The Recovery of the Twin Blades

As recorded by Archmaester Calyros, Keeper of Valyrian Lore, Citadel of Oldtown

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I. The Lost Relics of Targaryen Might

The Valyrian blades Blackfyre and Dark Sister were long thought lost to time.

• Blackfyre, the sword of conquest, once borne by Aegon I himself, passed through the hands of the Blackfyre Pretenders during their ill-fated rebellions. Its last confirmed bearer, Maelys Blackfyre, fell in the War of the Ninepenny Kings. Thereafter, rumor claimed the blade vanished east across the Narrow Sea.

• Dark Sister, the favored blade of Queen Visenya and later of Prince Daemon Targaryen, was lost after Daemon’s death in the waters of the Blackwater during the Dance of the Dragons. No chronicler could confirm its fate, though whispers placed it amidst the ruins of Valyria.

Thus, for centuries, these relics lingered in the songs of bards and the dreams of pretenders, yet remained beyond the grasp of kings.

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II. Rediscovery in the Age of Richard I, the Storm Dragon

It was not until the reign of Emperor Richard I Baratheon, first of his dynasty, that the swords reemerged. His reign was marked by great conquests and the reforging of a unified realm across Westeros and Western Essos, and it was during these campaigns that the relics of fire and blood resurfaced.

• The Finding of Blackfyre
  Amidst the conquest of Pentos and the submission of Myr, imperial scouts uncovered a hidden vault belonging to a sellsword company descended from the scattered Blackfyres. Within lay Blackfyre, dulled but still radiant with its Valyrian sheen. Presented before the Emperor, Richard declared the weapon no longer a pretender’s banner, but now the Sword of Emperors — to be wielded only by those who sat upon the Golden Throne of Rygoros.

• The Recovery of Dark Sister
  Later, during Richard’s perilous venture into the Fourteen Flames of Valyria to tame the firewyrm Verman, he uncovered a sealed sanctum protected by wards of dragonfire. There lay Dark Sister, preserved beyond mortal reach. Richard’s bloodline of House Daeragon, known for its fire-immunity, alone allowed him to grasp the blade. Thus did the Emperor claim Dark Sister, and gift it to his twin sister Princess Rosalia Baratheon, commander of the Order of the Golden Sun.

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III. Symbolism and Legacy

With the recovery of both blades, the Emperor proclaimed them the Twin Blades of Storm and Fire, binding their fates to House Baratheon:

• Blackfyre became the Sword of Emperors, wielded only by the reigning Emperor of Westeros and Western Essos.

• Dark Sister became the Sword of Generals, carried by the greatest warrior of the Imperial Family, most often the sibling or cousin tasked with defending the realm’s armies.

By these acts, Richard ended the swords’ long association with Targaryen civil strife. No longer were they emblems of rebellion, but instead instruments of unity under the Baratheon Dynasty.

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IV. The Citadel’s Consideration

The reappearance of Blackfyre and Dark Sister has stirred much debate among scholars:

• Some claim it was destiny — that only through the union of Baratheon strength and Daeragon fire could the blades be reclaimed.

• Others suggest the Emperor contrived the discoveries to strengthen his legitimacy.

Whatever the truth, it cannot be denied: with these swords, Richard the Storm Dragon reforged not only steel, but history itself.