The Golden Dragon's Invasion

The Golden Dragon's Invasion is the name given to the attempts of Aegon Targaryen and his army comprised of Unsullied and the Golden Company to claim the Iron Throne for himself between the years 299 and 300 AC.

## Marriage

In the year 299 AC, Daenerys Targaryen travelled to Astapor to acquire Unsullied in preparation for a meeting with Illyrio Mopatis. Once she purchased the Unsullied at the cost of one of her dragons, her ships, and her goods, she turned on the slavers and took the city. Once all the slaves were freed and the Good Masters were deposed, Daenerys Targaryen left a council to rule the city. While she considered continuing to conquer Slaver’s Bay and free the slaves, she received word from Illyrio begging her to meet with him, now in Volantis. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to retake Westeros, she agreed and departed Astapor with her army of Unsullied.

In Volantis, Illyrio Mopatis revealed the true reason he wanted Daenerys to meet with him. He revealed that her nephew, Aegon Targaryen, was still alive, and that if she married Aegon then the two of them would have the Golden Company to help retake Westeros with. While Daenerys was skeptical at first, upon meeting Aegon she became infatuated with him. She had needed someone to love following her husband’s death, and Aegon was just that person. The two married and pledged to retake the Seven Kingdoms.

Before they left Volantis, however, tragedy struck the Targaryens. Viserion had gone off to hunt one day and didn’t return. While it was normal for the dragons to go off on their own for extended periods, Viserion’s absence was abnormally long. Daenerys eventually set off to search for him, and after a week of looking they found Viserion wounded and on the verge of death. An elephant tusk was impaled in his chest, a sign of the cause of his demise. Heartbroken, Daenerys wished to stay with Viserion and nurse him back to health, but Jorah Mormont convinced her that he was past saving.

Upon returning to the city of Volantis, Aegon urged Daenerys that they needed to take Westeros immediately, while it was embroiled in war. Daenerys had other ideas though, and realized that if they were going to launch a naval invasion they needed a larger fleet than what the Golden Company and herself could supply. They agreed to march on Braavos and take the city, for it would serve as a good location to launch an invasion from, and their wealth and ships would be able to support a prolonged war. Along the way they stopped in Pentos looking for support, but only received fear and suspicion. Illyrio Mopatis was stripped of his title as magister and exiled from the city, along with the other Targaryen supporters.

## Invasion of Braavos

Exiled from Pentos with nowhere else to go for allies, Aegon and Daenerys wasted no time in declaring war on Braavos. The first step was to enter the lagoon of Braavos itself, and to do so would mean to face the infamous Titan of Braavos. Drogon and Rhaegal, ridden by Daenerys and Aegon respectively, burned the islands supporting the Titan, and breathed flames on the bronze fortress to make it inhospitable to anyone inside. Men leapt from the Titan and off the islands into the sea. Many are said to have been burned to death and died from the dragons attacking the Titan, but it allowed the path to be cleared for the Golden Company and the Unsullied to assault the city.

Again the dragons were used to clear the way, as flames were used to keep the Braavosi ships from attacking the invaders. Daenerys and Aegon were careful not to burn many of the ships, however, as they would be needed for taking Westeros. When the armies finally landed on the harbor, the Braavosi put up a strong resistance and nearly pushed them back. Seeking to distract the armies, Daenerys flew Drogon to the Iron Bank and began burning it down. Hundreds of soldiers turned away from the fighting at the docks to protect the Bank, opening up a gap that the Unsullied and Golden Company mercilessly took advantage of. After a full day of fighting, Braavos surrendered and Daenerys and Aegon were proclaimed the King and Queen of Braavos.

## Invasion of Westeros

With a fleet, funds, an army, and a city, the time was ripe for the invasion of Westeros to begin. While Daenerys longed to see Westeros, she soon discovered that she was pregnant. Not wanting to risk hurting her child, she decided she would stay in Braavos and join Aegon once she had given birth. While in Braavos Daenerys tried to ensure a smooth transition to Targaryen rule. Some of the Braavosi respected her as she had freed the Unsullied, but the majority were dismayed that a Valyrian was ruling over them.

Aegon launched his invasion in the Crownlands, and with the combined armies of the Unsullied and the Golden Company, along with Rhaegal, he was able to defeat the Westerosi armies in several battles. His victory seemed certain as he swept across the Crownlands and secured the Kingsroad, preparing for a decisive assault of King’s Landing. When the time to assault King’s Landing finally came, the Westerosi could hope for nothing less than a miracle. Aegon lead the Golden Company through the gates, while the Unsullied scaled the walls. Rhaegal breathed fire down on to the armies below, and the Braavosi fleet swiftly took the port. Tragedy struck however when a lone bowman shot Aegon in the chest. Hoping to save Aegon’s life, a large contingent of men escorted Aegon from the city. Chaos among his army broke out, and when reinforcements arrived to help the defenders, the invaders were able to be forced out of King’s Landing.

## Conclusion

It wasn’t long before Aegon died to his injuries, and an emissary of the Iron Throne went to Braavos to request peace with Daenerys. When she received the news of Aegon’s death she was furious, but she came to realize that her quest to take back the Iron Throne had led to nothing but suffering. She agreed to peace, and stayed in Braavos to help raise her newborn son. Daenerys decided to rule from the Sealord’s Palace, now renamed the Dragon’s Palace. She also decided to paint its door red, and plant a lemon tree orchard outside of it. The Golden Company was released from their oaths, yet they still swear to help a dragon take back the throne when the time comes. The Unsullied stayed in Braavos, yet no new ones were trained. Rhaegal also returned to Braavos, yet when Daenerys grew old and eventually passed away, he departed for his original birthplace, where he remains today.