As Aegon Targaryen's conquest swept Westeros, the North prepared. Aegon, crowned with a ruby-studded circlet, landed at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush, a muddy delta in disputed lands between the Riverlands and Stormlands. His choice was cunning: neither King Harren Hoare nor King Argilac Durrandon could claim the territory, sowing hesitation. Aegon raised a crude wooden fort, the Aegonfort, where three centuries later King's Landing would stand. He unfurled a banner—a red three-headed dragon breathing fire on a black field—and declared himself King of All Westeros, demanding fealty from the Seven Kingdoms. His sisters, Visenya and Rhaenys, stood beside him, their dragons Vhagar and Meraxes ready, while Balerion, the Black Dread, loomed like a mountain of scales and flame.
War in the Riverlands
Aegon struck first at Harrenhal, the Ironborn's colossal fortress, built by King Harren the Black to defy all foes. House Tully, chafing under Ironborn rule, sparked a popular uprising, their banners—red and blue fish—rallying smallfolk and knights. Aegon's host, bolstered by Riverlands rebels, surrounded Harrenhal. Harren, arrogant in his "impenetrable" castle, mocked Aegon from its towers. "No blade can breach these walls!" he bellowed. That night, Aegon mounted Balerion, whose fire melted Harrenhal's stone towers like wax, roasting Harren and his sons alive. The castle, a smoldering ruin, became a warning. Aegon named House Tully Lords Paramount of the Trident, and the Ironborn, cowed, elected House Greyjoy of Pyke as their rulers, who swore fealty to Aegon. Lord Edmyn Tully, kneeling, said, "The Riverlands are yours, King Aegon, thanks to your fire and our swords."
War in the Stormlands
Simultaneously, Aegon's bastard half-brother, Orys Baratheon, marched on Storm's End with a Targaryen host. King Argilac Durrandon, called the Arrogant, refused to cower in his castle. "I'll not die like Harren, burned in my own hall!" he roared, leading his stormlanders to open battle. In a rain-soaked field, the Last Storm, Orys's disciplined ranks outmaneuvered Argilac's reckless charge. Orys slew Argilac in single combat, his axe cleaving the king's chest. Storm's End fell, and Argilac's daughter, Argella, barricaded herself, declaring herself Storm Queen. Her garrison betrayed her, delivering her to Orys in chains. Orys, honorable, freed her and took her to wife, claiming Storm's End, the Durrandon sigil—a crowned black stag—and their words, "Ours is the Fury." Aegon named him Lord of Storm's End, founding House Baratheon. Orys, raising a cup at his wedding, said, "For Aegon, I've won a kingdom and a bride."
War in the West
In the Reach, King Mern IX Gardener allied with King Loren Lannister, their combined host of fifty-five thousand—knights, archers, and levies—marching to crush Aegon. They met on a grassy plain, later called the Field of Fire. Aegon unleashed all three dragons—Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes—whose flames turned the field to a hellscape. Within minutes, four thousand men burned, including Mern and his heirs, extinguishing House Gardener. The Tyrells, stewards of Highgarden, surrendered the Reach, kneeling to Aegon. "We serve strength," Lord Harlan Tyrell said, earning the title Lord Paramount. Loren Lannister, his golden mane singed, bent the knee, swearing fealty to save Casterly Rock. Aegon named him Warden of the West. "Fire humbled us," Loren muttered, "but Lannisters endure."
Stand-off with the Vale
Sharra Arryn, regent for her boy-king son Ronnel, fortified the Vale, her armies massing at the Bloody Gate. Yet when Visenya flew Vhagar over the Eyrie, landing in its courtyard, young Ronnel ran out, awestruck. "Can I ride your dragon, lady?" he asked. Visenya, amused, offered a ride in exchange for surrender. Ronnel, giggling atop Vhagar, agreed, and Sharra, seeing no hope, knelt. "The Vale yields," she said, "for my son's safety." The High Septon, from Oldtown, declared the Faith's support for Aegon, urging peace. "The Seven crown the dragon," he proclaimed, ending much resistance.
Now, Aegon turned north, marching to the Trident with sixty thousand men—his Targaryen host joined by levies from the Reach, Riverlands, Stormlands, Vale, and Westerlands. Balerion's shadow darkened the skies, Visenya and Rhaenys at his side.