#notbloodraven

[lullaebies]

Hey! I just love that green kids filled and I was wondering if you are willing to do another one (no pressure). Maybe one where they visit Oldtown to see Daeron before the Dance. Bonus if they get Alicent on a dragon🤭.

Daeron runs down spiralling staircases when he is told of his family’s arrival.

“You’ll break your legs before you’ll get to see them, you dimwit!” Lyonel chases him down with more cautionary steps. Ormund’s eldest has a critical tone that only has the audacity to bring forth to a prince, but Daeron is used to his friend and cousin. He trusts him more than that, he knows; when Lyonel wants to steal another bottle of wine from the kitchens, he’ll ask Daeron to be his partner-in-crime again. 

“A good luck’s wish, breaking a leg, is it not?” He yells back, jumping over several stairs in excitement. 

“No! Your brothers would have to carry you up to your rooms!” Lyonel retorts, scurrying to catch up with him. They reach the entrance hall in a few long strides, and Daeron looks back at the panting heir of the Hightower.

“They wouldn’t have to do a thing. You, however…” he trails off with a smirk. Lyonel does not seem amused, catching up with his breath. 

“You lay in your own bed. Break your skull during this visit, I’m not carrying you up the stairs.” 

“Clearly,” Bethany, Lyonel’s sister, chimes in, looking at her brother’s gasping form. The skirts of her teal dress twirled by Daeron’s feet as she came to stand by them. “Worry not. I would.”

Daeron laughs. “Why thank you, Bethany,” he says softly, as the doors to the Hightower open. Lord Ormund enters in with the royal entourage that Daeron had waited on for weeks. His eyes brighten as he sees his mother auburn curls, accompanied by the flock of silver-haired kin. The first barrage of hugs is of little ones; Aegon and Helaena’s twins spring forward hand in hand, jumping hard on the marble of Hightower’s hall.

“Jaehaerys, Jaehaera!” Alicent and Helaena exclaim at the same time as the twins' heads bump against his knees. Positively charmed, Daeron takes them both in his arms, glad to see their big eyes twinkling the same as his. 

“Long time no see, dear nephew and niece,” Daeron had come for Maelor’s birth feast, but he hasn’t seen either of them since; he gives them both kisses on the crown of their head. They are like little worms in his arms, but none would expect Helaena’s babes to be any different, and their sweet excitement is all the more endearing. 

“I want to see Tessie,” Jaehaerys demands almost immediately, grabbing his face. He and Jaehaera very much liked Tessarion upon first seeing her. He’s not surprised.

“Tessa,” Jaehaera corrects. The twins never reached an agreement on what’s the proper nickname for his dragon. Still, he brightens at their excitement. He has no doubt Lord Ormund is chuckling about him there, with Alicent and Aemond, and Helaena smiles his way while she speaks with maids about sleepy Maelor, who had been dozing against her chest.

Hence, it is Aegon who comes forward to him first. “Don’t let it get to your head, they say the same for Sunfyre nearly every day.” 

“For Sunfyre or Tessarion, I wouldn’t say it is unwarranted,” Daeron answers. Aegon cracks a smile, the cynical mask breaking off. “Am I right?”

“It would be a miracle to catch you in a mistake, brat.”

Daeron is very thankful to Bethany, who opens her arms to take the twins as if on cue. Daeron puts Jaehaera in her hold, and gives Jaehaerys to a surprised Lyonel. He’ll manage. He goes to hug his brother. By the time he lets go, the rest of his family surrounds them both. 

Alicent, Aemond, and Helaena and even who he now recognizes to be Ser Criston stand around him. Lord Ormund presents him with prideful eyes. “Your boy has turned into a fine man, Your Grace.”

“My Daeron,” Alicent says, and comes forward. There is the attempt to reach his forehead, but on her tiptoes she only reaches his cheek with her kiss. “It is so good to be home. I had known you’ll thrive here, with such fine company,” she tells him, looking at Lyonel and Bethany. “Should I relieve you of the children, dear cousins?”

Lyonel, who had his jade amulet nearly ripped from his neck by Jaehaerys, looks at her as if he'd seen salvation itself. Bethany, on the other hand, let Jaehaera hide between her auburn locks happily. “I could hardly let go. Daeron has always maintained that Princess Helaena is a good mother, but it is very easy to see with this sweet princess in my arms.”

“You’re too kind,” Helaena tells her, patting Maelor’s head. She glances at Daeron with twinkling eyes. “But I think you have your own talent in it, Lady Bethany.” 

Aegon wrestles with his son to come back into his hands after some pointed looks from both Alicent and Aemond. Jaehaerys latches onto his father’s chains instead, pulling. “I wanna see Tessie!” 

“Ouch!” Aegon exclaims. “Twerp, relax!”

Aemond snorts under his breath at the scene, and comes forward to give him half a hug. He had been looking him up and down for a while. “We should listen to our nephew. I haven’t seen you fly for long, little brother. Surely you’ve only improved?”

“We’ve only just arrived to set out again, Aemond,” Alicent interjects.“It must be another carriage ride away to Daeron’s dragon, is it not?” She asks Lord Ormund, perhaps hoping he’d be as enthusiastic about it as her. His mother is rather anxious around dragons, preferring to be a far away spectator rather than come up close as it is. But if she thought she’ll find comfort in Lord Ormund’s answer, she is sorely mistaken.

“Quite the opposite, your Grace. The cobalt beast made its nest on the top of the Hightower,” Lord Ormund says. “We suspect she likes the beacon’s fire.” “Tessie!” Jaehaerys grabs onto Aegon’s hair, standing excitedly on his hands. Aegon yelps, and Helaena laughs some; all while Jaehaera stares at him. She is curled up against Bethany, but her big violet eyes are locked on him. 

“To Tessa!.” She demands, and he as well as all around them realize there is little choice. Daeron grins.

Little choice, but a fortunate pick of it, if you ask him.

“My nephew and niece’s requests come first,” Daeron says. “We should show you the beauty of the city from above.”

—

Tessarion is sleeping on the top of the shelter of the beacon. It is like a strange oven she curls against, while her very own blue flames warm the surface she lays on from below. The sky dragon den that is the top of the Hightower has become a personal spot for him. Not many people are brave enough to come to it. Daeron had long had to take over lighting the beacon, but Lord Ormund had told him that it’s fine. 

“It is an exchange, as far as I’m concerned. Take this on as your duty, and do not neglect it. Light this city brightly with dragonfire. In return, you could earn yourself more than just discipline and humility; but also the love and pride of all that watch you come back, day after day.”

“I don’t think we should interrupt Tessarion, Daeron,” mother says as she comes out to what feels like the top of the world. Bethany and Lyonel went with their father to their duties, and now he and his family are all alone to explore. Alicent’s hands had been taken by the twins, who had done nothing less than drag her with them. Both of the children squeal when they hear Tessarion snore, little smoke coming from her snout as she does. Alicent pales further. “Be quiet, sweeties, we must mind… those who are asleep.”

Aegon snorts, while Aemond watches the dancing blue fire with some interest. Helaena had been introducing wide-eyed Maelor to the sea, minding Tessarion as much as she’d mind a spider. There’s a pretty sea to Oldtown, but there is so much else he wanted them to see.

“She won’t be roused unless you give her reason to, mother,” Daeron says, and comes to rest against the stone safety rails. “Come over here. You can see the Starry Sept from here,” he points out the dome-shaped building. Alicent steps forward beside him, squinting at the black marble building, as well as the seven-pointed star carved into it.  

“It’s quite far away, but the view of the Honeywine running by it is lovely,” Alicent says, trying to calm by him. He appreciates her attempt.

“It is,” he agrees. Aemond and Aegon help lift the twins so they could see themselves. “And there’s the Citadel,” he then continues to point at a giant building in the heart of the city. He looks at the twins. “Those statues there are of sphinxes. Riddling monsters, with faces of men and bodies of beasts.”

The twins balk at that, big gasps coming from little mouths.

“You are trying to scare them, Daeron?” Aegon asks, readjusting his hold on Jaehaera.

“The opposite! Those who learn at the Citadel seek to beat any riddle, and defeat any sphinx like that,” Daeron explains, cheeks reddening. He refuses to add that he goes there a few times a week; now that the explanation left his mouth, he feels rather embarrassed. “I wanted them to know they’re always safe here…”

“They know it,” Helaena says softly, and looks down at baby Maelor. “Right?”

The boy babbles some in response. Both twins offer interpretations, but the rest of them can only laugh.”

“You have a dragon about you,” Aemond says, his gloved hand brushing through Jaehaerys’s locks. “No need for anything else for protection.”

Daeron brings a hand to the back of his neck, trying to ignore his  embarrassment. “I would like to have some wit about me, still,” he says.

“We didn’t hear about your crashing onto farmlands with Tessarion since, so I say you are gaining your brain,” Aegon answers. Daeron flushes fully red.

“It was one time!” 

A crackle from Tessarion comes, and they all look back. She woke up, shaking her head as she did. The twins exclaim at her moving. Alicent keeps herself behind Daeron, a hand on his shoulder as the dragon hops down to their platform.

“She grew quite a bit,” Aemond notes as Tessarion approaches. “Flights would have to be easier now.”

“You should show yourself better than before, Daeron,” Helaena says. Her voice is absent minded, but entirely purposeful. “Mother couldn’t see the Sept properly. Perhaps you should take her closer?”

“Helaena,” Alicent exclaims. “I am not—”

“No, she’s right,” Aegon eggs her own. “You should go see the sept, Mother.”

Alicent looks at Aemond, who likewise seems to have no mercy. “We’ve come by carriage for you, Mother.”

It feels like old dinners, where they all banded together to annoy mother again. Ormund’s family had become a second family to him, but this nostalgic feeling takes over, and he feels just as right here; something he had been worrying the distance between them all would’ve taken away from him.

Tessarion comes by their side, sniffing the lot of them. Daeron thinks she knows just as well that these are all kin, when the little twins reach out to her scales and his siblings surround her. Daeron holds out a hand to his anxious mother, offering. Alicent used to hold his hand everyday, and he missed the security of her warm palm taking him to see the world. Whenever he had been scared, she made sure to hold him until it went away.

He has grown and changed, and has the mind to know he should return the favor. Filial piety is a grace described in every book, but he would like to repay his debt to his mother specifically. I’d like to offer you the same thing.

“Mother, have faith in me?” he asks.

Alicent looks between his siblings, nephews and niece, and the dragon, before her brown eyes land back on him. 

“I have too much of it,” she answers, and takes his hand. “The Seven help me.”

Oldtown shines brightly, from above the skies. Perhaps the people below could hear the Queen yell at the initial take-off, and certainly someone heard the laughter that followed from the princes and princesses on the top of the tower, but as the sun shone down on them all there had been a sense of pride, love, and home.

[lemonhemlock]

Hey!

Relating to what @redrosesandcharmingsouls ask. Do you think that Viserys and Otto, even Daemon to extent complicated relationships extend to the fact that Jaehaerys chose Otto as his hand after Baelon died.

I always seen it as Otto was groomed in a way to be Viserys' hand. In someways they do balance out each other. And that also plays into Daemon’s relationship with Viserys. He wants to be hand, he wants that relationship that Otto has with Viserys.

Hmmmm.....

We're going to have to base the answer on book lore in this case. Show lore is going to be different because the ages are different, but these details are not provided currently and who knows if they ever will be.

But textually Jaehaerys was 67 years old in 101 AC when Baelon died, Viserys was 24 and Daemon was 20. Now, Jaehaerys was an old man and had only two more years to live, he wasn't exactly predisposed to naming a 20-year-old impulsive Daemon to become his Hand.

We don't know Otto's age exactly, but we do know Alicent was born in 88 AC, so he must have been old enough then to father her. I'm choosing the very early, very arbitrary age of 16, which would make Otto 29 years old in 101 AC. It's very unlikely he married that young, though, so he was most likely older when he became Hand. In this situation, it's very understandable why he was chosen instead of Daemon or Viserys. Whether Daemon, with his brash filtre, would interpret this as a slight or another reason to consider himself aggrieved is a different matter.

Jaehaerys did probably think that giving Otto the opportunity to gain experience as Hand would also help his preferred choice of King (Viserys) in the long run. You're also right that Daemon has probably coveted the position of Hand for quite some time. But he was still too young in 103 AC and still very chaotic, whereas Otto had proven himself to be a steady hand and adept enough at administration for Viserys to have kept him on.

What the Realm needed after settling a succession crisis was stabilisation, not further trouble. Daemon was just not the right person for that and his behaviour since Viserys became King was not indicative of someone with the potential to take on so much responsibility. He asks his brother to set aside his marriage with Rhea Royce, which is always a controversial move in any political climate, and flip-flops between several short-lived political offices: master of coin, master of laws, the City Watch. Needless to say, he was not removed from those posts because he did such a good job. In a way, you have to laugh at Daemon's insistence on becoming Hand, because he probably would have thought the post very boring and uninspiring.

[hurremsultanns]

I was going to write a long ass ask on how when people try to compare Hurrem and Alicent, others get angry. I saw in the tags of one such post that Hurrem went against the patriarchy because under her the Sultanate of Women started vs. Alicent who put her son on the throne over his sister.

I think the view is very shallow and the comparison is how both of them navigate the system. And the Sultanate of Women began historically because Hurrem was the first woman to legally marry a Sultan. Sulieman created a title for her, Haseki Sultan, for her. At the end no one wins in the system and a lot of fans in both shows fail to see that.

Honestly judging women in their settings by whther or not they were 'against the patriarchy' is extremely reductive. It is relevant to analysing female characters. But female characters can definitely be interesting without doing that. I'm also a Shiv stan. And Shiv is very much guilty of perpetuating misogyny and patriarchy.

[ceoofhelaegon]

That person did not spend a whole hour writing a dissertation, as I soon as I saw them defend Daemon...the jig was up🥴. I am not Otto biggest fan but give jack his fucking jacket, he was a good administrator.

Missing the point that Rhaenyra and Viserys are reflection of each other is so funny too. They are both not politically savvy and also remarried knowing that their heirs are in precarious positions.

Also this talk she would have been a good "Qween during pEaCe TiMe" is bs. Leaders who are remembered in History are the ones who can lead there country through hard times.

I also love the change of subject, it was about Otto and somehow Alysanne got dragged into it lol.

They love to drag other stuff that has nothing to do with what we we’re saying in the first place.

[istumpysk]

Know everytime I see knockoffs, Imma associate it to Val. Thank you very much Stumpy🤣🤣🤣.

I’m okay with this being my legacy.

[kellyvela]

Aemond got us in choke hold, I am adding this behind Jonsa!!!

[emilykaldwen]

The Maiden and the Drowning Boy - Year 126 AC

“What don’t you understand?” he asked and his fingers slowly loosened from her hair and pet her curls back into place before drawing his fingers slowly down her jaw and along her hammering pulse in her throat. “Do you not understand how badly I crave you? Because I thought that I made it abundantly clear.” The wicked smirk she adored cut across his plump mouth and he squeezed her throat gently, pulling a gasp from her. “Abrogail Strong, I desire and crave you to madness and if I let myself go, I fear that I won’t keep myself from devouring you whole.”

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[florisbaratheons]

Stealing this from @notbloodraven.

Aegon lashing out so cruelly at Aemond seems to be an effort in making Aemond feel as badly as he does and blaming him for Jaehaerys without actually saying the words. Aegon reads people really well, he knows what buttons to push. So poking at Aemond's vulnerabilities would get him to feel the way he wants him to feel. I think if he flat out confronted him for Jaehaerys's death, Aemond would tune him out and push blame off.

[aifsaath]

A bigger version to be found HERE

ALL HAIL THE GREEN KING! Another chapter of Our Fathers Clad In Red (me & the resident graphomaniac and editor, @gwenllian-in-the-abbey) is ON.

@lemonhemlock , @branwendaughterofllyr, @lairapocus @alexandria-millie @prodogg, @ara-meyy, @maryonaccross, @theothermaidoftarth, @evabluepark888, @aleksandravill, @kingsroad, @notbloodraven, @darylandbethfanforever9, @duxbelisarius, @johannawesterling

[agentrouka-blog]

Some book! jonsa fanfics recommendations? pleaseeeee <333

Hi anon!

The last time I made a list of bookverse jonsa fic was in late 2021, in this post.

I've added a few more to my AO3 bookmarks since then!

(Disclaimer: These reflect not a commentary on popularity or overall quality. I only bookmark those for rereading that fit my extremely specific tastes, the fandom has MUCH more to offer.)

I'm leaving out anything that veers too far off book canon, regardless of how good it may be, so while many of these are AUs to some extend, they won't be modern or regency or anything like that.

for the wars by ganymede_elegy (@cellsshapedlikestars) is a bookverse AU that veers of canon early and well. Jon doesn't join the Watch - and he is not Rhaegar's son, either. An excellent exploration of the Stark family dynamics in the time of war, both bitter and genuinely sweet.

My Maid of Stone is a WIP by @undercovercaptain is a bookverse "Jon goes to the Vale" AU, and already the first chapter is delightful. Come for the premise, stay for the sheer beauty of imagery and language.

Dance by @esther-dot is a short and very sweet pre-parentage reveal moment. <3

he flies by his own wings by TrishTan (@notbloodraven) is a WIP and actually an extremely different "Rhaegar won" AU, with a dark Targ bastard Jon, but it's definitely bookverse flavored and it's just all around excellent, hilarious and absolutely unique, so.. you know, enjoy!

a wind with a wolf's head by Juliet_Capulet is a bookverse Sansa-centric WIP (unfinished) where she travels North and reunites with Jon at the Wall, great Sansa voice, really captures her book personality.

Worth The Keeping by @undercovercaptain - the sequel to Beneath my Bones - is a lovely post-parentage reveal exploration. Romance, atmospheric nature descriptions, angst with a soft reward (to quote the author's approach to jonsa) - what more can you want?

Willowy Creature by @esther-dot is a lovely short post-canon happy ending moment. <3

What We Want by @justadram is a lovely jonsa fic from way back in 2013, both dark in its exploration and sweet in its execution. Set in the Vale.

By Firelight by @undercovercaptain (goodness me, how can she be in this list so often, is it because she is amazing??) and it's basically, soft and dreamy Married Idiots in Love in the gentlest way possible.

Safe and Sound by alemoncakelife is an unfinished WIP blending show and book canon post Season 4. Sansa heads North. 21 chapters and lots of plot!

Varg-hamr / Wolf-skin by @undercovercaptain is all about the Girl in Grey from warg!Jon's perspective! Gorgeous, riveting stuff!

That should about cover my new additions! I hope there's something there for you to enjoy!

[gwenllian-in-the-abbey]

So @aifsaath and I are working on Chapter 8 of Our Fathers Clad in Red and thought we'd share a sneak peek:

It was the final chest that caught her interest. Smaller than the others, it was filled with personal effects, a rather haphazard assortment of sketches, some done by an adult hand, others clearly childish drawings. A painting of a large blue spider that must have been one of Jae’s creations, and then a rather skillful if still childish rendering of a keep set upon a green hill. Had Jaehaerys possessed a talent for painting? She knew next to nothing about Aegon’s sons.

There were other small keepsakes, children’s toys and ribbons, as well as several leather bound volumes. Baela picked one up and opened it to a sketch of Lord Tyland seated with Otto Hightower at a feast, their cups raised in toast. The next page was a drawing of a younger Aegon, slumped comically in a high backed chair, his mouth slack with sleep. Baela’s lips twitched and she resisted the urge to tear the page from the book and take it for her own.

Setting the sketchbook aside, she picked up another volume, opening it at random. The page was filled with a delicate, curling script.

Jaehaera is cutting new teeth again and is constantly fussy. Mother tied some cloves up in a cloth for her to chew, and that seemed to provide her some relief, although she was up in the night again. The nurse brought her to me, very apologetic. Of course Aegon was nowhere to be found, although he must have returned to the Keep at some point because he was sprawled in his bed this morning and would not rouse for anything, not even when I threatened to turn grandfather loose upon him. I don’t think I will, even though I ought to and he would well deserve it.

It was Queen Helaena’s diary, Baela realized, although the man she described hardly seemed to be the Aegon Baela had come to know. Baela knew that she should not keep reading, but curiosity won out, and she turned the page.

Tags below the cut

@theothermaidoftarth @dr-aegon @branwendaughterofllyr @prodogg @notbloodraven @kingsroad @evabluepark888 @baellaggio @aleksandravill @vhagar-balerion-meraxes

[lemonhemlock]

Your idea of one of Viserys Aunts being Alicent mom is giving plot bunnies. Plus I want it to be Viserra , like imagine the possibilities. She would have the Red Keep upside down!!!

I have a soft spot for Viserra, she is such a lmao character. And the artwork for her cracks me up. She looks exactly like a highly-spirited miss. 😅 Viserra and Viserys in the Red Keep, can you imagine? ☠️

Further consideration: what if Viserra managed to bond with a dragon? Further further consideration: what if Alicent managed to bond with a dragon??

Wake up, fanfic writers, new homework just dropped! 🤘

[horizon-verizon]

Alicent stans unprovoked, everyday: and fuck Daenerys Targaryen, can’t wait for this imperialist and white supremacist slaver to get slaughtered by a man in the books.

Also them the next day: do not ever compare that useless fat prostitute Rhaenyra to thee mother of dragons.

Absolutely NO ONE believe they stan Daenerys, the overwhelming majority of Alicent’s stans are first and foremost Sansa’s stans (and Catelyn and Elia) who always HATED Daenerys (hill’s alive, sayruq, agentrouka-blog, glorianas, elegantwoes, notbloodraven, ladyqueenofwinter, etc, etc).

I never researched this myself, but from what I've seen it's very plausible that they are the ones would say that and then the next day the other.

[the-daily-dreamer]

I got tagged by @blackcat419 for the me-coded character game. Thank you for the tag love!!

Here’s my characters I relate to on a deep level.

I chose Marianne Dashwood, Belle, Anastasia, Flora, Aethelflaed, and Anne Shirley

Tagging: @tartheanmaid @sansaissteel @chiss-and-crackers @notbloodraven and anyone else who wants to participate :)

[ceoofhelaegon]

What do you think of season 2? And what do you think of Helaena supporting Daemon? And Aegon who escaped without Jaehaera and Helaena...

One word? Shit.

God, the writing was atrocious and I am baffled that people got paid for this pile of shit.

The most horrific thing that happened in the history of Westeros, save for the sacking of Kingslanding with Elia Martell and the children was glossed over like it was nothing.

No one says Jaehaerys' name and in the show canon, we STILL haven't heard Jaehaera's name which is INSANE.

Alicent is a psychopath and a dumbass, can't believe they proved the patriarchy right by showing us that Alicent shouldn't have been Aegon's Regent, and that's saying something, considering that the current Regent tried to commit regicide.

And you can tell the writers don't know anything about medieval society because why the fuck was Alicent yapping about being "free" and "unnoticed" girl, you're the wife of a former King and the mother to another, these kind of words shouldn't even be allowed in her vocabulary.

And also, as @notbloodraven mentioned in her post, Alicent is condemning Helaena and Jaehaera into a life of poverty because they don't have any money nor lands to survive.

"We're leaving Kingslanding" TO WHERE?! Certainly not Oldtown after you sold out everyone, including the son that you were worried about not being kind.

I'm assuming Aegon leaving without Helaena and Jaehaera will be retconned, Larys will say something like: "She's safe in Storms End"

I don't think Helaena was supporting Daemon, more egging him on, kind of accelerationist on her part, you know? She was gloating about Aegon seeing victory so don't think that was her supporting him at all.

But who knows? Maybe she was, since the writing is so shit.

#freetheactorsofthisshit

[duxbelisarius]

The Dance of the Dragons: A Military Analysis (Pt. 4)

Before we begin, a huge thank you to those readers who have continued following these posts (in particular @notbloodraven, @branwendaughterofllyr and @lemonhemlock). If this is your first post you’ve seen, parts 1, 2 and 3 are all linked here.

Before analyzing the campaigns and battles of the Dance, we must first determine the army size of the Blacks and the Greens; doing so allows us to determine the military strength of the factions relative to each other, and by extension their capacity for waging war in pursuit of their goals. The numbers provided in the text unfortunately veer between straight forward and indeterminable, based on their convenience to George’s narrative.

Excluding the Iron Islands, which fought no major battles on land, the text gives us straightforward army sizes for the North, Vale, Westerlands and Stormlands. According to The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Triumphant, Roderick Dustin led a force of 2000 Northmen into the Riverlands to support the Blacks (the so-called “Winter Wolves”). Cregan Stark subsequently led his own host south after the return of Aegon II, which Septon Eustace and Maester Munkun place at 20000 and 8000 respectively. Gyldan places it at twice the size of the Lads’ Riverlands army or c.12000, giving the North a total force of 14000 troops. The Vale reportedly assembles 1500 knights and 8000 men-at-arms at the same time as Cregan’s march, eventually sending out 10000 men under Leowyn Corbray. Finally, Borros Baratheon assembles near 6000 men upon calling his banners per Rhaenyra Triumphant, but The Short, Sad Reign of Aegon II tells us that Borros had only 600 knights and 4000 foot soldiers with him when he marched on King’s Landing.

As for the Westerlands, Jason Lannister leads a host of 1000 armoured knights and 7000 archers and men-at-arms against the Riverlands; the destruction of this host at the so-called “fish feed” is said to have slain or scattered the greater part of the west’s chivalry, suggesting that 8000 was the ceiling for the Westerland’s army size. This figure conflicts with other numbers provided by TWOIAF and F&B, with the former stating that 1000 Lannister knights and 10000 men-at-arms fought in the War of the Ninepenny Kings; the latter states that the Lannister-Gardener host at the Field of Fire numbered 55000, of which the Gardener’s brought half again as many as the Lannisters, suggesting a split of between 20 to 22000 Westermen and 33 to 35000 from the Reach. 

The task of determining the army size of the Crownlands is a far more difficult one, as George never provides us with solid numbers within the text. The Crownlands houses that we know fought in battles during the Dance are as follows: Rosby, Stokeworth, Darklyn, Staunton, Crabb, Brune, Celtigar and Hayford. We’re told that 100 men of House Staunton were killed when Criston Cole sacked Rook’s rest, while the 800 men killed in the battle would have included men from House Stokeworth, Rosby and Darklyn that had switched sides to Aegon II. Aemond and Criston Cole attacked Harraenhal with an army of 4000 men, which almost certainly included Crownlanders given that Aemond called his banners before hand. We also know that Cole led 100 knights and 500 men-at-arms from the royal household against Duskendale and Rook’s Rest along with 1800 sellswords, so the 4000 men cannot only be from the Crownlands. 

Those from the ‘Green’ side of the HOTD fandom are likely well aware of the notoriety of the Riverlands army, the size of which seems to fluctuate based on the needs of the plot. The best figure to go off of from Fire & Blood is that of Aegon’s army at the Field of Fire, which numbered 11000 men primarily from the Riverlands. House Tully’s forces can be estimated by comparing the forces of Addam Velaryon at Second Tumbleton and the Lads army that fought at the Kingsroad. The World of Ice and Fire and F&B both suggest that Elmo Tully led forces at Second Tumbleton, but neither Elmo nor the Tully forces are mentioned in the actual accounts of the battle in F&B or the original Princess and the Queen. Addam’s force was about 4000 strong and comprised of troops from house Frey, Blackwood, Piper, Darry, Vance (presumably Wayfarer’s Rest), Smallwood, Vypren and Deddings. We know that the Lads’ army contained Tully troops and was nearly 6000 strong, comprised of troops from house Frey, Blackwood, Darry, Mallister, Vance and Bracken. Given that the Riverlords suffered only 100 casualties at Second Tumbleton, we can assume that there was crossover between those who fought there and who later marched with the Lads; assuming that the Brackens could substitute for the forces of house Smallwood, Vypren and Deddings, this would place House Tully’s forces at about 2000 men. 

In The Hour of the Wolf, Gyldan states that the Tullys possessed less land and a smaller army that the Blackwoods, Brackens, Vances and Freys, while we know from Catelyn’s second chapter in A Storm of Swords that Walder Frey supplied 1000 knights and 3000 infantry to Robb Stark. Between 2500 to 4000 men seems a reasonable estimate for these houses, given the Riverlands a potential army of between 12 and 18000 men including the Tullys and no other houses, or c. 8000 to 12000 excluding the Brackens and the Vances of Atranta, This is without including any of the other houses that fought in the Dance (Mooton, Piper, Roote, Darry, Mallister, Smallwood, Wode, Bigglestone, Chambers, Perryn, Grey, Charlton, Vypren, Deddings), nor does it consider all the figures provided by George. 

Aside from the armies raised by Addam Velaryon and the Lads, the only other host whose size we are given is that which fought at the Lake Shore (the “Fish Feed”) and the Butcher’s Ball. Aside from the 2000 ‘Winter Wolves,’ Forrest Frey commanded 200 knights and 600 foot at the Lakeshore, alongside 300 archers led by Robb Rivers of Raventree. These were joined by survivors from earlier battles alongside Lords Bigglestone, Chambers and Perryn, with Garibald Grey, Jon Charlton and Benjicot Blackwood arriving later. When this host appears again at the “Butcher’s Ball,” it consists of 300 mounted knights, 300 longbowmen, 3000 archers and 3000 Riverlands infantry, and all that remained of the Winterwolves (less than a third of their original strength). This would give the Riverlords over 7000 men if we factored in casualties from the Lakeshore, resulting in a grand total of 13000 men between the Lakeshore host and that of the Lads. Factoring in losses from the other battles fought in the Riverlands, it seems likely that the Blacks could have raised 15 to 17000 men.

Determining the size of the Reach’s armies is somewhat easier thanks to George offering some numbers for the armies raised, though considerable guesswork is involved. Although the Hightowers did not send troops to the Field of Fire, the size of the Gardener host at the battle gives us a number to work back from. The Gardener host probably numbered 33 to 35000 men as referenced earlier, while Maester Munkun places the size of Ormund Hightower’s army prior to 1st Tumbleton at over 20000, of which 10% were mounted knights. Ormund’s original force comprised 1000 knights, 1000 archers and 3000 men-at-arms, accompanied by ‘uncounted thousands” of sellswords, freeriders, camp followers and ‘rabble.’ If we assume the number of freeriders and sellswords was similar to the sellswords that fought beside Criston Cole at Rook’s Rest, Ormund would have an additional c.2000 men. If we assume that non-combatants (ie the camp followers and ‘rabble’) accounted for c.3000, then Ormund’s host would be 10000; House Rowan and the other Blacks of the Reach would likewise have 10000 troops, based on Gyldan’s comment that the Rowans descended on the Mander with a host of equal size. The other 13 to 15000 can be accounted for between the forces of House Tarly, Beesbury and Costayne and those houses that later surrendered to Ormund and Daeron. Of course this method does not account for House Tyrell and those houses not mentioned in the Dance, but it allows us to work with what little numbers George gives, however crude the calculations might be. 

I’ve decided to forgo a discussion of population estimates for Westeros, so I’ll link Atlas of Ice and Fire’s blogpost on the subject and a video by TWOIAF editor Elio Garcia which address this subject. Suffice it to say that the army sizes arrived at above are well below what Westerosi population estimates suggest they would be, and this can be chalked up to discrepancies between George’s writing in the main books and his side works. The total army sizes using our figures above come out to c. 40000 on either side, though not all of these forces were active at the same time during the Dance. 

Thank you for following along if you’ve made it this far; I promise it gets FAR most interesting from this point onwards, as we’ll begin analyzing the ground battles of the Dance. Stay tuned for Part 5, and as always, the replies and my inbox are wide open if you have questions/want to chat!