The lords of Westeros gather in a Great Council to elect an heir to succeed Jaehaerys I, who has no living children. The council chooses his eldest grandson, Viserys, over his eldest grandchild, Rhaenys, to succeed their grandfather, being heavily influenced by the customs of patriarchal rule. Nine years later, Viserys hosts a tournament to celebrate the impending birth of a potential heir. However, Queen Aemma insists it will be their last child, whether it's a boy or a girl, since she can't bear to mourn another child after a series of miscarriages and stillbirths have only produced a single living child. However, Viserys is confident this child will be a boy and he will finally have an heir. But until he does, his brother Daemon is the presumptive heir. Later in the day, Viserys is forced to choose between the life of his heir and that of his wife during a difficult birth that will likely kill them both. His wife dies giving birth to his son, but the little solace an heir brings is short-lived, as the boy dies the next day. Viserys hosts a series of Small Council meetings where members indicate concern over the actions of Prince Dameon. They believe his temperament, attitude and judgment will prevent him from ruling justly should he inherit the Iron Throne. While the King vigorously defends his brother, a series of actions by his brother and a disagreement over how the power of the crown should be asserted force Viserys to question his current plan of succession. The pressure to protect the realm by having an acceptable heir that all the noble houses will support and ensure no competing claims are made weighs heavily on him. Viserys has spent the better part of a decade trying to produce a suitable male heir at great personal cost, in order to prevent a civil war after his death. But, he realizes only now that he had a worthy heir all along in his daughter, Rhaenyra. Although she has no royal aspirations, she is well-suited to lead the realm. Viserys summons the realm's nobility to a gathering to settle the matter. As he bears witness on the Iron Throne, Viserys asks the noble houses to all declare an oath of fealty to him and his designated heir, Rhaenyra.
