#Serra mopatis

[targwh0re]

Serra of Lys

[Possibly a Blackfyre and/or Possibly the mother to (F)Aegon]

The Second Wife to Illyrio Mopatis, but later died in Pentos due to a Plague. He has carried a locket around with a painting of her inside and her stone hands ever since. She was described as having big blue eyes, and pale golden hair which was streaked with silver

Some theorize (myself included) that although it is stated that the male Blackfyre line died out, it doesn’t specify if the female line had so there is a possibility that (F)Aegon could be her son with Illyrio. Added to that theory sometimes is that Varys could’ve possibly been her brother.

[Magister Illyrio [Prince (F)Aegon [Lord Varys

Mopatis] Mopatis/Targaryen/ Blackfyre?]

Blackfyre]

Idk about that one but it would explain why both of those men are working together and towards the same goal since (F)Aegon was apparently a baby, and it would also explain the golden company backing up his claim as they have been known to support the Blackfyre’s every time as opposed to The Targaryens. I also don’t think George threw those lines out for nothing…he’s cooking and I hope we eventually get to find out what

[jedimaesteryoda]

Serra was Illyrio’s second wife, a sex slave from a pleasure house in Lys, and likely Aegon’s actual mother. She was a Blackfyre in the War of the Roses parallel of Margaret Beaufort, likely Daemon IV’s daughter sold into slavery after Maelys’s coup. 

Serra’s story sounds much similar to Daenerys’s: a young girl of Targaryen blood in Essos whose (proclaimed) royal father was deposed by a distant cousin, and then sold into marriage as part of a plan to take the Iron Throne. 

She did succeed in having a living son unlike Daenerys, but she never got to see him grow up as Illyrio states about her tragic death:

"A Braavosi trading galley called at Pentos on her way back from the Jade Sea. The Treasure carried cloves and saffron, jet and jade, scarlet samite, green silk … and the grey death. We slew her oarsmen as they came ashore and burned the ship at anchor, but the rats crept down the oars and paddled to the quay on cold stone feet. The plague took two thousand before it ran its course." Magister Illyrio closed the locket. "I keep her hands in my bedchamber. Her hands that were so soft …"

I think just as he doesn’t mention the actual details of her identity and the reason Illyrio married, he also may have been fibbing about her death. The best lies have bits of truth, the truth being the grey plague likely may have happened at the time. Note, he mentions that a plague came to Pentos, yet he doesn’t state that Serra herself got sick. 

At the end of the chapter, Tyrion sings a song by Symon Silvertongue threatening to reveal his secret about the sex worker who became his mistress, Shae. Shae herself (understandbly given her situation) betrayed him, and he would end up killing that very woman with the gold hands of the Hand's chain.

"A Braavosi trading galley called at Pentos on her way back from the Jade Sea. The Treasure

For she was his secret treasure

"I keep her hands in my bedchamber. Her hands that were so soft …"

For hands of gold are always cold, but a woman's hands are warm

Just where was the galley headed? As Illyrio said, it was on its way back to its home port of Braavos, a historical refuge for escaped slaves. 

Cutting off body parts with the tongues removed for little birds is part of Illyrio and Varys’s modus operandi, but it must be noted that the cutting off of one’s hands is the common punishment for thieves. What did Serra try to steal?

The thing of most value to Illyrio and Varys: Aegon.

While Illyrio and Varys were all in on the plan to crown Aegon, just what were Serra’s thoughts on it? The plan involved taking her young son from her for perhaps indefinitely to be raised by strangers to pursue the Iron Throne, a quest that has only resulted in death and disaster for her family.

Serra may have tried to run away with an infant Aegon to Braavos. Illyrio’s house slaves may even have helped her escape. Of course, Varys and Illyrio found out and stopped her, killing the crew on the ship. They would have been undoubtedly mad that she almost undid years of planning, and she likely threatened to reveal their secrets as a desperate last attempt. By that point, she had given birth to Aegon and fulfilled her part in the plan, so they didn’t need her anymore. 

They likely killed Serra, and Illyrio kept her hands as a memento. Serra was used a brood mare for her house's cause and when she tried to exercise some agency, she was murdered.

[warsofasoiaf]

Hello there, I have a two part question here: Is Illyrio Mopatis also a descendent of the female Blackfyre line, or do you think Aegon’s Blackfyre heritage comes purely through his mother, Serra?

Likewise, is Varys a Blackfyre (hence the castration), and therefore directly related to Serra, Aegon and/or possibly even Illyrio?

I don't believe either Varys or Illyrio are members of the Blackfyre lineage themselves, although I am a believer that Aegon is a descendant of the Blackfyres through the female line; the specific denial given by Illyrio is simply too on-the-nose for it not to be relevant. I actually believe Varys to be what he says: an enlightened master who believes that a person completely crafted and pruned like a bonsai tree can create a ruler of perfect benevolence. It comes from his beginnings as a mummer, he believes he can craft a monarch with a perfect fantasy origin to connote legitimacy through Varys's command of symbol. It's an exercise of supreme hubris, of course, and Tyrion's chapters with Aegon already show how hollow Varys's plan really is, but conceptually, it's fascinating.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[aegor-bamfsteel]

Hello there, I have a two part question here: Is Illyrio Mopatis also a descendent of the female Blackfyre line, or do you think Aegon’s Blackfyre heritage comes purely through his mother, Serra?

Likewise, is Varys a Blackfyre (hence the castration), and therefore directly related to Serra, Aegon and/or possibly even Illyrio?

Hello anon. I don’t personally believe Aegon “Young Griff” has any Blackfyre heritage, nor does Illyrio, Serra, or Varys. I believe that theory comes from Targ fans who can’t stand Dàny and Jon not being the super special only dragon blooded scions they are, and who have to twist the Blackfyre ethos of honorable straightforward fighting into some hidden baby plot. It makes very little sense to me for a Lysene Slave, a Lysene prostituted woman, and a Braavosi sellsword to be related to a bunch of Tyroshi nobles….and the explanations the theorist come up with are horrifying (that the Blackfyres were sold into slavery after or even by Maelys). At least Daario is from their city. There’s few clues linking them to the Blackfyres. Aegon has few connections to the Stepstones where his supposed family is from, but plenty of connection to the Rhoynar including the turtles that attend their royalty. I know there are other people who buy into the Aegon Blackfyre (or even the fortunately debunked Aegon Blackrivers theory that posits he’s a descendant of Aegor Rivers), but I consider it unlikely due to Blackfyre characterization and regional plausibility. I advise you, if you were looking for a more positive answer, to check out the #aegon+blackfyre tag where there may be more elaborations on this theory. Thanks for the ask.

[beyondmistland]

Hello there, I have a two part question here: Is Illyrio Mopatis also a descendent of the female Blackfyre line, or do you think Aegon’s Blackfyre heritage comes purely through his mother, Serra?

Likewise, is Varys a Blackfyre (hence the castration), and therefore directly related to Serra, Aegon and/or possibly even Illyrio?

That would needlessly complicate things without actually adding anything of value so no and no.

Thanks for the question, anon

[ao3feed-tywin]

Winter (Coming Soon)

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/zeokPTQ

by BonnieScotty

For hundreds of years the North has presented themselves to be sparsely populated, and many of the people easy to walk over.

But the North is secretive, incredibly so. Their true strength has been in plain sight all along, and they are done with being seen as weak. It is time for Westeros to know the truth.

A/N: MAJOR AU. This is a request. First part will not be posted for a bit as working on a storyline still but all background etc is worked out.

Words: 405, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Game of Thrones (TV), A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi

Characters: Eddard Stark, Catelyn Tully Stark, Robb Stark, Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, Bran Stark, Rickon Stark, Benjen Stark, Roslin Frey, Meera Reed, Dacey Mormont, Jon Snow, Rhaenys Targaryen (Daughter of Elia), Daenerys Targaryen, Viserys Targaryen, Aegon Targaryen (Son of Elia), Domeric Bolton, Jon "The Smalljon" Umber, Lyessa Flint, Alysanne Mormont, Jonelle Cerwyn, Wynafryd Manderly, Theon Greyjoy, Asha Greyjoy | Yara Greyjoy, Robert Baratheon, Cersei Lannister, Jaime Lannister, Tyrion Lannister, Stannis Baratheon, Renly Baratheon, Shireen Baratheon, Joffrey Baratheon, Myrcella Baratheon, Tommen Baratheon, Monford Velaryon, Aurane Waters, Varys, Illyrio Mopatis, Serra Mopatis, Young Griff (ASoIaF), Petyr Baelish, Edmure Tully, Lysa Tully, Tywin Lannister, Val, Tormund Giantsbane, Mance Rayder, Dalla the Wildling (A Song of Ice and Fire)

Relationships: Robb Stark/Roslin Frey/Meera Reed/Dacey Mormont, Jon Snow/Rhaenys Targaryen/Daenerys Targaryen/Aegon Targaryen, Sansa Stark/Domeric Bolton/Jon "The Smalljon" Umber, Eddard Stark/Catelyn Stark, Benjen Stark/Lyessa Flint/Alysanne Mormont, Viserys Targaryen/Jonelle Cerwyn/Wynafryd Manderly, More Relationship Tags to be Added

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Polygamy, Sibling Incest, Strong North, Magic, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Wargs, Greenseers & Greensight (A Song of Ice and Fire), Dragons, Wildlings | The Free Folk (A Song of Ice and Fire), Ancient magic, Secret Strength, Jon Snow is a Targaryen, Jon Snow's Name is Daemon, Daenerys Targaryen and Viserys Targaryen go North, The Velaryon's are in on it, Rhaenys Targaryen (Daughter of Elia) Lives, Aegon Targaryen (Son of Elia) Lives

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/zeokPTQ

[sayruq]

If I+S=A, why would Blackheart let Varys and Serra to become slaves instead of protecting them and getting profitable betrothals to preserve Daemon's line ?

the golden company isn't without gold and they could have easily supported the last blackfyres given how many wars they've fought in their names. instead varys had to climb out of slavery after suffering mutilation and he happened to know where serra was and serra spent years in sexual slavery, suffering untold horrors until illyrio bought her, fell in love with her and freed her to marry her. golden company apparently knows where the female line of the blackfyres is and the last of the male heirs and they decided to fight pointless wars in the disputed lands instead of rescuing them. the same golden company that fought for maelys who was described by his enemies as a monster.

apparently now that illyrio and serra had a perfect targaryen looking son, the golden company was willing to step in. they're so kind, they were willing to including daenerys targaryen in their invasion of westeros.

the blackfyre theory is up there as one of the worst theories in asoiaf fandom history and i'm in including varys is a merman in this

[amuelia]

I met a traveller from an antique land, Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand, Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed; And on the pedestal, these words appear: My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

- Ozymandias, Percy Bysshe Shelley

My ship exchange piece for @mylestoyne ! Inspired in parts by some of your meta, i hope you like it :)

This poem comic depicts a post-aDwD fanfic scenario where Jon Connington comes to the conclusion he has been lied to by his captain and lover Myles Toyne, and that the boy he thought Rhaegar’s son is actually a Blackfyre. The true identity of Young Griff in the books is of course not known, so you can interpret this as either Jon finding out the truth, or him tragically coming to a wrong conclusion; either way the knowledge is driving him mad.

Characters depicted in order of appearance: Jon Connington, Myles Toyne, Aegor Rivers/Bittersteel, Daemon Blackfyre, Maelys Blackfyre, Serra, Illyrio Mopatis, Varys, Young Griff

[first-of-her-nxme]

Heeeeeh. I know I+S=A is a popular theory on Reddit and Tumblr but isn't canon in the books.

Do you mean Illyrio+Serra=Young Griff? If so, it’s true. Serra is definitely the mother. Illyrio is the father or a stepfather. 

If by “A” you mean Aegon Targaryen then it must be said that these are two different characters. Young Griff believes that he is Aegon VI but he is not one. He is the “Arbor gold”, the fake gold, the fake prince, the lie. He might have the Targaryen blood though. Illyrio is a walking copy of Aegon IV so he must be the king’s descendant, through one of the king’s bastards. Serra has the looks of Saera Targaryen, Jaehaerys’s and Alysanne’s daughter, the princess who fled to Lys. Saera had bastards in Lys so Serra is probably her descendant. So Young Griff has Targaryen blood but he is not Rhaegar’s son. 

I don’t know if this is a popular theory but it’s well grounded in the books. I wrote a longer explanation of it in another answer with relevant book quotes.

The true Aegon Targaryen lives. He is the “pisswater prince” from Young Griff’s story. The true prince has been abandoned and humiliated while the usurper is getting all the glory. GRRM took the idea from Mark Twain’s “The Prince and the Pauper”. Young Griff’s conquest won’t last though, his demise has already been foreshadowed in the books.

[andthemaidenfair]

Question?

I believe that Varys is either a Blackfyre bastard or a Blackfyre supporter at the very least and I believe that fAegon is a Blackfyre via his mother. It would explain so much including Varys’ continued and frankly outright evil destabilization of Westeros.

What I don’t get is the time line. Varys coming to Westeros, joining the council, and manipulating the Mad King all seem to support this theory but the only problem is why would he be in play like that before there was even a Blackfyre heir? Is f/Aegon older than he seems? Was the plan to plant Varys into the council was put in action as soon as Illyrio got together with Serra in preparation for a Blackfyre heir. Varys and co. are more than capable of playing the long game but I’m still confused as to what those initial Aerys manipulations were about. I wonder if the OG plan was to put Serra on the throne but she died in childbirth (only suggesting it because at times it feels like the only way GRRM writes women’s deathes *eye roll*) it would make sense to tell everyone she died of plague if you didn’t want anyone to think you had a son stake in the race for the IT.

To me the only options that make sense are either

1) Serra was the original mummers dragon and the plan was to make her the queen after Aenys but she died in childbirth during Robert’s rebellion

2) fAegon was already born and the plan was to install him as a boy king and Serra as regent

3) f/Aegon was already born and Varys ensured that the real Aegon was killed in a way that he couldn’t be recognized and wait over a decade to try to make him king

4) Serra was married to Illyrio and would presumably give birth to Blackfyre heirs eventually

I need to reread Dance but can anyone help me with this or point me in the direction of a theory or two?

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

You said in your tags "Even if he turns out to be fake". Does that mean there is a possibility that young griff is real aegon?

Many things are possible. I think it is most likely that the Aegon supposedly saved from the Sack and raised by Jon Connington is a fake, I’m even willing to bet money he’s a fake. (Not a lot of money, I don’t have a lot to bet, but still.) I think it is highly probable he’s a Blackfyre, I think there is a very strong chance that he’s Illyrio and Serra’s son, and a strong chance that Serra was a Blackfyre descendant. I even think there’s a moderate possibility that Serra and Varys were siblings, and that the sorcerer gelded Varys for his king’s blood.

But these are still all theories, because the text has not yet told us this information. I believe the current text can be read to imply this information, and I believe that future yet-unpublished text will eventually reveal much or all of this information to be true. If I didn’t believe these things, I wouldn’t consider these theories probable.

But I could be wrong, as could be anyone who ever theorized on the subject. I think I’m right! But I might not be. Only GRRM knows the truth for now, and we’ll just have to wait and see what he eventually tells us.

[poorquentyn]

Why does Illyrio keep Serra's hands? Are they some token of legitimacy for (f)Aegon? Or is he actually just a sick freak?

Ok, so, here’s where the “Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings might have genuinely been in love, you don’t know” crowd might wanna check out. (Yes, that crowd exists. I’m sorry too.) 

Illyrio says he loved Serra, and as I said recently, I think we learned in Tyrion’s ADWD chapters that this has been driving every decision the cheesemonger has made in the series. But when you put him keeping her hands in his bedroom because they brought him physical pleasure in context with this…

“Whores are found in brothels here, as in Westeros. You will have no need of such, my little friend. Choose from amongst my servingwomen. None will dare refuse you.”

“Slaves?” the dwarf asked pointedly.

The fat man stroked one of the prongs of his oiled yellow beard, a gesture Tyrion found remarkably obscene. “Slavery is forbidden in Pentos, by the terms of the treaty the Braavosi imposed on us a hundred years ago. Still, they will not refuse you.”

…and this…

The fat man grew pensive. “Daenerys was half a child when she came to me, yet fairer even than my second wife, so lovely I was tempted to claim her for myself. Such a fearful, furtive thing, however, I knew I should get no joy from coupling with her. Instead I summoned a bedwarmer and fucked her vigorously until the madness passed.”

…I don’t think we’re supposed to relate to Illyrio as a sad romantic, so much as we are to understand him as a smarter version of Victarion. Both men honestly believe that they’re driven by lost love, but the author steps back, elbows us in the ribs, and shows us who they really are. They are slavers who have managed to convince themselves that this status did not infect their relationships, when of course, it absolutely did. It could not not have. 

So, in answer to your question: Illyrio Mopatis is genuinely heartbroken that Serra died, and is also an exploitative monster, one whose worldview is such that the only way he can think to express that heartbreak is to keep her fuckin’ hands in his fuckin’ bedroom. 

[aegor-bamfsteel]

What do you think of Aegon's Brightfyre theory ? (Illyrio is Bittersteel's and Calla's descendant, Serra is in Aerion's illegitimate line). Do you really think Bittersteel's descendant would want to father with Dyanna's and Mariah's descendant ?

‘Aegon Brightfyre’ is one of the more complicated versions of the Aegon Blackfyre theory I’ve read about in fandom (meaning it requires both the Blackrivers and Brightflame lines to survive to canon era and for those scions to reproduce, none of which is made at all clear in the text), and for that reason it’s not one I’m particularly attached to. I figured I might as well answer this ask now because I’ve recently learned that GRRM has said Aegor Rivers probably didn’t have children, essentially putting an end to all Blackrivers-related speculation (although, as I’ve said in the linked meta, there are still several possible people who could be ‘female-line Blackfyre’ ancestors, including Bittersteel’s previously-assumed-to-be-wife Calla). Although even without the 2018 interview, I still don’t buy the Illyrio Blackfyre theory because it relies on the provincialist thinking that “well, Illyrio is from Essos and has interest in the Iron Throne, the Blackfyres lived in Essos and were interested in the Iron Throne, so they must be related” as if a whole continent with a myriad of diverse cities and cultures must all be connected in a way that relates to the goings-on in Westeros. Illyrio Mopatis was born and grew up in Pentos as a poor bravo “living by his blade”; the Blackfyres were descended in the female line from a Tyroshi woman closely connected to the Archon. We don’t even know if Illyrio served with any sellsword companies in his youth, let alone the Golden Company; he got his wealth fencing stolen goods with Varys. I’m not seeing any details in Illyrio’s past (though granted, we don’t know much about it) that indicate any blood relation to the Blackfyres. He may have had “long, straight blond hair” as a youth and be morbidly obese right now, but so do other characters (the Lannisters, Wyman Manderly) and barring any other odd details this late in the game, I’m standing by him having no Blackfyre blood.

As for Serra being from an illegitimate Brightflame line…

I’ll admit out of all of the secret parentage theories surrounding Aegon VI, I like this one the most. I believe it requires the least amount of assumptions: as far back as 1999, GRRM said that Aerion may’ve sired bastards in Lys; it makes sense for him to be a possible ancestor to a Lysene pillow-house worker. It’s also incredibly strange for Illyrio to divorce his first wife, the cousin of the prince of Pentos, and risk her relatives’ ire (being barred from the Prince’s manse forever) to marry Serra just because “she pleased him well” (that hurt to type, I’m sorry). Granted Illyrio is rather eccentric (preserving Serra’s stone hands) and egocentric (he’s got a statue of himself as a young man in his own house), but on the surface it’s hardly a profitable move for a self-made man. A plausible explanation for the divorce/marriage could be Serra’s significant bloodline and to make sure her putative children by him are legitimized. It’s also a deeper-rooted, subtler alternative to the Serra Blackfyre theory; Aerion and his possible children have been set up since the first Dunk and Egg story, and his death by drinking wildfire has been mentioned about once a book since Game of Thrones; by contrast, most of the Blackfyre hints have been hastily dumped on us in Book 5. However, the theory that Serra is a Brightflame and Aegon VI is her son by Illyrio isn’t airtight: if Serra was illegitimate, then how would she know about her Targaryen ancestor? And if she was legitimate (as in descended from Aerion’s son Maegor) then why in the seven hells was she working in a pillow-house presumably as a bed slave? Princess Saera Targaryen owned a pillow-house in Volantis, and Johanna Swann was a noble girl who eventually became a powerful courtesan in Lys, but those are far more prestigious positions than Serra’s. Furthermore, Serra had blue eyes while Aegon VI has purple eyes, which casts both Serra’s Targaryen identity and her relationship to Aegon VI in doubt (the silver-gold hair/blue eyes combo is typically Lysene and even low-born Lyseni have it). And of course, it’s never been confirmed that Illyrio has any offspring. So while I think the theory is interesting, I’m not entirely convinced.

Do [I] really think Bittersteel’s descendant would want to father with Dyanna’s and Mariah’s descendant? I understand what you’re asking, and I strongly disagree with the implications. I’m going to answer this question assuming Bittersteel did have descendants because I believe the facts need to be set straight here.

Bittersteel’s descendants would’ve spent generations in Tyrosh, an ethnically-diverse Free City that values wealth more than birth. It’s also logical to assume they would be close to the Golden Company, which is again mixed ethnically and socioeconomically (from exiled nobles to freed slaves). Why would they care if their partner had Dornish ancestry? They themselves are mixed-ethnicity (Targaryen-Valyrian, First Men Riverlander, non-Valyrian Essosi/possibly Ghiscari, some distant Lysene-Valyrian and Andal Vale, among probably others).

There is no evidence that Bittersteel harbored a grudge against the Dornish: While certainly one to hold grudges, Bittersteel’s were canonically against House Targaryen and above all Bloodraven. The Brackens did not fight in Daeron I’s War for Dornish Conquest and thus lost no family members to the fighting. Although Aegon IV wished for a return to war with Dorne, Aegor had every reason to hate the murderer of half of his family and was not even at court for the majority of his reign. In fact, he may’ve even supported the Dornish out of spite/solidarity at being outsiders in King’s Landing; after all, Arianne says in AFFC that the Yronwoods rode with Bittersteel during all three of the Blackfyre Rebellions in which he participated. So again, why would it bother him or his descendants if their partner had Dornish ancestry?

Perhaps a more accurate question to what we know of Bittersteel’s character is: Do I think a descendant of Bittersteel would really father with Daeron II’s (involved in exiling his mother from court) and Aerion’s (did horrible things during the Third Blackfyre Rebellion) descendant? I certainly believe Bittersteel himself would’ve minded, although perhaps his descendants, worn down by constant wars and craving escape from Tyrosh, may’ve felt differently. However, I believe that Aenys Blackfyre’s murder in 233AL spelled death to any chance that a Blackfyre and a Targaryen might interact peacefully, let alone intermarry. While it is a moot point for now, I hope it’s confirmed that the Blackfyres never married into the family that butchered their kin for over 60 years.

[agameofclothes]

What Serra would have worn when she first met Illyrio, J mendel

[addamvelaryon]

Q: Are there events/characters of TWOIAF that you believe are meant to act as historical backdrops to future events in the story (e.g. the Valyrian/Targaryen etymology of the name Serra (Found in Jaehaerys I's daughter Viserra) acting as a naming precedent for characters such as Serra Mopatis)? If so, might you reveal a name, character or event from TWOIAF that you think has implications for the story going forward?

A: Archmaester Rigney once wrote that history is a wheel, for the nature of man is fundamentally unchanging. What has happened before will perforce happen again, he said.

source