#Jon Connington and his children

[forestcat222]

all Targaryens survive incorrect quotes.

btw in this au Jon's name is Aemon not Aegon.

Viserys: Why isn’t the statue smirking at me? Rhaenys: It isn’t smirking at anyone, they’re all just imagining it. Viserys: Three of us saw it, Rhaenys. How do you explain that? Rhaenys: *points at Aegon* Sleep deprivation. *points at Aemon* Paranoia. *points at Daenerys* Delusional personality disorder.

Viserys: Where's Rhaenys, Aegon, and Aemon? Daenerys: They're playing hide and seek. Viserys: Where? Daenerys: I don't think you get how this game works.

Viserys: What did you guys get in your yearbook? Rhaenys: 'Prettiest Smile' Aegon: 'Nicest Personality' Aemon: 'Most likely to start a bar fight' Daenerys: 'Least likely to start a bar fight, but most likely to win one'

Viserys: Good responses for being stabbed with a knife? Rhaenys: Rude. Aegon: That’s fair. Aemon: Not again. Daenerys: Are you going to want this back?

Viserys: What’s something you guys are better than Rhaenys at? Aegon: Mario Kart. Aemon: Yeah, video games. Daenerys: Emotional vulnerability.

Viserys: Good morning. Rhaenys: Good morning. Aegon: Good morning. Aemon: You all sound like robots, try spicing it up a bit. Daenerys: MORNING MOTHERFUCKERS

Viserys: What does 'take out' mean? Rhaenys: Food. Aegon: Dating Aemon: Murder Daenerys: IT CAN MEAN ALL THREE IF YOU'RE NOT A COWARD.

Viserys: Imagine if someone handed you a box full of all the items you have lost throughout your life Rhaenys: Self-esteem, haven't seen you in years! Aegon: Oh wow, my childhood innocence! Thank you for finding this! Aemon: I knew I lost that potential somewhere! Daenerys: My moral code, is that you? Viserys: Viserys: I was just gonna show you this cool trunk my mother left me but do you guys need a hug?

Viserys: We need more help. Maybe I should call my friends. Rhaenys: ... Your what? Viserys: My friends. Aegon: Are they saying “friends”? Aemon: I think they're being sarcastic. Daenerys: No, no, no, this is delirium, they've cracked from being awake all night. Hey, Viserys! All of your friends are in this room. Viserys: I have other friends! You asked me to make new friends, I made new friends! It was a task. I complete tasks.

Viserys: Bridge the generation gap by combining old and new slang into one! Rhaenys: Tubular AF! Aegon: Mood to the max! Aemon, annoyed: Groovy, I hate it. Daenerys, just as annoyed: If she breathes, she’s a square.

Viserys: You're a loose cannon, Rhaenys. Rhaenys: No, I'm not. I'm a cannon maybe, but a loose cannon? Is that what you think of me? Aegon: I think you play by your own rules. Aemon: No way, they think rules were made to be broken. Viserys: Those are all attributes of a loose cannon. Rhaenys: No, I'm just a reckless renegade. Daenerys is a loose cannon. Daenerys: *smashes a chair*

Viserys: Favorite horror movie? Rhaenys: It Aegon: Saw Aemon: Annabelle Daenerys: High School Musical. after watching it I spent all my middle school years terrified that the entire school would start singing something and I’d be the only one who didn’t know the lyrics

Viserys: Nothing in life is free. Rhaenys: Love is free! Aegon: Adventure is free. Aemon: Knowledge is free. Daenerys: Everything is free if you take it without paying.

Viserys: You really put aside everything and came all this way for me? How did you even get here so fast? Rhaenys: Several traffic violations. Aegon: Three counts of resisting arrest. Aemon: Roughly thirteen cans of energy drinks. Daenerys: Also, that’s not our car.

Viserys: If there's going to be a big dramatic scene, wait until I get back. Rhaenys: Of course. I can't flip this table by myself.

Viserys: You know, not every problem can be solved with a sword. Rhaenys: That's why I carry two swords.

Viserys: Is letting someone win at chess sapiosexual bottoming Rhaenys: Does anyone in this godforsaken group ever think before they speak

Daenerys: Here’s a fun Christmas idea. We hang mistletoe, but instead of kissing, you have to FIGHT whoever else is under it. Aemon: Daenerys no. Aegon: Mistlefoe. Aemon: Please stop encouraging them.

Daenerys: Sometimes I drink milk straight out of the container. Aemon: The cow??? Daenerys: What? Aegon: Aemon, W H Y?

Daenerys: Hey Aemon, Aemon: Yes? Daenerys: Can a person breathe inside a washing machine while it’s on? Aemon: Aemon: Where’s Aegon?

Jon Connington: While I’m gone, Aemon, you’re in charge. Aemon: Yes!!! Jon Connington, whispering: Aegon, you’re secretly in charge. Aegon: Obviously.

Jon Connington: You know those things will kill you, right? Rhaenys, pouring another glass of whiskey: That’s the point. Aegon, smoking a cigarette: We’re trying to speed up the process. Aemon: *Nods while eating raw cookie dough*

Aegon: Hah! 69! You know what that means? Rhaenys: What? Jon Connington: That you're a child. Aemon: HOW'D YOU GUESS MY IQ!?

Aemon: Is stabbing someone immoral? Rhaenys: Not if they consent to it. Aegon: Depends who you’re stabbing. Jon Connington: YES?!?

Jon Connington: Listen, I can explain... Rhaenys: You’re making $500,000 and you’re only gonna pay me $30,000? Aegon: You’re getting 30 grand? I’m getting $1,000! Aemon: You guys are getting paid?

Jon Connington: You are now one day closer to eating your next plate of nachos. Rhaenys: That's the most hopeful thing I've ever heard. Aegon: But what if I die tomorrow and never eat any nachos? Aemon: Then tomorrow is nacho lucky day.

[syndrossi]

Oh my god, the au where Daemon and the boys end up in Winterfell has hilarious potential.Ned is frantically looking for a way to hide 2 kids and 2 dragons, Cat is first furious because of suspicions of repeated treason and then terrified because it looks like they're about to commit treason.Robb, Jon, Bran and Theon are dying to find out what these strange children they met on the way back from the execution are.Robert if he finds out about the boy who looks like Rhaegar will be furious, Cersei is absolutely thrilled (she's willing to wait). Daemon who was "thrown" further away from Winterfell goes after his children, which horrifies half the North.I'm especially curious how Viserys and Dany will react to the new Targaryens. Jon Connington better not be told about Rhaegar, he'll have a heart attack.

Any time you throw a bunch of Targaryens and dragons into a world that has zero-to-few of either, it's gonna be a mess. And holy shit, Cersei being "willing to wait" is so horrific but also so in character. 😱 (OTOH, Daemon is also a very handsome man and not dissimilar to Rhaegar, and he's about to be seizing power. In the brief window before Daemon learns about the Lannister treachery and how it killed OG!Rhaegar's children, she might have some ambitions there.)

I hadn't thought about them encountering Jon and Rhaegar on the way back from the execution. That's probably too early, since that's when they get the dire wolves, which is roughly two months before Robert arrives. Daemon would surely have found the twins by then and/or wreaked enough havoc with Caraxes in search of them to change the course of Robert feeling safe enough to travel North. But perhaps Daemon is displaced slightly in time as well? That gives Jon and Rhaegar time to settle in, grief-stricken at losing Daemon and the world they'd grown to regard as their own, and vulnerable with their young dragons. Oh, but the heartache of Jon seeing the other Jon with baby!Ghost and feeling the loss of his own Ghost.

Viserys's instability is pretty set at this point, so I suspect he doesn't survive long once he and Dany join Daemon's growing gaggle of Targaryens. (He might even make an attempt on one of the boys to steal one of their dragons.). Since Dany is pregnant and with Drogo at this point, it might be more of a struggle to extract them unless we handwave the book timeline a bit to have Dany's marriage happen not when she's thirteen ffs.

I do think that bb!Rhaegar will be regarded as Daemon's son and not the original Rhaegar because no timeline makes sense there; he can't be Rhaegar's dead son Aegon because the ages don't match up and obviously he's not Rhaegar himself. Even DAEMON being around makes no sense, but people are slightly more willing to accept that he's himself, given Caraxes and Dark Sister. And sure, okay, he has two other sons that history doesn't know about by his first wife. But anyone who knew Rhaegar before and sees him is gonna be making those comparisons, in the same way that Resonant!Jon and Ned's Jon are gonna be compared. Eerily similar, but also noticeably different in ways where their relation to Daemon is clear.

Politically, I think it's a terrible decision for Ned to shelter the boys and their dragons, but given how alike this Jon looks to his own, and Jon himself saying things that only his Jon would know to convince him to protect them--he's going to be torn.

[millennial-crone-ao3]

🚿💭, because fuck prophecy.

AU where Rhaegar slew Robert at the Trident but Kingslanding was still conquered by the Lannisters, with Tywin Lannister claiming the throne for himself.

Queen Elia and the little Princess were killed, Aegon was swapped and brought to Essos.

Ned went to the tower of Joy to retrieve his sister, but has to conspire with Ser Arthur Dayne to get her newborn son to safety after she dies in childbed, as the boy is thought to be the crown prince now.

Rhaegar, now twice widowed, meets again with his siblings Daenerys and Viserys in Essos, eventually being joined by Jon Connington and Prince Aegon.

Ser Arthur Dayne takes his sister and Jahaerys, to Essos to reunite him with his father.

Ashara, who lost Brandon's child, nurses J(on)ahaerys and comforts Rhaegar, eventually becoming his mistress and then his wife. They have a son called Baelor.

Jaime Lannister is relieved of his duties as a Kingsguard by his father and becomes the crown prince and Cersei has been married to Willas Tyrell.

A marriage is arranged between House Stark and House Targaryen in secret to join their forces. Sansa is to meet her groom in Essos.

When Robb Stark marries Margaery Tyrell and Cersei Lannister is accused of incest and foisting Jaime's children on Willas, an opportunity reveals itself for the Targaryen King in exile to regain his throne.

Did you see that before? Would you read it?

[atopvisenyashill]

do you think grrm cares about elia? honestly the only reason i want young griff to be aegon is bc he's her babyboy :(

i think he genuinely cares about all his characters to be honest! and some of what we have gotten of elia speaks to a sympathy for what she went through. for example, when the artist Paolo Puggioni was depicting Rhaegar crowning Lyanna, these were the notes George gave him-

Jon Arryn and Robert and Lord Hunter joking a moment before what was happening dawned on them, Ned watching as Rhaegar was about to stop in front of his sister, mad Aerys glowering in the distance, Elia stiff-backed and trying to act as if nothing was wrong, Jon Connington probably looking vaguely sad, and so on.

Not only that, but we get a pointed non Dornish pov on how tacky Tywin is about the whole thing-

"Prince Doran comes at my son's invitation," Lord Tywin said calmly, "not only to join in our celebration, but to claim his seat on this council, and the justice Robert denied him for the murder of his sister Elia and her children." Tyrion watched the faces of the Lords Tyrell, Redwyne, and Rowan, wondering if any of the three would be bold enough to say, "But Lord Tywin, wasn't it you who presented the bodies to Robert, all wrapped up in Lannister cloaks?" None of them did, but it was there on their faces all the same. Redwyne does not give a fig, he thought, but Rowan looks fit to gag.

And of course, the entire Dornish plot enters the scene because of Elia's murder. One of the defining scenes of the series is Oberyn's fight with the Mountain after all and Oberyn is careful to make sure everyone knows exactly why he's so angry-

The Dornishman flung away his ruined shield, grasped the spear in both hands, and sauntered away. Behind him the Mountain let out a groan, and pushed himself onto an elbow. Oberyn whirled cat-quick, and ran at his fallen foe. "EEEEELLLLLLIIIIIAAAAA!" he screamed, as he drove the spear down with the whole weight of his body behind it. The crack of the ashwood shaft snapping was almost as sweet a sound as Cersei's wail of fury, and for an instant Prince Oberyn had wings. The snake has vaulted over the Mountain. Four feet of broken spear jutted from Clegane's belly as Prince Oberyn rolled, rose, and dusted himself off. He tossed aside the splintered spear and claimed his foe's greatsword. "If you die before you say her name, ser, I will hunt you through all seven hells," he promised.

I definitely understand some of the doomerism surrounding Elia. Especially post show, where the Dornish plot is just completely and totally botched, and loses it's center - but the thing is the center is Elia. That's why the Dornish plot made sense; she is important to their narrative and cutting this down means it was a story without a heart. I don't think George gave Oberyn his Inigo Montoya moment just for funsies; he did it because he's writ a story that revolves around a family's hunt for justice for her murder and what that hunt means, what justice even means in this situation-

But the Red Viper of Dorne was back on his feet, his long spear in hand. "Elia," he called at Ser Gregor. "You raped her. You murdered her. You killed her children. Now say her name."

And while I love to bash the show, I do think they did a good job adapting this scene. I can't find the gifset that talked about it of course but during the fight, he very explicitly turns his back on the Mountain to look right at Tywin. He knows damn well who gave the order, everyone knows, and he lays the blame right at Tywin's feet where it belongs.

Not only that, but Ned thinks about Elia quite frequently. Ned nearly pulled out of the war specifically because of what happened to Elia and her children, and feels justified in keeping Jon a secret because of it.

Ned rose and paced the length of the room. "If the queen had a role in this or, gods forbid, the king himself … no, I will not believe that." Yet even as he said the words, he remembered that chill morning on the barrowlands, and Robert's talk of sending hired knives after the Targaryen princess. He remembered Rhaegar's infant son, the red ruin of his skull, and the way the king had turned away, as he had turned away in Darry's audience hall not so long ago. He could still hear Sansa pleading, as Lyanna had pleaded once.

Elia is what drives Oberyn, Doran, and Arianne. Elia is a driving force in the themes of justice and vengeance throughout the story. I'm not saying she's George's favorite or anything (he has gone on record being like "my favorite child is tyrion" after all, lmao) but I do think he is invested in continuing to explore the way her murder affected Dorne and the repercussions of Robert forgiving Tywin and Gregor for their crime.

[goodqueenaly]

Hello! What do you think Ned would do if Jon came out with the Targaryen look? Will he just pretend it's Ashara's (even if she doesn't have the silver hair) since the Daynes have a Valyrian look?

I think the answer would depend to some extent on how much of the typically Targaryen/Valyrian look Jon inherited. It’s not unknown, after all, for children of Targaryens, even those Targaryens with typically Valyrian features, to inherit only some of those features, or none at all. Compare, for example, Rhaenyra’s “Velaryon” sons, who despite their mother’s silver-gold hair and purple eyes (and the similar features of their ostensible father, Laenor) had brown hair and eyes, presumably inherited from their (almost certainly) biological father; or Princess Rhaenys, the daughter of Prince Aemon, who had her father’s lilac eyes but the typical black hair of her Baratheon maternal ancestors; or Aegor Rivers, who similarly followed his Targaryen father only in eye color, while inheriting his Bracken mother’s dark hair. So in a scenario where Jon had, say, only Rhaegar’s purple eyes, or only the aquiline nose or other stereotypically “aristocratic” features which occasionally mark Valyrian descendants, it’s possible that no onlookers would have really noticed any similarities between Jon and his unspoken Targaryen forebears. Purple eyes, especially depending on their shade, might be read as either gray or black, especially (for the latter) if Jon had the typically brown hair of the Starks; indeed, we need only to look to Jon Connington for an example, albeit in the reverse, of someone desperate enough to see a familial resemblance in a purported son to ignore the chromatic distinction between the son’s eyes and his ostensible father’s. Likewise, any Targaryen-style facial features might simply have been taken as evidence that Jon had inherited the typical long Stark face, augmented by whatever aristocratic ancestry his seemingly unknown mother may have had.

However, Jon having the full panoply of Targaryen physical traits might have been more difficult to disguise or treat as a dynastically unremarkable inheritance of Lord Eddard. To be sure, it is remotely possible that onlookers might have still assumed that Ashara could have been Jon’s mother, given that Daynes sometimes have what I might call pseudo-Valyrian features and that Westerosi familial physical features can sometimes skip generations (see, for example, Valarr Targaryen, whose streak of silver-gold in his brown hair seems to have come from his Targaryen paternal grandfather and antecedents, rather than his Martell-looking father, Prince Baelor). That of course would have been quite a tenuous assumption - to conclude that the dark-haired Ashara would have had a silver-haired child with the dark-haired Ned, simply because some Daynes have such hair - and that’s without questioning whether Ned would have wanted to encourage speculation on Ashara’s connection to Jon, where he clearly did not IOTL. I suppose it’s remotely possible someone might have guessed that Jon’s mother was, I don’t know, a random sex worker from Lys (or anywhere else in Essos where Valyrian features still exist in the general populace), but I think it would have been even more unlikely for onlookers to automatically conclude that Jon’s mother was a random Lysene sex worker that Ned simply happened to meet in Westeros, and have a relationship with, during Robert’s Rebellion.

Ultimately, I think in any scenario for baby Jon, Ned would only have had two real options: raise Jon himself, or have Howland raise Jon. Ned’s obvious devotion to Lyanna, and the unspoken promise he had given his sister, may mean that Ned was always going to bring up Jon as his own son, in his own castle (where, of course, Ned could maintain the highest level of personal control over access to, and consequently speculation on, Jon himself). In that case, if Jon had resembled his biological father Rhaegar in looks, Ned may simply have relied on the prevalent social courtesy among Westerosi aristocrats not to pry into the origins of a man’s bastard child or children. If Ned simply asserted forcefully that Jon was his extramarital son, and gave no further information or allowed further musing on the subject, perhaps he would have trusted that most onlookers would have simply taken him at his word, no matter what Jon actually looked like.

Alternately, given the extreme secrecy Ned maintained about Jon’s origins, and the very small group of people who knew the truth about those origins, only Howland, the sole other survivor of the fight at the tower of joy (and the person, outside of the Starks, who may have been personally personally closest to Lyanna), might have been trusted to take on the responsibility of raising Jon without revealing the bombshell of his parentage. In that case, if Jon had already displayed the Targaryen physical features of his biological father, perhaps Ned would have appreciated the isolation of Greywater Watch as a means of hiding Jon from the wider Westerosi world. In the Neck, having little contact with other northerners (much less the rest of Westeros), with no ravens or maester to transmit news, a Valyrian-looking supposed bastard of Ned Stark (or, indeed, supposed bastard of Howland Reed, or the child of virtually anyone else) may have gone more or less unnoticed. (No one, incidentally, better bring the “Jyana Reed is actually Ashara Dayne” nonsense into my house or I’m blocking you.)

Ultimately, I think Ned clearly had an easier time IOTL of raising Jon as (ostensibly) his bastard son because Jon shared those Stark features with Ned (and, of course, Lyanna). No one looking at Jon or hearing about him needed to wonder whether Ned had actually fathered Jon himself, since it so obviously appeared that Jon took after his “father” in looks. By choosing to have Jon look like a Stark, and not a Targaryen, the author shrouded Jon’s biological origins in mystery while also providing one in-universe reason (among others) as to why no one would actually assume Jon was the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna (not to mention, of course, the narrative and thematic impact of that choice on Jon and other characters).

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

re: being unable to predict twow and maybe being upset it doesn't do what fandom wants it to, were there any things in adwd you remember being surprised by and that went against common fandom interpretation at the time? :3

I'm not quite sure what was common fandom interpretation at the time, since after I finished AFFC in 2005 I tried the westeros.org forums and was extremely repelled by them and their hate for my favorite characters - and indeed, most female characters - and avoided them thereafter. (And somehow I never thought to check the Livejournal communities at the time, alas, which would've been more up my alley.) I did devour worg's Citadel (their pre-wiki, including the So Spake Martin archive) and fanart collection though lol.

But of course I was still surprised by things in ADWD. Like, I had no expectation whatsoever that Bloodraven was still alive, let alone that he was the three-eyed crow. Or heck, that the children of the forest definitely exist and appear on page as actual characters! I did not expect a Varamyr prologue POV in the slightest, or his warg/skinchanger lore reveals. And I did not expect the Aegon reveal at all, though checking the SSMs afterwards (as well as this ancient pre-AFFC FAQ) showed me that some people had been wondering from day 1 if he had survived. And for that matter, Jon Connington's survival was surprising (at least my memory is very good, so the griffin thing and Tyrion's suspicions of him being a Westeros lord had me leaping back to Jaime's conversation with Ronnet), as well as Jon's POV (including his sexual orientation) and the greyscale thing. Oh man, the whole stone men scene was all new fascinating worldbuilding.

As for existing POVs and known plots, I certainly never expected Theon's state as Reek (tortured, yes, but not reduced to that, though I probably should have), or that he would be a POV again, or that I would find his narrative so heartwrenching or that he would become a favorite character. (From reading a bunch of pre-ADWD fanfics, I don't think the fandom expected Ramsay to be so abusive of Jeyne either, but for that I have no idea why.) I was surprised by Cersei's walk of shame, though I probably should have expected some sort of religion-based sexual humiliation. (Actually, I don't think most people expected the returning AFFC POVs because of the book split, though I'm glad GRRM chose to update us on some of its cliffhangers - like, at least Brienne is no longer hanging from a tree!) I did not expect Tyrion's POV and mental state to be so dark, but again, I probably should have. I also didn't expect him to link up with Jorah (I don't recall what I imagined Jorah to do in his exile but not that - maybe lurk around the fringes of Meereen?) or the slavery plot at all.

I think the fandom in general expected more... plot-advancement, I guess, more battles involving KL again, more movement of Dany towards Westeros, though they always have, lol. (There are ACOK-era theories that she'd come to Westeros right away, marry Robb and destroy the Lannisters together, etc.) I'm sure some expected Stannis conquering Winterfell and getting the Boltons out, though at least there they were mostly right, as the battle of ice (as well as the battle of fire) got cut from ADWD last minute. As for plot advancement expectations from me, I personally hoped that Marwyn would reach Dany in ADWD, though considering he leaves at the end of the last chapter of AFFC and the distances involved, I really should have known better. But I did expect to hear at least a little about Rickon, and Davos learning he's on Skagos (and getting sent to retrieve him) was a pleasant semi-resolution there.

Anyway, hope that helps! If/when we get TWOW, despite the fandom doing like 15 years of speculation and theories (not to mention the show), I'm sure there will be plenty of surprises, both positive ones and disappointments, as well as completely unexpected things.

[msandss]

My toxic trait is not being able to choose a side on the Song of Ice and Fire books.

I can’t help it, I just love almost everyone of them. Like, of course I’m rooting for Dany to take her dragons to Westeros and take “her throne” but I’m also loving Jon Connington and Young Griff’s audacity to go and take it, even if Young Griff is or is not Aegon Targaryen (which doesn’t really matter if you ask me).

At the same time, Stannis is the true heir and I don’t think anyone can deny it. And he might not be very charismatic (even to the reader) but I love Melissandre and ser Davos. Besides, he’s trying to kill the Boltons which gives him plenty of extra points.

And then we have the Starks, my children. I kind of don’t care if they get the North to be independent but I need Sansa, Rickon and Arya to reunite (and Jon and Bran but I’m not sure how that is going to play). I just want Sansa to go home and make snow castles and be happy and Arya��� I’m not sure if I want her to complete her list or being able to let the past go.

I freaking love Cersei’s craziness as well. Like, I don’t want her to win and get the throne but her chapters are so good and her voice is so well constructed that I find myself rooting for her every time I’m reading her. And I have a soft spot for the pretty caring Tyrell manipulators.

I don’t know. Maybe it is because I’ve just finished A Dance with Dragons but I think I will be happy with almost anyone being king/queen as long is as well written as George RR Martin has done in the past.

Except Jon, I don’t want Jon to be king. And I love Jon but I think reducing him to being heir just because he’s Rhaegar’s son (that we are not sure yet) is disrespectful to his character. He deserves a lot more than that. He’s not the common hero of any story. Jon has earned a better ending to his story than having everything he’s done forgotten and becoming Rhaegar’s son and I will die on that hill.

[chemtrailsoverthesun]

A thread of parallels between Elia Martell and Padme Amidala:

1. Both were kind.

“You are wise, decreeing, kind hearted these are qualities that came from your mother.” Obi-wan tells Leia.

“Elia even made the noise that young girls make at the sight of infants… I believe she wanted to nurse you herself, ugly as you were.” Oberyn to Tyrion.

Art by: LyaStark

2. Both were married to men younger than them. Elia with Rhaegar and Padme with Anakin.

3. Both of their husbands were involved with a prophecy. Anakin was the Chosen One while Rhaegar (for a time) believed himself to be the Prince That Was Promised.

4. Elia and Padme both had two children. A girl and a boy.

art by: amaati & sithness

5. Their husbands never got to have a full relationship with their children because of their actions.

6. Both Elia’s and Padme’s marriage only lasted three years.

art by: Denis Maznev

7. Loved ones of the princess’ want vengeance for their deaths. Elia’s brothers have been plotting against the Lannisters for what was done to their sister. Sabe, a former handmaiden to Padme, had sworn to kill Darth Vader, believing he was the cause of the princess’ death.

8. Their sons grew up away from their mothers respective homes and were raised by someone familiar to their fathers. Luke was raised by his uncle Owen in Tatooine and Aegon was raised by his fathers friend, Jon Connington, in Essos.

9. Years after their deaths, Elia and Padme are still remembered about fondly.

*just a fun little thread of parallels I found between these some of my favorite characters. also ran out of space to put pictures 😾

[martellspear]

We don't know the entire story yet, so it's impossible to make a judgement like you're doing.

I'd argue that Elia was in fact in on all of Rhaegar's schemes to bring about prophecy. They both knew she couldn't have anymore kids, and so she allowed him to seek out a woman who could...Lyanna.

A crown prince must have more than 2 kids, Elia failed her only purpose. No wonder Rhaegar turned to Lyanna.

I mean, Dorne seems OK with anything so long as there's an agreement between all parties involved.

Robert didn't love any of the women he slept with. His vows meant nothing.

Rhaegar meant everything. He cared for Elia and his children, but also seemed to be in love with Lyanna. His vows had meaning, even if they were interpreted differently.

Hi, anon. I'll assume you've read "tolerate it" and that's what made you come here.

We don't know much about them but I highly doubt Elia was 100% on board with everything. I think he shared some aspects of the prophecy but can you, honestly, tell me that she would take part in the most humiliating moment of her life? Willingly?

"Jon Arryn and Robert and Lord Hunter joking a moment before what was happening dawned on them, Ned watching as Rhaegar was about to stop in front of his sister, mad Aerys glowering in the distance, Elia stiff-backed and trying to act as if nothing was wrong, Jon Connington probably looking vaguely sad, and so on." — source

That's what Paolo Puggioni, an artist George hired, said the author himself told him.

One of my darling moots put in words, better than I would ever be able to, thoughts about Elia and the polyamory relationship some people like to insert her into, you can read it here.

Yes, Elia could be accepting and supportive of others who do it, it's their life. But she's the Crown Prince's wife and future queen. Why would she even consider adding one more person to their relationship? Especially knowing the consequences of those? And not only for her personal life and her children; think about Dorne, the Stormlands and the North's reaction to such insult and pair it up with everything the war cost (Brandon and Rickard died before it even truly started). "But with Rhaegar being king-" George has made clear how fragile monarchy in Westeros actually is.

Elia would put her children in a dangerous position if she not only fully agreed to Rhaegar's plans but also welcomed Lyanna and his bastard. Additionally, I'd love it if you could point it out for me where it says a crown prince can't have only two children (seriously, I'd like to know). Elia gave him two healthy kids and it almost cost her her life, she didn't fail anything.

(consider this to be about book!rhaegar and lyanna; my thoughts on their show version couldn't be more different)

I don't think Rhaegar loved Lyanna at all. And sometimes it honestly felt like he'd rather if she died after giving birth. She was a means to an end. Personally, I believe he manipulated her and then either kept information from her (she wouldn't stay if she knew what happened to her brother and father) or kept her there against her will; two disgusting scenarios. Rhaegar was obsessed with the prophecy, he changed his entire lifestyle for it. If it was love, he could've abandoned his crown and gone to Essos 🤷🏻‍♀️.

If Elia was aware, why wasn't she in Dorne and completely safe? Why didn't Oberyn know of this? "No, but he goes after the Lannisters-" he wanted justice. Even if the person who set them up was Rhaegar, the one who gave the order was Tywin and the one who did it was his beast. Aerys and Rhaegar were not people he could go after, maybe in his afterlife.

More importantly, and I'll be repeating myself here, it doesn't matter if she loved Rhaegar or not or how deeply she did it. Rhaegar's bastard is a direct threat to her children and their future and I doubt Elia - or anyone who hasn't lost their wits - would happily comply with that.

I have done nothing but gathering information and filling voids, what most do in this fandom tbh. There's little we know of how it was like but Rhaegar did hurt Elia again and again; and I do believe he was fond of her, which only makes things worse.

I don't have to know his thoughts to know that some of his actions were disrespectful, hurtful and disgusting; Elia doesn't have to agree or be aware of his plans for crowing another woman QoL&B (and later run away with her) to be humiliating.

Rhaegar, and Rhaegar alone, handled everything with all the sensitive and grace of a reversing dump truck.

[dalekofchaos]

Targaryen restoration au

Imagine if the following happened.

Rhaella lived through childbirth and got to take care of Dany and Viserys

Elia, Aegon and Rhaenys were able to escape to Dorne before the sacking of King's Landing

Arthur Dayne took a pregnant Lyanna to Starfall to find proper care to deliver Jon. But let's say in this au Rhaegar told Arthur the Prince that was promised must be named Daeron III

Jon Connington is called and returns to serve his lord's children

At some point they all link up and begin to plot to restore House Targaryen and take what is rightfully theirs. With Fire & Blood

With Rhaella, Ser Willem, Elia and Arthur around. Viserys never descends into madness and becomes more well adjusted.

Lyanna survived childbirth. Lyanna could not return home. She's too ashamed after her actions led to the deaths of Rickard and Brandon and she knows if she returns with her son, Robert would kill them. Arthur and Lyanna raised Daeron together. One thing led to another and they fell in love.

With outside forces preventing the crown from finding them(Doran, Varys and Illyrio) the Targaryens are never found.

Dany has a happy childhood and while they move every often, she has happy memories with her mother, brother and cousins.

With Rhaella, Doran, Oberyn Arthur and Jon Connington around, Aegon, Rhaenys, Viserys and Daenerys all grow up well versed into politics. Arthur and Oberyn properly turns Aegon, Daeron, Rhaenys, Dany and Viserys into warriors.

Because of Arthur's presence, he would not allow or tolerate Jorah Mormont.

With the vast wealth of Illyrio and Varys influence, an army of sell swords are at their disposal. They have the Golden Company, Windblown, Second Sons, Unsullied, and Storm Crows

With an alliance with Dorne, Aegon is betrothed to Arianne, House Tyrell are known Targaryen loyalists. Daeron is betrothed to Margaery and Daenerys is betrothed to Willas, The Targaryens could reach out to the Greyjoys and promise revenge and plunder. Viserys is betrothed to Asha.

I don't know if the dragons would factor into this au. Maybe there is a ritual, magic via the red priests/priestesses or something they found that could hatch the dragon eggs. If so the dragons are given to Rhaegar's children because prophecy. Aegon's Dragon will be named Visenya(Drogon) Rhaenys' dragon will be named Meria(Rhaegal) and Daeron's will be named Ghost(Viserion)

The War of the Five Kings turns into the War of Kings & Dragons.

Renly runs back to Stannis after he finds out the Tyrell's true allegiances. The brothers put behind their grievances and stand together.

When Cat goes to treat with Renly, she is surprised that Stannis and Renly stand together. They offer Robb a choice, join us. The Lannisters must be dealt with and then deal with the invading Targaryens.

Battle of the Blackwater ends with the Stark-Baratheon alliance victorious. Robb rescues Sansa and Joffrey is executed. Cersei is executed and Tommen is fostered at Casterly Rock by Tyrion. Tywin falls in battle.

Littlefinger is executed and Varys escapes in time to meet with the Targaryens.

The Targaryens arrive. They are met with Dorne, the Ironborn and the Reach.

All out war.

The Targaryens obviously win. But they are smart. They give their enemies the chance to bend the knee.

Then the Targaryens, Starks, and Baratheons unite their forces and marches North. to face their true enemy.

Aegon VI's small council

Hand of the King:Jon Connington

Grand Maester:Marwyn

Master of Whispers:Varys

Master of Laws:Oberyn Martell

Master of Ships:Mace Tyrell

Lord Commander of the Kingsguard:Arthur Dayne

Meanwhile I can see Euron return and hire a Faceless man to kill Willas Tyrell. Euron tries weasels his way into Dany's good graces. There are two ways we can play this. Dany sicks the Kingsguard to kill him or he slowly begins to corrupt her. Blame Viserys and cause Targaryen infighting. And after Viserys is out of the picture. Euron helps Dany take the throne and cement the Targaryens and the Greyjoys alliance through marriage, let the Long Night kill her cousins and they can rule the Iron Throne together and he has the means to bind the dragons to her will.

In the scenario where Dany stays loyal to her family. Euron is captured and is awaiting his execution. With no dragons to burn him. Dany has him executed by Wildfire. "Dracarys"

Ending 1:Rhaegar's prophecy is true and his children save the realm from the Long Night

Ending 2:Aegon, Rhaenys and Daeron sacrifice themselves to end The Others, while Dany brings peace to the realm

Ending 3:The unholy union of Euron and Dany plunges the world into darkness.

[asongofgoldenfireandblackblood]

Wanted Site Connection:

home — navigate — wanted — discord — apply — directory — faq

We are No-Dance!AU and politics, family, and court-drama focused RP. To join, check out our main site, and find out who our court would like to see on our Most Wanted page, send us a raven with any questions and once you're ready to apply, and then join us for plotting and OOC-Chat on our Discord!!

Daisy is particularly wanted by her daughter Jocelyn "Jocie" Connington, as well as by Queen Rhaenyra, Lady Calla Celtigar, Lady Roslin Vance, Lady-Regent Sabitha Frey, Ser Jon Swann, Princess Jocelyn Baratheon-Targaryen, and Lady Maris Baratheon

Note: Character traits, faceclaim, and details are suggestions and can be reworked to a certain extent if discussed with the current members of the RP!

Character Bio Below The Cut

The only surviving sibling of Lord Jasper Wylde, widow to the previous heir to House Connington and mother to the current heir, Daisy is 32, and has served as a Lady-in-Waiting in the new Queen Rhaenyra's retinue for the past eight years. Daisy was married to Robin Connington, the heir to House Connington in a happy rarity of the pair being politically well matched and deeply in love and they had two children together, Lucas and Jocelyn. Only a year after her marriage, however, Daisy’s elder sister died in childbirth, causing Daisy a large amount of grief and empathy for women who have to fight for their lives in the birthing bed. Because of this, when Daisy heard the rumors many were whispering about her older brother and the negative health effects multiple births were having on his second wife Lady Ysabel, she was desperate to intervene. Robin promised to speak with her brother on her behalf and confronted the other lord. Only a short time later, Robin died in an apparent hunting accident and ever since, Daisy has blamed Jasper for her husband’s death, a suspicion Jasper has done little to assuage. After her husband’s death, Daisy entered Rhaenyra’s service to receive the then-Princess Hand's, now Queen's, protection and ever since, has spent her days as a close confidante of Rhaenyra's and raising her two children alongside Her Grace's own. Around The Court, Daisy is known as “The Light in the Storm” for her bright personality that persists in spite of all the loss she has faced Suggested faceclaim: Milla Jovovich in The Three Musketeers

[syndrossi]

On the topic of Jon getting more comfortable to relax and being vulnerable in this life; I do wonder if you've given any thoughts to Jon exploring his sexuality? In the books, you see him just push his attraction to Satin to the back of his dead, and obviously, we don't have any resolution. Here, I can almost guarantee that Daemon will love and support his children, always. And I bet getting the support of Rheagar too would be a relief.

And of course, Jon slowly giving in to comfort and allowing himself to be vulnerable and have prefrences (like the cake scene you shared, which killed me).

Can you tell I absolutely love Jon?

I'm pretty sure that Aegon will ensure that all the royal children explore their options. 😅 My position on societal views of sexuality at least in Resonant (but seems to be somewhat true even in canon), is that the more power/station you have, the less anyone cares about your preferences, so long as you do your marital duty and are either capable enough at your job, or fearsome enough. There are quite a few canonically gay/bi (or highly implied gay/bi) characters who don't seem to be viewed negatively. Princess/Queen Rhaena and her many beloved female companions is one of the more notable ones, though obviously there are more. Lady Jeyne Arryn is described quite similarly to Rhaena in terms of beloved female companions.

Heck, when considering Rhaenyra's options, Laenor's sexuality was openly discussed and literally amounted to "who cares which he prefers if he does his martial duty?" And his favorites seem to have been well known at court.

Things do seem to be trending less tolerant by the time of Robert Baratheons rule, so perhaps it was a shift over generations (either influenced by the Faith or the general lack of stability post-Dance).

Regarding canon-Jon's attitudes, I do wonder if the southern kingdoms of the time just tend to be a little more open than the North in regards to such matters? (There were the men urging him not to take Satin as a steward due to his past, after all, though I forget if we know where they hailed from.) And obviously it will differ person to person, even amongst highborn and smallfolk. Because meanwhile, you've got canon!Rhaegar's whatever with Jon Connington. It may or may not have been wholly unrequited, but you can't tell me Rhaegar wasn't aware and clearly still considered him a dear friend. And it did not seem that he was shunned by others in Rhaegar's friend circle.

[atopvisenyashill]

Lyanna likely married Rhaegar of her own will. If she was kidnapped or held against her will, then she would have slit Rhaegar's throat like Ygritte/Arya might have had.

source: trust me bro

and i’m sorry, i’m about to be so annoying with this answer, but this comparison is so ridiculous. because what you’re saying here - not in the text. what is in the text is that arya is literally kidnapped by several different people and can’t fight her way out even when she has gendry and hot pie, bc they are all children up against trained fighters who frequently outnumber them. what is in the text is jon gets the drop on ygritte, because sometimes you simply lose a fight! what is in the text is this moment from ned’s memories:

lyanna screaming for her brother! even with how distorted this dream/memory is, lyanna screaming for her brother is included for a reason. and how is she supposed to fight her way out of this? she is 16 and dying and being held captive by three of the most skilled knights in westeros’ history. arya can’t even beat sandor or harwin how is lyanna supposed to beat three people? you can’t just say no to the king (or crown prince) and not face serious repercussions. look at arya just whacking joffrey on the trident - harming the crown prince is dangerous, it is treason, it doesn’t matter if he’s a dick. it doesn’t matter if he’s the one in the wrong either - joffrey was hurting someone & being belligerent but it doesn’t matter because he’s crown prince. in the mystery knight, aerion brightflame gets to be a huge asshole and racist to Tanselle Too Tall and the only reason he faces a consequence is because Dunk is there AND Baelor Breakspear, the crown prince, agrees that his nephew needs to not be such an asshole. You cannot say no to royalty!

we also have no evidence in text that lyanna and rhaegar married as of yet! there’s some moments that could foreshadow a marriage, but that is not yet canon, it is a theory, and even so, it still doesn’t answer whether she was lied to or manipulated in some way to go along with rhaegar’s plan - and we don’t even know what rhaegar’s plan was anyway, besides making off with lyanna and impregnating her.

what we have in the text are the untrustworthy memories of people like ned, aemon, barristan, and jon connington. these are people who had biases, who were involved in the conflict, and who didn’t have all or even most of the information. we have meera’s story version of the harrenhal tourney, which is howland’s pov. we have a few comments over the years from george. but we do not have a peek into lyanna or rhaegar’s minds or plans. and it is certainly a possibility that four fully grown, very skilled knights subdoed a 16 year old.

[goodqueenaly]

What do you make of Laena’s death in childbirth. It is known that whenever a Targaryen baby is born looking twisted/draconic in some way, it is a sign of some extreme stress or blood magic interference. Laena gave birth to her twin daughters normally but giving birth to her one son proved difficult for her. If Laena had successfully given birth this time, then Daemon would have a son like he always wanted. Could there be some foul play happening here? Did someone try to kill Laena and the baby?

It should be noted that Laena and Daemon’s son wasn’t specifically described as draconic or proto-draconic. Gyldayn merely says that the newborn prince was “twisted and malformed, and died within the hour” of his birth. Gyldayn does also use “malformed” to describe Rhaenyra’s stillborn daughter, but “malformed” isn’t exclusively utilized for such Targaryen children. Tyrion, after all, identifies himself as “malformed” (a description of him repeated by Yandel); Dunk refers to the six members of the “company of dwarfs” who attended Lord Butterwell’s wedding as “each smaller and more malformed than the last”; Jon Connington identifies Maelys Blackfyre’s skull as “grotesquely malformed”; and Yandel also notes that the children of Sothoryi-Westerosi and Ibbenese-Westerosi unions are often “hideously malformed” or “malformed and inevitably sterile”, respectively. So I’m not sure that we should necessarily read this specific point about Laena’s and Daemon’s short-lived son as a hint toward supernatural tampering, as opposed to simply the reflection of a child born with a disability, and ultimately a fatal disability, in a very ableist world. I’m not saying the likely supernatural origins of the dragonriding Targaryens couldn’t have played a factor in the development of this baby prince, only that I don’t seen anything specifically magical connected either to this little prince’s conception or birth.

(Whether or not the baby prince’s potential disability was itself caused by the close consanguinity between his parents, as seems to be perhaps suggested in Prince Jaehaerys and Princess Jaehaera, is an interesting but ultimately unknowable possibility; whether we could also compare the possibly disabled baby prince to Tyrion - himself not only disabled, but also the younger brother of physically average twin siblings as well as the child of a close cousin marriage - is also intriguing but probably beyond the scope of this ask.)

Anyway, I’m not inclined to think that there was some secret conspiracy to kill off Laena and/or her son by Daemon. GRRM does nothing to suggest such foul play, much less who would have had the means, motive, and/or opportunity to do so. Rather, I think Laena’s and her son’s deaths are a combination of narrative ironic frustration and the author’s unfortunate habit of killing off female characters in childbirth. Daemon who had once mocked his brother’s short-lived baby son as the “heir for a day” now experienced the same - the death of not just a beloved wife (and daughter of a Targaryen princess in each case) but also that of a would-be legitimate son and heir. Of course, because GRRM tends to fall back on death in childbirth as a convenient excuse to get rid of female characters he deems no longer necessary, both Aemma and Laena had to die in this very specifically gendered manner, the better (in GRRM’s mind, apparently) to characterize their widowers.

(Once again, not an invitation to talk about That Other Show.)

[melrosing]

sparknotes for ep 2 of my made up Robert's Rebellion adaptation because I don't trust HBO :) this part is more detailed because the introductions are over and I am having fun. once again, some changes: Rhaegar and Joncon canonically meet when squiring together, but I want to introduce him slightly earlier so now they'll first meet with Joncon as a page at the Red Keep (so he's maybe a little younger than Rhaegar). also, spot bonifer hasty - this is just before he finds jesus Prev Part - Episode 1

Next Part - Episode 3

Episode 2: The Boys Are Fightinggg

It’s been five/six years since ep 1. We open in the library of the Red Keep, where a fourteen year old Rhaegar Targaryen sits reading a heavy tome, brow pinched. After a moment, he shuts it carefully and rises to walk to a window overlooking the training grounds. A maester asks if he’s alright, and Rhaegar answers “it seems I must learn to fight” (cryptic lil fuck)

Opening credits roll. They’re the same as GOT except the music is caramelldansen

Joanna Lannister at Casterly Rock, sat in her solar with Genna; she’s visibly pregnant. A maid enters the solar looked panicked, and insists she speak to Joanna alone. Joanna allows this, and the maid confides something (guess what) concerning the twins. After ascertaining the maid won’t speak (and maybe issuing a tiny little threat), Joanna dismisses her with a bag of gold

Joanna confronts her children one at a time. Cersei is belligerent, insisting it was only a game. Jaime is distressed, unable to comprehend why what they were doing was wrong. Joanna states she will be placing their rooms apart, with a guard on Cersei’s etc - and don’t make her tell their dad. Both children look utterly horrified by that prospect, and Joanna seems uneasy threatening it

Aerys and Tywin at the King’s council. Lots of matters on the table etc. Some guy called Denys Darklyn is asking for a charter for Duskendale (it's clearly not the first time), which Tywin dismisses. Some Kingsguard has died, and they need a replacement. Tywin makes some suggestions of his own, and asks Aerys which he would prefer. Aerys is not really listening, only waving his hand over the flame of a candle. Tywin interrupts his musings, and Aerys burns himself in surprise. Asking the King his input on some matter, Aerys has little to offer. Tywin says something faintly facetious regarding the King’s attention span, and Aerys thinks he sees Pycelle smile

Rhaella, also pregnant, is in the gardens at the Red Keep, sat beneath a memorial statue of her parents. She grasps a bunch of flowers that she presumably means to lay at their feet, touches her bump and looks uneasy. Watching on is a castle guard who stands at the garden gate; Rhaella meets his eyes, pleading him closer, and they hold one another’s gaze for a long moment. Ultimately the guard breaks it, and looks down to his feet. Rhaella, looking away in despair, stiffly but violently shreds her flowers, and drops the remains beneath the statue before rising and leaving the garden

Anime boy Rhaegar learning to fight in the training yard. He seems a little surprised if reassured by his own skill, overpowering the master at arms at one point. Young page Jon Connington watches on, looking like he’s about to burst into applause. Aerys himself looks on from a high window, and looks Intensely Bothered

Aerys walking through the halls past a small crowd of men. He hears one say that Tywin truly rules the Seven Kingdoms, and turns abruptly to see the speaker - one Ilyn Payne, who looks shocked to see Aerys there. Aerys looks violent, like he might do something for a moment, but is ushered onwards by Barristan Selmy

Rhaella and Rhaegar at the dinner table in the royal… chambers??? whatever lol. Rhaella says she’s heard Rhaegar is fighting: that is good. Rhaegar is not super responsive to this praise. Rhaella then asks her son if she thinks the baby will be a boy or a girl. Rhaegar looks at her sadly

Aerys arrives belatedly to ruin dinner, decides he dislikes how quiet and miserable his family looks. Cracks a shit joke, doesn’t like the way his son looks at him, reads judgement in the kid’s eyes. Aerys is about to escalate in this sudden disagreement with his son, when Rhaella begins panicking - there’s blood pooling beneath the table. As Aerys realises what’s happening his anger abruptly turns to Rhaella, and he looks like he might strike her - then Rhaegar stands between them, and silently warns him off. Aerys is furious, but it works, and he storms out

Now Aerys is storming into the throne room, where Tywin sits his throne, listening to the grievances of some visiting lord. Aerys identifies Ilyn Payne at the sidelines, calls him over, and orders his tongue ripped out. This is appropriately grim :) Tywin looks on, displeased but unable to say anything. Aerys orders him off of his throne then takes it himself, and announces that as king he is ordering a tourney: the winner will join his Kingsguard

[a-secret-bolton-vampire]

The Last Dragon: An analysis of Rhaegar Targaryen

Originally I was going to post simply about the amount of hate Rhaegar gets from the fandom and how buck-wild it is. But then I realized it wasn't enough to just push back on, no. I have to write a character study on this guy, because there is just simply so much to address!

Rhaegar to me is one of the most fascinating and complex characters in the series, and definitely among my absolute favourites. He is quite contentious, and my goal here isn't to whitewash him necessarily, or to paint him as the ultimate hero. That's boring and antithetical to what A Song of Ice and Fire is supposed to be. Calling him purely good or purely evil is reductive and makes the story smaller. That said, I hope to address why the hate he gets is odd, and how it completely misses the point of his character.

The Dragon's Honor

A total fucking idiot that deserved to die a far more horrible death than he did. He got off lightly.

Sure. Great guy forced to abandon his wife and children to screw an incredibly stupid vapid self centered idiot in a tower for a year. After he lost his honor at Harrenhal for humiliating his pregnant wife. As for the rest perhaps if Rhaegar weren't such a psychotic ass there would actually still be Starks continuously in Winterfell which was probably the thing to keep the evil in check.

Rhaegar dumped his pregnant wife for a truly stupid 14 year old girl. Anyone who does that is not a good man. And Roberts life was actually more tragic that dear Rhaegar's. Or did you forget what happened to Robert's parents?

Rhaegar was a truly awful father. Worse than Robert. Worse than Tywin. Worse, even, than Craster (who kept half his children alive.)

These are just a select few quotes from fans I found on Reddit in discussion about who Rhaegar was as a person. I do need to clarify that most people seemed to have some kind of nuanced take. But the aggressively negative takes... are aggressively negative. In the end, however, we need to look at the text to see what kind of person he was.

Many of the POVs have had interactions with Rhaegar, which give us our best glimpse into who he was as a person. Even then, there are things that they cannot give us, and we are left with an incomplete picture of what this prince was like when he lived. Ned, Cersei, Jaime, Jon Connington, and Barristan all have met and seen Rhaegar, and we hear more from other characters about him in other POVs.

When we are introduced to Rhaegar, it is through Daenerys's POV, in her very first chapter. We will save that for later, but the next instance is in Eddard's POV, and there we see Robert's views on him.

The king touched her cheek, his fingers brushing across the rough stone as gently as if it were living flesh. "I vowed to kill Rhaegar for what he did to her." "You did," Ned reminded him.

Robert despises Rhaegar with every fiber of his being, even 15 years after he killed him. So much so that it extends to all Targaryens, even to a 14-year old Daenerys and her unborn child.

"Nonetheless," Ned said, "the murder of children … it would be vile … unspeakable …" "Unspeakable?" the king roared. "What Aerys did to your brother Brandon was unspeakable. The way your lord father died, that was unspeakable. And Rhaegar … how many times do you think he raped your sister? How many hundreds of times?" His voice had grown so loud that his horse whinnied nervously beneath him. The king jerked the reins hard, quieting the animal, and pointed an angry finger at Ned. "I will kill every Targaryen I can get my hands on, until they are as dead as their dragons, and then I will piss on their graves."

Robert was in love with Lyanna, the woman he was set to marry. In his mind, because of her kidnapping, Robert believes Rhaegar was a rapist, a monster. In The World of Ice and Fire it is stated exactly how Robert reacted to Rhaegar crowning Lyanna the queen of love and beauty.

Brandon Stark, the heir to Winterfell, had to be restrained from confronting Rhaegar at what he took as a slight upon his sister's honor, for Lyanna Stark had long been betrothed to Robert Baratheon, Lord of Storm's End. Eddard Stark, Brandon's younger brother and a close friend to Lord Robert, was calmer but no more pleased. As for Robert Baratheon himself, some say he laughed at the prince's gesture, claiming that Rhaegar had done no more than pay Lyanna her due...but those who knew him better say the young lord brooded on the insult, and that his heart hardened toward the Prince of Dragonstone from that day forth.

Yet it seems Robert is all but alone in his vilification of Rhaegar. Even Ned, whose sister was supposedly kidnapped and raped by him, doesn't think ill of him.

Suddenly, uncomfortably, he found himself recalling Rhaegar Targaryen. Fifteen years dead, yet Robert hates him as much as ever. It was a disturbing notion...

There was no answer Ned Stark could give to that but a frown. For the first time in years, he found himself remembering Rhaegar Targaryen. He wondered if Rhaegar had frequented brothels; somehow he thought not.

Though Ned doesn't say much else, this line implies that Rhaegar was above visiting brothels, that he did not simply use sex for his own pleasure. In this respect, Rhaegar was quite honourable, which is how most characters remember him. Jorah compares Rhaegar and his younger brother Viserys with a marked contrast.

She shivered. "I woke the dragon, didn't I?" Ser Jorah snorted. "Can you wake the dead, girl? Your brother Rhaegar was the last dragon, and he died on the Trident. Viserys is less than the shadow of a snake."

When Daenerys puts an end to the raping of the Lhazareen, Jorah, again, favourably compares her to Rhaegar.

"As you command." The knight gave her a curious look. "You are your brother's sister, in truth." "Viserys?" She did not understand. "No," he answered. "Rhaegar." He galloped off.

"I am not Viserys." "No," he admitted. "There is more of Rhaegar in you, I think, but even Rhaegar could be slain. Robert proved that on the Trident, with no more than a warhammer. Even dragons can die."

Not only is Daenerys's empathy, kindness, and honour compared to Rhaegar's, she is considered to have the same talent for military strategy as him by both Jorah and Barristan.

"Just so," she agreed. "I think we should attack from three sides. Grey Worm, your Unsullied shall strike at them from right and left, while my kos lead my horse in wedge for a thrust through their center. Slave soldiers will never stand before mounted Dothraki." She smiled. "To be sure, I am only a young girl and know little of war. What do you think, my lords?" "I think you are Rhaegar Targaryen's sister," Ser Jorah said with a rueful half smile. "Aye," said Arstan Whitebeard, "and a queen as well."

In general, Jorah and Barristan constantly praise his honour, bravery, and finding him to be nothing like his father Aerys or his brother Viserys.

"Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died."

"Prince Viserys was only a boy, it would have been years before he was fit to rule, and . . . forgive me, my queen, but you asked for truth . . . even as a child, your brother Viserys oft seemed to be his father's son, in ways that Rhaegar never did."

If he had not gone into Duskendale to rescue Aerys from Lord Darklyn's dungeons, the king might well have died there as Tywin Lannister sacked the town. Then Prince Rhaegar would have ascended the Iron Throne, mayhaps to heal the realm. Duskendale had been his finest hour, yet the memory tasted bitter on his tongue. It was his failures that haunted him at night, though. Jaehaerys, Aerys, Robert. Three dead kings. Rhaegar, who would have been a finer king than any of them. Princess Elia and the children. Aegon just a babe, Rhaenys with her kitten. Dead, every one, yet he still lived, who had sworn to protect them. And now Daenerys, his bright shining child queen. She is not dead. I will not believe it.

Even Tywin, someone who cared about prestige but could not be called honourable, believed that Rhaegar would've made a better king than Aerys.

Most of the small council were with the Hand outside Duskendale at this juncture, and several of them argued against Lord Tywin's plan on the grounds that such an attack would almost certainly goad Lord Darklyn into putting King Aerys to death. "He may or he may not," Tywin Lannister reportedly replied, "but if he does, we have a better king right here." Whereupon he raised a hand to indicate Prince Rhaegar.

Barristan tells Daenerys that not only was Rhaegar honourable, he was immensely capable and talented.

"I know little of Rhaegar. Only the tales Viserys told, and he was a little boy when our brother died. What was he truly like?" The old man considered a moment. "Able. That above all. Determined, deliberate, dutiful, single-minded. There is a tale told of him . . . but doubtless Ser Jorah knows it as well."

Rhaegar was also considered a very skilled warrior, but according to Barristan it was not out of joy.

"Prince Rhaegar's prowess was unquestioned, but he seldom entered the lists. He never loved the song of swords the way that Robert did, or Jaime Lannister. It was something he had to do, a task the world had set him. He did it well, for he did everything well. That was his nature. But he took no joy in it. Men said that he loved his harp much better than his lance."

This is a curious thing to remember for later. Rhaegar was not a born fighter, nor was he eager for glory it seemed. He was quite content with being a singer and musician, a private man who loved to read and learn about prophecy. The picture painted is of an honourable, kind, talented, and dutiful man who won people over with ease.

Yet it appears that Rhaegar was perhaps at odds with his family. His relationship with Rhaella and Viserys is not noted upon in the text, but that of his father Aerys is remarked on extensively, and began to fracture after the Defiance of Duskendale.

Once safely returned to King's Landing, His Grace refused to leave the Red Keep for any cause and remained a virtual prisoner in his own castle for the next four years, during which time he grew ever more wary of those around him, Tywin Lannister in particular. His suspicions extended even to his own son and heir. Prince Rhaegar, he was convinced, had conspired with Tywin Lannister to have him slain at Duskendale. They had planned to storm the town walls so that Lord Darklyn would put him to death, opening the way for Rhaegar to mount the Iron Throne and marry Lord Tywin's daughter.

Aerys found ways to insult Rhaegar, such as when he was present for Rhaegar and Elia's firstborn child being shown to the court and refusing to hold her because she "smells Dornish." His madness was apparent to everyone at court, and surely to Rhaegar. There became a clear division at court between Aerys' followers and Rhaegar's followers.

To Grand Maester Pycelle and Lord Owen Merryweather, the King's Hand, fell the unenviable task of keeping peace between these factions, even as their rivalry grew ever more venomous. In a letter to the Citadel, Pycelle wrote that the divisions within the Red Keep reminded him uncomfortably of the situation before the Dance of the Dragons a century before, when the enmity between Queen Alicent and Princess Rhaenyra had split the realm in two, to grievous cost. A similarly bloody conflict might await the Seven Kingdoms once again, he warned, unless some accord could be reached that would satisfy both Prince Rhaegar's supporters and the king's.

If Rhaegar was as learned as people say he was, then he was smart enough to know this as well. And this is why Rhaegar may have tried to find a more peaceful solution to remove Aerys from power. It is mentioned in The World of Ice and Fire that the great tourney at Harrenhal was hosted behind the scenes by Rhaegar for this exact reason.

If this tale be believed, 'twas Prince Rhaegar who urged Lord Walter to hold the tourney, using his lordship's brother Ser Oswell as a gobetween. Rhaegar provided Whent with gold sufficient for splendid prizes in order to bring as many lords and knights to Harrenhal as possible. The prince, it is said, had no interest in the tourney as a tourney; his intent was to gather the great lords of the realm together in what amounted to an informal Great Council, in order to discuss ways and means of dealing with the madness of his father, King Aerys II, possibly by means of a regency or a forced abdication.

It's not just the world book that says this. The main series all but confirms it in a flashback of Jaime's, from right before the Battle of the Trident.

"Your Grace," Jaime had pleaded, "let Darry stay to guard the king this once, or Ser Barristan. Their cloaks are as white as mine." Prince Rhaegar shook his head. "My royal sire fears your father more than he does our cousin Robert. He wants you close, so Lord Tywin cannot harm him. I dare not take that crutch away from him at such an hour." Jaime's anger had risen up in his throat. "I am not a crutch. I am a knight of the Kingsguard." "Then guard the king," Ser Jon Darry snapped at him. "When you donned that cloak, you promised to obey." Rhaegar had put his hand on Jaime's shoulder. "When this battle's done I mean to call a council. Changes will be made. I meant to do it long ago, but . . . well, it does no good to speak of roads not taken. We shall talk when I return."

It's quite clear that Rhaegar was actively trying to avoid war in the first place, instead finding more diplomatic and peaceful ways to resolve such matters. He knew that his father was dangerous, and had plans to deal with him. The fact he wanted to call a great council to remove him meant that he was going to avoid more direct and quicker actions such as kinslaying and costly matters, and cared about optics and doing things through the proper channels.

"The Others take your honor!" Robert swore. "What did any Targaryen ever know of honor? Go down into your crypt and ask Lyanna about the dragon's honor!"

Robert Baratheon believed that Rhaegar had no honour, that he was a cheat, a brute, a rapist. Ironically, all things Robert is. But Robert is alone in believing this. Through his actions, and what others remember of him, Rhaegar did in fact have honour. The dragon's honour was notable to all, and was part of why people were drawn to him so easily.

Smoke and Salt, A Bleeding Star, A Promised Prince

Rhaegar wasn't always the gallant prince he is remembered as. That warrior once beloved by all was at first a quiet boy, buried deep in scrolls and writings.

"As a young boy, the Prince of Dragonstone was bookish to a fault. He was reading so early that men said Queen Rhaella must have swallowed some books and a candle whilst he was in her womb. Rhaegar took no interest in the play of other children. The maesters were awed by his wits, but his father's knights would jest sourly that Baelor the Blessed had been born again. Until one day Prince Rhaegar found something in his scrolls that changed him. No one knows what it might have been, only that the boy suddenly appeared early one morning in the yard as the knights were donning their steel. He walked up to Ser Willem Darry, the master-at-arms, and said, 'I will require sword and armor. It seems I must be a warrior.'"

Whatever Rhaegar found, it had a major impact on him, to change trajectory so drastically. Something that he was absolutely convinced of its validity. Rhaegar is put forward both out of and in universe as a candidate for the messianic prince that was promised, and it appears this is exactly what Rhaegar read in his scrolls. Not only that, but Rhaegar was in contact with his great-grand uncle, Maester Aemon, and he believed that Rhaegar also was the prince that was promised.

"No one ever looked for a girl," he said. "It was a prince that was promised, not a princess. Rhaegar, I thought . . . the smoke was from the fire that devoured Summerhall on the day of his birth, the salt from the tears shed for those who died. He shared my belief when he was young, but later he became persuaded that it was his own son who fulfilled the prophecy, for a comet had been seen above King's Landing on the night Aegon was conceived, and Rhaegar was certain the bleeding star had to be a comet. What fools we were, who thought ourselves so wise! The error crept in from the translation. Dragons are neither male nor female, Barth saw the truth of that, but now one and now the other, as changeable as flame. The language misled us all for a thousand years. Daenerys is the one, born amidst salt and smoke. The dragons prove it." Just talking of her seemed to make him stronger. "I must go to her. I must. Would that I was even ten years younger."

Rhaegar then changed his tune, and believed Aegon was the prince that was promised, which is noted in the vision Dany has of him in the House of the Undying.

Viserys, was her first thought the next time she paused, but a second glance told her otherwise. The man had her brother's hair, but he was taller, and his eyes were a dark indigo rather than lilac. "Aegon," he said to a woman nursing a newborn babe in a great wooden bed. "What better name for a king?" "Will you make a song for him?" the woman asked. "He has a song," the man replied. "He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire." He looked up when he said it and his eyes met Dany's, and it seemed as if he saw her standing there beyond the door. "There must be one more," he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say. "The dragon has three heads." He went to the window seat, picked up a harp, and ran his fingers lightly over its silvery strings. Sweet sadness filled the room as man and wife and babe faded like the morning mist, only the music lingering behind to speed her on her way.

There is much and more we do not know of this, as we are fed only the barest scraps, so this is analysis is admittedly quite speculative. "The dragon has three heads" is a repeated phrase, and Jorah compares it to the sigil of House Targaryen, created to symbolize Aegon, Rhaenys, and Visenya when they conquered Westeros. As such, he and Daenerys believe that because Dany hatched three dragons, each head of the dragon is a dragonrider. But in Rhaegar's time there were no dragons. It's possible he read scrolls about the dragons returning (as Aerys I did) but we can't be certain. What it actually means is not of importance here, but rather what Rhaegar thought it meant.

Recently we learned George is on record as saying that Aegon the Conqueror was a dreamer, and that it was what drove him to conquer Westeros. The dream was of the Long Night, and Aegon wanted to unify Westeros to be prepared for this existential threat. The fact "the dragon has three heads" is tied to the prince that was promised, and the new Westerosi banner of the Targaryens was a three headed dragon is not som ething to easily dismiss. Though House of the Dragon isn't book canon, it's got the best insight into what it might mean.

According to Viserys, the dream Aegon had was given a name; the song of ice and fire. Is this what Rhaegar is referring to? Aegon's dream? It might make sense. According to Ryan Condal, this plot point is going to come out at some point, which implies this will be revealed in the main plot. Was Aegon's dream written down as Daenys's were, but kept secret, locked away somewhere, their significance forgotten? Perhaps even the fact it was from Aegon was not a certainty? We can't know, but it would explain a few things.

Alternatively, the song of ice and fire was from a different source, such as the Rhoynish legend of the Long Night.

Lomas Longstrider, in his Wonders Made by Man, recounts meeting descendants of the Rhoynar in the ruins of the festival city of Chroyane who have tales of a darkness that made the Rhoyne dwindle and disappear, her waters frozen as far south as the joining of the Selhoru. According to these tales, the return of the sun came only when a hero convinced Mother Rhoyne's many children—lesser gods such as the Crab King and the Old Man of the River—to put aside their bickering and join together to sing a secret song that brought back the day.

The secret song of the Rhoynish may be the song of ice and fire, and given Rhaegar's wife Elia was a descendant of the Rhoynar it may have influenced his thinking. Yet this still does not answer what Rhaegar believed the three heads of the dragon meant. His firstborn daughter was named Rhaenys, and his firstborn son was named Aegon, two names of the conquerors. However, it doesn't make much sense that he was actually trying to recreate the original three heads. Visenya was the oldest, Rhaenys the youngest, so why wasn't she named Visenya?

Another theory is that Rhaegar was obsessed with naming one of his sons Aegon, but again, we have no indication of this. All the vision says is that Aegon is a good name for a king, and since he was Rhaegar's heir and Rhaegar was Aerys's. So of course he expected him to be king, and Aegon is the most common name for Targaryen kings. The idea that he felt he needed to have a son named Aegon no matter what seems like a gross misreading of what he's saying in the vision.

Rhaegar was called "the last dragon." From a literary standpoint, one can draw a line between the mention of "last dragon" and "the dragon's three heads." If this is true, Rhaegar was the dragon, and his children were the three heads. Mentioning Aegon as the prince that was promised and saying "there must be one more" points to this. If he was no longer the prince that was promised, then he may have wanted to focus more on preparing his children for the coming return of the Others and the War for the Dawn.

Another consideration to take in is the manner of Rhaegar's birth. He was born during the tragedy of Summerhall, where King Aegon V gathered his family to do a ritual to hatch dragon eggs. Instead, something went horribly wrong, and instead the palace burnt. The only survivors (that we know of) were Jaehaerys, Aerys, and Rhaella. Rhaella was pregnant at the time, and as the inferno reduced the palace to a hollowed, smoking husk, she gave birth to Rhaegar.

Jaehaerys II is an interesting figure to say the least. He was very much conservative compared to Aegon V's more progressive approach to Targaryen politics. Aegon wanted to do away with the tradition of incest, but Jaehaerys went ahead and married his sister Shaera, also breaking a betrothal with a Tully girl. One of Aegon's other sons, Prince Duncan, married the peasant girl Jenny of Oldstones. Jenny's best friend was a woods witch, and she may have had pertinent information on the prince that was promised, as Barristan tells Daenerys when talking about why her parents married.

"Why did they wed if they did not love each other?" "Your grandsire commanded it. A woods witch had told him that the prince was promised would be born of their line." "A woods witch?" Dany was astonished. "She came to court with Jenny of Oldstones. A stunted thing, grotesque to look upon. A dwarf, most people said, though dear to Lady Jenny, who always claimed that she was one of the children of the forest."

Rhaegar is far from the only one who was driven by prophecy, it would seem. If Barristan knew this, it's almost certain that Rhaegar did as well. This may have contributed to him believing he was the promised prince.

Rhaegar's birth had a profound impact on him. Though he was loved by all, those close to him knew that he was a melancholy person, and he was known to have visited the ruins of Summerhall.

"He was born in grief, my queen, and that shadow hung over him all his days." Viserys had spoken of Rhaegar's birth only once. Perhaps the tale saddened him too much. "It was the shadow of Summerhall that haunted him, was it not?" "Yes. And yet Summerhall was the place the prince loved best. He would go there from time to time, with only his harp for company. Even the knights of the Kingsguard did not attend him there. He liked to sleep in the ruined hall, beneath the moon and stars, and whenever he came back he would bring a song. When you heard him play his high harp with the silver strings and sing of twilights and tears and the death of kings, you could not but feel that he was singing of himself and those he loved."

Being born during a great tragedy is sure to have a big impact on someone. The ritual to hatch the dragon eggs failed, and countless lost their lives. It's no surprise something like that would leave one with a belief that this had to have happened for a reason, that their survival meant something. So him latching onto prophecy may have been one way of dealing with the trauma.

But another thing to note is that Rhaegar went alone. Entirely alone. Not even with the Kingsguard. All he brought was his harp. Summerhall was his quiet place where he could focus and be creative about his true passion; song. The woods witch who was a friend of Jenny's appears later in the main series, where she is said to have "gorge on grief" at Summerhall. One of her favourite songs that she always wants played to her is Jenny's song, of her dear friend she lost. Rhaegar could very well have met up with the witch and learned more about the prophecy from her. He may have even been the one who wrote Jenny's song.

As we've established, Rhaegar was not one eager for praise and glory. Fighting and war was not his passion, but a duty he felt had to be bestowed upon him by fate. His true love was for song and reading, for romance and love. I strongly believe he did not follow this prophecy out of ego, but rather to fill a part of his heart that was missing from Summerhall. He gave up on his own interests to fulfill a destiny he felt was preordained to him, to try to prepare to save the world from the complete annihilation of light and warmth and life. He was a doomed figure, whose destiny was only ever going to end in tragedy, yet he tried all the same.

Duty and Honour

Thus far I've been rather positive about Rhaegar. He has many positive qualities to him, and he appears to have been a good man who tried to do what he felt was necessary for the betterment of the world. But this is A Song of Ice and Fire. Characters are rarely that perfect and good. As noble as Rhaegar may have been, he was also human, imperfect and flawed, did good and bad things, and had passions that led to tragedy for many in Westeros.

Rhaegar did not marry Elia out of love. It was duty. After the failure to find a bride of pure Valyrian blood for him to marry in Essos, and the plan for Elia marrying Jaime Lannister dying with Joanna, Rhaegar eventually married Elia. Elia is noted as being frail and had many health issues, but was sweet and kind and witty. Their relationship has not been fully realized, but the little we do know paints it as a complex one.

"Princess Elia was there, his wife, and yet my brother gave the crown to the Stark girl, and later stole her away from her betrothed. How could he do that? Did the Dornish woman treat him so ill?" "It is not for such as me to say what might have been in your brother's heart, Your Grace. The Princess Elia was a good and gracious lady, though her health was ever delicate." Dany pulled the lion pelt tighter about her shoulders. "Viserys said once that it was my fault, for being born too late." She had denied it hotly, she remembered, going so far as to tell Viserys that it was his fault for not being born a girl. He beat her cruelly for that insolence. "If I had been born more timely, he said, Rhaegar would have married me instead of Elia, and it would all have come out different. If Rhaegar had been happy in his wife, he would not have needed the Stark girl."

"Her duty." The word felt cold upon her tongue. "You saw my brother Rhaegar wed. Tell me, did he wed for love or duty?" The old knight hesitated. "Princess Elia was a good woman, Your Grace. She was kind and clever, with a gentle heart and a sweet wit. I know the prince was very fond of her." Fond, thought Dany. The word spoke volumes. I could become fond of Hizdahr zo Loraq, in time. Perhaps.

George described their relationship similarly as "complex." The two did not love each other. They did not seem to hate each other, but there was no passion there. Dany compares her impending marriage to Hizdahr to Rhaegar's marriage to Elia, and marrying Hizdahr would be her doing her duty to the people rather than following her love.

Yet it cannot be forgotten the way Rhaegar did treat Elia. It may have been happy enough in the beginning, but I personally find it increasingly difficult to speak in defense of Rhaegar and his treatment of Elia as time goes on. It all starts at Harrenhal, when Rhaegar won the tournament.

Robert had been jesting with Jon and old Lord Hunter as the prince circled the field after unhorsing Ser Barristan in the final tilt to claim the champion's crown. Ned remembered the moment when all the smiles died, when Prince Rhaegar Targaryen urged his horse past his own wife, the Dornish princess Elia Martell, to lay the queen of beauty's laurel in Lyanna's lap. He could see it still: a crown of winter roses, blue as frost.

To anyone who says that the Dornish are fine with paramours and non-monogamy, and Elia might not have had any issue with this, here is what George himself said when providing feedback to an artist recreating this scene.

We’ve always imagined that the perfect image of the tourney at Harrenhal would kind of let you pick out all these figures in the stands, each with their different reactions when “the smiles died”. Jon Arryn and Robert and Lord Hunter joking a moment before what was happening dawned on them, Ned watching as Rhaegar was about to stop in front of his sister (who must have been seated quite close), mad Aerys glowering in the distance, Elia stiff-backed and trying to act as if nothing was wrong, Jon Connington probably looking vaguely sad (read: jealous), and so on.

That's not the reaction you have if you are okay with your husband passing you over for another woman. Non-monogamy, polyamory, that's one thing. Passing your wife and openly declaring for another women is just not that. Then of course you have arguably an event that helped contribute to war breaking out, which is Rhaegar's (alleged) kidnapping of Lyanna.

Rhaegar left his wife, his young daughter, and his newborn son all alone to elope with another woman. Elia could not have been happy about this. Rhaegar is one of my favourite characters, and I may have more than a slight crush on the guy, but even I have to admit this is not his finest hour. Elia was Rhaegar's duty, so it's not as though these two had a whirling epic romance. But both politically and personally, this is not how you treat your family. He didn't just abandon his wife, he abandoned his children. As reference, I would like to compare Rhaegar's struggles with love and duty with another character, one whose entire character could be defined by this; his son Jon Snow.

In A Dance with Dragons, Jon is stuck between two choices. The first is the love he has for his family, the desire to get vengeance for the wrongs done to them. The second is the duty he has sworn to the Night's Watch, to hold the Wall and prepare for the eventual invasion of the Others. He tries to ride a fine line between the two, but ultimately he gives into his desires, and chooses love by planning to go to war with Ramsay Bolton. He is then promptly killed by his officers for forsaking his vows.

This single action has yet to see its consequences, but none of it can be good. With Jon dead, peace between the Night's Watch and the free folk is very unlikely. War will break out and people will kill each other as the white walkers gain more strength and power outside the Wall. All the progress he has made, giving Alys Karstark sanctuary and promising her to a free folk husband, even the safety of Stannis's family, is at risk.

Jon is absolutely his fathers son. Rhaegar's duty is to be a faithful husband to Elia and a good father to their children, and to prepare the realm for the invasion of the Others. However, his love is for Lyanna, for song and romance. He tries to have it both ways; crowns Lyanna at Harrenhal, has another child with Elia. But in the end his heart won out, and he left Elia for Lyanna. Like Jon, this action led to a series of domino effects that led to open war, the death of his dynasty, and the death of Elia, his children, Lyanna, and finally himself.

Rhaegar may have been a mostly honourable, dutiful person, but he had a romantic, passionate side to him and his judgment was not always perfect. Like Jon, I do not believe Rhaegar ever thought his actions would lead to something this terrible. Jon did not think about what him dying would lead to. He believes he did not need his officers anymore. He was angry, disillusioned with the Night's Watch, and focused on revenge. It never entered his mind that the officers would kill him when he had just gotten the free folk to his side.

It's easy to say in hindsight that it would for Rhaegar, but characters are not omniscient. Running off without a word is reckless and impulsive, but it's not like they knew that Brandon would be similarly reckless, or that Aerys would do something as brazen and mad as executing Lyanna's father and brother without trial. Was it potentially short-sighted? Probably. Is it reasonable to assume they knew this series of events would happen and they didn't care? Not particularly. Characters are not readers.

A Love-Struck Prince

No discussion about Rhaegar is complete without Lyanna. The nature of their relationship is extremely contentious and the subject of much controversy. For one it is still not exactly clear with the published material if it was consensual, and even if it was, there is the rather concerning age-gap; Rhaegar as a young man, and Lyanna as a teenager. This discussion is not exactly one I'm comfortable with because it becomes a total shit-show so quickly. Either you call Rhaegar a pedophile and a rapist but conveniently ignore that Robert lusted after Lyanna as well, or you try to defend it by saying "it's just the times" (not true, medieval marriages were not this young).

What I'll say on the matter is that George definitely has an issue with what he considers romantic. He's been on the record as thinking that the wedding night between a 30-year old Khal Drogo and 13-year old Daenerys was a "consensual seduction," so I won't be surprised if he genuinely thinks this is a perfectly fine relationship. None of the ages in the books make sense, George knows he is bad at numbers. If we remember how young some of the characters are it gets to the point of ridiculousness and also makes literally every single character unsympathetic and terrible.

It's a massive flaw in an otherwise brilliant series. I personally use headcanon and death of the author for something like this, but not everyone does. That said, the fact that Lyanna was so young does leave the idea this was consensual a little unsettling to me. Yet, I also wholeheartedly believe that George is going to portray this as a consensual mutual, epic romance. The signs are literally everywhere.

We hear repeatedly about how Rhaegar loved Lyanna. Even Dany, who acknowledges that Rhaegar "kidnapped" her, thinks it was romantic. But the fact Rhaegar loves her is quite clear. The characters all universally agree (except Robert, of course) on this. However, it's not just because of what the characters say, characters can be wrong. George has called Rhaegar a "love-struck prince," and the companion World of Ice and Fire app (approved by Martin) says that in the Undying vision of Rhaegar dying, the name he whispers as he dies is "Lyanna."

But there is even more reason to believe this, and to believe that Lyanna also loved Rhaegar back. In fact, we have four different stories that all allude to Rhaegar and Lyanna, and provide insight into what we might expect. The first two come from the Dance of the Dragons, in Fire and Blood.

But we turn to Mushroom to find the tales other chronicles omit, nor does he fail us now. His account introduces a young maiden, or “wolf girl” as he dubs her, with the name of Sara Snow. So smitten was Prince Jacaerys with this creature, a bastard daughter of the late Lord Rickon Stark, that he lay with her of a night. On learning that his guest had claimed the maidenhead of his bastard sister, Lord Cregan became most wroth, and only softened when Sara Snow told him that the prince had taken her for his wife. They had spoken their vows in Winterfell’s own godswood before a heart tree, and only then had she given herself to him, wrapped in furs amidst the snows as the old gods looked on.

A Targaryen prince marries a Stark girl in secret before a heart tree out of love. Of course it's a Mushroom tale, and Mushroom is the Rudy Guliani of Westeros, but the idea this is supposed to harken back to Rhaegar and Lyanna is reinforced by the other secret marriage of the Dance; Aemond and Alys Rivers.

The “witch queen” of Harrenhal had proved to be none other than Alys Rivers, the baseborn wet nurse who had been the prisoner and then paramour of Prince Aemond Targaryen, and now claimed to be his widow. The boy was Aemond’s, she told the knight. “His bastard?” said Ser Regis. “His trueborn son and heir,” Alys Rivers spat back, “and the rightful king of Westeros.” She commanded the knight to “kneel before your king” and swear him his sword. Ser Regis laughed at this, saying, “I do not kneel to bastards, much less the baseborn whelp of a kinslayer and a milk cow.”

Alys Rivers claims to have the trueborn son of Aemond, which means they married. Her son is believed to be a bastard by everyone, not even a king, since nobody was really in witness to this marriage. Yet this does seem like foreshadowing for Jon's parentage eventually becoming public. Some people will simply laugh it out of court, or continue to call him a bastard, refuse to acknowledge him as king. But some people might also believe he actually is Rhaegar's trueborn son. Alys and Aemond in a way seem like dark mirrors of Lyanna and Rhaegar. Even the armour of Rhaegar and Aemond are described similarly, so this is definitely not accidental.

Seventeen and new to knighthood, Rhaegar Targaryen had worn black plate over golden ringmail when he cantered onto the lists.

Vhagar had come at last, and on her back rode the one-eyed prince Aemond Targaryen, clad in night-black armor chased with gold.

The third story might just about settle any debate on whether Rhaegar and Lyanna were both in love. This one comes directly from Jon's POV, which makes it especially significant.

"Well, long before he was king over the free folk, Bael was a great raider. The Stark in Winterfell wanted Bael's head, but never could take him, and the taste o' failure galled him. One day in his bitterness he called Bael a craven who preyed only on the weak. When word o' that got back, Bael vowed to teach the lord a lesson. So he scaled the Wall, skipped down the kingsroad, and walked into Winterfell one winter's night with harp in hand, naming himself Sygerrik of Skagos. Sygerrik means 'deceiver' in the Old Tongue, that the First Men spoke, and the giants still speak. North or south, singers always find a ready welcome, so Bael ate at Lord Stark's own table, and played for the lord in his high seat until half the night was gone. The old songs he played, and new ones he'd made himself, and he played and sang so well that when he was done, the lord offered to let him name his own reward. 'All I ask is a flower,' Bael answered, 'the fairest flower that blooms in the gardens o' Winterfell.' Now as it happened the winter roses had only then come into bloom, and no flower is so rare nor precious. So the Stark sent to his glass gardens and commanded that the most beautiful o' the winter roses be plucked for the singer's payment. And so it was done. But when morning come, the singer had vanished . . . and so had Lord Brandon's maiden daughter. Her bed they found empty, but for the pale blue rose that Bael had left on the pillow where her head had lain. Lord Brandon had no other children. At his behest, the black crows flew forth from their castles in the hundreds, but nowhere could they find any sign o' Bael or this maid. For most a year they searched, till the lord lost heart and took to his bed, and it seemed as though the line o' Starks was at its end. But one night as he lay waiting to die, Lord Brandon heard a child's cry. He followed the sound and found his daughter back in her bedchamber, asleep with a babe at her breast. They had been in Winterfell all the time, hiding with the dead beneath the castle. The maid loved Bael so dearly she bore him a son, the song says . . . though if truth be told, all the maids love Bael in them songs he wrote. Be that as it may, what's certain is that Bael left the child in payment for the rose he'd plucked unasked, and that the boy grew to be the next Lord Stark. So there it is—you have Bael's blood in you, same as me. The song ends when they find the babe, but there is a darker end to the story. Thirty years later, when Bael was King-beyond-the-Wall and led the free folk south, it was young Lord Stark who met him at the Frozen Ford . . . and killed him, for Bael would not harm his own son when they met sword to sword. When Lord Stark returned from the battle and his mother saw Bael's head upon his spear, she threw herself from a tower in her grief."

Very long quote, abridged somewhat, but very significant to Jon's backstory. Bael seemingly had kidnapped this Stark girl and raped her, and later got what he deserved when he is killed by a Stark lord. Except that Bael and the Stark woman were in love, as evidenced by the grief she felt when she learned he was dead. There is even Bael's son being raised as a Stark and not knowing who his true father was, just like with Jon.

Finally, we only need to look into the Targaryens a single generation prior to find more allusions to Rhaegar and Lyanna.

Aegon's eldest son Duncan, Prince of Dragonstone and heir to the throne, was the first to defy him. Though betrothed to a daughter of House Baratheon of Storm's End, Duncan became enamored of a strange, lovely, and mysterious girl who called herself Jenny of Oldstones in 239 AC, whilst traveling in the riverlands. Though she dwelt half-wild amidst ruins and claimed descent from the long- vanished kings of the First Men, the smallfolk of surrounding villages mocked such tales, insisting that she was only some half-mad peasant girl, and perhaps even a witch. It was true that Aegon had been a friend to the smallfolk, had practically grown up among them, but to countenance the marriage of the heir to the throne to a commoner of uncertain birth was beyond him. His Grace did all he could to have the marriage undone, demanding that Duncan put Jenny aside. The prince shared his father's stubbornness, however, and refused him. Even when the High Septon, Grand Maester, and small council joined together to insist King Aegon force his son to choose between the Iron Throne and this wild woman of the woods, Duncan would not budge. Rather than give up Jenny, he foreswore his claim to the crown in favor of his brother Jaehaerys, and abdicated as Prince of Dragonstone. Even that could not restore the peace, nor win back the friendship of Storm's End, however. The father of the spurned girl, Lord Lyonel Baratheon of Storm's End—known as the Laughing Storm and famed for his prowess in battle—was not a man easily appeased when his pride was wounded. A short, bloody rebellion ensued, ending only when Ser Duncan of the Kingsguard defeated Lord Lyonel in single combat, and King Aegon gave his solemn word that his youngest daughter, Rhaelle, would wed Lord Lyonel's heir.

Prince Duncan the Small, son of Aegon V, was betrothed to a Baratheon girl. He spurned her in favour of a girl who was known to wear flowers in her hair. The aggrieved Lord Baratheon rose in rebellion, and many died. Lyanna was betrothed to Lord Baratheon. She is noted to not have loved Robert, telling Ned that even if he loved her it would not change his nature. Ned also believes that Robert never really loved her, saying he only "saw her beauty, but not the iron underneath."

Lyanna is also known to have loved winter roses, and Jenny wore flowers in her hair. Her and Rhaegar disappearing led to an aggrieved Lord Baratheon rising in bloody rebellion. Duncan and Jenny married without anyones leave but their own, so this is the third love story with a secret marriage between Targaryen princes and women of First Men descent. It's rather quite in our face.

Finally, George Martin himself is a huge romantic, not a nihilist. Rhaegar simply kidnapping Lyanna, locking her up, having a magic prophecy baby via rape, and then dying with her name on his lips is not romantic, it's nihilistic. Besides, I do not believe that Rhaegar eloping with Lyanna was because of prophecy. In fact, and possibly hot take, but I think Rhaegar eloping with Lyanna because of prophecy ruins this dichotomy of love vs. duty that he shares with his son.

If he groomed Lyanna to be with him and have a magic child of prophecy to save the world, then that would be him doing his duty (as he would see it). Yet, we also know that Elia was his duty, so thematically it feels a bit strange for Rhaegar to abandon his duty so he could focus on... his duty again? Did prophecy maybe motivate his actions with Lyanna a little bit? Sure, but it was not the primary reason. Thematically it makes much more sense for George, a romantic, to have one of the reasons for Robert's Rebellion to occur because Rhaegar, a love-struck prince, foreswore his duty to others by choosing love for himself. In fact we see Barristan go through the many wars of Westeros and how many have been started by forbidden love, with Rhaegar and Lyanna being lumped in together with the rest.

Better for Daenerys, and for Westeros. Daenerys Targaryen loved her captain, but that was the girl in her, not the queen. Prince Rhaegar loved his Lady Lyanna, and thousands died for it. Daemon Blackfyre loved the first Daenerys, and rose in rebellion when denied her. Bittersteel and Bloodraven both loved Shiera Seastar, and the Seven Kingdoms bled. The Prince of Dragonflies loved Jenny of Oldstones so much he cast aside a crown, and Westeros paid the bride price in corpses. All three of the sons of the fifth Aegon had wed for love, in defiance of their father's wishes. And because that unlikely monarch had himself followed his heart when he chose his queen, he allowed his sons to have their way, making bitter enemies where he might have had fast friends. Treason and turmoil followed, as night follows day, ending at Summerhall in sorcery, fire, and grief.

Rhaegar did not simply do something like this because he was horny for Lyanna. As we've established, Ned believing Rhaegar never frequented brothels shows he is a man whose desires were ruled not by his libido, but by his heart. The best idea for why Rhaegar fell in love with Lyanna is that he discovered she was the Knight of the Laughing Tree. Wild, willful, beautiful, but iron underneath. Rhaegar loved and understood Lyanna more than Robert ever could or did.

The Wedding of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark

As briefly as I can (and I'm not good at being brief) I want to explain how Rhaegar and Lyanna wed, and address one of the most common pushbacks against the secret marriage theory. There are two ways in which Rhaegar could've married someone else. The first is via polygamy, with Lyanna as his second wife. This may make sense given there is historical precedent, but as we've seen, Rhaegar did care somewhat for going through proper channels. Polygamy would not be one such way to do it, and indeed the marriage would be seen as illegitimate on the face of it.

The other, presented by the TV show, and one that I favour, is that Rhaegar received an annulment from his marriage to Elia. Though there is this prevailing attitude that this would automatically make his children with Elia bastards, there is real life precedent where annulling a marriage with children did, in fact, not change their legitimate status.

Annulment of marriage does not currently change the status of legitimacy of children born to the couple during their putative marriage, i.e., between their marriage ceremony and the legal annulment of their marriage. For example, canon 1137 of the Roman Catholic Church's Code of Canon Law specifically affirms the legitimacy of a child born to a marriage that is declared null following the child's birth.

In addition, the daughters born from the marriage of Elaenor of Aquitaine and King Louis VII were not bastardized when they annulled their marriage.

On 21 March, the four archbishops, with the approval of Pope Eugene, granted an annulment on grounds of consanguinity within the fourth degree; Eleanor was Louis' third cousin once removed, and shared common ancestry with Robert II of France. Their two daughters were, however, declared legitimate. Children born to a marriage that was later annulled were not at risk of being "bastardised," because "[w]here parties married in good faith, without knowledge of an impediment, ... children of the marriage were legitimate."

Though the circumstances with Rhaegar and Elia are different, the precedent for such a thing is very much out there in the real world, and there's little to doubt that such a thing could occur in A Song of Ice and Fire. There are any number of grounds for an annulment between the two; Rhaegar could insist that because Elia cannot have anymore children, there is no point for the marriage to exist. He could also insist alongside this that King Aerys had arranged for the marriage in a fit of madness. Whatever the case, an annulment is not even close to as unreasonable as I've seen some fans argue it to be.

As to why an annulment would even happen in the first place, the reasons are both narrative and thematic. Jon Snow's true identity is a big mystery, and R+L=J is supposed to be the central mystery and big twist of the series. When George does twists, he does not pull any punches. Oberyn dies, Tyrion learns Tysha loved him and grows to hate his family. The Red Wedding does not simply kill off Robb, it kills off Catelyn as well in the most brutal ways possible, and Arya never gets to reunite with them.

Jon Snow's journey with identity is a massive part of the character. He is resentful of his bastard status, that his father never told him who his mother was. It would add to the drama and Jon's own angst that everything he believed about himself is a lie; Eddard Stark is not his father, he's not a bastard, he's got a claim to the Iron Throne, his name isn't even Jon.

My personal headcanon is that it isn't Rhaegar who comes up with the idea of an annulment, it's Elia. Elia has put up with Rhaegar's bullshit for so long, and now that he's preparing to meet with Lyanna, she's just had enough of excuses. Nothing that really points to this, but it's just a small headcanon that allows Elia some agency within the situation.

It is also my belief that Rhaegar and Lyanna's wedding was on the Isle of Faces. This is due to proximity from where Rhaegar and Lyanna met, as well as the fact it is a holy site for the old gods and would make a nice gift for Lyanna, a northwoman. It is also partly narrative, as it would allow someone (*cough* Bran *cough*) to see this and learn the truth behind their relationship. We also know that the Knight of the Laughing Tree story begins with Howland Reed visiting the green men on the Isle of Faces, which is out of place with the rest of the story, and also that George has confirmed the Isle of Faces will come to the fore in later books.

The Dragon's Morality

So, throughout this essay, I have wished to address some of the points about Rhaegar's character, to answer the ultimate question of whether or not Rhaegar is a good person. It's a hard question to answer for someone whose story is not even known and whose characterization is intentionally vague and mysterious. But looking at the totality, is Rhaegar more good than bad, bad than good, or equal parts good and bad?

He was kind, won friends easily, talented, dutiful, honourable, valiant. He tried to fulfill a prophecy that would seek to save humanity from the threat of existential annihilation, did not seek glory for himself or take joy in fighting and wars. He attempted to try and remove his mad and evil father from power. He was passionate and romantic, and loved music and books.

On the other hand, he also publicly insulted his wife Elia and later abandoned her and their children to elope with another woman. He did so without telling anyone, which led to a domino effect that led to tragedy for him and everyone he knew, along with many others. But how much responsibility does Rhaegar have in starting Robert's Rebellion? Was him crowning Lyanna queen of love and beauty the one inciting incident? Was him running off with Lyanna? Was it Brandon riding to the Red Keep and shouting for Rhaegar to come out and die? Or was it Aerys burning him and Rickard alive without trial and demanding the heads of the other Starks, Arryns, and Baratheons?

Personally speaking, I don't think any one of these, including his and Lyanna's disappearance, was the cause of the war. Instead, all of them together was the cause for war. Isolated none of these events on their own caused the rebellion, but all together they did. As George said himself...

"The Kingdom was unified with dragons, so the Targaryen's flaw was to create an absolute monarchy highly dependent on them, with the small council not designed to be a real check and balance. So, without dragons it took a sneeze, a wildly incompetent and megalomaniac king, a love struck prince, a brutal civil war, a dissolute king that didn't really know what to do with the throne and then chaos."

I believe that Rhaegar is a grey character, albeit a lighter shade of grey. He is a tragic figure destined for doom but attempting to fight it. He wanted to do things for the betterment of the world, knew of the great threat coming in the Long Night, attempted to find a way to remove a literal monster from the throne, and sacrificed much to do his duty in these events. His intentions were good, and he never did anything maliciously.

But his flaw was his passion. He put aside his love for song and books to become a warrior that Westeros needed. He did his duty and gave Elia, a woman he did not love, two children, even after courting Lyanna publicly. Yet in the end, his own desires and his heart could not be stayed, and he suffered for it.

Jon Snow is the same way. Sacrificing his family, his home, his lover, all to protect the world. But he failed just as Rhaegar did, and suffered for it. Daenerys too has done this. She sacrificed her throne, her home, her own lover, her morals, even her own dragons, to keep the people he had freed from the bonds of slavery safe. And just like Rhaegar, she too could not keep to it in the end, giving up Meereen, deciding it is time to use her dragons and make west. How this will go for her is a matter of debate, but I imagine she will similarly suffer consequences from it.

Rhaegar isn't a villain. He's a tragic hero.