Caraxes

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House Targaryen.svgCaraxes
the Blood Wyrm
House Targaryen.svg
Rogues cover.jpg
Caraxes and Daemon Targaryen,
Rogues cover art by Ken Laager.

Alias the Blood Wyrm[1]
Owners
Species Dragon
Born In before 72 AC
Died In 22nd day of the 5th moon of 130 AC, the Gods Eye
Books

TV series House of the Dragon: Season 1

Caraxes, called the Blood Wyrm, was a dragon ridden at first by Prince Aemon Targaryen[1] and later by Prince Daemon Targaryen.[2]

Description

Caraxes was red, huge, and lean. In battle he was formidable, fearsome, and experienced. By the end of his life, Caraxes was considered an old and cunning dragon.[3]

During the Dance of the Dragons, Caraxes was about half the size of Vhagar, the oldest and largest dragon alive at the time.[3] Meleys was faster than both Caraxes and Vhagar.[1]

History

Aemon the Prince of Dragonstone

It is unknown when Caraxes hatched from his egg but by 72 AC he was a young dragon of rideable size. That year, Aemon Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone and heir apparent of the Iron Throne, claimed Caraxes for the first time. The Dragonkeepers considered him to be the fiercest of all the young dragons of the Dragonpit and nicknamed him the "Blood Wyrm". The Targaryen siblings Alyssa, Baelon and Aemon liked to fly together on their dragons (Meleys, Vhagar, and Caraxes respectively).[1]

Aemon used Caraxes against the Dornish fleet during the Fourth Dornish War in 83 AC.[1] When rogue Myrmen invaded parts of the island of Tarth in 92 AC, Aemon flew to the island on Caraxes's back to help lords Cameron Tarth and Boremund Baratheon fight back the invaders. Caraxes easily outdistanced the Velaryon fleet led by Lord Corlys Velaryon in the process. Caraxes was eating goats when Prince Aemon was killed by a crossbow bolt in the throat.[1]

Daemon the Rogue Prince

By 105 AC, Aemon's nephew, Prince Daemon Targaryen, had claimed Caraxes as his mount. Daemon took his paramour Mysaria with him on Caraxes when he retreated from King's Landing for Dragonstone.[4]

Daemon used Caraxes during the War for the Stepstones (106115 AC). During those years, Daemon divided his time between the Stepstones and Dragonstone where he would often fly with his niece, Princess Rhaenyra, and her dragon Syrax. After Daemon remarried to Lady Laena Velaryon, the newly wed toured the Free Cities of Essos with their dragons Caraxes and Vhagar. Huge crowds came to see both dragons everywhere they went.[4]

At the start of the Dance of the Dragons, Daemon landed Caraxes atop Kingspyre Tower during the assault on Harrenhal.[5]

Atop Caraxes later in the civil war, Daemon challenged Aemond Targaryen and Vhagar at Harrenhal. All four were killed in the ensuing Battle Above the Gods Eye. At the end of the fight, Vhagar locked with Caraxes and they fell into the Gods Eye. While in freefall, even as Vhagar's claws opened up Caraxes's belly and used her teeth to tear off one of his wing-arms, Caraxes locked his teeth onto the larger dragon's throat and tore it out. Vhagar did not survive the force of the fall. Somehow, Caraxes managed to live long enough to pull himself out of the water and onto the shore, even though his entrails were falling out and one of his arms had been torn clean off. The dragon soon died in front of the walls of Harrenhal.[6]

Known dragonriders of Caraxes

Quotes

He does love to burn.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Fire & Blood, The Long Reign - Jaehaerys & Alysanne: Policy, Progeny, and Pain.
  2. The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon II.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - The Blacks and the Greens.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Fire & Blood, Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession.
  5. Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - A Son for a Son.
  6. Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Triumphant.