User blog:The Dragon Demands/The History of House Targaryen. Part IV: The Dance of the Dragons

Okay kid, this is where it gets complicated...

The Dance of Dragons is the name given to the devastating civil war between two rival branches of House Targaryen, which lasted for three years from 129 to 131 AL, during which most of the Targaryen dragons were killed. So few dragons survived that they could not maintain a stable breeding population (i.e. maybe two or three). The last two dragons were sickly, stunted creatures not much bigger than large dogs, which died only a few years after the Dance ended. Ultimately, the Dance resulted in the believed extinction of the entire species of dragons - for about a century and a half, that is, until Daenerys Targaryen hatched three live dragons.

The events surrounding the Dance with Dragons have only been described vaguely and in passing during the main A Song of Ice and Fire series, but are the focus of the prequel novella titled The Princess and the Queen, released in December 2013. As such, there are still some gaps in our knowledge.

While the exact sequence isn't clear, the Dance of Dragons is meant to loosely parallel the real-life civil war between King Henry I of England's heirs. Viserys I had one female heir through his first marriage who was the assumed heir (Rhaenyra) but was usurped in a civil war by her half-brother from her father's second marriage (Aegon II). Similarly, Henry I had a single surviving heir apparent who was female (Empress Matilda), yet she was usurped in a civil war by a male heir from a younger branch of the family (Stephen).

The Great Council of 101 AL
King Jaehaerys I enjoyed a very long and peaceful reign of fifty-five years, from 48 to 103 AL. He ruled alongside his sister-wife Good Queen Alysanne, aided by his skilled Hand of the King, Septon Barth.

Jaehaerys I, however, was the only king in history who was succeeded by his grandson, skipping over his own son. For a long time it was assumed this may have been simply because he lived to such a great age, but there was also lingering suspicion that his son died young. Jaehaerys I's grandson was King Viserys I, who was also in general a good king. He ruled the Seven Kingdoms after a long era of peace and prosperity which continued into his own reign, and he seemed plump and amiable, without behaving gluttonous or self-absorbed. Viserys I originally married a woman from House Arryn. The fact that Viserys I didn't marry another Targaryen, as per their incestuous marriage customs, strongly implies that he was not near the head of the line of succession originally. Viserys I's mother was Rhaenys, named after the first Rhaenys who was the sister-wife of Aegon I. Rhaenys was later remembered as "The Queen Who Never Was" due to the fact that her husband was never crowned king, outlived by his own father, and thus the crown passed straight from Jaehaerys I to his grandson Viserys I. Rhaenys was the daughter of one "Aemon Targaryen" and Jocelyn Baratheon. Mention is also made of Jaehaerys's older son "Baelon".

Given that the Dance of the Dragons is meant to parallel the succession crisis at the end of the reign of King Henry I of England, it appears probable that there was some sort of parallel to the "White Ship Disaster" - in which Henry I's original male heir was killed in a shipwreck, leaving his daughter Matilda as the only direct heir. Keeping that in mind, it seems that Baelon may have died unexpectedly, forcing the line of succession to go through Aemon and his children.

In any event, Balerion the Black Dread is also known to have died near the end of Jaehaerys I's reign, not in the Dance of Dragons. A possible narrative parallel is that Baelon and Balerion somehow died in a tragic accident (struck by lightening?). Balerion's skull is eventually recovered and seen in the Red Keep, so he wasn't simply lost at sea or something. Thus the entire reason that Jaehaerys I had a Great Council in 101 AL to clear up the matter of his line of succession might be because of a sudden death in the family (there wouldn't be another known Great Council until the death of Maekar I a century later).

King Viserys I (r. 103-129 AL)
Viserys I's one fault was in the folly of his remarriage, which would eventually tear apart the realm, though only after his death. He had two sons with his first wife but they died in infancy, and he had a single daughter with his Arryn wife: Rhaenyra Targaryen. Viserys I's Arryn wife then died, so since Rhaenyra was a little girl she was raised with the assumption that she would be the royal heir.

Viserys I later remarried to Alicent of House Hightower, the rulers of Oldtown, who gave him four children, including three sons and one daughter. Thus the seeds of the Dance of the Dragons were sown. However, Viserys I still publicly declared that Rhaenyra was his heir, and even had the great lords of the realm swear major oaths and sign legal contracts to confirm this. Alicent's four children were Aegon, Aemond, Daeron, and daughter Helaena.

Rhaenyra first married to the lord of House Velaryon, and had three sons with him before his death. However, many believed that the boys were actually fathered by Rhaenyra's lover Harwin of House Strong, current rulers of Harrenhal. Rhaenyra later remarried to her own uncle, Daemon Targaryen, younger brother of her father Viserys I. She had two sons with Daemon, the future Aegon III and Viserys II. Her sixth and last child, born to Daemon, was a stillborn daughter.

Alicent Hightower's palace coup: Aegon II usurps the throne
Aegon II started out as almost a puppet for his mother Queen Alicent Hightower, and at first, he did not even want to seize the throne. His mother only managed to get him to go along with the plan when she convinced him that Rhaenyra would eventually strike first and kill his daughters, because if his bloodline lasted one of his descendants might eventually challenge one of hers in the future

When Viserys I died in 129 AL, Queen Alicent kept his passing secret for as long as she could while assembling her loyalists into position in the Red Keep. Princess Rhaenyra was away at Dragonstone, resting as she was eight months pregnant. Alicent convened the Small Council and declared that her son would be crowned as Aegon II - with the support of the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Criston Cole, afterwards remembered as "the Kingmaker", as well as her own father Otto Hightower, who had been Viserys I's Hand of the King for many years.

When Viserys I died and Queen Alicent staged the palace coup, the only member of the Small Council who spoke against Aegon II's succession was Lord Lyman Beesbury, an elderly man in his eighties who had skillfully served as Master of Coin for over thirty years, not only under Viserys I but even under his grandfather Jaehaerys I. Alicent had him executed as a result, but this hobbled Aegon II's Small Council by robbing it of an experienced Master of Coin, particularly given that they needed funds for the war. The Lannisters were wooed into his allegiance by naming Tyland Lannister the new Hand of the King, but they frequently butted heads. Tyland was the younger brother of the current lord of House Lannister, and had previously served as Master of Ships under Viserys I.

When news reached Rhaenyra on Dragonstone that her half-brother had declared himself king in opposition to her, she became so distressed that she went into premature labor and her daughter was stillborn, as well as badly deformed (similar to Daenerys Targaryen's stillborn son Rhaego generations later). Rhaenyra blamed her brother and his supporters for causing the death of her daughter, adding further fuel to her hatred of them.

At the outset, when Rhaenyra first declared war against the coup, Aegon II sent an envoy to her with relatively generous peace terms, offering her the continued rule of Dragonstone if she would submit to him. When she refused, however, something snapped in Aegon II, and he pursued increasingly vicious and ruthless action. As the three years of the war passed he came out from his mother's shadow and began making decisions in his own right - many of which actually hurt his cause.

The Blacks and the Greens
Needless to say, tensions between Princess Rhaenyra and Queen Alicent were always high. At one point some years prior to Viserys I's death, both worse extravagant gowns to a tournament: Alicent wore a green dress while Rhaenyra wore Targaryen colors, a black dress with red highlights. Two rival political factions had been forming around the two, and after this incident at the tournament the two factions became popularly known as "The Blacks and the Greens" (Blacks for Rhaenyra supporters, Greens for Alicent/Aegon II supporters).

The Seven Kingdoms were divided in the Dance of the Dragons, indeed, eerily mirroring the same pattern in which they would later split during Robert's Rebellion over a century later. Aegon II controlled King's landing and the mainland of the Crownlands, while Rhaenyra controlled Dragonstone and the islands in the Narrow Sea that are part of the Crownlands. The Vale and the North declared for Rhaenyra. The Riverlands were divided, as they often are, but many of the major Riverlands Houses sided with Rhaenyra, particularly their overlords House Tully, as well as Rhaenyra's close allies House Strong, who controlled Harrenhal. Thus Rhaenyra loosely controlled the northern half of the realm. The Westerlands supported Aegon II due to making Tyland Lannister Hand of the King. The Hightowers were of course Aegon II's biggest supporters, and despite being a vassal of House Tyrell were as strong as the Lords Paramount who ruled other regions of Westeros which were much poorer. The Reach, as a whole, did not side with one faction or the other, but was itself split. The current lord of House Tyrell was a young boy with a female regent, thus House Tyrell itself was in no position to fight and officially declared its neutrality. Other powerful Houses of the Reach, however, over whom they had a weak hold, did as they would. While the Hightowers provided massive aid to Aegon II's faction, a large number of Reach Houses also sided with Rhaenyra. The Iron Islands followed their usual strategy of being concerned only for themselves, and opportunistically shifting allegiance from one moment to the next depending on which side seemed to be in a better position to bribe them off. Dorne was not yet united to the realm and maintained its isolationist stance by staying out of these affairs.

The most crucial point is that at the beginning of the conflict, the Stormlands were on the fence, and both sides attempted to woo them into allegiance. Ultimately Storm's End joined Aegon II's faction, drastically changing the outcome of the war. If Aegon II only controlled the Crownlands, Westerlands, and Hightowers of Oldtown, he might not have been able to last for as long as he did - but the Stormlands entering into Aegon II's camp evened the odds and prolonged the war.

The Blacks: Rhaenyra Targaryen's faction
Targaryen incest practices reached quite a high degree in this era, exacerbated by multiple remarriages. House Targaryen had entered into a double-marriage alliance with their old allies House Velaryon, in which the brother-sister pair of Laenor and Laena Velaryon married the niece-uncle pair of Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen. Both Laenor and Laena later died, after which Rhaenyra married her own uncle Daemon. Both Rhaenyra and Daemon had remaining children from their previous marriages - who on the Velaryon side were also first cousins.

Complicating matters even further was that Rhaenys, Rhaenyra's paternal grandmother and the "Queen That Never Was", remarried to Corlys Velaryon: Laenor and Laena were themselves the children of Rhaenys and Corlys. Rhaenys was already the mother of both Viserys I and Daemon. Thus Daemon's first wife Laena was actually his half-sister, and he later remarried to his own niece Rhaenyra - thus Rhaenyra's children with Daemon were also her own first cousins, while Rhaenyra's son Aegon III was both the second cousin once removed and half sister of Baela.


 * Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, First of Her Name. Daughter of King Viserys I and his first wife from House Arryn. Rider of the "she-dragon" Syrax.

Rhaenyra's first husband was Laenor Velaryon, rider of the dragon Seasmoke. After he died, Seasmoke would bond to no other, and lived out in a state of semi-retirement on Dragonstone.

Rhaenyra's children by Laenor Velaryon (rumored to be fathered by Harwin Strong):


 * Jacaerys "Jace" Velaryon. Rider of Vermax.
 * Lucerys "Luke" Velaryon. Rider of Arrax.
 * Joffrey "Joff" Velaryon. A boy of twelve. Bonded to the young dragon Tyraxes, barely yet old enough to fly much less fight.

Rhaenyra's children by her second husband, her own uncle Daemon Targaryen (her father's younger brother):


 * Aegon the Younger (the future Aegon III). A young boy, bonded with the young dragon Stormdancer, as yet too young to ride.
 * Viserys the Younger (the future Viserys II). An even younger boy, possessing no dragon, only an egg (which never hatched).
 * One stillborn daughter, whose death at the outset of the civil war fueled Rhaenyra's hatred of Aegon II.

Meanwhile, Rhaenyra's current husband and one one of her major champions was Daemon Targaryen, younger brother of Viserys I. A super-Targaryen thought to be Aegon the Conqueror come again. A warrior and adventurer of boundless energy. Rider of the dragon Caraxes, whom he frequently rode in military expeditions to the Stepstones. Caraxes was thus not only one of the largest dragons Rhaenyra's faction possessed but the most battle-hardened. When Daemon rode astride Caraxes and the beast let out its roar, entire armies were known to flee before his coming.

Children of Daemon Targaryen by his previous marriage to Laena Velaryon:


 * Baela Targaryen. Rider of the dragon Moondancer. A great warrior and one of the major champions of the Blacks.
 * Rhaena Targaryen. Did not possess a dragon. She did once possess a small hatchling but it had died before this point, due to unspecified circumstances. Known as "Rhaena of Pentos" due to the city of her birth - her father Daemon frequently traveled and campaigned in Essos.

Further, Rhaenyra enjoyed the support of the dowager "Queen That Never Was" Rhaenys Targaryen, mother of Viserys I and thus Rhaenyra's paternal grandmother. Rhaenys was herself a dragonrider, bonded with "Meleys the Red Queen" (apparently a confirmed egg-layer).

The Greens: Aegon II's faction
Aegon II was the son of Queen Alicent Hightower, and was crowned king as the result of her palace coup.

Alicent Hightower had four children with King Viserys I, three sons and one daughter:


 * King Aegon II. Rider of Sunfyre.
 * Aemond One-Eye. Rider of Vhagar, last of the original Targaryen dragons, grown ever more great and powerful with age.
 * Daeron. Rider of Tessarion, the Blue Queen (apparently a confirmed egg-layer, as Rhaeenys's dragon Meleys is called the "Red Queen").
 * Helaena, Alicent's only daughter. Rider of Dreamfyre, who had once belonged to Princess Rhaena, older sister of Jaehaerys I and Alysanne. Following Targaryen custom, Aegon II married his own sister Helaena, and had three children with her.
 * Jaehaerys and Jaehaerya, male and female fraternal twins, six years old at the beginning of the Dance. Each of them actually had their own hatchling dragons at the start of the Dance (i.e. the size of Daenerys's dragons in Season 2). Jaehaerys's dragon was named Morghul, and Jaehaerya's dragon was named Shrykos. These hatchlings were so small that they were usually omitted from the count of dragons which Aegon II's faction possessed, which was usually given as only four.
 * Maelor, a two year old son. Possessed no dragon.

Dragons between the Conquest and the Dance
The main A Song of Ice and Fire novels consistently state that after the extinction of the dragons, the Targaryens continued to preserve nineteen dragon skulls on display in the Red Keep. This vaguely implied that there were only ever nineteen Targaryen dragons. However, information from The Princess and the Queen reveals that there had to be more than nineteen Targaryen dragons.

The Targaryens actually brought five dragons with them when the moved to Dragonstone from Valyria. Four of them died, leaving Balerion as the sole surviving Valyrian dragon. The other dragons did leave eggs behind, however, from which hatched Vhagar and Meraxes (who never saw Valyria). We don't know if the Targaryens preserved the skulls of these first four dragons.

During the Dance, the official number given was that Rhaenyra and the Blacks controlled twelve dragons, while Aegon II and the Greens controlled only four. However, Rhaenyra and Daemon both realized that many of their dragons were not battle-ready, and while Aegon II only had four dragons they were all powerful fighters ready for battle.

That being said, both sides apparently didn't include hatchlings in this count: dragons only counted if they were big enough to ride. Some of Rhaenyra's sons had dragons were were technically big enough to ride for long distances, but which she considered to be too young to have hope of fighting the older dragons possessed by Aegon II. For that matter, the Targaryens apparently only preserved the impressive-looking skulls of adult dragons, not hatchlings who suddenly died. Rhaena Targaryen is stated to have had a dragon, but it died before the Dance when it was only a hatchling. The last two of the nineteen skulls preserved in the Red Keep were only the size of a large dog's, and belonged to the stunted last dragon - they may have only been preserved because they were of the last known dragon.

The next record we have of the number of dragons extent at any one time is when Jaehaerys I and Alysanne rode six dragons to Winterfell - though this isn't necessarily all that they possessed at the time, i.e. some may have been too young to fly great distances. If an older dragon was left riderless it is unknown if it would still take part in the flight. These included Alysanne's dragon, Silverwing. Meraxes was actually dead by this point. Balerion was probably one of them as he only died near the very end of Jaehaerys I's reign. Thus it probably consisted of Vhagar, Balerion, Silverwing, and three other dragons.

King Aenys I bonded to a younger dragon named Quicksilver. It may have been of the same generation of Silverwing, following the naming scheme, and as both were presumably alive by the middle of Jaehaerys I's reign - though no subsequent mention has as-yet been found of Quicksilver in the Dance.

Dragon biology
The exact genealogy of the dragons is not yet certain, though all Targaryen dragons descended from Aegon I's original three. Subsequent generations, after the dragons went extinct, forgot several key details about their biology. Dragons are said to have been mutable like flame, and could actually shift gender between male and female as the needs of the species required (as certain known species of amphibians actually do). Keep in mind that like other reptiles, dragons only have a cloaca and no external sex organs, so to the untrained eye, their biological sex was as difficult to easily determine as it would be for normal reptiles (like lizard-lions). Therefore few suspected that they could actually shift their sex. This knowledge wasn't entirely forgotten but was openly questioned by maesters of later centuries (though a few maesters adamantly insisted this was the case). Indeed, the mutability of dragon biological sex is evidence in the High Valyrian language, which uses many gender-neutral nouns. Dragons are usually referred to by default as "he" (in the sense of "it"), but it isn't clear if they start out as male but can switch to female, or if they are hermaphrodites that shift to either characteristic; surviving accounts seem to indicate that they're not outright hermaphrodites but shift from one biological sex to the other.

Several dragons are remembered as female, referred to as "she", even in later histories which openly doubt that dragons could switch sexes. With no other determinant, this indicates that dragons remembered as "female" are ones known to have laid eggs. Both Meraxes and Syrax are referred to as "she-dragons". Dragons referred to as "Queens" were quite probably egg layers who had produced adult progeny (notably, "queen" is technically the proper term applied to female felines). Meleys was the "Red Queen" and Tessarion was the "Blue Queen".

Dragons who died before the Dance
Four out of five of the dragons which the Targaryens took to Dragonstone died, but disregarding these, only two adult dragons are known to have died before the Dance.


 * Meraxes - Targaryen attempts to conquer Dorne during the initial War of Conquest were frustrated by guerrilla warfare. That Dornish would simply flee before the Targaryen dragons and armies, then harass their supply lines in the night. Faced with six other kingdoms to reign in, the Targaryens under Queen Rhaenys withdrew. Rhaenys apparently went on renewed campaigns in Dorne, and in the final one of these the Dornish were actually able to ambush and kill both Rhaenyra and her dragon. Meraxes is stated to have been killed with multiple crossbow bolts through the eyes. Dragons are powerful but not outright invincible, ad sustained arrow fire can eventually take one down. Meraxes is referred to using feminine pronounes ("she"), which may imply that Meraxes laid eggs before it died.
 * Balerion, the Black Dread. Died in unknown circumstances near the end of the reign of King Jaehaerys I. May have died in a catastrophe which also took the life of Jaehaerys I's son, resulting in the succession skipping to Jaehaerys I's grandson. Balerion probably didn't die naturally: dragons only grow stronger with age, not weaker, and no one is sure if they even can die of old age.

This only accounts for adult dragons, however: given the example of Rhaena, it isn't certain if hatchlings were born but died before adulthood in this time period, and were thus ignored by later historians.

Dragons during the Dance
The official count given of dragons at the start of the Dance was four for the Greens and twelve for the Blacks, but these numbers are misleading. The Blacks recognized that many of their dragons were either riderless or never even had a rider. Others, such as the dragons of Rhaenyra's sons, were included in the count of twelve because they could physically fly long distances, but were still very young and not really ready for battle against other full-grown dragons. Moreover, neither side included in this count dragons who were so young that they could not support a rider, which included two for the Greens (Morghul and Shyrkas) and one for the Blacks (Stormdancer).

Controlled by the Greens:
 * Vhagar - ridden by Aemond One-Eye. Last of the original three Targaryen dragons, and originally ridden by Visenya Targaryen. As dragons only grow more powerful with age, Vhagar was now one of the most powerful living dragons, with 130 years of extra growth and combat experience compared to its already formidable prowess during the original War of Conquest.
 * Sunfyre - Aegon II's dragon
 * Dreamfyre - dragon of Queen Helaena, brother of Aegon II. Originally belonged to Princess Rhaena, older sister of Jaehaerys I and Alysanne.
 * Tessarion, the Blue Queen - Daeron's dragon.

Possessed by the Greens but not battle-ready:
 * Morghul - bonded with Jaehaerys, son of Aegon II.
 * Shrykos - bonded with Jaehaerya, twin of Jaehaerys and daughter of Aegon II.

A dragon mentioned as fighting for Aegon II's side was "Vermithor", who engaged in combat and even killed other dragons, but it is uncertain how it fits into this list. Vermithor was ridden by Hard Hugh Hammer.

Controlled by the Blacks:
 * Syrax - ridden by Queen Rhaenya. Called a "she-dragon", possibly another egg-layer.
 * Caraxes - ridden by Daemon Targaryen. One of the largest and most battle-hardened dragons of its day.
 * Meleys, the Red Queen - ridden by Queen-That-Never-Was Rhaenys, Viserys I's mother and Rhaenyra's paternal grandmother.
 * Moondancer - ridden by Baela Targaryen, Daemon's daughter from his first marriage to Laena Targaryen. His younger daughter Rhaena had a dragon at one point, but it died as a hatchling before the Dance.

Rhaenyra's three older sons, from her first marriage, all possessed dragons. They were all very young, however, and only the oldest two had dragons capable of flying. Their ability to fly long distances with a rider technically made them count as "battle-ready" but even Rhaenyra and Daemon were wary to send them into combat against other dragons:


 * Vermax - ridden by Rhaenyra's eldest son Jacaerys "Jace" Velaryon. Sent on a mission to the Eyrie and the Winterfell to rally them to Rhaenyra's side.
 * Arrax - ridden by Lucerys "Luke" Velaryon. Sent to Storm's End to try to sway it to Rhaenyra's side, only to accidentally arrive at the same time that Aemond arrived on the great dragon Vhagar, also seeking the same goal.
 * Tyraxes - bonded with the youngest of Rhaenyra's oldest three sons, Joffrey "Joff" Velaryon, a boy of twelve. Tyraxes was barely old enough to support a rider's weight for short distances and could not really fly for long distances reliably - much less fight another dragon.

Rhaenyra's sons from her second marriage, to Daemon Targaryen, only had one dragon, too young to even consider using:


 * Stormdancer - belonged to Aegon the Younger (the future Aegon III). Aegon himself was still only a child, and Stormdancer was too young to carry his weight at all.

Rhaenys's first husband Laenor Velaryon had ridden a dragon, but after his death it did not bond with another rider and was considered "retired" at the beginning of the Dance:


 * Seasmoke - ridden by Laenor Velaryon, "retired" to Dragonstone without a rider

Dragonriders, dragon-bonding, "retirement", and "wild dragons"
Certain other dragons may have been in a state of temporary "retirement" because they had no current rider. After Aegon I died his son Maegor instantly bonded with Balerion, but perhaps sometimes a dragon would accept no new rider after the death of its previous one - possibly forever, sometimes for long gaps until it encountered a new rider who could easily bond with it. Silverwing and Quicksilver may have been among these, originally: as yet no mention has been made of Quicksilver in the Dance. Silverwing was active in the Dance, and may have been possessed by Aemon II's faction - but it wasn't included in the count of four "active" dragons, implying that it was in a riderless state at the beginning of the Dance, but it is known that it later actively fought in it.

Thus the initially riderless and "retired" dragons, from either side, included:


 * Silverwing
 * Quicksilver - assuming it was still alive
 * Seasmoke

"Bonding" with a dragon is a difficult and little-understood process, believed to be limited only to members of the Targaryen bloodline, the blood of Old Valyria which once rode dragons for centuries. Others say that this is a lie that Targaryens propagated to convince others that only they could ride the dragons so no one would try to steal them, a lie which later generations of Targaryens came to believe themselves. Whether this is true or not, or if it was a lie but Rhaenyra and Aegon II honestly believed it, cannot be easily determined. That being said, having Targaryen blood apparently helped when it came to bonding with a dragon. There were times, however, when a member of the Targaryen bloodline still proved incapable of bonding with a riderless dragon.

Usually there were more Targaryen heirs than there were dragons, but by the time of the Dance, the number of dragons had exceeded the known living members of the Targaryen bloodline. Apparently, unless a dragon is bonded with when it is a hatchling or at least very young, if it reaches adulthood without ever being bonded to a rider it will turn "wild". These "wild dragons" were not "found in the wild" out in Essos or the wreck of Valyria, rather they were adult dragons who had never known a rider, and thus grew so unruly that they were believed to be forever untameable. Rhaenyra's faction "possessed" three of these wild dragons during the Dance - in the sense that they nested on Dragonstone island, which she controlled. Growing up untamed, they flew and hunted about the island as they wished, terrorizing the commonfolk and stealing their livestock.

The original generation of Targaryen dragons had been named after the gods of Old Valyria. Some of the younger ones apparently continued this tradition, i.e. "Caraxes" and "Tessarion". Younger generations of Targaryen dragons were given elegant descriptive names, like "Silverwing" or "Moondancer". In contrast, the wild dragons were never bonded so they never received formal names, only loose descriptors applied to them by the commoners of Dragonestone. Thus the greatest of these wild dragons had the inelegant name "Sheepstealer", which it had earned when it was just a juvenile making off with farmer's sheep. These three "wild" dragons included:


 * Sheepstealer
 * Grey Ghost
 * The Cannibal

Quest for the Dragonseeds
As the Dance progressed, Rhaenyra Targaryen realized that her faction had more dragons than it did riders (unlike Aegon II's faction). Thus a major goal of her faction in the war became the quest for the "dragonseeds" - forgotten Targaryen bastards from over the years. As was believed, only those who possessed the "blood of Old Valyria" could ride dragons, which made these forgotten bastards suddenly of vital importance to the entire war.

After a series of adventures not given in detail, the Blacks were able to find two such dragonseeds. The first was an unacknowledged bastard teenaged girl from the Riverlands, known only as Nettles, who had been living in obscurity and unaware of her royal bloodline. Nettles hadn't been acknowledged and thus didn't possess a special bastard surname. Despite spending her life until this point as a complete nobody, a bastard teenaged girl forgotten by the world, Nettles suddenly surged to the forefront of realm-wide affairs when she was discovered during the Dance. She became one of Daemon Targaryen's chief champions, and an able dragonrider. She may have even bonded with the ferocious Sheepstealer, previously thought to be impossible (both of them had been essentially abandoned and left to their own devices for many years by their relatives; perhaps they were of a kindred spirit). The second of the dragonseeds was an acknowledged bastard girl named Alys Rivers, described as a seer: she inherited the much rarer, latent Targaryen gift for prophetic dreams.

The Dance begins
At the outside of the Dance, there were twenty living dragons. Meraxes and Balerion were already dead. Quicksilver hasn't been mentioned but this count assumes it was still alive. At least one dragon was born but died as only a hatchling, which belonged to Rhaena Targaryen. It is unknown if other hatchlings had previously died before reaching adulthood.

The Greens possessed four battle-ready dragons: Vhagar, Sunfyre, Dreamfyre, and Tessarion. They also possessed two younger dragons, bonded to six year old boys and not yet old enough to fly: Morghul and Shrykas.

The Blacks possessed twelve dragons, though not all were battle-ready and several were riderless: Syrax, Caraxes, Meleys the Red Queen, and Moondancer were large and battle ready. Vermax and Arrax were very young, only just capable of flying long distances and not expected to be a match against other dragons, while Tyraxes was so young it couldn't even fly long distances. Stormdancer was not old enough to fly at all, and only bonded to a young boy. Seasmoke was considered to be "retired" and riderless. Quicksilver and Silverwing may also have been "retired" and riderless at first (though Silverwing may have been controlled by Aegon II). If Quicksilver was still alive, it is possible that Stormdancer was so young that it wasn't even formally included in the count of twelve dragons controlled by the Blacks, but instead Quicksilver was. The Blacks also "possessed" three wild dragons who nested on Dragonstone but which were initially riderless: Sheapstealer, Grey Ghost, and the Cannibal.

At the outset, Rhaenyra realized she needed to be patient if she was going to win back her throne, and that an immediate direct assault on King's Landing would be too risky: particularly because she had just had a stillbirth and was not in a condition to ride Syrax. So she sent out her two eldest sons, Jace and Luke, as emissaries to rally different regions of the realm behind her. Both of their dragons were still young, but thought at least capable of long-distance travel. Their younger brother Joff protested that he wanted to ride Tyraxes with them, but it was still too young to reliably fly such distances. Because Jace's mount Vermax was older, it was sent on what was thought to be the longer and more dangerous mission: first to the Eyrie and then to Winterfell. This mission actually went without incident: the ruler of the Vale at the time was a woman, not a regent but one who had inherited in her own right due to a lack of male heirs. Known as the "Maid of the Vale", she was a natural ally to Rhaenyra: the entire civil war was being fought over the question of a woman's right to rule. Moreover, Rhaenyra's own mother had been an Arryn and thus they possessed blood ties. The Starks of Winterfell, meanwhile, had always been vocal proponents of Rhaenyra, ever since the Great Council of 101 AL. It seems that she intervened and settled a dispute between the Manderlys and Dustins (or some such matter), resulting in the Starks, Manderleys, and Dustins voicing support for her at the Great Counil. Moreover, the honorable Northerners always took oaths very seriously, and after they had publicly sworn to King Viserys I that they would follow Rhaenyra as his legal heir, they meant to follow through on their promise (unlike the Lannisters, who broke their word and supported Aegon II. Much of the Riverlands also declared for Rhaenyra, including their overlords House Tully of Riverrun. Also among Rhaenyra's staunchest supporters were House Strong of Harrenhal - as Harwin Strong was rumored to be the real father of her three oldest sons. This put Rhaenyra in complete control of all lands North of the Trident River, and for a good deal south of it.

Aegon II continued to hold King's Landing and the continental Crownlands, while Rhaenyra controlled Dragonstone and the Crownland islands in the Narrow Sea (similar to how, in the War of the Five Kings, Joffrey Baratheon held King's Landing and the mainland while Stannis Baratheon held Dragonstone and the islands). Aegon II also won the support of the Lannisters by naming Tyland Lannister (former Master of Ships) as his Hand of the King. Some of the other regions of the Riverlands, always fractious, may have sided with Aegon II, though early on they gained control of the southern portions to control the Goldroad and link the Westerlands with King's Landing (again, much as Joffrey Baratheon did in the War of the Five Kings). Aegon II's major supporters remained House Hightower, though the Tyrells themselves were undergoing a regency at the time and thus stayed out of the war. The Reach was heavily divided, however, and several major Houses also declared for Rhaenyra. The Iron Islands fended for themselves, and Dorne remained independent an uninvolved.

Luke and his younger mount Arrax were sent on the comparatively easier mission of flying to Storm's End to woo the daughter of Borros Baratheon into a marriage-alliance. Given the initial alliances in the war, the support of the Stormlands would tip the odds in Rhaenyra's favor. Unfortunately, Aegon II had the same idea, so he sent his brother Aemond One-Eye to Storm's End riding the great dragon Vhagar. While not directly planning to intercept Luke, both Aemond and Luke arrived at Storm's End near the same time. Aemond demanded that Luke immediately fight him, but Borros chastised Aemond that he had already accepted Luke into his castle as an ambassador and guest, and he would not dare violate sacred Guest right by allowing Aemond to harm the boy.

The exact sequence of events isn't clear, but apparently Aemond and Luke left Storm's End by mutual agreement to engage in the first duel of dragons just outside of the castle. Unfortunately, the young Arrax was no match for the oldest and most powerful living dragon, and Vhagar killed Arrax and Luke. Aemond then entered into a marriage-alliance with Borros's daughter, and Storm's End declared for Aegon II - drastically prolonging the war.

The Dance accelerates
Jace, riding Vermax, was soon killed in a massive naval battle which involved numerous Volantene archers. These men were veterans of conflicts in the Steptones which Caraxes had taken part in, so they were not terrified by the simple appearance of a dragon, but stood firm. No man could have questioned their bravery. Ultimately Jace and Vermax succumbed to their sustained arrow-fire.

Losing dragons so quickly, Rhaenyra and Daemon began the quest for the Dragonseeds, to find forgotten Targaryen bastard children to ride their unbonded dragons. This search discovered Nettles, a bastard teenaged girl from the Riverlands, who rose to become one of Daemon's chief lieutenants and a major dragonrider. Meanwhile, none could stand before the might of Caraxes as Daemon rode him into battle. One of Daemon's other main lieutenants on the battlefield and fellow dragonrider was his daughter Baela Targaryen (from his previous marriage to Laena Velaryon), who rode the dragon Moondancer. Eventually Rhaenyra recovered enough to ride Syrax.

Rhaenya may have responded to Jace's death with a dragon-raid against King's Landing. This involved Sheepstealer, who may have been scared off by Silverwing and Vermithor (all three of these dragons were alive later in the war).

One of the major offensives by Aegon II's faction was soon launched against Harrenhal, as House Strong was one of Rhaenyra's primary supporters, and it was located precariously close to King's Landing. Prince Daeron flew ahead of the Greens' army on Tessarion, scouting out enemy troop movements and entrenchments. The titanic battle which resulted at Harrenhal was one of the main engagements of the entire war. Vhagar's clash with Vermax had only been a duel between two dragonriders: now two major opposing armies engaged each other as multiple dragonriders fought in the air. The Green host was led by Aemond One-Eye on Vhagar and Daeron on Tessarion, while the Black host was led by Daemon himself riding Caraxes, along with the dragonseeds and their dragons.

Many pivotal events occurred at the Battle of Harrenhal, but chief among these was the epic confrontation between Aemond and Daemon, riding Vhagar and Caraxes respectively. Vhagar was the oldest and most powerful surviving dragon, while Caraxes was also full-grown and had a great deal of combat experience throughout its life fighting on foreign campaigns in the Stepstones. Vhagar had previously killed the young Vermax without much challenge, but the fight between Vhagar and Caraxes was akin to a duel between living gods. Finally, Caraxes killed Vhagar, and Aemond plummeted to the ground atop her. Badly injured in the fall, Aemond One-Eye looked up to see his that his uncle Daemon had dismounted and was approaching him, wielding Dark Sister, the sword of Queen Visenya. In terror, he desperately fumbled with the chains which bound him to his saddle, but he was too injured to flee. Daemon reached Aemond, wordlessly stripped off Aemond's helmet, and then drove his sword down point-first through Aemond's blind eye, killing him. Thus were Jacaerys Velaryon and Verax avenged, and thus did the last of the original three Targaryen dragons die. But it was not the end of the war, for the Blacks had also taken grievous losses that day.

Turns of fortune and treachery
Rhaenyra had faced numerous setbacks and suffered severe losses in the first phase of the war, but against all odds things had begun to turn against her enemies. Moreover, it started to become apparent that Aegon II was not a very fit king. Rhaenyra formed her own rival Small Council, and by all accounts, was a skilled administrator who was respected by the council members. In contrast, Aegon II was so inexperienced, untrained, and hotblooded that he was frequently at odds with his own Small Council. One of the reasons Rhaenyra's faction was able to gain so much ground despite not controlling the capital city is because of the fact that Aegon II could not adequately make use of those advantages he did possess.

Later histories often remember Rhaenyra Targaryen as arrogant, because she had been raised as the heir presumptive most of her life. Conversely, this meant that Rhaenyra had been actively trained to rule for many years, and even took part in her father's council meetings. Thus while Rhaenyra may have had a sense of authority and entitlement, it was because she possessed the actual administrative skill to back it up (in much the same sense that while Jaime Lannister was cocky and self-assured about his swordfighting skill, this was because he was officially recognized as one of the best swordsmen in all of Westeros). Aegon II's faction staged the coup against Rhaenyra on the grounds that she was arrogant (if skilled), but it soon became apparent that Aegon II was both arrogant and unskilled at rule. This should have come as little surprise, given that he was still a young man when the Dance broke out, only about twenty two-years old. Being physically a decade younger than Rhaenyra meant that he could not have had as many years of training and experience as she did. Further, he wasn't even as experienced or skilled as Rhaenyra was at his age, because unlike her he had not received thorough training in rulership since he was a child. He wasn't quite insane or as unruly as the later Joffrey Baratheon was, and he did have some rational mental capacity, but overall he was petty, arrogant, unskilled, short-sighted, and self-centered (sort of like a male Cersei Lannister). Histories about the Dance of Dragons repeatedly describe Aegon II as both inexperienced and hot-blooded: one Dornish historian later outright described Aegon II as a "slimeball".

By the aftermath of the Battle of Harrenhal, Aegon II's shortcomings were starting to become all too apparent. Many who had initially sided with him because they thought he would assuredly win against Rhaenyra began to question their decision, and he lost many fair-weather allies. Many of those who stayed loyal to Aegon II were those who wanted to use him as a puppet to gain more power and other favors. Others realized that they had to keep fighting, because they had already crossed the line and Rhaenyra would never forgive their betrayal, or spare their lives, if she won the war.

For a time, the Blacks seemed to be winning. But what cannot be accomplished on the battlefield is often accomplished through treachery. This phase saw the rise through the ranks of Hard Hugh Hammer, who sought to amass power to himself and take over the Greens from within. He rode the dragon Vermithor.

Through treachery, Queen Rhaenyra was somehow captured by the Greens. Aegon II publicly executed her by feeding her to his dragon Sunfyre, while forcing her son to watch (who would later grow up to become Aegon III). The war did not end, however, as Rhaenyra's loyal followers still struggled against Aegon II in the hope of putting her remaining children on the throne.

The Final Dance
The final battle of the Dance of the Dragons involved a gigantic battle royal between all surviving dragons at once. Seasmoke was the first to die, when Vermithor bit its head off and flew away with it. Silverwing had circled above the battle and was the last alive near the end, though apparently it didn't survive the battle either (possibly taken down with sustained arrow fire).

Aftermath
When the dust settled, a tentative peace plan was devised to unite the two branches of House Targaryen: Rhaenyra's son Prince Aegon the Younger (Aegon III) would marry Aegon II and Helaena's daughter Jaehaerya. The marriage was conducted and Rhaenyra's son was crowned as Aegon III, but the marriage proved childless and Jaehaerya eventually died (it is unclear if fowl play was suspected). Aegon III later remarried to a woman of House Velaryon, by which he had all of his children. Both of Aegon III's sons eventually died childless, and due to the new male-preference succession laws installed after Rhaenyra died, the throne passed to his younger brother Viserys II. Thus later generations of the Targaryens are descended from Rhaenyra's son Viserys II, not Aegon II, though it is unknown who Viserys II's wife was.

In time, Viserys II was succeeded by his son Aegon IV the Unworthy, one of the worst kings the Targaryen dynasty ever produced. A self-obsessed glutton, Aegon IV fathered numerous bastard childre, including four "Great Bastards" whom he acknowledged because they were born to noblewomen. One of these, Daemon Blackfyre, was actually the product of an affair between Aegon IV and Aegon III's daughter Daena. Many cited that under normal Andal succession law, the throne would pass to a daughter (Daena) before an uncle (Viserys II), and thus Daena's son Daemon was the legitimate heir, ahead of Aegon IV's legitimate son Daeron II, whom he had with his sister-wife Naerys (though some suspect Daeron II was the product of an affair between Naerys and Aegon IV's brother Aemon the Dragonknight, either way Aegon IV and Aemon were sons of Viserys II). Ultimately, this means that subsequently the main branch of the Targaryen family descends from Rhaenyra's son Viserys II, while the rival cadet branch of the Targaryens known as House Blackfyre claims (illegitimate) descent from Rhaenyra's son Aegon III.