#jaehaerys & Barth and Alysanne & Jonquil are the superior pairings

[waitingforsecretsouls]

Thinking about them again, and Jaehaerys & Barth truly are criminally underrated as a duo when they've got one of the most fleshed-out dynamics and friendships in the entirety of Fire & Blood.

The fact that any and all moments of emtional honesty and vulnerability we have on Jaehaerys are relayed through Jaehaerys and Barth exchanges (even as far back as his feelings on the Alyssa & Rogar marriage!), that all of Alysanne's proposed reforms to make life better for the common people only get pushed through with Barth's support, that it's Barth who has the most nuanced and sympathethic views on Jaehaerys and Alysannes neglected younger children (primarily Saera, by far the most "controversial" of said children. He clearly sees her as starved of love and attention, whereas Jaehaerys only sees the "acting out" aspect of it without even trying to get at potential underlying causes); Alysanne literally brings in Barth as support in trying to mollify Jaehaerys' stance on Saera similar to how his support of her planned reforms previously made Jaehaerys accept them; the juicy tibid that (alledgedly) he esteemed Alysanne higher than Jaehaerys, yet was and remained primarily categorized as the latters friend, Barth as the foremost researcher of dragons and other aspects of the "higher mysteries" meaning he likely got permission to study some Targ dragons from up close and maybe even in their more natural habitat on Dragonstone, publishing multiple books later decried as heresy by the faithful Baelor yet Barth himself was a Septon as well, and Jaehaerys was read to from one of said books on his literal deathbed suffice to say approved of Barth's studies to say the least...Also the episode where he has to dissuade Jaehaerys from trying to get him (Barth) elected as High Septon is just cute. Yes, certainly power-grabby motivations but also supporting his bestie in his career. Shrugging of the classism for a moment in making him hand of the king is another goodie. I'm not exaggerating when I say that at times Barth unironically reads as third in their marriage, of sorts (his keener insight into their younger children, the way his opinion is the tie-breaker in anything except the Saera-issue (not for lack of trying though), the way we never get anything similar to how he confides in Barth between Jaehaerys and Alysanne. Don't get me wrong, it's certainly logistically implied but getting an explicit example or two would have been nice nonetheless. The one instance I can recall is Alysanne writing to Jaehaerys regarding Silverwing's unwillingness to cross the Wall but that's the wrong order and more a "WTF" than confiding deep emotions)...

And that's not even going into potential shipping aspects of it, regarding the divide in class and culture and faith (Jaehaerys and Alysanne did grow up in that early period where Targaryen adherence to the faith was more lip-service), Jaehaerys and Alysanne's likely co-dependency developed by how Targaryens see innocent childhood affection as signs of romantic interest and warp these relationships (as we are shown with Baelon and Alyssa as well), how they were child-hostages together cut off from all other siblings which certainly contributed to their resolution to only marry each other, and how you can play with the eventual break-down of these perceptions and the Targ exceptionalism and theirs as a great love story as their children and marriage fall apart, Jaehaerys arguably lashing out against Alysanne and trying to re-establish their ideal Targaryen family unit with the later, forced, pregnancies but it's NOT working...The tragedy of Jaehaerys as some flavour of repressed, partly by how Westerosi society rolls, partly by how Targaryen family traditions and cycles cycle, how it would add another bitter twist to his and Rhaena's estranged relationship (both looking at the other and being jealous of what they're squandering (what they themselves rejected; Rhaena the crown and Jaehaerys relinquishing said crown))...

To which we also have the criminally underexplored Alysanne & Jonquil Darke relationship. Her sworn sword, sticking so close to her it gave her the nickname "Scarlet Shadow" (explicitly due to how seriously she took her duties). Alysanne forbidding her and another "favourite" from taking part in the tourney to celebrate the opening of the Dragonpit because the fighting resulted in so many injuries, the dramatic irony of Jonquil being employed due to the attempted assassination of Alysanne which she blamed for the death of her son Aegon only to have to witness Alysanne eventually forced into late pregnancies resulting in the early deaths of the resulting children...Can't tell me she didn't hate Jaehaerys. Jonquil being instrumentalized in Saera's punishment and through her Alysanne as well (imo) despite her pleading with Jaehaerys to be gentle on Saera, potential eventual conflict arising from that with Saera's later estrangement and Alysanne's desire to re-connect with her...Also just had the realization while typing this, regarding the in-universe-myth of Jonquil and Florian the Fool, a knight who falls in love with Jonquil upon seeing Jonquil bathing in the afterward named Jonquil's Pool...A myth that get's canonically used to describe/flatter the Jaehaerys & Alysanne match...Well, Alysanne hired Jonquil after being attacked in said pool, Jonquil is literally named after one half of said legendary duo and a (mystery) knight! Connecting some dots, maybe not intended but certainly connectable and a few too many common ingredients to be entirely a coincident.