The Blackfyre Rebellions were a series of five civil wars spanning a century that nearly destroyed the Targaryen dynasty. These conflicts, stemming from a dying king's decision to legitimize his bastards, fundamentally reshaped Westeros by challenging the very concept of legitimacy and weakening the Targaryens to the point of their eventual downfall.
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Hey everyone. Tonight we begin with five
wars that nearly brought down the
greatest dynasty Westeros had ever
known. The Blackfire Rebellions, a
century of civil war, where brother
fought brother, where dragons fell from
the sky, and where the very meaning of
legitimacy was written in blood and
fire. This is the story of bastards who
dared to claim thrones, of kings who
watched their kingdoms burn. Of a realm
that tore itself apart over a single
question, who has the right to rule?
From the moment Aegon IV drew his dying
breath and legitimized his bastards to
the final clash of steel at the
Stepstones, where the last Blackfire
pretender fell, these five rebellions
would reshape the seven kingdoms
forever. So, before you get comfortable,
take a moment to like the video and
subscribe, but only if you genuinely
enjoy what I do here. And let me know in
the comments where you're tuning in from
and what time it is for you. It's always
fascinating to see who's joining us from
around the world. Now, dim the lights,
maybe turn on a fan for that soft
background. Hum, get into your blanket,
and let's ease into tonight's journey
together. But first, let me share
something that will haunt you through
this entire story. In a torch lit
chamber deep within the Red Keep, a
dying king makes a decision that will
cost the realm 100,000 lives. Agen IV,
called the unworthy, lies on his
deathbed, and with his final royal
decree, he legitimizes every bastard he
ever fathered. Every single one. His
queen weeps. His heir, Darren, stands
silent, knowing what this means. But
across the kingdom, a bastard named
Damon Blackfire, places his hand on a
sword. Not just any sword, the ancestral
blade of Aegon the Conqueror himself.
Blackfire, Dark Sister's twin, a weapon
that has never known defeat. The blade
seems to sing in his grip. And in that
moment, Damon Blackfire realizes
something that will echo through history
if his father could make him legitimate
with words. Perhaps he could make
himself king with steel. The year is
196. After conquest, the Targaryen
dynasty has ruled for nearly two
centuries. They have survived the dance
of dragons, tamed the seven kingdoms,
and built an empire. But they have never
faced anything like what's coming.
Because when you give a bastard a
crown's legitimacy and a conqueror's
sword, you don't create a subject, you
create a rival. What follows is not just
rebellion. It's a war of dragons against
dragons. A fire against fire. Of one
brother's love for a woman destroying an
empire and another brother's ambition
nearly rebuilding it. Five separate wars
spanning a century. Each one threatening
to topple the Iron Throne. Each one
leaving the realm weaker, bloodier, more
divided. But here's what the histories
won't tell you. Here's the secret.
Buried in the deepest vaults of Oldtown,
whispered only by the oldest maesters.
These weren't five separate rebellions
at all. They were five battles in one
long war. A war that began not with
swords, but with a king's weakness. Not
with ambition, but with love. Not with
bastards seeking crowns, but with a
realm forgetting what legitimacy truly
means. Tonight, we'll walk through the
ruins of castles burned in these wars.
We'll stand in the throne room where
Aiggon the Unworthy made his fatal
choice. We'll follow Damon Blackfire
from beloved bastard to pretender king
to corpse on a battlefield. We'll sail
with Bittersteel as he forms the Golden
Company in exile. We'll watch as
rebellion becomes tradition as each
generation pays in blood for the sins of
the last. You'll meet the players in
this deadly game. Blood Raven, the
bastard who stayed loyal, whose thousand
eyes and one watched every shadow in the
realm. Shier Seaar, whose beauty sparked
a love triangle that helped tear the
kingdom apart. Baselor Brickpear, the
prince who died stopping his own uncle's
rebellion. Masika, who killed his
brother to save his father's crown. But
most of all, you'll discover why these
rebellions mattered. Why five wars
fought over legitimacy would weaken the
Targaryen dynasty so badly that when
Robert Baratheon's Warhammer finally
fell, the Dragon Dynasty had no strength
left to resist. This is a story about
the price of passion over duty. About
what happens when kings choose their
hearts over their realms. About how the
ghosts of civil war echo through
generations. It's about the Golden
Company still fighting Blackfire Wars
three centuries later. It's about how
bastards can inherit more than just
names. Sometimes they inherit kingdoms.
So settle in because we're about to
spend the next 2 hours unraveling one of
the most complex, brutal, and tragic
sagas in all of Westerosi history. A
saga that begins with a dying king's
last mistake and ends with a realm
forever changed. The Blackfire
Rebellions, five wars, one throne. A
dynasty that survived dragons couldn't
survive the ambitions of its own blood.
You are a historian of the realm, a
seeker of truth in an age where truth
has been buried beneath layers of
propaganda and royal decree. Your quest
begins in the great library of the
Citadel, where forbidden chronicles
gather dust, and in the deep vaults
beneath Dragonstone, where Targaryen
secrets sleep in darkness. You are here
to uncover what really happened during
the century that nearly destroyed the
Iron Throne. The year is 172 after
conquest, and we must first understand
the world before it burned. King's
Landing has never been more prosperous.
The Red Keep rises above the city like a
crimson crown, its towers catching the
morning sun as merchants fill the
streets below. The smell of fresh bread
mingles with the salt air from
Blackwater Bay. And the sound of hammers
rings from the street of steel, where
master smiths forge weapons for a realm
at peace. This is the reign of Egon IV,
though history will know him by a
different name. For now, he is simply
the king sitting the iron throne in all
his majesty, beloved by his people for
the prosperity his reign has brought.
The crown sits easily on his head, and
the throne that cut so many of his
ancestors seems to welcome his presence.
But if you know where to look, if you
have the eyes of a historian trained to
see beneath the surface, you can already
spot the cracks in this golden facade.
In the tower of the hand, you'll find
correspondence that speaks of troubled
relations with Dawn. Prince Darun, the
heir, advocates for peace through
marriage alliance. His father prefers
the promise of conquest through fire and
blood. The first seeds of division are
already planted between father and son,
between the old way and the new. Walk
through the royal apartments and you'll
encounter the women who will shape this
story. Mary's the queen, pale and pious,
who spends her days in prayer and her
nights weeping for the realm. Her
husband's appetites are slowly
poisoning. She loves her son Darren with
fierce devotion, knowing he represents
everything good her husband is not. But
she also knows the whispers about
Darren's true parentage. Whispers that
her husband encourages with every cruel
smile. Then there are the others, the
women who catch the king's eye and bear
his bastards. Barbara Bracken, proud
daughter of a proud house, who gives him
IG rivers and believes her beauty makes
her a queen in all but name. Melissa
Blackwood, dark and lovely, whose son
Brynden will grow up to be called Blood
Raven. Sereni of Lice, ethereal and
mysterious, mother to Shira Sea Star,
whose beauty will one day help drive the
realm to war. Your companions in this
investigation are the forgotten voices
of history. Master Yandel, whose
chronicles hint at truths the crown
preferred buried. The descendants of
minor lords who chose sides in the
coming wars and paid the price.
Survivors of battles whose names have
been struck from official records. Old
women in the Riverlands who still
remember the songs their grandmothers
sang about the black dragon. sell swords
in exile who carry the bitter memories
of defeats in foreign lands. But most
importantly, you have the bastards
themselves as your guides through this
labyrinth of legitimacy and ambition.
Damon Waters, soon to be Damon
Blackfire, stands tall in the practice
yards of the Red Keep. At 17, he has
already accounted the finest knight of
his generation. His sword work is poetry
in motion. His presence commands
attention, and when he smiles, even his
father's courtladies whisper that he
looks more kingly than the king himself.
The Valyrian features are strong in him.
Purple eyes and silver gold hair marking
him clearly as dragon born, bastard
though he may be. Watch him carefully as
he trains, for you are witnessing the
forging of a legend. Every strike of his
practice sword echoes with the promise
of future battles. Every victory in the
yard builds the reputation that will one
day challenge a throne. King Aegon
watches from the royal balcony, and
there is pride in the king's eyes as he
observes his bastard son. More pride the
courtiers whisper than he shows watching
Prince Darren struggle with his lessons.
Egor Rivers, later called Bittersteel,
is different. Where Damon inspires love,
Agore inspires respect tinged with fear.
His mother's bracken pride runs strong
in his veins, and he has inherited their
talent for holding grudges. At 15, he is
already a formidable warrior, but more
importantly, he is a born commander. He
sees the bigger picture, understands
politics and military strategy in ways
that will make him invaluable to any
cause he chooses to serve. And there is
Brynden Rivers, the pale boy they call
Blood Raven. His mother's Blackwood
blood shows in his dark hair and his
affinity for the old ways, the old
magics that most maesters claim no
longer exist. He watches everything,
remembers everything, and even as a
child, there are whispers that he dreams
true dreams that ravens carry his
messages to places no raven should be
able to reach. These three bastards will
define the next century of Westerosi
history. One will become the greatest
pretender the realm has ever known. One
will forge the most feared mercenary
company in Essos. And one will become
the most powerful spy master in the
kingdom's history. The man who will hold
the realm together even as it threatens
to tear itself apart. But there is one
more figure you must understand before
this story can truly begin. She is the
woman who will inspire the great love
triangle that helps drive the realm to
civil war. Sher sea star, daughter of
Sereni of lies, blessed with beauty so
otherworldly that poets will write of it
for centuries. She is still a child when
our story begins. But already you can
see the woman she will become. the woman
who will have both Blood Raven and
Bittersteel competing for her
affections, their rivalry, adding
personal venom to political rebellion.
As your investigation deepens, you begin
to understand that what you're
uncovering is not just a political
story, but a deeply personal one. Every
major decision in the coming wars will
be shaped by family bonds, by love
turned to hatred, by the peculiar
dynamics that arise when bastards and
trueborn children grow up together in
the same household. The Red Keep itself
becomes your primary source document. In
its stones, you can read the story of a
dynasty's slow collapse. the throne room
where Aegon will make his fatal deathbed
decree. The royal apartments where
Prince Dariion will pace the floor,
knowing that his father's legitimization
of his bastard brothers has made his own
reign infinitely more difficult. The
yard where young knights practice the
sword work that will soon be turned
against each other. This is the world on
the edge of transformation. a realm
where the old certainties are about to
give way to a century of chaos. Your
role as historical investigator is to
understand not just what happened, but
why it was inevitable from the moment
Aegon IV chose his desires over his
dynasty's stability. The stage is set.
The players are taking their positions.
And in the distance, you can almost hear
the first whispers of the storm that is
coming to tear the realm apart. The
transformation of Damon Waters from
beloved bastard to dangerous pretender
didn't happen overnight. It began with a
gift that would change the course of
history. In the great hall of the Red
Keep, surrounded by the most powerful
lords of Westeros, King Aegon IV made a
decision that seemed generous at the
time, but would prove catastrophic in
hindsight. He took the ancestral sword
of his house, the blade carried by Aegon
the Conqueror himself and placed it in
the hands of his bastard son. The moment
Damon's fingers closed around
Blackfire's leatherwrapped hilt,
something fundamental shifted in the
balance of power within the realm.
Blackfire wasn't just any sword forged
in the dragon lord's fires of old
Valyria. It had tasted the blood of
kings and shaped the destiny of nations.
For three centuries, it had been the
symbol of Targaryen authority passed
from king to heir in an unbroken line
until now. The court watched in stunned
silence as the king smiled at his
bastard son. Some later claimed they
could see the future in that moment,
could sense the coming storm in the way
the sword seemed to belong in Damon's
hand. Others insisted it was only
hindsight that made the memory seem so
ominous. But everyone agreed on one
thing. From the moment Damon received
Blackfire, he carried himself
differently. Like a man who had been
given more than a weapon, like a man who
had been given a destiny. Prince Darren
stood at his father's right hand during
the ceremony. His face carefully
neutral, but those close to the crown
prince noticed how his jaw tightened
when the blade was presented. Dark
Sister, the companion sword to
Blackfire, remained at his side, but
somehow it seemed diminished now. A
king's sword for the air, while a
bastard received the conqueror's blade.
The symbolism was impossible to ignore.
The gift of Blackfire was just the
beginning. King Aegon's appetites were
legendary, and his reign became defined
by a series of scandals that historians
would later call the Lysene Spring.
Beautiful women from across the known
world found their way to his bed, each
bringing her own ambitions, her own
dreams of power. Barbara Bracken
believed her son Aigor might one day
rule. Melissa Blackwood whispered to
young Brynden about the old powers that
flowed in their bloodline. Sereni of
Lice spoke in her musical accent about
the prophecies of her homeland, about
dragons that would rise and fall. Each
mistress brought children, and each
child represented another potential
claimant, another thread in the
increasingly tangled web of succession.
The king delighted in his offspring,
showering them with titles and honors
while growing ever more distant from his
lawful heir. At court functions, he
would call Damon to his side, praising
the young man's prowess in the yard, his
noble bearing, his popularity with the
people. Meanwhile, Prince Darron stood
in the shadows. Beautiful but
unremarkable, scholarly but uninspiring.
The nobles began to choose sides even
before there were official sides to
choose. Those who favored the old ways,
who believed in the sanctity of marriage
and legitimate succession, quietly
aligned themselves with Prince Darren.
But others, particularly the younger
generation of knights who had grown up
watching Daramman's meteoric rise, began
to whisper that perhaps blood mattered
more than birth order. Perhaps the
strongest should rule, regardless of
whether their parents had spoken vows
before a septan. The whispers grew
louder when Damon began winning every
tournament he entered. His skill with
Blackfire became the stuff of legend. He
would ride into the lists like something
out of the Age of Heroes. Silver hair
streaming behind him, the ancient sword
gleaming in the sunlight. No knight
could stand against him. No challenger
could match his combination of strength,
speed, and tactical brilliance. With
each victory, his reputation grew, and
with his reputation, his implicit claim
to something greater than bastardry. But
tournaments were just the beginning.
When raiders struck the borderlands,
Damon led the response. When pirates
threatened merchant shipping, Damon took
command of the royal fleet. Each
military success added another story to
his growing legend. Another reason for
ambitious lords to consider what might
happen if this brilliant bastard were
ever to press a claim to his father's
throne. The king encouraged it all,
whether from genuine pride in his son's
accomplishments or from some deeper
desire to torment his lawful heir. Beon
made no secret of his preference for
Damon over Dron. At feasts, he would
toast his bastards victories while
barely acknowledging his heirs presence.
In council meetings, he would seek
Damon's opinion on military matters
while dismissing Dhon's more cautious
council. Queen Nares watched these
developments with growing alarm. A
deeply pious woman, she understood
better than most what her husband's
favoritism was doing to the stability of
the realm. She tried to counsel
restraint, tried to remind the king that
his actions were creating dangerous
precedents. But Aegon dismissed her
concerns with the casual cruelty that
had defined their marriage. "What did
she know of ruling?" he asked. What did
any woman understand about the hard
choices that kings must make? The
queen's isolation only deepened her
relationship with her son. Prince Daron
became her confidant and her hope for
the future. Together, they would discuss
the reforms the realm needed, the
policies that might heal the divisions
his father was creating. Deron dreamed
of peace with Dawn, of bringing the last
independent kingdom into the seven
kingdoms through marriage rather than
conquest. He envisioned a reign based on
justice and mercy rather than the
caprice and excess that had marked his
father's rule. But dreams of peaceful
succession began to seem naive as
Damon's star continued to rise. The
bastard prince, as Cortias had begun
calling him, was accumulating not just
military victories, but political
allies. Houses that had suffered under
royal displeasure found themselves
favored when Damon interceded on their
behalf. Knights seeking advancement
discovered that service to Damon opened
doors that service to Damon did not. The
most troubling development came in the
form of ancient prophecies and
mysterious omens that various court
wizards and hedge witches claimed
supported Damon's cause. Old texts were
discovered or perhaps forged that spoke
of a black dragon that would save the
realm from fire. Dreams were reported
carefully circulated among the
superstitious that showed Damon sitting
the iron throne with blackfire across
his knees. Sereni of Liss, mother of the
beautiful Shierra sea star, was
particularly gifted at spreading such
tales. Her exotic beauty and foreign
mystique lent credibility to her claims
about prophetic visions. She spoke of
reading the flames and seeing a great
war coming, a war that would determine
whether the realm would be ruled by the
weak or the strong. Her words carried
special weight because of her daughter's
otherworldly beauty, which many took as
a sign of divine favor. The final
catalyst came when King Aegon announced
his intention to conquer Dorne once and
for all. Prince Darren opposed the plan,
arguing for continued diplomatic efforts
to bring Dorne into the realm
peacefully. But Darman supported the
war, promising to lead the van and
claiming that Dawn would fall within a
year if given proper military
leadership. The king sided with his
bastard. And suddenly the court realized
they were witnessing more than just a
family disagreement. They were watching
the emergence of two competing visions
for the future of Westeros. One
represented by the cautious, scholarly,
legitimate prince who sought peace and
gradual reform. the other embodied by
the charismatic marshall bastard prince
who promised glory and conquest. As
preparations for the Dornish campaign
began, thoughtful observers realized
that something irreversible had begun.
Whatever happened in Dawn, the kingdom
would never be the same. The dye had
been cast, though few yet understood the
game being played. The realm was about
to learn that sometimes the greatest
threats to a dynasty come not from
external enemies, but from within the
royal family itself. The conquest of
Dawn proved to be King Aegon's greatest
folly. And the catalyst that would
eventually tear his dynasty apart. What
began as a campaign to complete Aegon
the Conqueror's work ended in
humiliation, death, and the creation of
the most dangerous pretender the Iron
Throne had ever faced. Damon Blackfire
rode south at the head of a glittering
host, Blackfire at his hip, and the
hopes of half the kingdom on his
shoulders. The army that followed him
was unlike any Westeros had assembled in
generations. Lords from every corner of
the realm, had sent their finest
knights, drawn by the promise of Dornish
gold and the chance to serve under the
legendary bastard prince. The Reach
provided heavy cavalry that could break
any line, the Stormlands sent their best
mounted archers. Even houses that had
previously shown little interest in
royal campaigns, found reasons to
contribute men and supplies. The
contrast with previous Targaryen
attempts to conquer Dawn could not have
been starker. Where earlier campaigns
had relied primarily on dragonfire and
intimidation, this invasion promised to
succeed through superior generalship and
overwhelming force. Damon had spent
months studying the failures of his
predecessors, consulting with veterans
of border skirmishers, and developing
strategies specifically designed to
counter Dornish guerilla tactics. Yet
from the very beginning, the campaign
was plagued by problems that had nothing
to do with military strategy. The
underlying tension between Prince Darren
and his half-brother created a
fundamental division within the royal
family that affected every aspect of the
war effort. Darren, as heir to the
throne, should have been given command
of the army or at least a senior
position in the campaign hierarchy.
Instead, he remained in King's Landing
officially to help govern the realm in
his father's absence. But in reality,
because his opposition to the war had
cost him his father's trust. This
unprecedented arrangement sent shock
waves through the noble houses of
Westeros. For the first time in living
memory, a bastard had been given
precedence over the air apparent in a
matter of such importance. Lords who had
previously remained neutral in court
politics found themselves forced to
choose sides. Supporting Damon meant
acknowledging that legitimacy might
matter less than ability. Supporting
Darren meant standing with tradition
even when that tradition appeared to be
failing. The early stages of the
campaign seemed to vindicate the king's
decision. Damon's forces swept through
the Dornish marches with impressive
efficiency, capturing border fortresses
that had resisted Targaryen rule for
nearly two centuries. His tactical
innovations proved devastatingly
effective against traditional Dornish
defensive strategies where previous
invasions had bogged down in lengthy
sieges of mountain castles. Damon
bypassed the strongest fortifications
and struck directly at the economic
infrastructure that supported Dornish
resistance. But the Dornish, led by
Prince Corin Martell, were learning,
too. They allowed the invaders to
penetrate deep into their territory
while carefully avoiding major battles.
Instead of defending fixed positions,
they adopted a strategy of constant
harassment and strategic withdrawal that
gradually wore down the invasion force.
Supply lines stretched thin across
hundreds of miles of hostile territory.
The fierce Dornish sun took a toll on
men more accustomed to the temperate
climate of the northern kingdoms. Most
critically, the political unity that had
initially characterized the invasion
began to fracture under the stress of a
prolonged campaign. The first major
crisis came when Lord Bracken and Lord
Blackwood, whose ancestral feud had
supposedly been set aside for the
duration of the campaign, began openly
quarreling over supply distribution and
battle honors. Their dispute quickly
escalated to involve other houses,
creating factions within the army that
mirrored the broader political divisions
emerging across Westeros. Damon found
himself spending as much time mediating
between his own commanders as fighting
the Dornish. Meanwhile, at King's
Landing, Prince Daron was proving
himself a more capable administrator
than anyone had expected. With his
father and half-brother absent, he took
on increasing responsibility for
governing the realm. His approach was
markedly different from the royal style
that had characterized his father's
reign. Where Agon ruled through grand
gestures and personal charisma, Deron
focused on careful attention to detail
and systematic reform. He streamlined
the royal bureaucracy, addressed
long-standing grievances from various
regions, and began implementing policies
designed to strengthen the realm's
economic foundation. Most significantly,
Darun opened secret negotiations with
Dornish representatives, seeking a
diplomatic solution to the conflict that
was draining the royal treasury and
costing thousands of lives. These talks
conducted through intermediaries and
hidden from his father represented
exactly the kind of patient pragmatic
statecraft that Darren believed the
realm needed. But they also represented
a direct challenge to royal policy and a
betrayal of his half-brother's military
efforts. The revelation of these secret
negotiations, when they inevitably came
to light, created the final breach
between father and son that would define
the rest of Aegon's reign. The king felt
personally betrayed, not just as a ruler
whose policies had been undermined, but
as a father whose son had chosen to work
against the family's interests. From
that moment forward, Aegon viewed Darren
not as an heir to be groomed for
kingship, but as an obstacle to be
overcome. The Dornish campaign limped to
its inevitable conclusion as winter
approached. Demon had won every major
battle, captured numerous fortresses,
and demonstrated tactical brilliance
that confirmed his reputation as one of
the finest military minds of his
generation. But the Dornish had never
surrendered, never acknowledged defeat,
never stopped their relentless campaign
of harassment and resistance. The
invasion force that returned to King's
Landing was a fraction of its original
size, depleted by casualties, desertion,
and disease. More importantly, the
campaign had fundamentally altered the
political landscape of Westeros. Damon
returned as a hero to those who
supported aggressive monarchy and
military glory. His exploits in Dawn had
only enhanced his legend, adding new
stories to the growing collection of
tales about his prowess and leadership.
But he also returned to a kingdom where
his half-brother had proven himself as a
ruler in his own right, where the costs
of military adventurism had become
painfully apparent, and where the
question of succession had become more
complex than ever. The king's health had
deteriorated significantly during the
campaign. Always prone to excess. Aegon
had aged rapidly under the stress of
military command and the disappointment
of the war's inconclusive outcome.
Observers noted that he moved more
slowly, tired more easily, and showed
increasing signs of the various ailments
that would eventually kill him. For the
first time, courtiers began seriously
discussing what would happen when he
died. The returning army brought with it
not just wounded soldiers in empty
treasury coffers, but also a collection
of grievances and divided loyalties that
would shape the coming succession
crisis. Knights who had served under
Damon remained fiercely loyal to him,
convinced that only poor intelligence
and inadequate support from the capital
had prevented complete victory. But
others blamed the war's failure on the
fundamental impossibility of conquering
a people determined to remain free. And
they looked to Prince Don as a leader
who might pursue more realistic
policies. Perhaps most ominously, the
campaign had created a template for
military action that operated
independently of traditional royal
authority. Demon had proven that a
charismatic leader with sufficient
support, could maintain an army in the
field for months, could conduct complex
operations across vast distances, and
could command loyalty that transcended
formal chains of command. These lessons
would prove invaluable when the time
came to challenge the Iron Throne
itself. As the court settled back into
its peaceime routines, thoughtful
observers realized that the kingdom had
reached a point of no return. The old
certainties about legitimacy and
succession had been irreparably damaged.
Two competing centers of power had
emerged within the royal family, each
with its own supporters, its own vision
for the future, and its own claim to
represent the true interests of the
realm. The stage was set for the final
act of Aegon's reign, the deathbed
decision that would transform personal
rivalry into dynastic warfare. But
already in the months following the
return from Dawn, careful watchers could
see the kingdom beginning to divide
itself into the factions that would soon
tear it apart. The journey towards civil
war had begun not with armies marching
or swords being drawn, but with the
quiet recognition that the realm now
contained two potential kings, each with
legitimate claims to rule, each
surrounded by men willing to die for
their cause. The death of King Aegon IV
in 184 AC marked the end of an era and
the beginning of a crisis that would
define the next century of Westerosi
history. His final act as king would
prove to be the most consequential
decision any Targaryen ruler had ever
made, surpassing even Aegon the
Conqueror's decision to invade Westeros
in its long-term impact on the realm. As
the king lay dying in his chambers,
racked by the various ailments that his
years of excess had brought upon him,
the great lords of the realm gathered in
the Red Keep to witness what they
expected would be a routine transition
of power. Prince Derion, after all, had
been heir for decades. His succession
should have been as automatic as
sunrise, but Aegon IV had never done
anything the expected way, and his final
hours would be no exception. The scene
in the royal chambers was one that
witnesses would remember for the rest of
their lives. The king, propped up by
pillows and struggling to breathe,
called for the Grand Maester to bring
ink and parchment. Those present assumed
he wanted to dictate some final
instructions for his heir. Perhaps words
of wisdom or warnings about the
challenges that lay ahead. Instead, he
issued a royal decree that stunned
everyone present and sent shock waves
throughout the seven kingdoms. With his
dying breath, King Aegon legitimized
every bastard he had ever fathered.
Every single one. Diamond waters became
Diamond Blackfire. Tho Rivers became
Aigel Rivers Targaryen. Brynden Rivers
became Brynden Rivers Targaryen. Sharia
Sea Star, barely 16 but already
legendary for her beauty, suddenly found
herself a legitimate princess. In a
single moment, the clear line of
succession that had governed Westeros
for nearly two centuries became a
tangled web of competing claims. The
immediate aftermath of this proclamation
revealed just how unprepared the realm
was for such a dramatic shift in the
fundamental rules of inheritance. Prince
Daron, now King Deron II, found himself
facing not just the normal challenges of
a new reign, but the unprecedented
situation of ruling a kingdom where
several of his half brothers had equal
legal claim to his throne. The bastards
themselves reacted in ways that revealed
their true characters and hinted at the
conflicts to come. Damon Blackfire
accepted his legitimization with the
quiet dignity that had always marked his
public persona. But those close to him
noted a new intensity in his manner, a
sense that he was finally free to pursue
ambitions that had previously been
constrained by the circumstances of his
birth. The sword at his hip seemed to
gleam more brightly, and when he walked
through the corridors of the Red Keep,
conversations stopped and heads turned.
Iger Rivers, now legally entitled to
call himself Iger Targaryen, responded
with characteristic calculation. Rather
than making any immediate moves, he
began quietly assessing the new
political landscape, reaching out to
allies and potential supporters while
carefully maintaining his relationship
with both his legitimate brother, the
king, and his bastard brother, the
potential rival. His bracken heritage
had taught him patience, but it had also
taught him that the strongest claim
meant nothing without the power to
enforce it. Brynden Rivers, the pale,
mysterious young man already known for
his unusual abilities and his network of
informants, seemed almost unsurprised by
the legitimization. Some whispered that
he had foreseen it in his dreams, that
his rumored connection to the old gods
had given him advanced warning of what
was coming. His reaction was the most
subtle, but perhaps the most
significant. He immediately began
strengthening his intelligence network,
placing agents in key positions
throughout the realm. As if he
understood that knowledge would be the
most valuable weapon in the coming
struggle. King Daron's response to his
father's final decree revealed both his
strengths and his fatal weaknesses as a
ruler. True to his character, he
accepted the legitimization without
protest, publicly welcoming his
half-bros as true members of House
Targaryen and attempting to integrate
them into his administration. He offered
Darham a position as master of ships,
recognizing his military talents while
keeping him within the formal structure
of royal government. He consulted with
Brynden on matters of intelligence and
internal security, utilizing his
half-brother's unique abilities for the
good of the realm. But Daron's very
reasonleness, his attempt to treat the
legitimization as a simple
administrative matter rather than the
revolutionary change it represented, may
have been his greatest mistake. By
failing to recognize the threat that
legitimized bastards posed to his own
position by attempting to accommodate
rather than suppress potential rivals,
he allowed the conditions for rebellion
to develop under his very nose. The
reaction of the great houses to the
legitimization revealed the deep
divisions that had been building within
Westerosi society throughout Aegon's
reign. houses that had already been
inclined to support Damon saw the
legitimization as validation of their
belief that he was the superior choice
for king. Lord Bracken, Aigor's maternal
grandfather, began quietly sounding out
other lords about their views on
succession and legitimacy. The Oruron
Woods of Dawn, still smarting from their
recent military defeats, saw potential
allies in legitimized bastards who might
be more willing to grant Dorne favorable
terms than the king who had opposed war
with their kingdom. Other houses,
particularly those with strong ties to
the faith of the seven and traditional
views on marriage and legitimacy,
rallied more firmly around King Darren.
They argued that a king's final decree,
no matter how legally valid, could not
overturn centuries of precedent about
inheritance and succession. The High
Towers of Oldtown, with their close
connections to the citadel and the
faith, became particularly vocal
supporters of traditional legitimacy.
Perhaps most tellingly, many houses
chose to remain neutral, watching and
waiting to see how the situation would
develop. This neutrality, while
understandable from a practical
standpoint, had the effect of weakening
Daron's position by denying him the
unified support he needed to establish
his authority decisively. Every lord who
remained uncommitted was a lord who
might eventually be won over by a
sufficiently compelling rival claimant.
The legitimization also created
complications that extended far beyond
the immediate question of succession.
Suddenly, dozens of minor nobles found
themselves facing challenges to their
own inheritances from previously bastard
relatives. If royal bastards could be
legitimized retroactively, what
precedent did that set for other
families? The legal implications alone
were staggering, requiring maesters and
lawyers throughout the realm to
reconsider fundamental assumptions about
inheritance law. More broadly, the
legitimization represented a direct
challenge to one of the core principles
that had held Westerosi society together
for centuries. The distinction between
legitimate and illegitimate children
wasn't just a matter of law. It was a
fundamental organizing principle that
affected everything from inheritance
rights to marriage prospects to social
status. By erasing that distinction with
a single decree, Aegon had called into
question the very foundations of the
social order. The economic implications
were equally significant. Legitimized
bastards suddenly had claims not just to
titles and honors, but to lands and
revenues that had been assumed to belong
to others. The potential for legal
disputes over property rights was
enormous, and the uncertainty
surrounding inheritance law made it
difficult for lords to plan for the
future or make long-term investments. As
the immediate shock of the
legitimization began to wear off,
thoughtful observers realized that the
kingdom had entered uncharted territory.
Never before in Westerosce history had a
monarch created so many potential
claimments to the throne in a single
act. Never before had the succession
been thrown into such immediate doubt.
The precedence that had governed royal
transitions for nearly two centuries had
been swept away, replaced by a situation
so complex that no one could predict how
it would ultimately be resolved. The
seeds of civil war had been planted not
through any act of rebellion or military
aggression, but through a dying king's
attempt to provide for his beloved
bastards. The tragic irony would become
apparent only later when the realm
learned that sometimes the greatest
threats to stability come not from
external enemies or internal traitors,
but from the unintended consequences of
good intentions carried out without
sufficient consideration of their
broader impact. As King Deron began his
reign, he faced challenges that no
previous Targaryen monarch had
confronted. The loyalty of his subjects
could no longer be taken for granted.
The support of the great houses had to
be constantly cultivated and maintained.
Most dangerously of all, he ruled a
kingdom that now contained several
individuals with legitimate legal claims
to his throne. Each surrounded by
ambitious men who saw opportunity in the
chaos of uncertain succession. For
several years following the
legitimization, it appeared that King
Deron had successfully navigated the
crisis his father had created. The realm
settled into what seemed like a new
normal, where legitimized bastards
served loyally alongside their trueborn
siblings, where the succession remained
stable despite the unprecedented
complications, and where the Targaryen
dynasty had actually been strengthened
by the addition of talented new members
to its ranks. This period, which
historians would later call the false
peace, created a dangerous illusion of
stability that masked the deeper
tensions building within the kingdom. To
casual observers, the integration of the
legitimized bastards into the royal
administration appeared to be proceeding
smoothly. Damon Blackfire served Abi as
master of ships, using his military
experience to strengthen the Royal Navy
and protect merchant shipping from
pirates. His public loyalty to his
half-brother seemed absolute and he gave
no sign of harboring any ambition beyond
faithful service to the crown. Brynden
Rivers had become an increasingly
important figure in the royal
government. His network of informants
providing invaluable intelligence about
potential threats to the realm's
security. His loyalty to King Darren
appeared unquestionable, and his
effectiveness in rooting out
conspiracies and preventing disturbances
made him one of the king's most trusted
advisers. The whispers about his
supernatural abilities and his
connection to dark magic seemed like
harmless court gossip rather than
serious concerns about his methods. Even
Aigor Rivers appeared to have found his
place within the new order. Though he
had chosen not to take an official
position in the royal administration, he
maintained cordial relationships with
both the king and his other half
brothers. His expertise in military
matters was frequently consulted, and
his presence at court functions
suggested that he had accepted the
legitimization as a generous gift rather
than a revolutionary change in his
status. The great houses too seemed to
be adapting to the new reality. Those
who had initially expressed reservations
about the legitimization gradually came
to accept it as a fate accomply. The
legal challenges that many had expected
to emerge from disputed inheritances
were resolved through negotiation and
compromise rather than violence. The
economy continued to prosper. Trade
flourished and the realm enjoyed a
period of unprecedented peace and stability.
stability.
King Daron himself appeared to be
thriving in his role as monarch. His
careful, methodical approach to
governance was producing real results.
He had successfully concluded the
integration of Dorne into the seven
kingdoms through his marriage alliance
with Princess Mariah Martell, achieving
through diplomacy what his father had
failed to accomplish through military
force. His domestic policies were
popular with both the nobility and the
common people, and his reputation for
justice and fairness was growing
throughout the realm. The royal family
seemed genuinely united in ways that had
been impossible during Aegon's reign.
Queen Mariah had developed warm
relationships with her husband's half
brothers, treating them as true family
members rather than potential threats.
The royal children, Prince Bor and
Prince Aries, grew up considering their
bastard uncles as beloved relatives
rather than dangerous rivals. Family
gatherings were harmonious affairs,
marked by genuine affection and mutual
respect. International observers praised
the Targaryen dynasty's handling of what
could have been a catastrophic
succession crisis. Foreign ambassadors
reported to their own rulers that
Westeros had successfully navigated
constitutional challenges that might
have destroyed other kingdoms. The
legitimization was held up as an example
of enlightened monarchy where merit and
ability were recognized regardless of
the circumstances of birth. Religious
leaders who had initially been among the
strongest critics of the legitimization
gradually moderated their opposition as
the practical benefits of the
arrangement became apparent. The high
septan himself acknowledged that the
legitimized bastards had proven
themselves worthy of their new status
through their service to the realm. The
faith's concerns about precedent and
traditional morality seemed to be giving
way to acceptance of the new reality.
The military establishment too appeared
to have embraced the changes. Damon's
leadership of the Royal Navy was
universally praised and his innovations
in naval tactics were being adopted
throughout the seven kingdoms. The army
remained firmly loyal to the crown and
there were no signs of the factional
divisions that might have been expected
following such a dramatic change in the
royal family's composition. Cultural
changes reflected the broader acceptance
of legitimization.
Bards began composing songs celebrating
the unity of the royal family and the
wisdom of King Aegon's final decree.
Artists created works depicting the
legitimized bastards as heroic figures
whose talents had been properly
recognized by royal wisdom. Even the
small folk who traditionally cared
little about the intricacies of noble
succession seemed to approve of rulers
who had been elevated based on their
abilities rather than merely their
birth. The apparent success of the
integration process led many to conclude
that the fears about legitimization had
been overblown. Critics of Aegon's
decision began to seem like pessimists
who had failed to understand the
fundamental strength of Targaryen rule.
The dynasty had faced the greatest
challenge to its legitimacy in its
history and had emerged stronger than
ever. Academic discussions of the
legitimization focused on its positive
aspects as a solution to the problem of
talented individuals being excluded from
power solely because of their birth
circumstances. Masters wrote treatises
arguing that merit-based elevation of
capable bastards could strengthen rather
than weaken dynastic rule. The Citadel
began developing new theories of
governance that incorporated lessons
learned from the Targaryen experience.
Economic prosperity during this period
seemed to validate the political
arrangements. Trade increased. New
construction projects were undertaken
throughout the realm. and the royal
treasury was healthier than it had been
in decades. The stability of the
succession appeared to be contributing
to business confidence and long-term
investment. Lords who had initially
worried about the implications of
legitimization began to see it as a
source of strength rather than weakness.
Military reforms implemented during this
period further reinforced the impression
of successful integration. Damon's
modernization of the Royal Navy was
complemented by Aigor's contributions to
army organization and Brynden's
improvements to intelligence gathering.
The coordination between these efforts
suggested that the legitimized bastards
were working together effectively for
the good of the realm rather than
pursuing competing personal agendas.
International diplomatic successes,
particularly the final integration of
Dawn, seemed to demonstrate that the new
royal family structure was actually
enhancing Westeros's position in the
wider world. Foreign rulers who had
initially questioned the legitimacy of
Daron's rule were now seeking alliances
and trade agreements. The reputation of
House Targaryen for stability and
effectiveness was at its highest point
in generations. But beneath this surface
harmony, careful observers might have
noticed subtler signs of tension. The
legitimized bastards, for all their
public loyalty, maintained their own
separate households and followings.
Tamman's supporters in the military
remained personally devoted to him
rather than to the crown as an
institution. Aigga's network of contacts
among the nobility was extensive and
operated independently of royal
oversight. Brynden's intelligence
operations, while ostensibly serving the
king, were ultimately answerable only to
him. The very success of the integration
process might have been creating its own
problems, as the legitimized bastards
proved their competence and built their
own power bases. They inevitably began
to attract supporters who believed they
might be better rulers than the king
himself. The qualities that made them
valuable servants of the crown also made
them potentially dangerous rivals. Most
ominously, the peaceful resolution of
the legitimization crisis had created a
false sense of security that left the
realm unprepared for the challenges that
were quietly building beneath the
surface of apparent stability. The
assumption that personal loyalty and
family bonds would be sufficient to
prevent conflict ignored the deeper
structural problems that Aegon's
decision had created within the monarchy
itself. The illusion of stability that
had characterized the early years of
Darren's reign began to crumble in ways
that few could have predicted. The
catalyst was not a grand political
miscalculation or military defeat, but
something far more subtle and ultimately
more dangerous. The gradual erosion of
personal relationships within the royal
family itself. The first cracks appeared
in the bond between Damon Blackfire and
Brynden Rivers. The two legitimized
bastards who had seemed most committed
to supporting their half-brother's
reign. Their rivalry was initially
masked by their shared dedication to the
crown's interests. But underlying
tensions that had existed since
childhood began to surface as both men
accumulated more power and influence
within the royal administration. The
source of their conflict was as old as
human nature itself. They both loved the
same woman. Shiraa Sea Star now grown
into the legendary beauty that poets had
predicted had become the focal point of
desires that extended far beyond simple
romantic attraction. Her ethereal
presence at court functions drew the
attention of every eligible nobleman in
the realm. But it was the intensity of
feeling she inspired in her own half
brothers that would ultimately help tear
the kingdom apart. Damon's attraction to
Shier was the more conventional of the
two. He pursued her with the same noble
bearing and chivalous dedication that
had made him beloved throughout the
realm. His courtship was conducted with
proper decorum, following all the
established protocols for noble romance.
He composed poetry in her honor,
commissioned artists to capture her
likeness, and made no secret of his
desire to marry her. Despite the
complications such a union might create,
Brynden's feelings were darker and more
complex. His pale, mysterious nature
made him an unlikely suitor for the
realm's most celebrated beauty. But his
devotion to Shierra was absolute in ways
that transcended conventional romance.
He used his intelligence network to
ensure her safety, his supernatural
abilities to anticipate her needs, and
his growing political power to eliminate
obstacles to her happiness. His love was
possessive and calculating, but also
genuine in its intensity. Shara herself
seemed to enjoy the attention without
committing to either suitor. Her exotic
heritage from her lysene mother had
given her an understanding of court
intrigue that surpassed many seasoned
politicians. She recognized that her
choice between the two most powerful men
in the realm would have implications far
beyond her personal happiness. The woman
who married either Damon or Brynden
would become a central figure in
whatever political arrangements emerged
from the ongoing tensions surrounding
legitimacy and succession. King Darren
watched these developments with growing
unease. The rivalry between his halfb
brothers was creating factions within
his own court that threatened to
undermine royal authority. Lords were
beginning to align themselves not just
with their preferred policies but with
their preferred romantic candidate. The
personal had become political in ways
that made effective governance
increasingly difficult. The situation
was complicated by the emergence of
Agore Rivers as a third power center
within the royal family. Unlike his half
brothers, Agore had not remained in
King's Landing after the legitimization.
Instead, he had chosen to spend
increasing amounts of time traveling
throughout the realm, ostensibly to
visit various noble houses and maintain
relationships built during his father's
reign. But these travels had a more
strategic purpose. Agore was quietly
building a network of supporters who
were becoming increasingly disenchanted
with Darren's cautious approach to
governance. Igor's critique of his
half-brother's reign was subtle but
devastating. He never directly
challenged royal authority or questioned
the legitimacy of Darren's rule.
Instead, he simply observed that the
kingdom seemed to lack the marshall
spirit that had made House Targaryen
great. Where Aegon the Conqueror had
unified seven kingdoms through strength
and determination, Darren relied on
negotiation and compromise, where
earlier Targaryenss had inspired fear
and respect in their enemies, the
current king seemed content to be merely
liked. These criticisms resonated
particularly strongly with younger
members of the nobility who had grown up
hearing stories about the great
conquests and glorious battles of
previous generations. They looked at the
current reign and saw prosperity and
peace, but also stagnation and missed
opportunities. Agger gave voice to their
frustrations while carefully avoiding
any appearance of disloyalty to the
crown. The military establishment was
becoming increasingly divided along
similar lines. Officers who had served
under Damon during the Dornish campaign
remained fiercely loyal to him,
impressed by his tactical brilliance and
inspirational leadership. But others,
particularly those involved in the
intelligence and security services, were
drawn to Brynden's more systematic
approach to protecting the realm. A
third faction concentrated among the
older generation of knights and
commanders began to gravitate toward
Aigor's vision of more aggressive
military policies. These divisions
within the military were particularly
dangerous because they reflected deeper
philosophical differences about the
proper role of House Targaryen in
Westeros. Damon's supporters believed in
the importance of personal honor and
chivalri virtue, viewing the monarchy as
the embodiment of the realm's highest
ideals. Brynden's faction emphasized
competence and effectiveness, arguing
that the crown's primary responsibility
was to maintain order and security
through whatever means proved necessary.
Aigor's followers hawkked back to an
earlier era when Targaryen rule was
based on strength and the willingness to
use it. The great houses of Westeros
began to align themselves with these
emerging factions in ways that reflected
their own regional interests and
historical grievances. The Reach with
its tradition of chivalre romance and
courtly culture found itself drawn to
Damon's noble bearing and conventional
approach to leadership. The North and
the Iron Islands, with their emphasis on
marshall virtues and direct action, were
more attracted to Aigor's criticism of
the current reigns peaceful policies.
The more pragmatic houses of the
Crownlands and the Westerlands
appreciated Brynden's focus on effective
administration and realistic policymaking.
policymaking.
Religious institutions were also
beginning to show signs of division. The
faith of the seven, which had initially
opposed the legitimization that had come
to accept it during the peaceful years,
was now struggling with new theological
questions raised by the emerging rivalries. If legitimized bastards had
rivalries. If legitimized bastards had equal claims to rule, how should
equal claims to rule, how should religious authorities determine which
religious authorities determine which claimment represented the will of the
claimment represented the will of the gods? Traditional doctrines about
gods? Traditional doctrines about legitimacy and divine right seemed
legitimacy and divine right seemed inadequate to address the unprecedented
inadequate to address the unprecedented situation. The high septan found himself
situation. The high septan found himself in the uncomfortable position of trying
in the uncomfortable position of trying to maintain religious unity while
to maintain religious unity while various factions within the faith began
various factions within the faith began advocating for different political
advocating for different political positions. Some argued that Darren's
positions. Some argued that Darren's peaceful reign reflected divine approval
peaceful reign reflected divine approval of his rule. Others suggested that the
of his rule. Others suggested that the military victories and popular support
military victories and popular support enjoyed by Darren indicated heavenly
enjoyed by Darren indicated heavenly favor. Still others claimed that
favor. Still others claimed that Brynden's supernatural abilities were
Brynden's supernatural abilities were signs of divine blessing or
signs of divine blessing or alternatively evidence of dark magic
alternatively evidence of dark magic that the faith should oppose. Economic
that the faith should oppose. Economic factors were also beginning to
factors were also beginning to contribute to the growing instability.
contribute to the growing instability. The prosperity that had characterized
The prosperity that had characterized the early years of Darren's reign was
the early years of Darren's reign was starting to show signs of strain. The
starting to show signs of strain. The costs of maintaining three separate
costs of maintaining three separate power centers within the royal family
power centers within the royal family were substantial, and the uncertainty
were substantial, and the uncertainty surrounding the succession was beginning
surrounding the succession was beginning to affect long-term investment and
to affect long-term investment and planning. Merchants and craftsmen who
planning. Merchants and craftsmen who had initially benefited from the
had initially benefited from the stability of the legitimization
stability of the legitimization arrangement now found themselves hedging
arrangement now found themselves hedging their bets, trying to maintain
their bets, trying to maintain relationships with all potential future
relationships with all potential future rulers. The cultural impact of these
rulers. The cultural impact of these developments was perhaps most visible in
developments was perhaps most visible in the realm's artistic and intellectual
the realm's artistic and intellectual life. Court poets found themselves under
life. Court poets found themselves under pressure to choose sides in their
pressure to choose sides in their compositions with different patrons
compositions with different patrons expecting verses that celebrated their
expecting verses that celebrated their preferred claimments virtues while
preferred claimments virtues while subtly disparaging their rivals.
subtly disparaging their rivals. Historians and chronicers struggled to
Historians and chronicers struggled to maintain objectivity while documenting
maintain objectivity while documenting events that were still unfolding and
events that were still unfolding and whose ultimate meaning remained unclear.
whose ultimate meaning remained unclear. The marriage market among the nobility
The marriage market among the nobility was becoming increasingly complicated as
was becoming increasingly complicated as families tried to position themselves
families tried to position themselves advantageously for whatever political
advantageously for whatever political arrangements might emerge. Marriage
arrangements might emerge. Marriage alliances that had once been
alliances that had once been straightforward negotiations between
straightforward negotiations between houses now required careful
houses now required careful consideration of how they might affect
consideration of how they might affect the balance of power between different
the balance of power between different factions within the royal family. Young
factions within the royal family. Young nobles found their romantic choices
nobles found their romantic choices constrained by political calculations
constrained by political calculations that extended far beyond their personal
that extended far beyond their personal preferences. As these various pressures
preferences. As these various pressures accumulated, thoughtful observers began
accumulated, thoughtful observers began to realize that the kingdom was
to realize that the kingdom was approaching another critical juncture,
approaching another critical juncture, the peaceful integration of legitimized
the peaceful integration of legitimized bastards that had seemed so successful
bastards that had seemed so successful was revealing itself to be merely the
was revealing itself to be merely the calm before a much more serious storm.
calm before a much more serious storm. The structural problems created by
The structural problems created by Aegon's deathbed decision had not been
Aegon's deathbed decision had not been resolved. They had simply been
resolved. They had simply been temporarily masked by the personal
temporarily masked by the personal loyalty and family bonds that were now
loyalty and family bonds that were now beginning to fray under the pressure of
beginning to fray under the pressure of competing ambitions and incompatible
competing ambitions and incompatible visions for the realm's future. The
visions for the realm's future. The transformation of private tensions into
transformation of private tensions into public crisis began with a seemingly
public crisis began with a seemingly minor incident that would have
minor incident that would have farreaching consequences. During a royal
farreaching consequences. During a royal progress through the Riverlands in 196
progress through the Riverlands in 196 AC, exactly 12 years after the
AC, exactly 12 years after the legitimization decree, an event occurred
legitimization decree, an event occurred that shattered the carefully maintained
that shattered the carefully maintained facade of family unity and revealed the
facade of family unity and revealed the depth of the divisions that had been
depth of the divisions that had been growing beneath the surface. The royal
growing beneath the surface. The royal party was traveling to Riverrun to
party was traveling to Riverrun to celebrate the wedding of Lord Edmund
celebrate the wedding of Lord Edmund Tully's daughter when their journey was
Tully's daughter when their journey was interrupted by reports of bandits
interrupted by reports of bandits attacking merchant caravans along the
attacking merchant caravans along the king's road. The response to this threat
king's road. The response to this threat became a test of leadership that exposed
became a test of leadership that exposed the fundamental differences in approach
the fundamental differences in approach between the legitimized brothers and
between the legitimized brothers and highlighted the growing factional
highlighted the growing factional divisions within the royal entourage.
divisions within the royal entourage. King Deron's initial instinct was to
King Deron's initial instinct was to send word ahead to local lords,
send word ahead to local lords, requesting that they deal with the
requesting that they deal with the bandit problem through established legal
bandit problem through established legal channels. His approach reflected his
channels. His approach reflected his general philosophy of governance, work
general philosophy of governance, work through existing institutions, respect
through existing institutions, respect local autonomy, and avoid unnecessary
local autonomy, and avoid unnecessary escalation of minor problems. The
escalation of minor problems. The bandits, he reasoned, were a local law
bandits, he reasoned, were a local law enforcement issue that should be handled
enforcement issue that should be handled by local authorities with royal support
by local authorities with royal support if needed. Damon Blackfire saw the
if needed. Damon Blackfire saw the situation differently. In his view,
situation differently. In his view, attacks on travelers under royal
attacks on travelers under royal protection were direct challenges to
protection were direct challenges to crown authority that demanded immediate
crown authority that demanded immediate and decisive response. He volunteered to
and decisive response. He volunteered to take a detachment of the royal guard and
take a detachment of the royal guard and hunt down the bandits personally,
hunt down the bandits personally, arguing that royal presence was
arguing that royal presence was necessary to demonstrate that the crown
necessary to demonstrate that the crown would not tolerate lawlessness. His
would not tolerate lawlessness. His proposal was tactically sound and
proposal was tactically sound and politically shrewd, offering an
politically shrewd, offering an opportunity to demonstrate leadership
opportunity to demonstrate leadership while protecting innocent travelers.
while protecting innocent travelers. Brynden Rivers approached the problem
Brynden Rivers approached the problem from yet another angle. His intelligence
from yet another angle. His intelligence network had already identified the
network had already identified the bandits as more than simple criminals.
bandits as more than simple criminals. They were displaced soldiers from
They were displaced soldiers from various minor conflicts who had turned
various minor conflicts who had turned to robbery out of desperation rather
to robbery out of desperation rather than malice. He advocated for a more
than malice. He advocated for a more comprehensive solution that would
comprehensive solution that would address the root causes of their
address the root causes of their criminal behavior while also
criminal behavior while also demonstrating royal mercy and wisdom.
demonstrating royal mercy and wisdom. His approach was characteristically
His approach was characteristically subtle and long-term in its thinking.
subtle and long-term in its thinking. The debate over how to handle the bandit
The debate over how to handle the bandit situation became a proxy for larger
situation became a proxy for larger disagreements about governance and royal
disagreements about governance and royal authority. Lords traveling with the
authority. Lords traveling with the Royal Progress found themselves forced
Royal Progress found themselves forced to choose sides in what should have been
to choose sides in what should have been a simple administrative decision. The
a simple administrative decision. The discussions grew heated as supporters of
discussions grew heated as supporters of each approach argued not just for their
each approach argued not just for their preferred tactics, but for their
preferred tactics, but for their underlying philosophies of leadership.
underlying philosophies of leadership. Deman's supporters emphasized the
Deman's supporters emphasized the importance of decisive action and
importance of decisive action and personal courage in royal leadership.
personal courage in royal leadership. They argued that kings must be willing
They argued that kings must be willing to take risks and face dangers directly
to take risks and face dangers directly rather than hiding behind bureaucratic
rather than hiding behind bureaucratic procedures. The chivalrich ideal
procedures. The chivalrich ideal demanded that those in power protect the
demanded that those in power protect the innocent and punish the guilty through
innocent and punish the guilty through their own actions rather than delegating
their own actions rather than delegating such responsibilities to others.
such responsibilities to others. Brynden's faction countered with
Brynden's faction countered with arguments about the superior
arguments about the superior effectiveness of systematic approaches
effectiveness of systematic approaches to complex problems. They maintained
to complex problems. They maintained that gathering intelligence,
that gathering intelligence, understanding root causes, and
understanding root causes, and implementing comprehensive solutions
implementing comprehensive solutions produced better long-term results than
produced better long-term results than dramatic gestures that addressed
dramatic gestures that addressed symptoms while ignoring underlying
symptoms while ignoring underlying issues. Royal authority, they argued,
issues. Royal authority, they argued, was best demonstrated through competent
was best demonstrated through competent administration rather than personal
administration rather than personal heroics. King Darren eventually chose a
heroics. King Darren eventually chose a compromised solution that satisfied no
compromised solution that satisfied no one completely. He authorized Dalon to
one completely. He authorized Dalon to pursue the bandits while simultaneously
pursue the bandits while simultaneously ordering Brynden to investigate their
ordering Brynden to investigate their origins and develop policies to prevent
origins and develop policies to prevent similar problems in the future. The
similar problems in the future. The decision was politically astute in that
decision was politically astute in that it avoided openly favoring either
it avoided openly favoring either brother, but it also revealed the king's
brother, but it also revealed the king's inability to provide clear leadership
inability to provide clear leadership when faced with competing counsel from
when faced with competing counsel from his most trusted advisers. The bandit
his most trusted advisers. The bandit hunt itself became a microcosm of the
hunt itself became a microcosm of the larger tensions within the realm. Damon
larger tensions within the realm. Damon led his forces with characteristic
led his forces with characteristic brilliance, tracking down the criminals
brilliance, tracking down the criminals with impressive speed and efficiency.
with impressive speed and efficiency. His tactical innovations and personal
His tactical innovations and personal bravery during the pursuit enhanced his
bravery during the pursuit enhanced his already formidable reputation among the
already formidable reputation among the knights and soldiers who served under
knights and soldiers who served under him. The successful resolution of the
him. The successful resolution of the immediate threat seemed to vindicate his
immediate threat seemed to vindicate his approach and strengthen his position
approach and strengthen his position within the royal family. But Brynden's
within the royal family. But Brynden's investigation revealed complications
investigation revealed complications that cast the victory in a different
that cast the victory in a different light. The bandits were indeed displaced
light. The bandits were indeed displaced soldiers, but they had been driven to
soldiers, but they had been driven to crime by policies implemented during
crime by policies implemented during Darren's reign that had failed to
Darren's reign that had failed to provide adequate support for veterans of
provide adequate support for veterans of various military campaigns. The problem
various military campaigns. The problem was not isolated criminal behavior, but
was not isolated criminal behavior, but a systematic failure of royal
a systematic failure of royal administration to address the needs of
administration to address the needs of men who had served the crown faithfully
men who had served the crown faithfully in previous conflicts. This revelation
in previous conflicts. This revelation created a new controversy that split the
created a new controversy that split the court along different lines than the
court along different lines than the original debate. Some argued that the
original debate. Some argued that the discovery of administrative failures
discovery of administrative failures proved the superiority of Brynden's
proved the superiority of Brynden's analytical approach and demonstrated the
analytical approach and demonstrated the need for more systematic governance.
need for more systematic governance. Others maintained that the immediate
Others maintained that the immediate threat had been effectively neutralized
threat had been effectively neutralized regardless of its underlying causes,
regardless of its underlying causes, vindicating Damon's direct action
vindicating Damon's direct action approach. Still, others suggested that
approach. Still, others suggested that the entire incident reflected poorly on
the entire incident reflected poorly on King Darren's leadership and raised
King Darren's leadership and raised questions about the competence of royal
questions about the competence of royal administration. The aftermath of the
administration. The aftermath of the bandit incident revealed how seemingly
bandit incident revealed how seemingly minor events could trigger major
minor events could trigger major political realignments when underlying
political realignments when underlying tensions had reached a critical point.
tensions had reached a critical point. Lords who had previously maintained
Lords who had previously maintained careful neutrality began to declare more
careful neutrality began to declare more open preferences for particular
open preferences for particular approaches to governance. The royal
approaches to governance. The royal progress which should have been a
progress which should have been a celebration of dynastic unity and
celebration of dynastic unity and strength instead became a traveling
strength instead became a traveling exhibition of royal family divisions.
exhibition of royal family divisions. Sherea Sea Star's presence during these
Sherea Sea Star's presence during these events added another layer of complexity
events added another layer of complexity to an already volatile situation. Her
to an already volatile situation. Her reactions to the different approaches
reactions to the different approaches taken by her half brothers were
taken by her half brothers were carefully observed by everyone present
carefully observed by everyone present as courtiers tried to divine her
as courtiers tried to divine her romantic preferences from her political
romantic preferences from her political opinions. Her apparent approval of
opinions. Her apparent approval of Damon's decisive leadership was
Damon's decisive leadership was interpreted as a sign that she favored
interpreted as a sign that she favored him over Brynden, fueling speculation
him over Brynden, fueling speculation about potential marriage arrangements
about potential marriage arrangements that could significantly alter the
that could significantly alter the balance of power within the royal
balance of power within the royal family. The progress continued to
family. The progress continued to Riverrun, but the atmosphere had
Riverrun, but the atmosphere had fundamentally changed. What had begun as
fundamentally changed. What had begun as a celebration of royal magnificence had
a celebration of royal magnificence had become an uncomfortable demonstration of
become an uncomfortable demonstration of royal dysfunction. The wedding
royal dysfunction. The wedding festivities proceeded as planned, but
festivities proceeded as planned, but the underlying tensions were impossible
the underlying tensions were impossible to ignore. Private conversations among
to ignore. Private conversations among the attending nobility focused more on
the attending nobility focused more on the implications of the bandit incident
the implications of the bandit incident than on the ostensible purpose of their
than on the ostensible purpose of their gathering. Lord Tully, as host of the
gathering. Lord Tully, as host of the celebration, found himself in the
celebration, found himself in the delicate position of trying to maintain
delicate position of trying to maintain proper courtesy toward all members of
proper courtesy toward all members of the royal family while avoiding any
the royal family while avoiding any appearance of favoritism that might have
appearance of favoritism that might have political consequences. His careful
political consequences. His careful neutrality was shared by many other
neutrality was shared by many other lords who recognized that the royal
lords who recognized that the royal progress had become a test of loyalty
progress had become a test of loyalty that could have lasting implications for
that could have lasting implications for their own positions within the realm's
their own positions within the realm's political hierarchy. The return journey
political hierarchy. The return journey to King's Landing was marked by a series
to King's Landing was marked by a series of smaller incidents that further
of smaller incidents that further highlighted the growing divisions within
highlighted the growing divisions within the royal entourage. Disagreements over
the royal entourage. Disagreements over root selection, security arrangements,
root selection, security arrangements, and ceremonial protocols became proxies
and ceremonial protocols became proxies for deeper philosophical differences
for deeper philosophical differences about leadership and governance. Each
about leadership and governance. Each decision became an opportunity for
decision became an opportunity for different factions to advance their
different factions to advance their preferred approaches while undermining
preferred approaches while undermining alternatives. By the time the royal
alternatives. By the time the royal party reached the capital, it was clear
party reached the capital, it was clear that something fundamental had changed
that something fundamental had changed in the dynamics of the Targaryen
in the dynamics of the Targaryen dynasty. The easy cooperation that had
dynasty. The easy cooperation that had characterized the early years of
characterized the early years of Darien's reign had been replaced by
Darien's reign had been replaced by competing power centers that viewed each
competing power centers that viewed each other with increasing suspicion and
other with increasing suspicion and hostility. The legitimized bastards who
hostility. The legitimized bastards who had once worked together harmoniously
had once worked together harmoniously for the good of the realm were now
for the good of the realm were now rivals whose conflicting approaches to
rivals whose conflicting approaches to governance reflected irreconcilable
governance reflected irreconcilable differences in their understanding of
differences in their understanding of royal authority and responsibility. King
royal authority and responsibility. King Darren's attempts to restore unity
Darren's attempts to restore unity through private family meetings and
through private family meetings and public displays of brotherhood were
public displays of brotherhood were increasingly ineffective. The underlying
increasingly ineffective. The underlying structural problems created by his
structural problems created by his father's legitimization decree were
father's legitimization decree were finally manifesting in ways that could
finally manifesting in ways that could not be managed through personal
not be managed through personal relationships and good intentions. The
relationships and good intentions. The realm was beginning to fracture along
realm was beginning to fracture along lines that had been drawn years earlier,
lines that had been drawn years earlier, but were only now becoming visible to
but were only now becoming visible to all who cared to look. The stage was
all who cared to look. The stage was being set for more serious conflicts as
being set for more serious conflicts as the various factions within the royal
the various factions within the royal family began to recognize that their
family began to recognize that their differences were not merely tactical
differences were not merely tactical disagreements that could be resolved
disagreements that could be resolved through compromise, but fundamental
through compromise, but fundamental philosophical divisions that might
philosophical divisions that might ultimately prove irreconcilable. The
ultimately prove irreconcilable. The question was no longer whether the
question was no longer whether the tensions would escalate, but how quickly
tensions would escalate, but how quickly and in what form the escalation would
and in what form the escalation would occur. The event that transformed
occur. The event that transformed simmering tensions into open crisis came
simmering tensions into open crisis came not through grand political maneuvering
not through grand political maneuvering or military confrontation, but through
or military confrontation, but through the most human of catalysts, a moment of
the most human of catalysts, a moment of passion that shattered carefully
passion that shattered carefully maintained pretenses and revealed truths
maintained pretenses and revealed truths that had been hidden for years. It began
that had been hidden for years. It began at the turnney held to celebrate the
at the turnney held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of King Derion's
10th anniversary of King Derion's marriage to Princess Mariah of Dawn. The
marriage to Princess Mariah of Dawn. The celebration was intended to demonstrate
celebration was intended to demonstrate the strength and unity of the realm,
the strength and unity of the realm, showcasing the successful integration of
showcasing the successful integration of Dawn into the seven kingdoms and the
Dawn into the seven kingdoms and the stability of Targaryen rule. Lords from
stability of Targaryen rule. Lords from across Westeros gathered in King's
across Westeros gathered in King's Landing for a week of feasting,
Landing for a week of feasting, competition, and ceremonial displays of
competition, and ceremonial displays of loyalty to the crown. Damon Blackfire
loyalty to the crown. Damon Blackfire entered the lists as the overwhelming
entered the lists as the overwhelming favorite to win the Turns Grand
favorite to win the Turns Grand Championship. His reputation as the
Championship. His reputation as the finest knight of his generation was
finest knight of his generation was universally acknowledged and his
universally acknowledged and his victories in previous competitions had
victories in previous competitions had become the stuff of legend. The crowd
become the stuff of legend. The crowd expected to witness another
expected to witness another demonstration of his marshall supremacy
demonstration of his marshall supremacy and the betting heavily favored him to
and the betting heavily favored him to claim the victor's crown and the honor
claim the victor's crown and the honor of naming the tournament's queen of love
of naming the tournament's queen of love and beauty. The preliminary competitions
and beauty. The preliminary competitions proceeded as expected with Damon
proceeded as expected with Damon advancing easily through each round
advancing easily through each round while displaying the combination of
while displaying the combination of skill, strength, and tactical
skill, strength, and tactical intelligence that had made him famous.
intelligence that had made him famous. His performances drew enthusiastic
His performances drew enthusiastic cheers from the assembled crowds and
cheers from the assembled crowds and respectful acknowledgement from his
respectful acknowledgement from his fellow competitors. Even those who
fellow competitors. Even those who opposed him politically found it
opposed him politically found it impossible to deny his remarkable
impossible to deny his remarkable abilities as a warrior. But the final
abilities as a warrior. But the final joust produced a result that shocked
joust produced a result that shocked everyone present and sent ripples
everyone present and sent ripples throughout the realm. Sir Gwane Corbre
throughout the realm. Sir Gwane Corbre of the Veil, a relatively unknown knight
of the Veil, a relatively unknown knight who had somehow advanced through the
who had somehow advanced through the earlier rounds managed to unseat Damon
earlier rounds managed to unseat Damon in a single dramatic pass that left the
in a single dramatic pass that left the crowd stunned and silent. The upset was
crowd stunned and silent. The upset was so unexpected that many initially
so unexpected that many initially assumed it must have been an accident or
assumed it must have been an accident or fluke rather than a legitimate victory.
fluke rather than a legitimate victory. Damon's response to his defeat revealed
Damon's response to his defeat revealed depths of character that few had
depths of character that few had suspected and changed how many viewed
suspected and changed how many viewed his fitness for leadership. Rather than
his fitness for leadership. Rather than making excuses or demanding a rematch,
making excuses or demanding a rematch, he immediately sought out Siri to offer
he immediately sought out Siri to offer congratulations and acknowledged the
congratulations and acknowledged the superior skill displayed in their
superior skill displayed in their encounter. His gracious acceptance of
encounter. His gracious acceptance of defeat combined with his genuine praise
defeat combined with his genuine praise for his opponent's achievement impressed
for his opponent's achievement impressed even his critics and enhanced his
even his critics and enhanced his reputation for honor and sportsmanship.
reputation for honor and sportsmanship. However, it was what happened next that
However, it was what happened next that truly transformed the political
truly transformed the political landscape. According to tournament
landscape. According to tournament tradition, the victor had the right to
tradition, the victor had the right to crown a queen of love and beauty from
crown a queen of love and beauty from among the noble ladies present. Everyone
among the noble ladies present. Everyone expected Seaguain to choose someone
expected Seaguain to choose someone appropriate to his station, perhaps a
appropriate to his station, perhaps a daughter of a minor lord or a young
daughter of a minor lord or a young woman from the veil with whom he had
woman from the veil with whom he had some connection. Instead, in a moment
some connection. Instead, in a moment that would be remembered and analyzed
that would be remembered and analyzed for generations, he placed the crown of
for generations, he placed the crown of blue winter roses directly on the head
blue winter roses directly on the head of Shier Seaar, declaring her the most
of Shier Seaar, declaring her the most beautiful woman in the seven kingdoms
beautiful woman in the seven kingdoms and deserving of the honor regardless of
and deserving of the honor regardless of any other considerations. The gesture
any other considerations. The gesture was unprecedented in its boldness and
was unprecedented in its boldness and shocking in its implications, creating a
shocking in its implications, creating a scandal that immediately overshadowed
scandal that immediately overshadowed the tournament sporting competitions.
the tournament sporting competitions. The reaction was explosive and
The reaction was explosive and immediate. Damon's supporters saw the
immediate. Damon's supporters saw the crowning as a deliberate insult to their
crowning as a deliberate insult to their champion, suggesting that his defeat had
champion, suggesting that his defeat had been arranged specifically to deny him
been arranged specifically to deny him the opportunity to honor Shier himself.
the opportunity to honor Shier himself. Brynden's faction viewed it as
Brynden's faction viewed it as confirmation that outside forces were
confirmation that outside forces were manipulating events to undermine the
manipulating events to undermine the royal family's internal relationships.
royal family's internal relationships. King Darren's loyalists worried about
King Darren's loyalists worried about the breach of protocol and the precedent
the breach of protocol and the precedent being set for future tournaments. But
being set for future tournaments. But the most significant reaction came from
the most significant reaction came from Shier herself. Rather than graciously
Shier herself. Rather than graciously accepting the honor as protocol
accepting the honor as protocol demanded, she stood and publicly thanked
demanded, she stood and publicly thanked Siguain while making it clear that she
Siguain while making it clear that she considered his victory to be a testament
considered his victory to be a testament to merit rather than birth or
to merit rather than birth or reputation. Her words seemed to endorse
reputation. Her words seemed to endorse the idea that achievement should be
the idea that achievement should be recognized regardless of one's station.
recognized regardless of one's station. A philosophy that had dangerous
A philosophy that had dangerous implications for questions of succession
implications for questions of succession and legitimacy. The feast following the
and legitimacy. The feast following the tournament became an exercise in barely
tournament became an exercise in barely controlled tension as various factions
controlled tension as various factions tried to interpret the day's events and
tried to interpret the day's events and their implications for future political
their implications for future political arrangements. Private conversations
arrangements. Private conversations buzzed with speculation about whether
buzzed with speculation about whether Seguain had acted independently or as an
Seguain had acted independently or as an agent of some larger conspiracy. The
agent of some larger conspiracy. The possibility that foreign powers might be
possibility that foreign powers might be attempting to influence internal
attempting to influence internal Targaryen politics through manipulation
Targaryen politics through manipulation of seemingly innocent social events
of seemingly innocent social events created new anxieties about the security
created new anxieties about the security of the realm. More troubling was the
of the realm. More troubling was the revelation that emerged in the days
revelation that emerged in the days following the tournament. Investigations
following the tournament. Investigations conducted by Brynden's intelligence
conducted by Brynden's intelligence network revealed that Sarah Corbrey had
network revealed that Sarah Corbrey had recently received substantial financial
recently received substantial financial support from sources connected to the
support from sources connected to the Golden Company, the mercenary
Golden Company, the mercenary organization founded by Targaryen exiles
organization founded by Targaryen exiles and legitimized bastards from previous
and legitimized bastards from previous generations. The discovery raised the
generations. The discovery raised the terrifying possibility that the defeat
terrifying possibility that the defeat of Damon and the crowning of Shierra had
of Damon and the crowning of Shierra had been orchestrated by enemies of the
been orchestrated by enemies of the dynasty who understood how personal
dynasty who understood how personal relationships could be manipulated to
relationships could be manipulated to create political instability. The
create political instability. The implications of this revelation were
implications of this revelation were staggering. If foreign agents could
staggering. If foreign agents could influence the outcomes of tournaments
influence the outcomes of tournaments and the selection of queens of love and
and the selection of queens of love and beauty, what other aspects of royal life
beauty, what other aspects of royal life might be subject to manipulation? The
might be subject to manipulation? The security measures that had seemed
security measures that had seemed adequate for protecting against
adequate for protecting against conventional threats appeared woefully
conventional threats appeared woefully inadequate when faced with sophisticated
inadequate when faced with sophisticated psychological warfare designed to
psychological warfare designed to exploit the personal relationships and
exploit the personal relationships and emotional vulnerabilities of the royal
emotional vulnerabilities of the royal family. King Darren's response to these
family. King Darren's response to these discoveries demonstrated both his
discoveries demonstrated both his strengths and his fatal weaknesses as a
strengths and his fatal weaknesses as a ruler. He immediately ordered
ruler. He immediately ordered comprehensive investigations into the
comprehensive investigations into the backgrounds and connections of all
backgrounds and connections of all tournament participants, seeking to
tournament participants, seeking to identify any other potential agents of
identify any other potential agents of foreign influence. His systematic
foreign influence. His systematic approach to uncovering the scope of the
approach to uncovering the scope of the threat was methodical and thorough,
threat was methodical and thorough, reflecting his characteristic attention
reflecting his characteristic attention to detail and preference for complete
to detail and preference for complete information before taking action.
information before taking action. However, the king's handling of the
However, the king's handling of the personal dimensions of the crisis proved
personal dimensions of the crisis proved far less effective. His attempts to
far less effective. His attempts to address the romantic tensions between
address the romantic tensions between his half-bros through private family
his half-bros through private family conferences only highlighted how far
conferences only highlighted how far beyond his control the situation had
beyond his control the situation had evolved. The revelation that external
evolved. The revelation that external enemies were actively working to exploit
enemies were actively working to exploit these tensions made it clear that what
these tensions made it clear that what had seemed like private family matters
had seemed like private family matters had become issues of national security.
had become issues of national security. Damon's reaction to the discovery of
Damon's reaction to the discovery of foreign manipulation was
foreign manipulation was characteristically direct and honorable.
characteristically direct and honorable. He publicly declared that his defeat,
He publicly declared that his defeat, regardless of its circumstances, had
regardless of its circumstances, had been legitimately achieved within the
been legitimately achieved within the rules of the tournament and should stand
rules of the tournament and should stand without challenge. His refusal to seek
without challenge. His refusal to seek to overturn the result, even when
to overturn the result, even when presented with evidence of potential
presented with evidence of potential conspiracy, enhanced his reputation for
conspiracy, enhanced his reputation for integrity, but also demonstrated a
integrity, but also demonstrated a political naivity that worried his
political naivity that worried his supporters. Brynden's response was more
supporters. Brynden's response was more calculating and ultimately more
calculating and ultimately more dangerous to the stability of the realm.
dangerous to the stability of the realm. He expanded his intelligence operations
He expanded his intelligence operations dramatically, seeking to identify and
dramatically, seeking to identify and neutralize all potential foreign agents
neutralize all potential foreign agents operating within Westeros. His methods
operating within Westeros. His methods became increasingly intrusive and harsh
became increasingly intrusive and harsh as he pursued what he saw as existential
as he pursued what he saw as existential threats to the dynasty. The expansion of
threats to the dynasty. The expansion of his surveillance apparatus created new
his surveillance apparatus created new tensions with nobles who found
tensions with nobles who found themselves subject to investigation
themselves subject to investigation despite their loyalty to the crown. The
despite their loyalty to the crown. The tournament scandal also revealed the
tournament scandal also revealed the extent to which Aigor Rivers had been
extent to which Aigor Rivers had been building independent power structures
building independent power structures during his travels throughout the realm.
during his travels throughout the realm. His network of contacts proved
His network of contacts proved invaluable in identifying potential
invaluable in identifying potential security threats, but it also
security threats, but it also demonstrated that he had been operating
demonstrated that he had been operating essentially as an independent political
essentially as an independent political actor rather than as a loyal servant of
actor rather than as a loyal servant of his half-brother's crown. The
his half-brother's crown. The recognition of his capabilities came
recognition of his capabilities came with the uncomfortable realization that
with the uncomfortable realization that those same capabilities could be turned
those same capabilities could be turned against royal authority if his loyalty
against royal authority if his loyalty ever wavered. Perhaps most
ever wavered. Perhaps most significantly, the events surrounding
significantly, the events surrounding the tournament marked the end of any
the tournament marked the end of any pretense that the legitimized bastards
pretense that the legitimized bastards could continue to function as a unified
could continue to function as a unified support system for King Darren's reign.
support system for King Darren's reign. The combination of romantic rivalry,
The combination of romantic rivalry, political disagreement, and external
political disagreement, and external manipulation had created divisions that
manipulation had created divisions that could no longer be papered over through
could no longer be papered over through appeals to family loyalty or shared
appeals to family loyalty or shared interests in dynastic stability. The
interests in dynastic stability. The realm had reached a point where the
realm had reached a point where the structural problems created by Aegon the
structural problems created by Aegon the Unworthy's deathbed legitimization could
Unworthy's deathbed legitimization could no longer be managed through good
no longer be managed through good intentions and careful diplomacy. The
intentions and careful diplomacy. The legitimized bastards who had been
legitimized bastards who had been intended as additional strength for
intended as additional strength for House Targaryen were revealing
House Targaryen were revealing themselves to be potential threats to
themselves to be potential threats to its continued survival. not through any
its continued survival. not through any inherent disloyalty, but through the
inherent disloyalty, but through the inevitable conflicts that arose when
inevitable conflicts that arose when multiple individuals with legitimate
multiple individuals with legitimate claims to power found themselves
claims to power found themselves competing for limited resources and
competing for limited resources and recognition. The revelation of foreign
recognition. The revelation of foreign manipulation at the tournament was
manipulation at the tournament was merely the visible tip of a conspiracy
merely the visible tip of a conspiracy that had been developing for years, one
that had been developing for years, one that reached far deeper into the fabric
that reached far deeper into the fabric of Westerosi society than anyone had
of Westerosi society than anyone had imagined. What emerged through Brynden
imagined. What emerged through Brynden River's increasingly desperate
River's increasingly desperate investigations was a network of
investigations was a network of influence and corruption that challenged
influence and corruption that challenged everything the realm thought it knew
everything the realm thought it knew about loyalty, legitimacy, and the true
about loyalty, legitimacy, and the true sources of political power. The Golden
sources of political power. The Golden Company's involvement had not been a
Company's involvement had not been a recent development or an opportunistic
recent development or an opportunistic attempt to exploit existing tensions.
attempt to exploit existing tensions. Documents discovered in hidden caches
Documents discovered in hidden caches throughout King's Landing revealed a
throughout King's Landing revealed a systematic campaign of infiltration and
systematic campaign of infiltration and manipulation that had been ongoing since
manipulation that had been ongoing since the legitimization decree itself.
the legitimization decree itself. Foreign gold had been flowing into
Foreign gold had been flowing into Westeros for over a decade, carefully
Westeros for over a decade, carefully distributed to influence key decisions
distributed to influence key decisions and gradually shift public opinion in
and gradually shift public opinion in favor of concepts that would ultimately
favor of concepts that would ultimately benefit potential pretenders to the Iron
benefit potential pretenders to the Iron Throne. The scope of the infiltration
Throne. The scope of the infiltration was breathtaking in its ambition and
was breathtaking in its ambition and terrifying in its effectiveness. Bards
terrifying in its effectiveness. Bards throughout the realm had been subtly
throughout the realm had been subtly encouraged to compose songs that
encouraged to compose songs that celebrated the virtues of strong
celebrated the virtues of strong leadership over legitimate birth.
leadership over legitimate birth. Merchants had been provided with
Merchants had been provided with favorable trading terms that made them
favorable trading terms that made them wealthy advocates for policies that
wealthy advocates for policies that weakened traditional succession laws.
weakened traditional succession laws. Even members of the faith had been
Even members of the faith had been influenced through charitable donations
influenced through charitable donations that came with gentle suggestions about
that came with gentle suggestions about the moral superiority of merit-based
the moral superiority of merit-based advancement over hereditary privilege.
advancement over hereditary privilege. Most disturbing of all was the discovery
Most disturbing of all was the discovery that several major noble houses had been
that several major noble houses had been receiving regular payments disguised as
receiving regular payments disguised as loans, gifts, or trading profits. These
loans, gifts, or trading profits. These financial relationships had not
financial relationships had not necessarily purchased outright treason,
necessarily purchased outright treason, but they had created subtle pressures
but they had created subtle pressures and obligations that influenced
and obligations that influenced decision-making in ways that gradually
decision-making in ways that gradually undermined royal authority. Lords who
undermined royal authority. Lords who believed themselves to be acting on
believed themselves to be acting on principle were actually responding to
principle were actually responding to incentives carefully crafted by foreign
incentives carefully crafted by foreign agents who understood Westerosi culture
agents who understood Westerosi culture better than most natives. The Blackwood
better than most natives. The Blackwood Bracken feud, that ancient rivalry that
Bracken feud, that ancient rivalry that had shaped Riverland's politics for
had shaped Riverland's politics for centuries, had been deliberately
centuries, had been deliberately exacerbated through agents provocator,
exacerbated through agents provocator, who ensured that every minor dispute
who ensured that every minor dispute escalated into major conflict. The
escalated into major conflict. The constant warfare between these houses
constant warfare between these houses served the conspiracy's interests by
served the conspiracy's interests by weakening potential royal supporters and
weakening potential royal supporters and creating instability that made dramatic
creating instability that made dramatic change seem preferable to continued
change seem preferable to continued chaos. Both houses had unknowingly been
chaos. Both houses had unknowingly been manipulated into serving foreign
manipulated into serving foreign interests while believing they were
interests while believing they were pursuing their traditional rivalry.
pursuing their traditional rivalry. House Bracken's support for Aga Rivers,
House Bracken's support for Aga Rivers, which had seemed like natural family
which had seemed like natural family loyalty, was revealed to have been
loyalty, was revealed to have been encouraged and financially supported by
encouraged and financially supported by external sources. The proud lords of
external sources. The proud lords of Stonehedge had not been bought, but they
Stonehedge had not been bought, but they had been provided with resources and
had been provided with resources and opportunities that made their preferred
opportunities that made their preferred political position seem more viable than
political position seem more viable than they might otherwise have been. Their
they might otherwise have been. Their genuine beliefs about Aga's superiority
genuine beliefs about Aga's superiority as a potential ruler had been reinforced
as a potential ruler had been reinforced by carefully orchestrated circumstances
by carefully orchestrated circumstances that proved his competence while
that proved his competence while highlighting his rivals weaknesses.
highlighting his rivals weaknesses. Similarly, many of the houses that had
Similarly, many of the houses that had gravitated toward Damon Blackfire had
gravitated toward Damon Blackfire had been influenced by agents who understood
been influenced by agents who understood exactly how to appeal to their
exactly how to appeal to their particular interests and prejudices.
particular interests and prejudices. Lords who valued marshall prowess above
Lords who valued marshall prowess above all else had been provided with
all else had been provided with opportunities to witness Damon's
opportunities to witness Damon's military skills. Those who worried about
military skills. Those who worried about the realm's future had been given
the realm's future had been given carefully selected information about
carefully selected information about threats that only strong leadership
threats that only strong leadership could address. The manipulation had been
could address. The manipulation had been so subtle that its targets remained
so subtle that its targets remained convinced they were making independent
convinced they were making independent judgments based on objective evidence.
judgments based on objective evidence. The financial network supporting this
The financial network supporting this conspiracy was sophisticated beyond
conspiracy was sophisticated beyond anything previously seen in Westerosi
anything previously seen in Westerosi politics. Gold from Tyro, Lice, and
politics. Gold from Tyro, Lice, and Volantis flowed through a complex web of
Volantis flowed through a complex web of trading companies, mercenary
trading companies, mercenary organizations, and religious
organizations, and religious institutions. The Iron Bank of Braavos,
institutions. The Iron Bank of Braavos, while maintaining official neutrality,
while maintaining official neutrality, had provided crucial coordination
had provided crucial coordination services that allowed the conspiracy to
services that allowed the conspiracy to operate across multiple free cities
operate across multiple free cities without triggering suspicion from any
without triggering suspicion from any single government. The ultimate goal of
single government. The ultimate goal of this foreign interference was not to
this foreign interference was not to place any particular pretender on the
place any particular pretender on the Iron Throne, but to create conditions of
Iron Throne, but to create conditions of perpetual instability that would prevent
perpetual instability that would prevent Westeros from becoming a unified threat
Westeros from becoming a unified threat to associ interests. A realm torn by
to associ interests. A realm torn by civil war could not project power across
civil war could not project power across the narrow sea or interfere with the
the narrow sea or interfere with the profitable slave trade that formed the
profitable slave trade that formed the economic foundation of several major
economic foundation of several major free cities. The legitimization crisis
free cities. The legitimization crisis had provided an opportunity to create
had provided an opportunity to create exactly the kind of internal conflict
exactly the kind of internal conflict that would serve foreign interests for
that would serve foreign interests for generations to come. Brynden River's
generations to come. Brynden River's discovery of this conspiracy transformed
discovery of this conspiracy transformed his understanding of his role within the
his understanding of his role within the royal family and his responsibilities to
royal family and his responsibilities to the realm. No longer was he simply
the realm. No longer was he simply managing intelligence operations
managing intelligence operations designed to protect his half-brother's
designed to protect his half-brother's reign from conventional threats. He was
reign from conventional threats. He was now engaged in a shadow war against
now engaged in a shadow war against enemies who understood psychological
enemies who understood psychological manipulation better than most people
manipulation better than most people understood conventional warfare. The
understood conventional warfare. The stakes were not just dynastic succession
stakes were not just dynastic succession but the independence of Westeros itself.
but the independence of Westeros itself. His response was characteristically
His response was characteristically systematic and ruthless. Working in
systematic and ruthless. Working in complete secrecy, he began dismantling
complete secrecy, he began dismantling the foreign networks piece by piece,
the foreign networks piece by piece, identifying agents and cutting off
identifying agents and cutting off financial flows while carefully avoiding
financial flows while carefully avoiding actions that might alert the conspiracy
actions that might alert the conspiracy to the extent of his knowledge. His
to the extent of his knowledge. His methods became increasingly harsh as he
methods became increasingly harsh as he realized that traditional approaches to
realized that traditional approaches to law enforcement were inadequate when
law enforcement were inadequate when dealing with threats that operated
dealing with threats that operated through influence rather than direct
through influence rather than direct action. The revelation of foreign
action. The revelation of foreign manipulation also cast new light on
manipulation also cast new light on Damon Blackfire's growing popularity and
Damon Blackfire's growing popularity and the nature of his support base. Many of
the nature of his support base. Many of his most devoted followers were
his most devoted followers were genuinely motivated by their admiration
genuinely motivated by their admiration for his character and abilities, but
for his character and abilities, but others had been subtly influenced by
others had been subtly influenced by propaganda campaigns designed to enhance
propaganda campaigns designed to enhance his reputation and diminish that of his
his reputation and diminish that of his rivals. The distinction between
rivals. The distinction between authentic support and manufactured
authentic support and manufactured enthusiasm became impossible to
enthusiasm became impossible to determine, poisoning relationships that
determine, poisoning relationships that had once been based on trust and mutual
had once been based on trust and mutual respect. Diamond himself was devastated
respect. Diamond himself was devastated by the discovery that his achievements
by the discovery that his achievements might have been aided by foreign
might have been aided by foreign interference. His sense of personal
interference. His sense of personal honor made it impossible for him to
honor made it impossible for him to accept victories that had been tainted
accept victories that had been tainted by external manipulation, even when that
by external manipulation, even when that manipulation had been conducted without
manipulation had been conducted without his knowledge or consent. The
his knowledge or consent. The realization that enemies of the realm
realization that enemies of the realm had been using his reputation and
had been using his reputation and accomplishments to serve their own
accomplishments to serve their own purposes filled him with a rage that was
purposes filled him with a rage that was all the more dangerous for being
all the more dangerous for being entirely justified. King Darren found
entirely justified. King Darren found himself facing a crisis that was
himself facing a crisis that was simultaneously foreign and domestic,
simultaneously foreign and domestic, political and personal. The foreign
political and personal. The foreign conspiracy threatened the independence
conspiracy threatened the independence of his realm, but addressing it required
of his realm, but addressing it required actions that would inevitably damage
actions that would inevitably damage relationships with nobles who had been
relationships with nobles who had been influenced by it. Some of these lords
influenced by it. Some of these lords were genuinely treasonous, but others
were genuinely treasonous, but others were simply the unwitting victims of
were simply the unwitting victims of sophisticated manipulation. Determining
sophisticated manipulation. Determining which was which and responding
which was which and responding appropriately to each category required
appropriately to each category required judgments that could easily destroy the
judgments that could easily destroy the remaining unity within his kingdom. The
remaining unity within his kingdom. The conspiracy's most brilliant aspect was
conspiracy's most brilliant aspect was how it had used legitimate grievances
how it had used legitimate grievances and real political differences to serve
and real political differences to serve foreign interests. The concerns about
foreign interests. The concerns about Darren's peaceful policies were genuine,
Darren's peaceful policies were genuine, as was the admiration for Darman's
as was the admiration for Darman's military prowess. The financial
military prowess. The financial difficulties faced by various noble
difficulties faced by various noble houses were real, as were the social
houses were real, as were the social pressures created by rapid political
pressures created by rapid political change. By amplifying and exploiting
change. By amplifying and exploiting these authentic issues, the conspirators
these authentic issues, the conspirators had created a situation where opposing
had created a situation where opposing foreign influence required suppressing
foreign influence required suppressing legitimate domestic political discourse.
legitimate domestic political discourse. Shira Sea Star's position became
Shira Sea Star's position became particularly precarious as
particularly precarious as investigations revealed the extent to
investigations revealed the extent to which her romantic choices had been
which her romantic choices had been manipulated by external forces. The
manipulated by external forces. The tournament incident that had seemed like
tournament incident that had seemed like a simple breach of protocol was now
a simple breach of protocol was now understood as part of a sophisticated
understood as part of a sophisticated campaign to manipulate her relationships
campaign to manipulate her relationships with her half brothers and thereby
with her half brothers and thereby influence the succession crisis. Her
influence the succession crisis. Her every action, her every word had been
every action, her every word had been observed and analyzed by foreign agents
observed and analyzed by foreign agents seeking to exploit her influence over
seeking to exploit her influence over the most powerful men in the realm. The
the most powerful men in the realm. The psychological toll of these discoveries
psychological toll of these discoveries on the royal family was immense.
on the royal family was immense. Relationships that had been strained by
Relationships that had been strained by political disagreements became poisoned
political disagreements became poisoned by suspicion and mistrust. Every past
by suspicion and mistrust. Every past interaction had to be re-examined in
interaction had to be re-examined in light of new knowledge about foreign
light of new knowledge about foreign manipulation. genuine emotions became
manipulation. genuine emotions became suspect and authentic political
suspect and authentic political positions appeared to be potentially
positions appeared to be potentially corrupted by external influence. The
corrupted by external influence. The conspiracy had succeeded in creating
conspiracy had succeeded in creating exactly the kind of paranoia and
exactly the kind of paranoia and division that would make effective
division that would make effective governance impossible even if the
governance impossible even if the immediate foreign threat could be
immediate foreign threat could be neutralized. As winter approached in 200
neutralized. As winter approached in 200 AC, the realm stood on the brink of a
AC, the realm stood on the brink of a crisis that would test not just the
crisis that would test not just the strength of Targaryen rule, but the very
strength of Targaryen rule, but the very possibility of Westerosi independence.
possibility of Westerosi independence. The legitimized bastards who had been
The legitimized bastards who had been intended to strengthen the dynasty were
intended to strengthen the dynasty were now viewed with suspicion by many who
now viewed with suspicion by many who wondered whether their actions served
wondered whether their actions served foreign interests. The king, who should
foreign interests. The king, who should have been able to rely on family
have been able to rely on family loyalty, found himself isolated by the
loyalty, found himself isolated by the necessity of treating his own brothers
necessity of treating his own brothers as potential security threats. The stage
as potential security threats. The stage was set for decisions that would
was set for decisions that would determine not just which Targaryen would
determine not just which Targaryen would rule, but whether any Targaryen would be
rule, but whether any Targaryen would be strong enough to resist the foreign
strong enough to resist the foreign forces that had invested so heavily in
forces that had invested so heavily in the realm's destruction. The discovery
the realm's destruction. The discovery of the foreign conspiracy forced King
of the foreign conspiracy forced King Darren to make the most difficult
Darren to make the most difficult decision of his reign. He convened what
decision of his reign. He convened what would later be known as the secret
would later be known as the secret council, a clandestine gathering of his
council, a clandestine gathering of his most trusted advisers that would meet in
most trusted advisers that would meet in the deep chambers beneath Dragonstone,
the deep chambers beneath Dragonstone, far from the ears of potential spies and
far from the ears of potential spies and the influence of foreign gold. The
the influence of foreign gold. The participants in these discussions would
participants in these discussions would shape not only the response to the
shape not only the response to the immediate crisis, but the fundamental
immediate crisis, but the fundamental character of Targaryen rule for
character of Targaryen rule for generations to come. The council
generations to come. The council included figures whose very presence in
included figures whose very presence in the same room represented the complexity
the same room represented the complexity of the challenges facing the realm.
of the challenges facing the realm. Grand Maester Monkan brought the
Grand Maester Monkan brought the accumulated wisdom of the citadel and
accumulated wisdom of the citadel and access to historical precedents that
access to historical precedents that might guide their decision-making. Lord
might guide their decision-making. Lord Commander Alan Stokeworth of the King's
Commander Alan Stokeworth of the King's Guard provided military expertise and
Guard provided military expertise and unwavering loyalty to the crown. Most
unwavering loyalty to the crown. Most crucially, both Damon Blackfire and
crucially, both Damon Blackfire and Brynden Rivers were included despite the
Brynden Rivers were included despite the growing tensions between them and the
growing tensions between them and the questions about their respective roles
questions about their respective roles in the developing crisis. The first
in the developing crisis. The first sessions of the secret council were
sessions of the secret council were devoted to understanding the full scope
devoted to understanding the full scope of the foreign threat. Brynden's
of the foreign threat. Brynden's intelligence network had uncovered
intelligence network had uncovered evidence of conspiracy in every corner
evidence of conspiracy in every corner of the seven kingdoms. But the challenge
of the seven kingdoms. But the challenge lay in determining which threats were
lay in determining which threats were genuine and which were exaggerations
genuine and which were exaggerations born of paranoia. The revelation that
born of paranoia. The revelation that trusted allies might be compromised had
trusted allies might be compromised had created an atmosphere of suspicion that
created an atmosphere of suspicion that threatened to paralyze effective
threatened to paralyze effective governance. Grand Maester Monkan
governance. Grand Maester Monkan provided historical context that was
provided historical context that was both reassuring and terrifying. Previous
both reassuring and terrifying. Previous Targaryen rulers had faced external
Targaryen rulers had faced external threats and internal division, but never
threats and internal division, but never simultaneously and never with such
simultaneously and never with such sophisticated methods of manipulation.
sophisticated methods of manipulation. The misters records contained accounts
The misters records contained accounts of foreign gold influencing Westerosi
of foreign gold influencing Westerosi politics during the dance of dragons,
politics during the dance of dragons, but nothing approaching the systematic
but nothing approaching the systematic campaign that had been uncovered. The
campaign that had been uncovered. The realm was facing challenges that were
realm was facing challenges that were unprecedented in their scope and
unprecedented in their scope and complexity. Lord Commander Stokeworth's
complexity. Lord Commander Stokeworth's military assessment was equally
military assessment was equally sobering. The traditional approaches to
sobering. The traditional approaches to defending the realm against external
defending the realm against external threats assumed that enemies would use
threats assumed that enemies would use conventional methods of warfare. Armies
conventional methods of warfare. Armies could be defeated, fleets could be
could be defeated, fleets could be destroyed, and castles could be
destroyed, and castles could be defended. But how could the crown
defended. But how could the crown protect itself against enemies who
protect itself against enemies who fought with gold rather than steel, who
fought with gold rather than steel, who conquered through influence rather than
conquered through influence rather than force? The very foundations of military
force? The very foundations of military strategy seemed inadequate to address
strategy seemed inadequate to address the new realities of political warfare.
the new realities of political warfare. Dan's contributions to these discussions
Dan's contributions to these discussions revealed the depth of his understanding
revealed the depth of his understanding of both military tactics and political
of both military tactics and political dynamics. His analysis of how the
dynamics. His analysis of how the conspiracy had exploited existing
conspiracy had exploited existing divisions within the realm was
divisions within the realm was penetrating and accurate. He recognized
penetrating and accurate. He recognized that the foreign agents had succeeded
that the foreign agents had succeeded because they had identified genuine
because they had identified genuine problems within Westerosce society and
problems within Westerosce society and then exacerbated them rather than
then exacerbated them rather than creating artificial conflicts. The
creating artificial conflicts. The solution, he argued, required addressing
solution, he argued, required addressing the underlying issues that had made the
the underlying issues that had made the realm vulnerable to manipulation.
realm vulnerable to manipulation. Brynden's presentations were methodical
Brynden's presentations were methodical and comprehensive, laying out the full
and comprehensive, laying out the full network of foreign influence with the
network of foreign influence with the precision of a master craftsman
precision of a master craftsman dissecting a complex mechanism. His
dissecting a complex mechanism. His recommendations were ruthless but
recommendations were ruthless but logical systematic elimination of
logical systematic elimination of compromised individuals, complete
compromised individuals, complete restructuring of government finances to
restructuring of government finances to prevent foreign penetration, and the
prevent foreign penetration, and the creation of a permanent intelligence
creation of a permanent intelligence service capable of detecting and
service capable of detecting and countering future threats. His proposals
countering future threats. His proposals would fundamentally transform the
would fundamentally transform the relationship between ruler and subject,
relationship between ruler and subject, creating unprecedented levels of royal
creating unprecedented levels of royal control over information and
control over information and communication. The philosophical
communication. The philosophical divisions that emerged during these
divisions that emerged during these discussions reflected deeper questions
discussions reflected deeper questions about the nature of legitimate
about the nature of legitimate government and the proper relationship
government and the proper relationship between security and freedom. Demon
between security and freedom. Demon argued for approaches that would
argued for approaches that would preserve traditional liberties while
preserve traditional liberties while addressing the immediate threats through
addressing the immediate threats through enhanced military preparedness and
enhanced military preparedness and diplomatic initiatives. He believed that
diplomatic initiatives. He believed that the realm's strength lay in the willing
the realm's strength lay in the willing loyalty of free subjects rather than the
loyalty of free subjects rather than the fearful obedience of a controlled
fearful obedience of a controlled population. Brynden advocated for more
population. Brynden advocated for more radical changes that would sacrifice
radical changes that would sacrifice some traditional freedoms in exchange
some traditional freedoms in exchange for security against sophisticated
for security against sophisticated threats that conventional approaches
threats that conventional approaches could not address. His vision of royal
could not address. His vision of royal government involved extensive
government involved extensive surveillance, careful control of
surveillance, careful control of information, and the systematic
information, and the systematic elimination of potential threats before
elimination of potential threats before they could develop into actual dangers.
they could develop into actual dangers. He argued that the foreign conspiracy
He argued that the foreign conspiracy had succeeded precisely because the
had succeeded precisely because the realm had been too trusting and too open
realm had been too trusting and too open to manipulation. King Daron found
to manipulation. King Daron found himself torn between approaches that
himself torn between approaches that each address different aspects of the
each address different aspects of the crisis while creating new problems of
crisis while creating new problems of their own. Damon's proposals would
their own. Damon's proposals would preserve the character of Westerosi
preserve the character of Westerosi society, but might leave it vulnerable
society, but might leave it vulnerable to continued foreign manipulation.
to continued foreign manipulation. Brynden's recommendations would provide
Brynden's recommendations would provide security against external threats that
security against external threats that might transform the realm into something
might transform the realm into something unrecognizable and potentially
unrecognizable and potentially tyrannical. The emotional toll of these
tyrannical. The emotional toll of these discussions on all participants was
discussions on all participants was immense. Family relationships that had
immense. Family relationships that had already been strained by political
already been strained by political disagreements were further damaged by
disagreements were further damaged by the necessity of treating loved ones as
the necessity of treating loved ones as potential security threats. Every past
potential security threats. Every past conversation had to be re-examined for
conversation had to be re-examined for signs of foreign influence. Every future
signs of foreign influence. Every future interaction would be shadowed by
interaction would be shadowed by suspicion and mistrust that might never
suspicion and mistrust that might never fully heal. Queen Mariah of Dawn, though
fully heal. Queen Mariah of Dawn, though not formally part of the secret council,
not formally part of the secret council, provided crucial perspective as someone
provided crucial perspective as someone who had observed the developing crisis
who had observed the developing crisis from a unique vantage point. Her
from a unique vantage point. Her insights into how Dornish integration
insights into how Dornish integration had been used as a model for foreign
had been used as a model for foreign manipulation were particularly valuable.
manipulation were particularly valuable. She revealed how agents had approached
She revealed how agents had approached Dornish nobles with arguments that their
Dornish nobles with arguments that their special status within the realm made
special status within the realm made them natural allies for other groups
them natural allies for other groups seeking to change traditional power
seeking to change traditional power structures. The conspiracy had been
structures. The conspiracy had been using successful royal policies as
using successful royal policies as templates for subversion. The council's
templates for subversion. The council's discussions also revealed how the
discussions also revealed how the legitimization decree had created
legitimization decree had created vulnerabilities that extended far beyond
vulnerabilities that extended far beyond the obvious succession questions. The
the obvious succession questions. The precedent of royal bastards being
precedent of royal bastards being elevated to positions of power and
elevated to positions of power and influence had been used by foreign
influence had been used by foreign agents to argue that other traditional
agents to argue that other traditional hierarchies were similarly subject to
hierarchies were similarly subject to change. Noble houses with ambitious
change. Noble houses with ambitious younger sons or cadet branches had been
younger sons or cadet branches had been subtly encouraged to believe that merit
subtly encouraged to believe that merit might triumph over birth order if
might triumph over birth order if circumstances were properly arranged.
circumstances were properly arranged. Religious authorities represented by the
Religious authorities represented by the high septan's most trusted advisers
high septan's most trusted advisers provided another perspective on the
provided another perspective on the crisis that highlighted its spiritual
crisis that highlighted its spiritual dimensions. The faith of the seven had
dimensions. The faith of the seven had been infiltrated by agents who argued
been infiltrated by agents who argued that divine will was expressed through
that divine will was expressed through strength and success rather than through
strength and success rather than through traditional concepts of legitimacy and
traditional concepts of legitimacy and inheritance. These theological arguments
inheritance. These theological arguments had found receptive audiences among
had found receptive audiences among religious figures who were genuinely
religious figures who were genuinely concerned about moral decay within the
concerned about moral decay within the nobility and who saw political change as
nobility and who saw political change as potentially beneficial for spiritual
potentially beneficial for spiritual renewal. The merchant classes had been
renewal. The merchant classes had been particularly susceptible to foreign
particularly susceptible to foreign influence because their interests often
influence because their interests often conflicted with traditional noble
conflicted with traditional noble privileges and royal policies. Traders
privileges and royal policies. Traders who had been frustrated by restrictions
who had been frustrated by restrictions on their activities found themselves
on their activities found themselves receiving support and encouragement from
receiving support and encouragement from agents who promised that political
agents who promised that political changes would bring economic
changes would bring economic opportunities. The conspiracy had
opportunities. The conspiracy had succeeded in creating a coalition of
succeeded in creating a coalition of interests that crossed traditional
interests that crossed traditional social boundaries. As the secret
social boundaries. As the secret council's meetings continued through the
council's meetings continued through the winter months, a consensus began to
winter months, a consensus began to emerge around the recognition that the
emerge around the recognition that the realm faced an existential threat that
realm faced an existential threat that could not be addressed through
could not be addressed through conventional means. The foreign
conventional means. The foreign conspiracy had succeeded in weaponizing
conspiracy had succeeded in weaponizing the very diversity and complexity of
the very diversity and complexity of Westerosi society against itself. Every
Westerosi society against itself. Every strength of the realm had been turned
strength of the realm had been turned into a vulnerability, every virtue into
into a vulnerability, every virtue into a weakness that could be exploited. The
a weakness that could be exploited. The council's final recommendations would
council's final recommendations would represent a compromise between competing
represent a compromise between competing visions of how to preserve Targaryen
visions of how to preserve Targaryen rule and Westerosi independence. But the
rule and Westerosi independence. But the process of reaching that compromise
process of reaching that compromise revealed how deeply the foreign
revealed how deeply the foreign conspiracy had succeeded in dividing the
conspiracy had succeeded in dividing the realm against itself. Even the most
realm against itself. Even the most loyal and capable servants of the crown
loyal and capable servants of the crown found themselves disagreeing about
found themselves disagreeing about fundamental questions of governance,
fundamental questions of governance, security, and the proper balance between
security, and the proper balance between freedom and order. The decisions that
freedom and order. The decisions that emerged from these secret deliberations
emerged from these secret deliberations would shape the response to the
would shape the response to the developing crisis and determine whether
developing crisis and determine whether the realm could survive the challenge
the realm could survive the challenge that foreign enemies had spent years
that foreign enemies had spent years preparing. But they would also reveal
preparing. But they would also reveal whether the bonds of family loyalty and
whether the bonds of family loyalty and shared purpose that had sustained House
shared purpose that had sustained House Targaryen through previous crises would
Targaryen through previous crises would be strong enough to survive the
be strong enough to survive the pressures that external manipulation had
pressures that external manipulation had created within the royal family itself.
created within the royal family itself. The winter of 200 AC would be remembered
The winter of 200 AC would be remembered as the season when the realm held its
as the season when the realm held its breath. Sensing that momentous changes
breath. Sensing that momentous changes were approaching but unable to predict
were approaching but unable to predict their exact nature or timing. The Secret
their exact nature or timing. The Secret Council's deliberations had produced a
Council's deliberations had produced a series of recommendations that King
series of recommendations that King Darren knew would fundamentally alter
Darren knew would fundamentally alter the character of his reign and possibly
the character of his reign and possibly the future of House Targaryen itself.
the future of House Targaryen itself. The implementation of these decisions
The implementation of these decisions would require a level of political
would require a level of political courage and personal sacrifice that few
courage and personal sacrifice that few rulers in Westerosi history had ever
rulers in Westerosi history had ever been called upon to demonstrate. The
been called upon to demonstrate. The first and most painful recommendation
first and most painful recommendation involved the systematic removal of
involved the systematic removal of potentially compromised individuals from
potentially compromised individuals from positions of authority throughout the
positions of authority throughout the realm. The evidence of foreign
realm. The evidence of foreign manipulation was compelling, but it was
manipulation was compelling, but it was also incomplete and circumstantial. In
also incomplete and circumstantial. In many cases, distinguishing between those
many cases, distinguishing between those who were genuinely treasonous and those
who were genuinely treasonous and those who were merely the unwitting victims of
who were merely the unwitting victims of sophisticated influence campaigns
sophisticated influence campaigns required judgments that could easily
required judgments that could easily destroy innocent lives and loyal
destroy innocent lives and loyal relationships. Damon Blackfire
relationships. Damon Blackfire volunteered to remove himself from his
volunteered to remove himself from his official positions and withdraw from
official positions and withdraw from court, recognizing that his continued
court, recognizing that his continued presence would be interpreted as either
presence would be interpreted as either royal weakness or dangerous tolerance of
royal weakness or dangerous tolerance of potential threats. His offer was both
potential threats. His offer was both noble and heartbreaking, representing
noble and heartbreaking, representing the kind of personal sacrifice that had
the kind of personal sacrifice that had always characterized his approach to
always characterized his approach to service. But it also demonstrated how
service. But it also demonstrated how the foreign conspiracy had succeeded in
the foreign conspiracy had succeeded in weaponizing virtue. to itself. Turning
weaponizing virtue. to itself. Turning the very qualities that made him
the very qualities that made him admirable into sources of political
admirable into sources of political vulnerability, Brynden Rivers accepted
vulnerability, Brynden Rivers accepted expanded responsibilities for internal
expanded responsibilities for internal security with characteristic grimness,
security with characteristic grimness, understanding better than anyone the
understanding better than anyone the psychological and moral costs of the
psychological and moral costs of the methods he would be forced to employ.
methods he would be forced to employ. His transformation from royal adviser to
His transformation from royal adviser to spy master would require him to
spy master would require him to sacrifice many of his remaining human
sacrifice many of his remaining human connections in service of abstract
connections in service of abstract concepts of duty and loyalty. The realm
concepts of duty and loyalty. The realm would be safer under his protection, but
would be safer under his protection, but he would become something less than
he would become something less than fully human in the process. The
fully human in the process. The financial reforms recommended by the
financial reforms recommended by the secret council were equally radical in
secret council were equally radical in their implications. Every source of
their implications. Every source of royal revenue would be scrutinized for
royal revenue would be scrutinized for potential foreign influence and new
potential foreign influence and new accounting methods would be implemented
accounting methods would be implemented to trace the flow of gold throughout the
to trace the flow of gold throughout the kingdom. These measures would prevent
kingdom. These measures would prevent future manipulation through economic
future manipulation through economic pressure. But they would also require an
pressure. But they would also require an unprecedented level of royal oversight
unprecedented level of royal oversight that might stifle the commercial
that might stifle the commercial activity that had made the realm
activity that had made the realm prosperous. King Darun's personal
prosperous. King Darun's personal response to the crisis revealed both his
response to the crisis revealed both his strengths and the tragic limitations
strengths and the tragic limitations that would ultimately doom his efforts
that would ultimately doom his efforts to preserve dynastic unity. He accepted
to preserve dynastic unity. He accepted the necessity of harsh measures while
the necessity of harsh measures while refusing to abandon his fundamental
refusing to abandon his fundamental belief in the possibility of
belief in the possibility of reconciliation and redemption. His
reconciliation and redemption. His attempts to implement security reforms
attempts to implement security reforms while maintaining family bonds created
while maintaining family bonds created contradictions that served neither
contradictions that served neither objective effectively. Queen Mariah's
objective effectively. Queen Mariah's role during this period was crucial but
role during this period was crucial but largely hidden from public view. Her
largely hidden from public view. Her Dornish heritage provided her with
Dornish heritage provided her with insights into how foreign influence
insights into how foreign influence operated, but it also made her a
operated, but it also made her a potential target for suspicion from
potential target for suspicion from those who questioned the loyalty of
those who questioned the loyalty of recent additions to the royal family.
recent additions to the royal family. Her quiet support for her husband's
Her quiet support for her husband's difficult decisions helped sustain him
difficult decisions helped sustain him through the moral challenges of
through the moral challenges of governing during a crisis, but it could
governing during a crisis, but it could not resolve the fundamental tensions
not resolve the fundamental tensions that were tearing the realm apart. The
that were tearing the realm apart. The great houses of Westeros responded to
great houses of Westeros responded to the emerging crisis with a mixture of
the emerging crisis with a mixture of confusion, fear, and opportunism that
confusion, fear, and opportunism that reflected their diverse interests and
reflected their diverse interests and loyalties. Some lords who had been
loyalties. Some lords who had been influenced by foreign gold genuinely
influenced by foreign gold genuinely repented when confronted with evidence
repented when confronted with evidence of their manipulation, but others
of their manipulation, but others doubled down on their positions rather
doubled down on their positions rather than acknowledging their errors. The
than acknowledging their errors. The atmosphere of suspicion and accusation
atmosphere of suspicion and accusation made it difficult to distinguish between
made it difficult to distinguish between genuine loyalty and calculated
genuine loyalty and calculated performance. House Bracken's situation
performance. House Bracken's situation exemplified the complex moral challenges
exemplified the complex moral challenges created by the foreign conspiracy. Lord
created by the foreign conspiracy. Lord Bracken had genuinely believed that his
Bracken had genuinely believed that his support for Aigor Rivers was motivated
support for Aigor Rivers was motivated by family loyalty and political
by family loyalty and political principle. The discovery that this
principle. The discovery that this support had been encouraged and enabled
support had been encouraged and enabled by external enemies forced him to
by external enemies forced him to question not just his political
question not just his political positions, but his understanding of his
positions, but his understanding of his own motivations and moral character. His
own motivations and moral character. His anguish was shared by numerous other
anguish was shared by numerous other lords who found themselves in similar
lords who found themselves in similar positions. The military implications of
positions. The military implications of the crisis were particularly troubling
the crisis were particularly troubling because they affected the realm's
because they affected the realm's ability to defend itself against
ability to defend itself against conventional threats while addressing
conventional threats while addressing the unconventional challenges posed by
the unconventional challenges posed by foreign manipulation. Damon's voluntary
foreign manipulation. Damon's voluntary withdrawal from active service deprived
withdrawal from active service deprived the crown of its most capable military
the crown of its most capable military commander at exactly the moment when
commander at exactly the moment when strong leadership was most needed. The
strong leadership was most needed. The suspicion surrounding potentially
suspicion surrounding potentially compromised officers made it difficult
compromised officers made it difficult to maintain unit cohesion and
to maintain unit cohesion and operational effectiveness. Religious
operational effectiveness. Religious institutions faced their own versions of
institutions faced their own versions of the same challenges that were affecting
the same challenges that were affecting secular authorities. The faith of the
secular authorities. The faith of the seven had been infiltrated by agents
seven had been infiltrated by agents promoting theological interpretations
promoting theological interpretations that served foreign interests. But
that served foreign interests. But identifying and removing these
identifying and removing these influences required judgments about
influences required judgments about spiritual matters that secular
spiritual matters that secular authorities were poorly equipped to
authorities were poorly equipped to make. The cooperation between crown and
make. The cooperation between crown and faith that was necessary to address the
faith that was necessary to address the crisis created precedents that might
crisis created precedents that might compromise religious independence in the
compromise religious independence in the future. The psychological impact of the
future. The psychological impact of the revelations about foreign manipulation
revelations about foreign manipulation extended far beyond the immediate
extended far beyond the immediate political implications. Ordinary
political implications. Ordinary citizens found themselves questioning
citizens found themselves questioning the authenticity of their own beliefs
the authenticity of their own beliefs and loyalties, wondering whether their
and loyalties, wondering whether their political opinions had been shaped by
political opinions had been shaped by influences they had never recognized.
influences they had never recognized. The discovery that their thoughts and
The discovery that their thoughts and feelings had been deliberately
feelings had been deliberately manipulated created a sense of violation
manipulated created a sense of violation that was difficult to address through
that was difficult to address through conventional means of reassurance or
conventional means of reassurance or explanation. Shira Sea Star's position
explanation. Shira Sea Star's position during this period was particularly
during this period was particularly precarious and psychologically
precarious and psychologically devastating. The revelation that her
devastating. The revelation that her romantic relationships had been
romantic relationships had been systematically manipulated by foreign
systematically manipulated by foreign agents forced her to question not just
agents forced her to question not just the sincerity of her suitors, but the
the sincerity of her suitors, but the authenticity of her own emotions. Every
authenticity of her own emotions. Every interaction she had ever had with Damon,
interaction she had ever had with Damon, Brynden, or any other potential romantic
Brynden, or any other potential romantic partner now seemed potentially tainted
partner now seemed potentially tainted by external influence. Her beauty, which
by external influence. Her beauty, which had once been a source of power and
had once been a source of power and pleasure, became a burden that made her
pleasure, became a burden that made her a target for manipulation. The cultural
a target for manipulation. The cultural and artistic life of the realm was
and artistic life of the realm was profoundly affected by the revelations
profoundly affected by the revelations about foreign influence. Bards who had
about foreign influence. Bards who had unknowingly spread propaganda disguised
unknowingly spread propaganda disguised as entertainment faced questions about
as entertainment faced questions about their integrity and judgment. Artists
their integrity and judgment. Artists who had received patronage from
who had received patronage from compromised sources found their work
compromised sources found their work subject to political interpretation. The
subject to political interpretation. The free exchange of ideas and creative
free exchange of ideas and creative expression that had characterized the
expression that had characterized the peaceful years of Darian's reign became
peaceful years of Darian's reign became constrained by suspicion and fear. As
constrained by suspicion and fear. As spring approached in 201 AC, it became
spring approached in 201 AC, it became clear that the realm had reached a point
clear that the realm had reached a point of no return. The measures necessary to
of no return. The measures necessary to address the foreign conspiracy would
address the foreign conspiracy would fundamentally transform the relationship
fundamentally transform the relationship between rulers and subjects, between the
between rulers and subjects, between the crown and the nobility, between security
crown and the nobility, between security and freedom. The Westeros that emerged
and freedom. The Westeros that emerged from this crisis would be different in
from this crisis would be different in essential ways from the realm that Aegon
essential ways from the realm that Aegon the Conqueror had founded and that his
the Conqueror had founded and that his descendants had ruled for nearly two
descendants had ruled for nearly two centuries. The final preparations for
centuries. The final preparations for implementing the secret council's
implementing the secret council's recommendations required King Darren to
recommendations required King Darren to make peace with the knowledge that his
make peace with the knowledge that his reign would be remembered not for its
reign would be remembered not for its achievements in diplomacy and domestic
achievements in diplomacy and domestic governance, but for the painful
governance, but for the painful necessity of sacrificing traditional
necessity of sacrificing traditional liberties in defense of independence.
liberties in defense of independence. The foreign conspiracy had succeeded in
The foreign conspiracy had succeeded in forcing the realm to choose between its
forcing the realm to choose between its values and its survival. A choice that
values and its survival. A choice that would leave scars regardless of which
would leave scars regardless of which option was selected. The stage was set
option was selected. The stage was set for revelations that would expose the
for revelations that would expose the full scope of the threats facing House
full scope of the threats facing House Targaryen and forced decisions that
Targaryen and forced decisions that would determine whether the dynasty
would determine whether the dynasty could survive the challenges that
could survive the challenges that foreign enemies had spent years
foreign enemies had spent years preparing. The truth that emerged would
preparing. The truth that emerged would be more shocking and more comprehensive
be more shocking and more comprehensive than anyone had imagined, revealing not
than anyone had imagined, revealing not just the scope of foreign manipulation,
just the scope of foreign manipulation, but the fundamental vulnerabilities in
but the fundamental vulnerabilities in Westerosi society that had made such
Westerosi society that had made such manipulation possible. The truth that
manipulation possible. The truth that shattered everything came not through
shattered everything came not through careful investigation or political
careful investigation or political maneuvering, but through the most
maneuvering, but through the most unexpected source imaginable. In the
unexpected source imaginable. In the spring of 201 AC, as King Darren
spring of 201 AC, as King Darren prepared to implement the harsh measures
prepared to implement the harsh measures recommended by the secret council, a
recommended by the secret council, a dying confession from an unlikely
dying confession from an unlikely witness would reveal that the foreign
witness would reveal that the foreign conspiracy was merely the surface layer
conspiracy was merely the surface layer of a deception so profound that it
of a deception so profound that it called into question the very
called into question the very foundations of Targaryen legitimacy
foundations of Targaryen legitimacy itself. The confessor was Certain Toyin,
itself. The confessor was Certain Toyin, the former Lord Commander of the King's
the former Lord Commander of the King's Guard, who had been dismissed in
Guard, who had been dismissed in disgrace years earlier for his affair
disgrace years earlier for his affair with one of King Aegon's mistresses.
with one of King Aegon's mistresses. Facing death from a wasting disease and
Facing death from a wasting disease and tormented by guilt over his role in
tormented by guilt over his role in events that had spiraled far beyond his
events that had spiraled far beyond his original intentions, he sent word to
original intentions, he sent word to King Darren, requesting a final
King Darren, requesting a final audience. What he revealed in that
audience. What he revealed in that private meeting would transform the
private meeting would transform the succession crisis from a manageable
succession crisis from a manageable political problem into an existential
political problem into an existential threat to the dynasty itself. Sir
threat to the dynasty itself. Sir Terren's confession began with
Terren's confession began with admissions that were shocking but not
admissions that were shocking but not entirely surprising. He had indeed been
entirely surprising. He had indeed been compromised by foreign agents, accepting
compromised by foreign agents, accepting gold from Troshi merchants in exchange
gold from Troshi merchants in exchange for information about royal security
for information about royal security arrangements and family dynamics. His
arrangements and family dynamics. His dismissal from the king's guard had been
dismissal from the king's guard had been orchestrated to provide him with a cover
orchestrated to provide him with a cover story for his subsequent activities as a
story for his subsequent activities as a foreign agent. These revelations were
foreign agent. These revelations were damaging but consistent with what
damaging but consistent with what Brynden River's investigations had
Brynden River's investigations had already uncovered about the scope of
already uncovered about the scope of external manipulation. But then
external manipulation. But then Soterance revealed something that struck
Soterance revealed something that struck at the heart of everything the realm
at the heart of everything the realm believed about its ruling dynasty. The
believed about its ruling dynasty. The foreign conspiracy, he confessed, had
foreign conspiracy, he confessed, had not created the succession crisis
not created the succession crisis through manipulation of existing
through manipulation of existing tensions. Instead, they had been working
tensions. Instead, they had been working for years to conceal a truth that would
for years to conceal a truth that would have prevented the crisis from ever
have prevented the crisis from ever developing. The legitimization decree
developing. The legitimization decree that had seemed like King Aegon's final
that had seemed like King Aegon's final attempt to provide for his beloved
attempt to provide for his beloved bastards had actually been forged after
bastards had actually been forged after his death by a conspiracy that included
his death by a conspiracy that included members of the royal family itself. The
members of the royal family itself. The dying king had never legitimized his
dying king had never legitimized his bastards. His final decree had been a
bastards. His final decree had been a conventional document transferring power
conventional document transferring power to Prince Daron and providing modest
to Prince Daron and providing modest provisions for his illegitimate
provisions for his illegitimate children. The legitimization
children. The legitimization proclamation had been created by a small
proclamation had been created by a small group of conspirators who understood
group of conspirators who understood that civil war would serve their
that civil war would serve their interests better than peaceful
interests better than peaceful succession. They had used the chaos
succession. They had used the chaos following the king's death to substitute
following the king's death to substitute their own version of his final wishes,
their own version of his final wishes, confident that no one would dare
confident that no one would dare question a royal decree during such a
question a royal decree during such a sensitive period. The conspirators had
sensitive period. The conspirators had included Grand Maester Monan, who had
included Grand Maester Monan, who had been secretly working with foreign
been secretly working with foreign agents for years, and several other
agents for years, and several other trusted advisers who had access to royal
trusted advisers who had access to royal documents and the authority to
documents and the authority to authenticate them. But most shocking of
authenticate them. But most shocking of all was the revelation that Damon
all was the revelation that Damon Blackfire himself had known about the
Blackfire himself had known about the forgery from the beginning. His
forgery from the beginning. His acceptance of the legitimization, his
acceptance of the legitimization, his claim to royal status, and his growing
claim to royal status, and his growing challenge to his half-brother's
challenge to his half-brother's authority had all been based on his
authority had all been based on his knowledge that he possessed no legal
knowledge that he possessed no legal right to any of it. Damon had not been
right to any of it. Damon had not been an unwitting victim of foreign
an unwitting victim of foreign manipulation or the innocent beneficiary
manipulation or the innocent beneficiary of his father's generosity. He had been
of his father's generosity. He had been an active participant in a conspiracy
an active participant in a conspiracy designed to create the conditions
designed to create the conditions necessary for his own rise to power. His
necessary for his own rise to power. His reputation for honor and nobility, the
reputation for honor and nobility, the qualities that had made him beloved
qualities that had made him beloved throughout the realm, had been carefully
throughout the realm, had been carefully cultivated performances designed to
cultivated performances designed to build support for an eventually
build support for an eventually rebellion that he had been planning
rebellion that he had been planning since the moment of King Aegon's death.
since the moment of King Aegon's death. The implications of this revelation were
The implications of this revelation were staggering in their scope and
staggering in their scope and devastating in their personal impact.
devastating in their personal impact. King Deron, who had spent years trying
King Deron, who had spent years trying to accommodate his half brothers and
to accommodate his half brothers and maintain family unity, learned that his
maintain family unity, learned that his greatest act of generosity in accepting
greatest act of generosity in accepting the legitimization had been based on a
the legitimization had been based on a fundamental deception. His attempts to
fundamental deception. His attempts to share power with men he believed were
share power with men he believed were his legal equals had actually been
his legal equals had actually been negotiations with usurpers who had
negotiations with usurpers who had stolen their claims through forgery and
stolen their claims through forgery and fraud. Brynden River's reaction to the
fraud. Brynden River's reaction to the confession was characteristically
confession was characteristically intense and methodical. His intelligence
intense and methodical. His intelligence network immediately began investigating
network immediately began investigating every aspect of Sir Terren's claims,
every aspect of Sir Terren's claims, seeking corroborating evidence and
seeking corroborating evidence and identifying other participants in the
identifying other participants in the conspiracy. What they discovered
conspiracy. What they discovered confirmed the worst fears and revealed
confirmed the worst fears and revealed additional layers of deception that
additional layers of deception that extended the conspiracy's reach even
extended the conspiracy's reach even further into the structures of royal
further into the structures of royal government. The forged legitimization
government. The forged legitimization decree was indeed a masterwork of
decree was indeed a masterwork of deception created with such skill that
deception created with such skill that it had fooled even expert document
it had fooled even expert document examiners. The conspirators had used
examiners. The conspirators had used authentic royal parchment, genuine
authentic royal parchment, genuine seals, and ink that matched other
seals, and ink that matched other documents from the same period. They had
documents from the same period. They had even arranged for multiple witnesses to
even arranged for multiple witnesses to the supposed deathbed scene, all of whom
the supposed deathbed scene, all of whom had been either bribed or coerced into
had been either bribed or coerced into supporting their version of events. More
supporting their version of events. More troubling was the discovery that the
troubling was the discovery that the conspiracy had anticipated potential
conspiracy had anticipated potential exposure and had prepared contingency
exposure and had prepared contingency plans designed to maximize the damage to
plans designed to maximize the damage to royal authority if their deception was
royal authority if their deception was ever revealed. Documents hidden
ever revealed. Documents hidden throughout the realm were prepared for
throughout the realm were prepared for distribution, claiming that King Darren
distribution, claiming that King Darren himself had been involved in forging the
himself had been involved in forging the legitimization as part of a complex plot
legitimization as part of a complex plot to eliminate his rivals while
to eliminate his rivals while maintaining plausible deniability. The
maintaining plausible deniability. The conspiracy had weaponized the truth
conspiracy had weaponized the truth itself, ensuring that revealing their
itself, ensuring that revealing their deception would create as much damage as
deception would create as much damage as allowing it to continue. Queen Mariah's
allowing it to continue. Queen Mariah's response to these revelations
response to these revelations demonstrated both her political
demonstrated both her political sophistication and her genuine devotion
sophistication and her genuine devotion to her husband's welfare. She
to her husband's welfare. She immediately understood that the truth
immediately understood that the truth about the forged decree while clearing
about the forged decree while clearing Darren of any moral responsibility for
Darren of any moral responsibility for the legitimization would actually weaken
the legitimization would actually weaken his political position by revealing how
his political position by revealing how thoroughly he had been deceived by those
thoroughly he had been deceived by those he trusted most. The image of a king who
he trusted most. The image of a king who could be fooled by his own advisers and
could be fooled by his own advisers and half brothers would be almost as
half brothers would be almost as damaging as the original legitimization
damaging as the original legitimization crisis. The personal betrayal that King
crisis. The personal betrayal that King Darren felt upon learning the truth
Darren felt upon learning the truth about Damon's deception was profound in
about Damon's deception was profound in ways that transcended political
ways that transcended political considerations. The half-brother he had
considerations. The half-brother he had genuinely loved and respected, the man
genuinely loved and respected, the man whose abilities he had admired and whose
whose abilities he had admired and whose loyalty he had never questioned, had
loyalty he had never questioned, had been systematically lying to him for
been systematically lying to him for years while planning to steal his
years while planning to steal his throne. The generosity and accommodation
throne. The generosity and accommodation that Darren had shown in accepting the
that Darren had shown in accepting the legitimization was revealed to have been
legitimization was revealed to have been responses to manufactured circumstances
responses to manufactured circumstances designed to exploit his noble character.
designed to exploit his noble character. Damon's own position became impossible
Damon's own position became impossible to maintain. Once Sir Terren's
to maintain. Once Sir Terren's confession became known to the inner
confession became known to the inner circle of royal advisers, his years of
circle of royal advisers, his years of carefully constructed reputation for
carefully constructed reputation for honor and integrity crumbled as the
honor and integrity crumbled as the scope of his deception became clear. The
scope of his deception became clear. The foreign manipulation that had seemed to
foreign manipulation that had seemed to explain his growing challenge to royal
explain his growing challenge to royal authority was revealed to have been
authority was revealed to have been merely a supporting element in a much
merely a supporting element in a much more personal betrayal that struck at
more personal betrayal that struck at the heart of family relationships. The
the heart of family relationships. The strategic implications of the revelation
strategic implications of the revelation were as complex as the personal ones.
were as complex as the personal ones. Damon's supporters throughout the realm
Damon's supporters throughout the realm had based their loyalty on their belief
had based their loyalty on their belief in his legitimate claim to royal status
in his legitimate claim to royal status and their admiration for his character.
and their admiration for his character. Learning that both foundations for their
Learning that both foundations for their support had been fabricated would force
support had been fabricated would force them to choose between continuing to
them to choose between continuing to support a known user or abandoning a
support a known user or abandoning a cause in which they had invested their
cause in which they had invested their honor and their future prospects. Some
honor and their future prospects. Some of Damon's most devoted followers
of Damon's most devoted followers refused to accept the truth of Sir
refused to accept the truth of Sir Terren's confession, arguing that it was
Terren's confession, arguing that it was itself a fabrication designed to
itself a fabrication designed to discredit their champion. Their loyalty
discredit their champion. Their loyalty to Damon had transcended legal
to Damon had transcended legal technicalities and become a matter of
technicalities and become a matter of personal faith in his worthiness to
personal faith in his worthiness to rule. The revelation that his claim was
rule. The revelation that his claim was fraudulent only convinced them that the
fraudulent only convinced them that the existing system of legitimacy was so
existing system of legitimacy was so corrupt that it deserved to be
corrupt that it deserved to be overthrown entirely. Others,
overthrown entirely. Others, particularly those who had joined
particularly those who had joined Damon's cause, primarily because of
Damon's cause, primarily because of their belief in his legal rights, found
their belief in his legal rights, found themselves facing a moral crisis that
themselves facing a moral crisis that challenged their understanding of
challenged their understanding of loyalty, honor, and political
loyalty, honor, and political obligation. If Damon's claim was false,
obligation. If Damon's claim was false, were they rebels and traitors for having
were they rebels and traitors for having supported him? Or were they victims of a
supported him? Or were they victims of a deception so sophisticated that their
deception so sophisticated that their error was understandable and forgivable?
error was understandable and forgivable? The revelation also cast new light on
The revelation also cast new light on Eager River's role in the developing
Eager River's role in the developing crisis. His gradual withdrawal from
crisis. His gradual withdrawal from court and his building of independent
court and his building of independent power structures now appeared to have
power structures now appeared to have been motivated by knowledge of the
been motivated by knowledge of the conspiracy rather than simple political
conspiracy rather than simple political ambition. His careful neutrality between
ambition. His careful neutrality between his half-bros was revealed to have been
his half-bros was revealed to have been a calculated strategy designed to
a calculated strategy designed to position himself advantageously
position himself advantageously regardless of how the truth about the
regardless of how the truth about the legitimization eventually emerged. As
legitimization eventually emerged. As the full implications of said at's
the full implications of said at's confession became clear to the small
confession became clear to the small group of people who were initially
group of people who were initially informed about it, King Daron faced the
informed about it, King Daron faced the most difficult decision of his reign.
most difficult decision of his reign. Revealing the truth about the forged
Revealing the truth about the forged legitimization would expose the
legitimization would expose the conspiracy and legally clear him of any
conspiracy and legally clear him of any responsibility for the crisis, but it
responsibility for the crisis, but it would also demonstrate his weakness as a
would also demonstrate his weakness as a ruler and potentially destabilize the
ruler and potentially destabilize the realm even further. Concealing the truth
realm even further. Concealing the truth would preserve his political position,
would preserve his political position, but would require him to continue
but would require him to continue governing based on a fundamental
governing based on a fundamental deception that had already caused
deception that had already caused immense damage to the kingdom. King
immense damage to the kingdom. King Darham's decision to reveal the truth
Darham's decision to reveal the truth about the forged legitimization decree
about the forged legitimization decree would prove to be both the most
would prove to be both the most courageous and the most catastrophic
courageous and the most catastrophic choice of his reign. The announcement
choice of his reign. The announcement made during a great council session in
made during a great council session in the late spring of 201 AC sent shock
the late spring of 201 AC sent shock waves throughout the seven kingdoms that
waves throughout the seven kingdoms that would reshape the political landscape
would reshape the political landscape for generations to come. The revelation
for generations to come. The revelation that the succession crisis had been
that the succession crisis had been based on fundamental deceptions
based on fundamental deceptions destroyed what remained of unity within
destroyed what remained of unity within the realm and set in motion the events
the realm and set in motion the events that would lead directly to the first
that would lead directly to the first Blackfire rebellion. The immediate
Blackfire rebellion. The immediate reaction to the king's announcement
reaction to the king's announcement varied dramatically depending on the
varied dramatically depending on the audience's previous loyalties and their
audience's previous loyalties and their assessment of the evidence presented.
assessment of the evidence presented. Lords who had remained faithful to
Lords who had remained faithful to Darren throughout the crisis felt
Darren throughout the crisis felt vindicated in their loyalty, but also
vindicated in their loyalty, but also betrayed by their discovery of how
betrayed by their discovery of how thoroughly they had been deceived by
thoroughly they had been deceived by people they had trusted. Those who had
people they had trusted. Those who had supported Darren found themselves facing
supported Darren found themselves facing the uncomfortable choice between
the uncomfortable choice between abandoning a cause they had believed
abandoning a cause they had believed just or continuing to support what they
just or continuing to support what they now knew to be a fraudulent claim. Damon
now knew to be a fraudulent claim. Damon Blackfire's response to the public
Blackfire's response to the public exposure of his role in the conspiracy
exposure of his role in the conspiracy revealed the complexity of his character
revealed the complexity of his character and the depth of his commitment to his
and the depth of his commitment to his cause. Rather than attempting to deny
cause. Rather than attempting to deny the accusations or flee the realm, he
the accusations or flee the realm, he publicly acknowledged his knowledge of
publicly acknowledged his knowledge of the forged decree while simultaneously
the forged decree while simultaneously declaring that legal technicalities
declaring that legal technicalities could not change the fundamental reality
could not change the fundamental reality of his fitness to rule. His argument
of his fitness to rule. His argument that merit and popular support mattered
that merit and popular support mattered more than documentary legitimacy
more than documentary legitimacy appealed to those who had supported him
appealed to those who had supported him for his personal qualities rather than
for his personal qualities rather than his legal claims. This defiant stance
his legal claims. This defiant stance transformed Damon from a pretender with
transformed Damon from a pretender with a fraudulent claim into something far
a fraudulent claim into something far more dangerous. A revolutionary who
more dangerous. A revolutionary who explicitly rejected the traditional
explicitly rejected the traditional basis of royal authority. By arguing
basis of royal authority. By arguing that his worth as a leader transcended
that his worth as a leader transcended legal legitimacy, he was challenging not
legal legitimacy, he was challenging not just King Dron's right to rule, but the
just King Dron's right to rule, but the entire system of hereditary monarchy
entire system of hereditary monarchy that had governed Westeros since the
that had governed Westeros since the conquest. His supporters could now frame
conquest. His supporters could now frame their cause as a struggle for
their cause as a struggle for meritocratic governance rather than
meritocratic governance rather than simple rebellion against lawful
simple rebellion against lawful authority. The revelation also exposed
authority. The revelation also exposed the full extent of foreign involvement
the full extent of foreign involvement in the conspiracy and its sophisticated
in the conspiracy and its sophisticated understanding of Westerosce political
understanding of Westerosce political dynamics. The evidence presented by
dynamics. The evidence presented by Brynden Rivers investigation revealed
Brynden Rivers investigation revealed that the associate agents had not simply
that the associate agents had not simply bribed a few corrupt officials, but had
bribed a few corrupt officials, but had identified and exploited fundamental
identified and exploited fundamental weaknesses in the realm's political
weaknesses in the realm's political structures. They had recognized that the
structures. They had recognized that the legitimization crisis would create
legitimization crisis would create exactly the kind of instability that
exactly the kind of instability that would prevent Westeros from projecting
would prevent Westeros from projecting power across the narrow sea. Grand
power across the narrow sea. Grand Maester Monkan's role in the conspiracy
Maester Monkan's role in the conspiracy was particularly shocking because it
was particularly shocking because it revealed how thoroughly foreign agents
revealed how thoroughly foreign agents had penetrated the most trusted
had penetrated the most trusted institutions of the realm. His position
institutions of the realm. His position had given him access to royal documents,
had given him access to royal documents, authority to authenticate official
authority to authenticate official proclamations, and the respect of nobles
proclamations, and the respect of nobles throughout the kingdom. His betrayal
throughout the kingdom. His betrayal demonstrated that no institution, no
demonstrated that no institution, no matter how venerable or trusted, was
matter how venerable or trusted, was immune to corruption when faced with
immune to corruption when faced with sophisticated foreign manipulation. The
sophisticated foreign manipulation. The exposure of the conspiracy also revealed
exposure of the conspiracy also revealed the complex motivations of its various
the complex motivations of its various participants. Some, like Monkan, had
participants. Some, like Monkan, had been genuine traitors. motivated by
been genuine traitors. motivated by foreign gold and promises of power in
foreign gold and promises of power in whatever regime emerged from the chaos.
whatever regime emerged from the chaos. Others had been idealistic reformers who
Others had been idealistic reformers who believed that changing the system of
believed that changing the system of succession might strengthen the realm by
succession might strengthen the realm by ensuring that the most capable rulers
ensuring that the most capable rulers reached power. Still, others had been
reached power. Still, others had been coerced or manipulated into
coerced or manipulated into participation through threats,
participation through threats, blackmail, or carefully constructed
blackmail, or carefully constructed deceptions about the conspiracy's true
deceptions about the conspiracy's true purposes. Ada Rivers emerged from these
purposes. Ada Rivers emerged from these revelations in a particularly complex
revelations in a particularly complex position. His knowledge of the
position. His knowledge of the conspiracy and his careful neutrality
conspiracy and his careful neutrality throughout the crisis suggested
throughout the crisis suggested sophisticated political calculation, but
sophisticated political calculation, but his ultimate loyalties remained unclear
his ultimate loyalties remained unclear even after the truth was revealed. Some
even after the truth was revealed. Some suspected that he had been planning to
suspected that he had been planning to support whichever brother emerged
support whichever brother emerged victorious, while others believed that
victorious, while others believed that he had been positioning himself to claim
he had been positioning himself to claim power for himself if both Darren and
power for himself if both Darren and Damon were discredited by the
Damon were discredited by the revelations. The reaction of the great
revelations. The reaction of the great houses to the exposure of the conspiracy
houses to the exposure of the conspiracy revealed the deep divisions that had
revealed the deep divisions that had developed within Westerosi society
developed within Westerosi society during the years of uncertainty and
during the years of uncertainty and manipulation. Some lords who had
manipulation. Some lords who had supported Damon based on their belief in
supported Damon based on their belief in his legitimacy immediately withdrew
his legitimacy immediately withdrew their support and proclaimed renewed
their support and proclaimed renewed loyalty to King Daron. Others argued
loyalty to King Daron. Others argued that the revelation of the conspiracy
that the revelation of the conspiracy only proved that the existing system was
only proved that the existing system was too corrupt to deserve preservation and
too corrupt to deserve preservation and that revolution might be necessary to
that revolution might be necessary to restore honor to governance. House
restore honor to governance. House Bracken's response exemplified the moral
Bracken's response exemplified the moral complexity of the situation facing noble
complexity of the situation facing noble families throughout the realm. Lord
families throughout the realm. Lord Bracken had genuinely believed that
Bracken had genuinely believed that supporting his grandson Ediggor Rivers
supporting his grandson Ediggor Rivers was both a family obligation and a
was both a family obligation and a patriotic duty. The discovery that his
patriotic duty. The discovery that his political positions had been influenced
political positions had been influenced by foreign manipulation forced him to
by foreign manipulation forced him to question not just his judgment but his
question not just his judgment but his understanding of his own motivations and
understanding of his own motivations and moral character. The faith of the seven
moral character. The faith of the seven found itself in an equally difficult
found itself in an equally difficult position as religious authorities
position as religious authorities struggled to provide moral guidance in a
struggled to provide moral guidance in a situation that seemed to have no clear
situation that seemed to have no clear ethical precedence. Traditional
ethical precedence. Traditional doctrines about legitimacy and divine
doctrines about legitimacy and divine right offered little guidance when the
right offered little guidance when the question was whether subjects owed
question was whether subjects owed loyalty to a king who had been deceived
loyalty to a king who had been deceived or to a pretender whose claim was
or to a pretender whose claim was fraudulent but whose character might be
fraudulent but whose character might be superior. Some septans argued that
superior. Some septans argued that divine will was expressed through the
divine will was expressed through the revelation of truth, while others
revelation of truth, while others maintained that political stability was
maintained that political stability was a religious value that transcended
a religious value that transcended questions about the origins of
questions about the origins of particular claims to power. The economic
particular claims to power. The economic implications of the revelations were
implications of the revelations were immediate and severe. The uncertainty
immediate and severe. The uncertainty surrounding the succession had already
surrounding the succession had already begun to affect trade and investment,
begun to affect trade and investment, but the exposure of foreign manipulation
but the exposure of foreign manipulation created new anxieties about the security
created new anxieties about the security of property rights and commercial
of property rights and commercial agreements. Merchants who had conducted
agreements. Merchants who had conducted business based on one set of political
business based on one set of political assumptions found themselves needing to
assumptions found themselves needing to recalculate their risks and
recalculate their risks and relationships based on entirely
relationships based on entirely different circumstances. The
different circumstances. The psychological impact of the revelations
psychological impact of the revelations on ordinary subjects of the crown was
on ordinary subjects of the crown was profound and longlasting. The discovery
profound and longlasting. The discovery that their political beliefs and
that their political beliefs and loyalties had been systematically
loyalties had been systematically manipulated by foreign agents created a
manipulated by foreign agents created a sense of violation that extended far
sense of violation that extended far beyond immediate political concerns.
beyond immediate political concerns. Many felt betrayed not just by their
Many felt betrayed not just by their leaders, but by their own inability to
leaders, but by their own inability to recognize the deceptions that had been
recognize the deceptions that had been practiced upon them. Shierra Sea Star's
practiced upon them. Shierra Sea Star's position following the revelations was
position following the revelations was particularly tragic. Her relationships
particularly tragic. Her relationships with both Damon and Brynden were now
with both Damon and Brynden were now understood to have been manipulated by
understood to have been manipulated by external forces from the beginning,
external forces from the beginning, making it impossible for her to trust
making it impossible for her to trust her own emotions or the sincerity of her
her own emotions or the sincerity of her suitors. The revelation that her beauty
suitors. The revelation that her beauty and influence had been systematically
and influence had been systematically exploited as weapons in a political
exploited as weapons in a political conspiracy transformed what should have
conspiracy transformed what should have been sources of power and pleasure into
been sources of power and pleasure into burdens that isolated her from authentic
burdens that isolated her from authentic human connection. The cultural and
human connection. The cultural and artistic impact of the revelations was
artistic impact of the revelations was equally significant. Bards who had
equally significant. Bards who had unknowingly spread propaganda found
unknowingly spread propaganda found their reputations destroyed and their
their reputations destroyed and their art suspect. Artists who had received
art suspect. Artists who had received patronage from compromised sources
patronage from compromised sources discovered that their work was now
discovered that their work was now viewed as politically tainted regardless
viewed as politically tainted regardless of their personal intentions or beliefs.
of their personal intentions or beliefs. The free exchange of ideas that had
The free exchange of ideas that had characterized the peaceful years of
characterized the peaceful years of Daron's reign gave way to suspicion and
Daron's reign gave way to suspicion and censorship as everyone became concerned
censorship as everyone became concerned about the potential political
about the potential political implications of creative expression. As
implications of creative expression. As news of the revelation spread throughout
news of the revelation spread throughout the realm during the summer of 201 AC,
the realm during the summer of 201 AC, it became clear that the kingdom had
it became clear that the kingdom had reached a point where peaceful
reached a point where peaceful resolution of the succession crisis was
resolution of the succession crisis was no longer possible. The exposure of the
no longer possible. The exposure of the conspiracy had not restored unity to the
conspiracy had not restored unity to the royal family or stability to the realm.
royal family or stability to the realm. Instead, it had revealed that the
Instead, it had revealed that the divisions were deeper and more
divisions were deeper and more fundamental than anyone had previously
fundamental than anyone had previously understood. The stage was set for open
understood. The stage was set for open warfare as various factions prepared to
warfare as various factions prepared to support their chosen claimants through
support their chosen claimants through military action rather than legal
military action rather than legal arguments. The revelation of the truth
arguments. The revelation of the truth had paradoxically made the situation
had paradoxically made the situation more dangerous rather than less so
more dangerous rather than less so because it had stripped away the
because it had stripped away the pretenses and accommodations that had
pretenses and accommodations that had allowed different groups to coexist
allowed different groups to coexist despite their fundamental disagreements.
despite their fundamental disagreements. King Deron found himself ruling a
King Deron found himself ruling a kingdom where a significant portion of
kingdom where a significant portion of the nobility no longer accepted the
the nobility no longer accepted the legitimacy of traditional monarchy,
legitimacy of traditional monarchy, where foreign enemies had successfully
where foreign enemies had successfully weaponized domestic political
weaponized domestic political differences, and where his own family
differences, and where his own family had been torn apart by deceptions so
had been torn apart by deceptions so sophisticated that their full
sophisticated that their full implications were still being
implications were still being discovered. The price of revealing the
discovered. The price of revealing the truth had been the destruction of any
truth had been the destruction of any possibility for the peaceful resolution
possibility for the peaceful resolution that had always been his preferred
that had always been his preferred approach to political problems. The
approach to political problems. The realm stood on the brink of a civil war
realm stood on the brink of a civil war that would be more devastating than
that would be more devastating than anything in its previous history. Not
anything in its previous history. Not because the issues at stake were more
because the issues at stake were more important than those that had driven
important than those that had driven earlier conflicts, but because the very
earlier conflicts, but because the very foundations of political legitimacy had
foundations of political legitimacy had been called into question in ways that
been called into question in ways that made compromise impossible and
made compromise impossible and reconciliation unthinkable. The first
reconciliation unthinkable. The first Blackfire Rebellion erupted in 202 AC,
Blackfire Rebellion erupted in 202 AC, exactly as the careful observers had
exactly as the careful observers had predicted. It must after the revelations
predicted. It must after the revelations about the forged legitimization decree.
about the forged legitimization decree. But standing here now, centuries later,
But standing here now, centuries later, examining the ashes of that great
examining the ashes of that great conflict and the four others that would
conflict and the four others that would follow, we can finally understand what
follow, we can finally understand what those who lived through these events
those who lived through these events could not. That the true tragedy was not
could not. That the true tragedy was not the wars themselves, but the inexurable
the wars themselves, but the inexurable logic that made them unavoidable once
logic that made them unavoidable once certain choices had been made. Damon
certain choices had been made. Damon Blackfire died on the red grass field in
Blackfire died on the red grass field in 205 AC. Blackfire still in his hand,
205 AC. Blackfire still in his hand, fighting alongside his twin sons, Aegon
fighting alongside his twin sons, Aegon and Aean, both of whom fell beside their
and Aean, both of whom fell beside their father in that final desperate charge.
father in that final desperate charge. Bittersteel escaped with the remaining
Bittersteel escaped with the remaining Blackfire heirs and founded the Golden
Blackfire heirs and founded the Golden Company in exile, carrying the Black
Company in exile, carrying the Black Dragon Banner across the narrow sea
Dragon Banner across the narrow sea where it would continue to threaten
where it would continue to threaten Targaryen rule for generations. The war
Targaryen rule for generations. The war that should have ended with Damon's
that should have ended with Damon's death instead became a curse that would
death instead became a curse that would haunt the realm for nearly six decades
haunt the realm for nearly six decades more. King Deron II survived the first
more. King Deron II survived the first rebellion. His throne secured by the
rebellion. His throne secured by the loyalty of Prince Belellorp and the
loyalty of Prince Belellorp and the ruthless efficiency of Brynden Rivers,
ruthless efficiency of Brynden Rivers, now fully transformed into the master of
now fully transformed into the master of whispers, whose name would become
whispers, whose name would become synonymous with both protection and
synonymous with both protection and terror. But the king who emerged from
terror. But the king who emerged from the civil war was changed in fundamental
the civil war was changed in fundamental ways. His faith in family bonds
ways. His faith in family bonds shattered. His belief in the possibility
shattered. His belief in the possibility of peaceful resolution destroyed by the
of peaceful resolution destroyed by the necessity of winning through violence
necessity of winning through violence what he had hoped to preserve through
what he had hoped to preserve through wisdom. The second Blackfire rebellion
wisdom. The second Blackfire rebellion in 2011 would be shorter but no less
in 2011 would be shorter but no less bitter. The third in 219 would be
bitter. The third in 219 would be briefer still. a lightning raid that
briefer still. a lightning raid that ended with Hagen Blackfire's death and
ended with Hagen Blackfire's death and Annies the Pretender's capture. Each
Annies the Pretender's capture. Each successive rebellion would be smaller in
successive rebellion would be smaller in scale but more desperate in character as
scale but more desperate in character as the surviving Blackfire claimments found
the surviving Blackfire claimments found themselves fighting not just for crowns
themselves fighting not just for crowns but for the survival of their bloodline.
but for the survival of their bloodline. The fourth rebellion in 231
The fourth rebellion in 231 brought Damon III Blackfire across the
brought Damon III Blackfire across the narrow sea with renewed hopes and
narrow sea with renewed hopes and foreign gold only to meet the same fate
foreign gold only to meet the same fate that had claimed his predecessors. By
that had claimed his predecessors. By then Aeen Vive sat the Iron Throne and
then Aeen Vive sat the Iron Throne and Brynden Rivers had become something
Brynden Rivers had become something beyond human understanding. The last
beyond human understanding. The last greasy watching through ravens and
greasy watching through ravens and weirwood trees his thousand eyes and one
weirwood trees his thousand eyes and one seeing threats that others could not
seeing threats that others could not imagine. The final rebellion, the war of
imagine. The final rebellion, the war of the nine penny kings in 260 AC would end
the nine penny kings in 260 AC would end with me the monstrous dead on the
with me the monstrous dead on the stepstones struck down by sir Barristan
stepstones struck down by sir Barristan Selme while still young. The last male
Selme while still young. The last male heir of the blackfire line extinguished
heir of the blackfire line extinguished forever. The Golden Company would
forever. The Golden Company would survive, but the cause that had created
survive, but the cause that had created it would die with its final claimment,
it would die with its final claimment, leaving only the bitter steel beneath
leaving only the bitter steel beneath the gold to remember what they had
the gold to remember what they had fought for across six decades of exile
fought for across six decades of exile and hope. Yet, as we trace the arc of
and hope. Yet, as we trace the arc of these five wars across a century of
these five wars across a century of Westerosi history, a different story
Westerosi history, a different story emerges beneath the surface narrative of
emerges beneath the surface narrative of rebellion and loyalty, of legitimate
rebellion and loyalty, of legitimate kings defending their thrones against
kings defending their thrones against pretenders and usurpers. It becomes a
pretenders and usurpers. It becomes a story about the price of secrets, about
story about the price of secrets, about how deceptions that seem necessary in
how deceptions that seem necessary in one generation become curses that poison
one generation become curses that poison the next. About the way that foreign
the next. About the way that foreign manipulation can exploit domestic
manipulation can exploit domestic weaknesses until they become endemic
weaknesses until they become endemic diseases. The foreign conspiracy that
diseases. The foreign conspiracy that had seemed so sophisticated and
had seemed so sophisticated and dangerous in 201
dangerous in 201 revealed itself over time to have been
revealed itself over time to have been merely the catalyst for conflicts that
merely the catalyst for conflicts that were already inevitable given the
were already inevitable given the structural problems within Targaryen
structural problems within Targaryen rule. The legitimization decree, forged
rule. The legitimization decree, forged or genuine, had created a situation
or genuine, had created a situation where multiple individuals with
where multiple individuals with plausible claims to power found
plausible claims to power found themselves competing within a system
themselves competing within a system that could only recognize one legitimate
that could only recognize one legitimate ruler. The foreign gold had accelerated
ruler. The foreign gold had accelerated and exacerbated the crisis, but it had
and exacerbated the crisis, but it had not created the underlying conditions
not created the underlying conditions that made civil war possible. Each
that made civil war possible. Each rebellion taught the realm new lessons
rebellion taught the realm new lessons about the nature of legitimacy and the
about the nature of legitimacy and the sources of political authority. Damon
sources of political authority. Damon Blackfire's argument that merit mattered
Blackfire's argument that merit mattered more than birth order found echoes in
more than birth order found echoes in later political movements throughout
later political movements throughout Westerosi history. Bittersteel's
Westerosi history. Bittersteel's creation of the Golden Company
creation of the Golden Company demonstrated how military
demonstrated how military professionalism could transcend
professionalism could transcend traditional loyalties and create new
traditional loyalties and create new forms of political organization. Brynden
forms of political organization. Brynden River's transformation into the master
River's transformation into the master of whispers showed how the necessities
of whispers showed how the necessities of security could reshape the
of security could reshape the fundamental character of royal
fundamental character of royal government. The human cost of these
government. The human cost of these conflicts extended far beyond the famous
conflicts extended far beyond the famous names who died in battle or the great
names who died in battle or the great houses whose fortunes rose and fell with
houses whose fortunes rose and fell with their chosen sides. Thousands of
their chosen sides. Thousands of ordinary soldiers, farmers whose crops
ordinary soldiers, farmers whose crops were burned, craftsmen whose shops were
were burned, craftsmen whose shops were looted, and merchants whose trade routes
looted, and merchants whose trade routes were disrupted, paid the price for
were disrupted, paid the price for political decisions made by people they
political decisions made by people they would never meet and in service of
would never meet and in service of causes they barely understood. But
causes they barely understood. But perhaps the greatest cost was paid by
perhaps the greatest cost was paid by the Targaryen dynasty itself, which
the Targaryen dynasty itself, which emerged from the century of Blackfire
emerged from the century of Blackfire rebellions fundamentally weakened in
rebellions fundamentally weakened in ways that would ultimately make it
ways that would ultimately make it vulnerable to the final rebellion that
vulnerable to the final rebellion that would destroy it. Each civil war had
would destroy it. Each civil war had required the kings to make compromises
required the kings to make compromises and alliances that reduced their
and alliances that reduced their independence and autonomy. Each victory
independence and autonomy. Each victory had been purchased with concessions that
had been purchased with concessions that limited future options and created new
limited future options and created new dependencies. The surveillance state
dependencies. The surveillance state that Brynden Rivers created to protect
that Brynden Rivers created to protect the realm from internal enemies became a
the realm from internal enemies became a model for royal government that
model for royal government that emphasized control over consent, fear
emphasized control over consent, fear over love, and efficiency over justice.
over love, and efficiency over justice. The precedents established during the
The precedents established during the Blackfire Wars would influence how later
Blackfire Wars would influence how later Targaryen kings approached threats to
Targaryen kings approached threats to their authority, contributing to the
their authority, contributing to the paranoia and isolation that would
paranoia and isolation that would eventually make them unable to respond
eventually make them unable to respond effectively to legitimate political
effectively to legitimate political opposition. The realm that survived the
opposition. The realm that survived the fifth and final Blackfire rebellion in
fifth and final Blackfire rebellion in 260 AC was prosperous and peaceful, but
260 AC was prosperous and peaceful, but it was also more centralized, more
it was also more centralized, more militarized, and more suspicious of
militarized, and more suspicious of descent than the kingdom that had
descent than the kingdom that had existed before Aeen the Unworthy's
existed before Aeen the Unworthy's death. The price of victory in the
death. The price of victory in the centurylong civil war had been the
centurylong civil war had been the transformation of Westerosi political
transformation of Westerosi political culture in ways that made it less
culture in ways that made it less resilient and less adaptable to future
resilient and less adaptable to future challenges. As we close this long
challenges. As we close this long examination of the Blackfire rebellions,
examination of the Blackfire rebellions, we're left not with simple lessons about
we're left not with simple lessons about loyalty and treason, legitimacy and
loyalty and treason, legitimacy and usurppation, but with more complex
usurppation, but with more complex questions about the unintended
questions about the unintended consequences of political choices, and
consequences of political choices, and the ways that seemingly rational
the ways that seemingly rational decisions can create irrational outcomes
decisions can create irrational outcomes when they interact with forces beyond
when they interact with forces beyond any individual's control or
any individual's control or understanding. The ghosts of these five
understanding. The ghosts of these five wars would continue to haunt Westeros
wars would continue to haunt Westeros long after the last pretender fell and
long after the last pretender fell and the last exile died in foreign lands.
the last exile died in foreign lands. The Golden Company would continue to
The Golden Company would continue to exist, its members remembering oaths
exist, its members remembering oaths sworn to kings who had been dead for
sworn to kings who had been dead for decades. The Great Houses would remember
decades. The Great Houses would remember which sides their ancestors had chosen,
which sides their ancestors had chosen, and carry those memories forward into
and carry those memories forward into new conflicts. The common people would
new conflicts. The common people would remember the stories of the black dragon
remember the stories of the black dragon and wonder whether their current rulers
and wonder whether their current rulers truly deserved their loyalty. In the
truly deserved their loyalty. In the end, the Blackfire rebellions become a
end, the Blackfire rebellions become a meditation on the nature of political
meditation on the nature of political authority itself. A centurylong
authority itself. A centurylong exploration of the question that lies at
exploration of the question that lies at the heart of all government. Why should
the heart of all government. Why should anyone obey anyone else? The answers
anyone obey anyone else? The answers that emerged from this long conflict
that emerged from this long conflict were complex, contradictory, and
were complex, contradictory, and ultimately unsatisfying, which perhaps
ultimately unsatisfying, which perhaps explains why the questions themselves
explains why the questions themselves refused to disappear even after the last
refused to disappear even after the last battle had been fought and the last
battle had been fought and the last pretender had fallen. The realm sleeps
pretender had fallen. The realm sleeps now beneath ancient stars, the great
now beneath ancient stars, the great castles quiet, the battlefields green
castles quiet, the battlefields green again with grass that grows over the
again with grass that grows over the bones of the forgotten dead. The ravens
bones of the forgotten dead. The ravens watch from their towers, carrying
watch from their towers, carrying messages that no living ear will hear,
messages that no living ear will hear, while the weirwood trees remember
while the weirwood trees remember everything and speak to no one. In the
everything and speak to no one. In the deep vaults of history, the truth waits
deep vaults of history, the truth waits patiently, neither judging nor
patiently, neither judging nor forgiving, simply preserving the record
forgiving, simply preserving the record of human choices and their consequences
of human choices and their consequences for whatever future generations might
for whatever future generations might care to learn from the mistakes and
care to learn from the mistakes and triumphs of the past.
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