The murder attempt against Alyn Velaryon

The murder attempt against Alyn Velaryon was the violent culmination of a dispute over who should inherit Driftmark after Corlys Velaryon’s death. Alyn was the Sea Snake’s chosen heir, but his birth and the claims of Corlys’s nephews left his succession contested. The failed plot exposed how far the rival claimants were willing to go—and how much the outcome depended on the loyalty of the household guarding the seat they sought to control.

Succession and Rival Claims

Corlys had selected Alyn, born at Hull, as his heir. The choice was challenged by relatives who claimed a stronger right to Driftmark. The dispute echoed an earlier confrontation in the reign of Viserys: Ser Vaemond Velaryon, Corlys’s nephew and the elder son of one of the Sea Snake’s brothers, had advanced his own claim and lost his life. His widow and sons remained, while five other nephews, descended from Corlys’s other brother, also had claims. Those nephews had previously incurred Viserys’s anger by questioning the legitimacy of his daughter’s children; three later died fighting for Aegon II, leaving two alive to press their case alongside Vaemond’s sons.

The episode thus grew out of more than a single challenge to Alyn. It gathered together competing branches of the Velaryon family and older resentments over inheritance and legitimacy. Against them stood Corlys’s explicit choice of heir, made by a lord whose wealth and power had raised House Velaryon to new heights.

From Petition to Plot

Ser Vaemond’s sons, Daemion and Daeron, brought their claim before the council at King’s Landing. The Hand and the regents ruled against them, but the brothers accepted the decision and reconciled with Alyn. He granted them lands on Driftmark on the condition that they contribute ships to his fleet, turning a defeated claim into a negotiated place within the new lord’s power.

The two surviving nephews took the opposite course. Unable to speak after Viserys’s earlier punishment, they chose force rather than another appeal and attempted to murder Alyn. The attack failed because the guards at Castle Driftmark remained loyal to the memory of Corlys and to the heir he had chosen. Ser Malentine died during the attempt; his brother, Ser Rhogar, was captured. Condemned to death, Rhogar avoided execution by taking the black.

Aftermath and Significance

The failed attack cleared the way for Alyn’s formal installation as Lord of the Tides and Master of Driftmark. The different outcomes for the rival claimants are telling: Daemion and Daeron secured lands by accepting the council’s judgment and serving Alyn’s fleet, while the silent cousins’ resort to violence cost one of their number his life and left the other to take the black. The council’s ruling, the negotiated settlement, and the loyal guards together preserved Corlys’s succession choice.

Alyn then went to King’s Landing to claim Corlys’s place among the regents. The Hand thanked him and sent him back to Driftmark: Alyn was only sixteen, and the seat had already been offered to the older, more experienced Unwin Peake. His installation as lord therefore did not immediately give him his predecessor’s political position. The attempt had secured Alyn’s succession at home, but the regency remained beyond his reach.