House Tarly

House Tarly of Horn Hill entered the Dance of the Dragons on Rhaenyra’s side and fought against the Hightower-led army in the Reach. Its role developed from opposition to Ormund Hightower’s advance into direct participation in the Battle of the Honeywine, where Lord Alan Tarly was taken captive.

Allegiance in the Reach

When reports reached King Aegon II that support for Rhaenyra was spreading through the south, Lord Tarly of Horn Hill was among the Reach lords named as having declared for her. The division cut across a region in which House Hightower and Oldtown remained firmly behind Aegon, while other houses resisted his cause. House Tarly’s allegiance placed it in opposition to Ormund Hightower, who set out from Oldtown to suppress the growing rebellions.

Harrying Ormund Hightower

Lord Alan Tarly joined Ser Alan Beesbury in attacking Ormund’s much larger host as it marched. Their forces were substantially fewer, so they avoided relying on a single pitched engagement: they harassed the Hightower army day and night, raided its camps, killed scouts, and set fires along its route. This pressure, combined with attacks on the baggage train and the approach of another large force under Thaddeus Rowan, helped leave Ormund unwilling to continue without support from King’s Landing.

The Battle of the Honeywine

Tarly’s campaign against the Hightowers culminated at the Honeywine. Thaddeus Rowan and Tom Flowers approached from the northeast, while Lord Alan Tarly, Ser Alan Beesbury, and Lord Owen Costayne joined forces to cut off Ormund’s retreat to Oldtown. Their armies closed around the Hightower host and attacked from both front and rear; Ormund’s lines began to crumble, and defeat appeared near.

The arrival of Daeron Targaryen on Tessarion reversed the battle. Ormund’s soldiers went on the attack, while Rhaenyra’s supporters fled. By the end of the fighting, Rowan was retreating with the remnants of his force, Tom Flowers was dead, and both Alan Beesbury and Alan Tarly had been captured. The account records Tarly’s capture but does not state what became of him afterward.

Role and Significance

House Tarly’s actions show that resistance to Aegon in the Reach was not confined to a declaration of allegiance: Lord Alan Tarly’s forces took part in a sustained campaign of raids and then joined the encirclement at the Honeywine. The battle’s reversal, brought about by Daeron and Tessarion, ended that immediate offensive with Tarly a prisoner, despite the pressure his side had exerted on Ormund’s march.