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butterflyintochains · 7 months ago

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Princess Shaena Headcanons

Just some little headcanons and thoughts about my desert dragon, I adore developing Shaena!

Shaena loves being outdoors. She loves nothing more than being outside in the fresh air and sunlight, and taking long walks alone whenever she can.

She also loves animals, horses and cats in particular. She comes to own several cats while in Dorne, and is a talented horse rider.

Her hair is something she also takes great pride in, it is the silver typical of her family, and she grows it quite long. It gives her great pain to have to cover it up after the rebellion.

Where Rhaegar's eyes are dark indigo, and Viserys inherits lilac eyes, Shaena and Daenerys share the pure amethyst eyes of their mother, Queen Rhaella. Shaena's are described as being 'wise' and 'those of a woman who has seen too much'.

Shaena is never far from her dragonbone bow - Defiance - keeping it close at hand at all times, sometimes even having it by the bed.

Post Long Night, Shaena becomes a kind of matriarch to everyone. Sansa writing regularly, Arya and Shaena become quite close, Bran confides in her about his visions, Jon and Dany treat her as a Regent.

Of all her animals, the one she comes to love most is her dragon, Nymerax 'The Scarlet Lady'. Born as her last nephew dies, amidst grief and darkness. Nymerax is the daughter of Caraxes and Syrax, and sister of Stormcloud, her egg being taken from Dragonstone to Dorne when Shaena wed Oberyn.

Shaena loves purple, it's the colour she most consistently wears aside from red and black.

As an adult, she gets herbal skin creams shipped to Dorne from Lys to protect her skin from the harsh sunlight, and to soothe her many scars.

A total mama's girl growing up, for obvious reasons if you read any of my fics involving her relationship with Aerys.

Shaena, unlike her brother, is not gifted at music. But, she is a lover of writing, becoming quite the poet in her adulthood.

Shaena grows up idolising Conqueror Queens Rhaenys and Visenya, Queen Alysanne, and Daena The Defiant - especially the latter, even naming her beloved longbow after the princess.

A loving mother to her eight children with Oberyn. Fostering all of their passions with pride, and providing them all comfort, love, and a listening ear for their secrets and worries. But, Shaena is rather loath to tell them her own story, finding it too difficult to do so.

Neither of her parents make it to her wedding to Oberyn. Owing to the secret nature of the ceremony, not wanting Aerys there, and Rhaella being forbidden. Shaena's protector, Cyrus Adarys, ends up presenting her, and her best friend, Aelinor Velaryon, carries her cloak for her.

She falls in love with Oberyn at Rhaegar and Elia's wedding, and is immediately set on marrying him and him alone.

In the post-Targaryen era, Shaena takes to covering her hair in public. Her violet eyes may be mistaken for Dayne or Velaryon, but her hair can't be. Under Robert, being who she is is dangerous to herself and her family, so her hair must be hidden. This only ceases in Joffrey's reign, his concern being the civil war instead.

Briefly trains as an assassin in Tyrosh after Alyssa is born, and puts her skills to good use. Killing The Mountain, among others.

Alongside her husband, arranges the marriage of her niece, Arianne Martell, to Gerold Dayne. Finally uniting the two major Dornish families under one banner.

Is said to have an eye for blossoming love between young couples, she puts it down to her dragon dreams.

While all four of Aerys' children inherit dragon dreams, Shaena is most in tune with her prophetic abilities. And, she even teaches Daenerys how to interpret them, and even control them.

It is difficult for her to differentiate her dragon dreams from regular ones or nightmares, however.

Shaena's favourite food is a simple chicken pie with a summer salad, a Dornish specialty she grows to love. She also loves strawberry desserts, craving them being the hint to Oberyn of her eight pregnancies. Overall, she has a really healthy diet.

The princess is an avid diarist, keeping a daily journal since the age of seven. The books have a permanent place on a shelf in the couple's office.

Rhaegar and Shaena also used to exchange letters every half week, Shaena has every single letter her brother wrote to her archived in a lockbox.

Interestingly, Shaena never considers Rhaegar as a name for any of her four sons with Oberyn. The grief too near, the man too irreplaceable in life, and the political implication too grave.

Does not trust Maesters or the Citadel, forbidding them from serving her family, or helping deliver her children. Instead, she hired eastern scholars and nurses.

Wins her first archery competition at a melee at Highgarden at sixteen years old, the first female to win the contest. The first of her nine wins across five contests.

Helps pioneer dragonback archery during the Long Night using Viserion as a temporary mount while Nymerax is still growing. Then, on Nymerax's back once she's big enough.

Is one of four people in Westeros who knows who Jon Snow actually is.

Shaena's arms and back are littered by scars from the years of abuse from her father, the scars still pain her well into adulthood. Requiring constant balms and icing.

Fluent in Common, High Valyrian, and Rhoynish.

Despite not knowing each other growing up, Shaena and Daenerys forge an unbreakable bond once they're finally united. Shaena even writing a family history book for her sister.

To the princess, Defiance is not a weapon or object. The longbow is her friend, her protector, a vestige of her brother, and an extension of her arm. She treasures her bow, and never lets anyone else touch it.

Her prized possessions are as follows:

Defiance Her mother's dragon necklace Nymerax's egg (prior to hatching) Her wedding ring (which never leaves her hand) Her valyrian steel daggers, called Dream and Destiny Rhaegar's last letter to her. Her journal. Her wedding tiara. Her Archon's Archers insignias.

Shaena takes on the moniker 'Shaena the Humble' in Dorne, due to her lack of aspirations for the throne and general contentedness with her life as it is. Her favourite epithet, however, is always 'The Desert Dragon'.

She also picks up 'The Dreamer Reborn' as a girl for her powerful seeing ability, and attains 'The Last Valyrian' after the rebellion.

Shaena and Oberyn are very protective over each other, and are each other's best friend and biggest supporter.

Is at her sister and nephew's side for the births of all six of their children. Having not had any family around her for the births of her own. She also gets to witness Rhaenys and Aegon's births.

Nymerax, mating with Rhaegal, produces the clutch for Rhaegar, Alysanne, Aemon, Rhaella, Benjen, and Lyanna's dragon eggs. Her nephews and nieces all have eggs that are the grandchildren of Caraxes and Syrax.

No one ever discovers the fact that she killed Gregor Clegane, she has to actually tell the Imperial council herself.

While not particularly religious, Shaena does believe in some kind of higher power, she just doesn't quite know what exactly it is. She feels like the traditional Gods abandoned her to her father's abuse, so hasn't been religious ever since.

Unlike most Westerosi noble/royal couples who sleep apart, Shaena and Oberyn cannot sleep without each other.

Following Dornish custom, Shaena hyphenates her name to Targaryen-Martell when she gets married. Her children are thusly called Martell-Targaryen. Their father's name coming first.

#asoiaf #house of the dragon #house targaryen #game of thrones #the desert dragon

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shipcestuous · 2 years ago

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If we're going to talk about disappointment and widowhood as the Greek mythology anon said, I really am a Targaryen incest widow and unfortunately the adaptation of Dance with Dragons doesn't appeal to me at all. I've tried to piece together some random thoughts I have about.

1. There's enough canonical incest in Dances with Dragons, but it's overshadowed by war. It's basically tragedy. Rhaenyra and Daemon married to people they don't love (like most in ASOIAF) and having children with these people before getting together. The poor Helaena married to her brother and being forced to choose between her children. I should probably be used to it, there are things like that throughout the writing, but Dance with Dragons is especially gory and stands out in my mind more negatively than others eras. I will probably read AU fanfics when they exist.

2. Totally a matter of taste, but I would much prefer an adaptation of the Blackfyre Rebellions. See the beautiful Shiera Seastar and her relationship with her brothers. well, there's war, there's tragedy too, but in my opinion nothing compares to Dance with Dragons.

3. It probably won't happen for a while, but an adaptation of Conquest of the Targaryens is not something I would be happy to see, I mean I would certainly appreciate the cast choice, they did a fantastic job on House of Dragon, but seeing Visenya being passed over by Rhaenys? That's not how a romantic threesome is supposed to work. well, Rhaenys dies and so and so, but the son of Visenya is known as Maegor the cruel, the current Targaryen lineage is not even directly related to her, it comes from Rhaenys' son Aenys. Did she really get nothing good out of this marriage? I know Visenya was an amazing strong woman, that's why I admire her, but her resilience in dealing with Aegon and Rhaenys is commendable, I would hate them. Another Targaryen incest I wouldn't want to see.

Fourth point, which should actually be the first, Viserys/Daenerys had SO much potential. It ended before it started with Viserys' early death, and I feel like it's so disappointing, and that the things might be different if Viserys wasn't so...weak. I honestly never understood why Viserys never went to Dorne. With the right persuasion they would help with a promise to avenge Elia, and though they would not putting Rhaegar's crimes under Viserys's head, I doubt they would want to see another Princess Martell on the Iron Throne anytime soon. I don't think it would all be over if he married Daenerys. What went through his mind to marry his sister to that man and think he could reclaim the throne that way is beyond my comprehension and I will never truly understand.

Also, there are no fanfics that do justice to this couple out there, I'm sure Dany's life would be better with a stronger, more loving Viserys.

There aren't many Daenerys/Rhaegar around either, in fact hardly any, I don't like Rhaegar Targaryen, he's a scum but he's handsome and I wouldn't mind reading smut oneshots of him with Dany. Viserys/Rhaegar/Daenerys would also have been great and an improved version of the Conquerors.

There are many other things I'd like to say, but I've tried not to be wordy (failed), i also lost some thoughts while writing, maybe there are things missing and maybe my spelling is missing in some places, I didn't proofread the text, i hope you understand.

I guess basically I'm complaining about not having enough Targaryen incest, but I know you would mention House of Dragon and I explained why that's not an option for me. So yes it sucks like incest, with little representation and the little representation that there is you're not comfortable watching, I'm a clown 🤡

One thing I will say about House of the Dragon is that it may not be faithful to the source material - though I doubt for the better.

It's a shame that all the potential of House Targaryen and their long history of incestuous marriage hasn't given us anything really good to ship/watch/gush about.

I suppose we've got to hope that House of the Dragon is a success, so that we might get more GOT/Targaryens in the future.

I'm totally with you on Visenya/Aegon/Rhaenys. Visenya being the odd one out would just be hard for me to watch.

Viserys as written really did make an odd choice turning to the Dothraki. I can only assume the influence of others were what really made the decision

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, Anon. I am sorry for your pain!

#asks #anonymous #commentary #noiv #nr #r: brosis #canon #targaryens #a song of ice and fire #house of the dragon #tw: incest #dances with dragons #conquest of the targaryens #aegon and visenya #daenerys and viserys #daenerys and viserys: commentary

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nobodysuspectsthebutterfly · 6 years ago

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Dany’s vision of Rhaegar and Elia 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.

--A Clash of Kings, Daenerys IV

“His is the song of ice and fire, my brother said. I’m certain it was my brother. Not Viserys, Rhaegar. He had a harp with silver strings.” Ser Jorah’s frown deepened until his eyebrows came together. “Prince Rhaegar played such a harp,” he conceded. “You saw him?” She nodded. “There was a woman in a bed with a babe at her breast. My brother said the babe was the prince that was promised and told her to name him Aegon.” “Prince Aegon was Rhaegar’s heir by Elia of Dorne,” Ser Jorah said. “But if he was this prince that was promised, the promise was broken along with his skull when the Lannisters dashed his head against a wall.” “I remember,” Dany said sadly. “They murdered Rhaegar’s daughter as well, the little princess. Rhaenys, she was named, like Aegon’s sister. There was no Visenya, but he said the dragon has three heads. What is the song of ice and fire?” “It’s no song I’ve ever heard.”

--A Clash of Kings, Daenerys V

Raina: Who is the couple celebrating the birth of a son that Dany sees in her vision in the wizard's palace in Qarth? Can you tell us? Is it Rhaegar and someone? Or is it the original Aegon (the Conqueror?)

GRRM: Rhaegar and his wife, Elia of Dorne.

--So Spake Martin, December 26, 1998

#asoiaf #asoiaf meta #daenerys targaryen #rhaegar targaryen #elia martell #prince aegon targaryen #elia's son aegon you gullible dorks lololol #the house of the undying #asoiaf prophecies #so spake martin #grrm #the show is not the books #you can stick that in your high horse and smoke it #laughing forever #laughing like a supervillain

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trinuviel · 7 years ago

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Three Heads has the Dragon... (part 2)

This is the continuation of a previous post that scrutinizes the prophecy of the Three Heads of the Dragon. It is a prophecy that we know very little about, apart from Daenerys’ vision in the House of the Undying and Maester Aemon mentioning it when he’s dying. We do know that it is connected to the prophecy of the Prince that was Promised and that both Rhaegar Targaryen and Maester Aemon believed in it.

My reason for trying to tackle this very ambiguous notion of the Three Heads of the Dragon is that it is a prophecy where fandom speculation has hardened into a kind of orthodoxy where it is believed that the Three Heads mean three dragonriders and possibly three Targaryens - and the theory has devolved into a rather boring guessing game.

The reason that this particular interpretation holds sway is that it is an idea that is introduced in the text itself. However, it is Daenerys’ interpretation and as readers we should be wary when a character thinks that they have cracked the code of a prophecy - we know this in regard to Melisandre who believes that Stannis Baratheon is Azor Ahai reborn/the Prince that was Promised and Cersei Lannister who thinks that Margaery Tyrell is the Younger and More Beautiful Queen that is to cast her down. They are both being set up for a Prophecy Twist through the trope of the Prophectic Fallacy, which is a variation of the Prophecy Twist but also related to the Self-Fullfilling Prophecy:

Whenever anyone tries to avert a prophecy, for good or ill, the end result of their actions is to bring the prophecy about. The harder they struggle to prevent it, the more inescapable their destiny becomes. Fate, it seems, loves irony. Strangely, the other side of this, where the prophecy is fulfilled because someone wants to fulfill it, is rarely explored in fiction. (TVTropes)

Cersei is a text-book example of the trope of the Self-Fullfilling Prophecy whereas Melisandre represents the other side of the coin. She fails because she strives to fullfill the prophecy. Rhaegar falls into this category as well, which I argued in my previous post. The Prophectic Fallacy often happens when the prophecy is incomplete or deceptive rather than simply vague - and the prophecy of the Three Heads of the Dragon is, in fact, incomplete.

If both Melisandre and Cersei fall victims to the Prophectic Fallacy, then why should Daenerys be exempt from the same fallacy when she is just as obsessed with prophecy?

There’s a good chance that Daenerys’ interpretation of the prophecy is wrong but her actions will bring about a twisted version of her interpretation due to another prophecy: the one of the Three Treasons, which may indeed be related to the Three Heads of the Dragon as I noted in my previous post.

The text teases the image of a gender-bent recreation of the original Targaryen trio of Aegon the Conqueror, his two sister-wives and their three dragons but I doubt the parallel will be neither straight-forward nor uncomplicated.

The text shows us one hidden Targaryen who may not be a “real” one as well as a real hidden Targaryen, unrevealed but hinted at since book 1. This looks like a perfect set-up for Queen Daenerys the Conqueror and her two nephew-husbands. This idea of an inverted recreation of the original Targaryen trio is a seductive one as it teases a Targaryen restoration - but I doubt that things will that straightforward. When the text teases this particular image, we ought to approach it with both caution and suspicion and ask: What function does the idea of an inverted recreation of the Targaryen trio serve in relation to the overall narrative structure? If the three heads of the dragon are Daenerys the Conqueror and her hidden nephews, will this be a story of triumph or of strife? (x)

It is time to explore these questions.

AEGON THE CONQUEROR REBORN

The text itself draws numerous parallels between Daenerys and her illustrious ancestor, the founder of the Targaryen ruling dynasty - and it is this heritage that she uses as the justification for a (re)conquest of Westeros. Like Aegon I, Daenerys was born on Dragonstone, the ancestral seat of House Targaryen after the Doom of Valyria. In the show, Daenerys launches her conquest from Dragonstone.

In the books, she’s still in Essos and it will be interesting to see whether she follows the same path as the show. However, thematically and symbolically, there’s a strong argument for Daenerys first returning to Dragonstone in the books as well. Fx Dany deliberately evokes the conquering trio when she sails from Qarth to acquire an army for her (re)conquest:

Three heads has the dragon, Dany thought, wondering. “I shall tell my people to make ready to depart at once. But the ships that bring me home must bear different names.”“As you wish,” said Arstan. “What names would you prefer?” "Vhagar,” Daenerys told him. “Meraxes. And Balerion. Paint the names on their hulls in golden letters three feet high, Arstan. I want every man who sees them to know the dragons are returned.” (ACoK, Daenerys V)

Vhagar, Meraxes and Balerion were the names of the dragons that Visenya, Rhaenys and Aegon the Conqueror rode when they conquered Westeros, the very creatures that made the Conquest possible.

Even Drogon, Daenerys’ draconic mount, has several similarities with Aegon’s dragon, Balerion the Black Dread. Like Balerion, Drogon’s scales and flame are black. He is also the largest of Dany’s three dragons, just like Balerion was the largest of the three Targaryen dragons that conquered Westeros.

Furthermore, the text itself explicitly likens Drogon to Balerion.

“Aegon’s dragons were named for the gods of Old Valyria,” she told her bloodriders one morning after a long night’s journey. “Visenya’s dragon was Vhagar, Rhaenys had Meraxes, and Aegon rode Balerion, the Black Dread. It was said that Vhagar’s breath was so hot that it could melt a knight’s armor and cook the man inside, that Meraxes swallowed horses whole, and Balerion … his fire was as black as his scales, his wings so vast that whole towns were swallowed up in their shadow when he passed overhead."The Dothraki looked at her hatchlings uneasily. The largest of her three was shiny black, his scales slashed with streaks of vivid scarlet to match his wings and horns. "Khaleesi,” Aggo murmured, “there sits Balerion, come again.” (ACoK, Daenerys I)

The text also explicitly compares Daenerys to Aegon the Conqueror. Tyrion crudely calls her “Aegon the Conqueror with teats” (ADwD, Tyrion VI) and even Dany compares herself to her illustrious ancestor:

No one was calling her Daenerys the Conqueror yet, but perhaps they would. Aegon the Conqueror had won Westeros with three dragons, but she had taken Meereen with sewer rats and a wooden cock, in less than a day. (ASoS, Daenerys VI)

(Aegon the Conqueror on the Iron Throne. Art from Game of Thrones WIKI)

There’s another narrative parallel between Daenerys and Aegon the Conqueror though it is a little known one. Even though Aegon had turned his attention towards Westeros at an early age, he became embroiled in the political conflict between Volantis, Pentos and Lys in Essos where he intervened against Volantis.

As for Aegon Targaryen, shortly after his role in defeating Volantis it is written that he lost all interest in the affairs of the east. Believing Volantis's rule at an end, he flew back to Dragonstone. And now, no longer distracted by the wars of Essos, he turned his gaze west. (TWoIaF, Ancient History: The Doom of Valyria)

This matches the structure of Daenerys’ narrative arc. She sets her eye on Westeros after Viserys’ death but then she gets sidetracked on her main quest when she intervenes militarily and politically in Slaver’s Bay. Since the show has now moved beyond the published material, it is confirmed that Dany once again turns her eye west, just like Aegon I (she’ll get there in the books as well).

The many parallels between Daenerys Targaryen and Aegon the Conqueror teases the idea of history repeating itself, which is a theme that is addressed in the text.

“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.” (Roderik Harlaw to Asha Greyjoy - AFfC, The Kraken’s Daughter)

The quote above cites human nature as the reason for history repeating itself and there’s a certain truth in that. However, when we look at the larger narrative structure, the notion of history repeating itself becomes a different issue. The parallels between Daenerys and Aegon the Conqueror tease a Targaryen restoration but in terms of narrative structure, a repeat performance of the Targaryen invasion of Westeros right down to a victory and Targaryen supremacy strikes me as narratively unsatisfying, especially since Daenerys is repeating the mistakes of her ancestors as @lostlittlesatellites argues in this meta, thus perpetuating the cycle that first the Doom and then Robert’s Rebellion put a temporary end to. Furthermore, having history repeat itself in a straight-forward manner doesn’t really fit with a storyteller like GRRM who writes in the ironic mode. So if history is to repeat itself with Daenerys’ invasion of Westeros, then she is bound to fail. Where Aegon the Conqueror was the founder of House Targaryen as a royal Westerosi dynasty, Daenerys will be the end of the Targaryen dynasty all together. There’s textual evidence for the latter statement but this will have to be the subject of another post.

THREE TARGARYEN CLAIMANTS?

If Dany represents the inversion of Aegon I (even down to the dreadful black dragon), then she lacks inverted figures of the sister-wives. Her brothers are all dead but she has one or possibly two hidden nephews in Jon Snow and (f)Aegon. But if this is to be a true inversion, then the three Targaryen heads cannot be in accord like Aegon I and his sisters. Dany approaches the prophecy of the Three Heads of the Dragon with a wistful sense of longing - a longing for family but also a dream of being able to trust someone unconditionally. However, the issue of trust is not just about who she can trust but also whether she really is able to trust anyone at all due to her fear of betrayal.

Her bloodriders were waiting for her. Silver bells tinkled in their oiled braids, and they wore the gold and jewels of dead men. Meereen had been rich beyond imagining. Even her sellswords seemed sated, at least for now. Across the room, Grey Worm wore the plain uniform of the Unsullied, his spiked bronze cap beneath one arm. These at least she could rely on, or so she hoped … and Brown Ben Plumm as well, solid Ben with his grey-white hair and weathered face, so beloved of her dragons. And Daario beside him, glittering in gold. Daario and Ben Plumm, Grey Worm, Irri, Jhiqui, Missandei … as she looked at them Dany found herself wondering which of them would betray her next. The dragon has three heads. There are two men in the world who I can trust, if I can find them. I will not be alone then. We will be three against the world, like Aegon and his sisters. (ASoS, Daenerys IV)

Daenerys fears treason because of the prophecy in the HotU. The prophecy of the three treasons is a niggling mindworm feeding a certain sense of paranoia - yet she also dreams of two heads on the family body that she can trust.

The quote above is the second time the notion of the Three Heads of the Dragon is related to the idea of betrayal! The first instance was the prophecy itself, which I noted in my previous post.

Another part of the visions and prophecies in the House of the Undying relates to three lies that she will “slay”, which I interpret that Daenerys will be the catalyst for uncovering the truth behind three untruths:

Glowing like sunset, a red sword was raised in the hand of a blue-eyed king who cast no shadow. A cloth dragon swayed on poles amidst a cheering crowd. From a smoking tower, a great stone beast took wing, breathing shadow fire. . . . mother of dragons, slayer of lies (ACoK, Daenerys IV)

In this context, it is the second vision/lie that is important: The Mummer’s Dragon.

A mummer's dragon, you said. What is a mummer's dragon, pray?" "A cloth dragon on poles," Dany explained. "Mummers use them in their follies, to give the heroes something to fight." (ACoK, Daenerys V)

A mummer’s dragon is a counterfeit dragon, and this fits with (f)Aegon not being who he thinks he is. There’s also the added meaning of (f)Aegon being Varys’ pawn - and Varys was part of a mummer’s troupe in his youth. Varys is the Mummer and (f)Aegon is his counterfeit Dragon.

Finally, the phrase “a cloth dragon on poles” also evokes the image of the Targaryen dragon banner, raised by a competing claimaint to the Iron Throne. This is exactly what (f)Aegon does, spurred on by Tyrion, in A Dance with Dragons where he invades Westeros with Jon Connington and the Golden Company.

"Perhaps I overstated. She may take pity on you when you come begging for her hand." The dwarf shrugged. "Do you want to wager your throne upon a woman's whim? Go to Westeros, though … ah, then you are a rebel, not a beggar. Bold, reckless, a true scion of House Targaryen, walking in the footsteps of Aegon the Conqueror. A dragon."I told you, I know our little queen. Let her hear that her brother Rhaegar's murdered son is still alive, that this brave boy has raised the dragon standard of her forebears in Westeros once more, that he is fighting a desperate war to avenge his father and reclaim the Iron Throne for House Targaryen, hard-pressed on every side … and she will fly to your side as fast as wind and water can carry her. You are the last of her line, and this Mother of Dragons, this Breaker of Chains, is above all a rescuer. The girl who drowned the slaver cities in blood rather than leave strangers to their chains can scarcely abandon her own brother's son in his hour of peril. And when she reaches Westeros, and meets you for the first time, you will meet as equals, man and woman, not queen and supplicant. How can she help but love you then, I ask you?" Smiling, he seized his dragon, flew it across the board. "I hope Your Grace will pardon me. Your king is trapped. Death in four." (Tyrion to Young Griff/Aegon - ADwD, Tyrion VI)

(Young Griff. Art by Winona Nelson)

Tyrion suggests this strategy as a means to impress Daenerys Targaryen as he suspects that she won’t react well if (f)Aegon comes to her as a suitor and a supplicant:

Now, how do you suppose this queen will react when you turn up with your begging bowl in hand and say, 'Good morrow to you, Auntie. I am your nephew, Aegon, returned from the dead. I've been hiding on a poleboat all my life, but now I've washed the blue dye from my hair and I'd like a dragon, please … and oh, did I mention, my claim to the Iron Throne is stronger than your own?' " (Tyrion to Young Griff/Aegon - ADwD, Tyrion VI)

What Tyrion fails to take into account is that Daenerys may not react favourably to anyone who has a better claim to the Iron Throne than her. She’s hardly a woman who will be satisfied with playing the role of Queen Consort instead of Queen Regnant, especially since she’s already have had a taste of power as a sole ruler. However much Dany might long for dragonrider consorts that she can trust implicitly, the political circumstances surrounding her (possible) future meeting with (f)Aegon will more likely result in conflict than in unity between them.

We must remember that (f)Aegon is Varys’ pawn, his attempt to create a perfect king and though Varys also schemed with Magister Illyrio about Viserys, Daenerys and the Dothraki, the existence of (f)Aegon and the attempt to mould him into the perfect king proves that Varys never intended Viserys to claim the Iron Throne. So what was Varys’ purpose to scheme for Viserys to get an army? The biggest hurdle for (f)Aegon’s campaign is that people believe that Prince Rhaegar’s infant son died with his mother and sister during the Sack of King’s Landing. People will therefore be suspicious of (f)Aegon and he needs allies among the great Houses of Westeros. In this context, Viserys would have acted as the terrifying alternative - the Mad King’s son backed by a Dothraki army, known for raping and reaving. Faced with such an alternative, a pretender of dubious origin like (f)Aegon would look much more inviting. Viserys died but Daenerys will likely end up cast as the fearsome foreign invader in the mummer’s play that Varys is staging. She’ll come with an army of Unsullied (and very likely Dothraki horsemen) - the Mad King’s daughter with three dragons and an army of foreign “savages”.

The narrative in both A Dance with Dragons and in the as yet unpublished The Winds of Winter is setting up a future conflict between Daenerys and (f)Aegon.

"Prince Aegon," said Tristan Rivers, "we are your men. Is this your wish, that we sail west instead of east?" "It is," Aegon replied eagerly. "If my aunt wants Meereen, she's welcome to it. I will claim the Iron Throne by myself, with your swords and your allegiance. Move fast and strike hard, and we can win some easy victories before the Lannisters even know that we have landed. That will bring others to our cause." (ADwD, The Lost Lord)

In chapter previews from The Winds of Winter, the text raises the spectre of a second Dance of Dragons, i.e. a civil war between Targaryen claimants to the Iron Throne - something that GRRM himself has coyly referred to in interviews (x).

"Dragons?" said her mother. "Teora, don't be mad." "I'm not. They're coming." "How could you possibly know that?" her sister asked, with a note of scorn in her voice. "One of your little dreams?" Teora gave a tiny nod, chin trembling. "They were dancing. In my dream. And everywhere the dragons danced the people died." (TWoW, Arianne I)

The quote above is from one of these previews (Arianne I) where Arianne Martell is travelling to meet Jon Conning and (f)Aegon in order learn the truth about the Targaryen pretender and then to decide whether Dorne shall ally itself with them against the Lannisters and little King Tommen. The girl in question, Teora Toland appears to have prophectic dreams.

As I’ve said, (f)Aegon is most likely false coin but the Martells may decide to ally with him anyway when they learn that not only did Quentyn Martell not secure an alliance with Daenerys Targaryen but her dragons also became his death. Arienne already mistrusts Daenerys on account of Khal Drogo’s murder of Viserys Targaryen as well as her being the Mad King’s daughter:

The secret pact that Prince Doran had made all those years called for Arianne to be wed to Prince Viserys, not Quentyn to Daenerys. It had all come undone on the Dothraki sea, when he was murdered. Crowned with a pot of molten gold. "He was killed by a Dothraki khal," said Arianne. "The dragon queen's own husband." "So I've heard. What of it?" "Just... why did Daenerys let it happen? Viserys was her brother. All that remained of her own blood." "The Dothraki are a savage folk. Who can know why they kill? Perhaps Viserys wiped his arse with the wrong hand." Perhaps, thought Arianne, or perhaps Daenerys realized that once her brother was crowned and wed to me, she would be doomed to spend the rest of her life sleeping in a tent and smelling like a horse. "She is the Mad King's daughter," the princess said. "How do we do know -- " "We cannot know," Ser Daemon said. "We can only hope." (TWoW, Arianne I)

Thus, the stage is set for a bloody confrontation between Daenerys and (f)Aegon when she reaches the shores of Westeros. Instead of unity, there’ll be war between two of the heads of the Targaryen dragon. In this respect it doesn’t matter that (f)Aegon is not a true Targaryen and even GRRM has said that “the third [head] will not necessarily BE a Targaryen…” (GRRM).

What purpose does (f)Aegon serve in the narrative? He is, in a sense, a metatextual commentary on the trope of the Hidden Heir, but at the same time he is also a foil to Jon Snow, who is a genuine hidden heir. In terms of narrative structure, (f)Aegon has to be false coin - however, his existence as well as him pressing his claim to the Iron Throne may very well influence Daenerys’ reaction to the revelation of Jon Snow’s true heritage in a negative manner. After (f)Aegon, Daenerys will most likely be extremely suspicious when yet another hidden Targaryen prince is unveiled and if this suspicion is combined with her paranoid belief in the prophecised treasons, then that’s a recipe for disaster.

In this context it is worth taking another look at the visions associated with the Slayer of Lies from the House of the Undying:

From a smoking tower, a great stone beast took wing, breathing shadow fire. . . . (ACoK, Daenerys IV)

The third lie that Daenerys will “slay” relates to a winged stone beast that breathes shadow fire like a dragon. I have previously argued that the stone beast represents Jon with his dual heritage of wolf (Stark) and Targaryen (Dragon). I’m not the only one who thinks that the stone beast represents Jon. The poster lollygag makes the same argument (but from different textual evidence) on westeros.org. Jon’s true parentage is undoubtedly one of the greatest secrets in the whole story. Ned Stark told a lie to cover a treason and the revelation of Jon Snow as the son of Rhaegar Targaryen will have a profound effect on the political game in the story - in the North, in relation to Daenerys and quite possibly to the realm at large. Narratively, it makes sense for Jon’s parentage to be the third secret that Daenerys will “slay” since Jon will have a greater claim than her to the Iron Throne by virtue of this parentage.

Will this Second Dance of Dragons also include Jon? Will Jon and Daenerys clash when his true parentage is revealed? Jon doesn’t want the Iron Throne but Dany will probably be suspicious after her experiences with (f)Aegon. Then there’s the fact that the show appears to be foreshadowing a clash between Targaryens.

In season 5, Shireen Baratheon reads about the first Dance of Dragons and then discusses that tragic piece of Westerosi history with her father Stannis Baratheon. In season 2, Stannis entered into a small-scale Baratheon version of a similar conflict because his younger brother Renly made a bid for the Iron Throne. However, that conflict was resolved with Renly’s murder in season 2 so you have to wonder why a conflict of succession between family members is brought up several seasons later - unless it is to foreshadow a future conflict between Jon and Daenerys. This interpretation is supported by the fact that the show tends to use stories as devices of foreshadowing. In season 3, Bran’s tale of the Rat Cook foreshadows both the Red Wedding as well as Arya’s revenge when she serves Walder Frey a pie made of his sons in season 7. In season 3, Shireen brings ser Davos a book about Aegon the Conqueror and his dragons when he sits in the dungeons of Dragonstone and the story she tells foreshadows Daenerys’ return to the very same place in season 7.

Some people argue that the show has simply given (f)Aegon’s storyline to Jon. That is a valid argument but a specific utterance by GRRM makes me believe that a Second Dance of Dragons will involve Jon at some point in the books as well:

I’ve been always very impressed by Homer and his Iliad, especially the scene of the fight between Achilles and Hector. Who is the hero and who is the villain? That’s the power of the story and I wanted something similar to my books. The hero of one side is the villain of the other side. (GRRM)

This is a very interesting quote in the context of a Second Dance of Dragons. I’ve demonstrated that the stage is set for a conflict between Daenerys and (f)Aegon. However, (f)Aegon has nowhere near the narrative weight of a Hector or an Achilles. He is introduced too late in the story for that. However, we must remember that (f)Aegon also serves as a foil to Jon in relation to the trope of the Hidden Prince. @randomtvramblings has argued that Jon embodies the qualities of the ideal king that Varys is trying to mould (f)Aegon into. (f)Aegon is Jon’s mirror - the false coin to Jon as the true prince. Furthermore, Jon is the only other character that has the narrative weight to play the Hector (defender) to Daenerys’ Achilles (invader). Both characters are among the central protagonists of the story and they are both considered heroic - but what happens if one becomes an antagonist to the other? Then “the hero of one side becomes the villain of the other side” as GRRM so eloquently puts it.

A Second Dance of Dragons involving all three Targaryen claimants would not only present an interesting and ironic twist on the prophecy of the Three Heads of the Dragons, it would also play into the theme of trust and betrayal that runs through Daenerys’ arc. She longs for family, people that she can trust implicitly and thus she casts those imaginary men as her fellow dragonriders. However, the political reality of Westeros will most certainly shatter that dream of trust and companionship, and Daenerys’ increasing fear of betrayal will most likely add fuel to the fire.

DAENERYS AND HER THREE DRAGONS?

Could there be other meanings to the prophecy of the Three Heads of the Dragon than future dragonriders and secret Targaryens? Curiously enough Daenerys and her dragons are referred to as one entity twice in the text:

The eunuch drew a parchment from his sleeve. “A kraken has been seen off the Fingers.” He giggled. “Not a Greyjoy, mind you, a true kraken. It attacked an Ibbenese whaler and pulled it under. There is fighting on the Stepstones, and a new war between Tyrosh and Lys seems likely. Both hope to win Myr as ally. Sailors back from the Jade Sea report that a three-headed dragon has hatched in Qarth, and is the wonder of that city—” “Dragons and krakens do not interest me, regardless of the number of their heads,” said Lord Tywin. (ASoS, Tyrion III)

The text does something interesting here. The kraken is the sigil of House Greyjoy. Varys makes the connection explicit and then says “not a Greyjoy, mind you, a true kraken”. Then he relates the news about a three-headed dragon hatched in Qarth - to Tywin that sounds like yet another mythical creature, just like the krakens, but we know that this refers to Dany and her three dragons. So the text first mentions two mythical creatures that are used as heraldic sigils have been sighted. The kraken may be real or not - that’s not what is important here. The important part is the three-headed dragon in Qarth.

The second mention of Daenerys as a three-headed dragon occurs in A Dance With Dragons in a conversation between Tyrion and Magister Illyrio in Pentos:

“When men are starving and sick of fear, they look for a savior." "They may look, but if all they find is Stannis —" "Not Stannis. Nor Myrcella." The yellow smile widened. "Another. Stronger than Tommen, gentler than Stannis, with a better claim than the girl Myrcella. A savior come from across the sea to bind up the wounds of bleeding Westeros." "Fine words." Tyrion was unimpressed. "Words are wind. Who is this bloody savior?" "A dragon." The cheesemonger saw the look on his face at that, and laughed. "A dragon with three heads." (ADwD, Tyrion I)

Magister Illyrio is, of course, referring to Daenerys Targaryen and her three dragons.

(Daenerys Targaryen with her dragons. Art by Yama Orce)

That is twice that Daenerys is described as the literal embodiment of her house sigil!

Could it be that the prophecy of the Three Heads of the Dragon simply refer to Daenerys herself and her three dragons? A symbolic dragon (Daenerys as a Targaryen dragonlord) with three literal dragons. Remember that the Targaryens often were described as Dragons. The Conqueror, the ancestor that Daenerys shares so many parallels with, is sometimes called Aegon the Dragon!

"When Aegon the Dragon stepped ashore in Westeros, the kings of Vale and Rock and Reach did not rush to hand him their crowns. If you mean to sit his Iron Throne, you must win it as he did, with steel and dragonfire. And that will mean blood on your hands before the thing is done. "Blood and fire, thought Dany. The words of House Targaryen. (ASoS, Daenerys II)

Throughout the books Daenerys increasingly begins to refer to herself as a dragon, especially in A Dance with Dragons, where her special connection with Drogon also is emphasized.

"I am the blood of the dragon," she whispered aloud as she followed, trying to keep her courage up. "I am the blood of the dragon. I am the blood of the dragon." The dragon was never afraid. (AGoT, Daenerys II)

She had them nailed to wooden posts around the plaza, each man pointing at the next. The anger was fierce and hot inside her when she gave the command; it made her feel like an avenging dragon. (ASoS, Daenerys IV)

"I am the blood of the dragon," Dany reminded him. "Have you ever seen a dragon with the flux?" Viserys had oft claimed that Targaryens were untroubled by the pestilences that afflicted common men, and so far as she could tell, it was true. She could remember being cold and hungry and afraid, but never sick. (ADwD, Daenerys VI)

"They are … they are fearsome creatures." "They are dragons, Quentyn." Dany stood on her toes and kissed him lightly, once on each cheek. "And so am I." (ADwD, Daenerys VIII)

Drogon raised his head, blood dripping from his teeth. The hero leapt onto his back and drove the iron spearpoint down at the base of the dragon's long scaled neck. Dany and Drogon screamed as one. [...] The dragon gave one last hiss and stretched out flat upon his belly. Black blood was flowing from the wound where the spear had pierced him, smoking where it dripped onto the scorched sands. He is fire made flesh, she thought, and so am I. (ADwD, Daenerys IX)

If she had not been so sick and scared, that might have come as a relief. Instead she began to shiver violently. She rubbed her fingers through the dirt, and grabbed a handful of grass to wipe between her legs. The dragon does not weep. (ADwD, Daenerys X)

I find the casting of Daenerys as a dragon in the symbolic sense interesting in relation to the prophecy of the Three Heads of the Dragon. Clues in the text indicate that Rhaegar thought that he had to recreate the original sibling trio of Rhaenys - Aegon - Visenya; the three dragon heads of the Targaryen sigil. Daenerys (and perhaps Aemon) thinks that the three heads are three dragon riders, like the original trio. However prophecy is a tricky beast in GRRM’s world:

Prophecy is one of those tropes of Fantasy that is fun to play with, but it can easily turn into a straightjacket if you’re not careful. One of the themes of my fiction, since the very beginning, is that the characters must make their choices, for good or ill. And making choices is hard. There are prophecies in my Seven Kingdoms, but their meanings are often murky and misleading, and they seldom offer the characters much in the way of useful guidance. (GRRM)

Indeed the text itself reminds us of this:

“Prophecy is like a half-trained mule,” he complained to Jorah Mormont. “It looks as though it might be useful, but the moment you trust in it, it kicks you in the head.” (ADwD, Tyrion IX)

Could it be that the Three Heads of the Dragon is to be understood as a mix of the symbolic and the literal? The Targaryens were called dragons because they were dragonriders. However, Dany is a bit unusual in relation to a her dragon-riding ancestors because she is one Targaryen with 3 dragons. However, GRRM himself has hinted that the three heads of the dragons will be three persons though not all of them Targaryens:

“Three heads of the dragon… yes… but the third will not necessarily BE a Targaryen…” (GRRM)

This seems to contradict my theory that the prophecy may simply refer to Dany and her three dragons, but GRRM has also said that:

Prophecies are, you know, a double edge sword. You have to handle them very carefully; I mean, they can add depth and interest to a book, but you don’t want to be too literal or too easy… In the Wars of the Roses, that you mentioned, there was one Lord who had been prophesied he would die beneath the walls of a certain castle and he was superstitious at that sort of walls, so he never came anyway near that castle. He stayed thousands of leagues away from that particular castle because of the prophecy. However, he was killed in the first battle of St. Paul de Vence and when they found him dead he was outside of an inn whose sign was the picture of that castle! So you know? That’s the way prophecies come true in unexpected ways. The more you try to avoid them, the more you are making them true, and I make a little fun with that. (GRRM)

This quote makes me think of a much more mundane interpretation. There are no real three-headed dragons so the dragon that has the three heads is symbolic. Rhaegar and Aemon interpreted the Dragon as House Targaryen but the Dragon could also be one single person: the Last Dragonlord, Daenerys Targaryen and the three heads her actual dragons, the source of her power and the source of her queenship, which is literally represented by the three-headed dragon crown that she wears.

(The Dragon Crown. Art by Richard Hescox)

This crown is given quite a bit of narrative weight as it is mentioned several times throughout the series.

And the Tourmaline Brotherhood pressed on her a crown wrought in the shape of a three-headed dragon; the coils were yellow gold, the wings silver, the heads carved from jade, ivory, and onyx.The crown was the only offering she’d kept. The rest she sold, to gather the wealth she had wasted on the Pureborn. Xaro would have sold the crown too—the Thirteen would see that she had a much finer one, he swore—but Dany forbade it. “Viserys sold my mother’s crown, and men called him a beggar. I shall keep this one, so men will call me a queen.” And so she did, though the weight of it made her neck ache. (ACoK, Daenerys III)

“Your pretty crown might buy another century,” said the fat one in Valyrian. “Your crown of the three dragons."Dany waited for his words to be translated. "My crown is not for sale.” When Viserys sold their mother’s crown, the last joy had gone from him, leaving only rage.” (ASoS, Daenerys III)

Today she wore a robe of purple samite and a silver sash, and on her head the three-headed dragon crown the Tourmaline Brotherhood had given her in Qarth. (ASoS, Daenerys VI)

Irri fetched her crown, wrought in the shape of the three-headed dragon of her House. Its coils were gold, its wings silver, its three heads ivory, onyx, and jade. Dany’s neck and shoulders would be stiff and sore from the weight of it before the day was done. A crown should not sit easy on the head. One of her royal forebears had said that, once. (ADwD, Daenerys I)

So I’d say that it is quite possible that the prophecy of the Dragon’s Three Heads may simply refer to Daenerys herself and her three dragons but her actions may very well turn the prophecy into an ironic twist on her own interpretation of trustworthy dragonriders.

The concept of a self-fulling prophecy is an interesting one because when a character believes in a prophecy, it influences how she thinks and acts. This is exemplified most clearly with Cersei but Dany believes in her prophecies as well - and I have demonstrated how it influences her thinking. She thinks that the prophecy of the Three Heads of the Dragon means three dragonriders: herself and two men she hasn’t yet found - and then the text introduces one supposed Targaryen (fAegon) in hiding whilst it has hinted at a true Targaryen in hiding from the beginning (Jon). So when she meets them the prophecy will influence her actions even if she interprets it wrongly, just like Rhaegar most likely did since his rather literal attempt to recreate the Rhaenys-Aegon-Visenya trio failed. Thus, the prophecy can come to mean several things at the same time as it affects things personal, things political and things magical.

(GIFs and edits not mine)

#asoaif #meta #the three heads of the dragon #daenerys targaryen #young griff #f!aegon #jon snow #dance of dragons #prophecy #aegon the conqueror

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cruelmaegor · 7 years ago

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about asoiaf series, what are your thoughts about Rhaegar Targaryen?

nice question, i’ll try to answer as best as i can.

there is no avoiding the fact that in the show world rhaegar targaryen is a jerk. he’s like the prototipe of everything i hate in a man. he’s a cheater and rash, not thinking about the consequence of his action.

we don’t know much about him in the asoiaf books. let’s see. we’re first introduced to his character through daenerys’ pov.

Yet sometimes Dany would picture the way it had been, so often had her brother told her the stories. The midnight flight to Dragonstone, moonlight shimmering on the ship’s black sails. Her brother Rhaegar battling the Usurper in the bloody waters of the Trident and dying for the woman he loved. The sack of King’s Landing by the ones Viserys called the Usurper’s dogs, the lords Lannister and Stark.

…

Her brother was nodding eagerly, however. “I shall kill the Usurper myself,” he promised, who had never killed anyone, “as he killed my brother Rhaegar. And Lannister too, the Kingslayer, for what he did to my father.”

DAENERYS I, A GAME OF THRONES.

here we can see that viserys has raised his sister to both love and admire her long lost brother which suggest that he himself felt that way about the crown prince and a bit later in the book we find that rhaegar is perceived in different ways by different people.

on one hand we have:

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.”

DAENERYS III, A GAME OF THRONES

but on the other we have:

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.”

EDDARD II, A GAME OF THRONES.

so what rhaegar did was kidnap a little girl, a teenager of almost but not really sixteen and allegedly (this is what happened as far as the people in westeros know) raped her.

we don’t know if the books will go along with the show and SPOILER FOR GOT S7 have rhaegar and lyanna in love and married, we only know that jon is their son, whether as a trueborn son or not is to be seen. nonetheless i don’t think that my opinion of him would change much.

if he “kidnapped” lyanna he did because of the fabled prophecy of ice and fire. he had a son with elia martell, the one who would have been Aegon VI, and when he was born a red comet shone in the sky, which had him thinking this son was the promised prince.

“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.”

DAENERYS IV, A CLASH OF KINGS.

he says that the dragon must have three heads, meaning that he must have a third child to complete the prophecy. he had two, a daughter rhaenys and a son aegon from elia, but she couldn’t have more children. he knew then that he would have his third child with another woman. a daughter. a visenya for his aegon. the conquerors reborn.

he chose lyanna. whether lyanna was consentient or not, in my opinion, doesn’t really matter. lyanna was a child who maybe thought she was in love with rhaegar, maybe she thought rhaegar was the only one who could help her not to marry robert, who she absolutely did not love.

Lyanna had only been sixteen, a child-woman of surpassing loveliness. Ned had loved her with all his heart. Robert had loved her even more. She was to have been his bride.

EDDARD I, A GAME OF THRONES

“Robert will never keep to one bed,” Lyanna had told him at Winterfell, on the night long ago when their father had promised her hand to the young Lord of Storm’s End. “I hear he has gotten a child on some girl in the Vale.” Ned had held the babe in his arms; he could scarcely deny her, nor would he lie to his sister, but he had assured her that what Robert did before their betrothal was of no matter, that he was a good man and true who would love her with all his heart. Lyanna had only smiled. “Love is sweet, dearest Ned, but it cannot change a man’s nature.”

EDDARD IX, A GAME OF THRONES.

we know that lyanna didn’t want to marry robert. could she have married rhaegar? i don’t know.

rhaegar might have kidnapped her or convinced her to go with him but in both cases i feel like she was manipulated by an older man to make choices she wasn’t ready to make. “a child-woman” ned called her, not an adult.

(and let’s not talk about the fact that rhaegar bought the entire realm in a civil war because he couldn’t have another child from his wife, had to cheat on her, humiliate her, and have her and his kids brutally murdered )

yeah, i don’t like rhaegar.

thanks for asking!

#ask #anti rhaegar #rhaegar targaryen #asoiaf #answered #rhaellavtargaryen

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masha-russia · 7 years ago

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I wonder what Rhaegar would think of his lil sis Dany. Such a shame he never got to meet her. While Viserys would be jealous I think Rhaegar would be in awe of her.

Rhaegar would be so so proud of Daenerys! I feel very sad that they didn’t know each other and that he died before her birth … When Daenerys tells Barristan that she wishes she had known Rhaegar, and he replies “No, I wish he had known you” it breaks my heart because I feel exactly the same! I’m convinced Rhaegar sees her from ~the other side~ somehow and supports her. I think all of her family is proud of her, from Aegon the Conqueror to Aegon the Unlikely passing by Visenya, Daemon or Daena. Jaehaerys and Alysanne would love Daenerys’ good heart and how she protects people and ends slavery, while Daemon Targaryen would cheer whenever Dany shows her fierce side like during the sack of Astapor. Rhaenys, Aegon and Visenya would see a lot of themselves in Dany, and encourage her with her conquests. Aegon the Unlikely would be amazed with her three dragons and how she hatched them and would think to himself “she’s the one prophecies spoke about”. And Rhaenyra and Daena would be delighted that a Targaryen girl is a Queen in her own right and that she achieved her power all by herself :D Sidenote, I so wish Daenerys would talk with Bryden Rivers (Bloodraven) in the next novels! He’s her last family left apart from Jon and he is a really cool Targaryen too … A warrior, a politician and a sorcerer. I would be very frustrated if Daenerys never interacts with him.

In an AU where Daenerys is born one year after Rhaegar I would ship them so much … They would have been an amazing power couple! Rhaegar’s melancholy would have been nicely balanced by Daenerys’ more light-hearted personality. Daenerys would understand him and they would work together to prepare for the Doom of Man. I want to make a gifset of this AU ... When I finished reading the novels for the first time, 3 years ago, I made a drawing of Dany and Rhaegar in his “ghost form” reaching to her … something similar to this art.

I love that he is her hero and that Daenerys is often compared to him. And she names her first child, then one of her dragons after Rhaegar. And yeah Viserys was a terrible brother. I have complicated feelings about him, I do feel sorry for him too, but he was so cruel toward his little sister. Rhaegar’ and Daenerys’ dynamic though, had they both been alive at the same time, would have been great and loving

#rhaegar targaryen #daenerys targaryen #house targaryen #asoiaf #text post #Anonymous

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nooneeverlookedforagirl · 7 years ago

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So you're saying there's literally no way at all that Prince Rhaegar of Dragonstone, future king of the Seven Kingdoms, could annul his marriage?

Well, we do have evidence of polygamy in Westeros. It was a ceremony does by Queen Visenya Targaryen because no septon would assist in a polygamaus marriage. Despite the fact that the person being married, Maegor I Targaryen, rode Balerion the Black Dread and could have burnt any septon refusing to death. He married his new wife because the old was had given him no children. Notice that despite the lack of children there was no discussion of an annulment. That marriage led to the Faith rebelling against the Targaryens in 41 AC.

We have all of one “dissolved marriage” that I can find among the Targaryens. It was that of Baelor the Blessed, who was so pious that he refused to consummate the marriage with his sister-wife Daena. In order to shame him, she chose to wear white every day after their wedding until he consummated it. He never did. After the marriage was dissolved on grounds of it being contracted before he was king and the lack of consummation Baelor locked his sisters in the Maidenvault.

So the Faith rose in war when Maegor wanted a wife who could give him heirs and the only king ever released from his marriage was literally the Faith’s favorite king ever.

Rhaegar was not king, so he could not claim that the marriage shouldn’t count because he was forced into it. He could also not claim that the marriage was unconsummated, as he had two children with Elia. One was his heir to the Iron Throne and the Prince Who Was Promised. An annulment would remove Aegon, the PWWP, out of the line of succession in exchange for what Rhaegar thought would be a female child with Lyanna, a Visenya to marry Aegon.

So no, there was no reason to give him a divorce, much less an annulment, unless the Faith had turned against their god and decided they wanted the realm to go to war.

The only reasonable way I see this happening is if Aerys gets involved, decides he doesn’t want a Dornish heir, disregards Viserys for reasons, and threatens the High Septon into annulling Rhaegar’s marriage. The High Septon then does absolutely nothing with this information, despite being in a position to reveal how terrible Aerys is to everyone and possibly get revenge by having him unseated.

Let me be perfectly clear here. Even if annulments were being handed out like candy the impossibility annulment itself is not the only problem. If it was just “Rhaegar got an annulment from his unloving unconsummated marriage” that would be one thing.

What actually happened is much worse.

Rhaegar intentionally started a war.

Rhaegar paved the way for a future civil war.

Rhaegar helped the Others.

Allow me to explain.

Rhaegar intentionally started a war

We know several things about show!Rhaegar’s intentions with Lyanna. Let us assume, as you would, the purest of intentions on his part.

Rhaegar needed a Third Head of the Dragon and Elia could not provide that child.

Rhaegar had met Lyanna at Harrenhal and respected her fighting abilities/fall in love.

Rhaegar wanted to marry Lyanna.

Rhaegar knew Lyanna was betrothed to Robert and that she didn’t want to be.

Rhaegar knew Lyanna loved her family.

Rhaegar’s marriage was loveless.

Rhaegar did his very best to prevent bad things from happening.

So Rhaegar, with all of the above in mind, decided that secretly convincing Lyanna to ride away with him to Dorne was the Best Plan Ever. We all know how that ended.

What should Rhaegar have done?

Write a letter to Rickard offering to set aside Elia and marry Lyanna, a great honor.

Call a Great Counsel, then do the above.

Attempt to get Robert to willingly break his betrothal by offering him gold/lands/women/literally anything.

Call a Great Counsel, then do the above.

Steal Lyanna away, get married, and then go to Kings Landing and have Lyanna write a letter to her father/brothers saying she’s completely happy with Rhaegar and doesn’t want them to go to war.

Call a Great Counsel, then do the above.

Call a Great Counsel.

Do exactly what he did, but take Lyanna to her father and brothers under a peace banner and let her tell them she wasn’t kidnapped.

Instead of doing literally any of the above, he decides to make off with the North’s daughter and the Storm Lord’s bride and tell no one anything. At best he’s an idiot unfit to sit the throne. At worst he was trying to start a war.

If he was going to set aside Elia anyway, he had a lot of options. Rhaegar isn’t an idiot. He knows that the Brandon/Cat marriage means an alliance between the North and Riverlands. He knows the Robert/Ned Arryn fostering means an alliance between the Stormlands/North and the Vale. He knows that the Lyanna/Robert marriage means an alliance between the Stormlands and the North. He has all of this information, he can weigh “Dorne rebelling” verses “the North/Riverlands/Stormlands/Vale rebelling.”

Yes Robert would have been furious at him taking Lyanna no matter what. But Lyanna’s kidnapping didn’t start the rebellion. Jon Arryn and Hoster Tully weren’t going to risk their own necks because Robert lost a woman. If Lyanna was happy and not missing and likely being raped, Rickard could be convinced to stay in the North. We aren��t arguing happiness here. We’re looking at a cost/benefit analysis of starting a war because the king married a woman and will make her children his heirs. Rickard wins here, because his grandchildren will be kings. Would he have been happy? No. Would he have risked his life, his son’s lives, and his daughter’s life because of this slight? Probably not.

Once Rhaegar was married to Lyanna and King of Westeros he could then have softened the blow to Dorne. Legitimize Elia’s children and promise that Aegon will still be king, and that he will marry Rhaenys and “Visenya.” He expected a girl, remember.

This isn’t an argument revolving around some guy with little to no political information running off with his One True Love. Rhaegar was supposed to be a better king than his father was. Good kings do not ignore their people, their realm, their heirs, and their insane fathers just to do whatever they want. Perhaps if Rhaegar was only a knight, a argument could be made. He was a prince meant to be a king, he knew what he was doing. That Rhaegar had options and chose none of them suggests that he would make as poor a king as his father did.

Leaving Aerys to handle the fallout from what he did got Lyanna’s brother and father killed. There’s also the matter that wolf-blooded Lyanna stayed in that tower after hearing this news. Would Arya have been ok with Ned and Robb dying because she ran off with her lover? Or would she have fought tooth and nail to get out of there and help her family? If Rhaegar lied to Lyanna to keep her in that tower, that tells us all we need to know about their relationship. Lying to keep someone with you is abuse.

Frankly, based on the information we have, it looks like Rhaegar weighed his options and chose the one most likely to cause war. “Love” is not an excuse for getting thousands of people killed when you had a dozen other options.

Rhaegar paved the way for a future civil war.

The Blackfyre rebellion began when Aegon the Unworthy littered bastards all over Westeros and legitimized them on his deathbed. Because the eldest of these bastards was so beloved by Aegon - even being given the sword Aegon the Conqueror had wielded - his claim stuck and caused war after war after war.

Previously it could be assumed that Rhaegar had avoided this because he planned to have only one child, a Visenya, with Lyanna. He could easily legitimize this girl child and she would be married to his son, causing no threat to succession.

Assuming that Rhaegar wanted a boy with Lyanna, a Prince Who Was Promised, that means that the newly-bastard born Aegon would have a legitimate claim to the throne. After Rhaegar died he could easily have garnered the support of Dorne. If a few other kingdoms saw things how he did this could quickly snowball into a worse war than the Blackfyre wars had been. After all, Aegon VI had been born legitimate and was only a bastard because of the actions of his father. Actions that went against the Faith.

So even if everything turned out just perfect for Rhaegar and Elia agreed to shut up and return to Dorne then shortly after his death the realm would probably be caught up in yet another war. Because Doran wouldn’t have been pleased, and he would know that Aegon was the best way to see a Dornish king on the throne.

Rhaegar helped the Others

Imagine if the Others arrived the Night’s Watch was full of knights who had been warned of the danger on the other side of the Wall. Imagine if, instead of the boy Jon Snow, it was the King of Westeros who lead the fight against them. Imagine if the first time a deserter showed up in Winterfell a raven flew straight to Kings Landing and Rhaegar showed up with an army.

There would be no Queen Cersei or Queen Dany to tear the armies into pieces. No explosion of the sept. No reason that when Rhaegar called his banners that the full force of the Seven Kingdoms would not show up armed to the teeth with dragonglass and Valyrian steel. There aren’t enough wildlings Beyond the Wall to defeat the might of the Seven Kingdoms even if every single one was added to the army of the dead.

Instead of having years to prepare for war, Westeros was torn apart by wars. Robert’s Rebellion, caused by Rhaegar leaving Aerys to deal with the fallout from Lyanna vanishing, would never have happened. The War of the Five Kings never would have happened, because Cersei’s children couldn’t inherit the Iron Throne. Balon Greyjoy’s rebellions - both of them - never would have happened.

The only reason the Others are a threat is because no one knows how to fight them. What armies are left are tiny compared to their pre-war strength and thus the Others will be able to easily overrun them. Their only saving grace is the dragons. Dragons would not be necessary if the realm had literally decades to prepare for war.

My outrage is centered on the treatment of Elia Martell and her children, who were cast aside like they didn’t matter, yes. But it doesn’t stop there. My dislike for Rhaegar goes farther back than the last episode of Game of Thrones. He could very well have been the Prince Who Was Promised himself, but instead he made the worst possible decisions and sent the realm reeling into war.

When your best quality as king is that you don’t burn men alive, you’re a bad king.

/rant

#game of thrones #elia martell #Lyanna Stark #Rhaegar Targaryen

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bunilicious · 7 years ago

Text

“His name is Aegon Targaryen”

This is a simple post meant to compile clues scattered throughout ASOIAF about Jon’s possible Targaryen name (Aegon). While I am aware that many fans prefer names such as Aemon, Jaehaerys, and Daeron, I am also aware that there are just as many possible hints (if not more) to argue that Jon’s true name can be Aegon.

First, let’s deal with some fan arguments I’ve seen on several discussion boards:

Fan Argument #1: GRRM would never have two characters with the same name in his series.

My Counter-Argument: Robert Baratheon - Robert Arryn - Robb Stark; Jon Arryn - Jon Snow - Jon Connington (two of which are POV characters), Jeyne Westerling - Jeyne Poole, Tyrion Lannister - Tyrion Tanner, Lyanna Stark - Lyanna Mormont, countless Walders and Brandons and several Aegons and Nymerias. In a world with hundreds of characters, it is not impossible for names to repeat themselves or for characters to name their children after their friends, family, or historical figures.

Fan Argument #2: GRRM would never give a main character more than one name. It’s against the rules of writing.

My Counter-Argument: Sansa Stark - Alayne Stone, Arya Stark - Beth - Mercy, Theon - Reek. He’s not the first author to do this. Probably the most famous example in fantasy comes from none other than Tolkien: Aragorn - Elessar - Strider.

Fan Argument #3: How could Rhaegar name two of his sons Aegon?

My Counter-Argument: There is no evidence that Rhaegar was involved in Jon’s naming, as he had died months prior to his birth. The name Aegon makes sense once you give up that assumption and think that it’s possible Lyanna might have given Jon that name on her own.

Fan Argument #4: But Rhaegar had another son named Aegon? That name is taken.

My Counter-Argument: Elia’s Aegon had already died in the Sack of King’s Landing by the time Lyanna’s son was born. It’s also not uncommon to have two siblings with the same name if one has died. A well-known example can be found in the “Dune” series, where the central character Paul Atreides names his sons Leto and Leto II.

Fan Argument #5: But Dany had a vision in the House of the Undying of Rhaegar saying his son with Elia was the song of ice and fire and the prince that was promised.

My Counter-Argument: According to Maester Aemon, Rhaegar was known to change his mind about the prophecy. It’s likely he concluded that a son with Lyanna would be the promised prince and a son of Ice (Lyanna) and Fire (Rhaegar), a fulfillment of the Pact of Ice and Fire. It’s also likely Lyanna herself realized her son was the promised prince after the Sack of King’s Landing and named him accordingly. Aegon....what better name for a king?

Fan Argument #6: But this makes Rhaegar look like an asshole.

Counter-Argument: A character in ASOIAF is not a perfect knight in shining armor? What a shocking twist!111 (sarcasm). Most of the information we have about Rhaegar comes from the likes of Barristan and Jon Con, who idolized him. The latter was even in love with him. It’s likely they have a romanticized view of Rhaegar. Remember, this is the same guy who rode past his wife and made another woman the queen of love and beauty at the tourney.

And now for some relevant quotations:

1) The Pact of Ice and Fire - unfulfilled during the Dance of the Dragons, but later fulfilled via Rhaegar and Lyanna’s wedding and child. A Stark and Targaryen union.

“We have earlier discussed House Stark's role in the Dance of the Dragons. Let it be added that Lord Cregan Stark reaped many rewards for his loyal support of King Aegon III...even if it was not a royal princess marrying into his family, as had been agreed in the Pact of Ice and Fire made when the doomed prince Jacaerys Velaryon had flown to Winterfell upon his dragon.” (The World of Ice and Fire)

2) Dany thinks about marrying Aegon:

“Five Aegons had ruled the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. There would have been a sixth, but the Usurper's dogs had murdered her brother's son when he was still a babe at the breast. If he had lived, I might have married him. Aegon would have been closer to my age than Viserys.” (Daenerys I, ADWD)

4) Aegon the Dragonlord come again:

“You see how long it is?" Viserys said. "When Dothraki are defeated in combat, they cut off their braids in disgrace, so the world will know their shame. Khal Drogo has never lost a fight. He is Aegon the Dragonlord come again, and you will be his queen." (Daenerys I, AGOT)

Interestingly enough, just like Aegon the Conqueror, Jon Snow has two “sisters” who bear similarities to Aegon’s two sisters Visenya and Rhaenys. I am not saying Jon will start having threesomes with Arya and Sansa. Get your heads out of the gutter! But Jon’s “sisters” can turn out to be Jon’s moral support and help him the way Aegon’s sisters helped him.

5) The Second Dance of Dragons: GRRM has used the idea of having two Aegons before. In the books, Young Griff could take on the role of the Elder Aegon, especially in light of the second dance of dragons that GRRM has promised (Young Griff vs. Dany). We could be dealing with a slightly older and younger Aegon this time around, as well as a situation where we are introduced to a fake Aegon (Young Griff) and a real Aegon (Jon).

In King’s Landing, Queen Alicent grew most wroth when she learned the babe had been named Aegon, taking it for a slight against her own Aegon … which it most certainly was. (Hereafter, we will refer to Queen Alicent’s son as Aegon the Elder and Princess Rhaenyra’s son as Aegon the Younger). (The Rogue Prince)

6) Jon and Egg parallels: Maester Aemon gives the same advice to Jon and Aegon V. While many might interpret this scene as a clue that Jon’s name is Aemon because of Jon’s relationship with his mentor, the scene can also be interpreted as Aemon giving the same final piece of advice to an Aegon.

"Allow me to give my lord one last piece of counsel," the old man had said, "the same counsel that I once gave my brother when we parted for the last time. He was three-and-thirty when the Great Council chose him to mount the Iron Throne. A man grown with sons of his own, yet in some ways still a boy. Egg had an innocence to him, a sweetness we all loved. Kill the boy within you, I told him the day I took ship for the Wall. It takes a man to rule. An Aegon, not an Egg. Kill the boy and let the man be born.” The old man felt Jon's face. "You are half the age that Egg was, and your own burden is a crueler one, I fear. You will have little joy of your command, but I think you have the strength in you to do the things that must be done. Kill the boy, Jon Snow. Winter is almost upon us. Kill the boy and let the man be born." (Jon II, ADWD)

7) “There must be one more. The dragon has three heads.” The dragon (Rhaegar) had three heads (children). But the third wasn’t a Visenya. It was a second Aegon, the son(g) of ice and fire.

“Prince Aegon was Rhaegar's heir by Elia of Dorne," Ser Jorah said. "But if he was this prince that was promised, the promise was broken along with his skull when the Lannisters dashed his head against a wall."

"I remember," Dany said sadly. "They murdered Rhaegar's daughter as well, the little princess. Rhaenys, she was named, like Aegon's sister. There was no Visenya, but he said the dragon has three heads. What is the song of ice and fire?" (Daenerys V, ACOK)

8) Rhaegar’s rubies. This has been interpreted in the past as the six rubies being Rhaegar, Rhaenys, Viserys, Aegon, Dany and Rhaego, and the seventh ruby being Jon Snow. However, this does not account for the other two Targaryens (Aerys and Rhaella) and Rhaego was stillborn.

An alternative interpretation could be that each ruby stands for a previous King Aegon. The first five rubies stand for the five kings named Aegon (Aegon the Conqueror, Aegon the Elder, Aegon the Younger, Aegon the Unworthy, and Aegon the Unlikely), the sixth ruby stands for Young Griff / fAegon / Aegon Blackfyre (if crowned before his eventual demise as Aegon VI, which is a pretty popular theory), and the seventh ruby stands for Jon Snow (aka. Aegon the Seventh).

“We have found silver cups and iron pots, sacks of wool and bolts of silk, rusted helms and shining swords... aye, and rubies.”

That interested Ser Hyle. “Rhaegar’s rubies?”

“It may be. Who can say? The battle was long leagues from here, but the river is tireless and patient. Six have been found. We are all waiting for the seventh.” (Brienne VI, AFFC)

Cheers! I can probably find more, but I’m late for dinner. Will edit if I feel like it.

#jon snow #gotjonsnow #game of thrones #aegon targaryen #jon snow meta

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