History Awesome / ASongOfIceAndFire

* Robert Baratheon and Rhaegar Targaryen meeting in single combat at the Trident. In an epic battle, Robert eventually managed to DropTheHammer on Rhaegar and basically win the Rebellion right there.

* In book one after realising what Joffrey really is, Sansa almost pulls a TakingYouWithMe and is only stopped by the Hound. Book two she saves Ser Dontos life which allows for her eventual escape from Kings Landing. And in book four she's showing real signs of MagnificentBastard potential. Her defiant refusal to kneel at her forced wedding to Tyrion was a brave bit of resistance in a scenario where she had virtually no capacity to refuse her captors anything.

* Jaime killing Aerys. At 17 doing the most unbelievable crime of all time. Killing a king, a king he was sworn to defend. And his [[ShootTheDog reasons]] make him a total [[TheWoobie woobie]] (at least initially). King Aerys II was losing the battle against Robert's Rebellion, was very close to watching King's Landing get sacked and his throne taken from him, [[KillEmAll and was about to burn down King's Landing and everyone in it out of spite.]] Jaime [[EvenEvilHasStandards prevented this from happening]], killing Aerys before he could give the order. And he did this with a general idea of [[TheOathbreaker how people would see him]] for the rest of his life afterward, and not telling anybody [[WhatYouAreInTheDark the truth about what happened]].

* Arya finally killing Raff the Sweetling so very long after having added him to her list, and just to make it sweeter she does so the same way Raff murdered Lommy in ''Literature/AClashOfKings'' and even makes him unknowingly echo Lommy's last plea for help. A far more subtle one in the same chapter is that it reveals at the end that Bran's greenseeing has progressed to the point where he can now see Arya all the way from Westeros.

** From the released excerpts of The World of Ice & Fire, it seems that the Dornish people of that time were insanely badass '''and''' utterly merciless foes. Entire Targaryen hosts were wiped out without a trace, captured knights were tortured as a pastime, Orys Baratheon (founder of House Baratheon and most trusted general of Aegon the Dragon) was captured and held as hostage with all his men for years and finally released with every man missing a hand (the event even prompted Orys Baratheon to go into retirement, as he didn't want to be known under the humiliating nickname "Stump of the King"), Dornish forces burned and rampaged all throughout the Stormlands and the Reach, and last but not the least, Meraxes and her rider were both killed.

'''Moments pages are Administrivia/SpoilersOff. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.'''
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* Nettle's EstablishingCharacterMoment. She tames a ''feral, adult dragon''. Everyone else who tried that did it by [[WhatAnIdiot marching into the dragon's lair]] and trying to ''force'' it to obey them. ([[SarcasmMode Spoiler alert]]: they either died ''horribly'' or got "lucky" and lived with tremendous scars.) But Nettle's [[GuileHero too smart for that]]. So she gets a butchered sheep and takes it to the dragon, every day, until it recognizes her and trusts her. That's it. Simple ''logic'' elevates this [[TwoferTokenMinority bastard peasant girl]] to a DragonRider and major player in the war.

* King Baelor I rescuing [[BadassInDistress Aegon the Dragonknight]] from a pit of vipers. That's some serious HeroicWillpower right there.

* The backstory featured a confrontation between Aegon the Conqueror's sister-wife Rhaenys and the Ruling Princess of Dorne, [[http://thewertzone.blogspot.in/2012/09/the-full-story-of-targaryen-conquest-in.html?spref=tw&m=1%7CThe Mariya "The Yellow Toad" Martell]]. The Dornish had used guerilla tactics to destroy the invading Targaryen armies little piece by little piece, at the same time denying them a target for their dragons. When Rhaenys got fed up and flew straight to the Dornish capital the following (paraphrased) exchange took place:
-->'''Mariya''': ''This is Dorne. You are not wanted here, return at your peril. ''
-->''' Rhaenys''': ''I will return! With '''Fire and Blood'''!''
-->'''Mariya''': ''[[ShutUpHannibal Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken]]''.

** From the released excerpts of The World of Ice & Fire, it seems that the Dornish people of that time were insanely badass '''and''' utterly merciless foes. Entire Targaryen hosts were wiped out without a trace, captured knights were tortured as a pastime, Orys Baratheon (founder of House Baratheon and most trusted general of Aegon the Dragon) was captured and held as hostage with all his men for years and finally released with every man missing a hand, Dornish forces burned and rampaged all throughout the Stormlands and the Reach, and last but not the least, Meraxes and her rider were both killed.

-->'''Stannis''': "I defeated your uncle Victarion and his Iron Fleet off Fair Isle, the first time your father crowned himself. I held Storm's End against the power of the Reach for a year, and took Dragonstone from the Targaryens. I smashed Mance Rayder at the Wall, though he had twenty times my numbers. Tell me, turncloak, what battles has the Bastard of Bolton ever won that I should fear him?

* Stannis [[spoiler:deducing that Arnolf Karstark is TheMole, getting him and his son arrested and bullying the Karhold men into fighting for him instead of House Bolton]].

-->'''Stannis''': "I defeated [[spoiler:your uncle]] Victarion and his Iron Fleet off Fair Isle, the first time [[spoiler:your father]] crowned himself. I held Storm's End against the power of the Reach for a year, and took Dragonstone from the Targaryens. I smashed [[spoiler:Mance Rayder at the Wall]], though he had twenty times my numbers. Tell me, [[spoiler:turncloak]], what battles has the Bastard of [[spoiler:Bolton]] ever won that I should fear him?
* Arya [[spoiler: finally killing Raff the Sweetling so very long after having added him to her list, and just to make it sweeter she does so the same way Raff murdered Lommy in AClashOfKings and even makes him unknowingly echo Lommy's last plea for help.]]
** A far more subtle one in the same chapter is that it reveals at the end that [[spoiler: Bran's greenseeing has progressed to the point where he can now see Arya all the way from Westeros.]]
* The increasingly lopsided debacle that is the [[spoiler:Battle of Meereen]] in the Barristan Selmy and Tyrion chapters. [[spoiler:Ser Barristan and the Unsullied charging through the front gates, Ironborn laying waste to the slaver fleet, and the Windblown and Second Sons turning their cloaks amidst all of it. While the final result is unknown, and knowing this series a DiabolusExMachina could strike at any moment, watching the arrogant Yunkish army get taken apart right when they think their victory is certain is quite satisfying.]]
* Sansa's [[spoiler: GuileHero and FilleFatale skills have definitely blossomed during her Alayne Stone charade. Harry the Heir rudely calls her a bastard, meaning that he's not thrilled about their match. But Sansa's having none of it. Five minutes of dance are enough to have this JerkJock completely seduced by said bastard's look and wits to the point that at the end of their dance he's asking [[TheLadysFavour her favour]] to wear at the tourney, which she refuses because knows that PlayingHardToGet is what would keep him interested.]]

* Jaime killing Aerys. At 17 doing the most unbelievable crime of all time. Killing a king, a king he was sworn to defend. And his [[ShootTheDog reasons]] make him a total [[TheWoobie woobie]] (at least initially).
** True enough. To expand this; King Aerys II was losing the battle against Robert's Rebellion, was very close to watching King's Landing get sacked and his throne taken from him, [[spoiler:[[KillEmAll and was about to burn down King's Landing and everyone in it out of spite.]]]] Jaime [[EvenEvilHasStandards prevented this from happening]], killing Aerys before he could give the order. And he did this with a general idea of [[TheOathbreaker how people would see him]] for the rest of his life afterward, and not telling anybody [[WhatYouAreInTheDark the truth about what happened]].

* In Jojen and Meera's story of the tourney at Harrenhal, [[RebelliousPrincess Lyanna Stark]] came across a group of squires beating a young Howland Reed. She roared [[PreAssKickingOneLiner "That's my father's man you're kicking!"]] and proceeded to beat the crap out of all the bullies with a tourney sword, scattering them. Keep in mind she was only a teenage girl at the time. [[ActionGirl It's easy to see why Arya is often compared to her aunt.]]
** And that's only the start of Lyanna being awesome at the Harrenhal Tourney -- at least if you subscribe to the popular theory that she was the [[spoiler:Knight of the Laughing Tree.]]

** Related to above, Davos manages to smuggles supply to besieged party through Redwyne-Tyrell blockade. As reward, [[RagsToRoyalty he gets promoted into knight]] [[spoiler:[[RagsToRoyalty and later nobleman]]]] by Stannis. The first sentence is CMOA, the second is this and CMOH.

** First, when she [[spoiler: kills Mirri Maz Duur and hatches her dragon eggs, and WALKS INTO THE FIRE TO PULL THEM OUT and comes out unscathed (except for her hair)]]at the end of A Game of Thrones
** Then, when she [[spoiler: burns down the House of the Undying AND outwits the Qaartheen to escape after leading her people through a desert death march mostly intact]] during A Clash Of Kings
** Finally, she [[spoiler: turns her small group of Dothraki into a large group of warriors by freeing the Unsullied she just bought by ordering them to kill the men who owned them five minutes ago, then leading them on a rampage through the East, freeing slaves and leaving burning ruins of what had once been decadent, immoral, evil cities in her wake]] during A Storm of Swords. Put simply, she is the most badass fourteen-year-old in, well, EVER.
*** Not to mention the event that kicks all this off -- Dany ordering her dragons to [[spoiler: roast the repellant slave trader]] who's been [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain calling her "whore" and "slut" every chance he gets]]. ''So'' satisfying.

** [[spoiler:Drogon]] in ''A Dance with Dragons''. If you've gotten to the scene, no further explanation will be necessary.
* No love for Sansa? In book one after realising what Joffrey really is she almost pulls a TakingYouWithMe and is only stopped by the Hound. Book two she saves Ser Dontos life which allows for her eventual escape from Kings Landing. And in book four she's showing real signs of MagnificentBastard potential.
** Her defiant refusal to kneel at her forced wedding to Tyrion was a brave bit of resistance in a scenario where she had virtually no capacity to refuse her captors anything.

*** [[spoiler: From the released excerpts of The World of Ice & Fire, it seems that the Dornish people of that time were insanely badass '''and''' utterly merciless foes. Entire Targaryen hosts were wiped out without a trace, captured knights were tortured as a pastime, Orys Baratheon (founder of House Baratheon & most trusted general of Aegon the Dragon) was captured and held as hostage with all his men for years and finally released with every man missing a hand, Dornish forces burned & rampaged all throughout the Stormlands & the Reach & last but not the least, Meraxes & her rider were both killed.]]

** After the betrayals of Ulf the White and Hugh Hammer during the First Battle of Tumbleton, Rhaenyra becomes suspicious of Addam Velaryon due to his base birth, declares him a traitor and he is forced to flee King's Landing. Desperate to prove his loyalty, he assembles an army and attacks the green camp at Tumbleton. Despite being outnumbered and having one dragon to the greens' three, the blacks win the battle and force the greens to retreat, saving King's Landing, but at the cost of Addam's life. He dies trying to protect his men from the riderless, rampaging Vermithor, despite knowing that his own dragon was no match for the older, larger dragon. Both dragons die in the battle that ensues, along with another dragon, Tessarion. When his bones are returned to House Velaryon, his brother Alyn puts one word on his grave marker: LOYAL.
** When Dragonstone is betrayed and taken by Aegon II, she escapes through the window and heads towards the stables to get her dragon, Moondancer. Rather than fleeing, she attacks the invading Aegon II. Moondancer was barely old enough to ride, and only the size of a warhorse (Sunfyre was older and larger, but had been injured at the Battle of Rook's Rest and could barely fly). When the two dragons become entangled and start to fall, Baela stays with her dragon all the way down (Aegon jumps off, shattering both legs in the process). Burned and battered, she still finds the strength to try to crawl away. [[EvenEvilHasStandards When one of Aegon's men moves to kill her, he's stopped by his own companion.]] Moondancer dies during the battle, but the injuries she inflicts on Sunfyre end up killing him as well.

* The dragon battles are ''insanely'' intense. Special mentions go to Princess Rhaenys and Meleys the Red Queen for taking on the entire royal army and two enemy dragon riders; [[HeroicBastard Addam Valeryon]] for fighting two riderless dragons to protect his men during the Second Battle of Tumbleton; and [[LittleMissBadass Princess Baela]] and her barely grown dragon for facing down Aegon II during the Fall of Dragonstone.

-->''[[KneelBeforeZod "Our knees do not bend so easily."]]''
-->''[[LastStand "The Kingsguard does not flee."]]''
-->''"Then or now."''
--> '''Ser Arthur Dayne & Ser Gerold Hightower''', ''A Game of Thrones''

!!''The Princess and the Queen'' short story

* From "The Hedge Knight", ''many'' moments relating to Dunk's Trial of Seven:
** The smallfolk all being on Dunk's side even though his opponents include [[spoiler:three princes of the blood and three members of the Kingsguard]] because he was "a knight who remembered his vows".
** [[spoiler:Baelor Breakspear himself, Hand of the King and heir to the Iron Throne,]] volunteering to be Dunk's final champion, even though it means going against [[spoiler:his own brother and two of his nephews]].
** Ser Humphrey Hardyng fighting at Dunk's side even though he already had a broken leg from his earlier clash with Aerion.
** Raymun Fossoway being knighted on the spot to take Dunk's cause [[spoiler:after his treacherous cousin Steffon betrays Dunk to fight for the other side]]. During the battle he [[spoiler:gave his cousin a few bruises to remember and afterwards went on to found the cadet branch of House Fossoway based on his repainted "green apple" banner which would grow to become the equals of the main "red apple" branch]].
** Dunk beating [[spoiler:Prince Aerion Targaryen]] and forcing him to recant his accusation, winning the trial, by [[TheCombatPragmatist dragging him down into the mud and beating the stuffing out of him]], largely using [[ShieldBash his opponent's own shield against him]]. "He could vanquish Ser Duncan the Tall, but not Dunk of Flea Bottom."
** Finally, his acceptance of Prince Maekar's offer to let him take his son Aegon as his squire- on the condition that the two of them roam the country living the low life a simple hedge knight and his common squire. When Maekar incredulously reminds Dunk that Egg is a prince of the blood, Dunk points out to the prince [[spoiler:and now heir to the throne]] that neither of his other two sons ever learned humility or decency, so maybe it's time to try things a different way. Maekar doesn't answer, but Dunk gets his way. (And if you know about the history of the series, you know Aegon V grows up to be a fair, honourable and beloved ruler, so Dunk ''knew'' what he was talking about.)
* There are several great moments for Dunk in "The Mystery Knight," but chief among them?
** "I'm better with a sword" Dunk wasn't lying
** "You lie. That's two."

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<<|CrowningMoment/{{Literature}}|>>

* The dragon battles are ''insanely'' intense. Special mentions go to [[BadassGrandma Princess Rhaenys]] and Meleys the Red Queen for taking on the entire royal army and two enemy dragon riders; [[HeroicBastard Addam Valeryon]] for fighting two riderless dragons to protect his men during the Second Battle of Tumbleton; and [[LittleMissBadass Princess Baela]] and her barely grown dragon for facing down Aegon II during the Fall of Dragonstone.

** Related to above, Davos manages to smuggles supply to besieged party through Redwyne-Tully blockade. As reward, [[RagsToRoyalty he gets promoted into knight]] [[spoiler:[[RagsToRoyalty and later nobleman]]]] by Stannis. The first sentence is CMOA, the second is this and CMOH.

** True enough. To expand this; King Aerys II was losing the battle against Robert's Rebellion, was very close to watching King's Landing get sacked and his throne taken from him, [[spoiler:[[KillEmAll and was about to burn down King's Landing and everyone in it out of spite.]]]] Jaime [[EvenEvilHasStandards prevented this from happening]], killing Aerys before he could give the order. And he did this with a general idea of [[TheOathbreaker of how people would see him]] for the rest of his life afterward, and not telling anybody [[WhatYouAreInTheDark the truth about what happened]].

* Stannis [[spoiler:deducing that Arnolf Karstark is TheMole, getting him and his nephew arrested and bullying several Karhold men into fighting for him instead of House Bolton]].

** True enough. To expand this; King Aerys II was losing the battle against Robert's Rebellion, was very close to watching King's Landing get sacked and his throne taken from him, [[KillEmAll and was about to burn down King's Landing and everyone in it out of spite.]] Jaime [[EvenEvilHasStandards prevented this from happening]], killing Aerys before he could give the order. And he did this with a general idea of [[TheOathbreaker of how people would see him]] for the rest of his life afterward, and not telling anybody [[WhatYouAreInTheDark the truth about what happened]].

** And that's only the start of Lyanna being awesome at the Harrenhal Tourney -- at least if you subscribe to the popular theory that she was the Knight of the Laughing Tree.

** Whole Nymeria and her fleet tales. Filled mostly with women, children, elderly and sick, they sailed long, perilous way from home to find new home. When they reached Dorne, then local petty lord Mors Martell recognized their strength seek unity with them. Later the Nymeros- Martell unified Dorne and Rhoynish gets their happy ending.

** Related to above, Davos manages to smuggles supply to besieged party through Redwyne-Tully blockade. As reward, [[RagsToRoyalty he gets promoted into knight [[spoiler:and later nobleman]]]] by Stannis. The first sentence is CMOA, the second is this and CMOH.

* Sansa's [[spoiler: GuilHero and FilleFatale skills have definitely blossomed during her Alayne Stone charade. Harry the Heir rudely calls her a bastard, meaning that he's not thrilled about their match. But Sansa's having none of it. Five minutes of dance are enough to have this JerkJick completely seduced by said bastard's look and wits to the point that at the end of their dance he's asking [[TheLadysFavour her favour]] to wear at the tourney, which she refuses because knows that PlayingHardToGet is what would keep him interested.]]