The Fair Isle uprising

The Fair Isle uprising was a rebellion by the island’s smallfolk and surviving knights against its Ironborn occupiers. It followed Dalton Greyjoy’s death and the collapse of the fleet assembled for his next campaign. The revolt drove the Ironborn from the island before Alyn Velaryon arrived, turning his expected military intervention into a relief mission and leaving Faircastle as the occupation’s last holdout.

Background and Outbreak

Dalton Greyjoy was killed at Faircastle on the eve of the battle he had been preparing to fight. His death swiftly undid the force gathered against Alyn: captains began slipping away for home, where Dalton’s succession was uncertain. He had left two young sons by salt wives, three sisters, and several ambitious cousins. By law the Seastone Chair passed to his eldest salt son, Toron, who was not yet six; his mother could not serve as regent under the custom that might have allowed a rock wife to do so. The Ironborn fleet’s departure and the unsettled succession left the island’s occupiers exposed.

The Rebellion

As news of Dalton’s death spread, Fair Isle’s smallfolk and the knights still on the island rose in open rebellion. Ironborn who had remained were attacked, and their ships were seized and burned. The revolt gathered force with striking speed: within three days, hundreds of reavers had been killed, and Faircastle alone remained in Ironborn hands. The island had not been freed by an arriving royal or allied army; its people and remaining defenders had begun the work themselves.

Faircastle’s Holdout

The garrison at Faircastle consisted largely of Dalton’s close companions and fellow warriors. It held stubbornly under Alester Wynch and Gunthor Goodbrother, until a quarrel over Lysa, a daughter of Lord Farman and one of the salt widows, ended with Gunthor killing Alester. The dispute fractured the leadership of the last Ironborn stronghold even as the rest of the island had already been reclaimed.

Alyn Velaryon’s Arrival and Aftermath

When Alyn Velaryon reached the island, he found no opposing army: Fair Isle was free, the longships had fled, and the fighting was over. His ship, the Lady Baela, was welcomed beneath the walls of Lannisport; the city’s bells rang, crowds lined the shore, and Lady Johanna Lannister presented him with a golden seahorse and other gifts. The welcome reflected the western lords’ continuing vulnerability, since their own fleet had been destroyed and the Ironborn might return under a new leader.

Lady Johanna proposed carrying the war to the Iron Islands, offering men in exchange for Alyn’s transport. He refused to lead such an attack, but agreed to leave Leo Costayne, the Sea Lion, at Lannisport with a third of the fleet until the Lannisters, Farmans, and other western lords could rebuild enough warships to defend themselves. He then sailed away with the rest. The uprising had already ended the occupation of Fair Isle; Alyn’s decision addressed the danger of renewed raids rather than completing the island’s liberation.