#house qoherys

[witchthewriter]

I had a thought, inspired by the idea/headcanon that when the women of House Targaryen are abused and treated terribly, then the dragons seem to stop hatching, or die more often.

What if that's why they were one of the lower Houses in Valyria?

I mean, I know those in charge had slaves but, what if those in the higher Houses treated their women better and therefore their dragons were more plentiful and their lives were richer? But maybe how Valyria was living wasn't how the gods liked and they made the volcanos erupt and wipe out the city.

Maybe Dany's the Dreamer only had that dream of the Doom because the gods were giving House Targaryen a second chance?

OR

On the flip side - the Houses in Old Valyria were treating their women as well as their slaves horribly so that's why the doom happened. And House Targaryen was looking after their mother's, wives, sisters etc.

And that's why Dany had the dream - because they were doing the right thing?

But when they went to Westeros, they saw how women were treated, and started treating women badly - like the others in Westeros?

[atopvisenyashill]

Alysanne-Daughter-of-Maegor AU

Maegor Targaryen serves as his brother’s Hand for six months before eloping with Alys Harroway, a female line descendant of House Qoherys - and thus partially Valyrian, perfectly suitable as a bride for the increasingly desperate Maegor. Forced into exile by King Aenys, Alys births her first and only child in Pentos, who she names Alysanne.

After slaughtering every descendant of House Harroway - except his daughter - and naming Walton Towers as the new Lord of Harrenhal, a distraught Alysanne demands to know why her father has not chosen to bestow Harrenhal on her instead. In lieu of an apology, Maegor has her betrothed to Walton Towers’ grandson, Mathis Towers, who will one day inherit Harrenhal. Before the wedding feast ends, however, Maegor flies back to King's Landing, Alysanne in tow, and sends Mathis out to fight the Poor Fellows.

When Hand of the King Rogar and Queen Regent Alyssa decide it is time to send Alysanne to Harrenhal to take up her seat - and marry the last of Walton Towers' grandons, a sickly infant named for her father, 15 year old Jaehaerys absconds with Alysanne to Dragonstone where the two are married, though they do not consummate the marriage until nearly a year afterwards, when Jaehaerys reaches the age of majority in 52 AC.

Jaehaerys’ Seven Speakers work for him for far longer due to the delicate peace that could be upended by both the marriage to Alysanne and Jaehaerys’ conviction to marrying his children to each other. The Speakers travel for years, in between rests at Court, talking up the piety of sweet Alysanne as well as Doctrine of Exceptionalism that will one day apply to the King and Queen’s children at several points throughout their reign.

Alysanne convinces her husband to pass several laws throughout her lifetime and tenure as Queen Consort. Though called “Queen Alysanne’s Laws” in King’s Landing, there were many that referred to her influence as The Laws of Abomination, a way of undercutting the good Queen's judgement by invoking her father's madness and monstrosity. Regardless, these Laws of Abomination remain codified into Westerosi Law into the present day.

Though much of her reign as Queen was marked by the shadow of her father’s legacy, the realm began to soften towards Alysanne as she demonstrated a compassion, intelligence, and respect for propriety that far outmatched her father and even on occasion her husband. By the time her first grandchild is born, the smallfolk had started referring to her as Good Queen Aly for all the ways she had improved their lives.

some more explanations here for the nerds!

Talked before about my “lucas harroway was a female line descendant of the house qoherys” thing, but to go into more detail here: Quenton Qoherys was already an aged man when he was gifted Harrenhal by the Targaryens (this is canon), and was eager to move his large family into the seat. One of those that came with him from Dragonstone is his daughter Quannah (made her up) who had married and had children with Ser Lothston Harroway, a knight in service to the Targaryens at Dragonstone. The two had many children, including Lucas Harroway, who inherited Harrenhal through his mother when all of Quenton’s sons and grandsons had died. Yes I have essentially done a “Harry the Heir” in the Riverlands, thank YOU!

I messed with the timeline because otherwise Jaehaerys is just too much older than Alysanne for this to be a plausible “love” story - anything more than 4 years I think seems like Obvious Grooming whereas Jaehaerys and Alysanne have always been a more lowkey, "banality of evil" type relationship. So Jaehaerys is a lil younger and Maegor speed runs his meltdown lol.

If it’s unclear, Towers line goes Walton -> Jordan (Walton's son) -> Mathis (Jordan's first born son) -> A Bunch Of Other Sons -> Maegor Towers (Jordan's last son). But then Maegor is like “psyche my daughter is coming home with me” because now he’s obsessed with her and the fact that she is the Only child he managed to have.

I wanted to add more queens laws simply because I wanted to give her more proto social justicey causes that make sense for the time period. I tried to base it off legal rights women had not just in medieval Europe but, since we have the whole "Great Empire of the Dawn" background, Han China as well! I thought since Maegor jerks Aly around a lot, she’d codify laws regarding daughters the way she did widows. So Alysanne convinces Jaehaerys to codify-

A man cannot abandon his daughter. Daughter abandonment was a big historical issue and I think if brought to her attention, as a daughter with a deeply weird dad, she would pass something that says no, if you have a daughter with your wife, you have to care for her, you cannot just drop her off at some random person’s porch or leave her in the woods to die.

Matrilocal marriages have the same legal rights as patrilocal marriages. Basically, that if a husband moves in with his wife - whether it be because she married down & she’s living with her father or she inherited so her husband moved in with her - they should be treated equal under the law (I can really see like, Iron Islands especially being fucking deranged about matrilocal marriages, and since Jaehaerys is standardizing laws, this is a good one for her to champion).

If a woman is widowed, she must not be compelled to give up her husband’s business. She must be allowed to continue his business or, if SHE desires, sell it/rent the space/etc for a fair price to another tradesman. Merchant class women were usually allowed to take up their husband’s trade, but this is a series with prima noctus so I imagine this is not a standard thing across Westeros and once again something she would want enshrined into law.

If the only heir is a daughter, she must be treated as an heiress because a daughter comes before an uncle. This one I think would really gnaw at her - Maegor essentially takes what should be her seat (as the only Harroway left alive because he just slaughtered her family!) and divvies it up between some random ass knights, then in an attempt to curb her willfulness, Rogar lets those random knights keep her damn castle. It’s her last link to her mother! Too bad, it’s someone else’s now. She can’t take Harrenhal back without looking Maegor-esque but she can make damn sure that if all that’s left is a daughter, that girl has the legal protection to claim her seat! Essentially, Alysanne introduces the title “heir presumptive” into law and gives that title some rights and protections.

I also came up with backstories for her Ladies Court that tie into the Maegor change:

Barba Towers - as a way of trying to make some peace with Jordan Towers’ sons, she takes one of his daughters as a lady when she visits Harrenhal for the first time since her mother's murder during her and Jaehaerys' first progress. To fit with the Harrenhal curse, Barba dies of the same Shivering Sickness little Daenerys dies of.

Poppy Butterwell - If you look through the history of House Butterwell, they seem kind of, um, skeevy. So I decided that the concept of daughter abandonment comes up when Alysanne and Jaehaerys go on their first progress. Butterwell abandons one of his daughters after having several in a row and no sons, and she's taken in by some random innkeeper in town (which is also why she has a more peasant-esque name - her father doesn't bother naming her). When Alysanne holds her women's court in Harroway's Town and puts the pieces together, she takes Poppy in, arranges a match - marrying Poppy high above her station - and starts pushing to pass laws protecting girl children.

Donella Darry - Another lady she takes from Harrenhal, though not until after Barba Towers dies. House Darry is a prominent and consistent supporter of House Targaryen in the Riverlands, and Maegor gives the Harroway holdings (outside of Harrenhal and Harroway's Town) to House Darry. This is a relationship I imagine is a bit strained - Barba and Poppy are both young naive girls in need of guidance but Donella just kind of exists as this mirror version of Alysanne - an eldest daughter jerked around from holding to holding by her father. I like the idea of Donella being heir presumptive of the Darry lands after her brothers die during the Shivering Sickness, and this is how Alysanne gets involved in inheritance laws for girls.

Arwen Sunderland - I wanted to give the Arryns a reason for acting so deranged towards Daella later on (Rodrik’s daughters are so fucking WEIRD my god), so Alysanne asks Arwen Sunderland to be one of her ladies over Rodrik’s daughters. Aly means nothing by it, she’s merely trying to reach out to the Sunderlands, given how unruly they can be, but because it’s early in her reign, and everyone is reading Maegor-esque behavior into her actions, they assume she means it as an insult, and project that onto poor Daella, which makes the Arryn girls hostile to her, and assume a level of spoiled behavior from the very scared Daella.

Elyse Marbrand - I figured after being forced to watch all her aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, on and on be slaughtered by Maegor, Alysanne would be obsessive about finding distant relations. Since Rhaenys and Visenya were big on marrying houses and regions that had some beef, I thought an arrangement between the Riverlands and the Westerlands would work well, and since the Marbrand's are a pretty important house, I figured that was a good match. So to simplify Quenton Qoherys + Elinor Tully -> Alarra Qoherys + Andros Marbrand -> Elyse Marbrand, aka a distant relation of Alysanne’s (through Quenton). Elyse stays at Court even after she’s had children of her own, though, because her husband, Theon of White Barrow, is a beloved musician and patron of Alysanne’s at Court.

Patronages - Queens often acted as culture makers for the kingdoms and Alysanne already does this in canon so I wanted to add a little more with ✨Maegor flavoring✨for her to do and I thought Alysanne acting as a patroness would fit into this well. Again, a little breakdown on my decisions here-

Coryanne Wylde - Coryanne is already a writer in canon and I thought it would be so funny, given how scandalized everyone is over what she writes, if Alysanne is the one bankrolling her. I like to imagine Coryanne kept writing really weird and sexual stories and Alysanne loved it; like medieval romantasy writing haha. I think Alysanne kept this one a secret though because while she did find it amusing, she didn’t want people to think her lascivious like her parents, and in fact Coryanne takes great pains to always depict her Queen characters as sexually untouchable but not prudish either.

Septa Lyra - Lyra is again one of the women sent to be Alysanne’s ladies maid while she & Jaehaerys are in dragonstone. One thing about women writers in medieval times is they were often nuns and they often wrote non fiction about whatever it is they were studying. I thought given Alysanne’s disapproval of the Maesters not allowing women in their ranks, she’d want to undercut them a bit by bankrolling a few female scholars. But ALSO I was thinking given Maegor’s war against the Faith, Alysanne would go to great pains to make sure she’s seen as pious. So Lyra mostly writes about religions in Terros and midwifery.

Septa Violante - She is one of the Seven Speakers and I figured they’re not doing this shit for free! Alysanne rewards Violante by basically writing her a blank check. Violante writes all sorts of field guides, histories of the various castles throughout Westeros, and even several legal works explaining the historical precedent for Alysanne’s Laws of Abomination.

Arwen Sunderland (again) - Arwen writes prose and poetry and while she’s not as salacious as Coryanne, she does have a fondness for stories that take place in war torn kingdoms, going into detail about the fighting and injuries. Her prose and poetry is much more scandalous so Alysanne keeps the identity of the author a secret - BUT makes it clear she is the patroness for that author. The prevailing theory is in fact that Arwen Sunderland wrote the books, something Gyldayn summarily dismisses as nonsense of course.

Theon of White Barrow - One of the only men Alysanne was ever patroness for, Theon is a nephew of Theomore Manderly who lives in the barrowlands. Alysanne arranges a marriage for Theon with one of her own ladies, Elys Marbrand (Aly canonically arranged a match for one of Theonore’s nephews). Theon, who stands to inherit only a modest holding in the barrowlands, opts to stay at court when the Queen becomes fond of his singing, eventually writing many songs and mummer’s shows for the Queen. The reality, however, is that Theon was not the writer - Elys Marbrand wrote all of his music and stories. Theon, Elys, and Alysanne were so close that during the First Quarrel, when Alysanne opted to hide out in Harroways’s Town soon after her husband vacated the Riverlands, the pair came with her to play music for her there as well.

Septa Elinor Costayne - listen. Alysanne spends a tumultuous childhood being jerked around Pentos and Westeros by her parents, is hauled back to KL and given several new mommies to make up for murdering her first one, only for all her stepmothers to be tortured to death as well. I think Alysanne would develop extreme attachment anxiety to both Rhaena and Elinor in the hell that is the last few years of her father’s life. While Rhaena is a complicated matter - I love their relationship as sisters and I think a 'doesn't want to be the evil stepmother but can't help resenting aly' dynamic would be just as rich as their canon relationship, so they are still CLOSE while trapped in KL - I have never liked that Elinor disappears to become a Septa!!! So I made the executive decision to disregard canon in this instance and have Alysanne guilt Elinor into staying in the capital with her, under the guise of being a patroness for Elinor to follow her passions. Even as Alysanne ages and outgrows the need for a mother, and Elinor stays only because she feels indebted for her life and obligated to care for this strange, disturbed woman, Elinor is writing all sorts of essays and papers so she has something to do. Kind of the equal and opposite of Alysanne's relationship with Gael - putting another woman in arrested development because she doesn't know how to cope with her own traumas pressing down on her.

[horizon-verizon]

I saw the following post, and I wanted to ask you how true that is: "The Strong boys' death is the curse of Harrenhall; all the families that are the lords of Harrenhall, their line ends."

I think you forgot to add the link to said post? I will answer what you gave here, though.

I don't know about a person or living, self-conscious entity necessarily cursed Harrenhal and all its people, but I could believe that the misery and rage from the Hoare's slave exploitation of the Riverlanders (I mean prisoners of battles and smallfolk) left an "impression" powerful enough to become an epicenter or magnet (bc we know magic and gods exist) for tragedy...OR anyone who has Harrenhal was always a house that was in the eye of every other house for the potential the lands and castle could bring. IDK.

The "curse" predates the Strongs; the first house who ruled/was granted Harrenhal was the House Qoherys (Gargon the Guest was killed during a rebellion), then it was the Harroways, then it was the Towers house. Then Maegor Towers & Rhaena (Alysanne's sister)'s died, and Jaehaerys gave Harrenhal to the Strongs.

2 out of the 3 houses mentioned before the Strongs ended with terrible violence, so yes there was a cultural sense in Westeros that any house that takes up Harrenhal as their new seat their line will die very shortly, not even last 4 generations. The castle itself is and has never been fully restored to its short-lived prior completion before Aegon/Balerion burned it and its Hoare inhabitants alive.

Oh, and what "boys"? Because Rhaenyra's sons?--if that post was sneering, then I'd dismiss that since the boys were not in any way a part of the Strong house or lineage ever since they were given the surname Velaryon and claimed/never revealed in the first place. That's them holding onto an ideological identity rather than a legal one so they can feel satisfied with hating or delegitimizing Rhaenyra's claim or theirs. People can be very weird when it comes to those born out of wedlock both when they are reading these books and when they're just out and about.

[asoiafandotherbooks]

TWOIAF/Fire & Blood: Harren the Red

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

Aenys Targaryen has been crowned king upon the death of his father. Queen Alyssa, their children, and the smallfolk cheered. Queen Visenya, Prince Maegor, and the lords did not.

Aenys was a dithering dreamer, whose hunger for approval made him unable to make decisions. He dabbled in alchemy and became a patron of singers, mummers, and mimes.

The first challenge to Aeny’s rule came from Harren the Red, an outlaw who claimed to be Harren the Black’s grandson. Was he Harren the Black’s grandson or was he taking advantage of a famous name to gain notoriety? If he was an actual grandson, he would have a legitimate grievance against the Targaryens. It would be much more interesting if Harren the Red was descended from one of the servants who died in Harrenhal and used the “Harren” name to strengthen his cause. I don’t have sympathy for Harren the Black – he was a horrible person who deserved his fate. A relative of a servant who died because Harren the Black and Aegon the Conqueror decided on having a fatal pissing contest? Using the unjustified murder of their family as motivation to revolt against the regime that caused their destruction? Much more interesting.

Harren the Red, with the help of a castle servant, seized Harrenhal and Lord Gargon Qoherys, its current ruler.

Lord Gargon is remembered as Gargon the Guest for his custom of “attending every wedding in his domain to exercise his right to First Night”. What a charming man. Won’t be shedding any tears for him. The castle servant who allowed Harren the Red into the castle was the father of a girl who had the “first night” custom forced upon her by Gorgon. You reap what you sow, karma, etc.

Harren the Red gelded Gorgon and left him to bleed to death in the castle’s godswood.  After feeding Gargon’s genitals to a dog. Too bad, so sad. Of note is the gelding – gelding is a traditional punishment for rape. Was it simply to humiliate Gargon? Or did the castle servant/father have suggestions?

Harren the Red proclaimed himself the Lord of Harrenhal and the King of the Rivers.  As Harren was not Ironborn, he didn’t claim the Iron Islands. All of this occurred while Aenys was guesting at Riverrun. Aenys was not a king that inspired fear.  Aenys was advised to reign fire upon Harrenhall with Quicksilver but he told Lord Tully to raise his banners. They would begin the march to Harrenhal when more than a thousand men had been assembled. Lord Tully and Harrenhal traveled to Harrenhal to deal with the threat but they found Harrenhal empty and all of Lord Gargon’s men dead.

What was Harren the Red’s intentions in taking Harrenhal? Did he have a personal grievance against Lord Gargon? Was he a husband of a victim of Gargon the Guest’s “first night” practices? Was it a giant “screw you” to the Targaryens and Tullys? Was he simply spreading anarchy?

I’m putting way too much thought into a one-page character, but I’d like some answers.

Up next, rebellions become the new trend in Westeros as the Iron Islands, the Vale, and Dorne join in the fun. Oh, and Harren the Red is still causing trouble.

[dawnofdragon]

At home, her mother was already conspiring to advance their station amongst Targareyn supporters. She wanted more for her daughter, who she was showing more attention as she came of a marriageable age. The Celtigar boy was closer in age to her sisters, and she did not wish to waste good heir-producing years. She wanted more, but settled, in her mind, for the Qoheryses. Valyrian stock, an old and proud family, but one with no titles to their name. They were loyal stewards to the Targareyns and having Caerina by their side, producing their heirs, it would still provide them with a close, loyal link.

She married the eldest Qoherys in a wartime wedding, mere weeks after the burning of Harrenhal. Her new husband was among those fighting still, and so after a very brief time together in her new family’s lot at Dragonstone, she was left alone once again. He was kind to her, she was growing fond of him, but his absence left lingering questions.

Caerina Qoherys is played by Smolls - Full Bio

[sebeth]

TWOIAF/Fire & Blood: The Iron Islands Are In Chaos!

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

  The Iron Islands are in chaos! Harren the Black and sons perished in the destruction of Harrenhal. Qhorin Volmark of Harlaw, “whose grandmother had been a younger sister of Harren’s grandsire”, proclaimed himself the rightful heir/king of the Iron Islands.

The priests of the Drowned God decided to crown a “barefoot holy man Lodos, who proclaimed himself the living son of the Drowned God, and was said to be able to work miracles”. The priests crowned Lodos on Old Wyk, “under the bones of Nagga the Sea Dragon”.

Others made claims from Great Wky, Pyke, and Ormont. Perfect time for a kingsmoot! The Ironborn instead decided killing each other was the better option. The Ironborn battled each other on land and sea – “it was said that the waters were so choked with corpses that krakens appeared by the hundreds, drawn by the blood.”

Fast forward a year later – Aegon the Conqueror decides enough is enough, and flies to the Iron Islands on Balerion. He was accompanied by the war fleets of the Arbor, Highgarden, and Lannisport. Torrhen Stark sent longships from Bear Island.

Aegon’s united forces arrived at the Iron Islands ready to kick ass and take names but the Ironborn folded like wet tissue paper. Many hailed the coming of the dragons. I’m guessing it was the women. I’m sure they were desperate for someone to stop the killing of their children and other male relatives.

Aeon killed Qhorin Volmark but allowed his infant son to inherit his father’s lands. Lodos called upon the krakens to destroy the invading ships. That didn’t happen so Lodos decided the next step would be a mass suicide via drowning with his followers. Lodos is more of a cult leader than a holy man.

I wonder why Aegon let the chaos in the Iron Islands run unchecked for two years? The Sistermen Rebellion was happening at the same time but none of Aegon’s forces (minus Torrhen) were involved in putting down the Sunderland faction. I understand it takes time to gather the forces and sail to the Iron Islands but it seems Aegon took his time in responding. Was he allowing the warfare between the Ironborn so they could take each other out and weaken themselves as a threat to the rest of Westeros?

I do like the consistent pattern of Visenya dealing with the Vale and Aegon dealing with the Ironborn. Sadly, it’s not going to work in Rhaeny’s favor when it comes to Dorne.

The Ironborn are subdued and now the question is what to do with them? Suggestions flew fast and furious: make them a vassal of the Tullys, the Lannisters, or the Starks.

Aegon graciously allowed the Ironborn to choose their own Lord Paramount. They decided on Vickon Greyjoym the Lord Reaper of Pyke.

The Ironborn had to forfeit all holdings in the Riverlands. Aegon gave Harrenhal to Ser Quenton Qoherys, his master-at-arms at Dragonstone. Quenton had two sons and a grandson to carry on his line but wed one of Lord Edmyn Tully’s daughters to seal his loyalty to the Riverlands.

House Qoherys would become the second of the cursed owners of Harrenhal.

Up next: Dorne – It’s the war that never ends!

[westeroswisdom]

No spoilers in this part 1 of the history of the Curse of Harrenhal. Fortunately it ends prior to the start of action in House of the Dragon; however there is a non-spoiler digression to something from HotD S01E08.

Because there are changing narrators in this vid, it may be useful to turn up the volume slightly to help ears adjust to differing voices.

[bloodfcrblood]

( below is a self-para of what saella qoherys saw when she drank the shade of the evening just before the death of viserys targaryen - trigger warnings: blood, hallucinations, death, fire. )

the initial taste was horrid - perhaps the most pungent thing that had ever surpassed her lips.

saella knew not what convinced her to drink this mysterious blue liquid alongside the others in this room with her, perhaps it were the desire to cease the arguing amongst them of just who would do it. she did not imagine the affect it would bestow on her. the taste was rotten, and then it was not, then it was everything all at once, until she swallowed and it was nothing yet again.

she scoffed, setting the drink down, in a plume of smoke it disappeared before her eyes, the room darkened around her until a piercing scream filling her ears. hands quickly found themselves on either side of her head, yet, the sound grew louder, and louder, and louder, until there was only silence.

a sickly, sinister, silence. the sounds of whispering, muttering in some ancient tongue she could not comprehend began echoing down a dimly lit hallway. her feet began to pace, almost enchanted by the sound as if it were a siren song beckoning her to the depths of an ocean. she opened her mouth, but her voice was caught in her throat - until the taste of blood filled her mouth. lilac hues shifted down to the floor, feet bare and soaked with the red liquid that seemed to surround her, dripping down the walls, the whispering growing louder and louder.

until everything shifted - and she were in the great hall of some rain-soaked, abandoned keep. she suddenly knew where she had found herself when a sinister chuckle came from behind her, the feeling of hot breath down her neck, and within the reflect of a pool of water beneath her, she could make out the image of harren the black, much of his skin burnt, sloughing off of his very bones like well-cooked meat. saella moved to run and she could feel a grip around her arm, tightening, until she managed to free it, falling forward as the room swirled around her yet again.

the smell of smoke and fire filled her senses now, she lay there, the sounds of war, blades clashing and men screaming, coming just from outside. a roar of a dragon and flames now surrounded her. tapestries falling - first that of house qoherys, then that of house strong. saella could feel the heat on her skin and finally - she could scream.

she inhaled, trying to find breath in the fire, and her senses filled with that of the earth and dirt,. she were in the godswood, where the weirwoods loomed over her, their branches weeping with the tragedy of this place. her silver hair stuck to her skin, soaked with the rain that never seemed to stop pouring from the sky.

to her left a shadowy figured appeared - a pale woman cloaked in a dark hood, only her raven tresses could be seen in the dim moonlight. through the sound of raindrops pattering upon already soaked earth - saella could make out the murmurs of the woman just some paces before her. and in her last vision, her last memory before she came to in that very same room in which she began in, she heard these words:

"harrenhal demands a price. for every ambition, a life; for every joy, a sorrow. it is a place where dreams turn to nightmares, where hope is but a fleeting illusion. beware the curse, for it spares no one, and its hunger is never sated."

the sound of a scream pulled her from within her own mind, it was not her now, but another in the room. saella found her back pressed to the stone wall behind her, the other figures in various parts of the room. one, however, was not standing, but lying.

dead. viserys targaryen was dead.

a hand came to her mouth in shock and horror, no gladiatorial battle prepared her for the sight. she was unsure of what had just occurred, of what she had just seen. deciphering between reality and her mind seemed entirely impossible now. what was that mysterious drink? who would want them to have endured the effects of such a thing?

whoever it was, whatever it was - saella had found she unlocked something she did not know was there. something she had denied, disbelieved, and now, she believed. now, she wanted to know more, see more. something in her was discovered this day within a passageway she did not think was possible.

and now that she had the key, she intended to unlock that very door again.

[sigilsongs-a]

" study. train. BLEED. and one day your name will be legend... spoken in hushed whispers of 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐑 & 𝐚𝐰𝐞. "

𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐎𝐍 𝐐𝐎𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐒 is the master at arms who shaped a dynasty.

" an attack must be grounded in proper footing!  see how aegon attempts to press, before regaining balance? your brother is now dead. ... allow advantage to your back, to your neck; and now rhaenys joins aegon in the afterlife.   become entangled with a more powerful opponent, you are dead too, visenya. — congratulations; your foolish hubris has ended house targaryen's future in mere minutes. NOW rise ! — and face me, as one. "

[daenystheedreamer]

targaryens have valyrian cringe gene but the velaryons have valyrian slay gene whats not clicking

[depvotee]

1,2,3,4,5,7&9 ASOIAF asks please:3

Favorite Great House

I'd say Baratheons, tbh Targaryen!!!! Nothing tops having dragons!!! Also the entire drama of having your own family destroy itself and not being able to stop it. Not even the dragons could prevented that, in fact the clear correlation of Targeryen women begin the main source of strength in the house but also the birth of Dragons.

2. A minor (or extinct) house you need more lore on

Qoherys :3 I love that they were Valyrian but then also got snatched by the Harrenhal curse, but also the knowledge that before the fall of this house Gargon had a bunch of bastards.

3. Favorite sigil/house words

Baratheons (Stannis' branch)

4. Favorite Valyrian sword

Oathkeeper :3

5. A dead female character you need to save

LYANNA but that would also bring it's own baggage of problems... Rhaenyra too, Joanna Lannister (the mother of the twins), Cat :')

6. Which book or character did you not like at first but eventually grew on you?

CATELYN, and tbh she absolutely gets a lot of shit for not liking Jon, (which also bothered me a LOT at the start), but then I understood her, she is a woman of her environment, she didn't choose to marry Ned and then the guy goes to war, and after it's finished and are finally going to take up residence in what's going to be the castle you're going to live for the rest of your life, BAM the fucker has a bastard son with him. It's fucked up.

7. Which Free City are you retiring to?

Braavos :3

8. Build your own Kingsguard with any characters alive or dead

Jaime, Arthur Dayne and Brienne of Tarth bc i want to see Jaime sweat, the rest, idk. Gerold??? So he can stew on his pants over Arthur having dawn but also Sandoq the Shadow so bitches knew not to fuck with me.

9. Build your small council with any characters dead or alive

Tbh? The same as Robert's but also to have Stannis there too bc I need to see how HORRID the vibes the council can get.

[welldonebeca]

you said you were gonna grow up (then you were gonna come find me)

Summary: After taking Harrenhal, Robb Stark is plagued with nightmares of his sisters. WC: 2.4k words Warnings: Nightmares. Canon divergence. Angst. Harrenhal being itself. A/N: A moot made this edit of Robb and Sansa on Twitter and I have no self-control. Come suffer with me.

There wasn’t a child in all Westeros who hadn’t heard the tale of Harrenhal, whether from the lips of their nan or while curled up in their mother’s chest. Robb was no exception.

Mother called it a monument to arrogance and cruelty. Its king had enslaved the Riverlands to build the mightiest, strongest castle ever conceived. Yet it failed its first test the very day it was completed—burned down by Aegon the Conqueror and his queen sisters. Since then, it had been haunted by every drop of blood spilt within its walls. It had cursed every family that held it—House Hoare, House Qoherys, House Harroway, House Towers, House Strong, House Lothston... House Whent, his grandmother’s house, now had only one last member bearing its name. And if Robb remembered correctly, the head of House Slynt had just been sent to the Wall, stripped of Harrenhal in a mere flicker of time.

Robb blamed that history for the unease the castle instilled in him. They weren’t meant to stay long; he had plans to follow.

Grandfather was dead, they needed to pay their respects.

Bran and Rickon…

Gods help him, he didn’t know what had happened to Bran and Rickon. The whole day he was looking over his shoulders, every second since the news of Winterfell being put to the torch, he had been on edge, waiting for demands from the ironborn to ransom his brothers. It had already broken Mother’s heart when Robb told her they couldn’t rescue Arya and Sansa, but now she was simply inconsolable.

And why wouldn’t she be? Children, his brothers were boys! Bran was ten, just months before that curse had fallen on them Rickon still smelled like milk.

One by one, Starks were falling like flies, and what had he managed to do?

“Your grace?” a soft voice called for him, and Robb turned around in a snap of his neck.

Talissa stood in front of him.

Gods, it took everything in him not to run into her arms and lose himself in her comfort.

Robb had made a promise to the Freys, to marry one of Lord Frey’s daughters and make her his queen. Yet every day Talisa stood before him, and he wished he could just bury himself in her neck and forget his honour.

Was this how Father felt about Jon’s mother? Alone and burdened with responsibilities, with a distant woman he couldn’t remember the face of waiting for him far, far away, while another stood right in front of him, offering her chest for him to lay on, her lips for him to kiss.

“Forgive me,” Talisa apologised quickly. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Robb waved his hand dismissively.

“What is it?”

Was it a letter? A man sent to discuss the terms of his brothers' freedom? Anything to counter the every second of quiet reassurance that his little brothers had indeed perished?

“Your mother has slept,” she informed him.

He breathed out.

Good. She needed her rest. His men were still angry over her decision to release the Kingslayer. Maybe this news would help them see her for what she truly was—a desperate mother.

“Do you wish me to bring you something?” she offered. “Maybe some tea?”

Robb shook his head.

“No, thank you,” he breathed out. “I would like to be left alone.”

It was best that she wasn’t around to tempt his mind. Robb already felt weak enough.

Talisa curtsied quickly, stepping away. He could feel her eyes lingering on him before she finally left, closing the door behind her.

Robb pinched his nose, trying to blink the tears from his eyes.

They could have escaped. Their allies were strong and faithful; they would not turn their backs on children. Robb would hear of them soon.

But he had been telling himself the same thing about Arya since Father’s death, and no news had ever come.

Gods, if only Father had turned the King away, they would all be together now, and that stupid wall would play far away from them.

He stood and walked to his bed—the best room in the castle, they said. Yet it felt just as haunted and desolate as every other corner of it.

Robb set down his candle and curled up in his furs, trying not to feel like a child in the oppressive darkness as he closed his eyes. Yet sleep eluded him. He tossed and turned, side to side, as the candle by his bed endured, the only source of light in the room.

He punched his pillow, grunting in displeasure. He should have accepted the tea; it might have quieted his mind enough to rest.

Robb sat up, and a distant sound caught his ear, and he squeezed his eyes.

Mother.

Her wails grew in desperation, freezing Robb’s bones. He grabbed his robe and the candle, rushing out of his room, the cold stone floors chilling his feet and the sounds of her cries grew as he entered the corridor.

Robb pushed her door open, and she was on the floor, sobbing into her hands, her face stained with blood and tears.

He gasped, running to her side and taking her hands.

Her wounds… had they reopened? They were already scars!

“My sons,” she cried. “I’ve lost them.”

Robb shook his head, tugging on his robe, trying to rip some peace to cover her hurt hands.

“Mother-”

But her eyes moved to his face, sharp and cold like he’d only seen her looking at Jon.

“Because of you,” she hissed, pushing him away. “My sons are dead because of you!”

Mother pushed him again, and Robb fell back, weakened by confusion.

“My daughters are prisoners because of you!” she accused in a scream. “Selfish little boy, leaving your sisters defenceless while claiming that bastard as your heir!”

“No!” he tried to hold her.

She would only hurt herself more.

Mother slapped his chest with both hands, her bloodstained palms marking his skin, feeling like stabs as he fell to the cold floor.

“And while I suffer, you lust after a woman like your father did,” Mother accused him, her bloodied tears falling down her cheeks and falling on his face. “Putting a spoil of war above your honour! Above your blood!”

He couldn’t even move for a moment, frozen by the shock as she stood, her body wavering like a leaf caught in a winter gale, her cries rising once more.

“Because of you,” she wailed, stepping into the darkness.

“Mother!” he pleaded, scrambling to his feet, desperate to reach her before she disappeared.

But it was futile; she vanished into the shadows, leaving him alone in the encroaching dark.

Robb sprang to his feet, the cool wind slicing through the night and making him shiver. Yes, he was a man of the North, but it was like the castle was made of ice itself.

“Mother,” he called, his voice trembling with a fear he thought he had left behind when he stopped being just a boy. “It’s dangerous here at night. Please, come back!”

He stepped through the dark corridors, but the passageways seemed to stretch endlessly, an eerie silence enveloping him, only interrupted by his footsteps.

“Mother!” he shouted, his voice cracking like when he was just green.

“Robb?” A faint, chilling voice echoed through the walls.

He felt everything in his core chilling.

That wasn’t…

What was…

It couldn’t be.

A clap of thunder roared outside and he turned sharply, seeing a distant light somewhere in the depths of the path.

“Who is there?” he called out.

The little voice echoed again, distant and faint, weaving a melody he couldn’t understand.

He followed it, nearly suffocating as the darkness thickened enough to be felt but he persisted, pushing the door of the room in front of him open.

Robb could have mistaken her for Mother for a moment, with her long auburn hair draped over her shoulders, falling over her back in waves, lit by the hearth.

But she was too small to be his mother, thin and curved over a long grey cloth.

“Sansa,” he whispered.

But his little sister didn’t raise her head from her work.

“I only have a night,” she murmured, her voice hollow and resigned. “I only have a night and they’ll take her.”

He swallowed, stumbling as he walked to her, not understanding.

“They’ll take mother?” Robb asked, lowering himself to her side.

Sansa turned to him, her lower lip trembling, her light blue eyes splotchy and red-rimmed from crying.

Was she always this small? He had grown so much during his campaign, but Sansa was still just thirteen, his sweet sister was just a tiny girl.

Her eyes glistened with tears, and she squeezed the cloth tightly in her hands, her knuckles white from the strain.

“We waited,” she whimpered. “We waited for you, Robb. They said you would come to rescue us.”

Robb panted, desperate to reach her, to comfort her, but his hands passed through her like mist. He looked at her hands, and the light grey fabric was stained maroon everywhere, the intricate embroidery of dead wolves in white marred with drops of red.

Her fingers bled as she held the needle, her movements mechanical and relentless, tears mingling with her work.

“Will you forgive me?” Sansa pleaded, her voice choked and raw. “Did I do something wrong? Did I make you abandon us?”

Robb shook his head, desperate.

“No,” he grabbed the fabric. “You’ve- you’ve done nothing, Sansa!”

But she continued to sob, her thin body trembling as she cried over the bloodied fabric.

“I wrote the letter!” she cried out, her voice cracking under the weight of her guilt.

The letter? No, did she think-

No!

“No!” Robb said firmly. “I know the Queen made you do that.”

Yet his little sister rocked back and forth, sobbing and working, crying and bleeding onto the fabric.

“I wanted to come to this place,” she shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “If I wasn’t a stupid girl, nothing would have happened, she would be safe.”

“You’re not!” Robb cried out, fighting against her words. “You’re a child. You’re defenceless.”

“I tried to keep her safe,” Sansa’s voice was barely a whisper, consumed by grief. “I tried to be a good sister, Robb, I did.”

“I know,” he said, trying to soothe her.

“They mocked us,” she sniffed, her voice trembling. “How we waited, how we prayed and hoped… but she couldn’t… Arya didn’t…”

She shook her head, and he tried to grab onto her hands, but they slipped through his grasp.

“Where’s Arya?” he realised

They hadn’t heard anything about Arya since their father’s death.

The light in the room seemed to grow brighter, and Sansa shook her head even more violently.

“I only have a night,” she chanted over and over, her voice a haunting mantra. “I only have a night and they’ll take her away.”

Robbraised his head, looking beyond her, to the bed he hadn’t seen before.

Arya wasn’t like Sansa. She wouldn’t know how to be a hostage; she would never comply, even under Mother’s commands.

Arya was fierce and stubborn and a little fighter, but she was 11 and even smaller than Sansa. She would try to fight and to escape and she would get caught and they would punish her – or even worse.

He stood up, his legs trembling beneath him.

“I had to beg them,” his little sister whispered to nowhere. “I had to use my dress. But I have a night, she’ll have a shroud.

Robb’s throat tightened painfully as he swallowed hard. He reached for the candle on the table, the small flame flickering in his unsteady hands.

“Forgive me,” Sansa whimpered, her voice breaking. “Forgive me, Robb. We thought you’d come for us.”

He stepped up, trembling as raised the candle high, the light casting long, distorted shadows on the walls.

And there was Arya. And Bran. And Rickon.

They lay on the bed, grey and cold, with blue lips and closed eyes.

Robb’s breath caught in his throat and Mother’s wails echoed from all sides as his sister’s words became unintelligible whispers.

His hand shook and the candle slipped, falling onto the bed and lighting it up completely on fire, engulfing his brothers and sister. The flames hungrily devoured the shroud in Sansa’s arms as she continued her futile work, the fire licking at her skin, consuming her along with her mournful tears.

He wanted to scream, but he couldn’t, his voice just died in his throat as he sat up on his bed, clenching his furs to his chest, feeling his heart beating so fast it threatened to leave his body through his throat.

A nightmare.

A fucking nightmare.

Robb tugged at his hair, trying to ground himself as he stood up, his legs trembling like fragile twigs beneath him. He scanned the room, struggling to make sense of his surroundings.

It was just a nightmare. Dreams, nothing more. There was no blood, no fire, no shroud. The candle by his bed was barely flickering, its flame reduced to a sliver of wax.

He took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing heart and shake off the remnants of fear as the room darkened, silent.

The sounds of scratches by his door made Robb stand, and his sleep clothes clung to his skin in his sweaty state, and struggled to pull his tunic over his head for a moment, quickly tossing it to his bed as he opened the door, and Grey Wind walked into his room.

He closed the door and sank to his knees, resting his head on Grey Wind’s thick fur. hearing his breath as he tried to calm himself down, still.

Robb had his wolf, and so did Bran and Rickon. Yet, they had found no sign of Summer or Shaggy Dog—no fur, no remains.

His little brothers were protected, he knew that. His men would find them hidden soon.

But Sansa and Arya… they needed him. They had no one – Lady was dead and Nymeria was gone.

They were children, all of them. He was all they had.

But wasn’t Robb a child too? He was just a boy!

Everyone else saw him as their King! They wanted him to be glorious and strong, but he was no conqueror – and he wasn’t ready to be one!

He wanted to run to his mother’s arms and cry into her skirts with his head on her lap, to be protected.

He was terrified! How could he be brave in a state like this?

But Father had said it himself, hadn’t he?

The only time a man can be brave is when he is afraid.

Robb sunk completely to his knees, sobbing into Grey Wind’s fur, trying to keep the sounds to himself – what would his men think? He couldn’t be weak.

[gulnarsultan]

Modern Reader The Saviour and faithful loyal friend of House Targaryen is Daenys’s best friend, her knight in shining armour, the one who saved her from two Valyrians who wanted to hurt her. Modern Reader is the only one who saw Valyria, before the Doom.

Remember that two Valyrians said “You’ll pay for this” to Modern Reader, after she beat their asses? Yep, they wanted to punish her. Two Valyrians accused Modern Reader for attacking them, meanwhile Daenys tells everyone in the court that Modern Reader saved her from them. These two Valyrians are from a very powerful families and it’s possible for them to hurt Modern Reader. In result: Modern Reader was sent to prison cell, or working in mines next to Volcanoes. You probably know how horrible were conditions in mines. Those who were working, were praying for death. Daenys, Gaemon and Lord Aenar knew this as well. Daenys was terrified, she didn’t want to lose her friend.

Modern Reader was in prison cell, where it was super hot, but luckily or unfortunately she was immortal. One day Daenys visited her friend, she noticed burns and scars on Modern Reader, which resulted her to cry. Modern Reader wiped her tears away and comforted her, saying “Don’t cry, Daenys. I’ll get out soon.” Daenys told Modern Reader her vision the Doom of Valyria. Modern Reader warned that the vision is true, she told her she needs to leave the Valyria with her family, to save their lives. Daenys didn’t want to leave Y/N, which Y/N replies “I’ll be fine, I promise you. We will meet again soon.” That’s when Targaryens left the Valyria.

As for Modern Reader she was released, then she warned others about the Doom. Some didn’t believe it, others laughed at her, but there were those who believed: House Qoherys, Celtigar and Velaryon. Modern Reader left Valyria with Velaryons. They managed to leave as fast as they could, they probably used air magic, because there were few hours before the Doom. They were escaped the Doom. After travelling, they managed to get to Dragonstone. Daenys was waiting for Y/N because she got the vision of her return. Once they saw each other, they ran towards one another. Daenys engulf Y/N in tight hug, crying happy tears, the same does Modern Reader. It’s wholesome scenery to see two best friends meet each other after a long time. There were scars on Modern Reader’s body, but soon they healed. After some time later a family portrait was painted: Daenys the Dreamer, her brother-husband Gaemon Targaryen, her father Aenar Targaryen and her children, next to them was Y/N L/N The Saviour and faithful loyal friend with a scar on her cheek.

That’s what Visenya, Aegon and Rhaenys were told about Modern Reader, when their parents were reading the books about Modern Reader to them.

I think it’s a wonderful script. Modern Reader The Saviour and faithful loyal friend went so much in Valyria, a dramatic and fascinating story. And now here she is, Modern Reader who’s dealing with her beloved Conquerors who want to marry her.

So, your thoughts about it?

Also how would Yandere Conquerors react to what Modern Reader went through in Valyria (scenario I wrote above)? How would they react to the scars on Modern Reader’s body? Of course they’re healed, but some of them are noticeable and they look badly.

P.S.: I think I would call Modern Reader The Saviour and faithful loyal friend- Immortal Modern Reader. Because it’s short and understandable. Immortal Modern Reader is the only one who saw Valyria, before the Doom. And now to think about that she disappeared in there, when she was looking for Aerea and Balerion during Jaehaerys’s reign is kinda…sad. Valyria is the place where Immortal Modern Reader met Targaryens, the place where she suffered and the place where she never returned from, all because she was protecting House Targaryen, like she was always doing that.

It's a great scenario. 🤩 Daenerys and the modern reader scenes are very sweet.😍 I think if the reader is insecure about scars, the conquerors will support the reader in this matter. They will delight the reader greatly. The ending of the story made me a little sad. The Targaryens never forget the reader. All Targaryens have information about the reader. Who knows, maybe the reader's grandchildren will meet the Targaryens.

[ludcake]

are the targs colonisers though?

Okay anon. Let me break down this question.

What do you mean by colonisers.

The answer fundamentally is "no", because there was no colonial, extractivist process. Colonialism isn't the same as conquest; colonialism would be if the Targaryens ruled from, say, Myr, and imported Westerosi wealth to Myr, and dismantled local Westerosi culture and political hierarchies to establish government by Myrish people, and systematically suppressed Westerosi people and split them apart in arbitrary boundaries and employed them as labour for extractivism.

That is not what the Targaryens did in Westeros. It's what the Valyrian Empire did in Lys, and what they did in Tyrosh, and Myr and Pentos and Qohor and Volantis and Norvos and Lorath.

The Targaryens were foreign conquerors, but they did not establish a colonial process between metropolis and colony. And neither did the Andals! Or the Rhoynar, for that matter. As a matter of fact, all three of those are more accurately characterised as diasporic processes.

If you mean coloniser merely as "are they native to this area", well, they're not. Even by the time of Aerys they're still dragging the carcass of Valyria around with them, including their own traditions. If you mean coloniser as "did they establish a racial divide", I'd say no, simply because beyond their connection to House Velaryon, neither Qoherys nor Celtigar are that meaningfully powerful - and by and large, their courts seem to have been filled with locals, and they did not enforce High Valyrian as the language of the courts, or employ Valyrian court officials.

Ultimately, no. House Targaryen cannot be characterised as colonisers. They're conquerors, and they're vicious, and they're a nest of all sorts of problems, but colonialism is not the correct framework to understand the relationship between them and Westerosi society.

[isefyres-archive]

𝔑𝔢𝔴 𝔪𝔲𝔰𝔢𝔰 𝔞𝔡𝔡𝔢𝔡:

Lord Quenton Qoherys: was the first Lord of Harrenhal and the head of House Qoherys Ser Quenton was the master-at-arms at Dragonstone during Aegon's Conquest. He was named Lord of Harrenhal by King Aegon I Targaryen after Aegon had extinguished House Hoare during his conquest. Lord Quenton had two strong sons and a plump grandson to continue the family line, but as his first wife had died from spotted fever in 1 BC, he agreed to wed a daughter of his liege lord, Edmyn Tully of Riverrun. In 9 AC, he died from a fall from his horse and was succeeded by his grandson, Gargon. Conquest Era.

Prince Aemon Targaryen: was a member of House Targaryen. He was the third born child of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Queen Alysanne Targaryen. Aemon was married to Lady Jocelyn Baratheon. Together, they had a daughter, Princess Rhaenys. Aemon was a dragonrider whose mount was Caraxes. His mother Alysanne would often say, while laughing, that Aemon's first word had been, "Why?". In 62 AC, King Jaehaerys formally granted the seven-year-old Aemon the title of Prince of Dragonstone and heir to the throne. At the feast that followed Aemon's appointment, Queen Alysanne sat Aemon beside Lady Jocelyn Baratheon. The two children spent the entire evening talking and laughing together. He is the father of Princess Rhaenys. Jaeherys Era.

Princess Saera Targaryen: the ninthborn child and fifthborn daughter of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Queen Alysanne Targaryen. Saera was a courageous and clever, girl, in her own way as clever as her brother Vaegon. She was just as strong, quick and spirited as her sister Alyssa. Saera was tempestuous, demanding, and disobedient. Her first word was "no", which she said often and loudly. She quickly had three favorites of all the men who attended her: Jonah Mooton, the heir to Maidenpool, Roy Connington, the Lord of Griffin's Roost, and Ser Braxton Beesbury, the heir to Honeyholt. Instead of hiding within the Seven Kingdoms, however, Saera had found passage on a ship at Oldtown, which had brought her to Lys. Saera, infamous but wealthy, left Lys for Volantis a few years before 99 AC. In Volantis, she became the proprietor of a famous pleasure house. She had at least three bastard sons, who would be the dragonseeds of House Blackfyre in Essos. Jaeherys Era.

Princess Gael Targaryen: was the thirteenth and last child of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Queen Alysanne Targaryen. Born during winter, Gael was also called the Winter Child. After her sisters Alyssa, Daella, and Viserra had died within the span of five years (82–87 AC), Gael became a comfort for her mother Queen Alysanne, along with her older sister Maegelle. Gael became Alysanne's constant shadow, and even slept with her in her bed. In 99 AC, Gael disappeared from court. It was announced that she had died of a summer fever. After the deaths of King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne, it was revealed that Gael had been seduced and impregnated by a traveling singer. Gael had given birth to a stillborn son. Jaeherys Era.

Princess Viserra Targaryen: was the tenth-born child of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Queen Alysanne Targaryen. Viserra was the most beautiful of Queen Alysanne Targaryen's daughters. She had deep purple eyes and silver-gold hair, flawless white skin, and fine features. serra was a vain girl. Once, when a young squire called her a goddess, she simply agreed with him. The attention of great lords, famous knights, and callow boys fed her vanity until it "became a raging fire". Viserra delighted in playing one boy off against another and setting them on foolish quests or having them perform contests. According to Alysanne, Viserra desired to become a queen, and therefore aimed to marry her brother Baelon, not for love but for ambition. Viserra then turned to Baelon, hoping for him to rescue her according to court gossip. One night, she slipped past Baelon's guards and climbed naked into his bed. Jaeherys Era.

Lady Alarra Stark: Alarra Stark was the daughter of Lord Alaric Stark and his wife from House Mormont. According to her father, Lord Alaric Stark, Alarra was "as sweet to look upon as any southron lady. Despite her father's initial dislike for Queen Alysanne, Alarra had been kind and gentle to the queen, often reminding the Queen of her own daughters. Alarra did became aware of the affair of her father and the queen but kept the secret. When Queen Alysanne Targaryen visited Winterfell in 58 AC, Alarra and Alysanne became particularly close. Near the end of 58 AC, Alarra came to King's Landing with her two brothers to attend the tourney celebrating the tenth anniversary of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen's coronation. At this time, Alarra also became a lady-in-waiting to the Queen. Jaeherys Era.

Lady Megga Tyrell: is a member of a junior branch of House Tyrell. She is the granddaughter of Ser Quentin Tyrell, a cousin of Mace Tyrell, the Lord of Highgarden, and is the only daughter of Ser Olymer Tyrell and his wife, Lysa Meadows. Megga has two older brothers: Raymund and Rickard Tyrell. Megga likes to play kissing games with boys and sometimes her cousins. While not a great singer, Megga plays the lyra and piano wonderfully. Megga is one of Queen Margaery Tyrell's ladies-in-waiting. Almost all of the men named as Margaery's lovers have denied the accusation or recanted, so she and her cousins, including Megga, are handed over by the High Septon to the custody of Lord Randyll Tarly. Tarly swears a holy oath to return them for their trial. Song Era.

Sera Flowers: Sera tends to take things less seriously than Mira does, like casually playing with Margaery's seating plan for the Purple Wedding and stealing Queen Cersei's wine. Mira can confide in her, though Margaery seems to be in Sera's best interest rather than House Forrester's. Sera is revealed to be a bastard, she is Mance's bastard but the Tyrell covered that with the surname Durwell. She confesses that she is attracted to both Jaime Lannister and Oberyn Martell, and Mira has the option to agree, though she sounds unsure. Sera escaped before the cousins and Margaery ladies were taken and ran to the Reach, her biological father is unknown to everyone but Lady Olenna. Song Era.

King Stannis Baratheon: Stannis Baratheon was the younger brother of King Robert Baratheon and older brother of Renly Baratheon. On account of the revelation of Robert's supposed children's true parentage, Stannis declares himself the rightful king after Robert's death as his rightful heir, and begins a campaign to take the Iron Throne. After assassinating his younger brother Renly using bloodmagic, due to Renly also having claimed the throne despite being the youngest brother, Stannis almost succeeds in taking King's Landing at the Battle of the Blackwater, but is ultimately repelled by the armies of Tywin Lannister and House Tyrell. As his wars drag on, Stannis falls further and further under the sway of the red priestess Melisandre. After saving the Night's Watch from Mance Rayder's wildling army in the battle for the Wall, Stannis marches on Winterfell. Song Era.

Lady Shyra Errol: is the Lady of Haystack Hall and the head of House Errol, her unlike stormlander looks come from her father marrying a woman from the westerlands. Because of this, she sees no proof in the rumors regarding Princess Myrcella rumors, as she is a stormlander with unlike features, and golden hair. Lady Shyra supports Renly Baratheon during the War of the Five Kings. She has one son who she acts as Regent as well and after the death of Renly, she remains on the Stormlands. Currently, her castle is under the attack of the Golden Company. Song Era.

Lady Liane Vance: Liane Vance is a noblewoman of House Vance of Wayfarer's Rest. She is the eldest daughter of the heir of Wayfarer's Rest, Ser Karyl Vance. Liane's grandfather, Lord Vance, dies at the battle below the Golden Tooth. Ser Karyl Vance becomes the new Lord of Wayfarer's Rest, and Liane the heir of her house. Liane becomes a field nurse for everyone after the red wedding and travels to House Bracken and House Blackwood to tend to the injured, she is said to have magic in her as she carries a piece of weirwood tree in her, always. Song Era.

Laena Longwaters: Laena is the recognized bastard daughter of Thena Celtigar and Rennifer Longwaters, marking one of the few times Velaryon blood and Celtigar mix. Due to this, Laena has dragonrider blood as well access to the Celtigar cell with the secrets of Valyria and the keys of the long night as well the coming battle of the dawn. OC. Song Era.

Lord Kaento Qoehrys: The remains of House Qoehrys from Harrenhal, they had been in Lys and Volantis gathering their own forces and money and they are travelling with Prince Aegon and the Golden Company to reclaim Harrenhal as their ancestral home. Despite his refusal, his daughter would be travelling in the second command of the ships, however, she is delayed with the arrival of Queen Daenerys Targaryen in Lys. Kaento is known to be able to use a flaming sword and has stock of dragonglass. OC. Song Era.

Lady Merea Qoehrys: Daughter of Kaento. She wants to travel with her father in the Golden Company, which he promises he will send word once Aegon takes House Connington and a few Stormlanders Houses. When news arrives, it marks the arrival of Daenerys Targaryen to Lys and intrigued, Merea wants to talk to the woman, without her father's approval as she always had her doubts of Prince Aegon's real heritage. Merea only wishes for their family to return home. She takes kindly to sing some old Valyrian songs to Dany's dragons. OC. Song Era.

[presidenthades]

In the AU where Alicent marries Laenor, Velargirl's mother, what are the reactions/thoughts that girls are born with black hair?

I don’t think anyone would seriously believe that S1 Alicent, who was consistently very dutiful and pious etc., would cheat on her husband. So most rational people would go “oh it’s Rhaenys’s genes” while some determined gossipmongers might cling to the most salacious version of events. And in this AU, Rhaenyra never falls out with Alicent over marrying Viserys, so Rhaenyra would stick up for her BFF.

And honestly, I think that in-universe, the Velaryons should have more family members without silver hair. They don’t practice as much incest as the Targs, so their only other Valyrian marriage options are the Targs and Celtigars, and maybe House Qoherys before they went extinct. I can see various Velaryons intermarrying with other regional houses like the Masseys (Queen Alyssa’s mother was a Massey) and Bar Emmons. They can’t all have silver hair in those other houses, so I’m sure some other colors got mixed in. And Alicent herself is a Hightower, who probably have all sorts of hair colors.

I can also imagine that when it’s time for the Velaryons to marry the Targs, they put forth their most Valyrian-looking marriage candidates. But those recessive genes pop up from time to time.