#laenor velaryon is a better person than i am

[mmelolabelle]

Alicent Hightower is so so lucky that gay men tend forget that queer women exist. Let me tell you, if *I* was in Laenor’s position, with my full knowledge of Alicent and Rhaenyra’s tragic teen almost-romance and Alicent’s subsequent lifelong obsession, I would simply never let the woman know peace. Not for one single second.

Oh, you’re implying that I’m not having sex with my wife? Well babe I guess that makes two of us? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Maybe those are my kids, maybe they aren’t, but the sure as hell aren’t yours 😇

[kazz-brekker]

hotd episode 6 thoughts

boy oh boy this episode was so full of many delicious character moments, i feel very well fed

aemond really was in his best goth villain era tonight, honestly good for him!

i have never seen tyland lannister look more uncomfortable than he did with aemond looming over him lmao

i enjoyed the scene where aemond is firing alicent from the council while also simultaneously holding her hand in place so she'll keep touching his face…tasty tasty family issues

loved that song that the dragonkeepers were singing while summoning seasmoke, it was a very cool detail

also, it was really fun seeing seasmoke again, especially since he's grown bigger since we last saw laenor riding him

man, aegon and rhaenyra really need to put out an ad in the paper for new members of the kingsguard and the queensguard, those guys are dropping like flies

ever since daemon's visions at harrenhal started i really hoped that we would get to see viserys since so many of daemon's issues stem from being cast aside as heir by his brother so i'm SO pleased we got those scenes, it was a present Just For Me

daemon bro stop threatening simon strong he's a nice old man who's done literally nothing bad to you

greatly enjoying this dynamic of daemon and his new bestie the weird witch who may or may not be psychologically tormenting him with visions of his past mistakes and issues

genuinely alys is my favorite new character this season, she's so fun and i just adore her scenes

madam sylvi, dyana, and ulf getting together to bitch about the food shortages…the greens better look out the smallfolk are unionizing

i am getting the sense that aemond and madame sylvi had a…less than amicable end to their working relationship

aemond tormenting aegon in his sickbed really made me go c'mon dude haven't you made him suffer enough, leave him ALONE!

from rhaena's scenes in the vale it appears that they've cut the character of nettles and give rhaena her storyline instead. not sure how i feel about this…i'm all for rhaena getting more to do but nettles is also an interesting character in her own right

knowing alyn and addam's parentage going into the show i suspected that alyn shaves his head because he inherited the velaryon white hair and i was pleased to see i was right

baby stormcloud is so cute! but holy shit my the pit of my stomach really dropped when jeyne arryn mentioned the ship the gay abandon. my fellow book readers, i am full of dread!

i really liked the scene between gwayne and alicent, since he wasn't in the first season it's interesting to see how their relationship with each other and otto has been affected by that huge distance

i kind of miss otto, i hope he comes back by the end of the season

daeron mention! facts about daeron! a personality! never thought i'd see the day!

one of my favorite hobbies is being emo about scenes of alicent physically putting herself between her children and physical harm so i liked her and helaena fleeing from the riot together

that scene with larys and aegon was sooooooo interesting, there's definitely some manipulation/attempts to curry favor coming from larys, but i also hadn't considered that he might now feel some genuine solidarity with aegon after his injuries and can speak frankly about his disability and offer advice

i have been waiting since daemon got to harrenhal and began being tormented for him to have a breakdown and start crying so i was quite pleased when that happened :)

knowing that seasmoke is chasing after addam because he wants him to be his rider made that whole sequence really funny to me

i have often blogged about how daemon and rhaenyra each have what the other one wants (freedom and patriarchal status vs. viserys's love and position as his heir) so it was super fun for me to hear rhaenyra actually verbalize that

i have been super into queer readings of this show since the beginning and all season whenever rhaenyra and mysaria interact i've been like "hmm…are they flirting…" but i truly did not expect them to actually kiss. rhaenyra targaryen canonically queer! on my tv screen! never thought i would see the day!

crazy to think that we only have 2 episodes of this season left after this, can't wait to see what unhinged drama still awaits us

[pessimisticpigeonsworld]

Rhaenyra and Feminism

I find it so funny how TG stans go on and on about how Rhaenyra wasn't a "feminist", when they're supporting team male progeniture. Like sure, Rhaenyra wasn't out there reading/writing feminist literature and manifestos against the patriarchy, but who was? Definitely not their beloved Alicent, their rapist king, or their misogynistic kinslayer/war criminal.

Let's do a quick history lesson, shall we? Queen Elizabeth I, the second ruling queen of England and one of the greatest rulers of that country. One of her most famous acts was the execution of Mary Queen of Scots. Does that make her an evil person who is a sign that her father and the other supporters of the patriarchy were right, that a woman isn't fit to rule? Now, we also have no records of Elizabeth interfering with the succession choices of her lords or making laws that women should be treated equal to men. Does this mean her reign was meaningless or even harmful to the feminist movement?

The answer to both these questions is fuck no. Elizabeth simply ruling was a huge step for the feminist movement. She showed that a woman could rule just as well if not better than a man.

Now a greenie could argue that Rhaenyra wasn't a good ruler, to which I answer, she never had a chance to properly rule. Had Rhaenyra ascended undisputed there would have been no need for any of her unpopular decisions (i.e. the heavy tax, Nettles' execution, etc.) Her reign would have set a precedent that a female heir is acceptable and the change would ripple out from there, much like it did with early female rulers in the real world.

As for why Rhaenyra didn't support Baela and Rhaena, that wasn't her decision, it was Corlys'. Corlys had decided that Driftmark would pass through Laenor's line not Laena's and he rejects any of Rhaenys' suggestions to the contrary in the show. Lucerys had been accepted by Laenor, Corlys, and Viserys as Laenor's legitimate heir, so that's the end of it. Corlys even had the chance to name Baela or Rhaena heir after Luke's death, but instead he chose Addam and later Alyn, two bastards who were, supposedly, of Laenor's line. Now, am I saying that I agree with Corly? No, in fact I really don't like him, but who his successor would be is his decision.

For Rhaenyra to step in and force him to change his mind would not only destroy what's left of any goodwill between the Targaryens and Velaryons (which her father put the responsibility of on her by forcing her to marry Laenor) but also would make the lords of Westeros a reason to revolt. Aegon I allowed the lords to exercise almost the same amount of power they did before the Conquest, part of that is the choice over who would succeed them. As for Luke being heir, Rhaenyra never forced Corlys to acknowledge him and affirm him as heir, that was, once again, his choice. He could have chosen to speak out against her and declare the boys bastards, with the support of Rhaenys, which would force Viserys to either remove Rhaenyra as heir or at least remove Luke from the line of succession. Or a much easier move would have been to remove Laenor as heir to Driftmark and give the position to Laena, yet Corly never did either of these things.

Yeah, Rhaenyra chose to embrace the opportunity this gave her, why wouldn't she? That's a political move that strengthens her claim in the face of the Greens' constant undermining and plotting. Literally every ruler in Westeros does shit like that, that's how the world works, if you want to rule, you need to play political games of some kind.

And before any of the greenies try to bring up the time when some lords brought a question of succession before Rhaenyra during the Dance, let me cover that real quick. Rhaenyra was in the middle of a war and knew full well that most of the lords would be willing to turn on her quickly, something she couldn't afford. So yes, she chose to support the male heirs over the lords' daughters, because she knew that was what the lords wanted and she needed their support. Again, had she not been at war, she wouldn't have had to make this choice and we can't know what she would have done.

Now, to conclude this rant: Rhaenyra wasn't a modern or suffrage era feminist, but that doesn't make her an anti-feminist tyrant. She would have been the beginning of a shift in the misogynistic ideals set so steadfastly in Westeros as her reign would set a precedent for future ruling queens. How could she have our ideals of feminism when the roots of them had barely begun to develop? That's an impossible expectation to put on her and the most hypocritical argument anyone could have. TG usurped Rhaenyra because they wanted to further uphold the patriarchy and none of them cared about the women of the realm or even the people. Maybe you should look at your precious team before you try to defame the rightful queen.

[snowblack-charcoalwhite]

Thoughts on ep 6? I disliked most of it but I've been seeing a lot of praise and I'm just 😖. Am I crazy??

Hello!

Well, I don't think you are crazy. While there were a few scenes that can be considered good all-in-all (conversations between Alicent and Gwayne and Larys' visiting Aegon) but overall...

Aemond continues being Evil™ (to the point of torturing - completely unnecessary at that, IMO - his brother), Alicent keeps kind of shitting on both of her King's Landing born and raised sons (including Aegon who she has just apologized to with tears in her eyes), Rhaenyra keeps being Good, Kind and Righteous True Queen™ (that one slap did nothing for me), the mystery of Laenor Velaryon remains unsolved.

Sylvi getting her revenge on Aemond via shitting on him to ignite the riots (some viewers took her words as gospel truth which is... well), Rhaenyra feeding people who are starving because of people acting in her name - and people buying it (just like TB inclined audience). And, once again, scenes and sequences consuming time that could be used better: Daemon's walks down the paths made by his inner demons, Corlys walking around the council chamber on Dragonstone, unnecessarily long chase scene before Addam claims Seasmoke (the other way around actually) - and he does it off screen after all. And while I do not object against Rhaenyra/Mysaria romance (or whatever it is) on principle, if it becomes another TB plotline to take the screentime from TG, I am going to be pissed.

Plus my (and not only mine) personal grievance - looks like we've been deprived of Aemond wearing the Conqueror's crown and his iconic one-liner "It looks better on me than it ever did on him". Istg, it looks like the writers are afraid of the grip Aemond has had on the audience since season 1 (and still has, at least in part, no matter the shitty writing) so they are robbing him of his coolest moments.

[darklinaforever]

This person literally defends the fact that Lucerys was killed by Aemond by wishing it wasn't an accident.

That's good, in the book, it's not an accident. And in the book, he was the one persecuting the Velaryon children. In the book Lucerys was 3 years when Laenor is death.

The series changed that to make him a poor victim. Except that Lucerys was always very small in episode 6 damn... And that the series is very clear on the fact that he and Jace were a follower of the schemes of Aegon II. It was Aegon II who started the harassment against his little brother, you chronic idiot. My god, this annoys me...

I myself am a former victim of harassment. I was from kindergarten until the end of my first year in high school. It's been a very long time. And I would never have wished for the death of a little boy who was manipulated by an older other teenager in what he essentially took for a game. This person is disgusting.

Anyway, this person was already defending Criston Cole, nothing shocks me anymore.

When did Lucerys deserve to die for laughing at the dirty pig ? When is this the equivalent of remaining a harasser ? It’s not okay right ?! At what point does calling him Strong, an insult implying that he's a life-threatening bastard, equate ?! Once again, it's not okay ?!

Oh and yes... Aegon II seems to have really evolved to support his family and his brother when everything he wanted to do in episode 9 ran away and very clearly the trailer for season 2 shows Aemond still coveting his brother's throne. There is no solidarity among the Greens siblings.

In fact it's simple. For this person, the Greens are better than the Blacks in the series, and in the book, to support royal assholes who are not whitewashed she proclaims that they are in fact all evil and equal.

Besides, if the Blacks are as bad as the Greens in the book, why did they have to transform Aemond into a victim that he wasn't instead of the harrasser that he was and the Velaryon boys, who were the victims of Aemond in the book, of accomplices / follower of his real stalker Aegon II in the series ? Well, maybe because the Blacks are not and have never been on an equal footing with the Greens...

This person need to buy his analysis comprehension courses or comprehension courses in general, she is scary.

@nrilliree @lizzie-queenofmeigas

[raybyanothername]

in the light of morning

A Rhaenyra and Alicent conversation continuing from not her responsibility as requested!

Rhaenyra stopped two steps into the room when a servant ushered her. Rhaenys' personal chambers were quite full. She'd expected the children. She'd even considered the chance that Alicent would have come as well.

She hadn't expected to find the queen crying into her tea. Laenor paused as well only a step behind her, but only briefly. He could not be distracted from his purpose.

"They're unharmed," Rhaenyra assured her husband as he approached the bed. Laenor nodded mutely. His hand ghosted over Jace's hair as he leaned over their eldest son to check on Luke as well.

Neither woke. Rhaenyra smiled as Laenor settled in a chair beside the bed. His hands climbed up his face. Eyes squeezed tight, still ringed red from his crying.

The night had not been kind to anyone.

Her stomach twisted as she glanced at the other two boys on the bed. Her brothers. Barely older than her sons.

"Your grace," Rhaenyra ducked her head in a quick bow as she turned to face the table. Alicent's gaze flickered up. She dabbed at her face with a handkerchief.

"Alicent tells me your father has decided to foster his sons with us, one at Dragonstone and the other at Driftmark," Rhaenys beckoned her closer with a frown. She waved Rhaenyra into a seat opposite the queen.

"Yes," Rhaenyra exhaled, hand rising to rub at the side of her face, "When I left to find Laenor, Daemon was still trying to convince him otherwise, but..."

Rhaenys snorted, leaning back in her seat with a huff, "Daemon is far from convincing. The two are more likely to argue than resolve this."

Arching a brow, Rhaenyra looked pointedly at her good-mother, "Perhaps his elder cousin..." A faint smile twitched at Rhaenys' lips. She shook her head.

"Once he has calmed, I shall certainly try," Rhaenys inclined her head to the side, "But the key to charming a king is timing, Rhaenyra." Her hand rose up, chin perching in her palm as she clicked her tongue, "And patience."

Laughing softly, Rhaenyra nodded, hands wringing in her lap. She looked to Alicent. Her hunched shoulders. The frizzy and tangled mess her curls had become.

"Your sons will be well-looked after, regardless," Rhaenyra offered, smile tight as Alicent looked up at her. A haunted expression adorned her face.

Wide eyes. Trembling lip. A memory from their youth flashed in her mind and Rhaenyra felt the familiar pang of shame rising in her chest. She beat it back with a roll of her shoulders.

"They are my blood, I will not allow any harm to come to them under my charge," Rhaenyra continued. She gestured towards Laenor, "Aegon will learn well, squiring under my husband."

"Thank you, your grace," Alicent croaked, head bobbing in a shallow nod. Her eyes squeezed shut and a few tears trickled down her cheek, "Prince Jacaerys has more than demonstrated the... protection, of the house of the dragon."

With a chuckle, Rhaenys reached for her tea, "I believe my husband would say that's his Velaryon blood." Her lips twisted, curling back, "But from what my granddaughters say... I am confident the Baratheon fury my mother brought into this family lives on."

Rhaenyra grinned at that. Across from her, Alicent had stilled. Her throat bobbed. The tea cup in her hands shook and Rhaenyra's eyes dropped to the red-stained fingertips.

She'd ripped them well to shreds. The nails. The cuticles. Blood was smeared across her skin, still bubbling up from the tiny rips and cuts.

"Will you... will you remain at Driftmark a while?" Alicent asked, hands pulled back. She cleared her throat, "The king will likely want to leave soon. The boys..."

"I will not separate them," Rhaenyra reached across the table, snatching one of her hands before Alicent could drop them to her lap. She forced a smile, "The twins ought to have a chance to know all their cousins better, I think."

Her father intended for Aemond to be under Rhaenys' care, to remain on Driftmark. Aegon would be Laenor's squire though, and her husband had plenty of reason to remain on Driftmark.

"Perhaps..." Rhaenyra squeezed the hand in hers, "Perhaps we can all... reacquaint ourselves?" She tilted her head, lips pursing. "Mend the divisions between our families?"

The tension in the air grew thick as Rhaenyra held the queen's gaze. Her very breath seemed to freeze in her chest and her heart pounded loudly in her ear. Even Rhaenys stilled, her eyes flicking between them.

Alicent squeezed back. She exhaled, slowly, but her words were steady, "I would like that, Nyra."

Rhaenyra let out the breath she'd been holding. Her shoulders sagged. She glanced towards the bed, and Laenor. He flashed her a quick smile. A nod.

She felt lighter than she had in many years. The weight of her position almost manageable.

The night had not been kind, but... perhaps the morning brought more than just the light as the sun poured through the curtains. Aegon stirred in the bed, grumbling softly.

The door slammed open and Rhaenyra startled. Alicent dropped her hand as Daemon stalked in, spitting curses and grumbling. He leveled his gaze on Alicent, face twisting into a scowl.

"Your husband is a cunt."

[qyburnsghost]

If you had the chance to change something about the dance of the dragons (TV show or book), what would it be? For example, how a character dies, which team a house is on,or an entire character personally. How would you change it to make the story better, in your opinion?♥️🖤💙💚

wow i almost missed this question! book wise i'm kinda okay with everything although i would say some people deserved to die more brutally than what they got ..

on the show however i would change so much… i would keep most of the book plot. if we have to do the rhaelicent friendship i would make it more in depth but keep it as toxic as it is. i would keep the book part where laena and rhaenyra are very close and possibly lovers. . it would be a good contrast to show the difference between real friendship and toxic friendship. i would give rhaneyra and alicent more conviction and agency. alot of times they are going back and forth instead of making decisions they want or for themselves. i would keep daemon more like book daemon, yes hes mercurial and hot tempered but he loves his family and various women, on the show it seems he only loves himself, not even his own kids. i would have kept how he got laena which was killing her fiance to have her, i'd show how much he loved her instead of treating her like shit and i would keep rhaenyra and laenor frequent visits to her and daemon and how she flied her personal maester to try to save her, and i would get rid of her stupid death scene, and keep the book version where he carries her to her dragon and him and rhaenyra stayed vigil over her body, that way when they fuck at her funeral it can be in grief instead of the most disrespectful shit ever, maybe then their kids wont look so fucking dejected at their wedding. oh yea i would make it seem like daemon actually loves his daughters instead of walking away from them after their mom dies and ignoring them after they got punched and pushed by a boy instead of smiling in the corner like a jackass... wait why am i rewriting everything?

i would have kept the scene where younger rhaenyra plays with baby aegon, i would have rhaenyra and aegon actually interact at least ONCE before they decide to go to war with each other. id have rhae actually have a moment or two with harwin so ppl won't be shocked she has 3 kids by him without even a kiss.i would like aemond to actually interact with helaena!

i would have like to known how cripsy was able to kill a guest at a wedding IN FRONT OF EVERYONE

i would have alicent smother viserys in his sleep, sorry.. or perhaps poisoning him this whole time, not this OOPS i heard a prophecy wrong

also fuck that prophecy, its worthless in the end, since arya fucking stark kills the NK she never knew or met before, truly aegon,viserys and rhaenyra are following a prophecy that ENDS HOUSE TARGARYEN, why the fuck would they even keep it in the show. my ass itches everytime they mention it

i would like to know how jace and luke feel being bastards , i would actually like to get to know them and the dragon twins. id let the older dragon twins actually have LINES instead of cutting them or nothing at all. also how stupid to cut baela scene, because when rhaenys joins you have no fucking idea why cause she was jjust like 'bye bitch this not my problem' after coming out the fucking ground after doing a terrorist attack

I would like to know why the velaryons are such fucking doormats for targaryens, corlys brother died and hes like WHOOPS. bitch your daughter is dead and you think they killed your son, what you mean oops.

i would have kept or had laena claiming of vhagar to see how its different than aemond. since they want him to be making mistakes and shit and having statements like we don't control dragons or not to be played with, well we see laena use her dragon for playing and fun even shooting fire and the dragon does eventually obey her and kill her (stupid shit) so we may as know why she had a better hold on vhagar. i wouldn't have made storms end a complete accident but rather a crime of passion.. so like the book he meant to kill him but once its over, 'what have i done?' its a Pyrrhic victory, he's drawn first blood and everyone will pay.. 'what did i do?'

season 2, no way i would merge rhaena with nettles, they have nothing AND I MEAN NOTHING in common .. a rich privileged timid girl whose already entitled to dragon and doesn't really need to pavlov dog a dragon vs a poor orphan who has nothing, possibly not even blood..just intelligence... can you imagine rhaena grabbing a sheep and slaughtering it ? i'm not even royalty or rich and i can't imagine grabbing one and bringing it anywhere for any purpose even if its a gain. and if shes getting shepherds help, even more boring. it doesn't hit the same but nice to know that just because addam and rhaena are black in the show, they are some how interchangeable with her, also cutting her has alot of consequences for battle scenes, for motivations,for changes in characters personality, for questions about blood and magic of targaryens and what she later becomes for the future which appears in later game of thrones books.

so for the long rant perhaps this was too much..

[horizon-verizon]

Viserys may have loved Rhaenyra above all, but he didn’t protect her as much as he should have. He allowed his wife to make political moves against his daughter way too much. He allowed Alicent and Otto to turn his Green children against Rhaenyra. He allowed Rhaenyra and Daemon to remain away on Dragonstone while he grew too sick to rule and let Otto and Alicent run things which strengthened the position of the Greens at court. Otto is my number one most hated character because his schemes are what caused most of this mess. But I’m very critical of Viserys too because of his weakness. He was a good man overall, but an awful king.

Maybe anon is referring to the bulk of this POST. Or just the thoughts present there that circulate amongst fans.

While I still say that he loved and cared for Rhaenyra above all other people except maybe his other kids and grandkids, I do agree with what you pointed out. I'm not sure he was an all-around good person, much less a good father (comparatively, yes...Tywin, Jaehaerys I, Aegon IV, Otto for examples...could have been a lot worse, but still not good enough), since he:

[show & book] refused to annul Daemon's marriage to Rhea Royce (which would have made things so much better for him and Rhea)

[book] refused to allow Daemon to have his first child (Mysaria being exiled and her subsequent miscarriage)

[show & book] forced Rhaenyra to marry a gay man and thus forcing her into a position where she already would be battling suspicions and accusations of infidelity after her kids her born, even if they were really from Laenor's body

[show] blatantly killed his own wife & mother to his current child (what makes it murder is that she never knew he was going to do anything until moments before her death. She died betrayed and screaming. Jeez, Alyssa Velaryon of F&B was given that choice, at least [not by Rogar her husband who was too much of a bitch to stay by her side, but by the maesters and her real family]).

[show] went in on Rhaenyra and castigated her for her "desires" and [book & show] still forces her to marry Laenor when he is the one to choose an older girl instead of Laena Velaryon (yes she was 12, I am saying that Viserys is a big hypocrite who wanted his cake and forced others to pick up the slack he left and then rebuked them for not behaving "right". He wanted the Velaryon alliance without actually making a sacrifice and made Rhaenyra do it).

And a lot of people, esp greens, argue that Show!Rhaenyra was at fault for leaving Viserys to the greens and/or she shows herself stupid and politically unintelligent, like this anon HERE. It's rare to see someone blame Viserys for Rhaenyra staying at Dragonstone.

Which I must remind people that:

by the age of 16 she inherited the castle and authority over it as a right, like any other lord in their age of majority. She was always going to use it as some sort of home or base.

it is where she and her family could develop and she could raise her kids away from Alicent and Otto's machinations, and this is more obvious with the book!Alicent's dogged antagonism against Rhaenyra since she was 10 (so even though we do see Alicent dismissing and blocking Rhaenyra from politically participating in episode 6, because there f the jump cut between 6 & 7, show fails at showing how abusive Alicent would have been)

her sons could develop without the pressures from being suspected bastards

it was where Rhaenyra could both practice actual uncontested rule (which many argue she never received or willfully chose to do) and gather/accrue any necessary materials while establishing a fortress/fortification/seat of power against would-be attackers. All things that she and her family both politically and emotionally needed.

And who's fault is it that she's at Dragonstone? Who married Alicent? Who allowed Otto to come back?!

Viserys.

Better than Tywin and Otto for even choosing Rhaenyra and taking her seriously to an extent, but not good enough.

[sweetestpopcorn]

Thank you for writing what I always wish Daemon and Rhaenyra's story was in canon. The truth is that I was never a fan of Daemon x Laena, however, I loved the portrait you made of her in your fic and I can imagine her being that way completely, however, as far as Harwin is concerned, I know that I have a rather unpopular opinion, that of having children bastards with him seemed to me a totally unnecessary addition by Martin to weaken Rhaenyra's character as future queen and destine people to death, their relationship also did not seem to me based on love, but on desire, he never knew how to give Rhaenyra a stop or advice to stop having children who were clearly his and who would question her as an heir, I admit 1 but 3 seems to me a very big impudence, more knowing that there was no way for them to look like their mother (another favor from Martin to rhae) . In addition, in the case of Daemon and Laena, at least they were husband and wife, something that Harwin and Rhaenyra were not, I feel that their relationship is very romanticized, honestly they were lovers, it is not that they could have a family life in the eyes of the entire court and clearly To me it seemed like a patch in Rhaenyra's life for being married to laenor... and not being able to have been with the man she wanted. It has already been seen that he had 3 children with Harwin in quick succession... Daemon came back and it was over and once he had 3, what does it matter a 4? Lately, since the premiere of the abomination on hbo, there are many harwin fan girls who endorse him a lot and I don't understand it to be honest, his children weren't destined to be kings either, I'm of the opinion that it wouldn't even have happened if there wasn't dance. A true ally who thought with his head and nothing else would have acted differently, I think. I'm sorry to have such a negative opinion but it's tired to see people selling him as Rhaenyra's great love when he wasn't, in my opinion, of course. It also tires to always see the children born of their love affair as more loved and developed by the fans than the next kings of westeros🤣. I hope you don't mind my opinion but the Strong boys didn't fulfill my Targaryen supremacist quota so I'm more than happy reading your story, where you represent Harwin in a way that I can imagine quite simply at least in relation to Rhaenyra and good-natured, but for me that's it. I hope not to see like a bad person haha, I can be very direct in saying my opinions and sometimes they are questionable, i know ❤️

Greetings ✌️

Hi there 🤗

I hope you are well (and still there X'D) because this was such a big delay on my part 💔 but better late than never!

First, thank you so so much for your beyond kind words ❤️ I write what I wished the story could be as well, so I am happy others like my choices 🩷 asoiaf Daemyra are prime steak and adding anyone else in the picture is putting ketchup on it so I am just serving the steak and removing the ketchup 😂 just prime fillet mignon which is asoiaf Daemyra.

I absolutely agree with the fact that George added the "Velaryon" princes to add more drama to the mix and to make the whole claim thing more balanced and less just about Rhaenyra being a woman. Of course that ultimately I would argue that George didn't do it very well because although the "Velaryon" princes should have been a HUGE thing the fact is they were an afterthought of the Green Council - brought up only by Criston and Alicent - and none of the lords either pro or against the Blacks and/or the Greens ever mentioned them.

I think George succeeded at making it a big thing for the fandom and at making other people look at what Rhaenyra's behaviour said about her and at the lack of legitimacy of her three eldest heirs and going "Yeah I'm neutral" or "Yeah I am Team Green" (the latter a very small minority not even 10%), but he definitely failed at showing that this was a such a major thing for the characters. Besides the Greens mocking the "Velaryon" princes and Rhaenyra it's like... no one really cared, and this would contradict the very strong (no pun intended) hatred that many of the asoiaf characters have concerning illegitimate children. So yeah... I think that should have been explored a LOT better.

In my story, however, that issue is removed, and I have had many fans who consider themselves neutral tell me that actually in my story they are Team Black because there are no "Velaryon" princes, and the fact that Rhaenyra married Daemon - a Targaryen - and only had Targaryen children + her being her father's choice of heir would make it very hard for the Greens to have a step to hold on to. And this is not because I have embellished Rhaenyra or Daemon mind you. I have lost count of the times I had people say that Rhaenyra is annoying, childish, spoiled, arrogant, stupid, oh personal favourite "window-licking clown"... or that Daemon is cruel, and an assh0le, and that he doesn't love Rhaenyra. Hells, I had someone say that until a point they thought I was actually a Team Green fan X'D but the issue of the "Velaryon" princes that made the issue less clear is removed, and in such circumstances it's almost impossible for someone to not stand the Blacks - which just adds to how weak the Greens' claim is and how dependent on the existence of the "Velaryon" princes it also is. And also mind you, I made a lot of choices to make Alicent look better - for instances, it's Otto who wants to marry Helaena and Aegon, she has reservations, and at the start she is not very on board with many of her father's plans. I also added more depth to Aegon, and explored his relationship with Sunfyre for instance, and downplayed many of his "advances" at maids and women. I also don't shy away from showing what a sh:t sister Rhaenyra was, and this is another complain I frequently had - how she treated her siblings.

I might be Team Black but I give credit where credit is due and I like to explore the fault the Blacks had, and the good the Greens had. They are still the villains, but they clearly were the villains in canon to. That's not changing and someone can be the clear villain and still have reasons.

Moving to canon now and to why Rhaenyra in canon had three illegitimate children I have a simple answer: because she could and because she didn't care.

I think it is always important to consider that pre-Dance was the pinnacle of Targaryen power - they had never been as powerful before and never would again. All of them were raised to believe they were more god/goddess than man/woman and all of them were arrogant to a fault. And as I have said before, why shouldn't they be? Truth was they were superior to almost everyone in almost every way, and truth or law was whatever they said it was.

Even in good freindly Walserys wee see this. If he wanted a woman to rule he could do it. If he wanted people to patch up and be friends he simply demanded it. And if he wanted his daughter to marry a gay man and have children with him that would happen thanks to his Hand's son :D

Rhaenyra was just the same, and you see her have this attitude. Her reply to "Your sons are bastards" was always to either kill or threaten. Hells, she had the audacity to hear Aemond call her sons Strong and be like "Well who told you that lie?! We must get to the bottom of this!"

Rhaenyra:

Viserys:

Everyone else:

Meanwhile Aegon II said and well - oh GOD I am defending Aegon II 🤢:

As to what drove her to Harwin Strong, I mean, people can tell themselves whatever they want, but at the end of the day it was mainly three things:

Daemon was not available - had been exiled under penalty of death two years prior

2. Harwin had courted her and likely she liked him well enough

3. She was married against her will to a man who left her alone during the celebrations of their wedding and never consummated the marriage at 17, and wanted someone to love her Harwin was there, she liked him well enough, and likely she knew HE liked her well enough to keep his mouth shut and take his affair with him to the grave Spoiler :D he did! Rhaenyra:

Now as you say and well, very clearly Harwin was a source of comfort for her above anything else, and I agree that it speaks volumes how many children they had before Daemon returned, vs. how many they had after he returned and how quickly she again fell in Daemon's arms and got pregnant. Given the timeline it's very likely that Harwin was actually still alive when Rhaenyra got pregnant with baby Aegon. My brothers in Christ literally the day Otto arrived in King's Landing following Harwin and Lyonel's deaths, word arrived that Rhaenyra had married Daemon. Even if we are to believe it was only after Harwin died what a fine way Rhaenyra had to mourn the "love of her life"... by banging her former lover and marrying him. Someone who could have been involved in Harwin's demise btw.

And they say romance is dead!

Delusions and wishful thinking aside, one can argue who the love of Daemon's life was. The love of Rhaenyra's life however should be undebatable for anyone with reading skills and basic comprehension and that someone was Daemon. See all of this for book passages showing that Rhaenyra loved Daemon at every damn stage of her life: as a child, teenager and adult as agreed by all sources. And every damn time this b:tch returned Rhaenyra just turned around and went:

And fell in his arms and maybe pieces of furnisher like bed or in the rocks of Blackwater Bay if you believe Mushroom X'D

About the show I don't consider it so I am not even going to go there, I will just say that how anyone can have any ship in Redacted outside Renada/Alicia or Helen/Diet Almond Milk is a mystery to me because they all absolutely suck and apologies but having a man look at you like he's going to tear your oesophagus from your body and wear it for a necklace is not romantic, or the only interaction you have with him is just some witty banter where once again you are showing what a fine Girlboss you are. But wtf do I know about the fandom's standards?! I know they are lower than the Titanic.

I don't think you sound like a bad person or anything of the like, if anything it says a lot that many of the so-called "Targaryen" fans only seem to like Targaryens who are less Targaryen and don't look like Targaryens, and the same people who love the "Velaryon" princes and call themselves Team Black fans hate Aegon and Viserys and go on to posts made by their fans to call them monsters. Their greatest sin? Why they are very pure Targaryens with Targaryen parents who enjoyed banging each other's brains out, had no reservations about incest, and looked so Targaryen that Aegon's hair was almost white.

Wincest is not for everyone.

Now, personally, I have nothing against the "Velaryon" princes. I actually like Jace and Luke and feel bad for Joffrey because imagine your siblings being Jacaerys, Lucerys, Rhaena, Baela, Aegon, and Viserys, and you are Joffrey... ain't no ointment for that burn. #cancelLaenor But I don't buy for a minute that even if there were no Greens that they would just be one big happy family and that Daemon would gladly tell his legitimate kids step aside for Harwin's illegitimate sons to take their place.

Sorry, I have oats with my milk not delusions or Disney. Daemon is a grey character and if you think that equates to his d:ck not working when he's sad or conflicted thEn we didn't read the same books :)

Well this was a long answer XD hope you are still around Anon to see me enter my Joker Era because I am so DONE. I really need some good asoiaf content and to touch some grass because after almost five years... I don't know how much I can take it.

But oh well. If my Joker Era can make anyone laugh it's what we here for fam.

All the love to you 🥰❤️

[backjustforberena]

Do you think that if Rhaenyra had warded Luke to Rhaenys and Corlys as well as Baela post funeral and remarriage it would have changed things significantly for better or for worse?

Or would it remain the same downward path despite the step sideways?

(Would Rhaenys even accept him as a ward as gladly as she did Baela?)

Right, so I am going to preface this by saying I'm not a know-it-all about how this world works. I'm mainly going off what I read from the show, gut instinct, and comparable examples. So if I get something wrong, just shout.

Would Rhaenys accept Lucerys with the same gladness as she does Baela? No. Would you? And again, nothing to do with Lucerys. Everything to do with his mother. Rhaenyra is basically going: I killed your son, now raise mine for me so I still get everything I feel entitled to.

Rhaenys would do her best by Lucerys. I don't think she'd treat him or Baela differently, if this scenario happened. I think it would be fine and dandy because Rhaenys is, to use Daemon's compliment, neither cruel nor stupid. And she does care for those boys, but you can't expect her to be totally happy with the situation, not in the state of mind that she would be in.

But I don't think Lucerys being a ward of Driftmark was an option. Fundamentally, the only way that warding Lucerys to Driftmark might have changed anything is that it might have made Vaemond think twice about bringing his petition to the Crown. But I don't think it would have. I don't think Lucerys's lack of personal stake in the island was the cause of his succession being challenged, nor was it the reason that Rhaenys refused to initially back him. That was all politics.

The reason I don't think he was warded to Driftmark is for several reasons/factors:

Rhaenyra is super protective of Lucerys. She doesn't want any of her sons going anywhere. He's also younger than Baela, and not of an age to be warded so formally at the time of the remarriage (I don't think). Honestly, if Rhaenys is taking on a second child then, sorry, but Rhaena is in that second spot.

There's the sexism of it all. Why ward him to Driftmark if the Lord of Driftmark isn't there? What can Rhaenys teach him? Baela is not warded to Driftmark or to her grandsire. She's specifically Rhaenys's ward because Rhaenys can teach her things and be that role model as a woman of nobility and a dragon-rider.

There's also the sentimentality of Baela being Laena's daughter. And the suggestion that it's done specifically to mend the relationship and placate Rhaenys following Laenor's death and the whole host of bad feelings that exists now. Rhaenyra foisting her son (which is how it would look) to help clean up her newly made mess would be rude. And it would be risky, especially if it looked to be to Velaryon detriment, causing the Velaryons to go on the attack, rather than just keep themselves to themselves, which is what they end up doing.

It would possibly cancel out any good intention brought about by offering Baela. Again, none of this is personal towards Lucerys (and there is no way Rhaenys would ever harm or neglect that boy), but it's personal between Rhaenyra and Rhaenys.

Small factor, but good to remember - Corlys never named him as his heir. Not formally. We have his intentions, but he scarpers off to war pretty soon after Laenor dies and never names Lucerys in the place of his son. The window to formalise a wardship, never mind a wardship that would be of benefit to Lucerys, is probably slim. Also: Corlys would be super p***ed at this point in time. Do you want to be Rhaenyra and poke that bear? Do you want to risk Corlys saying "no"? Risk him acting vindictively and cutting Lucerys off? Rhaenyra doesn't know that he wouldn't do that.

Rhaenyra sees no urgency to making Lucerys close to Driftmark, then leave it. It doesn't matter. Of course it's his inheritance, who else would have it? She cannot foresee Vaemond doing what he does. She doesn't see any of Episode 08 coming at all.

So yeah, it just doesn't seem to be an idea that would be logical, to me, within that short timeframe, despite obviously, with hindsight it perhaps making a difference. But, again, Vaemond doesn't do it because Lucerys gets greensick. He does it because Lucerys isn't his great-nephew by blood.

And even if Rhaenys had gone to bat for Lucerys from the get-go, when it came to the succession, Otto and Vaemond would still have the ruling. Rhaenys's opinion and words meant nothing, so long as Otto spoke with the King's voice. It would be harder to shift her but even then, it could be that Vaemond, knowing Rhaenys would speak for Lucerys, chooses not to tell her he's raising a petition as he does in the show. Or it could be that Rhaenys is close to Lucerys who says he doesn't want the inheritance and she goes "Okay, let's do that then" - OR we could have it where she was going to bat for Lucerys, Viserys walks in, she still bats for Lucerys but no betrothals for the grandkids because Rhaenyra doesn't need to get her onside. Or, because warding Lucerys might not have looked like it was working, Rhaenyra offers the betrothals earlier (perhaps even Baela & Lucerys given they grow up together now) but... I can't see the political need and Rhaenyra, in the show, only does it for political need.

Long and short of it? Same downward path with a few differences, just because the fundamental causes of strife would remain. Rhaenyra would still have "murdered" Rhaenys's son. Corlys would still be super absent. Vaemond would still not see Lucerys as his blood. Rhaenys would still be constrained by her position and no one's positions of power would have changed.

[with-blood-and-fire]

Fic: Black and Blue Chapter 2

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Title: Black and Blue

Chapter: 2

Summary:

In a world where the Targaryen's are gifted with a one, true soulmate, Aemond and Luke dream of the day that they too will find their own.

Luke has spent his life with bruises and scars covering his body, though they were never his own. They were always from his soulmate. From a young age, the young prince knew that his soulmate was being abused. So he fights and trains, and he searches endlessly for the one who holds the other half of his soul. Aemond is the obedient son. The dutiful second son. And all he wished for was his families love and care, and to eventually find the one that might heal him. But his journey will be long and hard. And filled with more than a few bumps.

Follow these two through the defining moments of their lives, till they eventually find their way into each other's arms.

Pairing: Aemond/Lucerys

Rating: Will eventually be NC-17, but it's going to take a while to get there.

Warning: Child physical/emotional abuse

Luke Age 7: Driftmark

It was a cold and dreary day when Laena Velaryon was finally laid to rest. A sad day for all who had known the lady. The Velaryons and Targaryens had all descended upon the island of Driftmark to witness her funeral and pay their respects.

Personally, Luke was slightly discomforted at the thought of all the bodies laying in their stone tombs under the water. The ocean surrounding the island was filled with generations of them.But he knew better than to voice such remarks in front of others, so he kept his head down and voice quiet during the proceedings.

Afterwards, everyone gathered out in the courtyard to socialize and reminisce about the Lady Laena. Luke had taken his mother hand at one point, trying to offer her some semblance of comfort. Lady Laena had been important to his father. And it was obvious that his mother was struggling to comfort her husband. So he just held tight to Rhaenyra, offering her whatever support he could.

“Come, Luke. Shall we go greet your grandfather?” The princess smiles down at him, though it does not quite reach her eyes.

He acquiesces and follows her to where Corlys Velaryon was standing in a corner, watching the proceedings, but staying understandably quiet. Luke bows his head to the man when they approach.

“Grandfather.” He greets.

“Lucerys. Hello, young one.”

Rhaenyra leans forward and whispers to the older man. “I am going to find Laenor. Can I leave Luke with you?”

Corlys nods and smiles down at the young prince when Rhaenyra walks away.

“Well, young Lucerys. How are you feeling?” The Lord asks awkwardly, seemingly unsure of how to strike up a conversation with his grandson.

“I am well, Grandfather. I know I said it earlier, but I am truly sorry for your loss. Mum tells me that the Lady Laena was a wonderful person.”

Corlys smiles sadly. “Oh aye. She was. She was beautiful, kind and she loved her children.”

“Just like mum!”

Corlys chuckles and nods, taking the prince’s hands in his. “Yes. Very much like your mother. Laena was also a terrific dragon rider.”

“She rode Vhagar!” Luke exclaims excitedly.

“That is correct.”

“I wonder what it feels like to be in the air, flying with a dragon.”

“Well you will learn soon enough, young prince. For Arrax is growing by the day!”

“I can not wait, Grandfather! Just as I can not wait to join you out upon the seas!”

“I’m sure you can’t. Now, tell me. How are your studies…” He trails off as he glances at the palms of Luke’s hands. Tiny pink scars littered the flesh. “Lucerys….” He says horrified.

“Hmmm?” Luke tilts his head in confusion.

“What has happened?” Corlys turns the boy’s hands over to look at the other side, finding the same slivers of pinkish scars there as well.

“What do you mean?”

“Who hurt you?” He asks, terrified, bringing the hands up so the boy can see them.

“Hurt me? Oh, Grandfather. No one’s hurt me.”

“But your hands….”

“Those weren’t there earlier.” Luke explains.

“Are they your soulmates?” Corlys finally understands.

Luke nods and pulls his hands out of his grandfather’s. “Yes.”

“What is your soulmate doing to themselves?” The man whispers, mostly to himself. But Luke just shakes his head at that.

“They aren’t the ones doing it.”

“You mean…”

“Somebody is hurting them.”

“Oh….” Corlys trails off. What a horrible thing, for someone so young to think that their soulmate was being hurt on purpose. “Are you sure?” He asks, dreading the answer.

“Yes. Mother and father think so too. This has been happening all my life.”

“Gods.” Corlys swears.

“It’s not so bad today.”

“I am so sorry, Lucerys.”

“It is not me you should feel sorry for.” Luke blinks up at him.

“I suppose you are right. And you don’t know who your soulmate is?” A shake of his head. “The poor thing…” Corlys shudders at the thought of some poor, innocent being abused. “I wish I could take away your pain, sweet Luke. But there is little I can do. You must be strong. For yourself and your soulmate. Sometime in the future, if fate allows, you will meet them. And if what you tell me is true, I believe they will need you.”

“I know, Grandfather. That is why I train hard every day. So I can protect them!”

“Hmmm. You are a good boy, Luke.” He gently cards his fingers through the prince’s hair.

“I hope I find them soon. I don’t want them to hurt anymore.” He pouts.

“Of course not. Nor do I. Keep your head up, aye? All will work out in the end.”

“Yes Grandfather.”

“Good. Now, why don’t you go find Rhaena and Baela. I am sure they would appreciate the company.”

Luke nods with an expression too serious for a child of his age and runs off towards the bench where the two girls sat dejectedly. Corlys stands straight and sighs. The poor child did not deserve this. No one deserved to have their soulmate hurt so and be unable to do anything about it. As he broods against the wall, he catches sight of the Queen and her young, second son entering the courtyard. Alicent’s lips were pursed in thin lines, face pinched as if in anger. Her hand held her son’s tightly, and the young boy followed dolefully behind her.

Do they know how to smile? The man ponders, but doesn’t think any more on it.

The rest of the depressing day flies by and eventually everyone finds themselves in bed. For the most part at least. And when a thick, red, uneven scar appears on a sleeping Luke’s face, well, no one is there to witness it. And by the next morning it had disappeared. ———————————————————————— Aemond Age 10: Driftmark

Aemond’s palm still ached from where mother had gripped it tight earlier that day. He picks at the scabs unconsciously. A habit he had unfortunately picked up from his mother. And one he was scolded for all the time. Looking down at his hand, he grimaces.

Mother will double my lessons when we return for this.

The ten year old sighs, slumped on his bed and unable to find rest. He finally gets up and dresses himself in his day clothes. If he would not be finding rest anytime soon, at least he could go for a walk. Sneaking out of the castle was easy. One of his earliest skills was learning how to hide in the shadows and be unseen by guards and other late night staff. On many occasions, this skill had saved his hide and kept him from certain pain.

Once outside, Aemond hurries down to the beach. It was a clear night, though the day itself had been dreary and dark. He wraps his cloak around himself to keep him warm. It had certainly been a dismal day. The Lady Laena’s funeral had been sorrowful and upsetting to watch.

And Mother was angry at him again. But what he had done this time, he truly could not fathom. He had been perfectly quiet on the journey and had done everything asked of him.

But even that was not enough it seems. He had behaved as he had been taught, but no perfect posture or polite speech could outweigh his apparent wrongdoings. The journey on the ship to Driftmark was lonely to be sure. His older brother and sister had been granted this chance to fly to Driftmark on Sunfyre and Dreamfyre.

Aemond’s thoughts then drift to his soulmate. Many hours of late had been spent thinking about the other half of his soul. And he wonders if they are thinking about him too. Each time he caught sight of a bruise or tiny scar that was not his, he rejoiced. Aemond’s soulmate had to be out there somewhere. It was rare indeed that he found proof of his soulmate on his body. But he was happier for it. That meant whoever his other half was did not suffer as he did.

Perhaps they are happy. He thinks to himself, kicking at a rock in the sand. I wonder if they will like me. If I get to meet them that is….Will they still want me as I am?

If asked, he would deny it over and over. But at night, sometimes he would dream of some faceless being. One who would hold him like he was made of glass. Sometimes they would run their hands through his hair. Sometimes they would envelop him in a hug warmer than dragon fire. And sometimes, after the worst of days, they would come soaring in on a nameless dragon to take him far away from King’s Landing.

Aemond relished those nights. He knew it was silly. Mother had said so. Innumerable times had she warned him against hoping for his soulmate. She said they were just a dream created by the Targaryens to prove their power.

“No one is out there for you, Aemond. No one but yourself.” Alicent had said.

But he disagreed. Had his father’s first wife not been his soulmate? The two had loved each other more than life. Sometimes he thought his mother made such comments about soulmates because she was bitter that King did not love her as much as he had his late wife.

A pained groan rings out in the night and he stops in his tracks. So lost in his thoughts about his soulmate was he, that he had not realized his destination.

“Vhagar.” He whispers in awe.

The old dragon was sprawled out in the sand, seemingly asleep. But something in her expression makes Aemond’s heart ache.

She lost her rider. Vhagar must be lonely too.

It is there in that moment, on the sandy beaches of Driftmark, that Aemond makes his decision.

I am lonely. Vhagar is lonely. But we don’t have to be. And maybe this is my chance to have what I have been denied.

With courage he didn’t know he possessed, his small, shaking hand reaches out and grabs a firm hold of the ropes. ………………

The aftermath is horrid. The pain he feels is nothing like he had ever experienced before. The maester had done his best to be gentle, but not even the milk of the poppy could help him now. And the joy he had felt upon flying in the sky with Vhagar had been all but squashed by his nephew and cousins.

Not minutes after leaving Vhagar on the beach had Jacaerys, Baela and Rhaena bombarded him as he was sneaking back in. Accusing him of stealing the dragon. They had been so angry. And when he had tried to defend himself, they had all but ignored him. A fight had broken out. Jacaerys had cut him with his knife, though he looked slightly guilty when Aemond screamed and cried from the pain.

He had lost an eye, but even more accusations were thrown about in Driftmark’s great hall. It was his fault, they had told him. He brought this upon himself. Even his own mother had looked upon him with disdain. The disgust on her face was enough for him to want to run far away.

”Apologize, Aemond.” The King had said dismissively. As if his second son was not sitting there in agony.

And he had, though, Baela and Rhaena only ignored him and turned up their noses at him. At least Jacaerys had the decency to look slightly guilty. Though he too had said nothing.

”Go to bed Aemond. What’s done is done. We will speak more in the morning.” His mother dismisses him.

That night, finally tucked into bed and left to his misery, Aemond clutches at his blankets, wishing it was his soulmate covering him in the warmth. And he hopes that if he is unable to find comfort, then at least his soulmate is at peace. ——————————————— Luke age 10: King’s Landing

“Why must we go away, Mum?” Luke asks, eyes wide with surprise, but also excitement.

“I am Princess of Dragonstone, my son. We should have taken our house there long ago.” She explains to her sons in front of her. Jace and Luke look up at her with their warm, brown eyes.

“But King’s Landing is our home, mother.” Jace implores.

“I know, my son. But Dragonstone will be your new home. You will like it there, I promise. Anyways, Vermax and Arrax will have much more room to move about. The change of scenery will do us all good.” She smiles at them, patting Jace’s cheek gently.

“But mum….” Luke hesitates.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“I can not leave. What I were unknowingly abandoning my soulmate?” Luke, though attempting to be strong, feels his eyes watering at the thought.

“He has a point mother…” Jace adds dejectedly. The older prince still had yet to meet his own soulmate.

“Oh my sons. You can not know if they are here or not. And it would be detrimental for all of you to spend the rest of your days waiting when you should go out into the world and look for each other. For all you know, they could be somewhere entirely new.”

“But I want them to be here. King’s Landing is the safest place in the world.” Luke pouts.

Rhaenyra frowns, but does not contest her son’s proclamation. Now was not the time to get into politics.

“And once fate brings you two together you can take them wherever it is that you deem safest. But for now, we must move on. Do you understand?”

“Yes mother.” The princes answer in tandem.

“Thank you, my sweet boys. You do me proud each day. Now I think I can allow you to skip your lessons for one day, hmmm? Perhaps you both might go say your farewells to any companions or friends?”

Luke takes to the halls, though his feet do not carry him in any particular direction. There were few in King’s Landing who he would deem a true friend. Aegon, though once a playmate, was older now and did not spend time with them. He would barely notice his absence. Perhaps the kitchen staff that would sneak him treats if he asked politely enough? No…. They were kind enough, but none of them were real friends.

The young boy pauses in his tracks as he reaches the entrance to the Godswood. Standing in the light of the doorway is a younger, blonde prince.

Aemond

“Aemond!” He calls out excitedly. Maybe he could say goodbye to his favorite uncle.

The teen flinches at the loud noise and whips his head around to stare at Luke.

I must have disturbed his thoughts..

The blonde prince had changed in many ways since that fateful night at Driftmark. Instead of the once green and soft tunics, the boy now wore thick, leather training garb, all colored black. Where a once sweet and quiet child had been, now remains an angry and cold teenager. And his eye….oh his eye. The scar had not healed well, leaving dark, jagged skin in its wake.

“What do you want?” Aemond asks, hands gripped behind his back in an intimidating fashion. But Luke doesn’t back down at the scare tactic.

“Mother is moving us to Dragonstone.”

“So?”

“So we will not see each other for a long time I think.”

Aemond stares, face blank of all emotion. “All for the better I think, nephew.”

Luke sighs.

Well this conversation is going just about as well as I thought it would.

Where had the sweet, angelic Aemond gone? His uncle had always been quiet, shy and lonely. But there had been a time once where the two would spend time together. Once Aemond had learned to read in High Valyrian, he would sit with tiny Luke in the library and read to him. And sometimes they sparred together, though it had been more of childish game than a true fight. But after the “pink dread” incident, Aemond had started to pull away from him.

And after Driftmark? He had all but begun to ignore him. The younger boy couldn’t begin to understand why. Had he done something terrible? He didn’t think so. It had been Jace who had attacked him that night. It was Jace who had hurt him. Luke had even been in bed the whole night! There was something more, he was sure of it. But every time he tried to engage in a conversation with his uncle, Aemond would pull away and make excuses before fleeing from him.

“We will leave tomorrow.” He tries again.

At least Aemond doesn’t run away…yet. The teen picks at his fingers behind his back and frowns, the action noticeably pulling at the scar on his cheek.

“I am sure you will be happy to leave this place.” He says gravely.

Luke shakes his head, moving to stand closer to the older boy. Aemond tenses, but Luke refuses to step away.

“I am not.”

“Why?” Aemond may pretend not to be curious, but the look in his eye shows his interest.

“I have been hoping to meet my soulmate.”

Aemond’s face pales and he ducks his head to cover his face. A strange reaction, but this was Aemond. He was a strange boy.

“Your soulmate?” Aemond whispers.

“Yes! I had hoped to meet them here.”

“Soulmates aren’t real.”

Luke gasps and shakes his head. “Of course they are!”

“They are just a dream some horrid Targaryen dreamt up. A way to torture us. It is cruel.”

“You are wrong! It is not cruel. It is a gift! A wonderful gift. I may not know them yet, but I do know that I love my soulmate. Wherever they are. Fate will be kind enough to bring us together.”

“If I truly had a soulmate, nephew, they would have found me by now.” Aemond states in a desolate tone.

“You will find each other, uncle. I am sure of it. You must have patience.”

Aemond stops speaking after that, brooding over the thought.

“Will you come to see me off tomorrow?” Luke requests one last time.

Aemond doesn’t turn to look at him and Luke sighs.

“Goodbye, Uncle Aemond.” ———————————— Aemond age 13: King’s Landing

Aemond does not in fact go to see his nephew and his family off the next day. Despite his silence the day before, he had wanted to say goodbye. He had gotten up early, dressed in his finest tunic and cloak and had begun to run down to the courtyard where he knew his nephew and his family would be preparing to make way to Dragonstone.

But before he had even made it down the great staircase of the keep, he had been stopped by his mother. She had taken his arm and dragged him to the library with no care for his protests.

“You were late to your lessons yesterday, Aemond. You will practice your High Valyrian until the maester arrives.”

“But mother! Please, it was not my fault. Luke wanted to talk to me.” Aemond tries to explain.

Alicent’s grip on his arm just tightens even more.

“Well you should have told him to go away. You were late, so now you must make up for it.”

“Mother! Luke and Princess Rhaenyra are leaving. I must say goodbye!”

“No. Off to the study with you.”

And that is how he found himself, sitting straight in front of the maester as he droned on and on about the first Dornish war. At any other time he might have been engrossed in his lessons. History was one of his favorites. He had always enjoyed the subject. But today was not one of those days. His mother had unfortunately joined them in the study to oversee his lessons. He kept glancing to the windows. He knew by now that Luke and the others had gone. The sun was high in the sky now, far past time for them to have left. It saddened him. Though he couldn’t place why. He surely was not close with his step-sister or her family. But something inside of him twinged when he thought about how he wouldn’t be seeing them any time soon.

“Prince Aemond?”

He almost missed Luke already. The younger boy was the only tolerable one out of all of them. Not that Aemond would ever admit that to the kid’s face. He would rather see the pink dread again before that. At least Luke was kind and sweet. Even if he had joined in some of the pranks.

“Prince Aemond!”

He would get over it as he always did. Mother was right anyways.

I don’t need them. They are of no matter to me,

Neither was his soulmate. He had survived now for thirteen years without them.

I don’t need them.

“Insolent boy!” His blonde hair is gripped in thin fingers. The pain from the action shakes him out of his thoughts. Aemond glances up to find his mother glaring at him with fury. “Where has your mind gone?” Her fingers pull at his hair. The prince flinches and bows his head.

“I am sorry mother. I did not hear the question.” He mutters.

“You did not hear the question? Are your ears as useless as your eye?”

“No! I am sorry. I did not mean to become distracted.” He was truly sorry. His thoughts were just elsewhere this day.

Alicent’s fingers release his hair but trail down to his cheeks where they dig into his skin.

“You are a disgrace to me. Even Aegon listens better than you.”

“Please forgive me mother.”

She releases his cheeks and steps away.

“Perhaps if you answer the following question I will allow you your dinner. Maester?”

The maester who had been standing off to the side and looking incredibly uncomfortable steps forward. Alicent jerks her head in the direction of Aemond. The maester hesitates but continues on with what he had been saying before.

“Prince Aemond. In the first Dornish war, which Baratheon lord attempted to assault the Boneway?”

“Lord….Oryn?”

Blinding pain assaults Aemond’s eye. Alicent had slapped him.

“Try again.” She snarls.

He attempts to compose himself before answering again. “Lord Oryk?”

Another slap before Alicent screams at the maester. “Leave us at once!”

The maester flees only after bowing to the Queen and Prince, shutting the door to the study hastily in his exit. Aemond keep his head down as Alicent takes his hands in hers again.

“Why are you like this?” She asks, seeming almost sorrowful. Though the nails digging into his palms tell a different story.

“I’m sorry Mother…” He whispers.

“What evil have I done that I would be gifted such an undeserving son? Have I not been a good Queen, wife and mother?” She begs into the silence. “You have it easy, Aemond. You are a prince, though you are not in line to the throne. You….”

“In line to the throne? Mother, Rhaenyra is….”

Aemond stops when her nails break his skin.

“No! Aegon will become King when your father dies. If you speak that whore’s name one more time in my presence, I will see to it that your tongue is cut out. I’m sure your grandfather would rejoice!”

A trickle of blood trails down is pale hand from where her nails dig into his skin.

“Get out of my sight, you terrible boy. You are making me sick!”

Aemond runs, and he runs and runs until he reaches his beloved Vhagar. The beast growls when she notices the blood on her sweet boy’s hands and cheek. To Aemond, the dragon almost looked sad.

“It’s okay Vhagar. Everything will be okay.”

[aspoonfuloffiction]

I'm conflicted because I do think the book gives a lot of leeway for the writers to interpret characters and relationships how they want. I just wished they done a better job going at it. I get they really leaning on daemon and rhaenrya as being meant to be, and I'm not too mad about it because it's an interesting dynamic and love story. I'm just mad laena and laenor got thrown under the bus for it. Like this show has magical dragons but that you can love more than one person at the same time is apparently too wild of a concept for the writers room SMH.

Exactly!!! And this is my biggest frustration with the Velaryons. They weren’t used as characters in their own right-just stepping stones to Daemon/Rhaenyra all because the show couldn’t imagine someone falling in love twice?

Even Harwin/Rhaenyra which I thought they did a little better, they wouldn’t even let kiss on screen or be explicitly affectionate in any way. Audiences have to infer the details and depth of this relationship from subtext and Emma and Ryan’s acting choices. All because the show is so worried that people can’t back multiple love interests for these characters!?

The sex scene with Sir Incel Cole is fine because in 2 episodes we’re all going to hate him so they know we won’t be invested in him and Rhaenyra.

I have nothing for or against Daemon/Rhaenyra as a ship—I don’t really consume ASOIAF and its related properties for ships besides a select few (I will be unabashedly unbearable when cregan/aly come up in season whenever) but I am of the opinion that if you don’t think your ship can work without sacrificing the story of other characters then there is something wrong in the way you wrote that ship.

[janiedean]

Saw some takes from green stans that the show creator is being too pro black team by not killing Laenor and choosing younger actor for the strong boys and adult actor fron the green childs so it will looks like adults bullying teenagers. While i also see a take fron the black stans swears that the show creator hates the black team SO MUCH by making the greens more dimentional. Thoughts?

(Me myself is not invested in this show so i just watch all of these discourse between green &black stan with popcorns. Love Jace so much though)

I mean, with the premises that:

I think both of those takes are massively idiotic

I am a black supporter since book days not just because jace velaryon > anyone else's faves but mostly because a) rhaenyra was right she was the heir she should have gotten the throne end of story b) any green except haelena in the book was either on my 'you bore me' or 'god I hate you' list so like why would I support the side on which I don't like anyone except one character who barely has any input on what happens poor girl

so like take it the way it is, but argument 1 is stupid because:

daemon actually comes off worse-ish in the show because like in the book he never killed his wife and wasn't implied to/was actually in love with laena way more than it was shown in the tv series and he killed vaemond bc rhaenyra asked him it wasn't his idea just to say the first three things that come on top of my head so like at most they're making rhaenyra look better but we still didn't get to the worst thing team black does so jury's out on that

laenor not dying was... wow THEY DIDN'T KILL THEIR GAYS?? like they had a gay character they decided to take a thing that in the book is not specified bc they said the boyfriend killed him and that IT WAS RUMORED DAEMON WAS BEHIND IT BUT WE JUST DON'T KNOW BECAUSE SOURCES WHAT ARE THEY so they took it and they turned it into he actually gets to be happy, like... wow after they had to kill off joffrey bc the story didn't advance otherwise they decided to not let laenor be miserable and that's the issue? pls come on

the actors' ages is ridiculous because like.... yo aegon was two years old in episode three when viserys tried to marry off rhaenyra to jason and episode five was even later and the timeskip was some ten years so like... aegon and aemond are older than jace who's the eldest of rhaenyra's kids so if they look older it's... just... sensed???? because they are?? also aegon looks his age and the velaryon kids are all accurate, the one who looks older is aemond but honestly considering the shit he pulls most likely next ep or in the finale i 100% guarantee you that it doesn't matter how he looks he's gonna be the worst anyway so like the problem with aegon and aemond is that they're both legit pos and I'll get to it in a second not how old they are, if ppl want to stan their side fair enough but own up to it

like tldr if they think the narrative is pro black it's because rhaenyra's right??? sorry but she is

on to why the other argument is stupid af which will clarify stuff I said before:

saying the creator is pro greens because he gave alicent a personality that's not thrift shop c*rsei written like in the main show is ridiculous because like book alicent has the depth of the shallowest pool in existence and sounds like the wicked witch of the west at every corner, which was why I detested her, and the show did a vast improvement in making her a deeper, way more interesting character and explaining her motivations/showing why she is that way and giving her nuance, like sorry that's improving on the source material which can always happen nothing is perfect (same for viserys tbh show!viserys > book!viserys) so that's imvho ridiculous also because I don't see how making alicent more nuanced like that means that they want you to stan the greens since the narrative is openly stating that viserys wanted rhaenyra to reign and that should have been the end of the question

same for aegon and aemond like... I mean they're both terrible and they were in the book and one thing aegon is most likely gonna do two seasons from now from what I'm gathering is imvho a level of fucked up you don't come back from at any point and he's an asshole before anyway and aemond... I mean I loathed him from the beginning but next episode most likely you're gonna see why as far as I'm concerned he deserves to rot so like I think the show is doing a good job of fleshing them out aemond def. had his moment when he claimed the lizard, but like the thing is that you can flesh them out as much as you want but it doesn't make them any less terrible so idg what's so bad about the writers wanting to have characters in the show and not caricatures differently from what the last seasons of got was like... I hate the greens except haelena but I'm really glad they're not making them cartoon villains thanks I'm watching a show for adults I want my nuance

like complaining that the ppl on the opposite side are actually nuanced characters is the stupidest shit I ever read and honestly I'm really glad they did what they did with alicent because honestly if I had to stand through ten episodes of fakewoke girlbossing the way they did with both c*rsei and show s*nsa I'd have suffered and I want to be entertained not to suffer

also you have excellent taste because jace > everyone else's faves thanks I'm planting my flag on that hill but tldr: the show is black-biased in the way the narrative is because again rhaenyra was crowned heir and she was right end of that shit but it's not doing anything to make the blacks look better™ and honestly if they don't pull punches on the thing I'm dreading that should be in the finale if my calculations are right I don't wanna hear any green stan complaining they get whitewashed because honestly Said Thing is... well y'know the red wedding is the most horrific wtf is this shit moment in asoiaf, okay that Thing is that for f&b imvho so if they actually don't tone it down I dare anyone to say they're making them look better bc there's no way you look good after that shit, the greens being actually well-written characters doesn't make them any less awful (okay maybe alicent is less awful than in the book but still) and it just makes for good writing, laenor deserved to fuck off to the free cities and anyone who says shit about my poor velaryon children gets muted as far as I'm concerned xD and that's my two cents

[alrightsnaps]

How is the relationship between Daemon and Laena in the book? I read a comment that Laena was Daemon's true love, is that true?

Depends on who you ask I guess.

Personally, I'm not really buying into much of the romanticisation of his character by readers. I don't think that man ever truly loved any woman he was involved with (very much including Rhaenyra), certainly not more than he loved himself. I obviously hate how Laena was treated in the show but I can't say that I think they significantly strayed from book canon in Daemon's portrayal; in Fire and Blood he also marries Laena after Rhaenyra's wedding to Laenor, after he's been denied Rhaenyra's hand in marriage and exiled by Viserys.

What I am pissed off about is the way the show seemed to sideline Laena and frame her as a consolation prize in order to prop up Daemon's feelings for Rhaenyra. While I do think Rhaenyra was Daemon's ultimate goal in the book as well, love had nothing to do with it in her case anymore than it did in his marriage to Laena. Both were about his political ambition imo

Much of the talk about him being a devoted husband to Laena or a good father is exaggerated by fans imo too (like the whole Laena/Daemon/Rhaenyra "throuple"), since the book hardly gives us much insight into their relationship (which lasts all of 4 pages) or Daemon as a father.

Prince Daemon fell in love with Laena, the singers would have us believe. Men of a more cynical bent believe the prince saw her as a way to check his own descent. Once seen as his brother’s heir, he had fallen far down in the line of succession, and neither the greens nor the blacks had a place for him…but House Velaryon was powerful enough to defy both parties with impunity. Weary of the Stepstones, and free at last of his “bronze bitch,” Daemon Targaryen asked Lord Corlys for his daughter’s hand in marriage.

Granted it could be said that he treated better than either Rhea (who he openly detested) or Rhaenyra (who he was openly cheating on) but... that's the bare fucking minimum for heaven's sake! I know the bar is on the fucking ground for men when it comes to the asoiaf universe but damn

A scene about him carrying her to her bed before she died doesn't make him husband of the year, especially when he was "comforted" by another woman (who he married before the year's end) before his wife's body grew cold.

And so it was that the princess was at her good-sister’s side on the third day of that accursed year 120 AC, the Year of the Red Spring. A day and a night of labor left Laena Velaryon pale and weak, but finally she gave birth to the son Prince Daemon had so long desired—but the babe was twisted and malformed, and died within the hour. Nor did his mother long survive him. Her grueling labor had drained all of Lady Laena’s strength, and grief weakened her still further, making her helpless before the onset of childbed fever. As her condition steadily worsened, despite the best efforts of Driftmark’s young maester, Prince Daemon flew to Dragonstone and brought back Princess Rhaenyra’s own maester, an older and more experienced man renowned for his skills as a healer. Sadly, Maester Gerardys came too late. After three days of delirium, Lady Laena passed from this mortal coil. She was but twenty-seven. During her final hour, it is said, Lady Laena rose from her bed, pushed away the septas praying over her, and made her way from her room, intent on reaching Vhagar that she might fly one last time before she died. Her strength failed her on the tower steps, however, and it was there she collapsed and died. Her husband, Prince Daemon, carried her back to her bed. Afterward, Mushroom tells us, Princess Rhaenyra sat vigil with him over Lady Laena’s corpse, and comforted him in his grief.

[mynameisnotalayne]

The Seed of a War (Aemond Targaryen x OC) Intro

Word count: 587

Introduction: Seedling 

When I was born, there had never been a bastard born with more anticipation..especially for a girl. 

…………………………………………

My parents did not have a great love story, no secret letters, knowing looks. They were simply people in the same place at the wrong time. 

My mother, Aenna, was a kitchen maid, prettier than most, as I am told. She had straight yellow hair and the palest lavender eyes anyone on Dragonstone had seen in three generations. Her great-grandsire was Aemon Targaryen, the then eldest son and third born child of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Queen Alysanne Targaryen, and her great-grandmother was his chambermaid while he was Prince of Dragonstone before his death on Tarth. 

My father was Prince Lucerys Velaryon, second born child of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and her first husband Ser Laenor Velaryon. He died before I was born, but I’m told that we have the same smile, and the same curl to our hair. 

My mother and father only spent one day together, it was the day they met and the night they said goodbye. It was my mother’s first day as a maid, nervous as any other on Dragonstone after word had reached them that King Viserys had passed and the usurper had taken the throne. 

I have been told that as my mother was freshening the Prince’s bed linens, he entered his chambers a conflicted mess. Told that he was going to Storm's End as messenger on behalf of his mother. He kept a brave front at the black council; however, back in the safety of his own chambers he let his walls come down and my mother was the only one there to see it.  

She had not yet learned the proper etiquette between a servant and her lord, so she did what any compassionate person would do in that situation, she went to him. Taken aback the prince jumped away from her, as she had tried to offer him her embrace, but as he looked into her lavender eyes he found solace in the eyes of a person that he never met. He gave into the comfort that she was so willingly offering. They drank together, talked with one another, and took solace with one another in what they both knew would be the calm before the storm. 

As my mother left his chambers she was met by the steward of the castle who immediately took her to the Prince’s step-father, the Rogue Prince. They questioned her, thinking her a spy for the green cause. After three hours of questioning, they let her go. 

She was given a week to recover from her wounds. 

It was on her sick bed that she was told of the Prince’s death in the skies above Shipbreaker Bay. She was immediately put on watch by the maesters and the Queen; and their suspicions were made legitimate as she missed her monthly bleeding and began to become round with child. It was then she was taken into the Queen’s household, given better rooms and a maid all of her own. Many thought it was over done, many bastards have been born before. But to the Queen, she was given the gift as the last piece of her son on this earth. 

My mother labored for three days to bring me into this world; and in the end, she lost her life to give me mine. 

The Queen took me as her own, and I was given the name of her mother.

Aemma.

Next: Chapter One

[sweetestpopcorn]

Love your work and can't wait to see more of Addam and Seasmoke soon.

I really love how you write Daemon and Corlys' friendship, Corlys and Rhaenys are two of my favourite characters so I love when they are treated as actual characters and not just being used for their fleet/dragon.

I am curious as to why you wrote Daemon to be 'in on' Corlys' bastard sons. We never seem to get a reaction from him in F&B but surely he would know how much his cousin loved her husband, would he not be insulted on her behalf? Would he not consider them an insult against his house? I do not think he would tell Rhaenys, but it seems almost cruel how many people convince her these are Laenor's sons.

Apologies if this was explained in the story.

Hi there 🤗

Thank you so much for your very lovely words and the compliment <3 I do love other characters besides Daemon and Rhaenyra - though they are number 1 for me XD - so I do like to add them to the story, and I try my best to make every character feel real, not like a prop that's there because I need them.

Concerning your question not sure I understood it or not. If you are asking how he found out it's explained on chapter 51 😊 as to why I chose to write it that way and have Addam and Alyn become his squires I think I have explained it in a comment but it's perfectly understandable you missed it because

And,

F:ck me...

So, I chose to have this change in the AU because, as I have mentioned, there will be no seeds plotline. To be quite honest, besides Addam and Alyn I did not like it at all in the original story and found most of it didn't make a lot of sense. It's a bit like do I have a better solution? Probably not, however just like seeing someone trying to cut off a foot because they bumped it somewhere, I knew this would not work.

However, I did love Addam and Alyn and wanted them in the story, so this was what I came up with and honestly I am very proud 🤗 most people love Addam and his POVs, and he's such a great character in canon that deserved so much better. It was really a pleasure to write him and try to develop who he was in canon.

Concerning your comment about why Daemon isn't more offended, well although Rhaenys was his cousin we have no indication of what relationship they had in canon. During the Great Council, Daemon stood by Viserys and was ready to go to war against the Velaryons. Other than that, the two have no interactions. Daemon and Corlys on the other hand are shown to be allies and sort of friends. Of course anyone is free in this case to interpret Daemon and Rhaenys's relationship as they like, but me personally, I don't headcanon them as being close, so Daemon doesn't really care 🤷🏽‍♀️

Again this is my view, and because this is my story, I wrote it like that. But in canon we really have no indication so anyone can roll with whatever they prefer.

All the best to you and thanks again! 😊

PS: My inbox is currently closed and will be for the next couple of months because I have more than 100 asks to answer.