Sunfyre the Golden; Only Three-Headed Targaryen Dragon

Sunfyre was a male dragon that was also called Sunfyre the Golden. King Aegon II Targaryen rode him. For Sunfyre’s sake, the Targaryen dragon with three heads in Aegon’s arms was turned gold.

Sunfyre’s wings were light pink, and its scales were shiny gold that looked like beaten gold in the sun. His flames were also gold. Archangel Gyldayn said Sunfyre was the most beautiful dragon anyone had ever seen. Despite his youth, the magnificent Sunfyre was a fearsome foe.

Sunfyre’s Whole Life, The Achievements Battles and Death

Youth

Dragonstone is where Sunfyre’s egg hatched. He was stated to be a “young” dragon in 120 AC and 129 AC, though his exact year of birth has not been determined. Sunfyre was bigger than Tessarion; that much is known. Prince Aegon Targaryen claimed Sunfyre as his mount around 120 AC, but no one knows when that happened.

Rook’s Rest

During the Dance of the Dragons, King Aegon II Targaryen rode Sunfyre. This was the civil war between Aegon’s Greens and the blacks of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, his half-sister.

Princess Rhaenys Targaryen and her dragon, Meleys, were tricked into a trap by Ser Criston Cole, Aegon’s Hand of the King, during the battle at Rook’s Rest in 129 AC. This was one of the first big fights of the war. Criston’s army of Greens was besieging the castle when Aegon and his younger brother, Prince Aemond Targaryen, showed up on their own dragons, Sunfyre and Vhagar.

They fought a thousand feet above the field. Vhagar fell upon the three dragons from above when Meleys closed her jaws around Sunfyre’s neck, causing them to fall. Meleys was slain, and Sunfyre had one wing torn from his body, although Vhagar awoke unharmed.

King Aegon was badly hurt and burned in the battle and was taken to King’s Landing to heal. Sunfyre stayed near Rook’s Rest to give him time to heal since he couldn’t fly and was too big and heavy to move. Criston put men near the dragon to watch over it.

When the slain troops’ burned bodies were gone, Criston’s men brought Sunfyre calves and sheep for the dragon to eat.

Walys Mooton, Lord of Maidenpool, led his best men to Sunfyre to try to kill the dragon after taking Rook’s Rest back from Aegon II’s troops. Sunfyre was furious that people were attacking him, so he used his tail and flames to fight back and killed everyone, including Walys.

Within two weeks of the attack, Sunfyre was no longer there. Sunfyre could fly again after his fight with Meleys, even though his wing had healed at an odd angle.

Ser Byron Swann was killed during the war in an attempt to kill a dragon. Different sources disagree on which dragon he was fighting. Archmaester Gyldayn shows doubt because the golden dragon had vanished from Rook’s Rest, despite Septon Eustace’s claim that Byron wanted to kill Sunfyre.

Dragonstone

Lord Larys Strong helped King Aegon II Targaryen get out of the city when Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen‘s black guards took over King’s Landing. The king then hid in a fishing town on the isle of Dragonstone, which was far away.

According to the Crabbs and Brunes, Sunfyre hid in the dark pine forests and caves of Crackclaw Point before making his way to Dragons Tone. Gyldayn thought Sunfyre might have a natural drive to return to where he was born or to get back with his rider, Aegon.

It was even said that Sunfyre could sense how badly Aegon II needed him. Mushroom claimed that the dragon was “a great golden fire-breathing chicken” due to Sunfyre’s trouble flying.

Sailors on Nessaria saw two dragons, one with golden scales, fighting near the Dragonmont. Later, the body of a wild dragon called the Grey Ghost, which had been partly eaten, was found near the base of the mountain. The castle guardian of Dragonstone, Ser Robert Quince, thought that the Cannibal had killed the Grey Ghost.

But because of the mention of the golden scales, Aegon went out in disguise with Ser Marston Waters, Tom Tanglebeard, and Tom Tangletongue. They found Sunfyre in a secret lair on the Dragonmont. Aegon flew over Sunfyre every day to get stronger, while the Two Toms and Marston looked for people to help Aegon take Dragonstone from Rhaenyra.

Dragonstone fell to Aegon’s greens with the help of Ser Alfred Broome. Despite being captured, Lady Baela Targaryen got to her green dragon, Moondancer. Moondancer got up to meet Aegon when he flew Sunfyre to the castle, even though she was still hurt. Moondancer was faster than Sunfyre, even though she was younger and smaller.

A blast of golden flames from Sunfyre blinded Moondancer as she raked his side and struck his crooked wing. The two dragons crashed to the ground, where Sunfyre, the bigger dragon, killed his younger opponent. The Greens captured Baela, and Aegon broke both of his legs when he jumped clear.

Sunfyre was hurt even more in the fight with Moondancer than before. His back was covered in new scars, his neck was badly hurt, and he had scabs on his belly. He also had lost his right eye. Since Sunfyre could no longer fly, he stayed in the outer yard where he had fallen and ate Moondancer’s body and then the sheep that had been killed.

Grand Maester Gerardys was killed and gutted by Aegon so that Sunfyre could eat the legs and insides. Since the queen had left King’s Landing after the Storming of the Dragonpit, Aegon had the maester’s head and upper body on show at Dragonstone’s gatehouse to greet Rhaenyra for her eventual return.

Sunfyre’s Death

On the 22nd day of the 10th moon in the year 130 AC, when the Violande brought Rhaenyra Targaryen to Dragonstone, she was captured by Ser Alfred Broome and the greens. Different stories describe how the half-siblings got back together; the pro-greens Septon Eustace says Rhaenyra laughed when she saw Sunfyre with a wound. At the same time, she thought about the war from the point of view of the pro-black Mushroom.

When everything was over, Aegon fed his dragon his half-sister. It is said that Sunfyre only responded to Rhaenyra after Alfred stabbed her in the breast, waking up the dragon with the smell of her blood. Sunfyre sprayed her with flames and clamped his jaws around her arm and shoulder.

Rhaenyra was eaten by Sunfyre in six bites, leaving only her left leg below the shin. Elinda Massey reportedly cut out her eyes in fear as Prince Aegon the Younger was made to see his mother die.

At first, King Aegon II thought Sunfyre might get better enough to fly again, but the dragon got weaker and finally stopped eating. His stinky wounds killed him on the ninth day of the twelfth moon in 130 AC. Aegon, who was crying, told the guards to kill the captured Baela Targaryen, but they talked him out of it so as not to upset House Velaryon.

Aegon II returned to King’s Landing to rule dangerously. He hoped to find “a new Sunfyre, prouder and fiercer than the last” that the dragon eggs from Dragonstone would hatch. Aegon the Elder was quickly killed by poison, and Aegon the Younger took over as king as Aegon III Targaryen.

---