While Aegon and Visenya focused their efforts North of the Aegonfort, Orys Baratheon marched
upon the Kingdom of the Storm, supported in the air by Rhaenys flying atop meraxes.
With Argilac Durrandon still furious over Aegon’s rejection of his daughter, no peaceful
resolution was possible and so the Storm King called his banners, gathering together a substantial
force which in turn left his realm vulnerable to attacks from pirates and Dornish raiders.
Though the Stormlands won an early victory, killing a thousand targaryen men at Wendwater,
Rhaenys set the forest on fire as the enemy departed, burning many of their warriors including
one of three noble lords who led the mission.
Yet the true battle for the realm came during the Last Storm, when King Argilac, outnumbering
the enemy 2 to 1, charged valiantly into the Targaryen ranks, eventually breaking through
their center, only to find Meraxes waiting on the other end to rain dragonfire upon them.
Yet even after being thrown from a horse and seeing his men killed, Argilac refused to
submit, fighting and dying in a final duel against Orys Baratheon.
With her father dead, Argilac’s daughter Argella retreated into Storm’s End and declared
herself the Storm Queen, but she was soon betrayed by her own men, who delivered her
to the Targaryen camp.
As new Lord of the Stormlands, Orys decided to embrace the legacy of the Durrandons by
marrying Argella and adopting their sigil as well as their words to form House Baratheon.
Having started to encounter serious resistance among the realms of Westeros, Visenya was
pleased to accept the peaceful surrender of Crackclaw point, which immediately submitted
to House Targaryen.
In appreciation, Visenya promised that they would serve as direct vassals to the King,
in what came to be known as the Crownlands.
As the invasion continued, the Targaryen army prepared to face their greatest challenge
yet, with King Mern Gardener IX of the Reach and Loren Lannister of the Rock, allying together
to raise an army of 55,000 men.
Engaging at what came to be known as the field of fire, the Targaryen dragons devastated
the enemy, burning over 4000 men including the King of the Reach and his sons.
With another thousand killed in the fighting, the Westerosi army was swiftly defeated, and
so King Loren surrendered to House Targaryen.
Aegon then decided to leave House Lannister as the Lords of the Westerlands while House
Tyrell, formerly a house of stewards, was given the Lordship of the reach, to reward
them for peacefully surrendering Highgarden after the Field of Fire.
Though the Targaryen wanted to continue conquering the south, they were forced to make their
way north, when King Torrhen Stark of Winterfell marched 30 000 men into the Riverlands.
Despite being outnumbered by the Targaryen host, many Northmen wished to attack, including
the King’s bastard half-brother Brandon Snow, who volunteered to sneak into the enemy
camp and assassinate the dragons.
However King Torrhen had heard the stories about what happened at Harrenhal and the Field
of Fire, and chose to save his people from slaughter by sending Brandon with a party
of Maesters to negotiate the terms of their surrender.
Although he lost his crown, Torrhen was named Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North,
remembered by many as the King who knelt.
One by one the realms of Westeros were falling to House Targaryen, but in the Kingdom of
Mountain and vale, the Regent Shara Arryn resolved to keep their independence, making
bold plans for the defense of her son’s throne by marching an army to the Bloody Gate,
strengthening their defenses at Gulltown, and tripling the garrison that upon the giant’s
lance, who guarded the path towards the Eyrie.
Shara also sent a peace proposal, offering to marry Aegon if he would name Ronnel his
heir, but the offer was refused, and so she continued to prepare for an invasion.
But no soldiers were sent, as Visenya could simply bypass all of their defenses by flying
atop Vhagar to land directly within the inner courtyard of the eyrie.
And so it was that Shara Arryn found her beloved son Ronnel sitting upon Visenya’s lap, eagerly
wanting to fly the dragon.
Although the young king did not understand the implicit threat, the reality was made
clear to Shara, who saw how vulnerable they really were to Dragonlords.
And so after Visenya flew the boy around the mountain 3 times, the Vale formally submitted
to the Targaryens, with Ronnel Arryn named Lord of the Vale and warden of the East.
Looking towards the South, Rhaenys flew atop her dragon Meraxes to the realm of Dorne,
only to find their castles and towns abandoned or else populated with only women and children.
When she arrived at sunspear, it too was abandoned, save for Meria Martell, the elderly Princess
of Dorne who remained behind to warn Rhaenys that Dorne would never submit, saying,
"You may burn us, my lady, but you will not bend us, break us, or make us bow.
This is Dorne.
You are not wanted here.
Return at your peril."
Following this confrontation, Dorne was left in peace for a time, until the rest of the
Targaryen campaign was completed.
Though most of the reach supported their King Mern Gardener IX as he prepared to fight the
Targaryens, the powerful and influencial House Hightower of Old Town did not join them, as
the High Septon of the Faith of the Seven, advised them not to fight against the dragonlords.
When Aegon first landed on the mainland, the High Septon locked himself in the Starry sept
for 7 days and nights, until he had a vision where the Crone revealed that their city would
burn if they opposed the invaders.
And so after the defeat of the Gardener King and submission of highgarden, the Hightowers
rode out to meet the Targaryens, and surrendered Old Town without a fight.
As a result Aegon was formally crowned king of Westeros by the High Septon in 1 AC, and
the Hightowers kept their Lordship of the city.
With most of the mainland conquered, Aegon turned his attention to the Iron Islands which
had been in a state of civil war since the death of King Harren the Black.
Putting an end to the violence, Aegon forced them to choose a new leader, resulting in
the selection of Vickon Greyjoy as Lord of the Ironborn.
With six of the seven kingdoms of Westeros under Targaryen rule, the city of King’s
Landing was established around the Aegonfort, where they built the Iron Throne, a monstrous
chair forged by blacksmiths from the melted swords of defeated enemies.
However, by the end of the war, Aegon’s conquest was incomplete, as Dorne remained
independent.
And so in 4AC the Targaryens launched the First Dornish War, organizing a full scale
invasion of the territory, but it ultimately ended in failure and the death of Queen Rhaenys
and her dragon, forcing Aegon the Conqueror to recognize Dornish soverignty.