#laenas death

[sihtryggr]

@ hotd show runners

[unicoo]

I have a problem with the show trying to make Laena’s death some warriors sacrifice when it was very much a traumatic tragedy. Laena didn’t go out in a war fighting for some just cause, she died trying to give life to her child, died afraid and likely worrying about the daughters she was leaving behind as well as the child she was taking with her…….

In the books Laena doesn’t off herself knowing she has daughters who need her or a family who loves her. The parallel between Daemon & Viserys and her & Aemma is cool I guess. Also the theory that Vhagar didn’t listen to Aemond because she doesn’t trust her rider’s judgement in tough situations, chefs kiss, but I really think they only changed her death to make Rhaenyra’s seem like some ultimate sacrifice all dragon riders make, when in fact NO that’s not true sorry.

Rhaenyra was MURDERED. Her death wasn’t something to be celebrated as a heroic dragon riders death, nor is show!Laena’s death. These are TRAGIC TRAGEDIES. No one should be celebrating this!! Baela shouldn’t want to die like her mother?!! Future Targaryen’s shouldn’t look at Rhaenyra’s death & say “Yeah she was a hero for this.” No, no she wasn’t she was WRONGED & cheated 😭

They’ve literally cut all the important symbolism from the original story and adding in their meaningless symbolism, it drives me crazy 😭

[sukibenders]

This may be an unpopular opinion in the HOTD fandom but I'm still going to say it: Rhaenicent and Laenyra both could have existed in the show's narrative without overshadowing or taking away from (when done right because the writers treat Laena so terribly) any of the characters involved.

[lunafreya24]

Modern au: When the Storm Breaks

Pairings: Jacaerys Targaryen/Cregan Stark, Rhaenyra Targaryen/Harwin Strong, Rhaenys Targaryen/Corlys Velaryon

Cregan and Jace have been married for a couple years when tragedy strikes. Jace's brother, Luke, is killed in a car accident. From the moment they got the news, Jace barely cries. He buries himself into being strong for his family and planning Luke's funeral. Cregan stays by his side the whole time, trying his best to help. Everyone is worried Jace is carrying too much on his shoulders and that he's going to explode soon. Their fears become reality when Jace has a full-blown mental breakdown at the funeral. Jace's family and his husband rally around him. Afterwards he apologizes for making a scene. Everyone tells him that he has every right to upset and that he doesn't have to be strong all the time.

(cw: character death, graphic language, grief, unhealthy coping mechanisms)

Notes: This takes place in modern day New York. Rhaenyra and Harwin are married. Aegon III and Viserys II are Harwin's sons, but they get their looks from Rhaenyra. All the age gaps are closed in this story. Cregan and Jace are the same age, Rhaenyra and Harwin are only like 3 or 4 years apart. Laena is Rhaenyra's best friend here not Alicent, because I didn't want to touch that situation. Helaena is the only green that makes an appearance because I love her. Laenor and Daemon also aren't mentioned in this story. Do with that what you will.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jacaerys Targaryen and Cregan Stark had built a life together that was rooted in love, trust, and mutual support. They met in college, when Jace was getting his MBA and Cregan was getting a bachelor’s degree in architecture. Until then, neither of them had believed in love at first sight, but in that moment, love was the only thing that came to mind. They dated all throughout college, receiving their respective degrees with honors. Jace’s parents, Rhaenyra and Harwin, threw a grand graduation party at their home. However, Jace was the only one unaware that this party was also an engagement party. Once everyone important to them had arrived, Cregan got down on one knee and asked Jace to make him the happiest man in the world. Jace accepted with tears in his eyes. Their wedding was a sight to behold, a perfect blend of extravagance and sentiment. They vowed to be there for each other for every moment of their lives, no matter how painful. After four years of marriage, they had faced their share of challenges, but none had been as shattering as the phone call that came one quiet evening.

Jace was in the kitchen, preparing dinner, while Cregan relaxed on the couch, engrossed in a book. The shrill ring of Jace's phone broke the silence. It was from Baela, Jace's favorite cousin. Jace and Baela were very close, but they hadn’t spoken in a while, feeling they didn’t have much to share with each other. When she called out of nowhere, Jace thought she had something exciting to tell him. 

“Hey Baela, how are you?” He answered cheerfully. 

“Hi Jace.” Baela said, her voice shaking, barely above whisper.

“Is everything okay?” There was silence on the other end. 

Cregan could sense the tension and looked from his book. “Who’s that baby?”

Jace moved the food off the stove and walked over. “It’s Baela,” he whispered. 

“Is that Cregan?” She asked in an abrupt manner.

“Yeah.” Jace said.

“Can you put the phone on speaker, you both need to hear this.”

Jace did as he was asked, placing his phone on the coffee table, “Okay, Baela what going on, you’re kind of scaring me now.” 

Baela took a deep breath before continuing, "Jace, it's about Luke.” 

“What about Luke?” Jace asked, fear washing over him. 

They could hear Baela start to cry on the other end, “There…There’s been….. an accident. I’m so sorry Jace. He's... he's gone."

Jace’s breath hitched. He and his husband sat there frozen, Baela’s soft cries coming from below them. 

“What? What happened?” Jace questioned. The room seemed to close in around them as the reality of the situation sunk in.

“He… he was driving home for a visit when .... a truck sideswiped him. He hit a wall and…. first responders couldn’t get to him in time.” 

Jace could hear Baela talking to them. He could feel his husband grab his hand. But all of that seemed to fade away with the thoughts whirling through his mind. 

"I'm so sorry, Jace," Cregan whispered, his heart aching for his husband.

Jace sat frozen once again, his eyes were unfocused. He didn't cry, didn't scream. He just nodded and took a deep breath. 

"What about my parents? Do they know yet?"

“We’re at their house right now. My mom was with yours when she got the call. They didn’t know how to tell you so I offered to do it. They’re…. heartbroken, but we’re here to help them.”

“Thank you.” Jace muttered.

“That goes for you too, if you need anything, please come to us Jace.”

“Okay. Goodbye Baela.”

“Bye.” 

Crega pulled Jace into a tight hold. “I’m so sorry baby.” He offered. But Jace shifted in his arms, pulling back. He looked as if he were in some sort of trance. 

“I need to get home.” He announced. “My family needs me.” 

The days that followed were a blur of grief and responsibility. From the moment they got the news, Jace seemed to switch into autopilot. He threw himself into planning Luke's funeral, his focus solely on being the pillar of strength his family needed. He promised his parents that they didn’t have to worry about anything while he was there. He coordinated with funeral directors, arranged flowers, and meticulously chose every detail, ensuring that his brother would be honored in the best way possible.

Cregan watched his husband with growing concern. Jace was handling everything with a stoic determination that bordered on obsessiveness. He knew Jace was hurting, but he seemed unwilling or unable to express his grief. Every time Cregan tried to talk to him about it, Jace would deflect, insisting that there was too much to do.

"Jace, honey, you need to slow down and let yourself grieve, let yourself feel something," Cregan urged one evening, gently touching his arm. "It's okay to cry, to be upset."

Jace shook his head, his expression resolute. "I don't have time for that, Cregan. My family needs me." That phrase had become Jace’s mantra over the last week. At night, he would lie awake, staring at the ceiling, while Cregan held him, hoping that the physical closeness would provide some sort of comfort.

Jace's family was just as worried. At first, Rhaenyra was eternally grateful for her son's strength at this terrible time. But she quickly realized what was happening to her son, her whole body flooded with guilt. She and Harwin both expressed their concerns to Cregan privately. "He's carrying too much," Rhaenyra said one evening, her voice thick with worry. "I'm afraid he's going to break."

The day of the funeral arrived, a gray, overcast morning that seemed to mirror the heavy hearts of all who gathered. Jace was impeccably dressed in a black suit, his expression set in a mask of calm control. Cregan stood by his side, offering silent support.

The service was beautiful and heart-wrenching. Friends and family spoke of Luke's kindness, his bright smile, and the joy he brought to their lives. Jace delivered the eulogy with a steady voice, recounting fond memories and expressing the depth of his love for his younger brother. When he finished, sobs and sniffles could be heard throughout the whole church, but Jace’s face still didn’t falter. 

As the service drew to a close, Jace stood by the casket, greeting mourners and accepting their condolences. He was the picture of strength and composure, but Cregan could see the cracks beneath the surface. Each handshake, each hug seemed to chip away at the veneer of control Jace had built around himself.

When everyone proceeded to the burial site, Luke's body was placed over the area where it would be buried and lay forever. As the priest gave final blessing, Jace’s frame stiffened, his breaths shallowed slightly. Cregan was at his side, sensing the shift. He grabbed his husband's hand and started rubbing small circles on his back. He had seen this coming from the beginning. He only hoped now that he could soften the blow, if only a little bit. 

It was during the final moments of the burial, as the casket was lowered into the ground, that the storm finally broke. Jace stared at the graveside, the finality of it all crashing down on him. His breathing quickened even more, and he felt a tightness in his chest that made it hard to breathe.

“No.” Jace shook his head, pleading with every higher power he could think of. “Please, no!” he whimpered, not caring about what people thought about him. The pressure inside him had built up to an unbearable level. "I can't... I can't do this," he gasped, his voice breaking. "He's gone, Cregan! No....please! He can’t be gone!"

The tears finally came then, a torrent of grief and anguish that he had held back for far too long. He lurched forward, falling to the ground, sobs wracking his body. Cregan knelt beside him, wrapping his arms around Jace, holding him as he wailed. 

The mourners looked on with a mix of sympathy and understanding. Rhaenys and Corlys took it upon themselves to start herding the funeral guests toward the reception, knowing the best thing for the family was to be alone with each other right now. Rhaenyra and Harwin rushed to Jace's side, their own tears falling freely as they tried to comfort their son. For the first time since the accident, Jace allowed himself to truly feel the depth of his loss. Jace clung to Cregan, his cries growing softer, his screams turning into broken whispers, “Come back…. Luke I’m sorry…. Please come back.” 

The four of them sat like that for a while. Everyone else had gone, Laena had taken Jace’s other brothers to the reception, giving them time to just worry about Jace. Thirty minutes felt like a lifetime. Jace felt like he had cried away all the tears he had left, a terrible headache was brewing in the back of his skull. He picked up his head and looked around, realizing they were alone. “We should go to the reception now. They’re probably waiting for us.” He groaned, rubbing his burning eyes. 

Rhaenyra cupped her son's face gently, "Jace, you don't have to go. Everyone will understand."

Harwin nodded in agreement, "We're all hurting, son. And you’ve already done so much. If you just want to go home, it’s alright.” 

Jace looked to his husband for the answer. Cregan looked at him lovingly, saying, “I’ll do whatever you want, baby.” 

Jace thought for a moment, “I think we should go.” He decided.

“Are you sure?” Cregan asked.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” 

The reception was a blur for Jace. He felt exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Many people came to him again, offering even more condolences and asking if he was alright. He assured everyone that he was feeling much better now, but the ache in his heart and the pounding in his head were creeping up on him again. He wondered why he even bothered coming. Just then Helaena came up to him with a gentle smile.  

“Hi Jace.” She spoke softly

“Hi Helaena.” 

She looked at him as if she was trying to speak a language she didn’t know. She quickly gave up on words and held her arms out to him. He took them gratefully. After a full day of words and tears, her silent comfort somehow surpassed it all. Helaena often struggled with words, but in her touch was a power no one else in that room possessed. In that moment, Jace felt all of his pain melt away. For a split second, he felt whole again. He felt the one thing that had been missing since Baela called him that night, hope. They stayed like that for a little while. Jace breathed in her soothing herbal scent, finally feeling a sense of healing take fold. 

“Thank you so much Helaena.”

“For what”

“For being exactly what I need right now.”

Helaena smiled kindly and then left. Eventually everyone cleared out, leaving just the family. As they sat on the couch together, Jace struggled to come to terms with his outburst at the funeral. In hindsight, he felt embarrassed and ashamed for breaking down in front of everyone. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice filled with regret. "I didn't mean to make a scene."

Rhaenyra held him in her arms, her eyes filled with compassion. "Jace, you have nothing to apologize for. You lost your brother, not even a month ago. You have every right to grieve. If anyone should be sorry, it’s me. I never should have let you take on all that by yourself."

Harwin nodded in agreement. "Neither of us should have, Jace. We're a family, and we should support each other. You don't always have to be strong for everyone."

Cregan held his hand, his voice gentle but firm. "You've been carrying so much, sweetheart. It's time to let others carry some of that weight with you. We're all here for you now." He pressed a feather-light kiss to Jace’s temple. 

Jace looked around at his family, seeing the love and support in their eyes. He realized then that he didn't have to bear his grief alone. He didn't have to be the pillar of strength all the time. It was okay to lean on those who loved him. He felt tears come to his eyes again, but this time he let them flow freely. He grabbed on to his mother’s waist and cried slow, soft tears. Rhaenyra did the same until they both fell asleep in that position, their pain and exhaustion finally ceasing for the time being. 

Harwin and Cregan shared a knowing look before carefully unraveling the two and picking them up bridal style. Harwin couldn’t help but smile as he remembered the last time he held his wife this way. She had gotten too tipsy at a party and passed out in the car on the ride home. They were so young then, before the children, before their lives had truly begun. 

Cregan thought about the last time he held his husband this way. They had just gotten married. Jace was about to open the door to their apartment, when Cregan scooped him up and carried him across the threshold. It was a silly moment filled with laughter and so much love. They were still young, but Cregan knew from the moment they met, that he was going to spend the rest of his time on Earth and then some with the man sleeping in his arms. 

They carried their spouses up the stairs and laid them down on their respective beds. With the softest touch they remove as much of their uncomfortable funeral attire as they could before laying down next to them. They knew in the morning the pain would hit all over again, but for now they enjoyed this moment of peace in the eye of the storm. 

[midnight--sadness]

im sorry but why did i just realize that jace, luke and joff are the great-grandsons of both aemon AND baelon and alyssa

in the same way that baela and rhaena are the granddaughters of baelon and alyssa AND the great-granddaughters of aemon

[eshueshueshu]

Crack theory: Vhagar is suicidal and misses Laena because why else would she see THREE other dragons, know there is more around that she CANT see, and STILL try to fight them like granny wants all the smoke. That or she's just that crazy

[rhaesaria]

Years down the line I’ll make a compilation of every funeral in house of the dragon. 2 episodes into season 2 and the series total is currently 5 funerals

[westerosiladies]

Love no one but your children. On that front a mother has no choice.

[waitingforsecretsouls]

Much as I theoretically understand why fandom glomped onto the possibility of the tragic Daeron and Addam romance, it genuinely doesn't seem like the closest explanation the text itself offers. One of the biggest implications people see for this is the paragraph wondering about Tessarion's motivations for intervening in the Vermithor vs Seasmoke fight:

Vermithor’s size and weight were too much for Seasmoke to contend with, Lord Blackwood told Grand Maester Munkun many years later, and he would surely have torn the silver-grey dragon to pieces…if Tessarion had not fallen from the sky at that very moment to join the fight. Who can know the heart of a dragon? Was it simple bloodlust that drove the Blue Queen to attack? Did the she-dragon come to help one of the combatants? If so, which? Some will claim that the bond between a dragon and dragonrider runs so deep that the beast shares his master’s loves and hates. But who was the ally here, and who the enemy? Fire & Blood Chapter 17: The Dying of the Dragons — Rhaenyra Overthrown

People tend to focus a lot on the love aspect and basically ignore the alternate possibility offered up, which is hate as a motivating force.

As happy as I am for people enjoying the concept of Daeron/Addam, let's acknowledge that they have neither actual on page interactions nor as much as implied aquaintanceship, and GRRM is the opposite of subtle when it comes to "hinting" at these things for implied same sex entanglements. One line about Addam, who canonically served on his mothers trading cogs, having previously traveled as far as Oldtown, or Daeron enjoying spending his off - time at Oldtown's or prior to his fostering King's Landings harbour or shipyards would have been sufficient, but instead there's absolutely nothing.

Whereas Daeron and Hugh Hammer, dragonseed and rider of Vermithor, do have canonical interactions, both on page involving dialogue and implied by their close proximity, that develops into a plot relevant enmity, culminating in Hugh stating he'll claim Daeron's birthright for himself, as rider of the largest surviving dragon, and Daeron approving the Caltrops assassination of Hugh in turn.

With his brother Aemond slain as well, the greens found themselves kingless and leaderless. Prince Daeron stood next in the line of succession. Lord Peake declared that the boy should be proclaimed as Prince of Dragonstone at once; others, believing Aegon II dead, wished to crown him king. The Two Betrayers felt the need of a king as well…but Daeron Targaryen was not the king they wanted. “We need a strong man to lead us, not a boy,” declared Hard Hugh Hammer. “The throne should be mine.” When Bold Jon Roxton demanded to know by what right he presumed to name himself a king, Lord Hammer answered, “The same right as the Conqueror. A dragon.” And truly, with Vhagar dead at last, the oldest and largest living dragon in all Westeros was Vermithor, once the mount of the Old King, now that of Hard Hugh the bastard. Vermithor was thrice the size of Prince Daeron’s she-dragon Tessarion. No man who glimpsed them together could fail to see that Vermithor was a far more fearsome beast. [...] The lords and knights of Oldtown and the Reach were offended by the arrogance of the Betrayer’s claim, however, and none more so than Prince Daeron Targaryen himself, who grew so wroth that he threw a cup of wine into Hard Hugh’s face. (...) Lord Hammer said, “Little boys should be more mannerly when men are speaking. I think your father did not beat you often enough. Take care I do not make up for his lack.” The Two Betrayers took their leave together, and began to make plans for Hammer’s coronation. When seen the next day, Hard Hugh was wearing a crown of black iron, to the fury of Prince Daeron and his trueborn lords and knights.

[...] Though Prince Daeron was not present at the council, the Caltrops (as the conspirators became known) were loath to proceed without his consent and blessing. Owen Fossoway, Lord of Cider Hall, was dispatched under cover of darkness to wake the prince and bring him to the cellar, that the plotters might inform him of their plans. Nor did the once-gentle prince hesitate when Lord Unwin Peake presented him with warrants for the execution of Hard Hugh Hammer and Ulf White, but eagerly affixed his seal. Fire & Blood Chapter 17: The Dying of the Dragons — Rhaenyra Overthrown

Which seams like a far more (meaning: at all) established backdrop for that musing about sharing loves and hates to me.

Tldr; Less "love wins" and more "haterism transcending death" for Daeron the Daring.

[horizon-verizon]

Baela & Rhaena placed a hit on Jaehaera cause why Baela had Daenaera up in KL like it was nothing ?

I think Rhaena had spies & courtesans whispering in Peake’s ears like “you are the hand, your daughter could be queen” knowing that he would try to harm that girl. Baela was tasked to find a replacement, a Valyrian bride from Essos perhaps with the help of Velaryon fleet.

Fast forward and instead of sending Alyn all the way to Essos to find Aegon’s new wife, they managed to find a Velaryon girl, Baela’s ward, an orphan, just like Aegon. Rhaena’s plan comes to fruition: Peake trying to pull an Otto and killing that girl. All Baela and Rhaena need now is to prepare Daenaera for KL.

It was genius when you think about it. Baela gets to solidify her maternal house status in KL by having the king’s wife be from House Velaryon & giving more protection to her brother, and Rhaena managed to completely destroy what’s left of the Green’s influence on the council by having him demoted.

Rhaena is very political astute and one thing about the Greens… they gon throw childish tantrums when their plans do not go as planned. She most likely knew Peake was going to threaten the king & council with his resignation. But the greed he had shown by trying to marry his daughter to Aegon rubbed the rest of the council the wrong way. thus no one was sad to see him go.

....I'm going to treat this as the joke I think it is and just not give a real answer.

btw, anon seems to respond to this post

[daenystheedreamer]

daemon bisexuality deleted scene.... i KNEW there was something there was that weird shot of him and the cupbearer and i went 🤨 i know what you are. and they CUT it. but i saw. i saw.

[silver-dragonborn]

The way fandom tries so hard to portray Laena in fanfiction as this evil, spoilt temptress who needs to be humbled because she dared to grab life by the reigns and pursue a man she was attracted to is just plain gross and reeks of racism. Laena was a vibrant, fiercely devoted, and skilled dragon rider who claimed Visenya's mount and took to the skies. She followed her own path, and I will never forgive the writers for reducing her to just the "second best option" for Daemon and an "obstacle" in the Rhaenyra/Daemon ship. I will also never forgive the writers for not exploring Laena's friendship with Rhaenyra, her goals, her dreams, etc. If you don't like Laena, fine, but don't sit there and slander her just because she had the "audacity" to be attracted to a man she believed was on her level. But of course, we all know WHY she's so disliked and ignored.

[daenerystemper]

i seriously think people go through extra lengths to justify the use of blood magic used against targaryens because they genuinely think the targaryen women deserve to have bad things done to them as a result of them supposedly being “blood purists” or that “well, of course it happened!!  they’re all incest babies!” when there’s actually documented reasoning for several of the ““deformed”“ stillbirths that have happened.

the most prominent case is daenerys’s son rhaego, who we know was born during a blood magic ritual. mirri maz duur describes rhaego as draconic (“He was scaled like a lizard, blind, with the stub of a tail and small leather wings like the wings of a bat. When I touched him, the flesh sloughed off the bone, and inside he was full of graveworms and the stink of corruption.” AGOT Daenerys IX) which comes after mirri maz duur as performed blood magic to save khal drogo’s life. the premise is simple: only death could pay for a life. it’s easy to assume that the horse would have been enough for mirri maz duur to heal khal drogo as was originally implied, but it’s heavily implied that rhaego’s death is a result of her as well since she handles daenerys’s birth. in the book, it’s left a little more for interpretation but in the television series, mirri maz duur outright admits to killing rhaego.

it’s worth noting the other cases have viable proof of blood magic interference as well. maegor i targaryen notably struggled to produce heirs and one of his wives, tyanna of the tower, confessed to poisoning alys harroways who had birthed a child (Maegor came to see the stillbirth, he was horrified to find the boy a monster, with twisted limbs, a huge head, and no eyes. Fire and Blood: The Sons of the Dragon.) the same would go for maegor’s bride jeyne westerling (Three moons before she was due, Queen Jeyne was brought to bed by a sudden onset of labor pains, and was delivered of a stillborn child as monstrous as the one Alys Harroway had birthed.  Fire and Blood: The Sons of the Dragon.) and elinor costayne (Queen Elinor too was delivered of a malformed and stillborn child, an eyeless boy born with rudimentary wings.  Fire and Blood: The Sons of the Dragon)

the only two instances where it could be debatable whether or not blood magic was used against a child are laena velaryon who died after complications while giving birth to a twisted and malformed son and rhaenyra targaryen who lost her daughter visenya after going into premature labor. rhaenyra seems to place the blame on the greens (“She was my only daughter, and they killed her. They stole my crown and murdered my daughter, and they shall answer for it.”  Fire and Blood: The Dying of the Dragons) which is likely due to the announcement of king viserys’s death and the crowning of aegon the usurper, and part of her grief. i’ve seen some people say that rhaenyra cast black magic herself during this because she “cursed” her half-siblings but this seems a bit like victim blaming and like its just on redd//it.

these are only counting births that were noted to be “twisted” or “malformed” in some way and does not include other targaryen stillbirths since they’re not recorded to have ““monstrous”“ appearances and i think acting like stillbirths = deformation is cruel and archaic. i just think some of you twitt//er and redd//it green/stark stans can’t read!

[cburambles]

Wishing they made Baela more than a cheerleader this season. The way she's all fine with Rhaenyra's plans when it would not only endanger Jace but also herself & the children or any descendant they could have is insane.

It could have been a great way to show more of her fire personnality like have her pull a Daemon & propose to poison the dragonseeds in case they rebel or have her talk about adding spies in their entourage or keep an eye on them while they're training to get more of a glimpse about who they are or ally themselves with the dragonkeepers or something.

Or her potential political acumen since she has been raised with Rhaenys & her and Jace having more bonding moments while scheming together idk???

Show us that she could have been an efficient queen & right-hand to Jace by also participating to the political manoeuvering or battle strategies. Show us the her good & bad instincts.

Give her ambition. Explain us that she declined to be an heir to Driftmark because she prefer the status of queen beside Jace.

It would add more tragedy to their future loss.

[ellapastoral]

rhaena and baela targaryen | my beloved dragon twins

[ignitedminds27]

Everyone praises Aemond for claiming Vhagar but we forget that Laena was only 12 when she bonded with the beast and claimed it.

A fearless and charismatic Lady of House Velaryon, LAENA VELARYON.