Red Lake is presented as the remote lair of Silverwing after the devastation at Tumbleton, turning the lake into a point of strategic consequence during the Dance of the Dragons. Its significance in the account lies less in a description of the place itself than in the danger and political pressure attached to the dragon said to dwell there.

Setting and Reported Lair

Silverwing had left the desolation at Tumbleton and was reported to have flown into the Reach. At the latest report, she was said to have made her lair on a small, stony isle in the middle of Red Lake. The account presents this as reported knowledge rather than a witnessed arrival, but it places one of the few surviving dragons at a specific refuge well beyond the immediate aftermath of the battle.

Silverwing and the Failed Claim

Silverwing’s presence in the Reach made her a possible source of renewed military power. Unwin Peake offered a thousand golden dragons to any knight of noble birth who could claim her. Three men came forward; the first lost an arm, the second was burned to death, and the third reconsidered. The account connects these failed attempts to the peril of claiming Silverwing, though it does not specify that they took place on the isle in Red Lake.

Royal Strategy and Avoidance

Aegon II was urged to claim Silverwing, who had accepted another rider, but he could not walk or stand, much less mount a dragon. A journey across the realm to Red Lake was also judged too dangerous while the surrounding regions were troubled by traitors, rebels, and broken men. Aegon rejected the proposal and instead sought a new dragon by having seven eggs sent from Dragonstone; none hatched.

Red Lake remained a consideration in plans for Aegon’s later royal progress. The proposed route through the Reach included Highgarden, Goldengrove, and Old Oak, but Red Lake was to be avoided because the king would not welcome a visit to the dragon’s refuge. Thus the lake’s place in the itinerary reflects the continuing political weight of Silverwing’s presence, even when the planned journey steered clear of her.