Fire and Blood: The Targaryen Dynasty would react to you.

As a bastard of House Targaryen, Daemon bore the arms of House Targaryen with the colors reversed: a black three-headed dragon on a red field. Thus he became known as the Black Dragon. Supporters of his claim to the Iron Throne called him the King Who Bore the Sword, while those who supported his half-brother Daeron referred to him as Daemon the Pretender.")

Aegor Rivers: ("Aegor Rivers, often called Bittersteel, was one of the Great Bastards, the son of King Aegon IV Targaryen by his fifth mistress, Lady Barba Bracken. The knight was one of the chief supporters of the pretender Daemon I Blackfyre and of later Blackfyre pretenders. Aegor was the founder of the Golden Company, a famous company of exiled mercenaries. On his personal arms he combined the red stallion of House Bracken with the black dragon wings of House Blackfyre, on a golden field.")

Brynden Rivers: ("Brynden Rivers, called Lord Bloodraven, was the bastard son of King Aegon IV Targaryen by his sixth mistress, Lady Melissa Blackwood. He had two older sisters, Mya and Gwenys, and several half-brothers. Because his mother was of noble blood, Brynden was counted among the Great Bastards. Like his bastard brothers, Brynden was legitimized by King Aegon IV in 184 AC. Brynden’s personal arms were a white dragon with red eyes breathing red flame on a black field. Brynden was a Targaryen loyalist during the Blackfyre Rebellions. He served as Hand of the King to King Aerys I Targaryen and King Maekar I Targaryen. He was eventually sent to the Night’s Watch by King Aegon V Targaryen, where he rose to the rank of Lord Commander.")

Shiera Seastar: ("Shiera Seastar was the last of the Great Bastards of King Aegon IV Targaryen, the daughter of his final mistress, Serenei of Lys. Known for having been the lover of Brynden Rivers, she was considered the most beautiful woman in the Seven Kingdoms.")

King Daeron II Targaryen, the Good: ("Daeron II Targaryen, known as Daeron the Good, was the twelfth Targaryen to sit the Iron Throne. Daeron brought Dorne peacefully into the realm, uniting all the lands of Westeros south of the Wall. His bastard half-brother, Daemon Blackfyre, challenged his rule and the result was a terrible civil war, the First Blackfyre Rebellion. Daeron died during the Great Spring Sickness in 209 AC.")

Myriah Martell: ("Princess Myriah Nymeros Martell was a Dornish princess, the wife and queen consort of King Daeron II Targaryen.")

Baelor Targaryen (son of Daeron II): ("Prince Baelor Targaryen, known as Baelor Breakspear, was a member of House Targaryen and Prince of Dragonstone. He was the eldest son and heir of King Daeron II Targaryen and Queen Myriah Martell. Named after his grandfather’s cousin, King Baelor I, Prince Baelor served as Hand of the King to his father after the Battle of the Redgrass Field until his death in 209 AC.")

King Aerys I Targaryen: ("According to semi-canonical sources, Aerys was thin and stooped, with long straight hair. He had a long thin face, a long thin mustache and a long pointed beard, and his eyes were often red from reading. Aerys wore the crown of his grandfather, King Aegon IV Targaryen. On his coins he was depicted with a beard. Raymun Fossoway believed Aerys was more intelligent than his younger brother Maekar Targaryen. As king, Aerys was a studious man who preferred reading to ruling, and it was said in the Seven Kingdoms that “Aerys would sooner take a book to bed than his wife.” His obsession with reading caused him to neglect other tasks, such as changing his clothes or putting on his crown.")

King Maekar I Targaryen: ("Maekar I Targaryen was Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and the fourteenth Targaryen king to sit the Iron Throne. He was the fourth son of King Daeron II Targaryen and was given the Targaryen seat of Summerhall, thus becoming known as the Prince of Summerhall. Maekar was an able military commander who served in two of the Blackfyre Rebellions. After a series of unexpected deaths in the royal family, he ascended the throne in 221 AC.")

Prince Aerion Targaryen, the Monstrous: ("Prince Aerion Targaryen, also known as Aerion the Monstrous, or Aerion Brightflame as he liked to style himself, was the second son of King Maekar I Targaryen.")

Maester Aemon: ("Maester Aemon, born Aemon Targaryen, is the third son of King Maekar I Targaryen and his wife Dyanna Dayne. He served as maester of the Night’s Watch at Castle Black for so long that the rest of the Seven Kingdoms forgot his Targaryen blood.")

King Aegon V Targaryen, the Unlikely: ("Aegon V Targaryen was Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and the fifteenth Targaryen to occupy the Iron Throne as King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men. In his youth he was known by the nickname Egg and served as squire to Ser Duncan the Tall. Aegon became king after a Great Council passed over several candidates who preceded him in the line of succession and after his elder brother Maester Aemon refused the throne. Because he was the fourth son of Maekar I—who was himself a fourth son—Aegon became known as Aegon the Unlikely.")

King Jaehaerys II Targaryen: ("Jaehaerys II Targaryen was Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and the sixteenth Targaryen king to occupy the Iron Throne. He was the second son of King Aegon V Targaryen and Queen Betha Blackwood. Jaehaerys was the father of King Aerys II Targaryen and Queen Rhaella Targaryen, and the grandfather of Rhaegar, Viserys, and Daenerys.")

King Aerys II Targaryen, the Mad King: ("Aerys was the seventeenth and last member of the Targaryen dynasty to occupy the Iron Throne, ruling from 262 AC to 283 AC. His children with his sister-wife Rhaella who reached adulthood were Rhaegar, Viserys, and Daenerys Targaryen. Aerys showed great promise at the beginning of his reign, bringing peace and prosperity to the Seven Kingdoms. His later descent into madness, however, was caused among other factors by multiple miscarriages and stillbirths, the deaths of three children, and a brief revolt known as the Defiance of Duskendale, in which he was held prisoner for half a year by a rebellious lord. The king’s paranoia and cruelty spun out of control, and Aerys was eventually killed by a member of his own Kingsguard, Ser Jaime Lannister, during the Sack of King’s Landing in Robert’s Rebellion.")

Rhaegar Targaryen: ("Prince Rhaegar Targaryen was the firstborn son of King Aerys II Targaryen and his sister-wife, Queen Rhaella. As heir apparent he held the title of Prince of Dragonstone and was the heir to the Iron Throne. Rhaegar was popular among the common people during his lifetime, but he died in Robert’s Rebellion, triggered in part by the abduction of Lyanna Stark. He was killed in single combat by Robert Baratheon at the ruby ford during the Battle of the Trident. Rhaegar was the elder brother of the last exiled members of House Targaryen: Prince Viserys and Princess Daenerys.")

Princess Elia Martell: ("Princess Elia Nymeros Martell, also known simply as Elia Martell or Elia of Dorne, was a Dornish princess of House Martell. She was married to the crown prince, Rhaegar Targaryen, with whom she had Rhaenys and Aegon. Elia was raped and murdered by Ser Gregor Clegane during the Sack of King’s Landing in Robert’s Rebellion.")

Viserys Targaryen: ("Prince Viserys Targaryen is the heir of his father, King Aerys II Targaryen, after the death of his elder brother, Prince Rhaegar, during Robert’s Rebellion. The war turned Viserys and his younger sister Daenerys, Princess of Dragonstone, into exiles from the Seven Kingdoms, leaving them only to plot to reclaim the Iron Throne. He styles himself “Viserys of the House Targaryen, the Third of His Name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm,” having been proclaimed king on Dragonstone after his father’s death. In the Free Cities Viserys was mockingly given the nickname “Beggar King,” a name that eventually reached the Seven Kingdoms.")

Queen Daenerys Targaryen: ("Daenerys Targaryen, also known as Daenerys Stormborn, is one of the last confirmed members of House Targaryen, along with her elder brother Viserys, who calls her Dany. She is the youngest daughter of King Aerys II Targaryen and his sister and wife, Queen Rhaella. She is one of the main point-of-view characters in the work A Song of Ice and Fire. The war that unified six of the Seven Kingdoms under the Targaryen dynasty, begun by Aegon Targaryen and his sister-wives, Visenya and Rhaenys. · The Dragons: The Conquest was made possible by the three great dragons: Balerion the Black Dread (Aegon), Vhagar (Visenya), and Meraxes (Rhaenys). · The Campaigns: · The Burning of Harrenhal: Aegon rode Balerion and roasted King Harren the Black and all his sons alive within their own towers, melting the stone. The ruins stand as a permanent testament to the folly of defying dragons. · The Field of Fire: The Targaryens unleashed their dragons on the combined host of the Reach and the Westerlands. The resulting inferno killed four thousand men, incinerating the Gardener line. King Loren Lannister surrendered. · The Submission of the North: King Torrhen Stark, seeing the Targaryen host and the might of Balerion, chose to kneel and swear fealty, earning him the name "The King Who Knelt." · The Last Storm: Orys Baratheon, Aegon's rumored half-brother, slew Storm King Argilac and founded House Baratheon. · Dorne's Resistance: · The Dornish Strategy: Under the leadership of Princess Meria of House Martell, an old and blind woman, Dorne alone refused to surrender. She famously told Aegon, "You may have us if you can take us, but we will not be taken." The Dornish refused to meet the Targaryens in open battle, employing guerrilla tactics. They hid in the mountains and deserts, allowing the dragons to burn empty castles and vanish into the sands. · The Death of a Dragon: The conflict reached its peak during the First Dornish War when Rhaenys Targaryen and her dragon, Meraxes, attacked the castle of Hellholt. A lucky shot from a Dornish scorpion bolt pierced the dragon's eye, killing Meraxes instantly. Rhaenys fell to her death. Her death caused Aegon immense, lasting grief and rage. · The Aftermath: The Targaryens unleashed "The Dragon's Wrath," burning Dornish castles repeatedly, but they could not hold the land or break the people's spirit. Dorne was never conquered; it joined the realm through peaceful marriage almost two centuries later. This history is the source of Dornish pride and the reason they are viewed as both cunning and formidable by the other kingdoms.

The people of Westeros are divided by several distinct religions, a primary source of cultural identity and occasional conflict. · The Faith of the Seven: The dominant religion in the southern kingdoms. It worships one god with seven aspects or faces: the Father (judgment), the Mother (mercy), the Warrior (strength), the Smith (creation), the Maiden (innocence), the Crone (wisdom), and the Stranger (death and the unknown). Its teachings are contained in The Seven-Pointed Star. It is a highly structured faith with a powerful hierarchy of septons, septas, and a High Septon, centered in the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing. The Faith promotes the ideals of chivalry, justice, and moral virtue. It holds significant political influence. · The Old Gods of the Forest: The ancient religion of the First Men and the dominant faith in the North. They are nameless, faceless spirits of nature, said to watch through the carved, blood-red eyes of weirwood trees. Worship is silent, personal, and conducted in a godswood—a sacred grove centered around a heart tree. There are no priests, holy texts, or songs; only contemplation and remembrance. The fact that the Red Keep in the south maintains a godswood (though its weirwood was cut down) is a nod to this tradition's deep roots. · Rhoynish Religion: Brought to Dorne by Nymeria and her people, the Rhoynar worship the Mother River, Rhoyne. Their beliefs are deeply tied to water, with water witches and water wizards said to possess powerful magic tied to rivers and rain. While the Dornish largely adopted the Faith of the Seven, their Rhoynish heritage heavily influenced their culture, leading to more relaxed and egalitarian social customs, particularly in matters of inheritance and sexuality, which more orthodox septons often view as decadent. · Other Faiths: · The Drowned God: The deity of the Ironborn, who believes in a watery afterlife and rewards those who "pay the iron price" through reaving and plunder. · The Lord of Light (R'hllor): A foreign faith from the East, growing in influence. It is a dualistic religion of fire, shadow, and blood magic, preaching a constant war between their god of Light and a great enemy, the Great Other, god of darkness and cold.

House Targaryen of King's Landing is a noble family of Valyrian descent who once ruled the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. The Targaryen sigil is a red three-headed dragon, breathing red flames on black. The house words are "Fire and Blood". The only family of dragonlords who survived the Doom of Valyria, the Targaryens left the Valyrian Freehold twelve years before the Doom. They resided for more than a century at Dragonstone castle on Dragonstone island, until Aegon the Conqueror and his sister-wives, Visenya and Rhaenys, began the first of the Wars of Conquest in 2 BC. During Aegon's Conquest, the family built the Aegonfort in the new capital city of King's Landing. The Aegonfort was later torn down and replaced by the Red Keep, which remained their main seat for the duration of their dynasty, and which housed the Iron Throne. Their original castle was almost always given to the heir to the throne, the Prince of Dragonstone. The Targaryens eventually built the summer residence Summerhall, which has been given to several younger sons of the family over time. House Targaryen ruled as the Kings of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, the Lords of the Seven Kingdoms, and the Great House of the crownlands for nearly three hundred years. Seventeen male Targaryens ruled from the Iron Throne. The dynasty ended with the death of Aerys the Mad King during Robert's Rebellion, in which the Targaryens were overthrown and replaced by House Baratheon. The two surviving children of Aerys II, Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen, fled into exile, and have resided in the Free Cities of Essos ever since.

Culture:

Traits: The phrase "blood of the dragon" refers to the Valyrian descent of the Targaryens, and more specifically to the fact that they were one of forty dragonlord families of the Valyrian Freehold. The Targaryens are renowned for their beauty. They usually have typical Valyrian features: pale skin, silver, platinum, or gold hair and eyes in various shades of purple or light blue. A few Targaryens had darker hair, such as Princess Rhaenys, Prince Baelor Breakspear, Prince Valarr, and Prince Daeron. According to semi-canon sources, the Targaryens can tolerate more heat than most ordinary people, but they are not immune to fire. The Targaryens long believed themselves immune to illness, but Princess Daenerys then died of the Shivers, and the Great Spring Sickness claimed the lives of King Daeron II, Prince Valarr, and Prince Matarys. Another trait typical to Targaryens is the ability to have premonition-like dreams. The trait has been in House Targaryen since before the Doom of Valyria, with the dreams of Daenys Targaryen compelling the family to relocate from Valyria to Dragonstone in 114 BC. This trait was passed on to a branch of the family, House Blackfyre, as well. The Targaryens are seen as prone to madness, presumably caused by their inbreeding. According to King Jaehaerys II Targaryen, "madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born [...] the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land".

Customs: House Targaryen's words are "Fire and Blood." Their sigil is a three-headed dragon breathing flames, red on black. The three-headed dragon represents Aegon the Conqueror and his two sisters, Rhaenys and Visenya. King Aegon II Targaryen used a golden dragon to rally his supporters during the Dance of the Dragons. Some younger sons of the house used variations of the standard sigil. Before his own reign, Maekar I Targaryen used the three-headed dragon, quartered, while his son, Prince Aerion Targaryen, changed the colors of the three heads—one orange, one yellow, one red—while the flames they breathed had a sheen of gold leaf. In line with the sigil colors, most Targaryens used armor black in color. For instance, Prince Aemond Targaryen had night-black armor chased with gold, Prince Valarr Targaryen wore armor black as night in the tourney at Ashford Meadow, and Prince Rhaegar Targaryen had the three-headed dragon wrought in rubies on his black breast plate. Although the Targaryen kings took their seat at King's Landing, the place where Aegon and his army first landed in Westeros and made their first fort, replaced by the Red Keep later on, their earlier seat of Dragonstone remained in their possession as well. It eventually became the traditional seat of the heir-apparent to the throne, who was known as the Prince of Dragonstone (or Princess of Dragonstone, in a few occasions). in 188 AC, the Targaryens eventually built a third seat, Summerhall, which was granted to several younger sons who were granted the title Prince of Summerhall. House Targaryen historically followed the old gods of Valyria, but at some point before Aegon's Conquest the family abandoned the Valyrian gods and converted to the Faith of the Seven, the predominant religion in Westeros. The masts of the ships which carried the first Targaryens from Valyria were used to create the statues of the Seven within Dragonstone's sept, and Aegon prayed in the sept before beginning his conquest. Against the doctrines of the Faith, however, the family continued to follow the Valyrian practice of incestuous marriage, wedding brother to sister, cousin to cousin, uncle to niece and aunt to nephew, holding themselves apart from and above the noble Westerosi families. This was eventually formulated as the Doctrine of Exceptionalism. Deceased Targaryens are traditionally cremated, a custom since the days of Old Valyria. If a dragon is available, it is used to light the flame of the pyre. The ashes of many of the dead of House Targaryen have been interred on Dragonstone, including those of King Aegon I, Queen Visenya, King Maegor I, Princess Daenerys, Princess Daella, King Jaehaerys I, and Queen Alysanne. However, Queen Rhaena's ashes were interred at Harrenhal, and her daughter Princess Aerea's ashes were scattered on the wind.

Dragons: As one of the forty dragonlord families of Valyria, the Targaryens were closer to dragons than other men. Aenar Targaryen brought five dragons with him when he moved from Valyria to Dragonstone, and Aegon I Targaryen and his sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya rode them to battle during the Conquest of the Seven Kingdoms in 2 BC - 1 AC. The Targaryens rode their dragons during the first century and a half following Aegon's Conquest. Deaths in battle, especially during the Dance of the Dragons, and a growing infirmity in each following generation caused the family's stable to dwindle. The last dragon was a deformed and sterile creature, who died young in 153 AC, during the reign of Aegon III, the Dragonbane. The Targaryens housed their dragons in an immense domed structure in King's Landing, the Dragonpit, which was constructed during the reign of Maegor I Targaryen. Not all dragons which hatched were ridden, however. On the island of Dragonstone, several dragons, both wild and previously ridden, resided at least during the reigns of King Jaehaerys I, Viserys I, and Aegon II Targaryen. The Targaryens often gifted a newborn child with a dragon's egg in the cradle. This practice continued even after the death of the last dragon, with the last Targaryens confirmed to have been given an egg having been the sons of Prince Maekar during the reign of Daeron II Targaryen. Whether the tradition was continued beyond this point is unknown, but the Targaryens still possessed eggs as recently as the reign of Aerys II Targaryen, the last king of the Targaryen dynasty. Several attempts have been made, since the death of the last dragon, to hatch these eggs by members of House Targaryen, including by Aegon III and his younger brother and Hand of the King, Viserys, Baelor I, Aegon V, and Aerys II.

Queen Visenya Targaryen was the older sister and wife of King Aegon I Targaryen, the first Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. Her younger sister, Rhaenys, was married to Aegon as well. Visenya was a dragonrider, and rode the dragon Vhagar.

Appearance and Character:

Like her siblings, Visenya possessed the classical Valyrian features: long, silver-gold hair, which she often braided or bound up in rings, and purple eyes. A voluptuous and sensual woman, hers was a harsher, more austere beauty than her sister, Rhaenys. Their personalities were also much dissimilar, for Visenya was passionate and dark to Rhaenys' playful and mischevious. Even those who loved her best considered Visenya stern, serious, and unforgiving. Some claimed that Visenya dabbled in dark sorceries and played with poisons. Visenya was both a dragonrider and a warrior, comfortable in both silk and in ringmail. When garbed as a warrior, she always wielded the Valyrian steel longsword Dark Sister.

History:

Early life: Born in 29 BC on the island Dragonstone, Visenya was the eldest child of Lord Aerion Targaryen and Lady Valaena Velaryon. Her two younger siblings, Aegon and Rhaenys, were born within a few years following her birth. Since young age, Visenya trained together with Aegon at arms, and she became a skilled warrior. As expected, Visenya was wed to her brother Aegon following Valyrian custom. However, Aegon took their younger sister as a wife as well. People claimed that he had wed Visenya out of duty, and Rhaenys out of desire. Prior to her wedding, Visenya became a dragonrider, having bonded with the dragon Vhagar. In her youth Visenya was reported to have visited the Citadel of Oldtown and Lord Redwyne of the Arbor together with her brother Aegon.

The Conquest: When Aegon's Conquest of the Seven Kingdoms began, Visenya sailed with her siblings from Dragonstone. While Aegon began construction of the Aegonfort, Visenya subdued House Stokeworth by setting ablaze the roofs of Stokeworth. After the defeat of House Darklyn in Aegon's first test, Visenya claimed the riches of Duskendale, swelling the coffers of House Targaryen. Having conquered a dozen houses and secured the mouth of the Blackwater, Aegon was crowned king at the Aegonfort. Visenya, now queen, placed a Valyrian steel circlet on Aegon's head while their sister Rhaenys hailed him as the new King of All Westeros. Following the coronation, Visenya accompanied the Targaryen fleet to Gulltown and the Vale of Arryn. When the Arryn fleet sunk a third of the Targaryen ships and captured many more in a battle in the waters off Gulltown, Visenya descended from the sky upon Vhagar, burning their ships. Next, Visenya was sent to Crackclaw Point by Aegon. The local lords had learned of the death of Harren Hoare, King of the Isles and the Rivers, at the burning of Harrenhal by Aegon, so the Crackclaws submitted quickly to Visenya, swearing oaths of fealty. Visenya took them as her own men, and from that day forth the lords owed their loyalty directly to the Iron Throne. Visenya met Rhaenys, Aegon, and the Targaryen host at Stoney Sept, from where they raced south. There, they met the combined hosts of the Reach and the westerlands in battle. Visenya and her siblings fought from dragonback, setting the dry grasses and stands of wheat on the battlefield afire. With more than four thousand men dead from the fire, and tens of thousands wounded by the flames, the battle became known as the Field of Fire. Mern IX Gardener, King of the Reach, died in battle while Loren I Lannister, King of the Rock fled, giving the Targaryens the victory. According to legend, Visenya thanked the gods that Loren had ridden forth to face the Targaryens when she saw Casterly Rock, as she believed that dragonflame would not have been able to dishearten the Lannister king if he had remained inside the Rock. Visenya had taken an arrow in the shoulder during the Field of Fire, but soon recovered. Following the surrender of King Loren, the three Targaryen siblings parted ways once more, but met soon again at the banks of the Trident, where they awaited the host of Torrhen Stark, King in the North. After Torrhen bent the knee, Visenya parted from her siblings and returned to the Vale, where House Arryn had strengthened their defenses. A strong host had been positioned at the Bloody Gate, and the garrisons of Stone, Snow, and Sky had been tripled. However, Visenya bypassed these hosts by flying up to the Eyrie upon Vhagar's back. She landed in the courtyard, where she was met by Ronnel Arryn, the young King of Mountain and Vale. Ronnel's regent and mother, Lady Sharra Arryn, surrendered the Eyrie to Visenya.

First Dornish War: Visenya fought alongside her siblings in the First Dornish War, which lasted from 4 AC to 13 AC. After Rhaenys died in Dorne in 10 AC, Visenya and Aegon, grief-stricken at her death, set every castle, keep, and holdfast in Dorne ablaze at least once, with the exception of Sunspear and its shadow city. They also placed bounties on the heads of the Dornish lords. Although half a dozen and more of those lords were killed by assassins, only two of the killers lived to collect their reward. In retaliation, the Dornish lords hired catspaws themselves. Visenya and her escort were once attacked in King's Landing, and she cut down the last would-be assassin down herself with Dark Sister. Visenya also twice wielded her longsword to defend her brother, with one occasion occurring in 10 AC. When Aegon argued that his guards were still sufficient for his protection, Visenya drew Dark Sister. Before his guards could react, she had cut Aegon's cheek, pointing out to him that his guards were slow and lazy. This event led to the birth of the Kingsguard. Visenya modeled the vows of the Kingsguard upon the vows of the Night's Watch, and she selected the first seven members herself. In 13 AC, Deria Martell, Princess of Dorne, arrived in King's Landing in 13 AC with a delegation to discuss peace. With her, she brought the skull of Rhaenys's dragon, Meraxes, which was ill-received by Visenya. Deria and Aegon eventually reached an agreement, striking a peace which ended the war.

Motherhood: The day-to-day governance of the realm was often left in the charge of Visenya and Rhaenys, and Aegon's councilors. Rhaenys's death in Dorne in 10 AC shattered the health of her son Aenys, and people began to doubt as to whether he would live. As Visenya had not yet gotten pregnant by Aegon despite more than a decade of marriage, some had come to believe that she was barren, and even went as far as to suggest to Aegon that he should take a new wife. Although many young women were presented to Aegon, he refused to voice his opinion on the matter. In 11 AC, Visenya announced she was pregnant with a son, and the next year, she gave birth to Aegon's second son, Maegor on Dragonstone. Visenya raised Maegor on Dragonstone, and gave him her Valyrian steel sword, Dark Sister, as a nameday present when the boy turned thirteen. In 23 AC, Aenys's first child, Princess Rhaena, was born. Shortly after Maegor turned twelve, Visenya proposed a betrothal between her son Maegor and Rhaena, to settle the issue of the royal succession, as Rhaena's birth had sparked the discussion about who was next in line behind Aenys: his own daughter, or his brother. However, the High Septon protested, and suggested his own niece, Lady Ceryse Hightower, as a bride for the young prince instead. Visenya's relationship with Aegon, which had never been a warm one, grew more distant. When Aegon in 35 AC had the Aegonfort torn down so they could start building the Red Keep, Visenya was left in charge of the construction. In his histories, Archmaester Gyldayn states that it was suggested at court that Aegon had left Visenya at King's Landing so that he would not have to endure her presence on Dragonstone.

Reign of Aenys: When Aegon died, both Visenya and Maegor were present as his body was cremated and Aenys I Targaryen was crowned. Aenys gifted Maegor with Blackfyre saying he was more fit to wield it. Visenya Targaryen voiced the opinion that Aenys was unfit to rule, claiming that, by giving Blackfyre to Maegor, Aenys had admitted that he lacked the strength to rule. In 39 AC, Visenya's son Maegor shocked the realm by taking a second wife and married Alys Harroway. For lack of a septon, Visenya officiated the Valyrian wedding ceremony. The outrage that followed resulted in Maegor being sent into exile. Visenya was present the next year at the wedding of Princess Rhaena to Prince Aegon. At the feast that followed the ceremony, King Aenys named Aegon Prince of Dragonstone, a title which had previously belonged to Maegor. Visenya left the feast in protest and returned to Dragonstone upon Vhagar. Singers claim that the moon turned red as they passed it. When King Aenys abandoned King's Landing at the start of the Faith Militant uprising and fled to Dragonstone, Visenya counseled him to burn down the Starry Sept in Oldtown and the Sept of Remembrance in King's Landing. Aenys, incapable of making a firm decision, instead fell ill and chose not to heed her counsel. Visenya took over his care and for a time his health improved. Aenys suffered a collapse when he learned his son Aegon and daughter Rhaena were besieged in Crakehall, and he died three days later. As soon as Aenys was buried, Visenya then mounted Vhagar and flew to Pentos to retrieve her son Maegor from exile.

Reign of Maegor: With Visenya's aid, Maegor claimed the Iron Throne. Visenya accompanied him to King's Landing, where she challenged anyone who denied Maegor's right to rule, which resulted in a trial of seven between Maegor and the Warrior's Sons. Though severely injured, Maegor was the only survivor. In 42 AC, Visenya flew to Driftmark upon Vhagar to convince Aenys's widow, Dowager Queen Alyssa Velaryon, to leave her father's castle to where she had fled after her husband's death. At the royal court, it was said that Maegor's Hand of the King and council members enacted his will but did not have his ear - but instead, he was ruled by three queens: his mother Visenya, his paramour and second wife Alys Harroway, and his new third bride, the Pentoshi spymaster Tyanna of the Tower, a rumored sorceress. Visenya came to distrust Tyanna and a rivalry developed between them. In 43 AC Visenya aided her son against those who refused his royal summons. Mounted upon her dragon Vhagar, she burned the seats of several houses in the riverlands, as once she had burned castles in Dorne: House Blanetree, Terrick, Deddings, Lychester, and Wayn. Next Visenya and Maegor turned towards Oldtown, threatening to incinerate the Starry Sept in response to the High Septon's condemnation of her sons polygamous marriages. When the High Septon suddenly died, Lord Martyn Hightower opened the city's gates, saving Oldtown from the fire. Visenya watched as the new High Septon anointed her son as king. After Maegor's victory in the Battle Beneath the Gods Eye, Visenya persuaded her son to spare the lives of several highborn rebels. After Prince Aegon's death, Visenya held Alyssa and her two youngest children, Jaehaerys and Alysanne, as her wards on Dragonstone. By 44 AC - despite being healthy enough to ride her dragon to battle the year before - Visenya had grown thin and haggard, as the flesh had "melted" from her bones. Visenya died that same year while Maegor was on campaign. Upon her death, Alyssa and her two children slipped away from the castle in the confusion, taking Visenya's Valyrian steel sword Dark Sister with them. Visenya was cremated as per Targaryen custom. Her bones and ashes were interred beside those of her brother, King Aegon I Targaryen.

Legacy: After Visenya's death, it was suggested that she had caused King Aenys I Targaryen's sudden death, causing some to call her a kinslayer and kingslayer. Elissa Farman gave the names Aegon, Rhaenys, and Visenya to islands she found in the Sunset Sea. The Great Sept of Baelor sits on Visenya's Hill in King's Landing.

Queen Rhaenys Targaryen was the youngest sister of King Aegon I Targaryen, the first Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. Both she and her older sister Visenya were married to Aegon, and it was said that she was Aegon's favorite. Through her son with Aegon, Aenys I, the line of the dragonkings continued, with fifteen of the sixteen Targaryen kings being direct descendants of Rhaenys and Aegon. She was a dragonrider who rode the dragon Meraxes.

Appearance and Character: Rhaenys was a beautiful woman with silver-gold hair, which she kept long and wore loose, purple eyes, and a slender body. Rhaenys was kindhearted, graceful, playful, curious, impulsive, and given to flights of fancy, with a mischievous aspect to her personality. She loved music, dancing, and poetry. Rhaenys loved flying even more; it was said that she spent more time flying on her dragon, Meraxes, than her siblings did combined.

History:

Early life: Rhaenys was born on the island Dragonstone to Aerion Targaryen, Lord of Dragonstone, and his wife, Lady Valaena Velaryon. She had two older siblings: Visenya and Aegon. Although according to Valyrian marriage customs Aegon was expected to marry his eldest sister, Visenya, he took both his sisters to wife. People claimed that Aegon wed Visenya out of duty and Rhaenys out of desire. Prior to her wedding, Rhaenys became a dragonrider, having bonded with the dragon Meraxes.

Aegon's Conquest: When Aegon's Conquest of the Seven Kingdoms began, Rhaenys sailed with her siblings from Dragonstone. While Aegon began construction of the Aegonfort, Rhaenys flew on Meraxes to Rosby, which yielded peacefully. After having conquered a dozen houses, Aegon was crowned king. Rhaenys, now queen, hailed him as, "Aegon, First of his Name, King of All Westeros, and Shield of His People" after Visenya placed a Valyrian steel circlet on Aegon's head. Within days of Aegon's coronation, the Targaryen armies were sent out again. Rhaenys, upon Meraxes, accompanied Orys Baratheon and the greater part of the Targaryen host on their way to Storm's End in the stormlands. As they were crossing the Wendwater, the Targaryen host came under attack by the forces of Lords Errol, Fell, and Buckler. More than a thousand men were cut down before the attackers faded back into the trees. Rhaenys answered by unleashing Meraxes upon them. As a wall of dragonflame swept through the woods, the trees turned into torches. Lord Errol died, but Lords Fell and Buckler survived to send word to Storm's End. Argilac Durrandon, the Storm King, having heard of the death of Harren Hoare, King of the Isles and the Rivers, in the burning of Harrenhal, decided to march from Storm's End to meet the Targaryen host on the field, refusing to burn in his castle as Harren had. Rhaenys, on Meraxes, witnessed how he departed from Storm's End, and returned to the Targaryen host with a report on Argilac's numbers and dispositions. A fierce storm began at the start of the battle, which became known as the Last Storm. The Durrandon host charge thrice during the battle. The third time, they were able to break through the Baratheon center, but next found themselves face to face with Rhaenys and Meraxes. The knights of Argilac's personal guard, and Dickon Morrigen and the Bastard of Blackhaven, commanding the vanguard, were engulfed in dragonflame. The warhorses fled in terror, chaos ensued, and Orys slew Argilac in single combat. With the Storm King dead, Rhaenys accompanied the host to Storm's End, and flew upon Meraxes into the castle to parley with Argilac's daughter and heir, Argella Durrandon. Although Argella refused to surrender the castle, the garrison eventually yielded both Argella and Storm's End to Orys. Rhaenys met Visenya, Aegon, and the Targaryen host at Stoney Sept, from where they raced south to face the combined hosts of the Reach and the westerlands, under the command of Loren I Lannister, King of the Rock, and Mern IX Gardener, King of the Reach. Rhaenys and her siblings fought from dragonback, setting the dry grasses and stands of wheat on the battlefield afire. With more than four thousand men dead from the fire, and tens of thousands wounded by the flames, the battle became known as the Field of Fire. Mern died in battle and Loren fled, giving the Targaryens the victory. Following Loren's surrender, the three Targaryen siblings parted ways once more, but met soon again at the banks of the Trident, where they awaited the host of Torrhen Stark, King in the North. After Torrhen bend the knee, Rhaenys parted from her siblings and traveled to Dorne. She flew over the Red Mountains of Dorne, ignoring the Dornish spearmen at the Prince's Pass, and landed at Vaith. She found the castle empty and abandoned, while only women, children, and old men remained in the town located next to the castle. Rhaenys next flew to Godsgrace, the seat of House Allyrion, and the Planky Town, but there too, the men and lords were away. Rhaenys eventually arrived at Sunspear, where only the eighty-year-old Meria Martell, Princess of Dorne, remained. Meria told Rhaenys to inform Aegon that Dorne would neither fight nor kneel, and would have no king. Rhaenys warned Meria that the Targaryens would return, and departed Sunspear, leaving Dorne the only unconquered Kingdom.

Reign of the Dragon: Following Aegon's coronation at Oldtown by the High Septon, Rhaenys, Aegon, and Visenya took residence at the Aegonfort in King's Landing. Aegon often left the day-to-day governance of the realm in the charge of Rhaenys and Visenya, and his councilors. She was responsible for the rule of six, established by Rhaenys while Aegon was on a progress. This law declared that only six blows were allowed to be struck by a husband to his wife as punishment for her infidelity; one blow for each of the Seven, save the Stranger. As the cause of her rule had been a husband who had struck his unfaithful wife a hundred times, causing her death, the queen declared that the man had struck his wife unlawfully ninety-four of those times, and the dead woman's brothers were allowed to punish the husband equally.[4] In addition, Rhaenys urged Aegon to make it unlawful for the ironborn to steal women throughout the Seven Kingdoms. During the early years of her brother's reign, Rhaenys often aided Aegon in his efforts to win the respect of his vassals and the smallfolk. The smallfolk were a special concern for Rhaenys. She was fond of singers and bards as well. She also arranged marriages between far-flung houses. Among these marriages was the marriage of the daughter of Lord Torrhen Stark to Ronnel Arryn, the Lord of the Eyrie. However, letters can be found at the Citadel which suggest that Torrhen only agreed to this match after much protest, and that his sons, who did not agree with the Targaryen rule, had refused to attend the wedding. It was said at court that Aegon spent ten nights with Rhaenys for every night he spent with Visenya. On the nights that Aegon was not with her, Rhaenys surrounded herself with comely young men. It was rumored that she also entertained some in her bedchambers. Rhaenys gave birth to Aegon's eldest son, Aenys, in 7 AC. However, Aenys was weak and sickly as a young child; he cried often and refused to nurse from wet nurses, nursing only at his mother's breast. This caused rumors that he had not been fathered by Aegon, but possibly by one of the singers and mummers Rhaenys associated with. However, Aenys's health improved and the rumors ended once the boy bonded with the hatchling dragon Quicksilver. First Dornish War: In 4 AC, Aegon I began the First Dornish War. Rhaenys led the first assault on Dorne, seizing castles and burning the Planky Town while approaching Sunspear. However, the Dornish lords once again refused to give open battle, and abandoned their seats. When Rhaenys and Aegon eventually reached Sunspear, Meria Martell, Princess of Dorne, as well as most others, had fled. Rhaenys and Aegon gathered the few courtiers and functionaries who had remained behind and, declaring themselves victorious, proclaimed that Dorne fell under the rule of the Iron Throne. Rhaenys and Aegon returned to King's Landing, leaving Lord Jon Rosby as Sunspear's castellan while giving Lord Harlan Tyrell the charge of a host to fight the last revolts. However, they had barely reached the capital when the Dornish revolted, leading to the deaths of Jon, killed by Meria at Sunspear, and Harlan, who vanished with his army while marching to Sunspear to retake the castle in 5 AC. Entire garrisons were put to the sword, and the knights in charge were slowly tortured to death. The next few years of the war became more and more violent. The Targaryens returned to Dorne to unleash their dragons, and the Dornish responded with fire of their own. In 10 AC, at Hellholt a bolt from a scorpion pierced Meraxes through the eye. The dragon fell from the sky with Rhaenys on its back, destroying half the castle. It is not certain whether Rhaenys outlived Meraxes. There are those who say that Rhaenys lost her seat and fell to her death, while others claim that Rhaenys was crushed to death beneath Meraxes in the castle yard. A few accounts claim that Rhaenys survived the fall and died a slow death, being tortured by the Ullers, or that she was kept alive in extreme torment. Due to the uncertainty about Rhaenys's exact death, history records that she died in 10 AC at Hellholt in Dorne. Her body was never returned to King's Landing.

Legacy: Rhaenys's son Aenys was three years old when she died. The loss of his mother shattered the boy, to the point he even went back to crawling around as if he were a baby. The two years that followed Rhaenys's death were later dubbed the years of the Dragon's Wroth. Grief-stricken at the death of their sister, Aegon and Visenya set every castle, keep, and holdfast in Dorne ablaze at least once, with the exception of Sunspear and its shadow city, and placed bounties on the heads of the Dornish lords. The war would last until 13 AC. Although a grand sept had already been constructed on Visenya's Hill in King's Landing, the Sept of Remembrance was later built on the Hill of Rhaenys as a memorial to the queen. Elissa Farman gave the names Aegon, Rhaenys, and Visenya to islands she found in the Sunset Sea. Queen Rhaenys was a Velaryon ship named after either Aegon's sister-queen Rhaenys or Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, the so-called Queen Who Never Was. The Conqueror's Two Wives is a play about the royal siblings.

Septa Maegelle, born Maegelle Targaryen, was the sixth born child of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Queen Alysanne Targaryen.

Appearance and Character: As a girl, Princess Maegelle was gentle, quiet, studious, and exceedingly bright. She was said to read from the Seven-Pointed Star every night before sleep, and was eager to take the vows of a septa. She was known for her compassion, and her gift for healing

History: As a child, Maegelle attached herself to her elder sister, Princess Alyssa, much as Alyssa herself had done to Prince Baelon when she was younger. Alyssa did the best she could to evade Maegelle, bristling at "the baby" at her skirts. Later, Maegelle was the "guiding star" of her younger sister, Daella. In 73 AC, at the age of ten, Maegelle was promised to the Faith of the Seven as a novice, which Queen Alysanne announced was in thanks for the Mother blessing her with many children. Maegelle eventually became a septa. When Queen Alysanne was having a difficult time finding a husband for Princess Daella, Maegelle told her mother that the Faith would not want Daella because of her illiteracy, as she could not read her prayers. After Princess Saera was involved in a scandal in 84 AC, it was announced that her sister Septa Maegelle was to take charge of her instruction as a novice silent sister in Oldtown. In 87 AC, Maegelle took leave from her sept to stay with her grieving mother, who had lost her daughters Daella, Alyssa, and Viserra in the space of five years. In 89 AC, Jaehaerys visited his daughter in Oldtown during the First Quarrel. It was Maegelle who helped reconcile the king and queen, telling her father to conciliate with Alysanne in time for the wedding of her niece, Rhaenys Targaryen, the following year. Maegelle also played a role in ending the Second Quarrel, which had begun in 92 AC, when her father, King Jaehaerys, chose Maegelle's brother, Prince Baelon, as his heir over Maegelle's niece, Princess Rhaenys. This decision angered Queen Alysanne, as she felt there was no reason to favor a man over a woman. Maegelle brought her parents back together, solving the Quarrel in 94 AC. Maegelle nursed children afflicted with greyscale, but became afflicted with greyscale herself and died in 96 AC, her arms and legs turned to stone.

Daeron I Targaryen, known as the Young Dragon, was the eldest son of King Aegon III Targaryen and Queen Daenaera Velaryon, and the eighth Targaryen king to sit the Iron Throne. He ascended to the throne at the age of fourteen and is famous for invading Dorne, which he wrote about in his The Conquest of Dorne.

Appearance and Character: Young Daeron was handsome, being clean-shaven with long hair. A warrior and conqueror, Daeron was self-confident, charismatic, and possessed prodigious military brilliance. He was also an elegant writer.[ Daeron has been considered great by some but mad by others. He was idolized by his sister, Princess Daena Targaryen, and Jon Snow considers the Young Dragon as one of his heroes. Daeron wore the Valyrian steel circlet of Aegon the Conqueror and owned an elaborate suit of gold-and-black plate.

History:

Youth: Daeron was born in 143 AC as the firstborn son and heir of King Aegon III Targaryen and Queen Daenaera Velaryon. He had a younger brother, Prince Baelor, and three younger sisters, Princesses Daena, Rhaena, and Elaena. When his father died in 157 AC, the prince was crowned King Daeron I in 157 AC at the age of fourteen. Daeron kept his uncle, Prince Viserys, as his Hand of the King, as his uncle had held the position for Aegon III as well. Viserys did not insist upon a regency for the young king.

Conquest of Dorne: Daeron had long felt that the continued independence of Dorne represented unfinished business for the Targaryens, and upon his ascension he vowed to rectify his ancestors' mistake. Viserys and other councillors objected to the young king's plans, however, reminding Daeron that Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters had failed twice in trying to conquer Dorne with dragons, and that the Iron Throne now had none. Daeron famously replied, "You have a dragon. He stands before you". Daeron planned his conquest of Dorne with the aid of Lord Alyn Velaryon. The campaign showed great promise as Daeron went over and revised the mistakes that were made in the First Dornish War. Daeron split his army into three for the invasion and personally led the army down the Boneway. Learning from the mistakes made by Lord Orys Baratheon in the first war, Daeron used goat paths located in the pass to avoid traps and ambushes which Dornishmen usually implemented to repel invaders. A second army led by Lord Lyonel Tyrell marched down the Prince's Pass. The third army was a naval assault by Alyn Oakenfist along the Dornish coast, and the royal fleet broke the Planky Town. After several battles, the Prince of Dorne and two score Dornish lords bent the knee in the Submission of Sunspear in 158 AC, within a year of the invasion's beginning. Daeron became the first Targaryen king to conquer Dorne and unite all Seven Kingdoms for the first time, despite the loss of ten thousand men in taking the peninsula. Daeron wrote The Conquest of Dorne about his achievement. The book was known for its style and simplicity, but in it Daeron exaggerated the numbers of his foes to make his conquest seem greater. Daeron spent some time in Dorne to consolidate his conquest and eliminate rebels. An assassination attempt on the king was prevented by the actions of his cousin, Prince Aemon Targaryen, who threw himself in the path of a poisoned arrow meant for Daeron. Aemon the Dragonknight survived the poison, however, and was sent back to King's Landing to recover.[8] Leaving Lord Tyrell in charge in Dorne, Daeron returned to the capital in 159 AC, bringing fourteen Dornish nobles with him as hostages.[8] Daeron intended to wed one of his sisters to the Sealord of Braavos to seal an alliance with him, with the aim of removing the pirates that were hindering trade with Dorne. According to Grand Maester Kaeth's Lives of Four Kings, this talk of a marriage alliance with Braavos, at the time warring with Pentos and Lys, caused those other Free Cities to lend aid to the Dornish rebels.

Rebellion and Death: Although the Dornish nobility had submitted to House Targaryen, the Dornish smallfolk continued to resist. Daeron's steward in Dorne, Lord Lyonel Tyrell, attempted to stamp out rebellion, and forty or fifty thousand men are said to have died in the next three years. A clever trap at Sandstone killed Lyonel and sparked a great uprising, however, leading Daeron to return to Dorne in 160 AC. The Young Dragon achieved victories along the Boneway while Lord Alyn Velaryon dealt with the Planky Town and the Greenblood. Thinking the Dornish were again willing to submit, Daeron met with them under a peace banner in 161 AC. However, in a betrayal, the Dornishmen attacked Daeron and his retinue. The eighteen-year-old king died with Blackfyre in his hand, surrounded by a dozen enemies. Three knights of the Kingsguard were slain while defending him — including Ser Olyvar Oakheart — one yielded, and Prince Aemon the Dragonknight was captured, though Aemon managed to slay two of the betrayers before being taken into custody. Daeron was succeeded by his brother, Baelor I Targaryen, and the Dornish hostages in King's Landing were thrown into the dungeons by Prince Viserys, the Hand of the King. The Weeping Town received its name from the townspeople's reaction when Daeron's corpse arrived from Dorne. Although most lords were vengeful after Daeron's death, Baelor the Blessed forgave the assassins and brought about a rapprochement with the Dornish. In the city of Oldtown, there is a statue of King Daeron I astride a tall stone horse, his sword lifted toward Dorne. Grand Maester Kaeth wrote about Daeron's reign in Lives of Four Kings.

Baelor I Targaryen, known as Baelor the Beloved and Baelor the Blessed, was the ninth Targaryen king to reign on the Iron Throne as Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. Known for his piety, Baelor was a septon as well as a king. He was the second son of King Aegon III Targaryen and Queen Daenaera Velaryon, and ruled after the death of his older brother, King Daeron I Targaryen.

Appearance and Character: Baelor was very thin (due to his repeated fasts) and frail-looking. He had a gentle, almost beatific smile, and a reedy voice. Baelor had long hair, in a typical Targaryen silver-gold color, and wore a beard. Baelor was peaceful, pious, and saintly. Not a martial man, his favorite "weapon" was a prayer. Baelor's crown was made of flowers and vines. He wore white septon's robes tied off with a rope belt.

History:

Early life: Prince Baelor was born in 144 AC, the second child of King Aegon III Targaryen and Queen Daenaera Velaryon. He had an older brother, Prince Daeron, and three younger sisters, the princesses Daena, Rhaena, and Elaena. Baelor's uncle, Prince Viserys, served as Aegon's Hand of the King, and he had three children, Prince Aegon, Prince Aemon, and Princess Naerys. In 157 AC, King Aegon III Targaryen died of consumption, and his eldest son Daeron took the throne. Prince Viserys continued to serve as Daeron's Hand, ruling in King's Landing while Daeron led a conquest of Dorne. In 160 AC, Baelor married his sister, Princess Daena, when he was sixteen and she was fifteen. However, he refused to consummate their marriage. In an attempt to shame him, Daena, who usually dressed all in black, swore to wear nothing but white until she was properly bedded. The plan did not work, as Baelor liked to see his sister all in white, feeling that it made her look more innocent.

Baelor and Dorne: In 161 AC, Baelor's older brother, King Daeron I Targaryen, was killed in Dorne. Baelor was crowned king and ascended the Iron Throne at the age of seventeen. His uncle, Prince Viserys Targaryen, acting as Hand of the King, had sent fourteen Dornish hostages to the dungeons to await execution. Baelor's first act was to pardon the hostages and publicly forgive his brother's killers, despite outcry from his lords and council. Many similar acts of piety and forgiveness occurred throughout his ten-year reign. Baelor desired to "bind up the wounds" of his brother's war, and chose to personally return the hostages to Dorne. The new king walked the Boneway barefoot and clad in sackcloth, while the hostages rode horses. The journey took Baelor to the location where House Wyl had imprisoned Baelor's cousin, Prince Aemon Targaryen of the Kingsguard. Baelor pleaded to Lord Wyl to free the naked and caged Aemon, but was refus