#don't say that luke is just the first for harwin to welcome. don't don't don't don't say it don't

[mhsdatgo]

What fire and blood version do you read? https://pin.it/5zmnMIik4 this? Alicent and otto start claiming that viserys should name Aegon heir the moment he was born, that's why otto was litterally sent away. And alicent instead of creating a good relationship with rhaenyra cause yk she was an adult and rhaenyra a child, she make every effort to be sure to create dislike between the family. She start spreading gossip about rhaenyra’s sexuality, her first three sons claiming that their eggs would have not hatch and sequentially that viserys egg was a sign of bad omen (like girl none of your children eggs hatch shut your mouth), impressing her sons about them being the rightful heir over rhaenyra's sons, infact the book point out how aegon aemond and daeron were bullying rhaenyra's sons. If there was a damage alicent increased of 1000%. You would like to have a relationship with a woman that spread venom on all your family all the time? Alicent create all of this, rhaenyra had welcomed her when she marry Viserys. She made sure to create animosity only to end up like "rhaenyra will hurt my children!!!! " maybe if she didn't torment her she wouldn't have doubted? And that is really funny you to claim that alicent fight for her children as if rhaenyra wouldn't spare all of them only to aemond killing luke and aegon celebrate it. Please listen to yourself and re read the book, the only one who were in danger were rhaenyra and her children at the hands of alicent and her. The green were litterally write to be the villain stop pretending alicent was acting due to her good heart nor the care for her children. And stop pretending she was a victim of viserys's since she was marry to a men only 10 years older that adore her and cover her with gifs, litterally the only thing he denied her was taking a five years old eye and name Aegon heir, how could she lived with such abuse??

She was in a better situation that most of the ladies of Westeros, rhaenyra was married at 16, same rhaenys with a man of 37, haelena at 13. Also, ask Robert Baratheon or most of the men in Westeros what would they have done if their wife had disrespected them all the time like alicent did with viserys, and you will understand how privileged alicent's situation was.

"And Alicent instead of creating a good relationship with her because yk she was an adult and Rhaenyra a child, she make every effort to be sure to create dislike between the family."

Girl.

GIRLIE.

FAIR MAIDEN.

WHAAAAAAAT a horrible stepmother. LOOK at her, trying in every possible way to break the family she was made to wed inside, look at her disobeying to her KING!!! What a bitch move!

Instead, look at the way our beautiful perfect QWEEN Rhaenyra proved herself to be loving and compassionate towards her brothers, TOTALLY not showing just how much of a threat she was to their lives ❤️:

Note: sharply questioned means TORTURED. I'm tired of people saying it's not.

Breaking news: people have eyes. People had been whispering about these children's legitimacy since Jace was born. Alicent simply believed it as well, probably out of scorn not gonna lie, wasn't afraid to say it out loud and just happened to be someone with a lot of influence. Moreover I don't think it's ever been mentioned if Alicent's children ever HAD eggs put inside their cradles, it wouldn't be the first time. Neither Daemon nor Viserys had their dragons as hatched eggs in the cradle.

Seriously, we have the court, the whole Queen's party, the kids looking awfully similar to Harwin Strong (and leave Rhaenys out of this, she has black hair and purple eyes and the boys have brown hair and brown eyes) and you still believe all the speculations over Rhaenyra is to blame entirely on... Alicent?

Yes, all six of the children ended up hating each other, and yes, we have a quote entirely about the way their mothers' hate for each other was passed on to them, the key word is that it was both.

Again, blaming ONLY Alicent for what kids and preteens probably repeat from the elder people they hear it from. If saying that "Jace, Luke and Joff stole Aegon and Aemond and Daeron's birthright" and pushing a three year old down sounds like bullying to you then you don't know what bullying is. And honestly, (not saying they are necessarily right) who could blame them for thinking this way? They were the first trueborn sons in the history of that dynasty that were passed on in favour of a woman that basically had the word "treasonous" painted on her forehead, all because of favouritism.

No, Rhaenyra wouldn't spare them. She wouldn't have a choice, no matter if she wanted to or not. To a lot of lords, Rhaenyra's claim had been rid of any kind of ground the moment Aegon and his brothers were born. Viserys of course did nothing but make it worse, by never reaffirming Rhaenyra as the heir during a ceremony like the one we see in S1 or anything public, and never even changing the laws of succession.

If your reference for this is the statement she made after becoming a Queen, namely:

Then sorry, but after the way she treated them, spoke of them, threatened to do to them, then sorry but I don't believe she wouldn't do anything when most of the lords who had sworn loyalty to her were dead and their sons weren't bound by that oath like Jason Lannister. They were threats, serious threats, and needed to be put down.

And even if Rhae actually cared for them, y'know what? It would change nothing.

"The Greens were written as the villains" you're just proving my point. You didn't understand the whole point of the Dance of the Dragons. There isn't good or bad, there's a family that destroys itself over their own safety and a fucking throne.

Oh yes, I guess Viserys hoping to shut Alicent up (when she was making valid complains that excuse of a man did nothing but ignore) by giving her gifts surely means he adored her, wow. Best marriage ever. But hey, at least she wasn't beaten up, handed over as a child or groomed! How lucky Alicent is! And she still complains?

Greedy Alicent! No way to behave! Should've been slapped across the face like any other man would've rightfully done!

Seriously, calling Alicent "privileged" because her husband reportedly "only" ignored her all the time and saying Viserys adored her because he gave her gifts is... Wow. If you want to see a man who ACTUALLY adored his wife, go see Aegon V and Betha Blackwood.

[welldonebeca]

The Christmas War (3)

Summary: Rhaenyra invites Harwin to spend the holidays at Valyria, so he can spend it with their boys. And Laenor. And Daemon.   Now all three of Jace, Luke and Joff's fathers are in a single house, and trying to compete to be the favourite one. It is every man for himself.

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Masterlist

Their house was very fancy, very nice. Huge, too.

Harwin could see a huge Christmas tree in another room, though there were no gifts there, and a long staircase.

"Kids," Rhaenyra called at it. "Your father is here."

She glanced at them and smirked a little.

"Fathers," she added, though much more to herself.

He was surprised when two little kids, one not much older than four and a toddler, rushed to Daemon.

"Daddy!" they all exclaimed together.

Daemon smiled at them, genuinely sweet, and swooped both into his arms.

"Hello, my little dragons," he welcomed them. "Look who has come to visit us."

The two looked at Laenor with surprise, and the littlest one hid in Daemon's neck.

"Awn, he is shy," Joffrey smiled.

Harwin moved uncomfortably on his feet.

So she had other children.

"Harwin," she turned. "Hm... these are Aegon and Viserys. Our sons."

He nodded, a bit stiff.

"Lovely boys."

"I'm sorry I didn't mention..." she looked for words. "We... I... its..."

"It's alright," he assured her. "It's fine, really."

She pressed her lips together, looking embarrassed, and the sounds of quick steps took their attention away.

"Uncle Laenor!" one of the twins exclaimed, rushing barefoot to her uncle, followed by her twin.

Laenor hugged them closely. Harwin had seen him with the girls many times, he loved them like daughters.

"Look at you two," he spoke to them. "Looking more like your mother every day I see you."

Joffrey was quickly welcomed too, and Harwin would greet them, but his eyes caught something much more important when he looked at the stairs.

Jace and Luke were stepping down together.

They were... a little different.

A little changed, if Harwin had to say it like that.

Jacaerys had bleached his hair to match his mother's colour, looking so much like a copy of her it was unsettling, and Lucerys was much taller now, taller than his older brother.

It was admittedly a little awkward, but they walked to him anyway, and it was Harwin who pulled them into a tight hug, first Jace and then Luke.

"Look at you two," he touched their shoulders. "I missed you, we haven't met since Summer."

They were so tall already.

"Why don't you two help Harwin to his room too?" Daemon suggested.

He looked up, seeing how Baela and Rhaena were already taking Laenor and Joffrey upstairs.

It was Jace who picked up his bag, and Luke was quick to tag by his side.

"Did mum and dad tell you I learned how to fence this year?" he asked.

"You did?" he asked, surprised. "I was fencing champion when I was your age."

Luke smiled a bit.

"Yes, dad too. I mean... kepa," he added, correcting himself. "Well... Daemon."

Harwin nodded a bit. Yes, of course.

"She told me you were too, and I thought we could practice together. If it's alright, too."

"Of course," he added quickly. "I would love to practice with you."

Jacaerys opened the door of one of the rooms to him.

"Don't tell dad we call Daemon dad too," he spoke, a little embarrassed. "Mum doesn't want him to feel replaced."

How nice of them.

"Of course," he nodded.

Still, it made him awful.

Six and a half years and Daemon had already changed everyone's life.

They set his luggage down in the guest room and Harwin looked around. It was a very nice place, with good space, lighting and comfortable decoration.

It looked very much like something Rhaenyra would do.

"Well, now that we are alone," Harwin sat down. "Maybe we can talk a little?"

The boys exchanged looks, but nodded, sitting a bit too.

"I was thinking," he spoke slowly. "I'm staying here until the second of January with your... with Laenor, and Joffrey."

Father, he was going to say.

But he was also their father.

"I know we don't have that much contact," he told them. "But I do want to be around you more. All three of you. Maybe we can start with it this Christmas."

Jacaerys perked up.

"Really?" he asked.

"Like what?" Luke asked.

Harwin shrugged.

"You could show me the stuff you like, and we can do it together," he suggested. "I can help you with what you need... stuff!"

Luke didn't look too certain.

"I don't know," he spoke slowly. "Did you talk to mum?"

"Rhaenyra always wanted us all to be closer," he told him. "But I always tried to respect our arrangement and didn't know how to move around it."

His son frowned a bit, his own face reflected in his youth.

"Not that I didn't care," he added quickly. "I want to be with my sons!"

The word sounded as strange in his ears as they did on his lips.

To claim them as his sons was very new and strange.

Jacaerys perked up.

"Really?" he asked.

"Like what?" Luke asked.

Harwin shrugged.

"You could show me the stuff you like, and we can do it together," he suggested. "I can help you with what you need... stuff!"

Luke didn't look too certain.

"I don't know," he spoke slowly. "Did you talk to mum?"

"Rhaenyra always wanted us all to be closer," he told him. "But I always tried to respect our arrangement and didn't know how to move around it."

His son frowned a bit, his own face reflected in his youth.

"Not that I didn't care," he added quickly. "I want to be with my sons!"

The word sounded as strange in his ears as they did on his lips.

To claim them as his sons was... very new and strange.

They both seemed very surprised by his words, just as well.

"What do you think?" he asked. "Can we try?"

Jace and Luke nodded, each one in their own time and way of feeling.

"Do you want to see Joffrey?" Luke offered. "I think he is up from his nap, and he needs to take his medicine soon, anyway."

"Yes," he confirmed quickly. "Of course."

The boys guided him down to a different level, and he imagined that was the level with the children's bedrooms considering they had a playroom at the end of the corridor, and he had gone past a second small kitchen, maybe for the teens to feel a little bit independent.

Harwin stayed behind for a bit as Luke walked into the bedroom where Joffrey was fast asleep, spread in his bed.

Oh, he slept just like he did himself, taking every little bit of space.

"Hey, Joff," he tickled his belly. "Come on, wake up. Someone is here to see you."

Joffrey was a tall boy for his age, but Luke still treated him like a living doll, picking him up the way he used to do when he was a baby.

His youngest son just fell with his head onto his brother's shoulder.

"I'm going to tickle your pits if you don't open your eyes, Joffrey," Luke teased.

Joff squirmed.

"No tickle," he whined. "Luke!"

Jace reached for him, rubbing his back.

"Open your eyes, Joff," he spoke softly. "Someone is here to see you."

Harwin walked over, smiling a little as he took Joffrey from his arms.

"Hey Joff," he welcomed, embracing him a little. "Long time no see."

Joffrey opened his eyes quickly, Rhaenyra's purple irises staring at him again, and squirmed.

"No," he whined. "Daddy!"

His heart just broke right there and then.

He just woke up and wanted Laenor already.

"Come on, Joff," Jace called him. "It's Harwin. We told you he was coming for Christmas, remember?"

"No!" he tried to push himself off of him, already pouting and looking like he was about to cry.

Someone stopped by the door, and he turned to see Laenor frowning at them.

"What's happening?"

Harwin looked at the kids and then at Joffrey.

"I just... I wanted to surprise him," he rubbed his face, trying not to show how upset he was, but his eyes filled with tears anyway. "I guess he just misses you."

Laenor looked at him with pity, walking over.

"Hey, honey," he spoke softly, rubbing his back. "Hey, it's just Harwin, don't you remember him?"

Joffrey started wailing, loudly, sounding much more upset now and threw himself into Laenor's arms.

"Daddy!" he cried, just as loud as an upset child would be. "I want my daddy."

He bounced him a little, comforting the boy.

"It's okay," he patted his back. "Daddy's here. There's no need to fear."

The wails softened, but Joffrey opened his eyes again, continuing to cry at Laenor, sobbing as if the world was ending.

He looked at Jace and Luke, but they were just wide-eyed and staring as well.

"You should go get your mother," Laenor told them, looking worried. "I think something is wrong, I don't... I don't know."

The two rushed out, and just as they left Harwin's sight, Daemon stopped into the corridor, looking very much like he had raced his way up the stairs, and Joffrey's wails returned.

"What is happening here?" he asked, sounding more outraged than the situation called for.

"He is-" Laenor tried to speak.

"Daddy!" Joffrey wailed, throwing himself at Daemon, and he would have fallen if Laenor wasn't quick to hold him in place.

"You?" Laenor asked, his worry turning into anger. "He's calling you?!"

Harwin watched as he picked him up quickly, and tried not to glare as Joffrey wrapped himself around him, looking as if he had found the safest arms in the world.

"Oh, my little dragon," he cradled him, just as sweet and soft as he had done to Aegon and Viserys. "It's alright. I'm right here."

Joffrey whined and sniffed, but instead of squirming out of his grip as he had done twice before, he squeezed Daemon close, afraid of being let go.

"I'm so sorry," he kissed his cheek. "I should have come faster, I'm sorry."

"Does Rhaenyra know about this?" Laenor stepped closer to him. "The boys-"

"For heaven's sake, Laenor," Daemon interrupted him, not raising his voice but as firm as he could be. "What is wrong with you? The two of you!"

Laenor stopped, closing his mouth and shielding himself.

"You two come up here and wake him up after I've told you he is sick and needs his rest, and expect a six-year-old to fall into whatever family play you two try to imagine you have? What are you, two children?"

Harwin clenched his teeth, ready to say something back, but had no space to.

"I will play nice for Rhaenyra and the children's sake, but I don't have to deal with whatever jealousy you two feel. Jacaerys, Lucerys and Joffrey are my sons. I don't care who gave the genetic material to make them and who put his surname onto their birth certificates. I am their father, and they will come to me or call for me because they know they can count on me to defend them from the two mad men invading their rooms!"

Laenor stared at him in shock, speechless, but Harwin had his own words.

"We are their parents too," he reminded him. "We want to be involved in their lives."

"And you want to start it now?" Daemon turned fully to him. "After you've spent sixteen years as a fun uncle?"

The words stung enough to shut him up.

"You want to be their fathers?" he looked at the two of them, cynic. "You can start by not acting like two selfish brats."

Harwin glared at him.

"You know that wasn't my choice," he argued. "I worked with Rhaenyra and fell in love with her, but respected her honour over my selfishness. Differently from you."

The look he gave him would have meant murder if they weren't in Joffrey's room.

"I, who raised the boys?" he asked.

"Oh, Daemon-," Laenor scoffed.

"Who took them to doctors, attended their parent-teacher conferences, actually took the heavy weight Rhaenyra was carrying all on her own while someone was too busy with his boyfriend to spend more than bedtime at home? I, who did more than the bare minimum as a husband, as a father and as a partner?"

Joffrey squirmed, covering his ear at the sudden raise of his voice.

"Yes, you certainly did different from me," Daemon caressed the boy's back, back to his lower tone.

"I wasn't a ghost, Daemon," Laenor added. "I raised them too."

Before the argument could get more heated, Rhaenyra stepped into the room.

"I don't know what you three are doing, and I don't care," she interrupted them. "But Joffrey needs to take his medicine and eat."

Harwin breathed in, trying to calm down, and Daemon turned to her, exchanging a hard look with Rhaenyra and kissing Joffrey's temple.

"Come on, little dragon. Medicine time."

He was ready to leave, but she picked him up instead.

"You three can go," she instructed. "Now."

Daemon didn't look too happy, but was the first to step away, and Laenor followed him suit.

Harwin watched them a little. Rhaenyra had sat down and was rocking Joffrey softly, humming some music as she waited for him to calm down, holding a plastic syringe with the pink medicine.

How much had he missed?

She felt like she had grown from a girl to a woman in the time he hadn't seen her.

The Rhaenyra he knew before wouldn't be so strong telling people to leave, she would be much sweeter even if it annoyed her.

And the boys. Their boys, their sons.

Joffrey didn't even know him, Lucerys wasn't too excited about getting closer to him.

Jacaerys was the only one who seemed to want to go along with his plan, but one out of three wasn't much.

"Is he alright?" Harwin asked as Joffrey emerged from his mother's neck, looking at him through his long, messy hair.

"He'll be," she rocked him slowly from side to side. "But we want to be alone, please."

He nodded.

"Of course," he confirmed.

But when he stepped out of the room, the other two were standing right in front of his door.

No one wanted to leave, it seemed.

"I'm their father too," Harwin reminded them. "And I plan on being on their life as such."

Daemon scoffed.

"Well, I'll wait seated to see you try."

Harwin rolled his eyes, ready to argue with him, but Daemon walked away.

He looked over at Laenor. Even despite their friendship, he knew that wasn't something he wanted to hear.

And he left too.

Harwin sighed.

Every man for himself, then.

…

“The Christmas War” is being posted on my Patreon two weeks before it comes to Tumblr and AO3! To have early access to all of my works, subscribe to my page! It’s just $2 a month!

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[unusual-raccoon]

thank you for your support my love, you're the absolute best 🥺 <3 <3 <3 *kisses your forehead* also, i love how you got the part of the promised prince! you cannot tell me daemon looked at his first son with rhaenyra, a son half him and half his love, and didn't say "yes. this motherfucker is going to be the one" gsahjdgjas that sword just expresses what he feels about his first son!

also, you can tell they fought big when they retired to their rooms 😭 like

rhaenyra: you knew about this!

daemon: i suspected this

rhaenyra: how could you keep me in the dark!?

daemon:

rhaenyra: don't you have anything to say!?!?

daemon:

rhaenyra:

daemon:.......their kids are going to be beautiful????

You’re so so welcome my darling! It was a wonderful read 🤍

Just envisioned Daemon fist bumping his newborn son 🤭 like “yup nothing else is topping this”. Daemon being an affectionate father my beloved. The idea that both he and Rhaenyra got Jace that sword is actually so sweet.

OMG the Red Keep is SHAKING-

They’re not ready for Daemyra “they are restless and chaotic” to pop off.

Daemon wearing his JaceLuke merch like: my love, I don’t see a problem here

I totally imagine Jace & Daemon bonding and frequently spending time together (idk how you have the timeline here set up) but if the events stick to canon that Jace was still raised by Laenor and Harwin as his father figures.

“They may have raised you, but I am your father, Jacaerys - your blood”

Daemon was the first person Jace went to about Luke.

“You are Targaryen, it is in your nature.”

Poor Nyra is like “hmm, what are all these red flags 🚩?”

Daemon was also the first person to know (and approve) and Jace wanting to marry Luke. Giggling and twirling his hair because he bestowed Rhaenyra’s old Valyrian steel necklace as a courting gift for his son.

[sweetestpopcorn]

Recently I've seen so many book stans repeating all the time that harwin was rhaenyra's soulmate/great love or whatever and I'm always so surprised lol, like when did someone make up that hc and decided that it was true just because they liked it???? There is barely anything on f&b about their relationship and I wouldn't say that the little the book has about them could lead me to that conclusion. Him being her lover and giving her children while she's married to a gay man is not enough to treat that as canon. I'm used to stans of the trash hbo show treating hcs or whatever they did there as the truth but book stans talking about their hcs as if they were established facts on the text makes me confused

Hi there Anon 🤗

I could say I am surprised but I would honestly be lying because book fans, "experts" and "intellectuals" saying things (and at times making wild claims - though it's not the case here) without a proper canon source has been common for many years.

Once again, having headcanons is perfectly fine, and to each their own, but claiming things we think are true without proper basis should not be made.

So Harwin Strong suffers much from the same problem as Laena Velaryon does in the sense that he does not have a proper personality. Her personality is liking to fly, his is being strong. He's also in a way defined not as a character but just as a way to get the "Velaryon" princes much like Laena is a way to get Baela and Rhaena and make Daemon a father.

About his relationship with Rhaenyra we know a few things, let me elaborate for anyone not familiar with the facts:

1- He had courted her before Viserys decided to marry Rhaenyra to Laenor (check Fire and Blood pg. 369)

2- He had long desired her (check Fire and Blood pg. 371)

3- According to Mushroom he was the man who actually took Rhaenyra's v-card. However, also according to Mushroom, this was less based on any love and more on rejection by Criston + anger + being h0rny (check Fire and Blood pg. 371)

4- Also according to Mushroom he was always by her side, they were lovers and he was the father of her three sons (Fire and Blood pg. 371, 372, 373, 376, and 377).

5- Septon Eustace raises the rumour that Harwin was Rhaenyra's lover and the father of her sons and dismisses it. HOWEVER, he also says that Harwin was by her side when she gave birth to Luke (check pg. 376) AND LATER ON gives us this pearl -> "Septon Eustace, more plausibly, suspects Prince Daemon, removing a rival for Princess Rhaenyra's affections." (Fire and Blood, pg. 383)

Eustace:

Can I just:

6- The year of 120 AC started and ended the same way: with Daemon's wife giving birth. Plot twist -> it was not the same wife.

Why am I bringing this up you ask? Well, because you see at the start of the year Daemon was married to Laena and Rhaenyra was still together with Harwin (who was her husband in every way except on paper). Yet at the end of the year Rhaenyra and Daemon are welcoming their first son together.

So they have at most 3 months for:

-Laena to die

-Laenor to die

-Harwin to die

Until the moment of conception... though... Harwin was sent away not too long before the fire of Harrenhal and Otto arriving to court as the new Hand to replace Lyonel, when it's announced Rhaenyra and Daemon got married. We don't know exact dates but it's entirely possible that Aegon's conception happened before my last point - Harwin's death.

So... what is undeniable here? Harwin and Rhaenyra were lovers for 6 years. They had 3 sons back to back (hehe). They spent a lot of time together. From the small information we have he seems very devoted to her. If nothing else they seem physically compatible and attracted to each other, and we know he desired Rhaenyra s#xually. It is also undeniable that barely was he cold on his grave - if he was dead at all - and Daemon was already "in" Rhaenyra (either they were married around this time or not remains a matter of debate).

Also undeniable, we have a LOT mentions of how Rhaenyra loved Daemon throughout her life - childhood, teenage years, and adulthood - and how they were close in all three of these moments. They were repeatedly separated only to be reunited and eventually married, and even while he was still married to Laena, and Rhaenyra was still together with Harwin and they were often together -> and no I don't believe they had any time of affair around this time and there is no mention/rumour of this having happened so if you see someone saying this it's a headcanon not a fact.

If the question here was: What was the healthiest relationship Rhaenyra had? The answer is clearly with Harwin Strong, a man much closer in age to her (estimates are that there were 7 years between them though it can be slightly more but likely not that much; if Harwin was 30 or pushing 30 by 114 AC it would be highly unusual for him to still be unmarried given his high position in society and the average age of marriage in Westeros), that was devoted her, and that she never actually ended the relationship as much as she was forced to end the relationship because they were made to be separated -> much like it happened with her and Daemon in 112 AC.

Small note on this last point because it does showcase a major difference between Rhaenyra's relationship with Harwin and her relationship with Daemon.

In 112 AC, when she and Daemon are discovered - what exactly they were doing can be debated between bases 2, 3, or 4 - after they are separated, Rhaenyra has no other relationship (besides being courted and having dudes after her) until 114 AC... when she is forced to marry Laenor Velaryon.

In 120 AC, upon being publicly accused of having an affair with Harwin Strong and being separated from him not two months pass - and this would mean Laena's death and Laenor's death happened in the same month which I find unlikely so we are probably dealing with less time than two months - and she is in bed with Daemon.

Now, some points could be made here such as:

What she went through in 112 AC was more traumatic than what she went through in 120 AC so maybe it was not like she liked one man more than the other but just that she didn't want to be caught again and have more trouble;

Or that -> the man she truly wanted was Criston (according to Mushroom) but he had refused her so that's why there was no one else and she only attempted again when she was desperate; But I ask, given everything that happened, given the entire story, what do you think? What is the simplest answer? What is more plausible? If you have to think too much or give too complicated an answer, if it’s not obvious... it’s probably not the correct option. 

About the question is Harwin her soulmate/one true love? On that regard, given the book and the facts, I think given everything the answer is no. Clearly the most important relationship of her life, the man she loved above all others, the one she never forgot, was Daemon.

Was this reciprocated? Debatable. Maybe very debatable. But from Rhaenyra's part I really do fail to see any merit in arguing against it when there is just so much in the books and it all aligns with the simple fact that: she loved and never forgot Daemon.

Did this mean she didn't love Harwin? No, I don't think it does. It is more than possible and completely common that throughout one's life we will love more than one person -> I am talking about actual love not just passion. It's highly unlikely that someone like Rhaenyra who had so few partners (2) would maintain a relationship for so long without having feelings for the person. Going any further and extrapolating it to "love of her life"... yeah stretch, and headcanon. Which everyone is very free to have!

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and headcanons and we should respect them and if it's not for us, we just move away.

Tbh though, it's not a headcanon that I have any significant problem with. It's justice for Harwin and he kind of deserves it because for so long he was completely brushed over and ignored and while Laena was the love of Daemon's life based on www.voicesinmyhead.com, by the same voices Rhaenyra didn't give a flying f_ck about Harwin and he was little more than a disposable dild0. What I think is motivating this though is not the books said readers read, but another thing and you guessed it: REDACTED.

If I had a penny for every "book-reader" that is now debating REDACTED as if it's part of book canon I would be very rich. Which would be nice since I would have something positive come out of this :))

And if there is still doubt about what REDACTED says about canon, besties, here you go:

Sorry for the very long answer! Anyway, good on you Ser Beefcakes! At least you are having some recognition.

Harwin Strong regarding his fate of dying yet still having been Rhaenyra's lover for 6 years and potentially having her v-card on his back pocket:

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

He didn’t break his oath but he broke my heart 💔 - by Rachel Hoo (raychelwho)

[ladymorghul]

Hi, I hope you're doing well! I have to say your blog is one of my fave hotd blogs, your headcanos never fail to give me a boost of serotonin. I'd love to know your thoughts about the theory that helaena's children might be aemond's? I was initially a very big fan of it and I believe it has a good chance of becoming canon, but after reading some opinions on the matter, and as a fellow tgc's aegon enjoyer I am now conflicted, people are arguing that if the theory was true it'd take away from aegon's much needed character development and that aemond doesn't need that extra layer of suffering after the b&c incident, he will already feel immense guilt over it especially cuz Luke's death was an accident so adding the 'he's actually the children's father!' thing might be too much and just so the an eye for an eye, a son for a son hits harder. And I also wonder how that might work with him later meeting and fathering a child with Alys, although that all depends on how they plan to portray their relationship on the show. All in all I think it's an interesting theory to discuss. I'm sorry it turned into a messy rambling! I needed to get it out of my chest

hey! thank you very much for the kind words! i hope you're well as well! and ay, haha, that's honestly so sweet of you to say i'm so happy my ramblings over here resonate with you <3

tbh this answer will be controversial and you and others might not like it but since you asked.... i'll answer to the best of my ability. my thoughts on this are all over the place so you'll get some messy ramblings as well. sorry for that :/

i do not take issue with aemond x helaena as a ship for my own personal reasons, and everyone is welcome to have their own opinion on it. but i do think aemond x helaena as a ship is separate from the theory of aemond fathering helaena's children.

personally, i don't like the idea of aemond fathering helaena's children because it would really put the greens in a bad light. aemond judges rhaenyra for her bastard children and alicent thinks it's an insult what rhaenyra did with laenor and harwin, so to have aemond not just father bastards of his own, but by doing so delegitimizing aegon's children as heirs (with or without aegon's knowledge and consent) would turn them into big hypocrites.

is there something to be said about the irony of life? yes, but i think this would be a bit too much considering other things that the greens already have working against them in this war. and aemond knows very well what this would mean for his entire family and i don't think he would want that.

i don't think them being aemond's children would have taken that much from aegon's angst, but i do agree it's not really necessary to add that to aemond's already immense guilt towards his nephew, his sister, her children, alicent and aegon himself.

but they better utilize aegon appropriately in relation to b&c otherwise it's gonna be wasted.

that being said.... would that be the first time this story has an extra layer of suffering that was not that necessary? jaehaera targaryen, as part of peace terms, is forced to marry the son of the man who killed her brothers and drove her mother to suicide and then later, without producing heirs of her own, she dies in a similar manner to her mother, except she suffers in agony for half an hour. so i'm not writing it off just on the basis of it not being necessary because it's obvious the trauma in this story is on steroids.

but, imho, aemond's own relationship with alys later strikes me as hypocritical because afaik she is a bastard. maybe it's the idea that the irony of life made aemond fall in love with a bastard but idk... and she's so much older than him + i hear conflicting perspectives on their relationship. which is why i don't wanna say too much on this relationship at all and i'll have to wait and see how the show presents it. all i'll say is that they'll have to do some layering with this relationship because if it just happens with no context to the audience many will see aemond as a hypocrite.

as for helaena and aemond.... do i want helaena to have some smidge of happiness in her life with aemond? yes. do i think they're gonna make it happen? i don't know. every day i alternate between "maybe" and "probably not". but this is not about aemond being the children's father, but about them having a special relationship seeking comfort in each other. obviously, that doesn't mean it has to be romantic, but sue me, sometimes i see it as such. i can see it as both platonic, brotherly, etc. and separately when i want as romantic.

i’m gonna watch the story regardless of this is gonna be romantic or not. i just hope we get to see more of all of the green kids.