Summary
After the death of Jaehaerys, his grandson Viserys becomes king. His transition is a peaceful one and he is viewed favorably by almost all of Westeros. He is happily married to his cousin, Aemma Arryn, and his daughter Rhaenyra is beloved, receiving the nickname "The Realm's Delight." Otto Hightower continues to serve as Hand of the King and constantly butts heads with Viserys's brother, Daemon, captain of the Gold Cloaks, the police force of King's Landing. Aemma dies after giving birth to Baelon, leaving Viserys heartbroken. Having no male heir, Viserys names Rhaenyra as his chosen successor, much to Daemon's displeasure.
Viserys remarries, choosing Otto's daughter, Alicent, as his wife over Rhaenys and Corlys's daughter, Laena. While friendly at first, relations between Alicent and Rhaenyra deteriorate, as her claim seems to falter as Alicent gives him four children: Aegon, Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron. Still, Viserys makes no changes to his line of succession. Meanwhile, Daemon and Corlys fight a war against pirates in a region known as the Stepstones, a group of islands near major ocean trade routes. Daemon returns, victorious, and briefly reconciles with his brother. However, he is exiled a few months later after quarreling with Viserys, reportedly over being romantically involved with Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra weds Laenor Velaryon and has three children: Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey. People speculate that the children are not Laenor's, as they have the same stout noses and brown hair as Harwin Strong, Rhaenyra's bodyguard, and Laenor appears to be attracted to men. Daemon marries Laenor's sister, Baela, and they have two daughters, Baela and Rhaena.
Following some years of relative stability, the Targaryens are afflicted by a number of losses and injuries. Laena dies in childbirth. A fight breaks out at her funeral between Aemond and Rhaenyra's children when he accuses them of being bastards, resulting in Aemond losing an eye when Lucerys slashes his face. While the king vehemently denies these claims, Harwin Strong is sent back to his family seat of Harrenhal, joined by his father Lyonel, who resigns as Hand of the King.
Otto Hightower resumes his position as Hand. Harwin and Lyonel both die in a blazing fire, leading to widespread speculation about the potential culprit for the crime. Laenor is murdered by his friend and supposed lover Qarl Correy. In a surprising turn of events, Rhaenyra and Daemon marry in secret. Rhaenyra gives birth again to two sons, Aegon and Viserys. Tensions continue to simmer between Alicent and Rhaenyra, and their factions become known as the Greens and Blacks, respectively.
The elder Viserys dies and Alicent keeps the news from circulating, hiding his body for a number of days. Going against Viserys's wishes, they decide to name her son Aegon king. Aegon's coronation is held in the dragonpit and he wears the Valyrian steel crown of Aegon the Conqueror, his namesake. Rhaenyra receives this news at Dragonstone and is irate, rejecting his claim as well as the terms of negotiation he sends with an envoy. She is crowned queen on Dragonstone and wears her father's circlet, the same one made for Jaehaerys. The Dance of Dragons begins, but both sides primarily focus on securing allies and not on violent conflict.
The war escalates immediately following the death of Lucerys. Lucerys travels to Storm's End to secure the allegiance of Borros Baratheon. He arrives and discovers that his cousin Aemond is already there, along with his massive dragon, Vhagar. Borros rejects Lucerys and Aemond threatens him, demanding that he cut out one of his eyes as repayment for the eye he lost years ago. Borros tells them both to leave, as he does not want blood to be shed in his castle. Lucerys takes his dragon Arrax and attempts to fly home, but struggles in the clouds of a thunderstorm. He is killed over Shipbreaker Bay, when Vhagar attacks Arrax. His body is not recovered.
Devastated and enraged by this loss, Rhaenyra seeks retribution. Daemon reaches out to some of his old connections in the Gold Cloaks. He buys the services of two assassins named Blood and Cheese. They sneak into Helaena's chambers, after killing her guards and restraining Alicent in her room, and take her children, forcing her to pick one to die. Eventually, she names her youngest Maelor, but to her horror, they kill her other son, Jaehaerys. Following this horrible incident, she begins to lose her grip on her sanity. She also sleeps apart from her husband, Aegon.
Analysis
Power plays an important role in this part of the book. Viserys is a capable ruler; he makes difficult decisions and does not back down from their consequences. He is well-liked by the people of Westeros and respected by the various lords of the realm. Still, over the course of his reign, he fails to address the growing rift between Rhaenyra and Alicent, as well as the escalating tensions that arise between his sons and nephews, particularly when Lucerys causes Aemond to lose an eye. He repeatedly brokers a superficial peace between the blacks and greens, with little consideration for the serious grievances held by both sides. The book suggests that while Viserys has a fairly effective hold on the throne, his inability to get involved in these personal matters leads to widespread chaos and violence after his death. This indicates that the unity of the realm hinged too much on his individual rule and not on the basis of the solidity of the Targaryen dynasty.
Revenge also takes on a major role in these pages, as the Dance of Dragons reaches a point of no return in the aftermath of the deaths of Lucerys and Maelor. Lucerys is killed by Aemond following a confrontation at Storm's End. Lucerys travels there in an effort to secure an alliance with Borros Baratheon, but is rejected by Borros and threatened by Aemond. Aemond's dragon Vhagar kills Lucerys and his dragon Arrax. In an effort to get revenge for Rhaenyra, Daemon hires two assassins who sneak into Helaena's chambers, take her children and force her to choose which of them will die. She chooses Maelor, as he is the youngest, and they instead kill Jaehaerys. This traumatizing occurrence breaks Helaena. The book highlights the way in which these attempts at revenge—Aemond seeking retribution for the loss of his eye, and Rhaenyra's desire to avenge the death of her son—lead only to more bloodshed and further escalations.
Succession is also an important theme in this part of the book. The Dance begins as a result of a disputed claim to the throne. Rhaenyra is named heir by her father, but people doubt the validity of her position because of her gender. This becomes a greater issue when Alicent gives birth to Aegon, providing Viserys with a male heir. Rhaenyra's claim is also called into question when it is suggested that she had an affair with Harwin Strong and that her children are not from her husband. Viserys supports Rhaenyra, but when he dies everything unravels, throwing Westeros into uncertainty and violence when both Rhaenyra and Aegon claim the throne. Once again, the book indicates how these matters quickly deteriorate into war when the line of inheritance becomes murky.
Greed and selfishness also play an important role in these chapters. Alicent pushes Aegon to pursue his claim. Rhaenyra refuses to step down, despite knowing the violence that will come from a civil war. Their mutual refusal to bend the knee has terrible consequences for both sides, leading to death, destruction, and an almost complete coming apart of the realm. By showing how war might have been avoided, the book indicates that the root cause of the conflict was essentially an overwhelming desire for power.
This part of the book deals with the lead-up to the Dance of the Dragons, showing how the conflict was seeded during Viserys's reign and came to a head in the days immediately following his death. It also shows how issues with the line of succession and personal pride acted as catalysts for the war. Finally, it underscores the way in which acts of revenge pushed the conflict to its boiling point, making terrible casualties inevitable.
