Arrax’s Color, History and the Known Rider
The Arrax’s color, a dragon in the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series, remains unspecified in the published texts. However, the artist Sam Hogg sought clarity from George R. R. Martin’s team. The response described Arrax as having a ‘pearlescent white’ body adorned with ‘yellow flame,’ ‘golden eyes,’ and a ‘golden chest.’
During the onset of the Dance of the Dragons, Arrax was in a state of maturation suitable for riding, though still considered young and during growth. At that time, he was a mere one-fifth the size of Vhagar.
Contents
Who is the known Rider of Arrax
Lucerys Velaryon is the first and only rider of Arrax.
Arrax’s History; Key Events Timeline
The Hatching
Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen‘s three eldest sons, born to her husband Ser Laenor Velaryon, were Jacaerys (born in 114 AC), Lucerys (born in 115 AC), and Joffrey (born in 117 AC). The Greens, a rival faction at court supporting Rhaenyra’s stepmother Alicent Hightower and her children, spread a malicious accusation claiming that Rhaenyra’s sons were not truly Laenor’s, but instead illegitimate children fathered by Ser Harwin Strong.
To solidify his support for Rhaenyra and her sons as the rightful heirs to the throne, her father, King Viserys II Targaryen, issued a decree. He ordered that a dragon egg be placed in the cradle of each of the boys, intending for them to bond with the dragons that would hatch from these eggs.
Many doubted the legitimacy of Rhaenyra’s sons and believed the eggs would never hatch. However, their doubts were swiftly dispelled as each egg hatched in due course. The hatchlings were named Vermax (bonded with Jacaerys), Arrax (bonded with Lucerys), and Tyraxes (bonded with Joffrey). Although the exact hatching dates are unspecified, it is certain that the last dragon, Tyraxes, hatched no later than around 120 AC.
The Flight
Lucerys and Arrax reached Storm’s End just before an approaching storm, only to find that Prince Aemond Targaryen, acting as an emissary for his brother King Aegon II, had already arrived on Vhagar. Aemond’s purpose was to secure Borros Baratheon’s allegiance to their cause.
Unfortunately, Lucerys couldn’t match Aemond’s enticing offer, and Borros rejected Rhaenyra’s proposal for an alliance. As Lucerys prepared to depart, Aemond confronted him, demanding retribution for an old injury: Aemond wanted Lucerys to put out his own eye in exchange for the eye he had lost in a previous fight with Lucerys.
Lucerys, stating he had come as an envoy and not a knight, refused Aemond’s demand. Aemond, however, insisted on the cruel punishment, threatening Lucerys’s life if he didn’t comply. Lord Borros intervened, refusing to let the blood of envoys be spilled under his roof. Borros’s guards escorted Lucerys back to the castle yard, where Arrax awaited amidst the raging storm.
In a moment of defiance, Borros’s daughter Maris taunted Aemond, questioning if he had also lost his courage along with his eye. Enraged, Aemond sought Borros’s permission to leave, to which Borros asserted his authority, stating that Aemond had no control over what happened outside Borros’s domain. With that, Aemond departed Storm’s End.
The Battle
Aemond swiftly mounted Vhagar and pursued Lucerys on Arrax, but the stormy weather favored the larger and more experienced Vhagar. Arrax, younger and swifter, might have outmaneuvered his pursuer on a calm day, but the disruption hindered his flight.
Vhagar, battle-hardened and significantly larger, had the advantage. The clash between the two dragons occurred above Shipbreaker Bay, a likely brief battle. Onlookers at Storm’s End saw distant bursts of flame and heard a shriek louder than thunder.
The dragons grappled amidst crackling lightning, and the fight ended tragically when Arrax fell and shattered into the bay’s stormy waters. His head and neck washed up beneath the cliffs near Storm’s End three days later.
Prince Lucerys’s fate remained a mystery; his body was never recovered. Archmaester Gyldayn documented various speculations surrounding his demise. Some claimed that Vhagar snatched Lucerys from Arrax’s back and swallowed him whole. Even stories suggest that Lucerys survived the fall and lived out his days as an amnesic fisherman. However, reputable historians like Munkun dismissed these accounts, affirming that Lucerys perished alongside his dragon.