The Battle of the Gullet
At the onset of the civil war, House Velaryon established a firm blockade in the Gullet, controlling access to Blackwater Bay. In response to Prince Daemon Targaryen‘s assault on Harrenhal and other setbacks faced by the greens, Ser Otto Hightower, Hand of the King to Aegon II Targaryen, devised a plan to break the Velaryon fleet’s blockade. Otto initiated diplomatic overtures with the Triarchy, traditional enemies of Prince Daemon, with the goal of convincing them to take action against Lord Corlys Velaryon, also known as the Sea Snake.
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Otto’s intricate schemes took time to unfold, and Aegon II’s patience wore thin with his grandfather’s delays. Consequently, Ser Criston Cole replaced Otto as Hand of the King. Despite the change in leadership, Otto’s machinations eventually bore fruit. The High Council of the Triarchy in Tyrosh accepted his proposal of alliance. A formidable fleet of ninety warships, under the command of Admiral Sharako Lohar of Lys, set sail from the Stepstones, their oars driving them toward the Gullet under the banners of the Three Daughters.
Meanwhile, on Dragonstone, Prince Jacaerys Velaryon made the decision to send his half-brothers, Princes Aegon and Viserys Targaryen, to be fostered with the Prince of Pentos until their mother, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, secured the Iron Throne. In the waning days of 129 AC, the young princes set sail aboard the Pentoshi cog, the Gay Abandon, accompanied by seven warships sent by the Sea Snake as their escort.
However, their journey took a dire turn when they encountered the formidable fleet of the Triarchy, which had sailed into the Gullet. The Gay Abandon was captured, and its escorts were either sunk or seized. Trapped on the cog with only a dragon egg, Viserys found himself captive to a Tyroshi captain.
Aegon, quick-witted and courageous, managed to escape the Gay Abandon on his young dragon, Stormcloud. Despite facing a barrage of arrows and scorpion bolts from sailors attempting to bring them down, Aegon and Stormcloud made a harrowing flight back to Dragonstone. Upon their arrival, Aegon delivered the alarming news of the eastern threat. Sadly, Stormcloud succumbed to his wounds and passed away at Dragonstone.
The Battle of the Gullet Star
The battle started on the fifth day of the new year, 130 AC. Sharako Lohar, leading the Triarchy’s ships, split them into two groups, attacking Dragonstone from the north and south at sunrise. They surprised House Velaryon’s fleet.
Prince Jacaerys Velaryon, riding Vermax, faced the Lysene galleys. These sailors were experienced in fighting dragons, having fought Prince Daemon Targaryen and his dragon, Caraxes, in a previous war. They aimed their spears and arrows at Jacaerys. Despite this, a few enemy ships caught fire. When other dragonriders, Ulf the White on Silverwing, Nettles on Sheepstealer, Addam Velaryon on Seasmoke, and Hugh Hammer on Vermithor, joined Jacaerys, the Free Cities’ warships turned away one by one.
Vermax flew too low, possibly wounded, and crashed into the sea. Some survivors claimed it was hit by a crossbow bolt or pulled down by a grapnel. Jacaerys managed to escape but was killed by Myrish crossbowmen.
The battle continued north and south of Dragonstone until nighttime. The southern squadron avoided Dragonstone, thinking it was too strong to attack, and instead targeted Driftmark. They set Spicetown’s harbor on fire using fire ships and attacked the town. The town was pillaged, its people killed, and High Tide, along with Lord Corlys Velaryon’s treasures, was burned. The Sea Snake’s servants were also slain as they tried to escape.
Aftermath
The battle caused the death of thousands, and Spicetown was never rebuilt. The Velaryon fleet lost almost a third of its ships. Prince Jacaerys Velaryon and his dragon Vermax were killed, and Prince Viserys Targaryen was captured, though both sides assumed he was dead. Prince Aegon the Younger blamed himself for leaving his little brother.
According to Mushroom, Hugh the Hammer and Ulf the White celebrated their involvement. Nettles and Addam Velaryon were deeply affected, and Addam sought out the Sea Snake, although the content of their conversation remains unknown. Many on Dragonstone resented Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen for the loss of their relatives in the battle.
Out of the ninety ships led by Sharako Lohar, only twenty-eight returned home, and three of those weren’t crewed by Lyseni. The Gullet battle was a disaster for the Triarchy. The widows of Myr and Tyrosh accused Sharako of sacrificing their fleets while protecting his own Lysene ships, sparking a quarrel that led to the Daughters’ War. Sharako, disgraced, sold the captive Viserys to Magister Bambarro Bazanne of Lys.
In the end, the battle was costly for both sides. While it was a tactical victory for the greens due to the death of Rhaenyra’s eldest son Jacaerys, she still had three more sons. The greens, however, failed in their strategic goal: to break the Velaryon fleet’s control of the eastern coasts of Westeros. Additionally, the greens’ allies in the southern Free Cities suffered heavy losses and did not play a significant role in the war afterward.