Battle at Rook's Rest

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Battle of Rook's Rest
Conflict Dance of the Dragons
Date 129 AC
Place Rook's Rest
Result victory for the greens
Combatants
The greens The blacks
Commanders
Ser Criston Cole
King Aegon II
Prince Aemond
Lord Staunton+
Rhaenys Targaryen+
Strength
more than 800 greens
Sunfyre
Vhagar
100 blacks+
Meleys+
Casualties
800 greens+
Aegon II (injured)
Sunfyre (injured)
100 blacks+
Lord Staunton+
Rhaenys Targaryen+
Meleys+

The Battle of Rook's Rest took place at Rook's Rest in the Crownlands during the Dance of the Dragons.

Prelude

Ser Criston Cole, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and the new Hand to King Aegon II Targaryen, devised a more aggressive strategy than his predecessor as Hand, Ser Otto Hightower. Criston's force of greens sacked Duskendale and planned a trap for the blacks at Rook's Rest.

Lord Staunton closed the gates of Rook's Rest, but was unable to prevent Criston from burning his fields or killing his smallfolk and livestock. He asked for assistance from Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen by sending a raven to Dragonstone.[1]

Battle

Nine days later, Rhaenys Targaryen, the Queen Who Never Was, and her dragon, Meleys, the Red Queen, arrived above Rook's Rest to aid Lord Staunton. However, Criston was prepared and had his archers and scorpions fire at Meleys. The dragon was largely unharmed by these attacks, and she responded by burning Criston's soldiers with dragonfire.

Meleys was then attacked by King Aegon II Targaryen atop Sunfyre and Prince Aemond Targaryen atop Vhagar. The aerial combat between the two dragons of the greens and the one dragon of the blacks saw the deaths of Rhaenys and Meleys. However, Aegon suffered severe burns, while his dragon Sunfyre was rendered flightless from the fight with Meleys.

After the deaths of Rhaenys and Meleys, Aemond, Criston, and the surviving greens took Rook's Rest and killed Lord Staunton and his garrison of one hundred soldiers.[1]

Aftermath

The loss of both Rhaenys Targaryen and her dragon, Meleys was a severe blow to the blacks. Rhaenys's husband, the Sea Snake Corlys Velaryon, was enraged and blamed her death on Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, stating that if the queen or her sons had gone with their dragons, his wife might be alive. The heads of Lord Staunton and Melys were taken to King's Landing.

Ser Criston Cole lost 800 soldiers to Meleys's dragonfire. King Aegon II Targaryen was incapacitated by his burns for a year; Prince Aemond Targaryen became regent while his brother recovered. Aegon's injured dragon Sunfyre was left behind and ate carcasses and livestock. Lord Walys Mooton successfully recaptured Rook's Rest for the blacks, then was slain in a failed attempt to kill Sunfyre.[1]

References and Notes