(So close to the Iron Throne, yet so far)
The Horrific Aftermath of The First Tumbleton Battle
Seldom has any town or city in the history of the Seven Kingdoms been subject to as long or cruel or savage a sack as Tumbleton after the Treasons.
^ The Treasons of course referring to the dragon riders who went from the Blacks to the Greens.
Prince Daeron was sickened by all he saw and commanded Ser Hobert Hightower to put a stop to it, but Hightower’s efforts proved as ineffectual as the man himself.
^ The noble and just heart of Prince Daeron beats on … for now.
Ser Hobert went from baggage train command to army command — an extremely tall order — and much to the prince’s broken heart’s chagrin, he could alleviate the wantonness that was going on everywhere in celebration.
Stout and slow and never distinguished himself for 60 years, outside of the fact he was a Hightower — which all sets him up for his heroic act to end the Tumbleton dilemma 😉
The Ambitions of Ulf & Hugh
The worst crimes were those committed by the Two Betrayers, the baseborn dragonriders Hugh Hammer and Ulf White.
Ser Ulf gave himself over entirely to drunkenness, drowning himself in wine and flesh. Those who failed to please were fed to his dragon.
The knighthood that Queen Rhaenyra had conferred on him did not suffice. Nor was he surfeit when Prince Daemon named him Lord of Bitterbridge.
White had a greater prize in mind: he desired no less a seat than Highgarden, declaring that the Tyrells had played no part in the Dance, and therefore should be attainted as traitors.
^ Jesus — he should have been happy with Bitterbridge and stopped there — could have had all the wine and flesh he wanted and be content as a minor lord, with a dragon at his castle to boot.
Why someone would even want the headache that is being the Warden of The South, and Lord of Highgarden, is beyond me.
Ser Ulf’s ambitions must be accounted modest when compared to those of his fellow turncloak, Hugh Hammer.
The son of a common blacksmith, Hammer was a huge man, with hands so strong that he was said to be able to twist steel bars into torcs. Though largely untrained in the art of war, his size and strength made him a fearsome foe.
His weapon of choice was the warhammer, with which he delivered crushing,killing blows.
In battle he rode Vermithor, once the mount of the Old King himself; of all the dragons in Westeros, only Vhagar was older or larger.
^ Well now Vhagar is dead, so Vermithor is the largest and fiercest in the Realm.
For all these reasons, Lord Hammer (as he now styled himself) began to dream of crowns.
“Why be a lord when you can be a king?” he told the men who began to gather round him.
^ Ahh, what a great fool.
The Stalling Continues
Neither of the Two Betrayers seemed eager to help Prince Daeron press an attack on King’s Landing.
They had a great host, and three dragons besides, yet the queen had three dragons as well (as best they knew), and would have five once Prince Daemon returned with Nettles.
^ If only they charged King’s Landing ASAP — Daemon is dead, Nettles is in permanent exile, the Black dragons are all slain, and Rhaenyra has fled.
If they unified and took the capital right here and now, the Greens would have won the Dance and resumed the Iron Throne. Or maybe Hugh Hammer. But definitely not Aegon the Younger.
Lord Peake preferred to delay any advance until Lord Baratheon could bring up his power from Storm’s End to join them, whilst Ser Hobert wished to fall back to the Reach to replenish their fast-dwindling supplies.
None seemed concerned that their army was shrinking every day, melting away like morning dew as more and more men deserted, stealing off for home and harvest with all the plunder they could carry.
^ Hard to blame Lord Peake — not knowing the Blacks had fled and the commoners ran the city, it was probably wise to wait for the Storm’s End army to add to the Hightower force — make 100% sure you have a Total Victory.
Also hard to blame the soldiers who are deserting left and right — the Reach is prosperous and full of food and family, and no matter who wins the war, the Targaryens will still sit the Iron Throne — so why stand around at Tumbleton starting to death, surrounded by dragons and uncertainty?
No time quite like a harvest.
The Two Betrayers refused to join any attack unless their own demands were met.
^ In the end the Two Betrayers won the Dance for the Blacks, ironically, by their stalling.
Daniel's Backup of 20 years of ASOIAF Historical Analysis 