#Aegon IV targayen

[ophelias-lamentation]

Barba and Bethany Bracken- mistresses of Aegon IV

[moonlitgleek]

Um, hi? I appreciate that you're trying to bring up the complexity of inheritance in Westeros, but the Targaryen succession precedents you listed do not work like that, I'm afraid.

daemon blackfyre's rebellion was not under the banner that he was the true heir to aegon iv, but the true heir to daena the defiant, and that she in turn was the true heir to baelor the blessed over her uncle viserys ii.

As per the information provided via The Sworn Sword, this is incorrect. Daemon Blackfyre never claimed that he was inheriting through Princess Daena. The fact that he sought to invalidate Daeron's legitimacy stands as clear evidence against that since Daemon would not have had to paint Daeron as a bastard if his claim was built on being a descendant of the true heiress, Daena. Plus, it's argued that Aegon IV passing the sword Blackfyre to Daemon over Daeron meant that Aegon recognized the former as his true heir, which clearly makes his rebellion as being built on framing himself as Aegon's heir over Daeron "the Falseborn".

This is the situation as presented to us in the Sworn Sword.

If Aegon the Unworthy had given his sword to his heir Daeron instead of his bastard Daemon, there might never have been a Blackfyre Rebellion

Why, lad? You ask me why? Because Daemon was the better man. The old king saw it, too. He gave the sword to Daemon. Blackfyre, the sword of Aegon the Conquerer, the blade that every Targaryen king had wielded since the Conquest . . . he put that sword in Daemon's hand the day he knighted him, a boy of twelve.

It was all about Aegon's choices, nothing about Daena.

Plus, Princess Daena was passed over by the decision of a Great Council and Daemon would have been crazy if he has tried to go against that in light of precedent, especially since his legitimization was by the royal decree of Aegon. If he tried to argue that Daena was supposed to be queen over Viserys II and his line, then he'd be arguing that Aegon IV didn't have the authority to legitimize him in the first place.

none of aegon iv's other bastards ever tried for a throne because they had no possible claim to it above trueborn, elder daeron ii.

The rest of Aegon IV's bastards didn't try to challenge Daeron because Daemon was in the best position to do so. Yes, the fact that he was Targaryen-blooded on both sides surely played a part, and those who might have supported Princess Daena's claim flocked to him, but as "the King Who Bore the Sword", as the child of two royals who was raised at court and noted for his military excellence, as the eldest of the Great Bastards, Daemon was the only one who truly could challenge Daeron. If any other Great Bastard tried to make a play for the throne, they'd be going against Daeron (and his line) and Daemon (and his line).

the civil war two generations prior had left that particular question of whether a woman with a stronger claim under primogeniture can ever inherit unanswered.

First of all, Rhaenyra did not have the stronger claim under primogeniture, since the Iron Throne and the rest of Westeros, except Dorne, do not employ equal primogeniture. Her claim derived from royal prerogative as Viserys I named her his heir, but the legal argument of primogeniture favored Aegon II.

Second, this was not left unanswered. As per TWOIAF, Viserys I being named Prince of Dragonstone meant that "[i]n the eyes of many, the Great Council of 101 AC thereby established an iron precedent on matters of succession: regardless of seniority, the Iron Throne of Westeros could not pass to a woman, nor through a woman to her male descendents." The Dance of the Dragons did nothing to joss that belief.

While the Dance ended with Aegon III inheriting through the male line, the wedding between Aegon and Jaehaera was to neatly tie off loose ends and satisfy both sides of the conflict. But Aegon II's edict to exclude Rhaenyra from the roll of kings was upheld and Aegon's ascension relied on his claim through his father, as he was the next male, male-line heir. That makes it that Aegon III was upheld as Aegon II's heir, not Rhaenyra.

Moreover, when the issue of succession rose during Aegon III's regency, this is how the discussion ended.

Yet it was Grand Maester Munkun who put an end to the debate when he said, “My lords, it makes no matter. They are both girls. Have we learned so little from the slaughter? We must abide by primogeniture, as the Great Council ruled in 101. The male claim comes before the female.”

Which is the notion that was later supported when the issue of who would sit the Iron Throne between Daena and Viserys II was raised. Here's the relevant part that discusses how the claim of Princess Daena was passed over.

there were some amongst the smallfolk—and even some lords—who felt that the Iron Throne should by rights now pass to Princess Daena. They were few, however; a decade of isolation in the Maidenvault had left Daena and her sisters without powerful allies, and memories of the woes that had befallen the realm when last a woman sat the Iron Throne were still fresh [...] The precedents of the Great Council of 101 and the Dance of the Dragons were therefore cited, and the claims of Baelor's sisters were set aside. Instead the crown passed to his uncle, the King's Hand, Prince Viserys.

This legal question has been answered.

[Renly] (naively) doesn't see the importance of the legal argument, but there was one - rhaelle baratheon was aegon v's elder sister, and a great council passed over her. robert had a valid claim.

A few things here:

1. Rhaelle Targaryen was Aegon V's youngest daughter, so her line had no valid claim against the line of her elder brother Jaehaerys, Aerys II's father. Her claim was never the subject of a Great Council debate because she had none with her elder brother alive, recognized as the Prince of Dragonstone and with male heirs of his own.

2. Robert Baratheon sat the throne mainly through acclamation as the rebels proclaimed him king. His claim through Rhaelle was used by the maesters post-fact to provide a legal continuity of sorts. It remains true, though, that this is the reason Ned put forward as to why Robert was the rebel leader who sat the throne. However, that doesn't mean that he had a valid claim against Aerys and his line in normal circumstances. It's only through the rebellion, which happened due to Aerys breaking the feudal contract and committing acts of tyranny, that Aerys and his line's right to rule was overturned.

3. This is not the subject of debate here but it is not that Renly doesn't see the importance of legal claims. He was making an illegal grab for the throne, knowing that he has no right to it with Stannis alive. Renly was trying to toss the legal argument out of the window so that he could justify his power grab and turn this into a matter of winning the throne by right of conquest.

meanwhile, daenerys's claim is through viserys. she recognizes him as having been a king, and herself as the princess of dragonstone to succeed him in an uninterrupted targaryen dynasty. she is supported by ascensions such as second son baelon targaryen, and viserys i through him. daenerys has a valid legal claim to the throne. the arrival of (f)aegon does little to dispel that, because their arguments to the throne are both grounded in separate precedents following the death of rhaegar/aery

I'm really sorry but this makes a few assumptions that are not supported by the narrative.

Yes, Daenerys' claim comes through the assumption of an uninterrupted Targ succession and invalidates Robert's Rebellion. So the succession goes Aerys II -> Viserys -> Daenerys. However,

1. If we go with Young Aegon's purported identity as Rhaegar's son, that does nuke Daenerys' claim because she can not come to the throne before the line of her eldest brother. The few times where something similar happened, the line of the eldest brother consisted of women (Aerea Targaryen and Rhaenys the Princess Who Never Was) who were passed over due to their gender. Excluding that, the one time where a male heir was passed over was when a Great Council picked Aegon V above the infant Maegor, son of Aerion Brightflame, and that happened through the will of the lords via a Great Council vote.

2. I'm not sure what the scenario of Baelon and Visery I has to do with this. Are you acting on the assumption that this scenario means that any younger sibling has a valid claim against the line of their older brother? Because this is not what happened. Baelon was named Prince of Dragonstone over his niece Rhaenys precisely because Rhaenys was a woman. The precedent Baelon's heirship and Viserys I's ascension set is that "regardless of seniority, the Iron Throne of Westeros could not pass to a woman, nor through a woman to her male descendants." That works against Daeneyrs, not in her favor.

3. So no, the matter between Daenerys and Young Aegon does not rely on separate precedents. The one thing that Daenerys' claim might rely on is the information that Aerys II named Viserys as Prince of Dragonstone after the Battle of the Trident, when Rhaegar's son Aegon was still alive, suggesting that Aerys had disinherited Rhaegar's line. But I don't expect this to end on a legal debate, especially since Daenerys will probably disbelieve that Young Aegon is Rhaegar's, what with the "mummer's dragon".

the baratheon's rebelled under aegon v when duncan broke his betrothal - under the argument that duncan had disinherited them of what they had been promised (a baratheon queen). they rebelled against the removal of a legal claim to the throne they expected to have, barring the death of either party.

I mean, it is understood that the Baratheons were furious that they lost their chance to have their daughter as a queen and their grandchildren as future kings, but... framing it as Duncan's disinheriting them and removing a legal claim is a reach. The Baratheons didn't inherently have a right to the throne for this to be presented as a legal argument. This was not a legal issue. A grave insult and a loss of a promised rank/privilege, but certainly not something that can be framed in those terms.

Regardless, I'm not sure what this part has to do with Daenerys' claim to the throne anyway. A Baratheon queen to Duncan the Small would not have had a legal claim to the throne, her future sons would. Whereas Daenerys is trying to claim the throne in her own right. The legal situation is completely different anyway.

this is where a lot of fandom #discourse loses touch. westeros is clearly a military aristocracy. but rebellions do not just spring out of nowhere. there is nearly always a legal basis for these uprisings, and the legality matters.

Eh, Daemon Blackfyre manufactured a legal argument to try to justify his rebellion. Renly was arguing for a "might makes right" approach. This is the series where the Lannisters have usurped the throne. Rebellions can just happen because people are power-hungry and can muster enough manpower to make a grab for it? However, yes, the legality matters. That's the basis that Stannis is basing his claim on. The main political conflict in the books is built on the fact that the Lannisters have no right to the throne they have usurped. Discussions keep creeping up every now and then about Robert's Rebellion and the legal situation it created wrt the thone. But the legal argument differs across different scenarios, and applying the legality of one situation to another does not always hold up.

asoiaf rebellions & the importance of legal claims to the throne

daemon blackfyre's rebellion was not under the banner that he was the true heir to aegon iv, but the true heir to daena the defiant, and that she in turn was the true heir to baelor the blessed over her uncle viserys ii. none of aegon iv's other bastards ever tried for a throne because they had no possible claim to it above trueborn, elder daeron ii. none except daemon blackfyre, who had a valid claim through his mother's line and because the civil war two generations prior had left that particular question of whether a woman with a stronger claim under primogeniture can ever inherit unanswered.

(let it be noted that aegon iii technically inherited the throne through the uninterrupted male line of aegon-aenys-jaehaerys-baelon-daemon-aegon. the issue of succession between rhaenyra and aegon ii was never legally resolved - jaehaera might have pressed her own claim at any point in the future, hence the prepubescent marriage between aegon and jaehaera combining their lines)

similarly, renly dismisses robert's claim as being talk of "weddings a hundred years past, of second sons and elder daughters. no one but the maesters care about any of it. robert won the throne with his warhammer." he (naively) doesn't see the importance of the legal argument, but there was one - rhaelle baratheon was aegon v's elder sister, and a great council passed over her. robert had a valid claim. ned stark, jon arryn, and hoster tully - all equally part of the rebellion - did not, and made no arguments for the throne.

meanwhile, daenerys's claim is through viserys. she recognizes him as having been a king, and herself as the princess of dragonstone to succeed him in an uninterrupted targaryen dynasty. she is supported by ascensions such as second son baelon targaryen, and viserys i through him. daenerys has a valid legal claim to the throne. the arrival of (f)aegon does little to dispel that, because their arguments to the throne are both grounded in separate precedents following the death of rhaegar/aerys.

the baratheon's rebelled under aegon v when duncan broke his betrothal - under the argument that duncan had disinherited them of what they had been promised (a baratheon queen). they rebelled against the removal of a legal claim to the throne they expected to have, barring the death of either party.

this is where a lot of fandom #discourse loses touch. westeros is clearly a military aristocracy. but rebellions do not just spring out of nowhere. there is nearly always a legal basis for these uprisings, and the legality matters. so when it is suddenly argued that jon snow in another world would threaten his siblings, or that dany has less of a claim than (f)aegon - arguments that make no legal sense given the information we have - in metas that uncritically act as if laws of succession aren't a rich field of medieval legal science, it doesn't hold water.

[kyubicled]

[INDEX] >

"When his conquest of Dorne failed, Aegon the Conquorer hoped that his fire would be more the bane to the Kings of Winter. His councillors begged he reconsider, for of all the Seven Kingdoms, none were so feared as the North. Aegon, in vainglory, ignored their caution, believing not in the legends of The Spartan, fabled guardian of the North, the legendary Immortal Last Hero, Warrior Made Flesh, Bane of Winter, and the Storm God Decended. But he did not deny King Torrhen as his greatest rival.

Thus, he sent his sister-wife Visenya, astride the mighty Vhaegar, to treat with the King in the North, stating he would render him the same lesson he did to the Kings of the Rock and Reach at the Field of Fire unless he bent his knee and swore fealty to Aegon.

King Torrhen's famous defiance would be the greatest challenge to House Targaryen's hegemony, and would threaten to crush Aegon's rule in its infancy--in a war that would be immortalized as the War of Ice and Fire. While King Aegon prepared his armies for a full-scale invasion, and mounted Belarion the Black Dread, King Torrhen entered the hallowed and revered halls of the Forward Unto Dawn, the mythical resting place of the Spartan, held most sacred by the people of the North.

Histories and legends alike told that in ages long past, the Kings of Winter would come to this mysterious hall of steel and sorcery in times of utmost peril for the North, begging the Spartan to awaken from his deathless slumber and arise once more to protect them. It was said that in the Long Night, Bran the Builder befriended the Spartan, and his eternal companion, the Maiden Made of Light, who both subsequently rallied the First Men and Children behind them, and the Spartan used his sword of living fire to drive back the Others. The Maiden Made of Light, else-wise known as the Bringer of Harvest, Mother of Knowledge, and the Great Peacecrafter, gave Brandon great gifts of knowledge, including the secrets of writing, farming and irrigation, iron and steelcraft, medicine and sciences, and many others, before she and the Spartan returned to their shared slumber, offering to return in times when they would be most needed, but not before.

When the Andals came, King Theon the Liberator rallied the North behind the Spartan, and marched south of the Neck to aid their First Men brethren in the south. Armed with the secret arts of steelcraft and the Spartan's terrible might, the Starks soundly crushed every Andal army that dared challenge them, and swore to fealty all who did not. Strangely, they never conquered the lands they took, instead liberating them from the Andal yoke and restoring their holdings to their rightful lords and rulers. Legend has it it was the Spartan's command, as he had not come to conquer, but to liberate. Other tales state that it was the Maiden who stayed the Spartan's wrath, as even to the conquering Andals she showed mercy. When King Horrar Hoare of the Iron Islands sought to reave and sack the North, the Spartan was said to have called upon a great and terrible storm to sink the Ironborn into the sea, sending down Horrar's son to the Drowned God before flying in his mythical steel bird to Great Wyk, slaying King Horrar in his very hall, and left a warning of doom to the Ironborn to never again sail to threaten the North again. Together with the remaining First Men kings, including King Monfyrd V Durrandon of the Stormlands, King Trystifer V Mudd of the Rivers and Hills, King Tybolt Lannister of the Rock, and King Gwayne IV Gardener of the Reach, as well as what few Children of the Forest remained, Theon and the Spartan drove back what Andals resisted them back into the Vale of Arryn, where legends state the Spartan took the Bloody Gate alone, and the Andals fled in terror of him. Knowing they faced certain destruction, the Andals sued for peace, and swore to never again invade the lands of the First Men in the name of their faith. Following this, the Spartan and the Maiden returned to the Forward Unto Dawn and continued their eternal sleep. In the years to comes, the tenuous peace they bought for the Seven Kingdoms would be lost to wars and petty fighting, and the Andals' faith would spread over the South, but the memory of the terror and awe he inspired nevertheless kept the Andals from crusading and conquering, and the Ironborn would not dare send another longship to plague the North for near a thousand years.

The threat Aegon the Conqueror posed was the most dire the North had faced since the Long Night. All of the South, save Dorne, stood behind the Targaryen banner, and they came to bring fire and blood as never before. It is unknown what transpired withing that ancient hall, but when King Torrhen emerged, out came with him was two figures; one, clad in the legendary armor and bearing the fabled thunder weapons of the Spartan, and the other a beautiful maiden who glowed like the full moon. From Last Hearth to the Neck, the North rose united behind them, in awe that their legendary heroes had returned to drive back the dragonlords.

Aegon came with his two remaining dragons, his sister-wife, and sixty thousand men to bring Fire and Blood to the North. Torrhen met him with half that number, but the sight of the Spartan, his fabled war machines, and the fearsome arms and armors of the North, gave Aegon pause. The Spartan flew his flying machine right into Aegons camp, and with him was King Torrhen. Torrhen demanded Aegon turn his army and his dragons back, lest he feel the full might and fury of Winter. Aegon arrogantly replied he would melt away Torrhen's winter with Fire and Blood. The next day, the great battle to decide the fate of Westeros commenced. Astride Balerion, and with his sister-wife Visenya astride Vhaegar, the Conquorer sought to blast Moat Caitlin as he had Harrenhal, and allow his army to storm the North. But the Spartan denied him this, intercepting the Targaryens in the skies with his great steel dragon. Though Aegons dragons were mighty, their fire could not melt the Spartan's mount, nor could their claws and teeth repel it. And where dragons roared with fire, the Spartan answered with thunder. First he struck down Vhaegar with a roar of lightening, ripping through Visenya's dragon like so much cloth, and sent dragon and rider both crashing to their deaths. Aegon, mad with wroth, sought to destroy the Spartan with Balerion, but even the Black Dread could not prevail, and was too sent crashing down. With the Dragon King defeated, the North was saved, and the battle forever afterwords known as the Field of Thunder was won for House Stark, and one of the most crushing defeats House Targayen would ever suffer.

To the shock of all, Aegon and Belarion both survived the fall. Belarion was crippled, and Aegon was burned so badly in some places his armor was fused to his flesh, but the Spartan, in an act of compassion, saved and spared their lives, and the Maiden tending to Aegon's wounds, and had Visenya's body pulled from the waters of the Neck. Though Torrhen's Bannerman urged him to kill Aegon, Torrhen instead chose to allow the Spartan to decide his fate. And in an act that would astonish and befuddle many great thinkers for centuries to come, the Spartan allowed Aegon to return south. In exchange for the North's independence, the Spartan would acknowledge Aegon as ruler of all the lands he had united, citing that Aegon could give unity and progress to the South where petty warring kingdoms could not. To seal this Pact of Ice and Fire, Torrhen's daughter would wed Aegon, and she would be his new queen. Eventually, a daughter of House Targayen would be promised to a son of House Stark.

Following Aegon's defeat and returned to his own domains, the Spartan and Maiden again returned to the Dawn to slumber, helping to forge a lasting peace between the North and the South, and ironically helping to ensure House Targayen would endure as long as it remained in friendship to House Stark. Indeed, it would not be until the Mad King murdered King Rickard and his son, Prince Brandon, near three hundred years later, that the Targaryens would eventually fall. Let this be a grave warning to all who would imperil the North and it's people."

~Maester Benjamyn, A History of House Stark and the Spartan

[templarhalo]

A place to lay your head: Why Daemon Blackfyre’s temporary capital was Stone Hedge, not a castle in the Reach.

 In my humble opinion, The Blackfyre Rebellions  is one of, if not,  the most interesting conflicts in the amazing world of Westeros that George R.R. Martin created in 1996.   It is a conflict rooted in a number of themes.  It is a conflict that could be used to  define the phrase “Sins of the Father”   It is a conflict rooted in love, loyalty, legitimacy, and  legacy. It is a conflict where oaths were sworn and oaths were broken, and while it was not as destructive as the Dance of Dragons, it was no less a bitter or bloody conflict with heroes and villains on both sides.

Before I get into the  and potatoes of this essay, I want to thank Mr. Steven Atwell, whose Part II of his Essay, the Blacks and the Reds,  inspired this post.

I would also like to thank the amazing @aegor-bamfsteel, who encouraged me to write this.  As well as @godihatethisfreakingcat and @xenowlsome who have both done wonderful posts on Daemon  and Aegor.  The GOT fandom would not be the same without these three people.

Brothers in Bond and Blood: The emotional reasons Daemon Blackfyre would make Stone Hedge his temporary capital.

Two years after the birth of Daemon Blackfyre in 170 AC. (After Conquest)   Lady Barba Bracken would give birth to a boy by the name of Aegor.   Unlike his older  brother Daemon, who was born in King’s Landing and grew up in the Red Keep,  Aegor and his mother were sent back to Stone Hedge, at the insistence of Queen Naerys Targayen and Lord Commander Aemon the Dragonknight.

This little boy, later known in life as Bittersteel,  grew up in the Riverlands.   He was the bastard son of the King, but unlike his other half-brothers and sisters, Aegor received nothing, but the acknowledgment of his existence.     His half brother Brynden, would become Master of Whispers and the King’s Hand,   His half brother Daemon would receive the sword Blackfyre, a beautiful wife who would give him many children, and lands near the Blackwater.

We don't know when Aegor met Daemon Blackfyre, or when his mother Barba died, but we do know Daemon and Aegor became fast friends and close companions.  It could be said despite Daemon being a bastard,  he and Aegor had a relationship, similar to  Robb Stark and Jon Snow.

Eitherway, it was this deep, unconditional love between the two, that would see Daemon agree to wed his eldest daughter Calla, to his brother and for  Aegor to  fight to the day he died, to put someone of Daemon’s blood on the Iron Throne.

This love between brothers also brings me to the main topic of this essay.

Stone Hedge, for emotional and strategic reasons was most likely the temporary capital and seat of Daemon’s bureaucracy before his death.

While much of Daemon’s support came from the Reach, the Riverlands also provided a great deal of support for The King who bore the Sword’s cause. 

House Bracken was probably the first  among the Rivelords who pledged fealty to  Daemon, for they would have deeply personal reasons to.  Aegon IV had executed Barba’s father and younger sister Bethany, and his son.   Daeron II had no love for the Brackens, for Barba and her sister Bethany were both his father's mistresses and we have no indication in canon he arranged for financial or other compensation  for the murder of the Brackens kin.

 If Queen Naerys had died giving birth to the first Daenerys, Barba’s father, who was Aegon IV’s Hand would have wished for her to be wed to  Aegon.  Should this have happened, Aegon IV would have more legitimate children, who in addition to Daemon’s legitimate claim to the throne, (more on that in a  later post) could have been used to displace  the hated Daeron II as heir to the Iron Throne.  

This was something Daeron II, already fighting tooth and claw to  defend his legitimacy,  keep his beloved mother  from suffering any further at the hands of his sire and his cronies, and already having a hated rival in the form of Daemon  had no wish to see happen

But there was also  a possible, more positive reason for House  Bracken’s support, and Daemon’s likely choice as Stone Hedge for his temporary capital and command post for mustering the host to  take King’s Landing. 

Another reason besides his deep selfless love for Aegor Bracken, that hasn’t been retconned yet by Fire and Blood part 2.   *Depiction of Jaehaerys I Cough Cough*

 Aegor’s mother Barba had come to King’s Landing to be a lady in waiting to one of the three Targaryen princesses in the Maidenvault, not to be the mistress of Aegon IV.  It’s not out of the question  she might have become friends with Daemon’s mother, Daena the Defiant,. Daemon could have viewed and treated her as an Aunt.  Not to mention there’s no way,  Daemon did not visit Stone Hedge at least once with Aegor.  

 Hell, Daemon and his wife Rohanne might have stayed in Stone Hedge for a while as their own castle was being constructed.   Some of their children might have even been conceived there.

 If  Barba was still alive not just to  see  Daemon and her little Aegor be knighted and grow up but was still living at Stone Hedge. She may have convinced the Lord Bracken at the time,  the one Daemon later trusted to go and hire Myrish crossbowmen, to offer the seat of their house for Daemon’s use. 

 Here the King Who Bore the Sword’s beloved Rohanne and many children could be kept safe and comfortable by his brother’s kin.   Such security could not be assured in the Reach or Westerlands, where many houses in both regions loyalty flitted back and forth as the First Blackfyre Rebellion raged on . 

From a pure opportunistic and cynical  standpoint, the Bracken’s had a lot to gain by declaring for Daemon.  Even if my headcanon of Barba being a beloved Aunt is wistful thinking, the Bracken’s could reclaim their lost favor in the Court if Daemon took the throne.  Aegor, who most likely took the name Bracken upon his legitimization, was betrothed to  Daemon’s daughter Calla and Daemon would have no shortage of rewards and favors for his brother in blood and eventually by marriage. 

 Regardless of the specific rewards Daemon would bestow upon Aegor,(Harrenhal, Small council position etc.) House Bracken had their foot  in the door through him.  If they proved their loyalty, they would be well rewarded and one up their hated rivals, House Blackwood.

The political and practical considerations in Daemon’s choice of Stone Hedge

Symbols and propaganda play a key role in conflicts, and the Blackfyre Rebellion was certainly no exception.  

Daemon’s possible usage of Stone Hedge as his headquarters was symbolic and political,   For starters unlike Riverrun,  Stone Hedge had been  a king’s seat when the Brackens ruled over the Riverlands. In addition using Stone Hedge sent a clear message to House Blackwood and those who supported them   Not seizing Riverrun denied Daeron II political ammunition against the first and greatest of the Black Dragons.   Daeron could easily spin Daemon commandeering Riverrun for his temporary capital as a him stripping a Great House of their seat, like the  Lannisters empowered the Freys to do toHouse Tully in AFFC.    

In addition Stone Hedge was not far from the Golden Tooth  and was close to  the Red Fork of the Trident.    By making Stone Hedge his capital, Daemon could oversee to war effort to take the Iron Throne.  His Westerland allies and friends Reach could float his coinage, troops and supplies all the way to Saltpans, and controlling one fork of the Trident allowed Dameon some measure of control over the terrain, leeway in choosing to meet his foes in battle, and reduced the consolidation of his foes numbers, which as Mr. Atwell points out in his essay, Daemon made a priority

And while Daemon did seek refuge in the Reach, Stone Hedge was a far sensible location to  coordinate the  war effort, both militarily and bureaucratically,  and  muster support in the Riverlands,  Vale and the North,  compared to say Brightwater Keep or Pink Maiden.  

 Here Daemon could turn the Riverlands landlocked central location in Westeros to his advantage. His supporters in the Reach and Westerlands could easily make their way to Stone Hedge and other Lords and Knights in the Vale and Crownlands could travel to Saltpans. float up the Red Fork and  pledge fealty to their rightful king. 

In conclusion , Stone Hedge was prime, invaluable real  estate,  a strategic location able to support the bureaucracy and court a King like Daemon  needed  and rally point for  the hosts needed to take the Iron Throne.  (and supply some of the best horses gold could buy.)  His family’s security could be assured by  his brother’s kin, and Daemon could turn his energies to kingship and decisive military victories like the one he hoped to win at Redgrass Field. 

[templarhalo]

I feel the need to remind the ASOIF/GOT community here on Tumblr that the Golden Company is not made up of exiled Targaryen Loyalists, but the descendants of those who fought for Ser  Daemon Blackyfyre, legitimized bastard of King Aegon IV the Unworthy and Princess Daena Targayen (who should have been queen but was passed over because of patriarchy)  who raised arms against House Targayen due a number of reasons, one of which  his half brother Daeron II “The Goods” treatment of him and his siblings all .  

The Golden Company is not going to fight for Dany and Jon because they  are Targayens, and any survivors after Cersei bites it are most likely either going to  try and claim back  their ancestral homes their grandfathers and grandmothers lost or hightail it back  to  Essos. 

Please do not refer to  the Golden Company as Targayen Loyalists.  The Company’s origins lay in the darker side of House Targayen, and how not every member of the family is worth rooting for.  GRRM’s purpose for creating them and House Blackfyre is to showcase this,