool to send her the head of Nettles. According to Rhaenyra, Nettles had become the lover of her husband, Prince Daemon, and was thus guilty of high treason. Nettles was a guest beneath his roof and killing her would mean breaking guest right and facing Daemon's wroth. Refusing Rhaenyra, however, would mean being attainted a traitor. Maester Norren suggested that they had never read the letter, and later that night informed Daemon of Rhaenyra's command.

Nettles and her dragon, Sheepstealer, departed Maidenpool for parts unknown the next morning. Daemon and Nettles spoke no word of farewell, but when Sheepstealer climbed the sky, Caraxes gave a scream. Daemon told Manfryd to spread the word that he would fly for Harrenhal, so Aemond could face him alone. Once Daemon was gone, Lord Mooton took down Rhaenyra's banners and raised the golden dragons of King Aegon II.

Daemon took Harrenhal from the few who still remained there and waited for thirteen days and made a slash on the Heart Tree in Harrenhal for every day that leaks red sap till this date. On the fourteenth day, Vhagar appeared with Aemond and his bedmaid, the pregnant seer Alys Rivers. With Alys on the ground, the dragonriders fought in the sky above the Gods Eye. Their fight ended as the dragons, locked together, tumbled towards the lake. According to tales, Daemon leapt from Caraxes to Vhagar and drove the Valyrian steel longsword Dark Sister through Aemond's blind eye. The dragons struck the lake half a heartbeat later.

Caraxes crawled beneath the walls of Harrenhal, where he died. Vhagar died in the water and was found some years later with Aemond's bones still chained to the saddle and with Dark Sister in his rider's eye-socket. Daemon's remains, however, were never found, causing singers to claim he survived to spend his last days with Nettles. It was the twenty-second day of the fifth moon of the year 130 AC.

In King's Landing, the Velaryon fleet, counting more than half the army that had sailed from Dragonstone, abandoned Rhaenyra when they learned Lord Corlys Velaryon was in the black cells. Those who remained could no longer be trusted. That same day, Queen Helaena threw herself from Maegor's Holdfast and died on the moat's spikes below. Smallfolk believed she had been murdered by Ser Luthor Largent of the gold cloaks, however. Her dragon, Dreamfyre, rose with a roar, snapping two of her chains in the Dragonpit.

That night a riot rose in King's Landing. Luthor and five hundred gold cloaks went to Cobbler's Square to disperse it, but Luthor and many of his men were killed by ten thousand rioters. A hedge knight, Ser Perkin the Flea, crowned his squire, Trystane Truefyre, declaring him to be King Viserys I Targaryen's bastard. Perkin bestowed knighthood on all who would support Trystane, so many fled to their cause. The next day, some order was restored to parts of King's Landing, but chaos remained in the rest of the city.

Having learned about Maidenpool's betrayal and the escape of Nettles, Rhaenyra sent ravens to Winterfell and the Eyrie, pleading for more aid. Perkin and Trystane gained strength the next night. The King's Gate and the Lion Gate were opened by rioters, the gold cloaks at the King's Gate having fled, and those guarding the Lion Gate having joined the rioters. With Perkin holding the River Gate, three out of seven gates were now open to enemies.

The people of King's Landing no longer believed Rhaenyra could protect them. A crazed prophet known as the Shepherd led an even larger mob to the Hill of Rhaenys to kill the dragons. Joffrey Velaryon mounted Syrax, his mother's dragon, to fly to the Dragonpit. Fearing the worst, Rhaenyra ordered her followers to go after him and bring him back. Seven men followed her command, remembered in history as the Seven Who Rode: Ser Medrick Manderly, Ser Loreth Lansdale, Ser Harrold Darke, Ser Harmon of the Reeds, Ser Gyles Yronwood, Ser Willam Royce, and Ser Glendon Goode. Rhaenyra's she-dragon was unaccustomed to the boy, and he died after being thrown from her back.

Meanwhile, the rioters attacked the Dragonpit. Shrykos was slain by the woodsman Hobb the Hewer, while Morghul was killed by the Burning Knight. Tyraxes went into his lair and roasted many before dying. Dreamfyre slew more than the other three dragons combined, until a crossbow blinded one of her eyes. When Dreamfyre tried to leap free, the weakened dome crashed on both dragon and dragonslayers. Syrax descended on the survivors. Rhaenyra, watching from atop Maegor's Holdfast, held her remaining son, Aegon the Younger, until she saw Syrax fall. Rhaenyra's councilors agreed that the city was lost. She was persuaded to leave the next day, slipping through the Dragon Gate for Duskendale.

News of unrest in King's Landing reached Tumbleton, making the Hightower army believe they should advance upon the city, but Ser Hobert Hightower doubted, and the Two Betrayers refused to join unless their demands were met.

With Aemond slain and Aegon II still missing, the greens found themselves without leaders. Prince Daeron was next in line for the throne and there were some who wanted to name him Prince of Dragonstone, or even king. Lord Hugh Hammer wanted to be crowned king by right of conquest. He had the oldest and largest dragon alive, Vermithor, thrice as big as Daeron's Tessarion. Ulf the White helped plot Hugh's coronation. Lord Unwin Peake and Hobert summoned eleven other lords and landed knights, who became known as the Caltrops, to plot the deaths of the Two Betrayers with Daeron's consent.

Before the Caltrops could strike, Tumbleton woke at night to find themselves under attack by Ser Addam Velaryon, his dragon Seasmoke, and an army of four thousand rivermen loyal to Rhaenyra with House Tully now joining the war. The great green host encamped at Tumbleton outnumbered their attackers but had grown lax due to their long stay. Ulf slept through the Second Battle of Tumbleton. Hugh Hammers was killed by one of the Caltrops, Lord Jon Roxton, who was then killed by Hugh's men in revenge. Daeron is said to have been killed by Black Trombo or an unknown man-at-arms or thirdly died from a burning pavilion.

Addam and Seasmoke battled the riderless Tessarion and Vermithor, which ended with Vermithor ripping off the head of Seasmoke. Vermithor, due to his wounds, died next. Tessarion, after thrice trying to fly, remained in pain. Lord Benjicot Blackwood had Billy Burley end her suffering. Addam also died during the fighting.

Though having won the battle, the rivermen had not been able to take the town. Tumbleton's gates were closed, and without a dragon or equipment, they could not start a siege, so the rivermen took all they found useful and left. Only one dragon remained at the town, Silverwing. In order to rid the surviving greens of Ulf the White, Hobert drank poisoned Arbor gold with him to their mutual deaths. Without a leader or a rider for Silverwing, Lord Peake led the green army in retreat. King's Landing had been saved.

Rhaenyra Targaryen was refused entry at Rosby and was allowed to stay only one night at Stokeworth, half her gold cloaks deserted on the road, and attackers killed several of her knights. At Duskendale they were admitted but not allowed to stay long. Refusing to part from her son, Aegon the Younger, and without ships, Rhaenyra sold her crown to buy passage on a Braavosi ship. She returned to Dragonstone, hoping to hatch a new dragon from the island's dragon eggs.

Ser Alfred Broome and his garrison killed Rhaenyra's remaining men and captured the queen, her ladies, and Aegon the Younger. Once inside the gates, Rhaenyra faced Aegon II Targaryen and the wounded Sunfyre. Aegon the Elder fed Rhaenyra to his dragon while Aegon the Younger looked on. With the chance that Rhaenyra's loyalists would continue the fight in her son's name, Aegon the Younger became a hostage. It was the twenty-second day of the tenth month of 130 AC.

On the ninth day of the twelfth month, Sunfyre the Golden died on Dragonstone. After this, Aegon started planning his return to King's Landing. Though Rhaenyra had died, her cause lived on. Aegon II would sit the throne again, but it would only last another half of a year.

After Rhaenyra's forces abandoned King's Landing, chaos took control of the city for several weeks, a period known as the Moon of the Three Kings. The squire Trystane Truefyre, said to be a bastard of the late King Viserys I, was installed by Perkin the Flea in the Red Keep. Meanwhile, a second pretender king was the four-year-old Gaemon Palehair, who was claimed to be a son of King Aegon II Targaryen and was established atop Visenya's Hill, at the House of Kisses.

Lord Borros Baratheon seized King's Landing for Aegon. Gaemon was arrested and Trystane was executed after being granted the boon of knighthood. Lord Corlys Velaryon, who had been left in the dungeons when Rhaenyra fled the city, was freed and named to Aegon's small council. As Aegon II's only remaining heir was his daughter Jaehaera, the widowed king agreed to marry the eldest daughter of Borros.

With King's Landing secured for King Aegon II Targaryen, Lord Borros Baratheon led his armies against the rivermen who were approaching the city on the kingsroad. These men were led by Lord Kermit Tully, Lord Benjicot Blackwood, and Ben's aunt, Alysanne Blackwood. Bloody Ben Blackwood broke the flank of the confident Borros, and "Black Aly" led the archers that brought down Borros's knights. Lord Baratheon killed Lords Darry and Mallister, before he himself was killed by Lord Tully.

This left King's Landing with only meager defenses, with the rivermen only a short distance away. Lord Cregan Stark and his forces marched south to reinforce them after ending the rebellion in Three Sisters and wiping out all the houses of Three Sisters leaving only Maria Sunderland alive who he took as his hostage.

When the black army of the Lads was a day's march outside of King's Landing, there were no significant green forces to stop them. Lord Cregan Stark was coming south, and other armies were coming from the Vale of Arryn as well. King Aegon II Targaryen refused to surrender, even when Lord Corlys Velaryon, now master of ships on Aegon's small council, advised him that the only remaining option was to surrender and join the Night's Watch. Instead, Aegon gave orders to have an ear cut off his nephew, Aegon the Younger, and have it sent to the Lord Kermit Tully as a warning—if his bloodline died, so would Rhaenyra's. Aegon II was shortly found dead after, with blood on his lips from poisoned wine. Who poisoned the king remains unknown, though twenty-two men would be arrested.

With King Aegon II Targaryen dead, Aegon the Younger was crowned as King Aegon III Targaryen. Although Aegon II's host had been defeated and the Velaryon fleet once more served the Iron Throne, the period that followed was named the False Dawn.

The realm faced numerous problems. The cruel winter that had begun the year before on Maiden's Day of 130 AC would last until 135 AC. Much of the realm had been burned out by dragonfire - in particular, Aemond Targaryen's one-man war riding Vhagar, which had burned out most of the riverlands. Broken men and outlaws roamed the countryside in the hundreds and thousands, and public order had collapsed in many places. The ironborn, under the command of Dalton Greyjoy, who had only nominally sided with the blacks as a pretext to attack wealthy green kingdoms, now refused to acknowledge the boy-king Aegon III's commands to stop raiding.

Lord Cregan Stark and his northern army of childless, homeless, and younger men had marched to King's Landing with hopes of adventure. The sudden death of King Aegon II had robbed them of that chance, leaving Cregan furious. He had wanted to punish Storm's End, Casterly Rock, and Oldtown for having supported Aegon II over Rhaenyra, but upon his arrival, Lord Corlys Velaryon had already sent out ravens, suing for peace.

Lord Cregan Stark could not be dissuaded from punishing the betrayers and prisoners of King Aegon II Targaryen. He found the poisoning foul murder and had twenty-two men arrested in the name of young Aegon III Targaryen, including Lords Larys Strong and Corlys Velaryon. He then made Aegon named himself Hand of the King.


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