Argilac

Argilac Durrendon, also known as Argilac the Arrogant, was the last Storm King who reigned in the Stormlands before the Conquest by Aegon I. Argilac was probably the Storm King who sided with Tyrosh, Lys, Myr, and Aegon when that alliance broke Volantene hegemony at the end of the “Bleeding Years.” Harren the Black, the King of the Iron Islands and the Riverlands, was nearing completion of his massive castle, Harrenhal, and was said to be looking for more conquests. Argilac had grown afraid of Harren and so proposed an alliance with Aegon. It is believed he wanted to create a buffer zone between his kingdom and Harren’s. He offered the hand of his daughter, Argella, in marriage as well as dowry lands, though, much of the lands were in fact in the possession of Harren the Black. Aegon refused and instead offered the hand of his best friend and rumored bastard brother, Orys Baratheon. Argilac took this as a grave insult and had the hands of the envoy cut off. He sent them to Aegon with a message of “These are the only hands you will receive”. Aegon called his banners and took counsel with them and his sisters. Then Aegon sent ravens to the rulers of the Seven Kingdoms. He informed them that “There will be only one King” and that those who bent the knee would keep their lands and titles. But those that did not he would destroy. King Argilac refused to submit. After landing and proclaiming himself Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and King of Westeros, Aegon named Orys Baratheon the Hand of the King and sent him with Rhaenys to take Storm’s End. Though Orys met with some setbacks, he continued to march on Storm’s End. King Argilac refused to be trapped inside his castle like King Harren, so he came out to meet the invaders. He attacked Orys’s forces while a huge storm raged, in what became known as the Battle of the Last Storm. Argilac outnumbered Orys’ army two-to-one and outflanked it, but Rhaenys and her dragon, Meraxes, stopped them. Orys came face-to-face with Argilac and slew him in single combat. In order to reward his rumored bastard half-brother Orys, Aegon gave him Argilac’s lands and the hand of the dead king’s daughter. Orys kept the banner, honors and words of House Durrendon.