Fire & Blood

“The vast, cold, stony North was ruled by the Starks of Winterfell. In the deserts of Dorne, the Martell princes held sway. The gold-rich westerlands were ruled by the Lannisters of Casterly Rock, the fertile Reach by the Gardeners of Highgarden. The Vale, the Fingers, and the Mountains of the Moon belonged to House Arryn…but the most belligerent kings of Aegon’s time were the two whose realms lay closest to Dragonstone, Harren the Black and Argilac the Arrogant.”

Martin’s enumeration of the pre-Conquest kingdoms of Westeros is world-building that helps the reader understand Westeros’s fictional geography and regional characteristics. The different climates and resources set the stage for the many conflicts that follow; Martin’s introduction of the two fractious riverlords at the end of this passage shows the impact of geography on the politics of Westeros. Aegon and these riverlords likely felt mutually threatened by the closeness of their territories.

“The scales of a full-grown dragon were harder than steel, and even those arrows that struck home seldom penetrated enough to do more than enrage the great beasts. But as Meraxes banked above the Hellholt, a defender atop the castle’s highest tower triggered a scorpion, and a yard-long iron bolt caught the queen’s dragon in the right eye. Meraxes did not die at once, but came crashing to earth in mortal agony, destroying the tower and a large section of the Hellholt’s curtain wall in her death throes.”

Martin’s description provides specific detail about the physics of dragons. Including such detail helps readers suspend disbelief as they confront a world in which dragons are real. This description also makes clear why dragons are such a good military asset to have, despite Meraxes’s vulnerability in this particular episode.

“The Iron Throne was forged with fire and steel and terror, it is said, but once the throne had cooled, it became the seat of justice for all Westeros.”

Martin’s description of the Iron Throne is both concrete and abstract, showing that it is a physical object that assumes symbolic importance because it reminds the petty kings of Westeros of Aegon the Conqueror’s potential for violence. The second part of the sentence shows that the violence becomes naturalized as “justice” in Gyldayn’s account. This representation of Aegon and his house is also flattering, which calls into question Gyldayn’s objectivity.

“But the wisest and most learned men in the Seven Kingdoms were the archmaesters of the Citadel, each of them the supreme authority in one of the great disciplines.”

Gyldayn is himself an archmaester, so he is talking about himself. The self-flattery here is likely an effort to enhance his credibility, but the lack of objectivity does the opposite for a critical reader. Passages like these make him an unreliable narrator.

“Familiarity is the father of acceptance.’”

This sentence is Gyldayn’s explanation for why incestuous marriage among the Targaryens did not cause immediate conflict with the Faith of the Seven after Aegon’s Conquest. Westeros tolerated incestuous marriage because Aegon effectively managed his interactions with the Faith by giving them privileges—a sound political decision that enhanced his power. Later generations failed to manage that relationship well, so they faced challenges to their power.

“‘How can he rule the Seven Kingdoms if he cannot even rule his brother?’”

Another important element of maintaining power is appearances. Aenys’s failure to manage conflict with his brother undercut his power as a ruler. When his brother publicly flouted him and Aenys gave a symbol of power like Blackfyre to Maegor, it provided the appearance of weakness. Rebellion was the result.

“Another girl might have wept or raged or run pleading to her mother. In many a sad song, maidens forced to wed against their will throw themselves from small towers […]. Princess Alysanne did none of these things. Instead, she went directly to Jaehaerys […]. Like his sister, Jaehaerys did not waste time with reproaches, recriminations, or appeals. Instead he acted.”

Alysanne maintained her independence and influence by asserting herself on the matter of her marriage. Her quick action was one of the few ways women gained and maintained power in Westeros. The unity of purpose that existed between her and Jaehaerys was a source of strength as well, showing how necessary management of relationships became for this dynasty. The actions of Alysanne and Jaehaerys were also in contrast to those of Aenys, who often refused to act until it was too late.

“She desired above all to be loved, admired, and praised, a yearning she shared with King Aenys. [….] A ruler must sometimes do things that are necessary but unpopular, however.”

Gyldayn relies on one of his sources to characterize Alyssa’s willingness to let Jaehaerys and Alysanne’s marriage go forward as a failure of leadership. To be powerful required a willingness not to be loved. The leaders who erred too far on the side of ignoring popularity lost power.

“As virtually the whole of A Caution for Young Girls is obscene, it was not like to have been transcribed by other maesters or septons. Given the number of copies known to exist […], the scribes responsible were most likely septons expelled from the Faith for drunkenness, theft, or fornication, failed students who left the Citadel without a chain, hired quills from the Free Cities, or mummers (the worst of all).”

This passage is a long discussion on why A Caution for Young Girls is a suspect source. Gyldayn’s tone and arguments against the credibility of the source show his bias. Although someone literate clearly transcribed the text, Gyldayn insists on arguing that no true scholar/member of the Faith could be responsible. There is no evidence to back up that contention. Gyldayn then relies on the source to argue that Coryanne Wylde likely was sent to Dragonstone to disrupt Alysanne and Jaehaerys’s marriage. His frequent expressions of disgust and disapproval show that his narrative exhibits the biases of his culture. Episodes like these show the extent to which historical “truth” is constructed.

“Words are wind.”

Jaehaerys explained why rebel lords’ promises of good behavior were not enough to pardon them with no consequences for their behavior. He valued actions over words in this case, and his decision shored up his authority as king. His ability to determine when to focus on action and when to focus on words allowed him to maintain his power.

“Words are wind, but wind can fan a fire. My father and my uncle fought words with steel and flame. We shall fight words with words, and put out the fires before they start.”

Jaehaerys was flexible enough to recognize the importance of reputation in maintaining power. He also took the past into account when making decisions. These two choices indicated that he was a good leader who knew how to use and maintain power. Aenys and Maelor were both foils for Jaehaerys.

“Targaryens were different. Their roots were not in Andalos, but in Valyria of old, where different laws and traditions held sway. A man had only to look at them to know that they were not like other men; their eyes, their hair, their very bearing, all proclaimed their differences. And they flew dragons. They alone of all the men in the world had been given the power to tame those fearsome beasts, once the Doom had come to Valyria.”

The Doctrine of Exceptionalism was an effective piece of propaganda designed to convince Westerosi members of the Faith to accept what was clearly a foreign and unacceptable practice in their rulers. Jaehaerys and Alysanne’s use of the Seven Speakers allowed them to seize control of the messaging around incestuous marriage; their recognition of the importance of messaging made them effective leaders who maintained power for a time. Dragonriding was the equivalent of divine right in medieval Europe, and the Doctrine of Exceptionalism relied on dragons as symbols of the Targaryens’ innate right to rule, despite their incestuous marriages.

“Show them a dragon, aye. They will remember. Speak openly of burning down their halls, boast of how you fed their own kin to your dragons, and you will only inflame them and set their hearts against you.”

Septon Barth’s quote shows the tightrope Targaryens walked when it came to relying on dragons as their source of power. The quote acknowledges that dragons were weapons, but these weapons were more useful as threats than in actual usage. The second sentence is an admission that Targaryen power was built both on devastating violence against Westeros and on convincing Westeros to forget or even ignore that violence.

“It was a time for warm embraces, for smiles, for toasts and reconciliations, for renewing old friendships and making new ones, for laughter and kisses. It was a good time, a golden autumn, a time of peace and plenty. But winter was coming.”

This ominous note at the close of the chapter gains power because of the contrast between the happy connotations in the first two sentences and the grim connotation of winter. The first two sentences also have parallel grammatical structures that carry the reader along on those happy emotions; when that short sentence comes at the end, it breaks that repeated grammatical structure. This passage is a storytelling flourish that works well for Fire and Blood as a fictional narrative; here, the book reads more like the popular histories Martin favors than a dry recitation of events one might expect to find in a chronicle.

“The seeds of war are oft planted during times of peace.”

This is an aphorism—a short saying that communicates a universal truth. Aphorisms appear often in the narrative, and they are an element of Gyldayn’s style. Martin uses aphorisms to underscore that Gyldayn frequently relies on commonsense understandings of power and people to speculate about the causes of historical events and to construct his historical narratives.

“‘A ruler needs a good head and a true heart,’ she famously told the king. “‘A cock is not essential.’”

Alysanne explained why she objected to Rhaenys being passed over as heir. From Alysanne’s perspective, women as rulers were part of the Targaryen tradition that began when Visenya and Rhaenys ruled alongside Aegon the Conqueror. Her own influence with the small council and Jaehaerys likely confirmed for her that women could be legitimate holders of power. Her disagreement with her husband on the question of women and power was so significant that it is in the historical record as “The Second Quarrel” (342). Here is another example of a family rift exposing the Targaryens to political consequences. At this point in Westerosi history, the right of women to rule was not a settled question.

“In the eyes of many, the Great Council of 101 AC thereby established an iron precedent on matters of succession: regardless of seniority, the Iron Throne of Westeros could not pass to a woman, nor through a woman to her male descendants.”

This decision codified male supremacy over women in the succession and rejected the flexibility of Targaryen ideas around gender and power. The Targaryens became more Westerosi than Valyrian when they accepted this decision. The clash between Targaryen values and Westerosi values played a major role in the devolution of order in Westeros.

“Thrones are won with swords, not quills. Spill blood, not ink.”

Like his ancestor Maegor, Aegon II failed to strike an appropriate balance between explicit violence and the potential for violence. He threatened Otto Hightower because he thought diplomacy was at odds with power, which he believed could only come through dominating others. Otto’s diplomatic gestures bore fruit later, proving that his political instincts to avoid open conflict were right. Aegon’s bloody-mindedness undercut his ability to win during this moment of the Dance of the Dragons.

“Drops of blood fell to the floor as she went past, and wise men looked at one another, though none dared speak the truth aloud: the Iron Throne had spurned her, and her days upon it would be few.”

The Iron Throne was a symbol of power, so by extension, suffering wounds from the throne was an indication of illegitimately held power. This description, which is a quote Gyldayn takes from Septon Eustace, is a supernatural explanation for a political state of affairs. The crown did not reject Rhaenyra—the male hierarchy in Westeros did. Gyldayn’s willingness to include this episode shows much about his worldview, illustrating his belief in the supernatural. This is also an example of foreshadowing. Rhaenyra’s reign only lasted about six months.

“On one point Lord Cregan remained adamant, however; the king’s killers must not go unpunished. Unworthy as King Aegon II might have been, his murder was high treason, and those responsible must answer for it. So fierce was his demeanor, so unyielding, that the others gave way before him.”

Cregan Stark did not support the Greens, and he swore an oath to support Rhaenyra’s claim during the Dance of the Dragons. Nevertheless, he sentenced to death those who assassinated Aegon II, the figurehead for the Greens. Unlike those around him, Stark made decisions based on oaths of loyalty and obligations. He was not adept politically as a result, but he was a stabilizing force during a moment when respect for power and authority was in question. His observance of keeping oaths interrupted the cycle of revenge and betrayal that led to the Dance.

“So much of history tells the deeds of kings and queens, high lords, noble knights, holy septons, and wise maesters that it is easy to forget the common folk who shared these times with the great and the mighty. Yet from time to time some ordinary man or woman, blessed with neither birth nor wealth nor wit nor wisdom nor skill at arms, will somehow rise up and by some simple act whispered word change the destiny of kingdoms.”

This episode about Tess, the salt-wife who killed the Red Kraken, is the exception that proves the rule. Gyldayn’s history focuses largely on “the great and the mighty”—it is history from above—and it puts the lives of powerful people at the center of historical narratives. When Gyldayn chooses to focus on the smallfolk like the Poor Fellows and the followers of the Shepherd in the later chapters, he does so with a disdain that communicates his belief that the smallfolk’s power is illegitimate. His focus on powerful people over the mass of smallfolk is a choice he makes in the construction of historical narrative, but it is also bias that prevents him from analyzing populist movements with objectivity. This aspect of Gyldayn’s approach to history is also Martin’s nod to the medieval chroniclers who inspired Fire and Blood.

“I mean to give the smallfolk peace and food and justice. If that will not suffice to win their love, let Mushroom make a progress. Or perhaps we might send a dancing bear. Someone once told me that the commons love nothing half so much as dancing bears. You may call a halt to this feast tonight as well. Send the lords home to their own keeps and give the food to the hungry. Full bellies and dancing bears shall be my policy.”

This was Aegon III’s first statement of how he intended to use his power as king. Despite all he witnessed as a child, Aegon III showed a lack of political acumen about the importance of maintaining support from the lords. His offhand, sarcastic comments also showed his obliviousness to the importance of popular support and symbols of legitimacy. His initial actions foreshadowed that his reign would lead to an even greater decline in the Targaryens’ hold on power.

“[S]adly, the little man with the foul tongue must pass from our story. Though never the most reliable of chroniclers, the dwarf spoke truths no one else dared speak, and was often droll besides.”

Gyldayn shows his hand here by admitting he values a source for insight but also because it is entertaining: This is a personal preference that shows he is not necessarily committed to objectivity as a historian. On the other hand, his expression of love for Mushroom is an acknowledgment that Gyldayn himself is too deferential to powerful people. Mushroom is thus a corrective to primary sources like Orwyle, Barth, and Eustace, who let their respect for authority shape their historical narratives.