#Aegon is such an unreliable narrator lol

[jaegonsmoon]

Can you imagine Alicents reaction to hearing about omega aegon and alpha jace being betrothed…her son… the vulgar Hightower wild card…drinks till he falls down on a nightly basis, has slept with half of fleabottom etc…engaged to innocent(as far as she knows lol), hardworking, straight laced mamas boy jace 😂 and while she is happy to see aegon change after the courting and engagement process take his duties to his family and the realm seriously for once and lay off the whores and wine she does not think it will last and is a manipulation tactic sadly lol probs thinks that aegon will be bored of jace in a week and will have all the power in the relationship and will chew him up and spit him out before going bad to his old ways haha only to discover when walking in on jace and aegon how much it’s pretty much actually the opposite lmao aegon is basically jaces simp and number once fan and would do anything to keep his alpha happy even if not means being a good boy haha

yes yes yes, listen to me— I looooooooveeeee love simp Aegon lmaoo!!! But yeah no one would be as shocked as Alicent, however—

I love Aegon being whipped af for Jace since… always. He always had a thing for Jace, it started when they were children, and it was all innocent back then, but as they grew… those scarce few times Rhaenyra visited King’s Landing after moving to Dragonstone Jace had grown beautifully. And Aegon, whew, Aegon drooled like a fool for him he always complimented him, and Jace sometimes would smile at him sometimes would look annoyed. But Aegon, he never, ever thought himself worthy of him so he never tried anything more than. Despite his personality and the reputation he had, he never intended to act on his feelings for Jacaerys. But the next time the family reunited, Jacaerys had just turned seven and ten and he had already presented as an Alpha and Aegon almost falls on his face at the sight. It didn’t help that that was the first time his nephew looked at him with something other than irritation. However, Aegon didn’t pay too much mind into it, because he couldn’t afford to—for his own sake. Though, he couldn’t help it when his tongue betrayed his mind and he just straight up told his nephew “You got hot.” And Jace gave him this hint of a smirk. Aegon was mortified but he tried to play it cool, he just blurted that, turned and left before Jace could say anything.

He went to Aemond, who was pacing his room, deep in thought. Probably scheming Lucerys’ demise—like fucking always, the loser. And he threw himself on a chair and whined about how fucking hot and beautiful his nephew had gotten, (to which Aemond strangely paused, asking sharply “Which one?” as if it wasn’t obvious whom Aegon has been head over heels for all these years) and that he wanted to die because he told him as much and he really didn’t have game when it came to Jacaerys. And mygodhewantedhimasalpha but it couldn’t be—

As comfort, Aemond offered to throw Aegon out of the window and make it look like an accident.

But then Aegon and Jacaerys were sat together at dinner and he swore Jace wouldn’t stop glancing at him. Aegon was unusually quiet too. Jace’s strong alpha presence and scent were driving him nuts to the point he could barely formulate any words, let alone a coherent thought. Not that he had many of those normally. He was shifty and nervous. And—for a second he had forgotten that he, himself, was an omega. And that he was radiating all of this pheromones and uneasiness through his scent to the very newly presented, unmated alpha next to him and he almost felt like he was entering a premature heat.

The thing is that, Aegon is an oblivious little thing. He never noticed how Jace has been giving him puppy love eyes since they were kids because he didn’t allow himself to indulge in his feelings. The idiot. Jacaerys tells him as much when he corners him that night, then proceeds to kiss him, and fuck him all night long. And then—Jacaerys, firstborn, heir, perfect, diplomatic, well-put-together Jacaerys Velaryon does what everyone thought against his principles. He marks Aegon that night, claims him as his. They bond, unwed.

Come morning he tells his mother of his deeds unashamedly, Rhaenyra is shocked, if anything a bit concerned. But she can see it in his son’s eyes and the way he speaks to her with such pride and confidence that this was not something he did on a whim, in the heat of the moment. “Is this what you truly wanted?” She asks. “It’s always been him.” He answers her with nothing but honesty drenching his voice. She accepts it, even when she knows it will be a trying thing for everyone involved.

Alicent swears this will end badly. She waits. And waits. And waits.

But then Aegon is pregnant and she has never seen him so happy. And then he births a beautiful baby boy and she sees it, the change in her son. The happiness and joy he radiates. It reminds her of when he was a little, he used to be a happy child. She regrets wasting those moments with him. She then learns that perhaps this is the life his son always dreamed of having but made himself believe he didn’t deserve. A part of her knows she’s the one to blame for it.

She’s ready and willing to change that. She then starts to spend more time with her son and grandson, until their bonds are healed.

[thedeathlysallows]

Is It Over Now? (11)

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x Aemma Velaryon

Summary: And maybe it was ego's swinging

Warnings: canon typical Targaryen incest. Developing Stockholm Syndrome, Aemma is becoming an unreliable narrator. Simp!Aemond appears again (not that he really ever leaves lol). Smut, fingering, religion kink, not sub!Aemond but he does beg a bit, oral (f!receiving)

(We've reached the Alys Rivers arc and it'll probably take a few chapters to settle. Also, we've shifted to this song for the second half of the story.)

Tag list: @callsignwidow

"You know how much I love you," Aemond whispers in your ear as the candles flicker out, plunging your bedchamber into darkness. His arms wrap around your waist and hold you in a vice grip against the hard edges of his body. "Enough with the punishment."

You can't help but scoff. "Punishment? Tell me, my dear husband, how are you the one being punished when I'm the one expected to sit back and watch my family be hunted into extinction?"

"I've apologized countless times for Lucerys."

"Yes, of course you have. All of you have, save for Aegon and that scheming snake of a man you call grandfather. All everyone does is apologize to me."

"What more do you need? What will end this?"

"Give me your other eye."

"What?"

Aemond looks at you, disbelief coloring his sharp features. You stare back, unblinking. Moments pass by in silence as the two of you take each other in. You aren't sure what exactly triggers it, but your lower lip quivers and tears spring to your eyes.

"I don't mean it. Not really. I don't know why I said it..." You choke out a sob and bury your face in his chest. Aemond's hand immediately goes to your hair as he comforts you.

He knew you didn't mean- you would never be so vicious- but the comment was still jarring nonetheless. Aemond knew you would never mean such a thing, but there's still a slight tremor in his hand as he pets you gently. He's worked so hard to get to this point, to have you in his arms, and he feels like he can see the end of it all before it's barely even begun.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me." The tears won't stop no matter how hard you try.

A small flicker of hope flickers in Aemond's chest. "Could you be pregnant?"

"It hasn't been long enough."

"It's been two months at this point. We've both been performing our duties-"

"How clinical." You look up at him wryly, feeling uncertain of his reaction to your outburst. You really hadn't meant to say that to him. You were just so angry and then so desperately sad when you realized how hurtful you'd been.

Aemond smiles down at you indulgently, tilting your chin to press your lips to his. "Shall I be more romantic then?"

Your stomach churns violently in direct competition with the heat growing between your thighs. You love Aemond- at least you think you do- but you also love your mother and brothers. There's a part of you still lost to mourning. You've heard nothing from anyone, locked away inside your ivory tower in the Keep, only allowed news from Aemond's mouth directly. (Or Aegon's when he sends Aemond off some place or another, but even that's becoming less frequent as Aegon becomes more and more obsessed with being King.)

"You? Romantic? Maybe if the Conqueror himself returned." The joke comes easily. Joking with Aemond has always been easy. You can do that. You can tell jokes and make him smile because you like his smile, and because it's safer to distract him than fuck him.

You still keep your master plan in the back of your mind: let all of them think they've tamed you until you can find a way back to your mother's side. When you came up with your plan you didn't anticipate it would become harder and harder to pretend with each passing day. You didn't anticipate actually loving Aemond, nor did you anticipate Aemond's love for you being real.

It's terrifying to feel your grip slowly loosening.

Aemond's voice calls you back from your thoughts while he gently rolls you under him. "I can be romantic if that's what you need. I'll be anything you need. Just let me in."

"Aemond-"

"Please, don't fight me anymore. Stop pushing me away. I adore you, why can't you see that?" His fingers dig in to the fabric of your nightgown, pulling and tugging until it's over your head, discarded on the floor by the unlit fire place. Your skin feels like it's on fire as his gaze travels over your body, hands following each curve and dip.

"So pretty," he whispers adoringly.

"Don't. Please."

Aemond's eye flickers up to yours. He still keeps the patch on, neither one of you fully ready to embrace the consequences of the past when the present is so precarious. You swallow thickly, unable to look away as his hand creeps up to your breast. His fingers toy with the soft buds there, teasing your nipples until you're almost sore. A soft whine escapes you and you see Aemond's face darken.

"Don't what?" He finally says. "Don't worship you as the goddess you are?"

Aemond bends his head to kiss just under your breasts, reveling in the feel of your soft stomach as he drags his lips lower. If you were burning before, you're positively on fire now, desperate for whatever Aemond will do next. He reaches your thighs with a moan, nipping at the delicate skin there.

"Let me die on your altar," he says. "I'll do it happily, over and over."

Your fingertips thread through his silky hair and you pull his face to your cunt. Aemond breathes out a small laugh that sends a puff of warm air over your sensitive pussy. He wastes no time, diving between your folds like a starving man. His tongue is absolutely sinful as he licks you, working a magic you never would've expected from him.

"Aemond, yes, right there." You moan out the words, knowing how much he loves the praise. And you're more than happy to give it as his long fingers enter you, pumping in time with each lick he gives your clit.

"Tell me you love me," Aemond demands while he keeps thrusting and curling his fingers inside your cunt. "Tell me you're mine."

You nod, his words not fully registering, but you repeat them anyway. "I'm y-yours... l-love you... so much."

"Mmm, such a good girl. You've always been so, so good, haven't you?" Aemond's fingers brush against that most sensitive spot inside you and you arch your back off the bed, screaming his name like a litany of prayers over and over.

"Look at you. Haven't even put my cock in you and your already coming." He pulls you into a lazy kiss, all tongue and teeth and you don't mind at all. "I've always believed you're the Maiden come to save me."

Aemond buries his face in your neck, nipping and biting, leaving marks you know the whole court will see. "Will you save me? Absolve my sins?"

You sigh, fingernails digging into his back as you hook your legs over his waist. "Aemond...please, please, please."

"Forgive me, Maiden." Aemond pants the words into your ear, his hips jerking when your warm cunt drags across his cock. "Forgive me so I can worship you properly, please."

You nod, desperate to feel him inside you. "I forgive you."

With a heady sigh he sinks into you, his cock stretching you out in the most exquisite way. You see stars behind your eye lids as he begins fucking you, pounding his cock deep inside your cunt. He's ruthless and desperate in his movements as he watches you come undone beneath him, the very image of Heaven.

"I love you," Aemond moans. "Ah, fuck, I love you..."

You whine desperately, completely at his mercy as he cums inside you and fills your cunt. You have the brief thought that maybe this time you are pregnant, but Aemond is there before you can pursue the thought further. He brushes the hair from your face and kisses your nose before laying down beside you and pulling you close.

"Aegon is sending me to Harrenhal in the morning. I asked to take you with me, but the Council convinced him it would be a mistake. I promise I'll return as soon as I'm able."

"Harrenhal..." You can see Harwin Strong's face in your mind's eye, so similar to that of your brothers'...

Aemond strokes your face worriedly. "Please don't lock yourself in this room while I'm gone."

But you can't promise anything.

[dulcewrites]

Fool Me Once (part 10)

Summary: As tensions arise in King’s Landing, you make moves to assure the safety of your children. Final breaths are taken, pacts are made and broken, steel is drawn and the dragons dance.

Warning: mentions of stillbirths/pregnancy issues, allusions to self harm, some unreliable narrator if you squint. In our f&b bag fr!

A/N: you guys 🥺 we are finally on the last part. First, I want to say I am sooooo sorry about how long it took to get this one out. By the time I’m posting this I’m sort of like, do people even still care lmao 💀. Life has been hectic and tbh I’ve been putting some focus onto other things. Shameless plug to my other, more happy Aemond x oc series, on ao3. As well as I’ve gotten so much amazing feedback and interactions about this fic that I was slightly worried about how people would take the end. Speaking of feedback, and moving on to the more sappy stuff. My writing side blog has grown exuberantly since posting part 1 of fmo last year. It genuinely makes me emotional thinking about the little community that’s come from it. I hope to continue to make more stuff that I’m not only happy with, but further pushes said community ❤️❤️ if y’all have any hotd request let me know. Please reblog, like, and comment. As well as come chat in my inbox if you see something you like.

Slight housekeeping, though if you made it this far you probably already know. This fic does change the dance for self indulgent reasons (lol) and for the narrative of it all. This started as a cheating story and has sort of spun into something entirely else.

Fmo masterlist

Blog masterlist

Ninth moon of 129 AC

Rhaenyra’s voice could be heard from down the hall.

You wanted to reassure yourself that you had heard those screams before from Helaena, or even from yourself giving birth. But there was something so terribly guttural about the ones Rhaenyra was making.

As if outcome of the birth hung in the air. Lingering with the ghost of the past death that happened in the Red Keep. You try not to focus on the sheer look of panic on Jace’s face once you leave him at the door.

By the time you got to her chambers, Rhaenyra is already surrounded by midwives as she is hunched over, palms spread out against the wall. Midwives, and Alicent, whose face was terribly pale. Almost as drained of color as Rhaenyra. Her normally straight blonde hair wavy and stuck to her forehead with the sheen of her own sweat.

Alicent spots you, and gets away from her position from around her. She pulls you over to the side, but before she can even speak you interrupt her. The midwives begin to move Rhaenyra from her standing position to on the bed.

“Has this happened before,” you watch as Rhaenyra pleas lessen and lessen, her state becoming more sedated than what is probably normal.

Alicent shakes her head. Her auburn curls had been released for the night from the tight updo they were in earlier.

“No, at least not the first three,” she swallows hard before coming closer to you. “I fear - I fear this labor may go awry. I think we need to make preparations for if…”

The words catch in the back of Alicent’s throat. She is here with Rhaenyra; she has always been with Rhaenyra. Even when they were at odds; two ghosts haunting each other’s memories. Two sides of the same coin, causalities of the cruel fate. You want to feel sorry her; knowing that she is watching a close… companion go through this, but your mind has been elsewhere since earlier that day.

“Your son has made preparations,” you cross your arms. “All of them actually.”

Alicent brows furrow in confusion, and it dawns on you that Aemond and Aegon never clued their mother in on their little plan.

“You do not know, do you?”

“No, I do not know what your husband has been getting into. I rarely do these days.”

You and her both.

Rhaenyra lets out another groan.

“Where is Daemon,” you ask as Rhaenyra begins to mumble things incoherently to the midwives.

“He took one look at her, and left the room,” Alicent frowns. “She called for him but he went to get Jacaerys instead.”

And Jace came for you on the behest of Alicent. Tis the way of men you suppose. Often, they are absolute nuisance in situations like this, but you could not help but think that mayhaps if Daemon had stayed to seen her in this state, he would not put her through such things again. But that is giving him far more credit than you know he deserves.

“Alicent,” Rhaenyra manages to mumble out the name louder. Her eyes fluttering open and shut.

Alicent instantly rushes over, dropping the conservation she has started with you.

As you watch Alicent coax Rhaenyra through this, her words ring out. Though she did not elaborate on what those plans should be, she was right. Aemond had taken the reigns from your hands plenty times before. Safety will not be completely ensured until any threat is taken out. You have never been to battle nor war, and even you know that. A slightly morbid thought creeps into your head.

If Rhaenyra dies, Aegon could descend the throne.

It was laughable for Rhaenyra, or anyone who supports her claim, to believe known bastards would follow her in the line of succession. Or that Daemon would not bypass Rhaenyra’s first three boy in order to ensure power for her last two. It would mean an all-out war between Aegon and Daemon… but maybe it did not have to go that far. Not if plans were made to undercut whatever moves you know Daemon could put into place.

They are all back in King’s Landing, no longer under the false tranquility they tried to spin at Dragonstone. Amongst their patrons who already have much to say about Rhaenyra’s still short reign.

Aegon on the throne would ensure the safety of all of the kids. And not only the kids, but the kingdom as a whole. A war of succession, especially including dragons, would only bring destruction. Rhaenyra’s boys would have a chance to swear obeisance after Daemon is out of the way, and if not, their presence will not be needed. Bastard blood being spilt is nothing compared to the life your children.

They could go back to Dragonstone and live their lives out there with young Egg and Viserys. With the possibility of Daemon for a father, they would be better off for it.

Your thoughts are broken by the midwives telling Rhaenyra to try and push.

There was already a significant amounts of blood trailing where Rhaenyra had been. Her pushes do little to soothe the position she is in. In frustration and pain, eventually Rhaenyra, much to the chagrin of the midwives and Alicent, shoos them all away. Reaching down to pull the babe out herself.

Letting out an already grief-stricken scream as she does it.

The air is sucked from the room as a gush of blood rushes out of Rhaenyra, followed by a tiny body.

A tiny… silent body. Wrapped in scales and slightly deformed.

No one speaks as they watch Rhaenyra pick up the baby from between her legs and rocks it as if trying to lure it into crying, into breathing. But nothing comes. Just silence, and the aches of a daughter stuck in the self-fulfilling prophecy of a mother that is no longer around.

It is not proper nor lady-like, and you can hear your own mother’s voice in the back of your telling you how rude it is in a time like this, but you just turn and leave. Without a word or peep. Suddenly feeling sick you go back down the hall, back to your chambers. Ignoring Jace who calls your name out in confusion by the sudden silence coming from his mother’s room.

By the time you make it back to the room, Aemond had gotten himself ready for bed. Completely casual as if the events earlier meant nothing to him.

“What’s happened,” he notices your ashen face.

You take one look at your husband, you think of your children away in a place foreign to them, and the stillborn baby Rhaenyra clutched in her arms.

The bile comes up quick. So quick you barely make I to the basin on the other side of the room. The dry heaving reminds you that you barely ate anything today, too worried about the task at hand.

You flinch when you feel a cold hand on your back. Shrugging Aemond’s hand off, you turn head with a glare.

“You made your move,” you mutter. “I’ll give you that. But now we are going to this my way. And Aemond, so help me, a single hair on those kid’s heads is harmed and I am not with them, I burn it all to the ground, you with it.”

You don’t know how and when, but you would do it for them if it came to that. You’d do anything for their safety. It may be time for others to realize that.

— — —

Princess Visenya Targaryen is set on the pyre a day and a half later. A small swaddled body lit on fire once Rhaenyra croaked out the words. Syrax blowing a mighty flame to burn Rhaenyra’s only little girl.

She was advised to stay in bed. Though her outward physical ailments had started to heal, it was clear Queen Rhaenyra was sick. Pale skin still prickling with sweat despite the cool air outside, dark bags starting to form under her eyes as she leans gently against the cane she was given.

You stand next to Aemond, Helaena, and Aegon. The only warm you feel from the fire in front on you.

It was slightly shocking when Helaena came up to you before the funeral with guilt written over her soft features.

“I just had… a funny feeling about the kids being here. I’m sorry.”

She knew.

You were not happy about once again feeling like you’re on the outside looking in with people you are supposed to call family. At least Helaena had the decency to feel ashamed by the omission. The decency to apologize. Guilt and Aemond is laughable being in the same sentence, and Aegon had been avoiding you. A thing that has not happened in months. Helaena was always right about these things; the scary part is that you all never really knew till the outcome already happened.

You run your hand over your black mourning dress. Peering out from under your veil, you make eye contact with Daemon across the fire.

Normally mirth filled eyes, and folly written all over his face had been replaced by an emptiness that scared you. Often, you had felt the unearned confidence and ambition around you was just noblemen living up to an expectation put on by others around them. But a Daemon, already known for his rogue behavior, feeling emboldened by the death of his brother, daughter, and the newly weakened state of his wife, made you nervous.

Only compounded when you think about the conversation shared at Dragonstone. Your loyalty was not expected, but even demanded. You can’t help but wonder if the kids not being around has only put a fiercer target on your back, or even on theirs.

You look over at Aegon - messy hair, bored expression, purple circles under his eyes. But he is no worse for wear compared to Rhaenyra.

If it one thing you have learned since being around this family, it is appearances often make up for everything. Slap a smile and nice outfit on, and people tend to believe what they see versus what is underneath the surface.

The funeral ends, and you make a sharp beeline towards Otto.

“I need to run something past you.”

You rake your knuckles against Aegon’s door, and get reply in return. You do it again, this time with more vigor, slightly embarrassed at Ser Arryk just watching you pound away.

“He is in there,” you question, turning to him.

“The last time I checked, he was my lady.”

The last time he checked?

You supposed not ever sworn protector can be as diligent as Quinton, and not every subject can be well behaved.

“Aegon,” you knock once more.

Blowing out frustrated air through your mouth, you turn to go but the door eventually swings open.

His hair is crumpled on one side, shirt unbuttoned, and reeking of wine. It had not hit you that he may be with someone.

“If you are… predisposed, I apologize. I can come back”

A dopey grin breaks out of face, before he hitched the door open wider. “No one is with me. Oh, dovelet were you worried about that?”

You look over to see Arryk raise a brow at you. You push at Aegon, further annoyed. “Go.” Forcing him back into his chambers.

“Everyone is so touchy today.”

You were there, before the funeral, when Alicent fussed at him about going to it. About trying to look engaged, which he clearly did not. You think about the conversation you had with Otto in his office.

“He is not going to like it. He has long come to terms with not wanting to be king.”

“But his wants are of no concern to you now, are they?”

When put that way, you can’t help but feel a bit bad. But it is true. What Aegon wants right now means little to you. He will eventually learn to like it, and if not like it, he will learn to tolerate it. The way others have to tolerate their fate in life. We are all stuck in the same miserable cycle; the only difference is some of us will not be able to call ourselves King of the Seven Kingdoms.

“We need to talk about some things.”

“Black is one your colors,” he changes the subject. “You should wear it more often.”

“Aegon, I’m serious,” you pinch your nose.

“Is this about the kids? I thought you would be happy they are out of harm’s way.”

“They are not out of harm’s way,” your voice raises, and this is not going the way it was supposed to.

You must push him with a gently hand. A woman’s touch.

There was a something slimy about how Otto ended the conversation. Sending you to Aegon to enact a woman’s touch… whatever that meant.

“But they could be,” you lower your voice. “If - If there was someone else at the helm. None of us would have to worry about their safety. About our safety.”

Aegon give you a funny look before flopping down on his bed.

He is drunk so he may not remember any of this by next morning. You sit next to him on the bed.

“There is no running from this. Despite what you may say, you know you would not be able to live with yourself if you left your family, your kids. Aegon, you are too smart not to know what this is all coming to.”

Though not something you voiced yourself, running was an option that crossed your mind. Finding a way out to Oldtown, grabbing your kids, and running. The logistics seemed all to wash away when the word dragon comes along. Traveling with two young kids would be difficult enough, managing to travel discretely with a giant dragon would not work. You don’t know how you would tell Daella to leave Vermithor.

And then a chill would run up your spine. Where could you go where he would not find you on dragon back?

The two of you sit in silence before Aegon sighs softly.

“Share a drink with me,” Aegon whispers. “Before we all die.”

It makes you laugh. Because that is all you can do at the folly that is your life. You nod softly.

The wine is a Dornish Red. Sweet, warm, and sultry tasting drink. It reminds you of the look Aegon is giving you.

Alicent peaks her head into the door.

“Rhaenyra,” she sees baby Aegon and Viserys sitting on their mother’s bed. Both babbling away over each other. Rhaenyra weakly waves her in. Both Egg and Viserys give Alicent tiny little bows. They do it to everyone, even those who technically do not have the same amount of power toddlers do. Bowing at guards, nursemaids, and court members alike.

The boys are eventually escorted out by one of the maids, but not until they both tell Alicent about the flock of lizards they found in the garden. It’s sweet, Alicent thinks. Reminds her of when her kids were that age. Not yet tainted or disrupted by the life around them. Alicent supposes she also has herself to blame for that when it comes to own children.

Both boys not understanding the position their mother is in. She knows that Rhaenyra is grateful at least two of her kids are not aware of her vulnerable state.

“How are you feeling,” Alicent sits at the edge of the bed next to her, taking in scattering of notes around Rhaenyra. Members of Rhaenyra’s small council have written notes for Rhaenyra to read while she is abed. From things as simple as the mouse problem in the Red Keep to things more serious. Like the Shepherd’s continued teachings; this week sermon’s going as far to say the death of the Visenya was an act of the Gods. That this is Rhaenyra’s punishment. Punishment for the dragon, the incest, the Targaryen of it all.

Alicent makes sure to only visit Rhaenyra when she knows she will not run into Daemon. He flaunted around the castle as if he has never left. Still the same air of arrogance and fire, only now swathed under a layer of coolness. The passing of Viserys, clearly leading him in a quieter path.

So many awful things lead back to that man. Alicent is sure of it.

All Rhaenyra can do is give a small smile and the shake of the head.

“A bit better now that you’re here.”

Alicent just ducks her head shyly.

Rhaenyra was always good at that, making Alicent feel like she was a girl again. Ten and four and completely out of her depth when it came to her feelings. An issue she worries she still has not gained control over.

“I am thinking of naming Daemon protector of the realm,” she then croaks out. “I do not know how much I can get done while in this bed. Watching it all crumble beneath me.”

Naivety. It is the only word that comes Alicent’s mind when it comes to how Rhaenyra handles Daemon. Ironically, it is the same way Otto describes her relationship with Rhaenyra. Her father never forgets a chance the remind her the nostalgia of girlhood, and security she wraps in Rhaenyra. The same way Alicent does not know if Rhaenyra has convinced herself that Daemon’s will head her council above anyone’s else is her true feelings, is the same way Alicent does not know if she holds onto the good parts of Rhaenyra because they still exist. Or because without holding onto them, she would be again flailing and alone. Once again left with the cold, empty feelings that comes with duty above else.

The only person Alicent saw ever cut Daemon down to size is now dead, rotting and finally silent. If Rhaenyra thinks the bond, she had with Daemon is anything more than him trying to hold onto the last semblances of Viserys he could find, she has been sorely mistaken.

“Mayhaps, you should speak that over with the rest of your council,” she pushes the duvet further over Rhaenyra. It is not her job to advise. She doesn’t know if she has it in her advising another clueless monarch. Another seemingly well meaning, but headstrongly clueless monarch. Rhaenyra gets her same propriety from her father.

Rhaenyra is not a bad person. The same way many people would say Viserys was not a bad person. But when all things are said and done, Viserys will be remembered as peaceful. Alicent worries history will not give the same charitable read to Rhaenyra. Who fumbles and doubles down on her bad actions in the way she learned from her father. Terribly misguided in each path they take, paying no mind to the carnage left behind.

Too much trust in Daemon. A fault both will have to live with or die by.

“Everything will be fine, once I recover,” she takes note of Alicent’s distant eyes. “It will be alright.”

You look so much like your father when you lie to me. So much like him with false hope and no tact. They riot in the streets over your reign already, and you are sure it will be alright.

Alicent just squeezes Rhaenyra’s hand. The way she used to when she used to get the urge to pick at her hands. She looks around the room. Rhaenyra, now laying in the same bed her father did before her. Alicent just hopes the morbid memories of Viserys do not haunt her in the way Aemma’s ghost still haunts Alicent to this day.

Aemma was right, and they did not even know it at the time. The birthing bed was their battlefield. And it feels like it is all catching up to them.

It has been a few minutes since your parents welcomed you into their parents, and in those few minutes your mother has done nothing but pick at your hair and fret over your outfit.

The sun was at its height in the sky, brightness peaking through their windows. This morning you woke up, and did what have for the past couple of days. Remember your children are not there for you to kiss and hug, and look over at your sleeping husband. Multiple ways of smothering him popping into your head.

“Wearing your hair back makes you look so severe, my darling,” she fiddles with bun. Your hand goes up the move it way. “And grey is not slimming on everyone.”

“Yes mother,” you try to grin and bear like you have always done. Your resolve faltered when she gushed about how lovely of a father Aemond was for wanting the kids to spend more time with their uncle, the excuse the both of you had parroted whenever someone asked here Daella and Alaric were.

“I think it may be best, if both of you go back home,” you sit both of them down. “I just worry that things may get a bit hectic, and I would feel better if you both were far from it.”

They both give you a curious look. There is only so much you can say without giving all away. Your father gets up and pulls you to the side.

“There has been… rumblings,” he mutters. “About the Queen and her state.”

He chooses his words wisely. As if he was worried others are listening.

“I want you to know that whatever path may arrive. The full backing of the house is behind it. Your uncle and I will make sure of that. If there was a change in power.”

Tears pinch and sting your eyes. It should be reassuring but it only makes you realizing that backing comes at the whim of others. This will always come back to who is ruling, and who people think should rule.

That is why you married Aemond right? To be put in the best position for your house.

“Thank you, father.”

He kisses you on the cheek, before leaving. You turn towards your mother who sits on the bench in front of the bed.

“I do hope your little excursion has renewed your spirit,” she gets up. “Your husband seemed just beside himself after you left. No wife, no children around. I can only imagine how hard that was for him.” You just stand there as she comes towards you. She stares at you for a moment, taking in your new dark dress, and hair. You cannot tell if the look is unimpressed, or filled with sadness. Your mother’s faces tend to blur together into nothingness.

“Of course, that is what you took from it,” you mutter.

“What was that, lamb?” Another hand runs over your hair.

“Nothing, mother.”

Your mother laughs a bit, in that cold, jilted way she does. The joy never reaching her eyes.

“It’s always been that way. Sweet with him, distant with me.”

You stare at her in slight shock, slight mortification when she leans back. Is that how she’s read the situation? You choosing your father over her. Not the paralyzing fear that came with having to please her. The heart arching want to make her proud of you, even at the expense of your own wants.

“You made it that way. I - you sent me away to - to this place and -“

“Oh, here we go. You got married to a Prince, you had your babies, and I am still the evil mother.”

She bows her head as is she about to cry. Initiatively, you put a hand on her shoulder.

“You’re not evil,” you don’t understand how the conversation how switcher so fast. How now you have to the one to comfort her. “We just don’t see certain things the same way.”

An understatement.

“Mayhaps, I was never meant to be a mother,” she looks up, eyes dry. She says it so casually.

“What?”

“I should have taken the hint after the first miscarriage. But your father just begged and begged about wanting a child.”

You just watch in horror.

She runs another hand over your hair, nagging on the bun and frowns.

“Some women just aren’t meant to be mothers. Too headstrong for it, too weak for it,” there is an air of pity when she says it.

She leans in, and her breath hits your ears. “Be careful, my lamb. The softer the heart, the harder the fall.”

You swallow hard. She’s fed a poison that is hard to be weaned off.

— — —

Leaving the room, in a slight daze. Softly shuffling the opposite way of your chambers, and up the large stairs. You had promised Rhaenyra you would come see her soon.

The only thing that breaks you out the trance is the heavy footsteps of Daemon. You stop and lower your head in acknowledgment.

“My prince, I have not been able to catch you to give my condolence.”

Daemon hums. You’ve noticed how he walks around with Dark Sister attached firmly on his hip. Sometimes sheathed, other times unsheathed as he leans against as some sort of crutch.

“I suppose I should be sending you sorrows too,” a small smile on his face. You tilt your head in confusion.

“Your children.”

Your blood runs a bit cold.

“They are just with their uncle. Taking it the beauty of Oldtown. We want them to see many parts of the realm.”

“With Vermithor?”

You just nod. “You must know how important the bond is between dragon and dragon rider. More importantly during these early stages.”

Daemon’s mirth grows as he comes closer. “I do remember our conversation. About how your loyalty would be not only expected but rewarded. I would absolutely hate to see anyone get hurt, especially as our queen is recovering.”

You smile, brightly and sound.

“Of course, it would be quite a shame if anyone was putting their own needs ahead of Queen Rhaenyra’s. Those close to her must be diligent, and kind.”

The two of you exchange more fake smiles before he steps around you, sword glistening under the flicker of flames in the hallway.

Trying to compose yourself as you make your way to the master chambers. You are slightly relieved by the changes that were made by the time Rhaenyra arrived and settled in. The model Viserys spent even his last days speaking about that collected dust had been removed. Different drapes that let the sun in, the furniture moved around a bit, and the smell. Thank Gods, the smell was different.

The smell of rotting, and noxious air replaced by something a little sweeter. You know that Alicent would come in daily and light different incense for Rhaenyra.

The guards let you in, and she is still in the same place she, day after day, the large canopy bed. The bed you see Viserys lay in as you visit him with Daella and or Alaric.

“Rhaenyra,” you pull back the certain a bit, to let light in. “Have you eaten today?”

You walk over and lay a hand on her forehead. She is burning up. Her fever spiking again. All you get is a groan and the shake of the head.

“Rhaenyra, you need to eat something.”

She just gestures toward the table. Different tonics, drinks, and glasses on top of it. You walk over to see tea as well as a familiar milky substance on it.

You remembered seeing how Viserys was when he was on milk of the poppy. Hells, you understood the strength of it, and you only took it while having Daella and Alaric.

It was the beauty and ugliness of the drug once it was taken too much. The pain was gone, but then came a new problem - the grogginess of the mind and withdrawals.

“The Queen only needs five dops of it,” said the maester, a sour look on his face once asked to leave when you visited her a few days ago.

In all her paranoia, Rhaenyra had asked only those closest to her to help administer it. Not trusting the maesters the very same way she did when it came to Viserys. Out of part guilt of what she just went through, and frankly fear, you agreed when she asked you. But now, as you feel the tides changing once again for the battle for power, your hands shake a bit applying the remedy to her tea.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five….. Six. Seven. Eight.

Before you can change your mind, you a twist cap back on the milk of the poppy.

You walk back to the bed, giving a pale Rhaenyra a strained smile. “Let’s sit you up.”

Rhaenyra winces, eyes in a faraway stare as you help her lean up in the bed. The same bed she had been beholden to for the past week. You bring goblet to her lips and watch her all but chug most of it.

A part of you wants to say a prayer to the Father. Perhaps he will forgive you for all that will happen beyond this point. Understanding how stray animals often act when they are backed into a corner. Teeth bared and fighting for their lives.

She will name him Protector of the Realm if she stays abed any longer. Despite the mistreatment, Daemon has always had a way about him when it came to Rhaenyra. I have no way to stop it. Did not back then, and do not now.

Guilt only mounts when you think about the sadness in Alicent’s eyes when she said that. But then you think about your daughter’s laugh or the wide-eyed innocence of your son, and the guilt fades. All that is left is resentment. A deep hole where you think your heart used to be.

You have to shudder thinking about anyone from this family sitting the throne but at least you know some options are more… malleable than others.

“I can come back to give you more when you need it,” you brush a stray hair behind Rhaenyra’s ear. “Maybe I can read to you too.”

She gives you a tired smile, and nod before her eyes begin to flutter. You watch as her breathing labors as she drifts into a hazy state. In and out of sleep. Here she lays, a victim of the birthing bed like her mother. Ill equipped, and far too foolish to see the damage she will leave behind like her father.

“What is all of this?”

You walk into your chambers to find a table of food in the room. Aemond hops up from the bed. You take a look at the array of breads, and sweets on the table.

“All this for me,” you question, popping one of the lemon candies on a lemon cake in your mouth. “How romantic. The last time I had the pleasure of such a spread, you were telling me you got your mistress pregnant and it sent me into excruciating labor.”

Aemond face falls, and for a moment you understand what it has been like for him the past few years of marriage. To hold power over him, even if it is small and fleeting in the moment. Dangling kindness in front of his face to rip it away for no reason other than you can.

You continue to pick at the food, as Aemond just stares.

“Are you gonna say what this all about or just stare with that silly look on your face?”

His face flashes from sad stoicism something a bit angrier. Ah, that’s your husband.

“I am trying to mend things with you, and all I ge-“

“Oh, that is your first mistake,” you hold up a finger. “Well, not the first. You know your first. But trying to mend something that was never there to begin with? And with food that I could get myself. You’re smarter than that Aemond,” you tut at him.

“So, what now? We spend the rest of our days hating each other?”

If we even get that far.

“It has worked for others,” you shrug.

“It won’t for you,” he rebuts. “The hate will eat you alive. You’ll be miserable.”

Promise?

He speaks as if he is so sure of it. As like Helaena does at times, he has seen into a murky future, and pulled this out. You utterly miserable as you let that dark voice in your head play out all your morbid desires.

“But you would like that, wouldn’t you,” you think about the look he gave you when you wanted to reach for his knife. “Why else would you put through all of this but to make me as miserable as you are?”

It hang on the tip of your tongue. You could push you luck again, and tell him that she is gone, and never to be seen again. Twist the knife that you already have point at his back. But then you would have to be sure of things yourself. Dreams have dissolved into nightmares. Blood mixing the salty water of Dragonstone.

Then you wake and Otto’s words ring in your head. He took care of it. Now you are left trying to sort out the mess of memories that makes up your head. Guilt, anger, and sadness all managing fuck with your head in ways you could not imagine.

You eye the wine on the table. As much you admonish Aegon for it, you do get why he turned to it from such a young age.

The few hours of solace it gives is wonderful. Fleeting but necessary when everything else becomes too loud. Too much.

“It was not an absence in you. It was one in us… in me,” he looks so young when he says it. It almost reminds you of him when he ten and five. Fresh off a growth spurt. Terribly shy, terribly distant. But that was before. Before the expectation of marriage, of children and semblances of loyalty and care.

That boy is gone, and you are surely not the girl you were once you came to King’s Landing. You mourn that girl, the way you mourn the boy Aemond was before he lost his eye. You did not know him then but you always wonder what strings in him broke when that happened. An unjust act with no reconciliation to follow. If any of that led up to the man standing before you today.

“Well, at least that is something we can agree on,” you look down, trying to get rid of the hot tears in your eyes.

You have spent time trying to build up an armor in front of him. You’d hate to have it crack now.

“My grandsire told me about your little plan.”

It makes you look up. Aemond’s arms are crossed in skepticism.

“Your sister’s health is declining rapidly. Aegon needs to ready himself for this.”

“And he has agreed?”

“Your brother will fall in line as he realizes this is the only way to keep those dear to him safe,” you fiddle with the chocolate tart. “He already has actually.”

Helaena and him took a trip to one of the orphanages down in the Red Keep. It is about time people outside of this castle get a look at those in power. Aemond still does not look convinced.

“Does that upset you? The thought of him being king?”

“No more than it does having my useless sister or foolish nuncle on the throne.”

“What, no mention of the bastards technically in front you for the throne right now,” you think the joke falls flat till Aemond narrows his eye, and tilts his head to side in merriment. You have to do a bit of double take at the slight smirk on his face.

“You danced with one of those bastards.”

So, he remembers that.

“A tactical move,” you roll your eyes. “And when I advise Rhaenyra and Jacaerys that he should go back to Dragonstone as the new heir to the Irone Throne and Prince of Dragonstone, it would have payed off.”

“Leaving Rhaenyra as she’s abed, and stuck with Daemon? How would you manage that?”

“I can be quite convincing,” you shrug. “Not that you would understand.”

He takes another dig on chin, uncharacteristically good natured this day, but he gives you that look. The look where you don’t know whether he wants to skin you or kiss you. No one really has ever looked in the way Aemond has. As if he sees nothing of what you’re really made of while managing to look right through you at the same time.

“Better yet, I may even tell Baela and Rhaena that they should take this time to be with grandmother and grandfather, especially as Corlys may stand a similar fate as Rhaenyra.”

“What about the other one,” Aemond frowns.

Your brows furrow in confusion before it dawns on you. Both him and Lucerys had done a good job of avoiding each other since you all came back from Dragonstone. But you can tell the tiptoeing has created strain and awkwardness for everyone.

“If Baela and Jace are gone with Moondancer and Vermax in toe, that just leaves a clearly petrified Luke and Arrax. I think Vhagar, Sunfyre or Dreamfyre can handle that, no?”

Aemond raises a brow. “You want them to die?”

“I don’t want anyone to die,” well that’s not entirely true, and the look Aemond gives you lets you in that he does not believe that as well. “As few casualties as possible is the goal. They can swear to Aegon when the time comes or be put the King’s Justice. As of now, we should take advantage of the uncertainty that rest amongst everyone.”

Aemond laughs, like really laughs. It takes you for surprise, and only upsets you. He laughs as if he finds your thoughts funny in the way seeing a squirrel run up a tree is funny. “What?”

“Nothing…. Lady Hightower.”

You scoff and throw the pieces of the fruit on the table at him. “Fuck off.”

“You make those faces and turn up your nose at Aegon being king, but you and I both know you will be the first to defend his throne,” you throw a strawberry at him but this time he catches it and eats it. “This is all for the kids, right? It is why they are not here, away from their mother?”

“They are away from their father as well. For their safety.”

You just hum.

“I want to write to them. They did not even get to say goodbye.”

“That could be dangerous.”

“I do not care, Aemond,” you raise your voice.

There is a knock at the door and Quinton comes in with a note in his hand. He eyes the food on the table as you read the note. It is from your father, assuring you about your parents soon departure back to the Riverlands.

“Are you alright,” he whispers. You nod softly. Quinton had been hovering somewhere in the background whenever Aemond was around, especially with the children gone. Clearly not trusting him around you.

Quinton should probably be more worried you around him. His cape swishes behind him when he goes to leave the room.

“You can write to them when the timing is better,” Aemond continues once you two are alone again.

The timing is never right. Not with him, not the with situation you are in.

The end of ninth moon of 129 AC

As you walk down the hall, a soft hand brushes against your arm.

“Are sure you are alright,” Quinton’s voice rings in your head, and tickles your ears softly.

“Of course,” you give fake smile, tilt of the head. He stops in the middle of the empty hall. Though he is your sworn protestor, you feel it is best to keep Quinton on the fringes unless needed otherwise. The less he knows, the safer he is you assume.

“I know you are not well without your children around,” he sighs. “But I would not want you to… sully yourself with things before you can get back to them.”

Sully. You take a long look at Quinton. There is something sweet about the way he views you. Entirely too earnest at time but sweet. You wish you could tell him he had nothing to worry about, and meant it. The pedastal he puts you on, my would it be a hard and long fall.

“I appreciate the concern, but I am ok,”’you reach up to touch his cheek. “You will be the first to know.”

He gives a half-hearted nod before then both of you continue your way to Rhaenyra’s chambers. When you get there the maidservants are beginning to place lights out in the hall for the night.

When you walk in, Rhaenyra is perched where she has been for some time now. Fiddling with the books on the shelf in the corner of the room.

“Maybe something a bit more upbeat. A love story,” you whisper. You go sit next to her on bed, flipping through the large brown book in your hand.

Rhaenyra begins to mumble as you shush her softly.

“It’s ok,” you reach over for the cup next to her bed. Sniffing the cup, you take note of how differently it smells compared to the tea and milk of the poppy mixture you used to.

The tonic seems different, stronger than usual. You put it to her lips and watch Rhaenyra drink it. You wipe her mouth. Even if this weakened state, you find her tragically beautiful. Like a fallen Angel. She resembles her siblings in that regard.

“I need - I need,” her eyes flutter open and shut. “The Prince that was Promised.”

You frown.

“Aeg- Aegon…”

“Your brother?”

“Tell Jacaerys.”

She trails off. Your back straightens as you watch as Rhaenyra’s eyes close, and her breathing slow.

The Prince that was Promised… Aegon.

You lean down and kiss her forehead. Mayhaps, in another life things could’ve been different for her. For her siblings, for her children, for you… for your kids. Climbing off the side of the bed, you gently tuck Rhaenyra in.

When you walk out, you see Quinton standing at attention. You motion for him to come with.

“I need you to do go get Otto,” you mummer. “We have business to get to.”

You cannot see the look Quinton gives you as move to walk ahead of him, and to that you are grateful.

Sullying is your only other option.

In the tenth moon 129 AC, the bell connected to the Royal Sept tolled for thee.

The death of Queen Rhaenyra, First of her Name, sent ripples through the Realm. But that was just beginning of the great strife that would follow her passing. A years peaceful period of reign for the Targaryen family ended by infighting.

Histories will say the first problem came the moment the then Princess and heir decided to sire bastard heirs. Others would say it began the moment, Rhaenyra left her succession vulnerable to her young brother. Not ending his line the moment she had the chance to.

Throughout her short reign as queen, there were festering rumors of usurping. That Lord Otto Hightower would hold secret meetings planning for the best moment to strike to get his grandson son on the throne. Others dispirited this claim, saying that the Dowager Queen Alicent’s afflictions for Queen Rhaenyra would never let that happen.

Ironically, it was not the death of the Rhaenyra is not the official start of what would later be called the Dance of Dragons. Instead the death of Prince’s Aemond One-Eye Targaryen’s lady wife’s parents triggered the domino affect. An escalation of plans.

Most would say the overflipped carriage was a tragic accident, but others whispered about something more serious. An inside attack from a member of the Targaryen family themselves. It was this tragedy that led to a public outcry from the members of the house in the Riverlands, coupling with the public crowning of a new king.

It was Ser Criston Cole, member of the Kingsguard, who crowed King Aegon, Second of his Name, in a private ceremony. Only flanked by his new crowned Queen Helaena, Prince Aemond and his wife, and Lord Hightower. King Aegon was crowned in front of the septon of faith, dawning his namesakes crown.

Back on Dragonstone, Jacaerys Velaryon recieved the news of not only his mother’s death, but also the usurping. Except it was not allies with the news, but foes. Jacaerys was slain at the footsteps of the castle.

It is still debated which side has more to gain to having Jace out of the way. King Aegon or Prince Daemon. But in the end, it was the later who eventually set up him home base at Dragonstone. Fleeing under the watchful eye of his spies in the Red Keep. With only two of his sons with him.

Both sides strategizing their moves. Daemon labeling Aegon and his supporters traitors to the realm, while Aegon set out to kill his uncle himself in given the chance. Under the insistence that it was him who accerlated Rhaenyra’s already bad condition.

Support the amongst the realm split as some supporter the efforts of the new king, far more open to his tactics than one of the Rogue Prince or Rhaenyra’s Bastards. While others scoffed at the boldness of Aegon the Usurper.

Those called on the opinions of the sons that remained at King’s Landing. Rumors of the Lucerys and Joffrey Velaryon being chained arriving. But it was not Daemon who negotiated the release of the boys. It was members of House Velaryon.

But there was one condition. It would be Baela and Rhaena, of both House Targaryen and Velaryon, that recieved equal titles after the passing of Corlys. Lucerys would be stripped of title of heir to the Driftmark Throne. It was rumored that this was not a cruel twist of fate from team green, but instead a plea from Lucerys himself.

It was Rhaena Targaryen, in all her wisdom, that worked through the terms. With a heavy heart, and no more bloodshed in her pleas. The more bold sister of the twins, Baela, had other plans. Sensing the release of Lucerys and Joffrey was a trap. She climbed on top of Moondancer, despite the calls not, and made her way closer to King’s Landing herself. But she was not alone. Her grandmother was with her.

Never one to sit from a battle himself, it was King Aegon who climbed his dragon to take them both on. All three dragon and riders fought diligently. Moondancer sustaining life ending injuries, while both Sunfyre and Aegon were injured at battle. But the most costly lost came at the hand of the One-Eyed Prince himself. Taking out Rhaenys and Meleys before further injury could come to his brother.

Enraged at the news of the death of Moondancer, and the almost costly lost of Baela, Daemon began his March. But he also had other plans at play. In efforts to lure the new Prince Regent out of the castle, he sent spies to Oldtown. Where not only Prince Daeron worked with all of Reach to support King Aegon. But also where the young Prince watched over his younger nieces and nephews.

There was an attempt to take the Jaehaerys Targaryen, son of Aegon and Alaric Targaryen, son of Aemond. But the plan was thwarted by a terrible beast. Vermithor lurched and lured over Oldtown like a tower himself. His flames as green as the Hightower Beacon. Highly protective over his new rider and those close to her. At just six and seventh month, Daella Targaryen was feared as her father.

Still not wanting to be outdone, Daemon sets his sights towards not only Harrenhal, but another certain house in the Riverlands. His march pillaging those close to Aemond’s wife. Still grieving the lost of parents and seperated from her children, it was rumored the lady became more quiet, drowning herself in her cups.

It was she, with Queen Mother Alicent and Queen Helaena, who pleaded for Aemond to not take the bait. But it was too no vail. After he heard of the attempted kidnapping, he set out with men of his own.

His march mirroring his uncle’s not only through the Stormlands but as well as the Riverlands. There were whispers of inhabitants at Harrenhal. It is still speculated by both Daemon and Aemond did not burn the structure to the ground, when they had to chance. Tales would be written of a certain magic soiling the ground. Keeping safe from harm.

Though those tales are all rumors, what was undeniably true, is that two Targaryen princes breathed their last breaths over God’s Eye on the sixth moon of 130 AC. No one saw the battle, but the sound of snapping dragons and the sight of green and red flames that called attention.

Vhagar and Aemond both fought a valiant effort but it the wounds to both proved to be to substantial. Aemond Targaryen died on top of his crowned dragon. The burns from Vhagar burning Daemon beyond repair.

When their deaths made it back to the Red Keep, the halls recount the Queen Mother tearing her hair in anguish, calling for the deaths of not only everyone who supported Daemon, but Aegon the younger and Viserys alike.

A story of crowns and iron thrones whittled down to death and fire. The grief felt by team green only compounded by the body of Aemond’s lady wife found charred in their chambers. It was Ser Quinton, her sworn protector, who lived to tell the story of having to fight off several guards before it was too late. In a matter of days, Daella and Alaric Targaryen missing from their places in Oldtown.

Both jobs speculated to be last minute plans carried about for Daemon Targaryen, done by his loyal Gold Cloaks. It is said that King Aegon never fully recovers from the death of not only his brother, but his good sister. Punishing those he deems responsible once he comes to.

But there are merchants in Essos that believe they have spotted a beautiful lady hand in hand with her children. One with sparkling white hair, the other with blonde streaks through her dark curls.

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[asumofwords]

People salty about the show direction, like

...the source material is literally told from unreliable narrators. THAT'S the genius of the book, we don't actually know what went down. I'm tired of people shitting on the vision of the showrunners just because Aemond isn't THEIR own headcannon. This episode was devastating, and nuanced and beautiful. Aemond has always been a vicious, violent, self-important character who thought the crown suited him better than Aegon. I one hundred percent believe that he would take advantage of a situation that weakened Aegon, and I dont love him any less. I'm venting to you bestie because you have fun with the source material and somehow have canonically portrayed certain character traits in SFA before the fact, lol.

I've literally been reading people saying they will stop watching the shows because the showrunners have ruined Aemond's character by his intent to damage Aegon..the same people who hated the brothel scenes no doubt.

I 100% agree! I feel like the unreliable narrators point of F&B sort of went over peoples heads a bit. GRRM has said before, the book is a take on how history is written with biases by people hundreds of years later, that it’s unreliable with falsehoods and that the show is the real events.

GRRM isn’t being kept in the dark about changes, he’s in the writers rooms and they assuredly go to him for the OK, especially after the GOT S8 debacle… lol. He’s also said in a recent interview that he is loving it, praised the actors and the show runners.

But in saying all of that, I’m actually really loving seeing Aemond and Aegons (and everyone else’s, but let’s focus on these two for a moment) developments! It makes them so much more complex and interesting and I’m honest to god loving it.

Episode four was fucking AMAZING! (Spoilers coming)

When Aemond said dracarys to both Rhaenys AND Aegon, kind of like a “fuck it, two birds one stone” kind of moment, the look of betrayal in Aegons eyes? I was on the edge of my SEAT! We all knew he resented his brother, from season one all the way to the recent scene in the brothel (which I thought was fucking amazing for aemonds character because to me it felt true to the reaction of a traumatised boy who is emotionally neglected, seeking out a motherly and familiar affection) but goddamn was it good to see it through feral violence of opportunity.

Because if Aegon died, no one would know the truth of it really. Dragons were fighting, poor Aegon got caught in the crossfire, looks like Aemond will be Prince Regent ( or King if Maelor exists? lol).

Will be interesting to see the dynamics when Aegon has semi recovered; will he remember? Will he not? I’m excited to find out.

I need to watch this one again because goddamn it was good!!!

[sunfyredarchive]

i really wasn't gonna do this but i just started typing and couldn't stop myself. pretty sure so many things left unsaid but needed it to get it off my chest somehow.

let me start with saying that as a sunfyre && aegon enjoyer, the actual reason of my discomfort is NOT the way they ended up. i am sad about it ofc, but i knew that was one of the few canon outcomes they wouldn’t alter much ( && must have reaaaallly enjoyed depicting for reasons 🤡 ) so what left me so shaken was not the sight of sunfyre— a creature i’ve been stanning and really wanting to see for literally a decade— and aegon’s canon fate but the way it was delivered, obviously. as i’ve been discussing with some of my close mutuals and friends on here, personally i’m no longer enjoying the endless and, at this point, quite out of control woobification of aegon in particular. please don’t get me wrong, i wasn’t expecting him to be depicted in a controversially positive / heroic light all of a sudden especially with their unquestionably pro-rhaenyra ( not pro-black in general ) and anti-aegon ( not anti-green in general ) agenda, which did not bother me this much until this season. at first it seemed creative and tragically engrossing, to depict aegon so unwilling and pitiful and so not ready to rule. it added him way more nuance and promised a compelling character development. something that honestly made me find him way more interesting because i seldom care for stereotypical && morally flawless / less flawed leaders in fiction. but i was expecting / hoping for jaehaerys to be a bit of a turning point for aegon’s character, and i know i’m not alone in that so i also can’t be the only one who’s so sick and tired of aegon still being a clumsy comic relief with how cartoonishly pathetic they’re so adamant on depicting him until the very end ?? stuff like his own council leaving him on read and now his terrible high valyrian ( i don’t wanna start yapping about this either but lemme say i like the idea of aegon being not as fluent and eloquent as aemond, it fits his overall personality. can be interpreted as him being lazy / easily bored / having adhd / rebelling his targaryen upbringing like cutting his hair short also indicated etc etc I LIKE THAT !! makes sense. but they didn’t need to go so overboard with it like they did with every other logically negative aspect of him. the high valyrian scene would be so much better with aegon simply getting irritated and backing down from the conversation due to his current lack of military prowess rather than him downright being unable to form a single coherent sentence lol ), like .. please. so are we really going to take only the most outrageous, downgrading theories from an already unreliable narration because anything that is mildly admirable about him must be green propaganda ?? he just has to be so laughably bad at everything and anything because he’s “evil” ?? i didn’t know this was supposed to be a morality play.

now back to rook’s rest. i understand there aren’t enough details about the dragon conflict here so of course the anti-aegonism pioneers felt justified to run with the idea that’d paint him in the worst light by ridiculing him as blatantly as possible ( aka taking away one of his few redeemable qualities, which is trying to be an active player by commanding his own armies instead of remaining out of harm’s way by choice ) and make his most prominent attempt at leading look like a scorned child’s petty, impulsive, barely-conscious decision which only proved everyone who believed him to be a failure; right. whereas all the other prominent characters on team black are made to look utterly brave && heroic for merely suggesting to do the same... cute. now they can because they ain’t aegon uwu. you know, someone who actually did fight until he was left almost unrecognizable. now look me in the eye and tell me that isn’t a too under the nose way to manipulate “canon” info to serve a biased agenda.

what’s more disappointing for me personally is how sunfyre could not escape the anti-aegonism’s wrath either, who’s always been more special to me than aegon himself. here we see aegon and aemond as joined forces, against the common foe, appearing at the very same time so nothing justifies aegon showing up unannounced and almost ruining a whole ass plan nobody bothered to fill him in on— another illogically biased addition to further ridicule aegon. mind you, since there isn’t enough to decipher aemond’s true intentions during this battle, i really wouldn’t mind him ending up causing more damage to aegon/sunfyre than even rhaenys/meleys, but the choice to make him so blatantly attack his brother/king and one of the very few fighting dragons they had when they chose to make this very same guy be a lot more distraught over killing lucerys is just .. cartoonish. imagine society if we were allowed to watch two brothers managing to set aside their personal grudges despite all the clumsy attempts at paving the way for a bigger enmity ( the brothel scene can’t sit with us ). i also wouldn’t mind seeing aemond visibly being tempted to hurt aegon for a split second during the intense eye contact only to attack in a more ambiguous way rather than downright aiming at aegon, it’d be closer to his actions in book too but the disney villanism won because, again, they simply cannot be allowed to appear like a semi-caring family. something i will also omit in my own portrayal because i’ve always believed the eye incident being a turning point for aemond/aegon’s relationship.

gonna end my angry rambling by going back to woobified sunfyre. notice how it is worded as “against vhagar alone she might have had some chance, but against vhagar and sunfyre…” not the other way around. not pointing out the more obvious fact that meleys would be able to take down sunfyre if it wasn’t for vhagar. which means we can safely accept the fact sunfyre was an important and necessary player for this whole “trap”. him and aegon didn’t just randomly show up on a whim to rain on aemond’s parade out of jealousy. they were always meant to be a part of this because apparently not even vhagar could defeat meleys alone and remain unscathed, she needed a distraction. and before anyone claims the attached part might also be pro-green propaganda ( just like the whole sunfyre’s beauty && loyalty were exaggerated allegations because apparently anything that’s mildly praise-worthy is immediately shot down as a propaganda but !! only if it’s about a green 😉 ) — i strongly disagree, mostly because of that iconic line about princess rhaenys’ courage. because guess what ?? you actually can praise AND accuse both parties in a well-balanced manner instead of butchering a perfectly tragic && intentionally ambiguous story by bending the “facts” to your will. shocking to some i presume.

[eggtargaryenii]

I don't know much about hotd, but is the reason why alicent loves rea more than her sons by the end of this fic is because she sees herself in rea? Like in the sense that they're both dealt the same shit hand of being a woman, but seeing rea fight for the best "hand" and against the powers that put Alicent in the position of being a child bride? Like from what I've observed via fanfiction is that helaena has a similar "position" as Alicent when she weds Viserys: child bride. I *think* I've seen proof of Alicent being really protective of Helaena because of this and because Helaena is...kind of portrayed in an innocent way? (Let me know if this is like character assassination of Helaena from fanfiction writers). And this perception of Helaena as someone that needs to be protected is what truly sets apart Rea and Helaena from each other? As in, Alicent sees the Reader as someone who has some means to take care of herself (her resourcefulness) versus Helaena whom Alicent views is dependent on her.

Is the love Alicent feels deeply rooted in her desire to see Rea succeed? Like in being happy and not being trapped in the confines of a loveless marriage like Alicent is? (I like need to desperately watch hotd bc this is driving me crazy)

HI ANON!! I actually haven't thought much about her relationship w helaena but that sounds like a reasonable characterization of it - thank you for sharing that!! (lol you know more about me than some parts of hotd despite not knowing the show!!) I do think helaena is more innocent and gentler than either of her brothers, so that makes sense. like she has never openly antagonized her mother or committed war crimes lol and yes, I would wager a guess that gender plays a role in it as well! aegon is a serial rapist and aemond is a mass murderer who tried to kill his own brother LMFAO so any love she may have felt for her two sons . has been probably cancelled out by that.

you are right also, alicent does see a lot of herself in the reader! she does try to protect the reader from similar situations (being a child bride, exploited by otto, etc). she still does believe the reader needs to be protected and actively tries to do it in subtle ways, even if the reader doesn't realise it.

but you are right that there are a lot of distinguishing factors between her vs helaena. imo the MOST important thing is that the reader kinda has a heathen god (she respects the Red Temple and pisses on the Faith of the Seven) and was the daughter of a foreign bed slave. alicent emotionally relies on the Faith and it defines her conservative sexual values among other things. if the reader converted to the Faith and openly condemned prostitution (basically, if she assimilated into Westerosi society) then Alicent would probably love her more easily. also the reader has a really horrid perception of Alicent (that's why Alicent SUCKS in chapters 1-3, it's unreliable narration) that Alicent does feel super hurt by. like any other mother who tries so hard for her child and then her child rejects her </3

[branwendaughterofllyr]

I was really touched by your thoughtful response! It’s just as interesting as your fic. Especially the fact that both of the “unemployed princes” (one in the original, two in your version) needed an heiress to secure a wealthy and safe life. I always thought it was foolish of Daemon not to have children with Rhea, but hearing your thoughts about Rhaenyra’s betrothal really makes that seem even more shortsighted. Then again, this wasn’t the first time he acted recklessly lol

As someone of East Asia, where the royal family’s cadet branches were historically just as important as the main line and possessed their own power without needing marriage alliances to strengthen ties, It is similar they are to Daemon’s situation, where he had his own independent space. Whether that was a good thing, though, is up for debate.

Regarding the Vale, as you pointed out, it’s interesting how many marriages were tied to it, yet there were no lasting blood ties with the royal family. Considering Rhea’s death and Aemma’s tragedy, as well as her daughter Rhaenyra’s situation, it seems like the Vale came out of it with nothing to show for their investment. Honestly, I’m surprised one of Daeron II’s sons even married an Arryn woman. If it were me, I wouldn’t want anything more to do with the Targaryens (though a marriage between Jeyne and Aegon might have helped offset these losses. Otto’s thinking wasn’t bad, in my opinion. They might have been a gender-reversed version of Rhaenyra and Laenor, perhaps)

I’ve always thought that if Aegon were a woman, she would have married Daemon, but your thoughts on Gael make me think this female Aegon wouldn’t have married him either. She would probably have ended up marrying the heir of a good house (Baratheon? Tully? Or maybe a smaller house?)

One of the reasons I love your fic is the unreliable narrator, especially because our Aegon is actually a bit more foolish than he realizes. His strange belief that he can delay the matter of his daughter’s marriage fascinates me. Historically, Targaryens rarely let Targaryen women go outside the family. And when they did, the descendants were usually brought back into the fold (like Aemma) Aside from Aegon V’s sisters, almost all Targaryens married within the family, so it’s funny that a family obsessed with blood purity, like the Targaryens, would ignore Aegon and his daughter as much as they did. It amuses me how Aegon flounders between strange choices (Joffrey Arryn? Is this guy dreaming?) instead of seriously considering Aemond or Lucerys. Wake up, man, your daughter is not your wife!

The topic of second sons’ marriages is always interesting, and I’m sad that Aemond and Daeron’s marriages remain in the realm of imagination. I’m especially disappointed that the relationship between Aemond and the Baratheon girls wasn’t explored more in the show. Floris was never the girl Aemond would have chosen, Ryan! He had the key to ruling all of the Stormlands right in front of him! No wonder Maris was so angry. (I really feel for her. It’s sad when siblings, even in the same family, face such differences—one gets the Stormlands and a prince, and the other is left with nothing. Whether you’re a second son or daughter, you’re still a victim of primogeniture)

Anyway, in your fic, the way these people, who possess what are essentially living nuclear weapons or fighter jets, go out of their way to think of themselves as harmless is really funny. I feel a bit evil for saying that… but it’s hilarious that they’ve tamed these creatures that can breathe fire and fly, and yet they don’t even consider the cost of that. Of course, I’m not mocking Aegon’s feelings for his daughter or the tragedy of the Dance. Not at all. It’s just impressive how Alicent manages to endure all of that lol

It was such a great ask, I couldn’t help myself with the long response! I love thinking about marriages and what to do with extra royals running around!

Yeah, I highly doubt that prior to Aemma dying, a match between Rhaenyra and Daemon was ever in the cards, considering it would have been expected that Rhaenyra was going to marry her brother. Bookwise, the gap between Rhaenyra and Baelon would not have been that big, so it’s likely that they would have married if he had lived. Frankly, whatever son Aemma had would have dibs on Rhaenyra, and Daemon would have been shit out of luck in that regard lol. And not having kids with Rhea left him with a very tenuous claim on Runestone that was ultimately overturned by Jeyne Arryn, without any interference from Viserys. It likely would have looked different if he had had a child by Rhea.

I’m of the opinion that if Aegon had been born a girl, he likely would have married Viserys, and same for Daemon if he had been a daughter. Jaehaerys definitely prioritized incestous matches, and it seems like he was considering Viserys the heir fairly early on, especially after Rhaenys married Corlys (why he didn’t just marry Rhaenys and Viserys together is another question, since that would have solved soooo many problems. My headcanon is that Aemon had something to do with it, and let Rhaenys pick out her own husband) and Viserys would have married his sister rather than his cousin. And as the eldest, Viserys would have dibs on any sisters, so to speak. The incest generally hampered Targaryen alliance making, and I can’t see Jaehaerys correcting that with Baelon’s children that much if one of them had been a girl. Aemma was picked more for her Targaryen blood than for her Arryn ties, it seems like. It’s really only when you have an excess of sons or daughters that the Targaryens are basically forced into normal alliance making. Gael, I think, was a special case since Alysanne wanted to keep her close and she was considered “simple.” If Alysanne hadn’t been so attached to her, and she hadn’t been “simple” and Daemon had been a more sedate personality, maybe they would have been married and expected to support the next monarch the way that Baelon-Alyssa were being groomed to support Aemon-Jocelyn. Hard to say! Canonwise, it’s just not a very good match, especially when Aemma and Viserys are expected to have children and have successfully produced one already.

The marriages of Daeron’s sons are actually quite clever, the two oldest marrying Stormlands houses (Dondarrion, Penrose) to help smooth over the anger over the two recent Martell marriages and concessions to Dorne, the third marrying great house (Arryn) and the youngest marrying a Dornish house to keep those ties strong (Dayne). And the Targaryens like to keep marrying into the same houses even if they don’t actually have any Targ blood anymore, so I imagine that’s why the Arryns were picked over the other Great Houses, and they also have a prestige and good reputation that the Tyrells and Tullys might not as they were never kings, or the Starks for being Old God worshippers and generally being considered more barbaric. And maybe there just wasn’t a Baratheon daughter available at the time, considering that might have been a great match for Baelor as the heir, so Arryn for the third son was the best they could do. And Daeron II is the only Targaryen king that seemed to land his younger sons, which is a smart move on his part, but I guess he’s also one of the few Targaryen kings who had an excess of sons to land.

The lack of providing for extra children is actually part of the reason why the Dance was likely to happen, because Viserys does have these three extra sons, who don’t get on well with the heir, all have dragons, and then he marries the eldest one to his landless sister (since bookwise, it was Viserys who made the Aegon-Helaena match and he had to approve it in the show). So what are his children by Alicent supposed to do once Viserys dies? Hope that Rhaenyra is gracious enough to keep giving them handouts, even as she herself has five sons she has to worry about. What happens when she dies and her heir takes over? On the other hand, you probably don’t want make matches for Alicent’s sons that are too good, lest they use their in-laws to help them rebel, so making middling matches to wealthy but not significant loyalists to Rhaenyra might have been a good middle ground? (Of course, the ideal solution would have been to send the three boys to the Faith/the Citadel/the NW the moment Rhaenyra had an heir, but that didn’t happen lol.)

I love how delusional Aegon is about his daughter’s marriage prospects, it’s a source of great personal amusement to me. I think part of it is that Viserys has a long history of delegation and “not worrying about it” when it comes to most of his family, considering that he let Rhaenyra arrange the marriages for her sons without any interference from himself, and he really only stepped in to make matches when it was personally inconveniencing him (Rhaenyra being his heir and also needing to get the Velaryons off his back, and Aegon II being an annoying fuck boy that tooootally needed a marriage to settle him down, that definitely worked with Daemon). Bookwise, it’s Laena-Daemon and Rhaenyra-Laenor who betroth their children, and there’s no mention of Viserys being involved, and Viserys didn’t seem to set up any futures for Aemond and Daeron at all. So in Poison, I think Viserys just expects Aegon to do “the right thing” with Alyssa and marry her to a family member, and isn’t thinking much about it, lol. In a non-Dance situation, I don’t think Aegon would have any problem marrying Alyssa to one of her cousins, but well. It IS a Dance situation.

And Joffrey Arryn is NOT a good choice at all! Who is Aegon fooling??? It is a great deal from Jeyne Arryn’s point of view, because she gains a great deal of legitimacy for her chosen heir, with a royal wife and a powerful father-in-law who had the ear of the king and A DRAGON, but it’s not at all a solid match from Aegon’s end of it, considering the disputed succession and the fact that Jeyne’s basically set up her own succession crisis. But I think that’s the appeal for Aegon, that he can be seen considering it and just delay, delay, delay without really offending any one else and not having to make commitments to any betrothals. (And also his personal affection for the Vale as the place where Aemma grew up, which I think is why he even started humoring Jeyne in the first place, as Aemma’s niece) Really, Alyssa should be marrying Kermit Tully, who is THE most eligible bachelor in Westeros during this time. Great house? Check. Undisputed line of succession? Check. No taint of bastardy? Check. No other heirs from a prior marriage? Check. That beautiful Tully red hair? Also a check. But Aegon would actually have to go through with that marriage after a certain point, lol. (This is also the marriage that Jeyne Smallwood thinks would be best for Alyssa, and she might actually have some say over it lol)

Wake up, man, your daughter is not your wife!

I actually laughed a little reading this, because it’s so true. Marriage is very much the default, especially for women, and Aegon does recognize that marriage or septahood are the two most stable futures for his daughter, but have we considered? That he doesn’t wanna???

(Alyssa not currently having a dragon solves some problems for Aegon, since adding a dragon to the mix and the risk of marrying it out is…… complicated lol)

I actually think that Jacaerys and Lucerys are really only viable marriage options for Baela and Rhaena, because of the bastardy issue. The show definitely glossed over this, but Jace and Luke basically have to marry Laena’s daughters if they want any hope of long term stability, and Rhaenyra has to do it in order the stabilize the Velaryon alliance that she fucked up. (It’s also telling that Corlys turns traitor after Jace and Luke are both dead, and Joffrey is betrothed to a Manderly, and his new heirs in the Hulls are threatened). Whatever Corlys’ personal feelings, it seems like that Laena and Laenor basically unionized on this matter, because it really was a massive favor to Rhaenyra and Laenor that Laena and Daemon agreed to those betrothals.

On Daeron and Aemond’s marriages, if it weren’t for the Dance, I think likely one or both of them would have ended up as KG/The Faith/The Citadel. Traditionally, the third son is the one that gets sent off like this, but maybe Aemond would be suited to something like the KG, or the NW, where he gets to do state sanctioned violence and not actually have to govern. But they are needed for alliance making in canon, and there are a fair few heiresses during this period. It’s unclear when Jason Lannister’s son was born, but perhaps Daeron and the eldest daughter would have been considered as good match when she was still the heiress? It would shore up that alliance and be seen as rewarding an ally while tying them closer together and setting up a good future for Daeron. And tbf to Ryan (lol), it is weird that it’s not recorded in F&B which sister Aemond picked at Storm’s End. Like, if he had picked Cassandra, why wouldn’t that have been noted considering she was the heiress at the time? Like, if Aemond had half a brain in his head, Cassandra is just the best choice. So maybe he didn’t pick her. I got nothing on this matter, except rip Maris, he didn’t deserve you.

And yeah, I love how blase most of the Targaryens are about dragons, they kinda have to be during this period, when there are so many and the dynasty is really at the height of its power. It’s especially fun writing with this in mind from Aegon’s point of view, who is deeply uninterested in the combat capabilities of his mount, and uses her for daily field trips and lengthy jaunts out and about. And realistically (and as mentioned in canon!) it takes a lot of resources to manage dragons! They are big, big, big and very hungry. You do have to wonder about what it takes to manage all their food and poop and general behavior.

Thanks so much for another wonderful ask!

[thephantomcasebook]

To respond to the last anon, it seemed to me that the overall issue is that they made most of the male characters worse than their book counterparts and the women their best possible versions. They made Alicent an innocent victim with no ambition, took away Rhaenyra’s more bloodthirsty moments. As for the men, already mentioned Aegon (but to be fair, even in the kindest interpretation of him in the book, he was a gross sex pest who sexually assaulted servant girls). Viserys cutting Aemma open and marrying a 15 year old, which never happened in the book. Daemon killing his first wife, choking his third, and ignoring his children didn’t happen in the book. Larys coercing Alicent into doing sexual favors for him (wtf even was that scene). They want to paint a picture that the women are completely under the control of the men in their lives and that they had no agency, power, or ambition of their own. They want to paint men as monsters who have no genuine love or affection for anyone. It’s boring and exhausting. And honestly, I DO think patriarchy and misogyny were explored in the book. The whole source of the conflict is, after all, that Rhaenyra is a woman. If she’d been a man, there wouldn’t have been a war, end of story. BUT they weren’t the ONLY themes explored, and in the book they were explored with nuance rather than “men bad, women good.” So yeah, f**k Sarah Hess and whoever else supported those terrible writing choices lol.

I, generally agree with you on most of the points.

The one things I disagree with you on:

I don't think that Aegon II was a sex pest in "Fire & Blood". It never stated that he raped anyone. The dude just liked to fuck - a lot. Now, maybe you could infer that he raped women, cause the book is told with an unreliable narrator who is forced at headsman's sword point to make the Greens look bad. But, I think that GRRM would inferred or hinted that Aegon liked to rape women if he did.

The book only ever stated that he liked to eat ... and like to eat - if you catch my drift. In fact, I got the distinct impression that the whores down on the Street of Silk actually really liked, maybe even loved, him. The dude just liked to party - really hard ... probably too hard. He had perhaps too much of a good time, so much so that Viserys forced him to marry Helaena to slow his crazy ass down ... which was horrible for both of them.

But then Aegon in the book actually loved his children with Helaena.

I mean, I'll let Blink-182 sing Aegon II's National Anthem.

Also, the one male character that you left out that they butchered in the adaption was Criston Cole.

Criston in the book was a brilliant strategist and the greatest knight of his age (with only Daeron coming in a close second). He was the brains behind the Greens and had Alicent wrapped around his finger. But never actually took advantage of her, and was loyal and devoted to her till the very end, literally dying trying to rescue her. He was a brilliant and resourceful Hand of the King at War to both Aegon II and Aemond. He and Aemond held the realm together during the Dance.

He wasn't some rage filled killer, but a clever and cunning warrior that nearly broke the Blacks.

[mneiai]

Long post about a lot of the things I think will happen in ASOIAF based on Game of Thrones.

I think the entire succession crisis will be between Daenerys and fAegon. Jon was a stand-in for fAegon in the show. Jon will have no interest in the throne and Daenerys will understand that (if they know each other), instead of weirdly believing the dude who willingly took the black will let himself be a pawn in a succession crisis. At most he’ll act as heir to one of them, giving them a bit more stability.

If fAegon gets a dragon it will be Rhaegal as Jon did in the show–a green dragon for the character whose (supposed) claim to the throne comes from being an eldest son vs the character with a black dragon whose claim comes from being a Viserys’ heir for Dance 2.0.

R+L=J is all but confirmed, so obviously Jon’s parentage reveal will happen. The question is whether Jon is legitimate or not. Most people go with ‘no’ because of what very little we know of the events surrounding his birth and the Faith and laws. It’s almost certain he was made legitimate in the show because fAegon is and they wanted the succession conflict to be more like that.

While there’s a lot of foreshadowing that Jon may become a king, that could just be for being KotN, KbtW, or Night’s King. If he is legitimate, I think it will be because Rhaegar took a second wife in Lyanna through some loopholes or prior approval and/or Aerys made a decree about Lyanna’s children being legitimate that someone finds somewhere (we have no idea how much Aerys knew about what was going on but we do know he hated the Dornish, enjoyed Elia's supposed humiliation at Harrenhal, and purposefully skipped over Aegon in the succession, he’s just the sort of dude to find joy in legitimizing his son’s bastard kids).

Jon will come back to life, obviously, and I don’t think he’s going to be as changed as people think he is, any change will probably be because he was stabbed to death by his own men. Like the ptsd from that would have to be incredibly serious. But his mind will be preserved in Ghost, it won’t pass over anywhere, and he’ll only be in him for a few days tops (they’re hardly going to use the murdered LC’s body for wight experiments, so they’ll burn it quickly).

Ghost may or may not be sacrificed for Jon to come back (I hope not! *sob*) and if he is it will work into some Targaryen-related metaphor, probably, with Jon losing the parts of him that were purely Stark. He might be a little more direwolf-y but honestly Ghost is so chill and Jon already has anger issues so whatev.

I think all the prophecies are bullshit (I mean, ASOIAF is basically an AU fanfic of a series where that was the case). I think the only times they’re fulfilled is when people believe then enough to make it so. Cersei controlled how her kids looked and how many she had, for example. And there’s a shitton of younger brothers running around wanting her dead. And even then if she was indirectly killed by a younger brother people could still say the prophecy was fulfilled--if Varys really is Serra’s brother, he could be younger, and his plots against the Baratheons/Lannisters could be like his hands tightening around Cersei’s neck, for example.

Although also I don’t think Arya’s going to stop the White Walkers lolol I think it’s most likely going to be some sort of diplomatic/magical/whatever end to the fight against them and it’s going to be relatively peaceful in contrast to what the fuck happens in the South between purely human foes (Dany and fAegon). I think this fits more into GRRM’s philosophies and what we’ve seen so far.

I think it’s not a stretch to assume Jaime and/or Brienne are going to die before the end of the books. Jaime could indeed somehow die in a fight with Euron, but certainly not the way he did in the show. We know that D&D just killed whoever they felt like off and weren’t necessarily going by anything they heard from GRRM (the original season 8 scripts had Jorah alive basically the whole time, for example, and he had the Jon-ish role of realizing that Dany isn’t that great of a queen after all).

Euron. I mean. Even if the kraken summoning is complete bullshit and there’s no horrific magics he’s utilizing, he’s still not going to be Hot Topic pirate. There’s too many theories about him to really decide which one will be true, though lol Given he’s one of the truest villains in the books, I doubt he’s going to try to win over Cersei to be her actual husband.

Will Dany “go mad”? …I think it’s a possibility. We’ve had some hints she’s an unreliable narrator and obviously she’s under a ton of stress and is much younger than in the show. If it does happen, I think we’ll start getting more concrete hints during TWOW, it won’t just suddenly be like ¾ of the way through ASOS and she just flips out. Getting to Westeros after so much and finding fAegon sitting on her throne will definitely not help, especially if all he wants her for is a broodmare for Targ babies. Maybe even worse if he’s married to Arianne and all she is is a threat to his own claim.

The other option, of course, is that it’s fAegon that goes made. We know he’s easily influenced (Tyrion) and somewhat sensitive to a lot of things. I personally don’t think we’ll ever find out if he’s actually Rhaegar and Elia’s Aegon or not, but if he did find out he was actually a Blackfyre or the son of a Lysene prostitute or something like that, that his entire life and the sacrifice of normality he made, etc., was a lie...that could do it. It could also be a nice commentary on how connecting ‘madness’ purely to the Targaryens is bullshit (the same way Cersei is, you could say).

Stannis isn’t dead but he will die in the North. That might even be what brings Jon back to life, if Mel is sacrificing for Stannis’ return and instead it’s Jon (we could argue he’s more favored by the gods, or has way more king’s blood, or who knows what lol) (though also it’s possible she does all those sacrifices not knowing he’s really alive because she can be kind of a fuck-up sometimes).

Bloodraven, or whatever is currently acting as Bloodraven, will most likely possess Bran. If Bran becomes King it will be because it’s actually Bloodraven riding his body. After so many years as Hand, he’ll finally actually be King lol

But since this is based somewhat off the War of the Roses, I think most if not all of the major Houses will either be destroyed or weakened to the point they can’t be anymore and power will be consolidated under one main ruler.

Most likely if we do see the Small Council at the end, it will be made up of characters that didn’t exist in the show and that’s why we got all the half-assed show ones, like Sam as Grand Maester and Bronn as Master of Coin (I still can’t get over the Master of War position being empty but them making Bronn Coin instead). For example, it might be Marwyn as Grand Maester. Honestly, and everyone knows I’m obsessed with this, but if Jon is free of the Wall and around I’d make him Master of Coin lol

An independent North sounds absolutely ridiculous, especially in the books where GRRM pays attention to things like low food stores and the destruction of glass houses. However, it becomes slightly more foreseeable in a universe where the North, the free folk, and the white walkers have made some sort of pact.

[vecna]

If you don’t mind me asking/explaining to me, what are the prophecy reason’s for rhaegar leaving Elia in favor of lyanna? Do the books imply that rhaegar doesn’t really love lyanna?

I don’t mind at all! I apologize this got a bit lengthy, haha. He’s a favorite character, and I’ve written / RPed A LOT about him over the years, so I have a lot of Thoughts.

Tldr: Rhaegar genuinely believed he needed three children to fulfill the prophecy, but Elia was only able to have two due to her health. Then he met Lyanna, and with her, they suited the “ice and fire” part of the prophecy – and she’d be able to give him the third child. I genuinely believe he loved Lyanna, I really do – but the whole situation is complicated, and him loving her doesn’t mean he didn’t fuck up due to his obsession with this prophecy.

So, there’s the prophecy in the books about The Prince Who Was Promised – supposedly a savior who would deliver the world from darkness, “born amidst salt and smoke”, under a bleeding star. And that his song would be “the song of ice and fire” – title drop.

Rhaegar stumbled onto this prophecy when he was a child, and was initially convinced that it was about him, as he was born on the same day as a great fire. When he got older, however, he came to believe it was his son. Aegon (the real Aegon lol) was born on the same day a comet was seen in the sky.

But Rhaegar was also very close friends with his relative, Maester Aemon, the one who joined the Night’s Watch. All through Rhaegar’s life, the two spoke at length about the prophecy. Aemon believed that “the dragon must have three heads” – like the Targaryen house sigil – and Rhaegar repeated something similar in a vision Dany had.

The original Targaryens to conquer Westeros were a trio of siblings – Aegon, Rhaenys and Visenya. Rhaegar seemed intent on mirroring these three, believing it to be a required part of fulfilling this prophecy. With Elia, he had Rhaenys, and then Aegon. He still needed a Visenya.

The problem is Elia was a woman of delicate health. She was bedridden after having Rhaenys – and after having Aegon, she was told that giving birth to a third child would kill her.

It was shortly after this when Rhaegar ran off with Lyanna. 

I could write a full essay about that whole situation, but I’m not sure I could do it without bias lol. But looking at just the facts: Rhaegar had just been told his wife could bear no more children, putting a halt to his plan to fulfill this prophecy. A prophecy he felt he HAD to fulfill to save the world. Around the same time, he met Lyanna Stark at a tourney. Lyanna would have been a game-changer for his prophecy theory, because she (a Stark from the North) would have been the “ice” to his southern Targaryen “fire”. Thus, I think he genuinely believed he was meant to meet her, and she was the key to the final part of fulfilling this prophecy.

Now, did he love her? To make a long story short, I really think he did.

But that’s a very controversial opinion, and it’s difficult to point to book evidence. Everything we learn about Rhaegar in the books is from unreliable narrators, and there’s very little nuance. People who fought against the Targaryens all (mostly) claim he didn’t love Lyanna, painting him as a marauding kidnapper and rapist. (Except for Ned, who had the MOST reason to shittalk him, and yet never said anything bad about him.) And people that knew him personally all seem to think that he did love her, but also tend to talk about him as a flowery honorable man who did no wrong. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

The thing many characters – and most of the fandom – miss is this:

Him believing she was the key to the prophecy he was obsessed with, and him loving her, aren’t mutually exclusive. 

I think he genuinely loved her, and I think she genuinely loved him as well, and I think overall Rhaegar really had the best of intentions in the whole situation. I also don’t think he intended to hurt Elia, as he was said to be fond of her. 

But intentions and consequences are different things. And I think Rhaegar really believed that the prophecy trumped any consequences, because it HAD to be fulfilled so the world would be saved – and everything would work out fine after that, and his “the ends justify the means” methods would prove to be right, and everyone would understand and absolve him of wrongdoing. They’re both true at the same time! He loved her, but he also fucked up big time.

But this is also why the annulment plot in the TV series is stupid as fuck. Regardless how you think he felt about Elia – he wouldn’t discard her and his two previous children, because he believed he needed them too. They were vital to his prohecy. (Also, you know, it’s said several times in the books that he loved his daughter, so there’s that too.)

This is a lot of words, yikes. But I hope it answered your question lolol.

[elliemuze]

^^^Like, no matter which way you lean or whose side you support, this should chafe you. Ryan Condal (correct me if that's the wrong person), literally admitted to Variety that it was for shock value. Not in those exact words, but rather parsed just slightly different to arrive at the same destination. I don't have the quote on hand, but I'll add it if I find it.

Shock value is one of the most talentless tools in the industry. Shock value and subverting expectations is what got us the steaming pile of horseshit that was season 8 of GoT. (And most of present-day television in general, tbh.) Hell, turning Daemon into a mute, teleporting assassin just so he could kill-maybe-kill-I-dunno-the-whole-scene-was-contemptibly-incoherent his first wife was all for shock value, even if Ryan didn't own up to it and used the stupidest reasoning possible to try and justify his decision to rewrite canon.

Anyone ready to pipe up about "unreliable narrators" can cram it, for real. In the book, Daemon quite literally and physically couldn't have killed her and it WAS actually just a freak accident (to which she survived for like 9 days before feeling better and getting out of bed, just to die of a blood clot or subdural hematoma). And given that she was coherent and moving around, don't you think she also would've mentioned: "hey, BTW, my estranged husband tried to assassinate me"?! Ryan changed the entire timeline of events so Daemon wasn't at the Stepstones in the show like he was in the book. I really don't buy his bs line about "cracking the code" and patting himself on the back cuz "oh, obviously Daemon went and killed his wife hurp durp." Because no one is that goddamn brainless. As if he hadn't already altered the timeline so it could happen in the first place. (Not to mention, who in their right mind doesn't know that a horse is fully capable of crushing a human skull? They also spook at the sight of a plastic bag, ffs.)

Anyways... at this point, I'm so apathetic towards shit writing and the unforgivable phenomenon of hack writers trying to one-up each other with the wildest, most nonsensical shit they can think of. At least these messy Targs are pretty and their dragons cool af. Might just throw in the soundtrack and start watching on mute, come season 2 lol.

TLDR: Bitches be up to no good in these shows, each more a Judas than the last, and that's perfectly okiedokie with me. Just please, for the love of fuck, keep them consistent and write with a modicum of actual integrity. (And stop deleting important, character-driven scenes in favor of Aegon jacking off out a window! Christ!)

I’m so tired of seeing people being like “y’all just think it’s bad writing bc you romanticized daemon and misunderstood his character” like NO I DIDNT. i fully knew he was an awful, violent person who has done a ton of bad things but the violence against the woman he loves out of nowhere was purely for shock value. no way around it. it’s an age old plot device that is disgusting and not necessary at all especially if it’s never going to be addressed again which definitely seems like the case

[bidonica]

ASoIaF survey

stealing this from @housecreepy because I, like them, have been kind of out of the loop with ASoIaF fandom compared to how it used to be

Favourites;;

FAVOURITE MAJOR HOUSE:   Lannistark? FAVOURITE MINOR HOUSE:   not sure I have one, my house preferences are really mild tbh LEAST FAVOURITE MAJOR HOUSE: Tyrell? LEAST FAVOURITE MINOR HOUSE: I’ll pass THREE THEORIES YOU BELIEVE IN & ENJOY:  Penny is Tyrion’s daughter, Jaime is the Valonqar, aaand Theon is an unreliable narrator in ADwD because he is dissociating and having blackouts THREE THEORIES YOU BELIEVE IN & HATE: can’t think of one, if I can see a theory as plausible I generally embrace it even if it’s not the most pleasing outcome for me. FAVOURITE BOOK:   ASoS probably, though I could make a case for AFFC and ADWD conjoined FAVOURITE PREQUEL BOOK:  I only ever read the Hedge Knight graphic novel THREE FAVOURITE FEMALE CHARACTERS:   Brienne, Sansa, Cersei THREE FAVOURITE MALE CHARACTERS: Jaime, Varys, motherfucking Bronn probably. My most problematic-est fave THREE LEAST FAVOURITE CHARACTERS: I hope Randyll Tarly dies in a fire :)))) THREE MOST UNDERRATED FEMALE CHARACTERS: all those that in spite of creating centuries long family trees and describing every single course in a feast GRRM failed to find a name for :))))) THREE MOST UNDERRATED MALE CHARACTERS:  Samwell Tarly, Podrick Payne, Satin THREE FAVOURITE SHIPS:    Jaime/Brienne rules, I also like Jaime/Cersei and Ned/Catelyn but in a much milder way THREE LEAST FAVOURITE SHIPS:  the thought of Jon/Dany bores me to death but tbh that’s the ship casuals go for? I don’t think hardcore fans give it much attention. Idk I’ve gotten good at just ignoring ships that don’t do it for me. THREE OVERRATED SHIPS: Every ship is overrated when you glorify it so much you feel the need to put down others. Go walk children in nature, I don’t need that kind of negativity THREE UNDERRATED SHIPS: I wish more people saw the beauty of my favorite crackship, that would be Catelyn/Bronn :’(

Choose;;

House Greyjoy or House Tyrell House Arryn or House Tully House Targaryen or House Martell House Lannister or House Baratheon House Bolton or House Stark Queen Daenerys or King Stannis King Tommen or King Aegon Queen Cersei or King Euron oh god some people just want to see the world burn (I prefer Cersei as a character but as monarchs I’m like LOL NOPE to either) Sand Snakes or Tyrell cousins I’m equally uninterested in them I’m sorry D: Bran or Sweetrobin Theon or Jon Quentyn or Robb Loras or Jaime Joffrey or Ramsay (the reasoning here being who’s the most effective/scary villain) Arianne or Daenerys Princess Val or Princess Elia Jeyne Westerling or Margaery Asha or Ygritte Robb or Renly   Roose or Ned Sansa or Myrcella Arya or Lyanna   Roslin or Jeyne Poole Rhaegar or Willas Oberyn or Victarion Drogo or Daario Westeros or Essos Naath or Summer Islands Rhoynar or Valyrian Ghiscari or Dothraki Free Folk or Andal First Men or Ironborn Free Cities or Far East Poison or Violence Dragons or Direwolves Sorcery or Religion   Northern Law or Southron Law (honestly I don’t remember much of the substantial differences so like... I have a feeling they outbalance themselves at being awful) The Night’s Watch or The Kingsguard or The Citadel Winterfell or Highgarden (I love my Starks but come the fuck on... the weather alone) Pyke or Casterly Rock Riverrun or Storm’s End Oldtown or White Harbour Sunspear or King’s Landing   Dragonstone or The Watergardens