#he owns this show and the entirety of westeros
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Matt Smith didn't utter a word for the last 20 minutes of this episode, but still managed to convey every single thought going through his character's mind and give us one of the most thrilling sequences I've ever seen.
And I think we, as a collective, should thank him for that.
#this man is brilliant#he owns this show and the entirety of westeros#Matt Smith#daemon targaryen#hotd#house of the dragon#house of the dragon spoilers#second of his name#hotd 1x03#hotd episode 3#prince daemon targaryen
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here’s a small snippet of my Hades x Persephone au with Aemond! I’m having so much fun writing this but I need help coming up with a title :c any help would be appreciated!
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Aemond Targaryen, first of his name, rider of the largest war beast in all of Westeros, Vhagar, Prince Regent, Kinslayer. The list was growing endless as Aemond cast his single eye along the burning castles of Harrenhal, the orange flames that cast a glow against the blue sapphire he no longer felt ashamed of hiding away behind the leather eyepatches. He let out a victorious laugh atop his beast as his arms spread as wide as the wing’s of his dragon, relishing on the victory he had achieved for the crown, for his family, for his king.
He watched as the people screamed, pleading with him to show mercy as they watched their homes, their fields, their livelihoods be swallowed in a gust of orange as Vhagar swept low enough to breath her hellflame along their borders. Aemond made note of their fear-stricken faces, the curses thrown at him, the bodies falling with every moment.
Dare he say he relished in the destruction that followed his shadow.
It had been long after the death of Rhaenyra Targaryen, the Realm’s Delight, the Half-Queen no longer. The entirety of the Black’s reign whipped off the face of Westeros, a shell of an alliance that was never to be spoken in the King’s presence should they wish to keep their tongues, generously speaking on their part. The rule of Aegon the Second was rocky, but wholly accepted as the reign of the “true king” rose with Aemond’s assistance in allying themselves with the most powerful houses, keeping their own close and ridding the world of those that opposed them.
“My brother, you’ve graciously returned!” Aegon slurred, his hefty cups of wine spilling with every word as he waved his hands graciously at the sight of his armor cladded brother, covered with soot and grime from the grueling fires that once again found itself on the ground of the Riverlands. Aemond bent the knee to his brother, casting his winged helmet at his side as he bestowed a sealed paper to his brother, that unceremoniously pushed the whore off his lap as he snatched the paper, lilac eyes skimming over it’s words as he felt a sickly smile grow on his face.
“The fools had finally bent the knee.”
“They had no knees left to bend when I had stepped foot on their lands.” Aemond confirmed as he stood tall once again at the foot of the throne, his head held high as he glared at the whore that laid at Aegon’s feet, letting out a soft gasp and diverting her gaze away from the glimmering sapphire that ordained his face.
“Perfect, they should remember with fire and blood who is truly meant to rule the seven kingdoms.” Aegon snickered as he stumbled upon the throne again, leaning his cheek along the top of his fist as he swallowed more swigs from his chalice, narrowing them at Aemond’s from above the rim.
“Take it. Harrenhal.” Aegon spoke seriously, his head tilting as he eyed his brother. The ever dutiful son, the golden child, the one their mother clearly favored when he had bestowed the head of Daemon Targaryen after their fitful fight above God’s Eye, effectively ridding the world of the Rogue Prince and his blood worm, Caraxes. “You.. always had a knack for ruling, a taste for duty. Take it as it is, the barren wasteland. A gift from one brother to another.” He said with a brush of his hand.
“It is no longer of any service to me when you have stripped the land bare of its forests and homes. Consider it.. your very own little underworld.”
Thus he had become Aemond Targaryen, first of his name, rider of the largest war beast in all of Westeros, Vhagar, Prince Regent, Kinslayer, Ruler of the Underworld.
#aemond targaryen imagine#aemond targaryen imagines#aemond targaryen x reader#aemond x reader#house of the dragon imagines#aemond oneshot#aemond targaryen angst#aemond targaryen fic#hotd imagine#hotd imagines#house of the dragon imagine#foryoupage#house of the dragon#house of the dragon fanfic#ewan mitchell#aemond targaryen#house of the dragon angst#aemond fic#aemond targaryen x targaryen!reader#fic recs
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Birth of Dragons Pt.2
Pairing(s): Aegon i Targaryen x Targaryen!Reader, Aegon i Targaryen x Rhaenys Targaryen, Aegon i Targaryen x Visenya Targaryen, Rhaenys Targaryen x Targaryen!Reader
Warnings: canon Targcest, rivalry, jealousy, targaryen kid ocs
Words: 7167
Summary: Aegon the Conqueror’s family has grown to a substantial size. But with so many young and cocky dragons, someone is bound to be burned.
Part 1
*Also it’s raining like a motherfucker in CA rn
The birth of your twins had been a joyous occasion for the Targaryen king. You’d given him two heirs who were strong and robust babes.
The seed of the dragon would prove to be resilient. Two years later, you gave birth to another son. A beautiful boy named Rhaelor. He reminded you of your Renoxa for he possessed the pale lashes and resplendent crimson irises. When Visemarys and Baelyx first met their baby brother, they were terrified of Rhaelor’s eyes and burst into tears.
Another year passed before Rhaenys would be round with Aegon’s third child. Everyone expected her to be the next one to bear the dragon king another heir. The third son of Aegon was named Aenys. He, unfortunately, had not been blessed like his older brothers in health. Aenys was a sickly baby. Small and his limbs unbelievably stick thin. It was a wonder how he survived through infancy. You and Rhaenys would stay up so many nights watching vigil over the babe. She was beside herself and for the first time you were her pillar of strength. Fiercely supporting her, you treated Aenys as your own and did your best to care for him when you forced Rhaenys to rest. By the grace of the gods, he thrived.
Visenya however took longer to produce a child. Not until the year your twins turned seven did she finally conceive. Even then, she absolutely hated the entirety of being pregnant. Loathed the restrictions it put on her body. While Rhaenys hadn’t been too thrilled about the rounding of her body, you had absolutely adored your pregnant belly for it housed your boys who were the greatest joys of your life. At the same time she was pregnant with her first child, you were already showing symptoms of your fourth pregnancy. Visenya gave birth to a large boy she named Maegor. His screams into the world shook the glass in the windowpanes and had Aegon flinging his hands up to his ears in a vain attempt to block out the ear piercing wail.
A few months later your only daughter Aella was born. The first contractions hit you when you were flying in the air alongside Visemarys’ small dragon, teaching him how to direct Rahu to where he desired to go. Neither Renoxa or Rahu were too far off the ground in case an emergency landing was needed. A good thing considering you would have to land quickly to alert your family who had been watching from the ground. Aegon was quick to get to you with Rhaenys and Visenya (little Maegor was back at the High Hill with plenty of nannies since he was to young to be out and about) running after him. Baelyx watched with wide eyes but also kept vigil over his smaller brother Rhaelor and half-brother Aenys. You were hauled back to Aegonfort.
To your surprise, Aegon was absolutely thrilled to FINALLY have a daughter. Sons were revered above all in both Valyrian culture and Westeros. For him to be so joyous over having a daughter to call his own was heartwarming.
“I have enough sons to hold up the Targaryen legacy.” He earnestly told you. “Five to be exact. I want to gift Westeros with another you though. A Targaryen princess will be much loved indeed.”
You and your family learned early on though that beneath her sweet and innocent countenance, there lay a headstrong and spirited personality that was as delightful as it was unpredictable. Aella was a remarkable blend of her family's qualities: tenacious like Aegon, valiant like Visenya, playful like Rhaenys and. . .
Aegon had put his hand to your chest. “She has your heart.”
A mighty heart.
As much as you were scolding the boys, you had to discipline Aella just as much. She happily got the skirts of her dress dirty when playing outside with her brothers. Little spitfire would even lick at any scrapes she got and carried on her merry way as if nothing happened. Falls did not phase, not even as a baby when she was first learning how to walk on stumbling feet. Visemarys and the younger twin Baelyx thought it was the funniest thing to teach their sister how to be an absolute gremlin. And she adored her older brothers for it. They were the ones to teach her words that were not something a lady should say (although you and your sisters said plenty of the same words). Aella got herself into many brawls with the young sons of different lords who dare say a harmful thing toward Rhaelor’s odd eyes or Aenys’ weak constitution. She would always be there to rouse them up and offer her support in any way possible.
Then there was Aella and Maegor. . . Gods help anyone who fell upon their mischief. They were especially close having been born but months apart. If you were being honest, you did not particularly like Maegor’s influence over Aella. You loved your sister, but her son was another story. He was made of grittier material than the other children of Aegon. You knew if the throne ever fell into the hands of Maegor, well, that would be a dark day for the seven realms. Maegor would not be a kind or virtuous ruler. Thankfully, Maegor’s way to the iron throne would be a long way. Something terrible would have to happen to Visemarys first and as he grew, it was becoming unlikely that anyone besides his own father could defeat him in a sword fight. He was tall with broad shoulders and lithe limbs. You’d seen your son unarm many men who were twice his age and more seasoned a warrior. Motherly pride made you glow every time you watch him train with the others. For being the youngest son though, Maegor grew like a weed. Resilient like one too. When sparring against Rhaelor or Aenys, Maegor was the usual victor. Rhaelor despite his adventurous heart was not much of a fighter. Instead of honing his skill at the blade, Rhaelor would take off on his dragon Imorth. The dragon’s serpentine body, sinewy and elegant, stretches to an impressive length across the sky. Imorth shimmered with a myriad of greens, from deep emerald to a vibrant jade green. Many times, there would be sightings of your son and his dragon all over Westeros when he became an independent young man. He was your diplomat in spite of his odd appearance. His fair complexion and red eyes tend to spook people on the first meeting but he had quite the charming personality and managed to win over even the biggest skeptic. And Aenys, poor Aenys would never be the swordsmen the twins were or even young Maegor. Not even like Aella who had been loudly vocal on her desire to learn whatever her brothers were learning. But he was a kind boy and a scholar and had the sweetest voice when he sang. Even not being a warrior like his brothers, he still managed to receive his own female admirers.
Perhaps it was for the best she learned. Both you and your sisters were trained with a blade and fought alongside Aegon when he called upon you for assistance. Aella would be able to protect herself if the occasion called for it. She wouldn’t have to rely on any man and could fight atop of her mount, Yldri. Yldri boasted a mesmerizing appearance, scales shimmered with the softest lilac hue, like the petals of the most exquisite flowers in the kingdom. If anything, at least Aella would have a traditional Valyrian dragon rider death like her aunt Rhaenys. Rhaenys died in the war with Dorne when Aenys was just three years old. Both her and her silver dragon Meraxes. You kept yourself together for her son. You were the closest thing he’d have to his mother even though you ached for the loss of your beloved sister.
There were moments in your grieving when you would momentarily forget her death and turn to say something to her, only to be painfully reminded that she was no longer there. Neither Visenya nor Aegon knew how to console you when you’d grow quiet in realization at your own blunder. The tears that would prick at your eyes fell without Rhaenys there to wipe them away as she always did. It was considered an honor though for one to die atop of their dragon. A fate that you and the remainder of your siblings desired.
Your grief for Rhaenys lasts for years as you’re slow to come to terms to her no longer being by your side. Late at night you longed for her arms and her kisses. The way she completely molded to your body. She was the one you always turned to as both your sister and lover. Constantly your bedmate whether it be in a sexual way or just to sleep and protect one another. Aegon’s presence was a comfort but by no means a substitute or replacement. No one could take Rhaenys’ spot in your heart.
**
After the Dornish War, there was a long time of peace where the children grew and prospered under its influence. The skies were filled with dragons as was the High Hill.
**
Two dragons fly side by side with ease. The beautiful, sleek body of Imorth is larger than that of the younger Yldri. Even so, both dragons boast the most magnificent scales among the Targaryen’s seven dragons.
Atop of the lilac mount Yldri rode the only Targaryen princess, Aella. Her silver hair grew tangled among the beating of the wind but her smile was ever prominent and cheeks bright pink. Yldri felt her joy and released a happy crowing noise as her wings beat against the open air. In response, Imorth shrieks out his own noise of enjoyment. He dives underneath the she-dragon, giving Aella a perfect glance of the top of Rhaelor’s snow white head. His emerald robes billow behind him, almost fusing with Imorth’s color. The two dragons spiraled around one another, a beautiful dance of dragonkind, their wings brushing against each other in a show of camaraderie. All the while, their riders laugh in a carefree spirit. Their responsibilities were not like those of their elder twin brothers: Visemarys and Baelyx. They were freer to goof off and spend their days in the skies with their dragons. They were not bound by the constraints of the world below. Roars reverberated across the open horizon, not in aggression but in exuberance.
An ear piercing dragon’s cry has their laughter dying down and turning in their saddles to see the larger form of Zypheros, Baelyx’s smoke gray dragon, advancing on them. Stilling their dragons into a steady gliding in place, Zypheros easily catches up with them.
Baelyx’s bangs whip around his face, his long ponytail like a ribbon behind him. When he smiles at his younger siblings, the indentation of dimples grace his face. “Both of you are requested by mother.” He calls over to them. Speaking so high up in the air tend to be difficult, especially on blustery days. “Aunt Visenya and Maegor will be arriving soon.”
Really, all Baelyx had to do was mention Maegor to get Aella’s attention. She can’t help but perk up at the prospect of seeing her other half-brother. Maegor lived on Dragonstone with his mother Visenya. Unlike herself and her other brothers, Maegor had no dragon. For as long as she could remember, Maegor always said the only dragon worthy of him was Balerion. Maybe it was true, maybe not for Balerion was a fine mount; the largest in the continent.
Rhaelor knew his sister better than he knew anyone else. He rolls his scarlet eyes at her obvious excitement to see him though he was not as keen to see his aunt and half-brother.
Her face plastered with a wide grin, Aella urges Yldri to land just outside of the newly constructed capital of Westeros: King’s Landing. The populace still jumped at the cry of dragons above but were slowly getting used to being around them. Aella tries to squint her eye in an attempt to see across Blackwater Bay to Dragonstone in hopes of catching sight Maegor atop of Vhagar with his mother.
Getting closer to the Red Keep, the other dragons of her family rouse their heads as Yldri screeches her greetings. She glides by the training yard where she spots Visemarys, Aenys and Aegon the Conqueror. Their father was the picture of masculinity and authority. Already Visemarys stood at the same height as his father and only required a few more years before his muscles matched Aegon’s. Compared to them, Aenys could be a waif. Not as skinny as he used to be, he still lacks the bulk of his brothers and father. That was okay. Aenys made it up with his kind nature, smarts, and singing voice. Aella appreciated each brother for who he was. She didn’t think any less of Aenys for the fact that he was never going to be a great fighter.
Aegon lifts his head up first to catch his daughter’s lilac dragon pierce through the sky like an arrow. He smiles to himself. She shined brightly, just like Rhaenys and (y/n). Catching even Visemarys gazing up with an expression of pure softness and affection. He’d been seeing it for some time now since Aella came of age. Visemarys AND Baelyx.
(y/n) had noticed it as well and concern flashed on her face when she took note of her twins squaring the other up when Aella was between them. She didn’t want there to be strife among her children. Especially fighting over another sibling. Something like this would certainly prove to be a problem when Aella decides when she is ready to marry for even her mother was loathe to have her marry. After all, the mother and daughter duo was always close. As a babe (y/n) would strap Aella to her chest and take her on flights with Renoxa. Aella would be full of giggles the entire time, loving the open air and wind brushing against her fat cheeks. Her family’s pride and joy despite how often she’d be naughty.
Taking into consideration both of his son’s interest in Aella, Aegon had thought about the perfect match for her. A union between her and Visemarys would be beneficial. She’d be queen once Visemarys was crowned king. She wouldn’t have to face any major life changes. The Red Keep would still be her home and she’d still be near (y/n) and Aegon. But he took into consideration Baelyx’s feelings as well. He was second son, youngest of the twins and the closest in line to the iron throne. An excellent marksmen with a bow and a well phrased in politics. The perfect weapon in the Targaryen belt. Baelyx even wield an assassin’s marked blade. Visemarys was brawny in strength but Baelyx was sleek like a predatory cat. Each movement he made was calculated.
Neither parent had an idea if Aella was aware of the twins’ affections for her. They’d try to support their daughter any way they could though. Whoever she chooses. Similar to his wife, one thing Aegon would never be able to get behind was Aella with Maegor. Thinking of it didn’t sit well with him. Maegor would never hurt Aella, that was not what concerned the conqueror. She’d sooner have his head on a spear if he tried to force himself onto her. His youngest son’s ambitions worried him. He saw the hunger in those eyes, the hunger of another conqueror. Westeros didn’t need one anymore. They needed a king who could continue to keep the peace and balance of the land. He’d be an amazing general were he able to be satisfied with just that. No, Maegor longed for the pinnacle of authority. Aegon didn’t want to scare Visemarys with the potential of an assassination by his own blood. That was the reality. He hoped he would be wrong in the end and perhaps Visemarys and Maegor could work things out civilly.
A few miles away, Yldri finally lands her feet firmly upon the earth. Easily sliding off her back, Aella dusts off her skirts and pats her she-dragon on the neck. They walk the rest of the way to the mouth of what would become the Dragon Pit, a place where her family’s dragons could call home after long hours of being with their rider. Workers were still buzzing around, building the walls higher and higher to especially accommodate Belarion’s great size.
She inhales deeply, happily. Her home was a beautiful one. Her kingdom even grander all thanks to the efforts of her father and his sisters. Aella felt immense pride in being a Targaryen, even more for being the daughter of the conqueror himself.
Yldri playfully shakes her neck, bumping the girl in the back with her large snout. Her giggles are light as she watches her she-dragon make her leisurely way to the entrance of the Dragon Pit, already knowing that as her home. Workers scramble immediately at the sight of her and make way.
Aella scampers down the hill where the pits were situated to the outer walls of the Red Keep itself. The iron portcullis groans and lifts up from it’s stationary position in the ground. She waits patiently, waving to the guards on duty who greet her cheerfully. Above she hears the screech of Imorth and Zephyros gradually catching up to the trail she’d blazed with Yldri.
“Welcome back, princess.” A knight smiles at her. His own eyes glance up to the smoke gray and jade green dragons twirling in the sky.
“Did you hear Maegor’s coming?” She excitedly replies. The reminder makes the knight grimace in response. There was little love for Maegor in the Keep.
She doesn’t pay attention to the disgruntled grunt he gives her. Aella moves right past him but not to the front door of the castle. Walking around the outer bailey leads her to the training grounds where knights and soldiers alike practiced the dance of swords. The shrieking sound of steel against steel rings in her eardrums like the beginning of a song. That’s how she felt whenever she held a sword and trained with her brothers. It was all so much like dancing except more fun. There was a thrilling element to it. The dance of swords was also the fine line between life and death. One balanced on the razor’s edge when performing the intricate steps that were required to assure your life was safe.
Men from either side of her stop what they do to give her the briefest of bows or acknowledgment. Not many men in Westeros approved of a woman taking up a weapon. But she wasn’t any woman. She would be like her mother and aunts, who didn’t need a man to protect them from danger. They could very well take danger by the horns and force them into submission. Although Aella had only seen her mother use a sword once in front of her it made a lasting impression. She became a different person when there was a sword in her hand. In that moment, (y/n) had resembled her eldest sister Visenya.
Aenys’ hair, with pieces of hay sticking out of it, looked like a porcupine when he noticed Aella happily wandering on the training grounds. His watery hyacinth gaze crinkles as he smiles. “What has you all smiles, jorrāelagon mandia (dear sister)?”
Chipper as a bird, Aella grabs his hands and twirls him around now drawing the attention of her father and Visemarys. “Maegor and Aunt Visenya are coming! Mother sent word out to me and Rhaelor. Isn’t it exciting!”
He shared the sentiment of everyone else as his own smile dimmed. Forcing his mouth to keep the shape of a smile, Aenys attempts to sound as lighthearted as his sister. “Is that so?”
At that moment, (y/n) Targaryen appears. Normally when she went to watch her husband and sons train, she’d shed her lovely gowns and dawn her leather trousers and tunic. Not that day. She was dressed in a gown of the softest green, perhaps thinking to match her son Baelyx. This was something endearing (y/n) did. Often she wore colors that matched those of her children’s dragons. Yesterday had been burgundy, taking after Rahu’s dark red hue.
Immediately Aegon catches the emergence of his youngest sister-wife. If possible, there were hearts in his eyes when he gazed upon her like it was the first time. Every edge of his face softens and he pats Visemarys’ back before sprinting to the stone steps that led up to the door. (y/n)’s grin is wide as she lets him sweep her up in his arms. The affection they showed to one another publicly tend to make the boys uncomfortable but Aella loves seeing her parents still enamored with one another after so many years. That was the kind of love she wanted. One to last a lifetime. Visemarys turned his face away when Aegon captures (y/n)’s lips in a passionate kiss. When he spots Aella giggling, he pretends to gag. Aenys chuckled at his family. While his mother was no longer alive, (y/n) became his surrogate mother. She cared for him the same as with her four other children. In Aenys was the last piece of her beloved sister Rhaenys left to the world.
(y/n) whispers something to her husband that has him drawing away partially. “So Visenya is finally returning.”
His sister nods enthusiastically but her smile was stiff and Aella, from the shapes her lips moved in, knew her mother was talking about Maegor being with her as well. Aegon’s long silver-blonde hair had been tied into a braid for sword training, courtesy of (y/n)’s skilled fingers. It trailed down his back, almost to his rear. Swaying as he steps back and holds (y/n)’s hand as they both descend the stairs.
Periwinkle eyes take in her daughter who bounds up to her. She chuckles and smooths the hair on Aella’s head even though the girl was almost the same height as her. “I see the news has reached everyone.”
“Baelyx is an efficient messenger.” Aella happily nods and holds her mom’s hands in her warm grasp. “I’m happy that Aunt Visenya and Maegor are coming after being away for so long, but is there a specific reason?”
The males of her family pay even more attention. This was something they had all been wondering. Four years ago, Aegon cut off contact with Visenya and subsequently Maegor. A big fight tore the elder Targaryen siblings apart. To begin with, Aegon held almost no romantic feelings towards Visenya. That was well known. Evidence being that (y/n) gave birth to four of Aegon’s children while Visenya only conceived one son. (y/n) however still kept in contact with her last sister.
“It has been too long since I’ve seen my dear sister.” (y/n) confesses. By then Baelyx and Rhaelor were now entering the grounds and caught the last words of what their mother had said.
“How long until they get here?” Rhaelor asks after giving his mother a kiss on the cheek which always delighted her.
In return she pats Rhaelor on the cheek. “I can’t imagine it will take them long. Possibly within the hour. All of you are to wash and dress in your best. And boys, please, try your best to get along with Maegor.”
All of the Targaryen boys, even Aegon, look down at their feet. All having been guilty (except for Aenys) of antagonistic tendencies toward Visenya’s only child.
Their maids were already waiting for them each to assist in anything they needed as all five of them were already young adults. Aella would require actual help for putting on her dress as it was many layered with ties that needed to be secured.
They obey their mother’s instructions, but for Visemarys and Baelyx, they in particular were unhappy with Maegor’s arrival.
**
Aegon was always handsome, whether streaked with dirt and blood or cleaned up like he was now he was exquisite.
Reclined on the chaise lounge in his dressing room, you watch the strong muscles of his shoulders as he puts his arms through the sleeves of his clean tunic. Your eyes helplessly rove to the tapering of his waist and down to the perfect lift of his rear.
Later. You tell yourself as you’re already imagining wrapping your legs around that delicious waist as he pounds into you, perhaps pump another child into.
For now, you had to remind your husband. “Do try to be gentler with Maegor. He already knows that he is not the favorite son. You don’t have to rub it in.”
He pauses before shoving his other arm into the corresponding sleeve. “He’s different than our boys (y/n).”
Pursing your lips, you acknowledge what he says as the truth. Maegor was definitely not like your four boys. Something unhinged about Maegor that made even you wary of him. “Regardless, you are his father.”
Turning around, his mauve eyes turn soft in regard to you. You’d voiced this before, the anticipation of discourse between the sons of the dragon dangled above your head the more Maegor was isolated. Aegon kneels in front of you, pressing your knuckles against his silky lips. “I’ll be as gentle as a lamb.”
A laugh bursts out of your chest. “Yes, gentle as a lamb coming from the dragon king himself.”
His grin curls to show off his sharp canine. “I can be gentle.”
Yes, he was capable of being sweet and gentle to you and the rest of the kids but that was the extent. Visenya and Maegor were not granted the same kindness. He still wouldn’t tell you what exactly he and Visenya had argued about before she relocated to Dragonstone, but it must have been big. The two of them never got along, not as much as he got along with you and Rhaenys. Childhood had been no different. The eldest of the Targaryen children bickered nonstop and would even be reduced to brawling out in the courtyard.
Lightly, you drag your lips down the bridge of his straight nose that seemed to have been sculpted by the most talented artist before placing a tender kiss on the tip of his nose. He’s practically purring at all the affection you lavish on him. Sometimes it goes to your head how he immediately becomes pudding in your hands. No one else would ever see Aegon like this. Only you. An incredible power that you alone possessed.
The shrieking of dragons that pierce from outside alert your family that Vhagar was here.
Before allowing any of your children out into the yard to greet her, you double check their attire and move a few stray strands of silver hair that was hanging in Baelyx’s face and to tamper down Rhaelor’s naturally wild hair. A brooch on Aenys’ cloak was askew and you promptly fixed that too. He smiles down at you and you can’t help but lovingly pinch his cheek. He’d been born the weakest, but nearly towered over Aegon now.
Prim and proper, you nod to yourself. Your wildlings, Aella and Rhaelor, could clean up nicely when they actually put their minds to it and weren’t on their dragons. Aella especially was radiant in her cream gown. Maybe too radiant. The twins were gazing adoringly at her, you could practically read the lovesick thoughts going through their head in that moment. If everyone got through today without any bloodshed, you would count it as a success. You just had to get through it then hopefully it would be smooth sailing from there once Visenya and Maegor settled in.
In the distance you could make out Vhagar’s mighty size descending to the entrance of the Dragon Pit. They’d be here shortly.
Aegon laces his fingers with your’s. “Breathe my love. You’re making the children nervous.”
So many things could go wrong. Tragedies of all sorts pierce you so that you listlessly pace in the courtyard. You miss Visenya, but you were ultimately scared of what her arrival would bring.
You give Aegon’s hand a vice-like squeeze. “Good. Maybe they’ll be on their best behavior then.” Particularly Baelyx. He had the shortest temper of all your children. His surliness could match Maegor’s which led the two to constantly butting heads when they were smaller. It didn’t take much to set off either boy.
Shouts from guards atop of the guard tower shout the arrival of your sister and nephew. You press yourself closer to Aegon in both excitement and nerves.
The gate rises and there stood the firm figure of your sister Visenya and the young man beside her. His hair and eyes scream Targaryen. Maegor. Unlike his brothers and father, Maegor wore his silver-blonde locks short. Suits the harsh features of his face much better in all honesty.
They stride past the threshold, movements in perfect synchronicity that you wonder if they intended for that or if mother and son were just that much alike.
Regardless of the bruised feelings among your elder siblings, you smile and open your arms wide to embrace Visenya. Usually she detested physical contact. She didn’t even like holding or carrying Maegor around when he was an infant. For you though. . .
A rare and beautiful smile makes her regular stoney face crumble as she enters your arms, her own arms encircling around you. She presses you close to her body and you could practically hear her sigh in relief. “Ñuha prūmia (my heart).” She nuzzles her face against your hair. “Skorkydoso eman bōsa naejot ūndegon aōha laehurlion (How I have longed to see your face).”
Tears burn behind your eyes but you’re still smiling, even more now after her words. “Ao kesīr leghagon nyke (You here completes me).”
Before she could completely break in front of everyone, Visenya tears herself away first and rapidly blinks her eyes clear. Her stoic expression returns when she glances at the rest of the family behind you. Specifically at the King of the Seven Kingdoms himself.
“Aegon.” Her voice is frosty.
Your husband returns the sentiment in kind. “Visenya. You and Maegor appear to be doing well.” For Aegon, that was as friendly as he could be with her right now. Looks like he hadn’t forgotten nor forgiven whatever transpired between them.
To break the iciness, you beckon your children forward. Happily, Aella is the first to greet Visenya and Maegor. Her aunt pleasantly hums and pats her on the head. “How grown you are.”
“Welcome home.” Aella tells her earnestly. Then she turns to Maegor who already has a cocky smirk plastered on his mouth. You chew on the inside of your cheek at the look he gives her. “Hello, Maegor.” She tilts her chin up to dazzle him with a smile.
His voice is a deep rumble. “Aella.”
The other boys politely greet them in turn. You bid everyone to retire inside so that your sister and nephew could relax from their dragon ride although Visenya didn’t know the first thing about relaxing, always alert and ready for battle. War time was over but the way Visenya was, you’d think conflict was still array in the land. Rhaelor worked well as a diplomat and was constantly going to visit all of Westeros’ wardens. Not even a whisper of friction. A few bandits here and there but nothing dire.
In the private sitting room of the Red Keep is where your get together was reconvened. Refreshments and sweets were offered as mainly you and Aella kept up conversation. Aenys helps as much as he could as does Rhaelor so that tensions may be eased but it’s difficult when the twins and Maegor are having a staring contest. Visenya and Aegon were no better. You felt the chill coming off of them.
“Your children are of proper marrying age.” Visenya brings up randomly as the conversation lulls to just you and your older sister. “When will you be arranging prospective partners?”
You’re caught off guard back her sudden question. You glance at the five of them. Visemarys and Baelyx will be four and twenty come the next season while Aella had just turned seven and ten two months ago.
“We’re in no rush.” You tell her tentatively. Visenya had certain ideals that you didn’t share with her. She always thought you and Aegon coddled your children and that they grew up spoiled.
Her eyes narrow. “What about Visemarys? He should get a start on producing future heirs.”
He stiffens next to you in his seat, uncomfortable with his aunt’s scrutiny landing fully on him. Vis was not one to be easily intimidated though, especially not by an aunt he hadn’t seen in years. She held no sway or authority here. Not like you did as the official Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
“I have already decided on my bride.”
That stuns everyone and Visenya’s eyes visibly round at him. He keeps his face cool and collected with a slight smirk curling at the corner of his lips. You and Aegon wordlessly gape at each other before addressing Visemarys.
“You have?”
“Who is it?”
“Have we met her?”
Dozens of questions flew from you and your husband. You should have known though. There was only one girl he’d ever wanted to take for himself as a wife.
“Aella.”
Baelyx jumps to his feet and growls at his twin. “You can’t just claim her as your’s.” He gestures to their sister who sat completely perplexed that Visemarys had named her his bride. Without even discussing it in her. Her face grew red with both embarrassment and discontent.
You put a soothing hand on Baelyx’s arm but it’s too late. He’s furious and you fear that Maegor will feed off of this negative energy as well. But he’s still sitting, perfectly restrained and smirking at his half-brothers in an arrogant way that had you wondering what he was thinking. Or plotting.
Aegon leans to breathe something into Visemarys’ ear. Father and son stand. “Excuse us.” Without another word, they leave with Baelyx right behind them still fuming and yelling at his brother who seemingly became deaf to his irate brother.
Heaviness still hung in the air though as the rest of you flounder for something to say. Aella angrily trembled as Aenys consoles her. He knows when a battle has been lost though as Aella, just as quickly as her father and brothers, storms out of the room.
**
The vile audacity to claim her in front of everyone. He’d never even mentioned any sort of feelings that would hint that Visemarys felt something more for her other than brotherly love. Aella would be a fool not to notice how Baelyx and Visemarys looked her way. She knew but she wanted to hear them say it to her directly, not be sneaky but abruptly bringing it up with the rest of the family. Baelyx wasn’t really mad on her behalf. He was mad because he hadn’t been the one to publicly claim her first.
Rage boiled her from the inside and heats up her checks with the fires of all the Seven Hells. When she got ahold of them, Aella would throttle both brothers into the ground. Didn’t matter that they were stronger and older than her. She would find a way to bring them down to their knees and BEG for her mercy. If only they weren’t so consumed with their alpha male bullshit to even asked her who she favored more. Were she to be faster to leave the sitting room, maybe Aella could have followed them to wherever they went off to. This involved her after all. Who she chose as her husband was her decision. Her parents promised her that she could choose whoever she wants to take as a partner. They said they would support her. This was a discussion that required her presence as well. She’d smother the flames of her fury in order to put up her petition to remind Aegon that she was in charge of choosing.
First she went to the chambers of the king and queen. Empty.
Stalking through the halls of the Keep, Aella realized that they weren’t in the main dwellings of the family. Aegon must have took them where he carries out all important duties. The throne room that housed the infamous iron throne, built by her father the conqueror. He was always wary when the young ones were too close to it. The swords were still sharp like they were freshly pulled from their owner’s hands. Swords of his fallen enemies. It wasn’t uncommon to receive small cuts from it. Aegon was never maimed when he sat on the throne since it was made for him. Not even his own chair would harm him.
This forces her to leave the Keep and cross through the outer yard to get to the throne room which also housed a granary and a kitchen. Each step she took, Aella let out another curse toward her brothers. She’d give them the tongue lashing of the century. It will be ringing in their ears even as they lay on their deathbed. The never ending presence of soldiers milling about didn’t garner a second glance at them though even they noticed her wrath filled strut. Their princess rarely grew as impassioned as she was in that moment. Whatever argument was had in the Keep was enough to stoke her fire.
The soldiers standing at the front bow at her presence and let her easily pass through. Aegon had been in the middle of saying something until the clacking of her heels hit against the ground. Visemarys smiles as if nothing of interest was going on while Baelyx’s seething lightened up. She walks straight up to Visemarys and shoves him with a house.
“What kind of power trip are you on?” Teeth grit down hard as she goes to push him again despite her father calling her name.
Her anger toward Vis and not Baelyx as his glare turning into a self-righteous sneer. “See! I was only speaking up in Aella’s interest.”
Wrong thing to say.
She whips around and smacks Baelyx across the face. “You’re no better! You caused a scene.”
“Aella.” That stern command has Aella balling her hands into fists but obeys to face her father. She knew when to pick her fights and she would not win a fight with her father no matter how much Aegon loved his daughter. When he used that tone with her there was little choice but for her to simmer down. But her rage was still heavy in her mouth. She couldn’t even look at either brother who are positioned on either side of her. Baelyx, though his cheek was turning red, he sadly glances at his sister before pressing his lips firmly together.
Aegon sighed, lines running across his face in the light of the throne room. A blessing he thought his children were. They behaved with the common childish mischief that arose with many kids in proximity. Never really caused him any real problems. But this was very much a problem that Aegon dreaded addressing.
“Is it true you didn’t even speak this over with Aella, Visemarys?” He knows the answer.
Visemarys being the eldest tend to let that go to his head. Crown Prince of Westeros and Heir to the Iron Throne, he thought whatever he said would be law. At least he has the common sense to shift his eyes away from Aegon with shame. “Yes, your grace. I figure it was inevitable though. Who better for me to take as wife and queen?”
His sister scoffs in disgust but keeps quiet under Aegon’s intimidating glare.
“You do not have immediate claim of Aella just because you are first born.” Aegon sternly informs his son. In response his heir flinches. He’d been hoping his father would be on his side. Really, who would Aegon rather Aella marry? Visemarys would make her a queen. “She was promised she could choose her own husband. You’d be wise to respect that.”
Newfound admiration blossoms for her father. She hadn’t expected him to take her side in all of this. But she realized she would not be exempt from being scolded as well.
“Baelyx may have deserved your words but he didn’t deserve your abuse.” Aegon gazes from one pair of lilac eyes to another. Their father cast quite the shadow. “All of you are to go to your rooms for the rest of the night. Your dinner will be brought to you. You’re to reflect on how your actions may have harmed the other. Put yourself into their body and empathize. We’re family first and foremost. The house of the dragon cannot survive if we’re squabbling amongst one another.” He appeared to catch his own words. Momentarily he hangs back to gather his thoughts. “Tomorrow morning report straight to the throne room. No breakfast.”
They bow to their illustrious father. His final words were law and even his offspring must bend the knee to their sovereign.
Guards were sent along with them to make sure the trio went to their respective rooms.
In her room, Aella seeks out a distraction in the form of embroidery, to darts, hells she even tried to practice the lute but even boredom couldn’t help her enjoy that monstrous instrument that her teachers insist her learn to play. By the second hour, Aella was near ready to smash her lute into a thousand pieces against her bedpost. Were it not for the playful knock at her door, she may have gone through with her destructive impulse. A quizzically arched brow, Aella stares at the door.
“Who is it?” She called out.
“Jaesa (Goddess).” That fine serpent’s voice has her heart fluttering.
“Maegor. Unfortunately I have been banished to my room for the night.” She chuckled and tents her fingers on the door. “I don’t think father intended for me to have any visitors.”
His laugh is a low baritone that has Aella smiling fondly at the door. “Open the door, Jaesa.”
She doesn’t bother to think about the consequences and pulls on the handle of her door. Maegor is by himself, and easily manages to squeeze his way through the slim opening she offered him. Four years didn’t change Maegor’s personality, but it certainly transformed his body into swelled muscles and a proud stance.
Still furious with her brothers, Aella eyes him up and down with a coy grin that mirrored her half-brother’s. He read her mind easily, always had. He’s already lifting her up by her rear as she grabs for his face to kiss him.
Only she could say who were husband would be.
#game of thrones#game of thrones fanfiction#game of thrones fanfic#Game of Thrones fandom#A Song of Ice and Fire#a song of ice and fire fanfiction#a song of ice and fire fanfic#A Song of Ice and Fire fandom#ASoIaF#asoiaf fandom#asoiaf fanfiction#asoiaf fic#asoiaf fanfic#reader insert#reader insert fanfiction#aegon targaryen x reader#aegon the conqueror#aegon i targaryen x reader#aegon i targaryen
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I really don’t think we should be treating morality as a linear thing in ASOIAF because what often happens is that we start to stray from the actual conversations that we need to be having regarding the depths of making a moral choice and even the circumstances involved. To try and blankly paint any one character as the “most morally good” isn’t really taking us anywhere. And it certainly isn’t helpful when people in this fandom want to try and prove that characters are “grey” but not moral (what does that even mean??) because they did one “bad” thing. If ASOIAF stans were to have their way, then:
Jon is not a morally good person because he threatened Gilly
Dany cannot be considered to be compassionate because she sanctioned torture against the wine seller’s daughters
Arya cant be good because she has killed people
and so on, and so on….
But this is such a draining, and oft times frustrating, conversation to have because you see just how shallow the above listed examples are? Readers are listing only singular instances across a narrative that spans thousand and thousands of pages, and there’s absolutely no context involved. Why did Jon threaten Gilly? Why did Dany resort to torture and at one point did she do it? Who did Arya kill and why? And why do those singular instances negate everything else in their arcs?
What usually happens when we have the 12847647282th unnecessary conversation about who is the “most good” character in ASOIAF is that we start getting blanket statements with no elaboration. And the only people ever considered are Ned, Brienne, and Davos, and sometimes the children like Shireen or Tommen. Mind you, Ned and Davos are not perfect or without their own faults either; much has been said about Ned’s abilities as a father and it’s implied that Davos was not entirely faithful to his wife. And based on her current arc, Brienne will surely have to make morally tough choices regarding oaths and knightly honor. Plus theres the irony of including literal children when they have not been put in situations where they actually have to make morally difficult choices and live with the consequences.
ASOIAF shows us that people who are capable of incredible kindness and compassion are also capable of doing unpleasant things.
Jon threatened Gilly….because he was trying to save another child whom he believed to be at risk of human sacrifice(!!) and was stuck between a rock and a hard place. But why does that singular instance negate the fact that his arc has been about him standing up for the “lesser than”? Why does that negate the fact that he stood up for Sam against a superior when there was nothing to gain for him? Why does it negate the fact that he went out of his way to equip Arya in a way that society would have deemed inappropriate? Why does it negate the fact that he dedicated the entirety of his time as Lord Commander to fight an institution that had upheld racism/xenophobia for millennia? Why should we filter out all those moments of kindness, compassion, and deep empathy that Jon has even without him thinking?
Dany sanctioned torture….but she was trying to solve the murder of an innocent victim AND this brought her no joy. But why does that negate the fact that when she gained unimaginable power, she could’ve high tailed to Westeros to use it to her benefit and become queen, but instead chose to stay in Essos where she has no personal responsibility just so she could fight the institutional evil that is slavery? Why does it negate Dany who went to personally treat plague victims at great risk to herself?
Arya has killed some….but it’s in self defense or in defense of others who are disenfranchised. But why does this negate that she is one of the few people in the series how goes out of her way to show kindness and friendship to those who are not as economically or politically advantaged as she is (e.g., Mycah)? Why does it negate that she took fellow slaves under her protection when she herself had little power to fight for her own survival at Harrenhall? Why does it negate that when she saw those caged soldiers whom she was angry with for their actions, instead of leaving them to die instead offered them the only kindness she could at the moment: a drink of water?
Trying to have arguments about morality but stripping everything down to ‘x character did y bad thing (regardless of context) and that’s why they can’t be good’ is, to be blunt, ridiculous. And it isn’t a particularly interesting way to engage with the text. Character journeys, especially well written ones, are rarely ever in a straight line. There’s amazing highs and terrible lows. GRRM gives us so many characters like Jon, Dany, Arya, Sansa, Ned, etc. who even in their lows, have gleams of compassion and exceptional kindness. It doesn’t do anyone any good to filter those moments out to make the books more digestible; and I’m being a little generous here, because so many readers have a very shallow level of engagement with the series and it shows in conversation. And we also shouldn’t pit these characters unfairly against those who have never been in similarly difficult situations that required them to make hard choices. Because when we do, we start to completely miss the point all together.
#asoiaf#valyrianscrolls#yeah this came out of a particular thread on Reddit and I was just like….🫠 those people can’t be serious fjsnsnssjsb#trying to argue that jon is not a good person because he *checks notes* slept with ygritte and broke his nw vows#yeah let’s crucify a FIFTEEN YEAR OLD for not conforming to absolutely ridiculous norms that have absolutely no bearing to his true purpose#asoiaf stans when a literal child isn’t happy about dumb rules set by a penal colony that’s akin to indentured servitude:#surprised pikachu face#and the audacity to say garlan Tyrell is a better person that Jon or Dany or arya#what books are yall reading????#what has he ever done that’s remotely comparable to these people that proves he is the height of honor or selflessness??#nothing#we know literally nothing about this guy I’m-#tagging#jon snow#daenerys targaryen#arya stark#because it’s relevant in context
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An almost underrated relationship, that's not often talked about is that between Corlys & his youngest grandchild, Joffrey.
As I mentioned before, Corlys views the position of heir and descendant as separate from each other.
Corlys starts out being very reluctant to allow Laenor to name his first two children after his lover. But in the end, he does give in to Laenor's wishes:
Born in the waning days of 114 AC, the boy was a large, strapping lad, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a pug nose. (Ser Laenor had the aquiline nose, silver-white hair, and purple eyes that bespoke his Valyrian blood.) Laenor’s wish to name the child Joffrey was overruled by his father, Lord Corlys.
— Fire & Blood, Heirs of the Dragon
In 117 AC, on Dragonstone, Princess Rhaenyra bore yet another son. Ser Laenor was at last permitted to name a child after his fallen friend, Ser Joffrey Lonmouth.
— Fire & Blood, Heirs of the Dragon
It's evident that Corlys does care for Joffrey's well being:
Luke’s young brother Joffrey (Jace was still away on his mission north) swore a terrible oath of vengeance against Prince Aemond and Lord Borros. Only the intervention of the Sea Snake and Princess Rhaenys kept the boy from mounting his own dragon at once.
— Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons
At the same time, Corlys chooses to bypass him in the Driftmark succession and instead name Addam as heir. Since Corlys is a blood purist, it's not surprising that he would not allow Joffrey to be his heir while at the same time letting him carry the family name. One of Corlys' most defining traits is that he refuses to harm children. Joffrey's older brothers are both betrothed to girls with Velaryon blood, so the situation is somewhat different with them. Joffrey's betrothal was to a girl of house Manderly (someone not of Corlys' blood).
At the time of this change in the Driftmark succession, Corlys had the upper hand against Rhaenyra. Any decision he made would have to be listened to, otherwise he could threaten to pull support from Rhaenyra's cause. With his wife having passed away recently, it presents Corlys an opportunity unlike anything he's had before. He can finally acknowledge his own sons. Except he doesn't call them as his sons. Instead they are his grandsons:
The Sea Snake seemed more than eager to accept these newfound grandsons.
— Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons
Laenor was about as openly gay as a person could be in a closeted society like Westeros. When Corlys presents his own sons as actually being fathered by Laenor, it's not about selling the lie. It's all politics. He cannot legally claim his own sons AND make them his heirs (something he clearly wants to do) without first disinheriting Joffrey by exposing the truth of his bastardy. As Laenor's legal son, Joffrey would come before Addam & Alyn (Laenor's brothers) in the Driftmark succession. That is how the laws of succession work in Westeros: a son comes before a brother.
Laenor certainly would've preferred to have Joffrey as his heir, rather than the bastard children his father had with another woman.
But what we get is Corlys telling the world that Addam & Alyn are Laenor's sons, and with the two being older than Joffrey, they neatly fit ahead of him in the Driftmark succession. Although this does mean that Corlys can never claim his owns sons no matter how much he wants to, it does serve to protect another child.
The entirety of the succession crisis shows the core of who Corlys truly is: a political player who is always working for his own selfish ends and yet he will never go out of his way to directly endanger an innocent in the course of his plans.
#and that's why he's THE MORALLY GRAY CHARACTER of the dance#valyrianscrolls#asoiaf#corlys velaryon#joffrey velaryon#addam velaryon#alyn velaryon#laenor velaryon#house velaryon#meta
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Fanfic Idea! (ABO Lucemond, O!Lucerys worships the 14 flames, and A!Aemond worships the seven, Viserys doesn't die yet)
Young Lucerys never cared for the Faith of the Seven. If you asked him, they were simply not interesting enough, nor do they hold the same status in his eyes compared to the gods of Old Valyria. They were also rather stifling to the young omega, with more rules forced upon him, from his clothes to the company he was allowed to keep, while the alphas and betas ran free. The gods of Old Valyria were better, with how equal they were with their omegas.
While the septons try to teach him of the Faith of the Seven, of the new gods and the gods most people of Westeros worships, he runs away, or he ignores them. Who was the Father, compared to Arrax, who was the Warrior, compared to Vhagar, who was the Crone, compared to Tesarrion and Tyraxes, who was the Smith, compared to Vermithor? Why would he listen to the Maiden, when Meleys was more freeing?
When the septons complain, saying that the omega should learn lest he continues to go astray, Corlys and Viserys simply ignored them. To Corlys, the a man of the seas, the Seven has no power. The sailors worships the Drowned Gods, and his grandson, his heir, can worship whoever he pleases. To Viserys, Lucerys is the favored son of his favored daughter, a child of Old Valyria, just like he was when he was younger. Whether or not he would like to learn of the Seven does not matter. To wish to learn his roots, their old gods, is understandable.
This, however, has caused strife between Lucerys and Aemond, who were set to be engaged. Aemond's mother is a devout worshipper of the Seven, the image of a perfect omega as described by the Maiden's followers, and Lucerys' blatant display of disrespect annoys Aemond to no end. Lucerys sees the Seven as inferior to the Fourteen Flames, the gods of Old Valyria, the gods of Targaryens, and the fact that a Targaryen would rather listen to the preaching of the Seven rather than their own Gods felt wrong. The fact that they teach people that omegas were only capable of child rearing was wrong. How could his normally intelligent uncle not see that?
When Lucerys returned to protect his claim as heir to the Lord of Driftmark, Aemond almost completely lost it.
It was clear to see that his nephew has yet to listen to the septs. The Maiden would weep at the sight of Lucerys' unprotected nape, at his clothes that showed a scandalous amount of skin. When Lucerys turned around, Aemond almost choked on his own tongue. He could see his back in its entirety, his modesty held together by mere strings.
Strings he felt so eager to tug.
When Vaemond called Lucerys and his mother a whore, Lucerys reached for his knife, and only stopped because Daemon was faster in dealing with the problem. Aemond believes he was the only one to witness Lucerys' act.
When Viserys wished to reinstate Aemond and Lucerys' engagement, Lucerys loudly proclaimed that if he was to be engaged to Aemond, then they should court in the ways of Old Valyria, rather than the ways of the Seven, something Viserys naturally agreed to, despite his queen staring in utter disbelief.
When they were set to marry, Lucerys and Aemond reluctantly agreed to marry in the eyes of both the new gods and the old.
#aemond targaryen#aemond x lucerys#lucemond#lucerys velaryon#lucerys x aemond#aemond one eye#alpha aemond#omega lucerys#Aemond worships the faith of the seven#Lucerys worships the fourteen flames
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The Targ from Horsing Around: A Character Comparison of Aegon and Bojack
For anyone whose read my post about the Blacks vs Greens discourse, I once brought up that I was someone who 1) have watched the entirety of Bojack Horseman and 2) made a comparison of the horse's life to that of Aegon from HotD.
Now you're probably wondering, how is so?
Well if you stick around, I'll be more than happy to explain why. So sit back, relax, and read my...unnecessarily long take of our favorite brooding blonde dragon prince and...the Horse from Horsing Around.
Also quick spoiler warning for both shows as well as content warning for subjects such as addiction, depression, and abuse of power as well as dysfunctional family dynamics.
So, first off we have to do a little brief background for both characters.
So first we have Aegon:
Aegon Targaryen (second of his name), or also known in the history books as Aegon the Usurper, is the firstborn son of King Viserys I and Alicent Hightower, and in the patriarchal world of Westeros the heir to the Iron Throne...or he would've been had his father not named his older half-sister Rhaenyra heir, changing the line of succession.
Having not experienced much affection from either of his parents, Aegon strives to fill the void in his life by means of sex and alcohol, which doesn't do much as deep down he craves for someone to love him as he is and not because of what he can accomplish as the future king.
And then we have Bojack Horseman. An actor most noted for his role from the 90s sitcom Horsin' Around, and someone who comes from a very dysfunctional family, Bojack struggles with addiction and depression and self-loathing as well.
He too has a void in his life that he tries to fill with drugs and booze and sex, but that doesn't do much.
So with the character synopses out of the way, now we'll dive into their similarities.
1. Family Background
While Aegon's family may not be arguably as dysfunctional as Bojack's (the casual eye mutilation and kin-slaying not withstanding), the dysfunction is still there. Aegon is the firstborn son of Viserys and Alicent. As I mentioned before in my Black and Green take, Alicent was basically forced into the marriage, never having a say in the matter, but did as she was bid because she felt it was her duty. She does not love Viserys, and frankly it was mutual for Viserys, as the two only lay with one another for the sake of fulfilling their material duties and to produce heirs.
I've already established Viserys was practically an absentee parent with his children, sans Rhaenyra, but we also see the way Alicent treats her children.
She dotes on Aemond (more so after he lost his eye), and...she tries to dote on Helaena, bond with her, but she doesn't quite understand her (something I can kinda relate to in regards to my own relationship with my mother).
And there's the way she treats Aegon.
Partly driven by paranoia by her own father, Alicent pushes Aegon in more ways than one in trying to prepare him to become king. She...uses some rather controversial tactics, most which include her slapping him out of the blue when he steps out of line, or for things that happened that were beyond his control as we saw on Driftmark, or covering for him when does something really bad, to which she proceeds to scold him in private and then slap him again before disowning him.
Alicent's relationship with Aegon is dysfunctional and complicated to say the least, and again to reiterate it was very telling that Aegon had asked her on the day of his coronation if she loved him.
I find it interesting how much of driving force between Alicent's parenting towards Aegon actually comes from her father pushing her, which led to some rather trauma inducing consequences to Aegon's psyche.
Sounds familiar Bojack Fans?
In contrast to Alicent Hightower, noble woman turned queen, Bojack's mother, Beatrice Horseman was a sugar heiress, i.e. someone who definitely comes from old money.
Her father, Joseph Surgarman, also had an impact on Beatrice from an early age (especially after what he did to Beatrice's mother), and it haunted Beatrice for the rest of her life, to the point where she refused to love anyone the same way her mother loved her brother Crackerjack.
While Joseph didn't force Beatrice to marry (though he tried), Beatrice nonetheless found herself in a loveless marriage to Butterscotch Horseman, after she fell pregnant as the result of a one night stand with Butterscotch on the night of her debutante ball (keeping in mind it was the 60s and despite the sexual revolution having kicked off around this time, a woman pregnant out of wedlock was still considered scandalous).
Butterscotch was also an absentee parent to Bojack (when he wasn't busy smacking him around), spending his days at the office (*cough cough* having affairs with his secretary) and then shutting himself in his study at home to work on his inevitably failure of a great American novel (I could compare Butterscotch's obsession with being a writer of working class origins to how Viserys obsessed over his model of Old Valyria and its history).
Beatrice, meanwhile, was left with the burden of raising a child, and she often took that frustration out on Bojack, if not physically, than emotionally and psychologically.
Beatrice also instilled into Bojack a very toxic need to perform in order to please the people and give them what they want, whether he wants to or not.
(this was also a mindset Bojack would sadly pass onto Sarah Lynn and we know how that ended).
To summarize, Aegon and Bojack had some pretty shitty upbringings and it affected them greatly into adulthood.
2. Unhealthy coping mechanisms
As I mentioned before Aegon and Bojack use unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with their lives, in the form of sex and booze.
Aegon drinks copious amounts of wine and cheats on his sister-wife with any woman who will (or won't) have him. He has also fathered an unknown number of bastards (something Bojack likely would've also done if he didn't use condoms or send money to his one night stands to get abortions).
Bojack took the unhealthy coping a step further in season 5 when an accident on set of tv show Philbert resulted in him getting addicted to prescription pain killers.
And of course people got hurt from these addictions. We saw what Aegon did to the servant Dyana, which resulted in Alicent putting out fires and giving the poor girl silence money as well as moon tea (and as I've mentioned before it's heavily implied this was NOT the first time something like that has happened).
We also got a glimpse of the damage he caused Aemond, when the guy recalled to Criston his first and only time Aegon dragged him to the Street of Silk...when he was THIRTEEN FREAKING YEARS OLD!
With Bojack, we saw the damage his drug and booze benders have done, as we saw with Sarah Lynn in season 3, and with Gina in season 5 (and though he was not really on a bender in season 2, we saw what he almost did to Penny).
And while Bojack's mother would never be willing to step up and pick up his pieces, that burden was constantly left to his agent Princess Carolyn (my favorite character of the show).
3. Toxic Personalities
It's no secret Bojack is a pretty toxic individual especially to his friends and loved ones. We see how he often takes Princess Carolyn for granted, especially when she goes out of her way to find him acting gigs and he flat out turns them down all the damn time. Not to mention he practically dropped her in season 3 when she screwed up ONE TIME for the first time in the many years those two had worked together.
We also saw the way he treated Todd, never having given the guy the guest room, despite allowing Todd to crash on his couch for five years, and when Todd did have the opportunity to make it big and get his own place with the debut of his Rock Opera in season 1, Bojack goes out of his way to sabotage the whole thing cause he was scared of being left alone.
Bojack is a toxic person, something he is actually very self-aware of, but he doesn't do anything to change it, not until the very last season when he actually puts in the effort to go sober and reflect on why he is the way he is.
But before that, his toxicity had real consequences and left lasting impact on the people around him.
Aegon is a toxic person too. He is something of a shit stirrer, as showcased in episode 8 during the family dinner when he tried to goad Jace and then made unwanted advances towards Baela. He's not the best person to his siblings either, particularly towards Aemond, such is in episode 5 when he convinced Jace and Luke to prank Aemond by giving him a pig with wings when he knew the boy wanted a dragon, and of course I already brought up the Street of Silk incident and what he did to Dyana.
Both Bojack and Aegon's toxicity are also compounded by their status as celebrity actor and royal family member respectively, which means there is little chance of being held to true accountability by others (though in Bojack's case, the closest we get to that was the second interview in the final season when Biscuits Braxby confronted him about the circumstances surrounding Sarah Lynn's death).
4. Need to feel affection from others
THIS....
This is actually the one thing that prompted me to make the character comparison in the first place.
In HotD episode 9, after Aegon was crowned king, he pulled out his sword, and he saw the way the people cheered for him, practically cutting the image of his namesake Aegon the Conqueror.
Note the small smile Aegon made in this gif when he saw the way the people reacted to him in this state:
Aegon made not have had any desire to rule up until this point, and he probably still doesn't have that desire... but dammit, if being king is all it takes to win the love and affection of complete strangers, if that is what it takes to receive even an ounce of validation, then he will role with it.
This was the scene that made me think about Bojack. The reason Bojack got into acting, why he embraced celebrity status during his time on Horsin' Around was because that was when he had an audience to perform before. There were people out there that gave him love and validation for it even if they didn't know who he really was. And Bojack accepted it, because he certainly wasn't going to get it from his mother or anyone else whom he felt would eventually leave him for one reason or another.
People in his life may come and go, but his audience would always be there for him...supposedly.
Spoiler alert, they weren't there for him as we saw as various moments in the show, ESPECIALLY the third and second to last episodes of the final season.
Bojack and Aegon gave the people what they wanted in performing their assigned roles, and it gave them the rush of validation and temporarily soothed their craving and need for the love and affection that was basically denied them since childhood (not true affection as much of this would be akin to a para-social relationship).
While there are similarities, there is also a key differences between the two (and NO it is not that Aegon is a human being in a medieval fantasy epic and Bojack is a anthropomorphic horse in a series set in modern day Hollywood).
It's fair to say Bojack had a stronger support system than Aegon, granted one he often took for granted. He had friends that actually cared for him and had stood by his side for most of the series, even when he kept screwing them over and throwing them under the bus. I already mentioned Todd and Princess Carolyn, but there was also Diane and Mr. Peanut Butter. And before that, before Horsin Around, there was Charlotte and Herb (though Bojack was quick to burn those bridges with those two when he failed them on two separate occasions).
Diane was the one who was there for Bojack during his low points in the show; she was the one who comforted Bojack when he was reeling over the death of Sarah Lynn, and she was the one who took Bojack to rehab in season 5 when he decided things needed to change if he was to become a better person.
She was also the last person Bojack talked to in the final episode.
I already know how the events of HotD are ultimately going to end...I'm not optimistic Aegon will have that kind of support system, save for enablers and sycophants and just about any nobles and Green supporter who want nothing more than to win his favor by kissing his ass.
...that was kind of a grim note to end on, but that is what I got.
Hope you enjoyed this take. Now have a nice day.
#hotd#aegon ii targaryen#alicent hightower#bojack horseman#bojack#todd chavez#diane nguyen#princess carolyn#aemond targaryen
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Daddy Issues Of The Kraken: An Analysis of Theon and Asha Greyjoy
Daddy issues a recurring theme in ASOIAF. The most famous examples are probably Jon Snow with his tendency to bond with many male authority figures and Tyrion Lannister with the entirety of his relationship with Tywin. However i think one of the most interesting executions of this theme are Theon and Asha Greyjoy. Specifically i belive that Theon and Ashas relationship to their dad Balon Greyjoy and their respective surrogate father figures acts as a microcosm of their entire characterization, especially in regards to their relationship with Ironborn culture.
I will start by examining Theon as i believe his daddy issues are more obvious than Ashas. Theon has obviously been greatly impacted by growing up with the Starks. While he never seems to think of Eddard Stark as a father he does consider Robb Stark a brother. The tension between his love for his stark family and his desire to be accepted by his Ironborn family is the central element to Theons character. It gets illustrated very well in a short passage in ADWD where Theon is in the crypts of Winterfell. Theon sees a statue of Theon Stark, a king winter known as the hungry wolves who acclaimed fame by fighting the Andals and kicking the Ironborn out of Bear Island. When seeing the statue Theon thinks to himself that Theon Stark is his namesake.This is interesting as him being named after a Stark king and not a Greyjoy symbolically ties him to the Starks, especially considering that Theon Stark was an enemy to the Ironborn. One must also remember that the Ironborn claim to be a completely different race than the peoples of mainland Westeros and take great pride in this difference. As such Theon being named after a main lander also differentiates him from Ironborn culture. There is also the option that Theon is wrong in this belief and that he is actually named after some other historical figure named Theon. If this is the case it shows us that Theon thinks of himself as more of a Stark than a Greyjoy, at least after all of the rejections and torture he had gone through during the series. Earlier in the series when Theon goes to the Iron Islands to meet with his father it is clear from the start that he no longer fits into the culture nor his own family. His father rejects him based on his clothing and he is constantly met with mistrust as people are concerned with the time he spent on the mainland. Whats worse for Theon is the fact that most people seem to expect Asha to follow Balon and not Theon. Asha also ends up tricking and humiliating him, thus showing that she is above him in Ironborn society. This is where his surrogate father Dagmer Cleftjaw becomes interesting. Dagmer is in many ways an archetypical Ironborn, he enjoys reaving, songs about reaving, drinking, and has his characteristic cleft jaw. Dagmer thus acts as a symbol of Ironborn culture to Theon, and unlike his father Dagmer is willing to accept Theon.I believe this is why Theon cares so deeply about Dagmer as he is the only Ironbron who truly accepts him and cares about him, at least from Theons point of view. With this i will now move on to discussing Asha.
Ashas problems with her family and the Ironborn are a lot harder to notice. This is partly due to us first meeting her through Theons POV. As such our first perception of Asha is colored by how Theon sees her. Specifically Theon sees Asha getting much of the acceptance that he desires for himself. Theon is very jealous of Asha and this impacts how we see her. It is only once we starts Ashas POV that this perception of her starts getting torn down. For one Asha is not as happy with her father as Theons chapters would leave you to believe, as she mentions that the she considers Ten Towers her true home, not Pyke. We don’t know why this is, but we see that Asha rejects Balon, despite being his preferred heir. If we contiue with the theory that Balon represents traditional ironborn culture / the old way this would symbolise Asha rejecting those ideals. And we do see this in Ashas POV chapters at the Kingsmoot, she even at one point claims that the old way is dead due to Aegons unification of the seven kingdoms. Asha instead proposes a much more pragmatic world view in which the ironborn should focus on achieving whatever gains they can most realistically achieve. Specifally she proposes that the Ironborn should exit the war and consolidate their gains along the stony shore. If we now look at Ashas father figure Rodrik Harlaw we see that he is a highly atypical member of ironborn culture who also seems very pragmatic. We know he used to hire septons to tend to his books despite not being a follower of the faith of the seven. Meanwhile many people on the Iron Islands outright hate the faith and would never hire a septon. Other than Rodrik, those who are okay with septons are usually worshipers of the faith. We also see his pragmatic nature after the kingsmoot when he gives Asha a way to reverse the kingsmoot and escape her arranged/forced marriage, since Theon would be able to overturn the kingsmoot. The kingsmoot is also interesting as Ashas status as Balons preffered heir is suddenly ignored due to her gender. This shows us that while ironborn culture is willing to accept Asha and give her power when the alternative is an outsider, as a woman she will still always be seen as lesser than the men from her culture. This may be part of the reason why she rejects the Old way, and again it is interesting as Rodrik never rejects her based on her gender, seemingly not caring about it at all. It is worth to note that Asha doesn’t fully agree with Rodrik as she enjoys the idea of going out and seeking glory while seeing Rodrik as a craven since he would rather stay in his tower and read
To summarize, Theons character is centered around the conflict of his love towards, at the very least, Robb Stark and his desire to be accepted by an Ironbron family who constantly rejects him, this is what leads him to making the many bad decisions he does throughout the series. The latter part of this conflict is reflected in his relationship to his two father figures. Balon rejects Theon while Dagmer gives him the acceptance he craves. Meanwhile Asha seems to be accepted by Ironborn society, at least when compared to Theon who is seen as an outsider. However she rejects her father in favour of the more pragmatic Rodrik Harlaw. In the same vein she rejects the old way in favour of a more pragmatic new way of thinking. We also see that Asha is seen as lesser than her uncles due to her gender by many ironborn but not by Rodrik. As thus their relationships with their respective father figures acts as a microcosm of their relationships with ironborn culture.
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The Wolf and the Wildling
Series Masterlist
༄ Media: Game of Thrones x The Walking Dead
༄ Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Stark!OC
༄ Era: Seasons 1-8 of Game of Thrones
༄ Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: A chance encounter with the gruff and mysterious Daryl Dixon from Beyond the Wall saves Lannister captive Lady Adara Stark from the certain demise she awaited in King's Landing. Together the two embark on a journey where death and danger lurk in the shadows, and the greatest threat of all gets closer by the day. With the War of the Five Kings raging and bounties on both their heads, Adara and Daryl must lean on each other in order to survive.
Disclaimers!
GOT is a TV series for mature audiences, as it contains graphic scenes of violence, assault, animal death, and gore, and the same goes for this work. There will be scenes of attempted SA, but I will make sure to put a TW on the chapters that contain those.
This is a fanfiction based on the events of the TV series “Game of Thrones,” in the world of “Game of Thrones,” with characters from the TV series “The Walking Dead.” It will follow the GOT series throughout all 8 seasons, so I HIGHLY suggest either watching the show beforehand or watching as you read. In my humble opinion, in order to best understand the references made throughout this work, watching the show in its entirety would be the best choice.
Although this will contain several characters from TWD, it is not based on events from the show, both because we’re not in TWDU, and it doesn’t fit with the story. Some characters won’t know each other, some will. Some characters from TWD who aren’t dead might die, and some who die might stay alive. I’ll try my absolute best to give all the best characters their cameo, but the world of GOT is massive, so if you find yourself wondering “Where’s [insert TWD character]?” please try not to forget that I’m somewhere right now sitting in my room, not having eaten or slept in days, tinfoil hat matting my hair as I attempt to work people in and out of this extremely detailed lore AND create my own.
IMPORTANT: If you read this and think Daryl is a little OOC, *PLEASE* keep in mind this isn’t the same exact Daryl who grew up in rural Georgia and went through hell in the show fighting walkers. Yes, he’s a wildling, so he absolutely does not trust the “kneelers” of Westeros, but he’s been there so many times and been trained well enough by Rick that he’s confident in his ability to move through the North (emphasis there) without being detected for a false northman. If you’ve seen Game of Thrones, you understand how different the South is. I won’t say too much, but just keep that in mind and try not to dismiss me for someone who doesn’t know Daryl well. I have to give him personality traits from the wildlings AND just the GOT world in general, but trust, we’ll be seeing more of the mistrusting Daryl we all know and love.
I hope that covers all the bases, but if not, please feel free to let me know! Happy reading!
Chapter One: Daryl
Chapter Two: Adara
Chapter Three: Daryl
Chapter Four: Daryl
Chapter Five: Adara
Chapter Six: Daryl
Chapter Seven: Adara (coming soon!)
#game of thrones#a song of ice and fire#asoif/got#asoif fanfic#asoiaf#house stark#daryl dixon#the walking dead#twd fanfiction#daryl dixon twd#twd#stark!oc#stark!daughter#daryl dixon x oc#daryl dixon x stark!daughter#the wolf and the wildling#the wolf and the wildling series#got#game of thrones fanfiction#game of thrones series#got fanfiction#direwolf#twd x got#the walking dead x game of thrones#fanfiction#vannyandthejets#vannyandthejets fanfiction
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I could be missing the irony behind ASOIAF tumblr's joke/meme culture but why is Jacaerys Velaryon seen as a stereotypical bigoted frat boy type and Aemond Targaryen seen as a Marxist radical? Jacaerys faces anti-bastard stigma from the Green faction, which possibly motivates his desire to recruit dragonseeds for his mother's side. As in, he defies the long held, deeply embedded biases of Westeros, and actually seeks lowborn bastards as allies for his mother's cause and gives them military command. How many other princes and heirs can you name that do something similar, in the history of Westeros? Very few. Someone like Nettles, a young girl who grew up on the streets, would ordinarily never be able to ride a dragon into battle, much less accompany the prince of dragonstone into battle, or the presumptive king consort as his right hand. Even Rhaenyra allegedly demonstrated anti-bastard sentiment toward Addam Velaryon and Nettles. Yet the ties between Jace and the dragonseeds ran so strong that the book actually notes Nettles crying after his death, and Corlys and Addam seeking solace in each other. A 15-year-old boy who won the respect of Jeyne Arryn, a lesbian who ruled the Vale on her own, against challenges and attempted usurpation from her male relatives, and who bonded with lowborn bastards whom he gave military power and command to, doesn't strike me as the bigoted, prejudiced type.
On the other hand, Aemond is a traditional commander-prince. He serves as Aegon II's prince regent when Aegon II is out of commission, but during his stint as prince regent he does nothing more than battle. He commits mass murder in the Riverlands, burning thousands of innocent civilians, executes the entirety of House Strong (an action on par with Tywin Lannister, the Boltons, and the Freys), and takes Alys Rivers as a war prize. He also regularly uses misogynistic slurs when he talks about Rhaenyra, and equates motherhood and womanhood to weakness. At no point does he show any awareness of smallfolk, let alone any semblance of compassion for them. He's also anti-bastard.
But it seems to be a popular joke on here that Aemond is a Marxist and a revolutionary, and Jacaerys is a misogynist and an incel. Am I missing something? Perhaps taking a joke too seriously? Maybe the irony is that the joke is the exact opposite of their book personalities? I'd love for someone to explain this to me.
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on the winter rose:
A blue flower grew from a chink in a wall of ice, and filled the air with sweetness.
now the most obvious takeaway here is just connecting Lyanna to Jon. Lyanna’s association with winter roses is so strong that when Theon dreams of a girl with a crown of winter roses, he thinks it can be none other than Lyanna. To me this symbolizes Lyanna’s offspring growing from the Wall, as in Jon growing as a person and a leader through his time at the Wall eventually becoming Lord Commander.
Now where else do we see mentions of a winter rose? Also in ACOK, when Ygritte tells the “song of the winter rose”.
The story is of the forbidden love between Bael the Bard- who goes on to become King-Beyond-The-Wall - and the heir to Winterfell - a Stark daughter at a time where the Stark line is on the verge of extinction. In the end, the Stark line continues through their child.
Ygritte brings up the song of the winter rose once more, reflecting that she thought Jon would be inspired to follow in the steps of Bael when he heard the story (maybe foreshadowing that he will?).
Ironically if she meant to seduce him with the tale, her conclusion after rendering it is how they are in fact (distantly) cousins. But on that note earlier in that same second conversation, we have this
Now let’s skip over to the show. Assuming the endings will be the same (as GRRM has said, and with the new Jon Snow project I really don’t see how it could deviate too much), let’s revisit Winterfell and the Wall.
At Winterfell we close on Sansa Stark, the heir to Winterfell and last remaining Stark in succession, with the name again on the verge of extinction, being crowned Queen in the North. Beyond the Wall, we close on Jon Snow venturing out with the free folk, to help resettle them now that winter is ended. Having allied with the free folk and the Others defeated, it seems his purpose in the Watch would boil down to the governance and maintaining the peace in the Gift and beyond, as he reflects in the books at one point how they would be chaotic neighbors to the villagers.
After spending the entire series with her status as heir to Winterfell reduced to getting moved around Westeros and betrothed/married like a chess piece, I doubt the Queen in the North would wish to take a husband again. But where does that leave the Stark line?
This brings me back to the prophecy of the winter rose and the wall: could it be that it foreshadows the song of the winter rose repeating itself in the end? (although the end is not a happy one, so hopefully not repeating in its entirety - these two have suffered enough - but it is GRRM we’re talking about).
And if not, well:
(and just a final note, I had no idea until recently that some people think this foreshadows a different relationship. to each their own, but I caution that just because she saw it doesn’t mean it’s connected to her, she also sees foreshadowing for the red wedding for example).
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My journey with Stannis as a character is kinda a bit wild.
I started, when I was just watching the show, completely indifferent to him, he was a character that I didn't like or dislike, he was just there. I liked Davos though.
I started to see comments from book readers about Stannis the Mannis, the one true king, who would never burn his daughter to get Winterfell and I thought, woah another character the show fucked over, I can't wait to read about Stannis in the books.
And then I actually read the books and I just still don't get where all of this comes from ?
The first thing we see him do in the books is humiliate an old man who was a father figure to him all his life ? How is that Stannis the Mannis ?
And then we realize that he sucks at everything diplomatic and his own vassals would rather go with his brother then him and he is aligned with someone who wants to convert the entirety of westeros to her own religion by force (when the freedom of religion is really the only thing Westeros got going for them) and how is that person the one true king of Westeros ?
And you also read about him being responsible for his brother's death and attempting to kill his nephew and how is that person not someone who is going to burn his daughter if pushed hard enough ?
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summer rainfall was insistent throughout the night of the third day, and the performers of the fourth day were delayed in setting up their stages until the last rain drops fell and the skies cleared up, around five in the morning. by nine, everything was set up and the sun shone bright again, welcoming the guests of the king to a magnificent stage. throughout the entirety of the day and the night, performing troupes from all over the westeros (and one from across the sea) would sing, recite, proclaim, play and jest to the entertainment of the nobles, taking from new and old repertoire hand-picked by the king.
by the middle of the morning, an acting trope began to pick guests from the crowd to join them atop of the stage — three were chosen: edmyn mallister, malaika tyrell and the king's own son, drystan baratheon. the trio was told to pretend they were the performers and to act out a fifteen minute play that they had to do from scratch; good humored, they tried, but the crowd's favorite was the lady tyrell, who delivered an improvised soliloquy with confidence, while the two men could not find proper chemistry between them as they attempted an impromptu dialogue.
the following troupe, noticing the laughter from the crowd brought by the guests upon the stage, decided to follow their lead and invited two northern ladies next: one after the other, lynara stark ascended to to the stage first. when asked what the future queen of westeros would perform, despite a nudge to get her to sing, the lady stark instead asked aid to one of the performers to put up a small play with puppets for the children that, by then, were abundant in the audience. perhaps because her audience was easy to please (even if some would say the very opposite), the lady stark exited the stage with flaming cheeks and a bright smile as the audience — her eldest brother and his children included — cheered with praise.
next, her lady in waiting, the lady barbrey ryswell, was invited and, once more, asked if she would sing. after a moment of hesitation, lady ryswell chose to tell a tale instead; northern through and through, the woman's voice never wavered as she told a story popular around the north, an account seemingly truthful of love and honor and sorrow and, finally, death. by the end of her speech, there were several teary eyed people in the audience, who eagerly clapped as she left.
just as the lunch feast began to be served, lady alida swann was picked from the crowd for anther impromptu performance. she chose to play the harp, and though the lady showed proficiency in the song chosen, before she even reached midway, rainfall began again, making all the audience scatter around — the lady, too, had to run away, leaving the instrument on stage.
as people gathered under the safety of their tented roofs, the king had the idea of begin taking names for nobles who would perform. there was certain expectation as he awaited for more praise for his kingly self, yet, the first person to come to the center of the king's tent was the lady elora motoon, whose voice broke as she tried to hit a note. the king himself exclaimed ridicule, laughing and mocking the lady, and, unfortunately, many joined. a jester was called on to replace the lady, and, thankfully, the king forgot all about elora motoon within an hour or two.
by the time the rain had stopped, the performances returned to the stage. a cryer began to call out people who were signed up — by their own fist or that of another. it seemed that the peake were the ones to have signed up their only daughter, for the lady rosaline peake was rather blanched as she ascended the stairs. for her misfortune, the instrument earlier abandoned had become out of tune, strings too tight, and the lady's struggle was evident. she was given half-hearted applause, with someone from the crowd asking for "next".
a while after, the queen's own lady, rayssa caron, rose to stage. she claimed she would sing no song and play no instrument (thankfully, the harp was removed from stage by then) but she would tell a tale. unlike the lady barbrey earlier, rayssa said she would not tell a story from her home, the stormlands, but of something she had heard over the three nights they had been here. the lady caron began to speak to the audience as if they were familiars, gossiping about a debauched lord who had robbed the hearts (and maidenheads) of three sisters, one per night. no one can tell how truthful the lady's account had been, but it was clear the viewers rather enjoyed the salacious story, and she left the stage with encouragement.
the last name called was dayana velaryon, the newly appointed ruler of driftmark. one would think that after the liege’s recent suffering, people would be understanding, but the viewers were merciless as the liege kept forgetting the lines to the song they chose to sing, and she left the stage with a chorus of boos, and only one person who applauded them. matthos, one of those who had booed the liege, called out dayana’s one fan to stage, demanding them to do better.
better merrick goodbrother did, starting out with a joke about his friend dayana, then moving on to make a jest about the melee, himself, his brother, and a few other members of the crowd. in the end, the ironborn seemed to have charmed all — even matthos begrudgingly applauded the newcomer, before telling his actual jester to step up, else he’d have to take another damned ironborn to serve him in his keep.
as the performances, scheduled or otherwise, came to an end, the king drew attention to the last activity of the week— the jousting — and to the near end of the celebration; he also reminded his guests that all of the drink and food and laughter shared tonight was possible due to his ascension to the throne. one last toast was offered in his honor, and, for the king if no one else, the night ended in a good note.
the response of the crowd was given by random dice rolls. thank you so much for those who signed up and helped us with this day!
feel free to add this to your threads. day five will come in the next few days!
please continue to tag your event threads with conquest.event1.
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Sorry but having maegor as a protagonist will be soo funny, but knowing hbo they will turn him into a sad little meow meow like they did with Aemond and Daemon .probably Ryan will give us the biggest history twist , Sadgor didn't mean to kill his nephew Aegon, it's all Balerion fault apparently. And Meowgor was actually just a big softie that all of westros have misunderstood 🥺💔
Poor little meow meow Maegor would be so hysterical to try and pull off when you look at his literal public track record.
Like, there's a way to offer some insights into Maegor, you can play a lot with the fact that he's the son of the wife his father married because he had to, that Aegon appears to have doted more on Aenys than he ever did with Maegor not because of anything about Aenys specifically, but because of who Aenys's mother was, because Aenys's mother was his beloved Rhaenys and he's the one connection Aegon has left of her after his relationship with Visenya became so frosty (and also that Aenys is the eldest and as such the natural heir that he needs to spend more time preparing). You can do a lot with how it was Visenya who raised him and shaped him into who he is, that he carries her burdens and her jealousies and her grudges (against Aegon, against Rhaenys, against Dorne, against her parents, against the world at large) on his shoulders as much as she does on her own and how their closeness shaped him.
(yes rhaenys looms large over the narrative after she dies, she was the first to die but the entirety of house targaryen descends from her line and her siblings never forgot her even as they shored up more and more power, rhaenys is the ghost that haunts house targaryen in its early years and i will not shut up about it)
You can do a lot to show the kind of person Maegor was, add some intricacy to the fact that he did stay by Aenys's side and fight for him until he was banished for his bigamy, that he did usurp Aenys's son and kill him fairly unscrupulously but then sorta had this moment of détente with Alyssa and Jaehaerys and the rest before he went full cray and full despot (and you can do a LOT to develop Jaehaerys in the process too, especially when Maegor tortures Viserys as punishment for Jaehaerys escaping, which you also can't literally woobify because he did torture a preteen literally to death). There's a world in which Maegor as a complex character in his own right and worthy of focus and discussion works, but it's not gonna be if they try and whitewash the guy who was only edged out as "worst king Westeros ever had" by the king that literally ended the dynasty.
Sadgor and Meowgor took me tf out tho.
#personal#answered#anonymous#i! should! be! allowed! to! adapt! f&b!#i should be allowed to do a conquerors show and a sons of the dragon show#(and then once i make fucking bank with how good i would make those shows i should be allowed to do my augustus show)#(but that's not for right now)
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"Targaryen Exceptionalism"
beginning in Old Valyria, Targaryens were but a minor House of dragonlords. yet the Valyrian Freehold was built with the blood of those enslaved beneath its nine volcanoes, ever digging for greater riches, and the horrific inventions of Valyria's sorcerers who tested their theories on the conquered to twist the natural into the supernatural.
(yes, i'm one of the theorists who take House Targaryen's "blood of the dragom" quite literally)
Upon surviving the Doom, House Targaryen was a dormant threat during the Century of Blood: then came Aegon, Visenya & Rhaenys who decided to found a new empire for themselves by "uniting Westeros"... at dragonpoint.
CW: Old Valyria, its hobbies of enslavement and eugenics, anti-imperialism, Targaryen-skepticism, Stark-skepticism, critique of historic Targaryens, critique of Prince Rhaegar, potential spoilers for The Dragon Shows.
There is no good justification for conquest, the genocide of entire families, for destroying holy sites, for dragonbombing civilians (Aegon & Visenya took out their vengeance for Rhaenys on the entirety of Dorne, who dared to defy the Targaryens just as Nymeria defied Valyria's efforts to destroy her people after leaving their home a toxic wasteland). A (hypothetical) prophecy of ice & fire was assumed by these dragonlords as an entitlement to an entire continent "united" under THEIR rule.
if Aegon truly cared about the future, about a threat to humanity, he could have proposed alliance with House Stark and the other Kingdoms of Westeros. marriage, trade, mutual ceasefire: there are many methods of peacibly uniting peoples for a future problem. no, any service for "a greater good" should come at the cost of smaller, everyday acts of goodness. Ser Davos said it best, when his king Stannis proposed the sacrifice of one child (Edric Storm, his own nephew) to secure a hypothetical victory for his army: the sacrifice of one child means everything, in the context of war & kingship.
Targaryen Exceptionalism became "codified" into the Faith of The Seven during the reign of King Jaeherys I: he sent seven speakers to walk Westeros, praising and preaching the goodness of the new king & the exceptional nature of Targaryens in the eyes of the divine. Dragons raise Targaryens from the laws of mortal men, Valyrian tradition supercedes common sense and human taboo. The speakers, at the orders of Jaeherys I (& Vermithor, Alysanne & Silverwing) Targaryens rule Westeros but were not of it nor subject to its rules.
After the last Targaryen dragon died, the case for Targaryen Exceptionalism was rendered hollow: by this point there had been some intermarrying of House Targaryen with the other houses of Westeros and its members were far removed from the memory of Valyria beyond romanticized legend & its language (also spoken and used by peoples of Essos, descendants of escaped slaves & those once-conquered).
By the timeline of the main series of ASOIAF, the views on House Targaryen are polarizing: King Robert Baratheon saw any Targaryen as an abomination, laughing at the horror wrought unto Princess Elia's children and Princess Elia herself (again Dorne is considered an "acceptable target" by wider Westeros), demanding the death of pregnant 13 yr old Daenerys in AGoT; Ned Stark finds the murder of children horrific, like any sane person would, despite being the most wounded (surviving) party of House Targaryen and the actual rallying point of Robert's Rebellion; Daenerys, on the childhood memories told to her by her brother, by her hatching dragons... Daenerys renders herself Exceptional.
Targaryen Exceptionalism OUTSIDE of the ASOIAF books & shows is more questionable: the POVs we are given and the presentation of dragons & valyrian steel as a natural means of opposing Winter Personfied results in a fanbase who have bought into Valyrian exceptionalism almost entirely. Secret Targaryens are found or made because it is Assumed that, because past Targaryens claimed & proved themselves exceptional, because Daenerys Stormborn is exceptional... only those with dragon blood can be exceptional. This is not unique to House Targaryen: Stark blood and First Men heritage is also of much ado, based on the likes of Robb, Bran, & Arya Stark (Tully-Starks).
Brynden Rivers, Euron Greyjoy, Vladymr Six-Skins, & Jojen Reed demonstrate the magic in First Men blood; House Dayne's ancestral sword, Dawn, & their purple eyes draw theories of Valyrian exceptionalism several thousand years prior to the Freehold's existence; the black stone castles found throughout Westeros also kindle theories of anachronistic Valyrians (despite dragons existing throughout the histories of Westeros & Essos well before their becoming so intimately linked with Valyria or Targaryens).
Then there are the Sons of Ice & Fire: Brynden Rivers, a Targaryen bastard of a Blackwood mother, currently a tree wizard freezing beyond the wall; Jon Snow, of R + L = J. There was That Dragon Show, which romanticized such a Song by skipping over that whole "15 year old disappears without word, Kingsguard keeping her in a distant tower & attempting to murder her brother"; "Lord Rickard and his heir being tortured & burned to death, Aerys II subsequently calling for the heads of several other Lords Paramount"; "Prince Rhaegar's abandoning his wife & small children in his father's court, sparing a lone hostage-kingsguard for 4 royals & a city", etc. There was the "romance" between an undead king who sought a desperate alliance & his, unknown to them, young aunt who ditched her existing subjects in Essos for a pointy chair in a home she knows nothing of.
No one came out of That Dragon Show looking any good, the characters at its end being shadows of themselves by its end.
The NEW Dragon Show is set in the "Golden Age" of House Targaryen in Westeros: their game of musical chairs bloody and cruel, forced unto each generation by the fears & ambitions of those before them (children parenting children, grandfathers & second sons seeking power greater than the might they hold already).
I worry over The Sowing of Seeds: will Targaryen Exceptionalism be codified as true? will the Hiccup Method, nurture revealing itself as mattering more than nature?
I hope for the latter: any victory that belatedly justifies the horrors of Old Valyria, the cruelties of House Targaryen on its own children, the celebration of feudal monarchy as something heroic & inspirational... these things would sully the primary themes of ASOIAF: the hypocricies demanded of chivalry, the futility of war, the struggles of those rejected by songs & storybooks. eugenics is setdressing, not an ideal (both targaryen & stark exceptionalism awkwardly based within that concept, however innocently-intended).
#valyrianscrolls#asoiaf meta#house targaryen#targaryen exceptionalism#anti-rhaegar#melt the iron throne#anti-valyria#valyria is its own warning#fandom discourse#soapboxing#targaryen-critical
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What if Petyr were a member of one of the major houses in Westeros?
Okay when I saw this one, I knew immediately what I wanted to do. Buckle up- its long.
If Petyr was a member of one the major houses- He would be a Tyrell. Specifically, he would be Olenna's second son and Mace Tyrell's younger brother as well as Margaery's uncle.
Petyr would also be Olenna's favorite child because he would have her brain and wit.
Seeing that Mace is the heir to Highgarden and Petyr is a second son, he still becomes Master of Coin. He is still good with numbers and was brought on by Jon Arryn to help with the throne. He discovers the affair between Cersei and Jaime, and along with Stannis, sees an opportunity to put his niece, Margaery on the throne by having her marry Robert. However, before he has a chance to act, Jon Arryn dies, only this time, Lysa also dies. In this case, it was Cersei and Jaime who killed them due to their secret getting out.
Stannis flees because he knew, Petyr also returns to Highgarden, unsure if he would end up dead next, and the king takes his family North. They return with Ned, Sansa and Arya. Everything in Winterfell pretty much still happens. Everyone knows that someone poisoned Jon Arryn and Lysa but no one knows for sure.
Ned still blunders, figures it out and ends up dying. Arya flees and Sansa is held captive, engaged to Joffrey. The war of the five kings happens. None of that changes. Renly flees with Lores to Highgarden but the knights of the Reach are not given to Renly. Renly does not marry Margaery, because Petyr has a better plan- and Mace listens to his brother more so than his children. Renly goes off to his own war and playing king with a few knights who did decide to join him.
Petyr instead, goes to Tywin. He brokers a deal between the throne and the Reach for Margaery to marry Joffrey. In return, the Reach army are his. (At this point, the story of incest is out thanks to Stannis but Petyr never brings up the topic).
Shadow baby happens and Renly dies.
The sacking of King's Landing happens and Tywin, along with the Tyrells win the battle of Black Water Bay. Petyr is rewarded handsomely for his assistance in broker the match between Margaery and Joffrey- also taking his place back on the small counsel.
Sansa is set aside for Margaery, and this is the first time Petyr catches a glimpse of Sansa. He is enthralled.
During Margaery's engagement, Petyr mentions that perhaps, it would be wise for the Reach to have the "key to the north" in their pocket and discusses it with Olenna and Margaery (the only other smart people in his family). They agree that if Petyr married Sansa, it would help the Tyrell family.
Margaery plants the idea in Sansa head, much like she did in the books. However, Loras being a kings guard he cannot inherit Highgarden, any child Petyr has will be the heir to he Reach (unless Mace as another but it is unlikely).
At first, Sansa is unsure but then Petyr begins to discreetly "court" her. They get to know one another and Sansa quickly begins to enjoy his company. Now in the show, Sansa ends up marrying Tyrion because Petyr learns of the plot and thwarts it. Here, there would be no need but they do not let the Lannisters know the plan.
Petyr and Olenna plot to kill Joffrey at the purple wedding. That still happens but Sansa is not married to Tyrion and therefore, not a suspect. Tyrion goes on trial, murders Tywin and flees.
Margaery begins to work on Tommen and plants the idea that Sansa and Petyr have fallen in love, perhaps it would be good for them to marry. Tommen, the hopeless romantic thinks it is sweet and agrees. Petyr and Sansa marry, only staying in King's Landing long enough to see Margaery marry Tommen.
Then they leave for Highgarden and stay there for the entirety of the shit storm that hits King's Landing. During this time, Sansa and Petyr get to know one another. She becomes pregnant.
Jon takes Winterfell back.
Olenna goes to KL when Margaery is imprisoned, Petyr only stays behind because Sansa is due to give birth. Olenna leaves when Margaery gives her that drawing of the rose and Cersei blows up the Sept.
This infuriates Petyr because he just lost his brother, nephew and niece. Petyr and Olenna go to Dorne and aid in bringing over Daenerys, meeting Daenerys at Dragonstone. Daenerys know why they are there and Petyr asks to leave , to return to Highgarden to be with his wife and newborn son- bringing them there so he knows they are safe. He makes a deal with Daenerys that he will do whatever in order to keep them safe. She agrees given that Jon learns that his sister is alive.
When they arrive back at Highgarden, Petyr takes Sansa and their son to flee. Olenna refuses to go, , Jaime Lannister attempts to invade, only to find that Olenna is the only one there. Petyr and Sansa leave making their way to Dragonstone where Daenerys promised to keep them safe. Olenna gives her confession to Jaime. She has her epic death scene.
Sansa reunites with Jon when they arrive at Dragonstone. - Jon and Daenerys do not have a relationship in this.
Everything happens as it does in the show with the white walkers and Cersei, only Sansa remained in Dragonstone during the invasion of King's Landing. Petyr was there, aiding Daenerys as an advisor. Daenerys takes the iron throne and does not become mad queen. Jon becomes the Warden of the North. Bran is...well Bran. Petyr is given Highgarden and Sansa becomes Lady of the Reach. Petyr, per his promise, sits on Daenerys small council.
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