Battle at Rook's Rest

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Battle at Rook's Rest
Sunfyre rook's rest.png
Aegon II Targaryen and Sunfyre are badly injured by Rhaenys Targaryen and Meleys, as depicted by Jordi Gonzales Escamilla in The World of Ice & Fire.
Conflict Dance of the Dragons
Date 129 AC
Place Rook's Rest
Result Victory for the greens
Combatants
Rhaenyra Targaryen.svg House Targaryen/Blacks Aegon II Targaryen.svg House Targaryen/Greens
Commanders
House Staunton.svg Lord Staunton
House Targaryen.svg Princess Rhaenys Targaryen
Kingsguard.svg Ser Criston Cole
Aegon II Targaryen.svg King Aegon II Targaryen
House Targaryen.svg Prince Aemond Targaryen
Strength
Rook's Rest garrison
Meleys
More than 800 greens
Sunfyre
Vhagar
Casualties
100 blacks
Lord Staunton
Rhaenys Targaryen
Meleys
800 greens
Aegon II (injured)
Sunfyre (injured)

A battle at Rook's Rest took place in the crownlands during the Dance of the Dragons.

Prelude

Ser Criston Cole, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and the new Hand of the King to Aegon II Targaryen, devised a more aggressive strategy than his predecessor as Hand, Ser Otto Hightower. After the sack of Duskendale, Criston's greens planned a trap for the blacks at Rook's Rest.[1]

Lord Staunton closed the gates of Rook's Rest, but he 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.[1]

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. Aegon suffered severe burns, however, and Sunfyre was rendered flightless from the fight with Meleys.[1]

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 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 Meleys were taken to King's Landing.

Ser Criston Cole lost eight hundred 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.[1]

Lord Walys Mooton later led the retaking of Rook's Rest for the blacks, then was slain in a failed attempt to kill Sunfyre.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - The Red Dragon and the Gold.