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A History of the Iron Throne II - The Black Dragons
Two years ago I started my first every AAR, A History of the Iron Throne, a history book AAR that tracked the early years of House Targaryen's rule on the Iron Throne. What started as an attempt to add context to my own playthroughs turned into an AAR that I grew to be proud of. After a year of writing it life got in the way and then my hard drive failed and I lost all the screenshots I had taken, and most importantly, the save files. I tried numerous times to write another AAR but I either lost focus or life got in the way. After a lengthy hiatus from both CK2 and AAR writing, I am back to write a sequel of sorts to my very first AAR.
Now to make it clear, A History of the Iron Throne II is not a direct sequel to my original AAR. It's more of a spiritual successor taking place in the same world at a different time. As the subtitle in the name suggests, this AAR will start with the Blackfyre Rebellion, a hundred and ninety five years after Aegon's Conquest. My goal is to write this in a similar fashion to the original, with the goal of tracking how my playthrough's divergent history develops.
King Aegon IV of House Targaryen, known as the 'Unworthy'
Targaryen history is rife with violence, intrigue, and kinslaying. From Maegor the Cruel’s murder of his brothers to the deadly civil war that was The Dance of the Dragons, members of the venerable Valyrian dynasty have stained Westeros with their royal blood for over a hundred years, and in the process brought fire and blood to all Seven Kingdoms. It was their infighting that finally brought low the dragons, which were essentially wiped out by the end of the Dance. Some say this crippled Targaryen power forever, though this hypothesis is flawed, for the Targaryen family continued to rule the Seven Kingdoms for another sixty years with relative ease. Yes there was King Daeron I’s war with the Dornish, but it hardly threatened Targaryen rule. No, the events that would lead to House Targaryen’s downfall would spring from perhaps the worst of their progeny, a king so debased and corrupt that even Maegor the Cruel would wilt in his presence.
King Aegon IV should not have been king. The deaths of his cousins, Daeron I and Baelor the Blessed, cleared the way for his succession in 172AC. Even before he became king, Aegon was known as a debauched womanizer who indulged in every vice under the sun. By the time he was twenty, he had fathered countless bastards, though most were born to tavern wenches and whores. He would father only two legitimate children with his sister-wife, Naerys, whom he treated horribly. These children were Daeron and Daenerys, and they would both be all but ignored by their father as he continued to sleep with the women of the court. In 170AC, two years before his reign began, Aegon would father the first of his ‘Great Bastards’ with his cousin, Daena Targaryen, also known as the Daena the Defiant. At the time no one knew who had fathered the bastard child for Daena refused to name the father, and so she could name the child, whom she called Daemon. It was not until 182AC when Aegon finally recognised his bastard son, whom he also gave the Targaryen ancestral sword of Blackfyre, a matter that would come back to haunt Westeros.
In the following years Aegon would father five more ‘Great Bastards’, these were Aegor Rivers, who would become known as Bittersteel due to his endless anger and bitterness. Next was Brynden Rivers, known to history as Bloodraven due to a large blood-red birthmark on his face. Brynden Rivers would become the eternal rival of Bittersteel, this was due to both of them having affections for their half-sister and fellow ‘Great Bastard’, Shiera Seastar. Bewitchingly beautiful, Shiera had a knack of seducing anyone she came across, a skill that caused many to believe that she could use dark magic to influence people around her. These bastards would become the symbols of Aegon’s decadent rule, embarrassments that some wished would disappear.
By 184AC Aegon the Unworthy’s lifestyle was finally catching up to him. So morbidly obese that he couldn’t even stand on his own two legs, Aegon’s final days were spent rotting alive on his bed, with his limbs rotting and becoming hosts for flesh worms. However, even on his death bed, King Aegon’s malice had not subsided. Whether it was out of his hatred for his wife or his trueborn son, or because he wanted to spite the world before he died, Aegon legitimised all of his bastards, and so added them to the line of succession. Despite the protests of his councillors and his heir, Aegon did not change his mind. The following night, King Aegon IV died.
Despite legitimising his bastards, it would be Aegon’s oldest and only trueborn son who would inherit the Iron Throne. Crowned Daeron II a week later, this new king set about repairing the damage his father had wrought upon the realm. Disastrous tax laws would be repealed, Houses that had been banished for infuriating for fickle Aegon were invited back to the Royal Court, and the large band of courtesans and mistresses were removed from the Red Keep. The new king even made overtures to his half-siblings, giving them lands, incomes, and in Daemon’s case, a bride. Perhaps the most famous and lasting act that Daeron undertook was the merging of Dorne into the authority of the Iron Throne. For nearly two hundred years House Targaryen had tried to conquer Dorne, with no lasting success. Aegon the Conqueror had failed, as had the Young Dragon. Instead of conquest, Daeron decided to use diplomacy. The agreement would end with the King marrying the Prince of Dorne’s sister, and the Prince marrying Daeron’s sister, Daenerys.
King Daeron II of House Targaryen, known as the "Good"
Aside from Daemon, none of the other ‘Great Bastards’ received land nor incomes and relied on the goodwill of their Royal half-brother. For his part, Daeron was exceedingly accommodating, allowing both Shiera and Brynden to live within the Red Keep, and even allowed the latter to create his own company of professional archers named the Raven’s Teeth. Bittersteel did not settle into court life as easy and often found himself at loggerheads with both Bloodraven and his nephews, the Princes Baelor and Maekar. Eventually, he left King’s Landing and joined his half-brother Daemon at his new castle, the Venatfort. It was there that Daemon had settled into family life, siring ten children, seven of which were boys. Despite a relatively comfortable home life at the Venatfort, Daemon was said to be constantly restless, as if he should be doing something more. It is believed that Daemon’s first thought was not to try and overthrow Daeron II, in fact, it took nearly ten years for him to decide on that. No, it is generally accepted that it was Bittersteel who first planted that seed when he arrived at the Venatfort in 190AC. It was there that he founded his own House, the House of Blackfyre, and designed his Coat of Arms, the Black Dragon on a Red Field.
Daemon of the House Blackfyre
One of the first catalysts for the calamity that occur later would begin in the late 180s. Following Dorne’s inclusion into the realm and Daeron’s marriage to Myriah Martell, Dornish influence at the Royal Court began to increase rapidly. Exotic spices began being burnt for the scent and used in food for the taste, Dornish fashion became the fashion of the Court, Dornish knights began to serve in the Goldcloaks and Household guard. All this inevitably alienated many lords of Andal origin, who had historically been fighting the Dornish for centuries. This was felt especially keen by the marcher lords, who looked at the Crown’s pro-Dornish outlook with distaste. Let us not forget that it had only been thirty years since King Daeron I’s destructive campaign of conquest against the Dornish, which had ended in both his death and the death of tens of thousands of Westerosi soldiers. There was little trust between the Dornish and the Andals, and in Westeros grudges rarely die.
As the 190’s wore on more and more disenfranchised nobles and warriors flocked to Daemon’s holdfast, each of them with their complaints about the state of the realm. When refused a spot on the Kingsguard, famed warrior and former Master-of-Arms of the Red Keep, Quentyn Ball, nicknamed ‘Fireball’, begged Daemon to remove his wayward brother from the throne. Once again Daemon refused, though this time he was far less certain. As dissatisfaction spread, rumours about King Daeron II’s parentage began to circulate, rumours that Daemon’s supporters did their best to spread. The rumours boiled down to the fact that Daeron was not the son of Aegon IV and Naerys, but Naerys and her other brother, Aemon the Dragonknight. It was clear they both loved each other, so much so that King Aegon often joked about it with his mistresses. It seems that he too suspected that Daeron was not his, which would explain his distant relationship with his heir and supposed support of his bastards.
Aegor Rivers, known as 'Bittersteel'
By 194AC Daemon’s camp of supporters had grown to a significant portion of the realm’s lords, many of whom had their grievances against the current status quo. It was at this moment that Bittersteel and Fireball both pressed Daemon to rise up and claim his birthright, and this time he agreed. From the Venatfort ravens flew to every lord in the realm with this proclamation.
“To the Great Lords, Ladies, and Knights of Westeros.
I write to you with information most dire, information that pains me to write. I have learnt that the man who I thought was my brother, the supposed Daeron Targaryen, is not the issue of my father, the late King Aegon IV, but of Naerys Targaryen and Aemon Targaryen. As a legitimised bastard and false son of my father, Daeron Waters has no rights nor claims on the Iron Throne of Westeros, and neither does his children. As such, as the first legitimate son of Aegon IV I am the true King of Westeros.
I urge you all to do your duty and cast down this false King, as per your oaths to the Crown, and help me take back my birthright. Those who do their duty will be rewarded, those who back the false king will face my wrath on the battlefield.
Daemon of the House Blackfyre, First of His Name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm.”
The Rebellion would begin when Daemon Blackfyre’s Standard was raised at Harrenhal, whose lord, Lucas Lothston, had declared for Daemon. Within the week Harrenhal was home to around fifteen thousand soldiers and was still taking in hundreds by the hour. Though many lesser lords had declared for the Blackfyre cause, none of the Great Houses had, with the majority throwing their lot in with Daeron II. Despite that Daemon had the support of powerful Houses such as Houses Lothston, Reyne, Hightower, Peake, Corbray, Yronwood, Swyft, Bracken, Tarly, Frey, and Swann. Soon small scale skirmishes began to break out across the Westeros, except for two Kingdoms. The Iron Islanders remained aloof from the conflict, with Lord Greyjoy making it clear that “Greenlander wars have never mattered to us, this one won’t either.” The Northerners remained out of the conflict as well, though this was not due to an unwillingness to fight, but instead, the Starks were dealing with a full-scale rebellion on the Island of Skagos.
Lord Lucas of Harrenhal was a member of the infamous House Lothston, a family known for black deeds and their lack of scruples and honour.
The first true battle of the Blackfyre Rebellion would not contain either a Blackfyre or a Targaryen and would be fought in the Reach, not the Riverlands. The de facto leader of the Blackfyre supporters in the Reach, Lord Jon Hightower, led an army nine-thousand strong and made up of men from Houses Hightower, Costayne, Bulwer, and Tarly. Marching on Highgarden, the Blackfyre army would encounter their foe twenty miles from the ancient holdfast. The Tyrell force, led by Lord Paramount Leo ‘Longthorn’ himself, contained fifteen-thousand men, more than enough to defeat Hightower’s army. Be that as it may, Lord Jon knew that if he were to retreat the Tyrell force would chase them into the Mander, and in the process, thousands would drown. He gave the order to his men to stand their ground and ordered that the standard of the Black Dragon be raised on high. The Tyrell force smashed against the Blackfyre defenders as knights and light cavalry fought long bloody melee’s in the fields surrounding the battlefield. According to Lord Arron Leygood, who commanded the Tyrell host’s left flank, he said:
“The battlefield so loud that I was soon deafened. Between the cacophony of steel, shouts, screams, and death, the ear could hardly stand it. I thought that land itself would reject us, for it was red from the bloodshed. It did not take long for the stench of death to fill the air; it was so warm that the putrefaction started before the battle was over. It was the summer, every field in the Reach was bone dry, but the smallfolk would say that the battlefield of Highgarden would remain wet with blood for months. As for me, my ears recovered, my wounds healed. It’s only my dreams that remain unchanged.”
As the day wore on the Blackfyre host was being slowly pushed back, despite the heavy casualties they had inflicted on Lord Leo’s army. Just as it seemed that they would collapse, the cavalry of House Peake emerged from behind the Tyrell force and smashed into it. Though they didn’t destroy them, the Peake forces caused enough chaos for the Blackfyre’s to force back the Tyrells. Lord Leo Tyrell had no choice but to retreat, leaving the road to Highgarden clear. The Battle of Highgarden had been costly. The Blackfyre Host had lost nearly four-thousand men, with two-thousand three hundred of those being deaths. The Peake cavalry, which numbered one-thousand men had lost around three hundred. The Tyrell force had lost nearly nine thousand, with about three thousand being deaths and the rest being captured. The next day forces from Houses Oakheart and Osgrey arrived, and they laid siege to Highgarden as Lord Jon Hightower led his forces north.
Lord Jon of House Hightower is the latest in the line of the Lords of Oldtown, the oldest city in Westeros. He sided with Daemon's cause due to his dislike of increasing Dornish influence.
Upon hearing about the victory at Highgarden, Daemon ordered his fifteen thousand strong armies to advance on King’s Landing, leaving Lord’s Lucas Lothston and Lord Harys Bracken to lead ten-thousand troops in aid of Lords Reyne and Crakehall, who had been pushed back by the Lannisters. On the march to King’s Landing stragglers began to swell the ranks of Blackfyre army, and by the time they crossed the Blackwater Rush, it numbered twenty thousand men. Some men began to predict victory, with some, including Ser Otho Bracken, already writing victory songs. Events would soon turn sour. When the army reached Rayonet they received news that Lord Damon Lannister was leading a ten thousand strong army that was about to reach the Targaryen forces, that already numbered fifteen thousand soldiers. On top of that Lord Arryn had landed in Duskendale with fifteen thousand men and was slowly marching towards King’s Landing. Suddenly Daemon was outnumbered two to one. The only thing Daemon did have was the element of surprise, for none of the three armies knew that he had just crossed into the Crownlands. If they had they would have descended on him, rather than slowly meeting each other.
It was three days after he had led the army out of Duskendale when Lord Donnel Arryn received startling news from his scouts. According to them, an army flying the banners of House Blackfyre was marching straight for them and was only hours away. When he asked for an estimate of their forces the scouts were divided. Some claimed the army had only ten thousand men, whilst others overestimated and guessed that it numbered closer to thirty thousand. Lord Arryn was not a man to back out of a fight, especially one where the odds may be in his favour. He ordered his army to take defensive positions around the village of Meadmere, taking care to expel the inhabitants. Like most leaders, Lord Arryn commanded the centre, whilst Lord Belmore commanded the left flank and Lord Royce commanded the right. The Blackfyre host arrived a few hours later and soon a deadly melee in and around Meadmere took place. The Arryn army would fight bravely, but without knowing the odds were stacked against them. Outnumbered by five thousand men and fighting against zealous believers in a cause meant that after a day’s fighting, the Arryn force buckled first. Unlike most battles a savage cutting down of fleeing men did not take place, instead, Daemon allowed the Arryns to retreat, knowing that he had inflicted heavy losses. The Blackfyres lost around seven hundred men, the Arryns had lost nearly three thousand.
Daemon and his army did not have time to celebrate their victory, for they had to stop the Lannister army from linking up with Prince Baelor’s forces in King’s Landing. Undertaking a forced march, the Blackfyre host marched through the night to reach the village of Starry Dell, which was thirty miles north of King’s Landing and three miles south of the holdfast of Hayford. Lord Hayford, a Targaryen loyalist, tried to notify the approaching Lannister army, but the scouts ensured that any riders were killed, and any ravens shot down. In the orange and red glow of sunrise, the screams and bloodshed ensued. The Lannisters, tired and confused, were picked apart by endless volleys of archers and continuous cavalry charges. When the sun was finally up, Lord Lannister realised the scale of the disaster he had walked into. Westermen corpses lay strewn across the fields as pockets of resistance were being mopped up by Blackfyre infantry. Knowing he had lost Lord Lannister ordered a retreat. The butcher's bill ran to over six thousand Lannister losses whilst the Blackfyres had lost only five hundred and fifty-nine men. The road to King’s Landing was now clear.
The news of the Lannister defeat at Starry Dell shocked King Daeron’s Small Council. Both Daemon’s speed and tenacity had caught the Targaryen’s off guard, and now their original plan was in tatters. The Targaryen host outside the city numbered around thirteen thousand men, two thousand less than the Blackfyre army, who were just days away. The Hand of the King, Lord Ambrose Butterwell, panicked and suggested that they attempt to bargain with Daemon. Both Prince Baelor and Prince Maekar rejected this idea out of hand, with Prince Maekar reportedly on the edge of striking down Lord Butterwell himself. King Daeron wondered if they could bring the army inside the city and defend it in a siege, but this was impossible too. “We have neither the space nor the grain to feed such a force during a siege” responded Lord Hayford “we would starve within the month.” It would be the new Master-of-Whisperers, Lord Brynden Rivers, who would come up with a solution. “We cannot allow Daemon and his army to trap us inside King’s Landing. The army would be better withdrawing to the south whilst his grace and the court move to the safety of Dragonstone.” The King reluctantly agreed to this proposal and ordered an immediate withdrawal from the city. “And who shall defend the city, your grace?” asked a perplexed Lord Butterwell. “Why my lord” said Prince Maekar with a sense of glee “it will be you.”
Within a few hours the Targaryen army, led by Princes Baelor and Maekar, began the march south, whilst the King and his entourage boarded a ship for Dragonstone. Around five thousand fighting men were left in the city, the majority of which were Goldcloaks. Left to lead the city in the King’s absence was Lord Butterwell, a man who lacked even the most basic knowledge of warfare. It is during this time that the first account from what would become a famous diary in Westerosi literature would begin, and it is one of few sources from this era that straddles both the lives of smallfolk and that of nobles and kings. Tommard Ridgley was only seventeen when the Blackfyre Rebellion ignited across Westeros. Born to a family of poor knights, Tommard grew up as a stable boy at Rosby, serving it’s lord in that role until he was twelve when he was caught kissing the lord’s daughter. Beaten to near death by her brother, Tommard escaped to King’s Landing and joined a sellsword company as a keeper for their horses, a role that he described in one of his earliest entries as a “thankless task that makes you hard to be around people. You stink of shit, you get paid shit, and everyone treats you like shit.” Even so, he climbed up the ranks of the sellsword company and at sixteen was allowed to become a man-at-arms, owing to skills as a swordsman. When Daemon Blackfyre rose up, all of the sellswords in King’s Landing were hired by the Crown, in part to stop them from serving the other side.
On the following day, the Blackfyre army appeared outside the capital. Bells rang out as the gates of the city were slammed shut, and soon after a citywide curfew was put into effect, though it did little to stop the spread of panic in the streets. “Naturally the streets were awash with violence” wrote Tommard “looting was rife in the rich areas of the city, where most of the homes had been abandoned by the fat lordlings who had fled with the King. The waterfront was crowded with desperate people trying to get passage on any boat they could fit on. In Flea Bottom gangs began to strike against each other whilst the Goldcloaks were tied up. Even the High Septon took part in the chaos, announcing that entry into the Great Sept would be barred until the war was over. No doubt the coward hoped that he would be left alone in the event of a sacking.” The city was ill-prepared for a siege and its leadership was fractured as Lord Butterwell struggled to take control of the situation. To make matters worse news that his eldest son was a commander within the Blackfyre host led to lynch mobs assembling outside the Red Keep.
The only thing stopping the city from collapsing into anarchy was the fact that the Blackfyre army had currently not tried to storm the city, as had been expected. Though the Targaryen loyalists did not know it at the time, Blackfyre agents had infiltrated the city and were already making negotiations with key parties inside King’s Landing. These agents had two objectives, to rile up the populace, and to sway the sellswords to the Blackfyre cause. At first, the spies struggled with both of these objectives as people in the city were still recitant to turn against their Targaryen masters. This would change when Lord Butterwell was ousted by Lord Hayford and was placed in the Black Cells, ostensibly on the charge of collaborating with the enemy. Even though Lord Hayford was correct, the general populace saw this as an attempt by Lord Hayford to grab power during a time of crisis. The coup also alienated the sellswords, whose contracts had been signed by Butterwell. Soon the sellsword companies began to covertly join the Blackfyre cause.
Nearly two weeks after the siege of King’s Landing began, the Blackfyre supporters within the city rose up. The Gold Cloaks, who were already spread thin, were overwhelmed by the mob, whilst the sellswords captured key points across the city. From Tommard Ridgley we hear the capture of the Lion Gate “by the late morning the Gold Cloaks were already stretched across the city, trying to stop the rising that had spread through the city. When we arrived at the Lion Gate only thirty men were guarding it, most of whom were little more than boys who suspected nothing. We quickly dispatched them and opened the gate. Minutes later Blackfyre soldiers poured into the city.”
By nightfall, the city was in the hands of Daemon Blackfyre, with the exception of the Great Sept and the Red Keep. The Great Sept held out for two more days until a novice exited the septry and explained that the High Septon had suddenly died. As expected, a replacement High Septon that was sympathetic to Daemon was quickly instated, though his legitimacy barely extended outside of King’s Landing. The Red Keep would not be so easily taken, however. Lord Hayford had closed off the Keep as soon as the riots had begun in the morning, a choice that most likely saved his life. Many in the city and the Blackfyre host were baying for his blood, with Bittersteel demanding that “the snake Hayford should be cast down on the spikes of Maegor!” As always Daemon was rather more pragmatic. Under the guise of mercy and justice, Daemon offered Hayford and any Targaryen loyalists’ safe passage out of the city if they surrendered the Red Keep to him. A Targaryen loyalist to the end, Lord Hayford rejected the offer, and declared that “if the bastard wants his father’s keep, he can take it with fire and blood.”
It would not take fire and blood, just a little bit of treachery. While most of the Gold Cloaks had been either killed or captured, around three hundred of them had managed to gain refuge inside the Red Keep along with their leader, Commander Larys Follard. Follard had been in the position of Commander of the City Watch for around four years, an experience which had done little to improve his leadership skills. A famed drunkard, he was often at the heart of many corruption scandals that emanated from the bowels of King’s Landing and was the subject of mockery on street art across the city. As expected, he had fled to the Red Keep as soon as word reached him of the pro-Blackfyre riots, and now he commanded what was left of the city’s garrison. It didn’t take long for Follard to begin plotting against Lord Hayford, who he often quarrelled with. Three days after the fall of King’s Landing, Follard and his men within the Keep staged yet another coup, though this time it was rather bloodier. Soldiers seen as loyal to the Targaryens were slaughtered whilst any remaining lords were quickly arrested. Lord Hayford was dragged out of his bed, beaten severely, and then thrown into the Black Cells. When the keep was secure, Follard ordered the gates to be opened, allowing Daemon entry to the castle.
Almost immediately after hearing what had happened, Daemon ordered the arrest of Follard and his men, primarily due to their rampage through the Red Keep. He also had Lords Hayford and Butterwell released from the Black Cells, though both would remain in the keep as his “guests”. In less than a month, Daemon had seized the capital and had smashed two sizeable armies. To his men, he was quickly becoming a legend, and lords across the Crownlands were beginning to pay homage to the Black Dragon. It looked like fate had landed on Daemon’s side, however, the war was far from over.
For a day and a night, Daemon and his army feasted in celebration of their capture of King’s Landing, with the Red Keep crammed to the rafters with knights and lordlings, all of whom were drunk on wine and victory. Daemon himself had chosen to forgo the wine for the night, telling his Maester, Franklyn, that “I will not celebrate until all the realm hails me king.” To many on that night it seemed like the war was won already, a string of decisive victories had practically opened the gates for Daemon and his men, and it seemed that the Targaryen forces were scattered to the wind. None were more confident of Blackfyre victory than Lord Butterwell, who had promptly bent the knee when he was released from the Black Cells. “Your Grace,” said the plump lord as he bowed before Daemon “King’s Landing welcomes its rightful king, as do I.” The cantankerous Lord Hayford had not been as won over as Butterwell but did admit that “King Daeron lost this war when he abandoned his seat.” The two lords were also present at the feast in the Red Keep, though under guard by Bittersteel’s men.
The following morning Daemon ordered that preparations be made for the army to head out yet again, for he knew that the Targaryen’s were far from defeated. Scouts had reported that two large armies bearing the banner of the red dragon were marching into the Crownlands, with the obvious intent to link up and besiege King’s Landing. Though they could not relay accurate figures, the scouts estimated that altogether they numbered forty-five thousand men, an almost three to one advantage over Daemon’s force. With Commander Follard under arrest, Daemon named Ser Jammos Chambers as the new Commander of the Gold Cloaks, whilst naming Lord Harys Bracken as overall Commander of the City. The next day Daemon marched out of the city with thirteen thousand men, leaving two thousand of his own in the city, along with four thousand Gold Cloaks. It would be just a few hours after they had marched out that a messenger from Lord Bracken arrived telling him that a raven had arrived with some incredible news. Arion Baratheon, Lord of Storms End and Lord Paramount of the Stormlands, had been sitting out of the war and had declared for either Black or Red dragons. Well, now it seemed like his time waiting was over, for he now declared that “From this day to my last day, I will fight for the rightful king, the king who was given the sword of Aegon the Conqueror, the king who was best made for the throne.”
The Blackfyre cause had not been going as well across the rest of Westeros. House Yronwood had been decisively defeated at the Battle of the Boneway by the Martells, and the remnants of their army fled north into the Stormlands. The Blackfyre loyalists in the Westerlands had been crushed at the twin battles of Oxcross and Sarsfield, and their forces had been scattered to the winds, whilst in the Riverlands Lord Medgar Tully had managed to halt Lord Frey’s advances in the Riverlands. The only theatre in which the Blackfyres were winning was the Reach, where Lord Jon Hightower’s army was continuing to push the Tyrells up the Mander. To save his army from destruction, Lord Leo Tyrell fled north and met up with Prince Baelor’s army at Dalston’s Keep in the hopes that their pooled army could stop Lord Hightower’s indomitable advance. To Lord Leo’s consternation, Prince Baelor had a different plan in mind. Knowing that it was likely that Lords Hightower and Baratheon would likely link their forces before he had time to strike, Prince Baelor instead decided to march his force of twenty thousand men west to link up with the Lannisters. It was hoped that a combined force of over thirty thousand men could quickly overcome Daemon’s smaller force.
Daemon, unaware of such a plan, marched his men east towards Rosby, outside of which was mustering a new Targaryen force, led by Lord Arryn, whose forces he had rallied after their defeat at Meadmere. Bolstered by two thousand men from the newly loyal House Hayford, Daemon descended onto them during the early hours of the morning. It took only three hours for the now battle-hardened Blackfyre army to break the enemy force, which was mainly made up of peasants recently pressed into service. This didn’t stop Bittersteel from leading the cavalry in a blood bath in which they killed nearly three thousand fleeing troops. Lord Rosby surrendered the town without a fight the following day. Wounded and demoralised, Lord Arryn led the remains of his army in a retreat northwards, a retreat that Daemon decided to let happen. “Lord Arryn fought bravely” said Daemon when his order was questioned by his sons “his army is broken, as is their will. There is no need to beat a wounded falcon.”
The news of Lord Arryn’s defeat was met with surprising relief by Prince Baelor, for now, he knew that Daemon’s army was not going to able to intercept him on the way to meeting up with the Lannister army, that was now approaching the Blackwater Rush. “My Uncle is a great warrior and a good tactician” admitted Prince Baelor during a meeting with his commanders “but he has overplayed his hand this time. We have forty thousand men at our disposal, what does he have? Tired and battle-weary soldiers who are outnumbered severely. This war will soon be over my lords, I swear it.” Many in his camp agreed with him, all except Lord Bloodraven, who argued that the new Targaryen-Lannister force should retreat into the Riverlands and meet up with Lord Tully’s army. “Nonsense” declared Prince Maekar in his characteristically gruff manner “we need to stop this rebellion before it has a chance to spread even further, I say we attack and crush the traitors into the mud.” Prince Baelor decided to ere on the side of caution and hold his ground just a mile from the castle of Belgrave on the Great Fork.
If the Targaryens wished that their new force would intimidate Daemon, they would be gravely mistaken. “They are standing their ground like an iron shield across the Blackwater Rush” reported a scout when he returned with the sighting of the Targaryen army “they guard the only bridge across the river.” Daemon smiled “the river shall not impede us, and neither will this ‘iron shield’. It may be strong but iron breaks when faced with steel.” With all the confidence as he had always possessed, Daemon commanded his army to march west, straight for the Great Fork. It would be just a day later when, on a misty morning, Prince Baelor’s outriders returned with news that Daemon’s army was just hours away. “The bastard is brave, I’ll give him that” admitted Prince Maekar when he was told the news “I’ll see how long he lasts on the battlefield.”
When the Blackfyre army arrived, Daemon immediately ordered his army to halt just before the only bridge across the Blackwater Rush, and instead sent his archers to pepper the Targaryen forces. This did little to whittle away the giant Targaryen army, which in turn loosed arrows back across the river at their Blackfyre foes. For hours this back and forth skirmishing took place, with neither side gaining an advantage, and neither side willing to cross the bridge. Lord Lannister suggested that they build rafts to cross the river upstream, thus allowing them to rap around Daemon’s army, but this was rejected by Prince Baelor, who did not wish to divide his forces. And so the slow inconclusive grind of skirmishing went on until the red sunset bloomed across the fields and men’s armour glistened with deep orange sparks. It was then that a sound slowly filled the air, at first it was quiet but within minutes it became all too apparent what it was. Marching from the south. Appearing from a small copse to the south was an army that bore the flags of House Hightower, Tarly, Peake, and Blackfyre. In all, it was comprised of nearly fifteen-thousand Reachmen and sellswords that had defected in King’s Landing. “What a sight it was” wrote Tommard Ridgley in his diary a few days later “thirty thousand men caught with their breeches down and their arse bare for all to see. Even from where I was standing I could see the panic on their faces. It was that day that I became a Blackfyre.”
The Hightower force quickly descended on the Targaryen army, sending them into disarray. If it wasn’t for the impressive rearguard action by Lord Bloodraven, the army could have been sent into a complete rout. For his part, Prince Baelor quickly rallied the men and soon began to push back the flanking force, though at great cost. In the melee, Prince Maekar personally slew Lord Hightower’s cousin, whilst severely injuring Lord Tarly himself. It was at this time that Daemon struck, as he quickly launched hastily constructed pontoons filled with men whilst his most armoured knights, led by Bittersteel and Quentyn Ball, stormed across the bridge. Lord Tyrell, who had been charged to defend the bridge, panicked as he saw his now outnumbered men be overwhelmed at all sides. It quickly became clear that the bridge was lost and he retreated. Upon seeing this, Princes Baelor and Maekar wheeled around and attempted to stop the Blackfyre advance. What transpired was a brutal melee that went on into the night as men and horse bled in the dark. It would be now that the most astounding event of the battle would take place.
Tommard Ridgley, the young sellsword who has provided us with one of the few first-hand accounts of the war, was in the thick of the fighting and his own words were “both filled with so much bloodlust that I could scarcely stop cleaving, and filled with such terror that I could scarcely stop shitting.” His account continues “I had just struck down yet another farmers son or tanners boy when I saw that several of the enemy’s soldiers had begun to gather around someone. When I managed to cut through some of the more oblivious onlookers I saw something I would have never believed. Daemon Blackfyre, his grand silver and red armour stained with mud and blood, cornered by half a dozen spearmen, each of whom was too scared to make the first move. Unsurprising, seeing as around Daemon lay four corpses, one of which was a knight. All of a sudden a rush filled within me and a charged with my shield up and my sword poised for the thrust. The first man did not stand a chance, while the second slipped on mud, allowing me to stamp on his windpipe. Daemon did not hang around, for he soon joined the melee, and within a minute the six men had been whittled down to just one, a boy, who was begging for his life. Luckily for the boy, Daemon was a warrior, not a killer, and he bestowed mercy upon the child. If it was me, the boy would be laying in the seven hells.”
The battle lasted into the following morning, by which point the Targaryen force had begun to disintegrate. Lord Bloodraven and Prince Maekar managed to break out and led a force of four thousand men out of the battle. Prince Baelor fought on but was eventually pushed to the banks of the Blackwater Rush. It was heard that Daemon’s commanders urged him to slaughter the enemy force to the last man, but as always he erred on the side of mercy. Ordering his men to back away and form a cordon, Daemon offered terms to Prince Baelor. In them, he stated that if he and his forces surrender, not only would their lives be spared, but they would be fed and watered as well. Knowing that he had no other choice, Prince Baelor and his three thousand surviving men surrendered to the Blackfyres. It was not just Prince Baelor that Daemon had captured, but also Lords Lannister, Tyrell, Brax, Marbrand, Massey, and Merryweather. The battle had been bloody, the Blackfyres had lost seven thousand men altogether, whilst the Targaryens had lost nearly twenty thousand. Though the war was not yet won, to many on that day it seemed as though it had already been decided.
There was a storm lashing against the venerable walls of Dragonstone when a sodden raven arrived in the rookery, its news as black as its wings. The King was teaching his grandchildren about the history of the First Men when the castle’s maester arrived with the soaked scroll. “We are doomed” Daeron was said to have whispered after reading the news of his son’s defeat at Belgrave. For a day and a night, the king held council with his remaining advisors in an attempt to find a way out of his predicament. “We still have the Martell and Tully armies” noted Lord Bartimos Celtigar “they have been less battle-worn than most. They could turn the tide.” Lord Corlys Velaryon (not to be confused with his more legendary namesake) was less convinced “Your Grace, I think it may be time to face the facts of the present. Most of your armies have been defeated by Daemon already, your treasury is now in their hands, and your heir and half of the lords loyal to you are captured. We must at least try and come to terms with them.” This did not please the King’s wife, Queen Myriah Martell “my father always said you Andals lacked spines. We still have sway in this war, my brother’s army will smash Lord Baratheon and his stormmen, and will do the same to the bastard traitor.”
The aftermath of the Battle of Belgrave would contain the normalcies of Westerosi warfare. The dead of the victors were collected and burned with ceremony, the corpses of the defeated were left to rot and be feed for carrion. Along with this was the true prize of victory, deciding what to do with the prisoners. The ordinary soldier would either be pressed into the victor’s army, imprisoned, or killed. The fates of the higher born and more important prisoners would be subject to much more variance based on the whims and wishes of the winning ruler. In this case, Daemon had to decide what to do with the large number of highborn prisoners he had taken, two of which were Lords Paramount. Despite some of the calls from his most radical supporters, butchering them was out of the question, lest the conflict devolves into the same wanton bloodshed of the Dance of the Dragons. No, like Aegon the Conqueror, Daemon offered them a choice, bend the knee, and accept him as their king, or resist and be punished. With great reluctance, Lord Tyrell and his bannermen bent the knee, and in turn, Daemon confirmed their titles and lordships. Lord Lannister was even more reluctant and feared reprisals from the Targaryens if he switched sides. When Bittersteel insinuated that they would name Lord Reyne as the Lord of the Westerlands if he did not bend the knee, Lord Lannister caved and bowed before the Blackfyre banner like everyone else.
This left Daemon with one major prisoner, Prince Baelor. To the Targaryen loyalists, Baelor was Daemon’s nephew, whilst to the Blackfyres he was a distant cousin. Either way, this did not stop Daemon from attempting to be reproachful to the defeated prince, who had been treated honourably after the battle. Indeed, many noted similarities between the two, both were chivalrous, merciful, kind to commons and high born alike, and exceptionally skilled at arms. For his part, Prince Baelor was gracious in defeat and congratulated Daemon on his victory, whilst also maintaining that he would not bend the knee. Though this enraged some in the Blackfyre camp, Daemon had expected as much and simply replied “a son must do his duty.” The next day Prince Baelor was sent to King’s Landing, where he was put under house arrest in his rooms in the Red Keep. His escort back to the capital would none other than Ser Tommard Ridgely, who had been recently knighted and hired by Daemon in recognition of his service.
The remnants of the Targaryen army limped north into the Riverlands, where Lord Medgar Tully had driven back Lords Lothston and Frey to Harrenhal. The Targaryen armies were now under the leadership of Prince Maekar, the hot-headed and wrathful brother of Baelor. The youngest of four brothers, who were seen as far more capable than the mad Rhaegel and overly pious Aerys, but far less merciful and wise than his older brother. Most importantly, he did not harbour any love for his wayward uncle, whom he had viewed as a threat before the Rebellion had begun. “The weeds envelop the rose if not tended to” he was reported to have said when discussing Daemon before the rebellion “my father has devoted too much time and gold on placating that bastard upstart. We should boot him, his Tyroshi wife, and their spawn across the sea.” His poor reputation when it game to rationality meant that Lord Tully and his vassals were extremely cautious when they saw that it was Maekar, not Baelor, who was leading the army. Their apprehension turned to panic when they discovered that Prince Baelor and a score of lords had been captured at Belgrave, thus depriving the Targaryens reinforcements of the Westerlands and the Reach. When Prince Maekar demanded that they march south with him, Lord Medgar Tully replied, “with the best will in the world, my lord, you are not in a position to make demands of us.”
The final battle of the Blackfyre Rebellion would take place three miles south of the castle of Grandview in the Stormlands. The Martell army, which had been bolstered by the forces of lords Dondarrion and Swann, had been able to march relatively unopposed through the Stormlands, save from bands of revolting smallfolk. This would end when they were met with the Baratheon army, which while not proven in battle yet, was a formidable force. The Lord of Storm’s End, Lord Arion Baratheon, was a veteran of countless battles, having fought against Dornish raiders for years, and had even squired for his father during the Young Dragon’s Conquest of Dorne. It was this experience that helped him decisively defeat the Martell army at Grandview. Less than three thousand survivors limped back across the Dornish Marches. The Prince of Dorne, Maron Martell, was captured when trying to flee the battlefield. Unlike Lords Tyrell and Lannister, Prince Maron was beaten within an inch of his life before being handed over to Lord Arion, who ordered that once his wounds were treated he was to be sent to King’s Landing.
The news of Prince Maron’s defeat at Grandview was the last straw for King Daeron, who was already on the brink of a breakdown. At the insistence of Lord Velaryon, Daeron fled boarded a cog disguised as a merchant ship and fled across the Narrow Sea. With him went his wife, Princes Rhaegel, Aerys, Valarr, Matarys, several loyal councillors, and the castle fool. Before he parted, Daeron left the crown jewels in the Room of the Painted Table, a decision that has been debated by scholars ever since. The morning after they left, Lord Velaryon ordered Dragonstone’s maester to send a raven to King’s Landing with the news of Daeron’s flight, and his supplication to Daemon Blackfyre. Within days lords across Westeros began to submit to Daemon, including Lord Donnel Arryn, who had been attempting to raise another army in support of the Targaryens. When the news arrived at Riverrun, Lord Tully warned Prince Maekar and Lord Brynden that he was going to submit as well, giving them ample time to escape into the wilderness of the Riverlands, though in the process they left their army behind. The official time of Daemon’s victory would be measured when the High Septon officially declared Daemon as the rightful heir to Aegon IV. So began the reign of Daemon of House Blackfyre, the First of His Name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm.
King’s Landing had been celebrating for three days when Daemon and his victorious army returned to the city. Crowds gave flowers, wine, and bread to the soldiers as they chanted “long may he reign!” with increasing fervour. Hastily sown Blackfyre banners hung from windows and balconies, whilst Targaryen banners were torn down and burnt. A city that less than a year ago had happily lived under the rule of King Daeron, now cursed his name and the names of his children. When Daemon arrived at the Red Keep he headed straight for the throne room where he, still in his armour, was crowned by the High Septon in the sight of his soldiers, who chanted his name so loudly that it could be heard half a league away. “I had never seen myself as a king’s man” wrote Ser Tommard, who was present at the coronation “but the sight of that extraordinary man caused me to exalt him like everyone else in that grand hall.” After a night of celebration, Daemon started the task of forming his new royal court. The seats of the Small Council would be decided by “those of ability” declared King Daemon when he announced the new members of the First Blackfyre Small Council. First to be named as the Master at Arms, which was given to Daemon’s half-brother Aegor Bittersteel. Lord Aegor, as he styled himself, had been by Daemon’s side since they were boys, and had always advocated Daemon’s claim to the Iron Throne since the death of their father. Having a man of his talents in charge of the Iron Throne’s armies was a smart one, for his skills for nearly anything other than warfare were lacking.
Next to be chosen as the Master of Laws, which went to the young but extremely talented Lord Donnel Mosborough. Having only reached adulthood at the start of the rebellion, Lord Donnel had risen the Black Dragon banner above Castle Mosborough during the early days of the conflict, when it was still unclear how large Daemon’s support would be. He would be present at the Battles of Meadmere and Belgrave, the latter of which would cost him his ear. It was in the aftermath of the battle that Donnel began to ingratiate himself with Daemon, who quickly spotted his potential. He is seen by many scholars as a typical example of the early Blackfyre era lordling, young and ambitious with ideas above their station. For the position of Master of Coin, Daemon chose a man who was both able and loyal, Lord Florian Boggs. Lord Boggs was seen as “little more than a pirate” according to Ser Tommard “but in actuality was the richest man in the Seven Kingdoms, with only a tenth of that wealth being made through actual piracy.” Lord Florian had founded a mercantile empire that had spread quickly in the years preceding the rebellion and had recently begun the task of rebuilding his House’s castle on Cracklaw Point.
The Master of Whisperers, a seat which has been seen as the most important seat by some, was given to Ser Arnold Arryn, second son of Lord Donnel Arryn of the Vale, who had only recently been an enemy of House Blackfyre. Lord Arryn had bent the knee like everyone else but ensuring that one of his sons was in King’s Landing as a hostage further soothed any worries of possible treason forming in the Vale. With the Grand Maester recently deceased, Daemon bestowed his candidate, Maester Gerold, with the title of Grand Maester, though the Citadel did not approve of such a measure due to his inexperience. They demanded that an Archmaester of the Citadel be named to the spot, but Daemon disagreed “the maesters are trusted without most guarded secrets, I would rather have a man I can trust in that spot rather than an agent of Citadel.” The final and most influential seat in the Small council was yet to be decided; who would become the Hand of the King? The most likely candidate, Lord Aegor Bittersteel, was more suited to leading armies than leading council of scheming nobles. Some of King Daemon’s advisors suggested Lord Arion Baratheon, who had been the only Lord Paramount to openly support the Blackfyre cause during the rebellion. When King Daemon offered the seat to Lord Arion the aged lord politely refused, stating “I have lived long, Your Grace, I have fought many battles and killed many men. Now I wish to spend the rest of my days enjoying the pleasures of hearth and home”.
The solution to Daemon’s problem would come when Maester Gerold offered an alternate candidate. Lord Rance Hayford had been a ‘guest’ of King Daemon since Daeron’s flight across the Narrow Sea, leaving the previously Targaryen supporting Lord isolated in the new reality that was descending on Westeros. Many Blackfyre loyalists saw him as a traitor, and some, led by Aegor Bittersteel, wanted to execute him. Daemon had forbidden anyone to harm him and had posted guards around the lord to ensure his safety. This was not just done out of honour, for in the days following the Blackfyre victory, Lord Rance had risen to be the main representative of those lords seen as still of questionable loyalty. It would be his actions after this that would convince Daemon to name his as Hand of the King. Through one of his contacts, Lord Rance had discovered that Prince Maekar had been spotted in the Riverlands and had been hiding out in the area’s myriad of sunken caves. Upon hearing this he reported this news to King Daemon himself, who dispatched a raven to Lord Medgar Tully to send five hundred men to apprehend him. Knowing that this was a test of his loyalty, Lord Medgar led the search party himself and was the one to lead the assault on Prince Maekar’s camp. The prince had been bathing in a small stream when he was found by Tully men and was dragged in front of Lord Medgar half-naked. “If I had known you had been a turncloak, I would have killed you years ago” spat Prince Maekar as he sat in chains in front of Lord Medgar, who in turn replied “I gave you a chance, my lord, and you wasted it. What happens next is on your head.” Upon hearing the news that Prince Maekar was in chains and on his way to King’s Landing, King Daemon gave Lord Rance Hayford the chain of office that marked a Hand of the King.
Another matter that had to be faced was what to do with the Kingsguard. Every single white cloak had remained loyal to King Daeron and had fought up until Daeron fled to Pentos. Some, like Quentyn Ball, demanded that all the knights should be sent to the Wall due to their “disloyalty”, whilst Lord Aegor demanded nothing less than “disembowelling them in front of the Iron Throne.” Daemon was opposed to this, for why would he kill his enemies when he could just as easily make them his friends? Instead of executing the knights and possibly alienating the noble families, they hailed from, he demanded that each member swear an oath of eternal loyalty to him and if they wished not to, they could leave freely with their oaths fulfilled. Those who chose to remain in the Kingsguard were Lord Commander Kenric Darry, Ser Alyn Connington, known as the Pale Griffin, Ser Gwayne Corbray, Ser Willem Wylde, Ser Willam Chambers and Ser Rupert Crabb. Only Ser Edwyn Rosby, the second son of Lord Brynden Rosby, chose to leave the order, though this was mainly because his elder brother had been killed at Meadmere, leaving him as the next in line. To replace Ser Edwyn, King Daemon named Ser Quentyn Ball to the Kingsguard, who was seen as many as the next probable choice for Lord Commander.
The last, and the most pressing matter was what to do with those who had most ardently fought against Daemon and had supported Daeron. For most of those lords, King Daemon offered amnesty if they bent the knee to him and swore an oath of loyalty to his family. The vast majority did save most notably Lord Wyman Webber, who refused to bow to a “bastard usurper.” In response, King Daemon charged Ser Eustace Osgrey, a loyal Blackfyre supporter, and Lord Rowan to take the Lord Wyman’s castle, Coldmoat, and drag the lord and his family to King’s Landing in chains. The so-called ‘Webber Rebellion’ lasted three weeks, for the castle garrison, half of whom had died fighting on the Mander, turned on their master and offered up Lord Wyman to the besiegers. In reward for their service, Daemon named Lord Rowan’s third son, Nyles Rowan, as his squire, and gave the castle of Coldmoat to Eustace Osgrey, who was named Lord of the Northmarch. After a hundred and fifty years, the banner of the Chequy Lion flew above Coldmoat once more.
There were only three men who were would be exempt from King Daemon’s remarkable mercy. The first was Daeron Targaryen, who was declared to be Daeron ‘Waters’, the bastard son of Prince Aemon the Dragonknight and Queen Naerys. It was announced that he was an “enemy of the realm and attempted usurper.” As he was across the Narrow Sea, Daemon’s punishment would come down on his son, who was the second person to feel the wrath of the Black Dragon. Despite not holding any personal animosity towards each other, Daemon knew that so long as Baelor lived as a Targaryen, he would remain a threat to his rule. “You may be a traitor” declared Daemon to a packed throne room as he announced the sentence of Prince Baelor “but you are my kin, and I am no kinslayer. Out of both my love for my family and the respect I have for you as a knight, I spare you from the fate so many had demanded of me to give to you. Instead, you will be sent to the Wall to become a brother of the Night's Watch, where you can defend the realms of men and make amends for your treasons.” Baelor Breakspear neither resisted nor complained and instead only bowed his head in compliance.
The final man to feel King Daemon’s wrath was his brother-in-law, Prince Maron Martell, who had been languishing in a black cell since Lord Arion Baratheon had brought him in chains, along with three score lords and knights. The Dornish had been a sore point for many in the Blackfyre camp, many of whom wished to desolate the Dornish for their insolence. Indeed, if he wished it, Daemon could have wiped out more than half of the Dornish nobility right there and then. Instead, Daemon demanded that each lord pay obeisance to him, and offer him hostages. Lords Dayne, Fowler, Lady Vaith, Lord Allyrion, and Lady Jordayne all bent the knee. Ser Myles Blackmont, Ser Quentyn Qorgyle and Ser Manfred Santagar all bent the knee as representatives of their houses. Some of the knights, led by the gallant Ser Ulrick Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, even entered Daemon’s service, becoming members of his household guard. As for Prince Maron, he was stripped of his title of Prince of Dorne and was kept in captivity in King’s Landing, though now in his apartments. The title of Prince was bestowed on Lord Cletus Yronwood, who had risen in support of Daemon. To ensure Dornish loyalty, Daemon named the title of Prince as elective, meaning upon Cletus’ death, there would be an election to choose the next candidate. With the Dornish dealt with, Daemon had now secured his throne…for now…
In the weeks and months following King Daemon’s coronation, lords and knights from across the realm trickled in to make obeisance to their new king. By this point, nearly all resistance to Blackfyre rule had melted away, and the two previously neutral Lord Paramounts, Lord Dagon Greyjoy and Lord Beron Stark had sent ravens declaring their loyalty to Daemon. In Dorne, the new Prince, Celtus Yronwood, was successfully installed without any major upset from the Dornish nobility. At least in the open, any sign of Targaryen support had melted away completely. Despite this, many on Daemon’s small council doubted that it would remain that way forever. “Memories are not things that can be easily removed,” said Lord Florian Boggs “and neither is loyalty. Give them a chance and the rats will spread.” Lord Florian was not alone in his doubts, Lord Aegor had wanted every house whose loyalty could not be counted on to provide a hostage, while Ser Arnold Arryn, the Master of Whisperers, wanted to establish a new order of spies that would monitor the day to day comings and goings of every lord. The King, ever a lover of the idea of chivalry, declared that “honour, mercy, and knightly virtue will ensure the security of my reign, not tyranny. I will not be another Maegor or, gods bless him, my father. My people will love me.” As a gesture of peace and amity, Daemon released Prince Maekar, a decision many in his small council disagreed with. However, the Prince was not free, for he was sent to be a ‘guest’ of Prince Celtus in Dorne, who would make sure that Prince Maekar would not fall back into old ways. Prince Maekar’s children, Princes Aerion and Daeron, would remain hostages in the Red Keep.
Of the many new denizens of the Red Keep were the expansive royal family, which had remained at the Venatfort throughout the duration of the war. The new queen, Rohanne of Tyrosh, quickly established herself as the Red Keep’s matriarch and took over most of the managerial duties of the Royal household. Daughter of the Archon of Tyrosh, Rohanne had grown up in a life of luxury that exceeded even the most lavish households of Westeros, with all manners of spices, perfumes, and fashion available to her. When her father became the Archon, Rohanne became an important commodity in her own right, with her hand in marriage being sought by countless suitors, both from the Free Cities and beyond. Princes from the Summer Islands attempted to woo her father with exotic feathered capes, the Yi Ti ambassador tempted the Archon with Zorses and jade jewellery, whilst one of the Triarchs of Volantis offered the Free City of Tyrosh with one thousand elephants. Whilst these gifts were grand and expensive, they did not come with what the Archon wanted most. An Alliance. Tyrosh had been independent since the destructive Daughters War, a conflict that was caused by the defeat the Three Daughters suffered during the Dance of the Dragons. Ever since Tyrosh, Myr, and Lys had fallen back into infighting, which was spurred on by interference by Pentos, Braavos, and Volantis. In the twisting wynd that is Essosi politics, alliances can sometimes last days before falling apart, and by 180s AC, Tyrosh had run out of allies. The solution would come from the west, not the east. Early into his reign as king, Daeron II had desired better trading relations with the Free Cities. His father had neglected any form of international diplomacy and had allowed tariffs on Westerosi merchants in Essos to skyrocket without any recourse. The Iron Throne’s biggest trade partner had been Tyrosh, and so for Daeron, it seemed to be the best choice when it came to sorting out a new trade deal. The Archon was amenable to the idea but demanded one thing, an alliance through marriage. Daeron agreed and offered his recently legitimized half-brother, Daemon, as a viable candidate. The Archon agreed and so Daemon and Rohanne were married, and a new trade alliance was signed.
Rohanne of Tyrosh
Like most noble marriages, the newlyweds were not besotted with each other at the beginning. Daemon was polite but was still reeling from learning that his half-sister, Princess Daenerys, had married Prince Maron Martell. It was a poorly kept secret that Daemon had an affinity for his sibling, even though the Princess never seemed to reciprocate such a feeling. On the other hand, Rohanne saw Westeros as a backwards and barbaric place lacking in taste of any kind. At the royal court, some began to name her the “Tyroshi bitch” for soon many began to tire of her distant and cold ways. The bonding between Daemon and Rohanne would begin at the birth of their twin sons, Aegon and Aemon, and would continue to grow closer with each new child. When Daeron granted Daemon land to build the Venatfort, Rohanne was allowed to model it in her own style. Latest Essosi fashions were often seen first at Venatfort before reaching the Red Keep, and soon it was called “Small Tyrosh”. Upon the ascension of Daemon as king, Rohanne moved her court to the Red Keep, and many of the maids were replaced with her own Tyroshi household. The Tyroshi servants became known for their promiscuity, with Ser Tommard Ridgley noting “I feel as if I have only fucked Tyroshi women for my whole life. You finish with one and then another comes round the corner. Gods know what they teach them in the backstreets of Tyrosh, all I’ll say is I’m glad I’m not married.” We know now that these women were not just doing it out of lust, for they provided the Queen with all manner of secrets, which she would use to her advantage.
King Daemon’s many children would take pride of place in the new court of the black dragons and would be surrounded by the newly arrived children of those lords deemed to be of questionable loyalty. The two eldest children, the twins Aegon and Aemon, quickly established their own clique within the Red Keep’s walls, with many little lordlings vying for their attention. Despite being twins there was never any doubt who the heir to the throne was, Prince Aegon had been born first by around three minutes, a fact that the boys never failed to remind those who questioned the choice. Aegon was a proud and sometimes wrathful boy who, according to Maester Gerold, was “prone to displays wanton ranting akin to the vainest of the Valyrian lineage.” Despite his temper Prince Aegon was noted to be wise it came to the realities of life and was loyal to his friends and family alike. His brother, Aemon, was seen as a reincarnation of the Dragonknight that he was named after, for his honourable conduct on the training field and his courteous demeanour proved his valour. King Daemon often noted that “Aegon will always have Aemon to guide him when the night is darkest.” The two brothers were inseparable and were very clearly each other’s best friend. “They shared everything it seemed,” wrote Maester Gerold when reflecting on their childhood “sometimes it was easier to think of them as one person rather than two.”
Aegon and Aemon were not the only sons of Daemon and Rohanne, for five more were born in the years following the twin’s birth. The first was Daemon, known as Daemon the Younger, who was already known as a “vain and proud little boy who spent more time dressing pretty with stable boys than being a squire”. Then there was Haegon, a boy who many considered to be the most like Daemon than any other of his sons. Obsessed with the stories of knightly virtue, in particular, that of Ser Serwyn of the Mirror Shield, Haegon would spend most of his time with his friends recreating the escapades of yore. Haegon was followed by Aenys, who at the age of five had already learned the basics of swordplay with the help of Quentyn Ball, who named him “the greatest natural swordsman I have ever seen”. The quiet and private Aegor was born just a year later, and he was followed by his infant brother Maelys. Each of these boys would live in the shadow of their elder twin brothers, and their early lives would be spent trying to make a name for themselves outside of the confines of the Red Keep.
The daughters of King Daemon and Queen Rohanne would play an important role in the future security of House Blackfyre, are so Daemon proclaimed to them whenever he discussed their future. Already his eldest daughter, Princess Calla, was betrothed to his half-brother Bittersteel, and it was presumed that his other daughters, Daenerys and Rhaenys would also be betrothed soon to secure alliances with lords of Westeros. Whether they would accept being married off was another matter entirely for much like their brothers, the three Blackfyre sisters were not alike. Calla had been the only female Blackfyre to be present at the Targaryen court prior to the rebellion, with her being in service to Queen Myriah Martell, leaving her service just before the rebellion. Now a princess, Calla became the most coveted maiden in the Seven Kingdoms. However, she was already claimed by her uncle, Bittersteel, who guarded his betrothed jealously. Courteous and kind, Calla became known by the smallfolk as the “Princess of Bread” due to her many gifts of bread to the needy of King’s Landing. Daenerys on the other hand was by all rights a little rogue. Pranks were abounding in the Red Keep after she had arrived, with the main target of hilarity being Shackles the Fool. Despite this, she was rarely cruel in her japes and was keen to help those who fell victim to bullies. In one infamous incident, the Princess knocked out Jasper Roxton, a squire of thirteen years, when he began to spread tales about Miriam Follard's “fishy cunt.” She also had little time for talk of marriage, for she had already decided who she would marry “I will bear no one’s children bar my brothers. Which one I am not sure yet, for that is up to my father to decide, though I hope he decides soon, for I need to prepare.”
The dawn of 196 AC would usher in the first year of the rule of House Blackfyre. Already the fires of war had faded to such a point that most had moved on and were beginning to focus on the day-to-day comings and goings of life. As is the case after the end of war, marriages were aplenty across the Seven Kingdoms as old alliances were maintained and new ones established. It was said that 196 AC was the most successful year for King’s Landing brothels since the end of the Dance of the Dragons, as men and women alike partook in the simple pleasures of the flesh, and the Red Keep was no different. Ser Tommard Ridgely, the Captain of the King’s Household Guard, wrote of his busy schedule “in the early morning I’m busy with Lady Alysanne Bywater, then around noon, I have to entertain one of Queen Rohanne’s Tyroshi maids. Then at night, I have an invitation to one of Lord and Lady Stokeworth’s orgies in their manse. Gods I would have dreamt of fucking this much a year ago, and yet I feel as if my cock is going to fall off.” The royal family was not exempt from such frivolities, for Prince Aegon had already begun to visit some of the more upmarket brothels on the Street of Silk, often with his brother Aemon in tow. Though disapproving of his heir’s actions, Daemon relented when his wife reminded him that “now he will know how to perform on his wedding night.”
Weddings were high on Daemon’s mind in 196 AC, for marriages meant alliances in Westeros. Aside from Rohanne’s family in Tyrosh, Daemon had no ties with any noble families, let alone ones in Westeros. Many had backed his claim for the Iron Throne, but not of them were tied by marriage or by blood to the young House of Blackfyre. Naturally, the idea of a marriage alliance between one of Daemon’s children and a loyal House began to be brought up in the Small Council meetings, and often it was followed through by an offer of betrothal. The Master of Laws, Lord Donnel Cressy, offered his sister as an option, whilst Lord Rance Hayford proposed that his twelve-year-old daughter be betrothed to Prince Aegon. In Daemon’s mind, he wished for his eldest son to be betrothed to a house that had fought for the Black Dragon during the rebellion, not to those that had been cowed in defeat. Naturally, houses such as House Hightower, Reyne, Peake, and Baratheon all came to mind as good candidates as blood allies. To decide who would be chosen, Daemon summoned the lords of all those loyal houses to come to King’s Landing with their daughters for him to choose who would be his daughter in law. “The cattle market” as Ser Tommard wrote went on for more than a week as potential brides were presented to the King and Queen. Each lady had their own champions and detractors in the Small Council, and each, in turn, would be shot down. Ellyn Baratheon had a few too many moles that alienated the Queen, Alys Hightower was beautiful but had already lost her maidenhead, whilst Alicent Reyne was a decade older than any of Daemon’s children. One of the final candidates was introduced by not one lord, but two. Flanking the little lady was Lord Harys Bracken and Lord Aegor Bittersteel, who held each of the girl’s hands as they walked her down the Grand Hall of the Red Keep. The girl was Barba Bracken, the eldest daughter of Lord Harys Bracken and one of the most sought-after maidens in the Riverlands. Described as “comely in an ordinary way, slender, delicate, and polite.” Whilst the King and Queen were not certain, they were convinced by the words of Lord Aegor, who listed Barba’s virtues in great length and detail. Barba and Aegon were betrothed, much to the delight of Lord Harys, whose house was now to be linked by marriage to Daemon.
With Prince Aegon’s future marriage in order, Daemon’s attention turned to the younger of the twins, Prince Aemon. While a further political alliance would have been beneficial, Daemon also wanted to please his remaining loyal siblings. After the defeat of Daeron II, much of the Targaryen fled across the Narrow Sea with him, leaving a scant few behind on Dragonstone. One such person was Shiera Seastar, one of the Great Bastards and a woman considered to be the most beautiful in the realm. With Lord Velaryon, Shiera had made her way to King’s Landing to bend the knee to Daemon, but shortly after disembarking she was arrested and placed under house arrest. The reason for her arrest was twofold, her true loyalties were under question, and it was hoped it would draw Bloodraven out. The plan, which was formulated by Bittersteel, failed, and after a year of waiting the King gave up on any hope that Bloodraven would try to save his sister from captivity. Despite failing as bait, Shiera still had a use for Daemon and the Blackfyres. Only fifteen, she had many years of childbearing left, many of which could be used by House Blackfyre as a way of securing their legacy. When, after a year, Daemon finally met Shiera in her ‘cell’, which was an apartment in Maegor’s Holdfast, he laid out a proposition. “I will free you sister on one condition. You marry one of my sons.” Shiera accepted and so was allowed to wander the Red Keep freely, although always with guards in tow. Her new betrothed, Prince Aemon, quickly became besotted with her, though the Seastar always played coy with the young boy.
As 196 AC came to a close the realm was rocked by scandal and horror. In the dark streets of King’s Landing death is as common as the streams of effluence that flow down into Blackwater Bay. Every day beggars, whores, and street urchins succumb to illnesses or fall victim to the many lowlifes that call the Capital home. Thousands of bodies are fished out of the Blackwater every year, many of which are burned and forgotten, for that is the life of the smallfolk. Sometimes men and women of some repute also face their end in the streets and winesinks of King’s Landing too, often at the hands of thieves desperate for a large score. Merchants tend to be the most at risk of this, with many hiring personal guards to chaperone them across the city. Now and then a knight would perish, often in a fight, they had considered as easy, only for them to realise that a longsword is as good as useless in the cramped alleys of Flea Bottom. It was incredibly rare for someone of the rank of a lord or lady to die in the streets, and when they did it often gained the attention of the Red Keep.
It was around midnight when the King was roused from his sleep by Maester Gerold, who led Daemon down the Red Keep’s yard. Waiting for him was Ser Jammos Chambers, Commander of the City Watch, with five Goldcloaks at his side and wagon with a covered-up body on it. Still in his nightclothes, Daemon was told of a small riot in Flea Bottom, a riot that claimed the lives of around three-hundred people, including a lord. When Ser Jammos threw off the cloth covering the body it revealed the mangled corpse of Lord Harys Bracken. When the shocked King demanded to know what had happened, Ser Jammos revealed that the Lord had been frequenting a certain whore named Sally ‘Soft-Slit’, who had recently ensnared Lord Harys with her charms. It just so happened that Sally was also a paramour of one of the local gang leaders, Ben Steeler, who had no intention of sharing the whore with anyone else. Ben and his gang attempted to jump Lord Harys as he journeyed back from Sally’s house, but that he and his gang members were cut down by Lord Harys’ guards. This angered the locals, who saw Ben Steeler as their protector and saw Lord Harys as a highborn interloper. The crowd, armed with rocks, knives, sticks, and broken pots, charged the Bracken men, and despite being cut down by the hundreds, managed to beat Lord Harys and his men to death. While Maester Gerold cautioned that Daemon let the matter go, Bittersteel demanded vengeance for his fallen cousin. Knowing better than to stop his half-brother from such a course, Daemon gave his consent to Bittersteel’s plan. The next day Bittersteel and Ser Jammos led a force of two-thousand Goldcloaks into Flea Bottom, where he systematically slaughtered roughly one-tenth of the population of the slum. Most who died were known gang members who the Goldcloaks had tolerated before but now saw an opportunity to depose of. The bodies were piled up outside the city and burned, save for the gang leaders, whose bodies were impaled on spikes atop the city walls. For Sally ‘Soft-Slit’ her luck increased even more, for when Bittersteel came to execute her for leading Lord Harys astray, he was quickly captivated by Sally’s immense beauty. She quickly became his paramour, and by the end of the month was living in a manse in the rich district of King’s Landing.
In 197 AC King Daemon undertook the first royal progress of his new realm. His tour would be focussed on the Stormlands and the Reach, where the royal convoy visited Storm’s End, Blackhaven, Estermont, Nightsong, Starpike, Highgarden, Horn Hill, and Oldtown. On his way back to King’s Landing, the royal convoy camped in around the ruins of the keep of Blackheart, the former seat of House Toyne. The Toynes were a proud and old house who had ruled the area for thousands of years, only to be cast down when they fell afoul of King Aegon IV and paid the price. Lord Toyne and his sons were executed, their castle cast down and the survivors driven across the Narrow Sea. “A fate that could have befallen us” the King was reported to have said while conversing with Maester Gerold on the history of the Toynes “a fate that has befallen my cousins.” The King would stay a few days longer than planned at Blackheart, taking time to walk the surrounding countryside whilst ordering Maester Gerold to note down all the details that he had noticed. Upon his return to the Red Keep, King Daemon announced his new project to the Small Council. Summerhall is what he would call a new holdfast that was to be built on and around the ruins of Blackheart Keep. This new castle would be both a fortification and pleasure palace, a place the Royal Family could enjoy time away from the day-to-day stresses of King’s Landing and be less than a week’s ride away in case of emergencies. Its location between the Stormlands, Reach, and Dorne also meant that travellers from the south could easily visit. “It will be a new home” Daemon declared “a second capital.”
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