Kingsgrave has surrendered to King Daeron, and then with Lord Tyrell the Young Dragon successfully seized Blackmont after its small garrison—abandoned by Lord Andrey Blackmont, a rebel who took what few troops remained to him down the Torentine to live like outlaws in the reaches around Starfall—surrendered to him. Such was the glad word that has eventually found its way to King’s Landing. On the other side of Dorne, Ser Alyn Velaryon—the king’s cousin, and already far-famed as admiral of his fleet—has arrived at the Tor to find Lord Caston Vaith’s forces gone and Lady Jordayne recently surrendering the section of the castle which she and her loyal men had captured to the garrison commander. But other news from Dorne is less than good.
Vaith escaped to the west, and it was feared that he meant to attack Yronwood. Ser Alyn raced with his vessels and then forced a march through the night to reach the castle, only to learn that Vaith had played a trick, sending only a few light Dornish spears in that direction to make it seem that the rest of his host was behind. While the Dornish rebels dispersed to the mountains, Caston Vaith led the main strength of his outlaws towards his home of Vaith, held by Beslon Smallwood. It was a near thing when he struck by surprise, and it was only the unexpected skill of the sellswords of the Bright Banners that repelled the attack against difficult odds. The townsmen rose up in an attempt to seize the gates and fling them open to their rebel lord, but Beslon the Bad brutally put that down and bided his time until aid could come from Godsgrace, rejecting Lord Caston’s call to fight him in single combat.
Frustrated, with threats to the life of his wife Lady Kerenza ringing in his ears, Lord Caston withdrew his forces, but used a screen of outriders to hide his true purpose. When the reinforcements from Godsgrace landed near Vaith and began their march, they were setupon in an ambush. Many men more killed, and the rest sent fleeing back to their ships, before Lord Caston disappeared seemingly into the desert.
It was the last raven from Sunspear which revealed the truth: Lord Vaith had used his wiles to reach Salt Shore undetected, and there ambushed a hunting party including Lord Davit Gargalen and the commander of Salt Shore’s garrison. With them as hostages, the townsmen rose up and seized the gates of the town, opening it to their rebel lord. The rest of the garrison remains besieged in the castle, desperate for aid, yet Oakenfist is said to still be sailing for Sunspear and King Daeron is occupied with putting down the last vestiges of open rebellion in the western end of the Red Mountains.