#the sept of REMEMBRANCE on RHAENYS'S hill the one built to remember RHAENYS

[navree]

What do you think about Maegor and Visenya?

As separate characters, I don't necessarily have a lot of thoughts on Maegor. I'm generally not the biggest fan of assholes, and there's not a lot that we know about Maegor other than that he was an asshole, so I don't have much to say about him as a character. But Visenya on the other hand..........Listen there's a reason why I wanted HOTD to start with the Conquest, and Visenya was a part of that (beyond my desire to see a lesbian with a sword riding a dragon fucking shit up).

There's a lot about Visenya that fascinates me. She's the eldest sister out of all her siblings, and I like to think she felt very overprotective over both of them. Doing something like the Conquest just wasn't anything Targaryens had done before, and now her baby brother and baby sister are flying off to war and they could get hurt, they could be kileld (and one of them was aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh). And while I definitely think they all loved each other and were close as siblings, did she ever feel like the odd one out? Visenya was married out of duty, before Aegon then went outside the box to make sure he can marry the sister he actually loved too, Visenya had the smallest and least imposing dragon between the three of them, Aegon and Rhaenys are the ones who had a family when they had Aenys, and there's a wealth of drama in whether or not Visenya sometimes felt like a third wheel despite being the Older Sister. I also imagine that she too had a tendency to chafe at gender roles, since between her and Rhaenys she was the one who wanted most to be a warrior-woman, and I think she definitely enjoyed governance, but her's was more interested in how to make the realm run, while Rhaenys was focused on diplomacy and improving relations. And honestly don't get me started on her relationship with Rhaenys, the way she was just as willing to set Dorne on fire for her, the way that she was more eager to continue it when Nymor sued for peace, how it felt when Aenys presented Rhaena to court which made even Aegon weep, Hell how it felt to actively work to displace and threaten Rhaenys's grandchildren, the girl named after her beloved sister. I like to think Visenya didn't regret anything she did, but she might have had some moments of sadness about it, especially towards the end of her life when Maegor started getting more Maegor™ and she had more time to think about life when it was just her and her siblings on Dragonstone. But she was still welcome at Aenys's court, and still counseled him on decisions, because even with everything, even with her own son in exile, this was Aegon's son, this was Rhaenys's son. Because over everything, I think Visenya adored her siblings, missed them when they were gone from this world, and if she was asked who she loved the most, it would be Aegon and Rhaenys.

Visenya and Maegor's relationship I think is interesting. Neither of them seem to have been very affectionate or caring people, certainly to each other, Maegor because he's Maegor™ and Visenya because I think any softness she had in her likely dried up around the time Rhaenys died, given my personal headcanon that it was also when her relationship with Aegon fell apart due to the grief and Aegon's decisions around ending the war (if I'm right, then the hurt Visenya must have felt about being denied a chance to say goodbye to Rhaenys, to be made to capitulate and have peace without even having been given the full information cuz Aegon made a unilateral decision, God I wanna die). But it's clear that Visenya cared about her son, that she felt angered when he was disrespected and actively worked for his advancement, and also she was the one primarily responsible for raising him, since she was with him on Dragonstone while Aenys was in King's Landing with their father. I don't think Visenya had a Cersei towards Joffrey attitude about Maegor, she knew exactly what he was and the potential for monstrosity he had, but she saw it as a positive and a way for him to advance in life, given the fact that this was still a bit of a turbulent, with the Wars of Conquest and the First Dornish War not far behind. I certainly think Maegor felt close to his mother, and that if he ever loved anyone, if he was even capable, it was her, the only parent he really knew, the only member of his family he was close to, given the physical distance between his father and him, the age difference between him and Aenys, and just the emotional distance he had with everyone due to his issues. I think the relationship was both bound tightly by the fact that neither of them had other people they were intimate with save each other, but also sundered at the same time by their own coldness and lack of capability towards forging open relationships with others. And I think that, similar to that Henry VIII thing where it was clear that his ideal model for a wife was just Elizabeth of York, what Maegor was searching for in all his wives, above just being a fucking creep, was someone like Visenya, and it's probably why he held on to Tyana as long as he did.

I think it's an interesting relationship between interesting characters, and I think it's a shame that HOTD started so late in the game when we could have seen all of this unfold in real time if we'd started with the Conquest Era.

[asoiafandotherbooks]

TWOIAF/Fire & Blood: The Wedding of Rhaena and Aegon

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

We left off with Aenys exiling Maegor after he took a second wife. This won’t be the only controversial marriage during Aenys’s reign.

In non-marriage events, a new castle was being built atop Aegon’s High Hill: “built all in pale red stone, the king’s new seat would be larger and more lavish than Dragonstone, with massive walls and barbicans and towers capable of withstanding any enemy”. The citizens of King’s Landing named it the Red Keep.

In 41 AC, Aenys’ two eldest children were Rhaena (18 years old) and Aegon (15 years old). The two siblings had been close since childhood.  Aegon was lean, tall, handsome, and flirtatious with the ladies. Grand Maester Gawen informed the Citadel that “If the prince is not wed His Grace may soon have a bastard grandchild to contend with.”

Rhaena gave no encouragement to suitors, preferring to spend her days with her siblings, her pets, and Dreamfyre (her dragon). Rhaena’s newest favorite, Alayne Royce, was the daughter of the Lord of Runestone. Alayne was a plump and homely girl but was cherished by Rhaena.

Rhaena loved to fly, at times she took Aegon, other times Alayne, but she mostly flew by herself. At sixteen years of age, Rhaena declared herself a woman grown, “free to fly where I will”. She flew to Harrenhal, Tarth, Runestone, and Gulltown. It was rumored that Rhaena lost her virginity to a lowborn lover on one of these flights. Possible suspects were a hedge knight, a singer, a blacksmith’s son or a village septon. No one seemed to look in Alayne’s direction and she is the most likely suspect.

Eighteen-year-old Rhaena was three years older than her parents when they were wed. Aenys decided it was a perfect time for Rhaena to wed and who better for a husband than her own brother? For some reason, Aenys was surprised at the huge outcry of disgust over the announced betrothal. He seems to not remember that he exiled his brother for taking two wives. And they weren’t even related to Maegor! Why Aenys thought the Faith would be fine with incest when they had a fit over polygamy is a mystery. How can he be so clueless?

The Faith were on a roll. They had successfully forced Aenys to exile Maegor, and now they condemned incestuous marriages as an obscenity. Any child born of an incestuous union would be “abominations in the sight of gods and men”.

Aenys decided to finally grow a spine and refused to break the betrothal. Visenya informed Aenys he had two choices: 1) Wed Rhaenys and Aenys to other people, 2) Mount Quicksilver and burn the Starry Sept down. Aenys did neither.

The wedding was to be held at the Sept of Remembrance, built atop of Rhaenys’ hill, and named in her honor. The day of the wedding the streets were lined with the Warrior’s Sons of the Faith. And no, they weren’t there to congratulate the happy couple. Many lords, knowing it wouldn’t be wise to make an appearance, stayed away from the wedding.

Aenys made the situation worse at the wedding feast by declaring Aegon the new Prince of Dragonstone. The crowd went silent as the attendees all knew Maegor was the Prince of Dragonstone. Visenya left the hall without the king’s leave, mounted Vhagar, and returned to Dragonstone. The legends states when Vhagar passed the moon it turned red as blood. Doubtful but it’s an ominous omen.

Aenys has messed up big time. He’s lost the support of the Faith and the lords. He’s lost the favor of the smallfolk. And he’s turned the two strongest members of his family against him.

Why did Aenys grant his son the title of “Prince of Dragonstone”? At this point, it’s not a hereditary title for the crown prince. Maegor was the first “Prince of Dragonstone”. Maegor’s exile was for five years, not a lifetime. He would eventually return to Westeros – and Dragonstone. And to not inform Visenya before announcing it to the public? Bad move. She is his strongest advisor and he disrespected her – in public! She’s not the type to tolerate such offense.

Most mindboggling of all – why did Aenys think the Faith would accept incest when their outrage over Maegor’s polygamy caused his exile?

Up next, Aenys has made a disaster of his reign. Can he make a comeback?