#rhaegar fought valiantly. rhaegar fought nobly. rhaegar fought honorably. and rhaegar died.

[cheremorte]

in the event that rhaegar achieves victory at the trident (this highly implies robert's demise, as i highly doubt he'd simply surrender given what we know of his personality, but i'll leave that up to robert writers), it is very likely that aerys will not find himself sitting the throne much longer.

chances are high rhaegar would use tywin's troops (tywin, who waited until robert emerged victorious from the trident to sack king's landing — clearly wanting only to be on the side of the winner) to depose aerys, and the former king would likely not live for much longer, although rhaegar will avoid earning himself the title of kinslayer and claim aerys died due to sickness and/or madness.

rhaegar would then likely be crowned king and he would reinstall the succession as it was before aerys appointed viserys as his heir (rhaegar > aegon > viserys). there likely would still be civil unrest and reparations would need to be made for the losses the north suffered, and maybe matters would escalate beyond that, but how far and what exactly this is would be plot-dependant.

[highgardenart]

Prince Rhaegar Targaryen

“Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died.”

[davinamikaelsonalwaysandforever]

Rhaegar's rubies = Rhaegar’s blood.

Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died.

[eva4art]

Rhaegar fought valiantly,

Rhaegar fought nobly,

Rhaegar fought honorably.

And Rhaegar died.

[wpmorse]

"Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died."

Daenerys II -pg 330

Ser Jorah tries to explain to Daenerys just why she will need to get her hands dirty to invade Westeros. To make her see things his way, he uses Rhaegar Targaryen as an example of how honor and nobility do not always work

I did this picture as an afterthought, having forgotten it was in this chapter until I reread the chapter to get the description of Astapor right. The composition is similar to the one I did of Robb executing Ricard Karstark. Though I think it works better because Robert is farther off. Having said that, I probably should have put Rhaegar’s body lower down.

[waitingforwinterwinds]

ASOS; Steel and Snow: 23 DAENERYS II (pages 311-330)

Missandei has her special guest cameo as Dany inspects the slave army Unsullied while being insulted by a man who doesn't know she speaks the language. Jorah pushes for her to go ahead and buy the army.

-

- and in the center of the fountain a monstrous harpy made of hammered bronze. Twenty feet tall she reared. She had a woman's face, with gilded hair, ivory eyes, and pointed ivory teeth. Water gushed yellow from her heavy breasts.

this sounds really cool, but also makes me horrifically curious about GRRM's porn viewing habits for reasons I can't explain.

🎶49 times we fought that beast🎶your old man an me🎶it had a chicken head with duck feet🎶and a woman's face too🎶 ...sorry, where was I?

... psh, slaver bastard's taking advantage of the perceived language barrier to be a complete rude piece of trash.

"The Good Master Kraznys asks, are they not magnificent?" The girl spoke the Common tongue well, for one who had never been to Westeros. No older than ten, she had the round flat face, dusky skin, and golden eyes of Naath. The Peaceful People, her folk were called.

Missandei!!! She's only ten? wow, D&D went hard with the age up. Like I knew she was a lot younger in the books, but show Missandei has to be, what? 18 at the youngest? early twenties? ... brb googling. ... yeah that's what I thought, her actress was about 22-23 when she first played Missandei.

... wow, just look how quickly these human rights violations are stacking up. It's like, GRRM is really determined to drive home how horrible these slave owners are, like we couldn't tell they were trash human beings just from them being slave owners.

The Unsullied need to Unionise.

This chapter is so fucking gross.

"- Tell her they are like Valyrian steel, folded over and over and hammered for years on end until they are stronger than any metal on earth."

Valyrian steel = 🍷

"Better to come a beggar than a slaver," Arstan said. "There speaks one who has been neither," Dany's nostrils flared, "Do you know what it is like to be sold, squire? I do. My brother sold me to Khal Drogo for the promise of a golden crown. Well, Drogo crowned him in gold, though not as he had wished, and I... my sun-and-stars made a queen of me, but if he had been a different man, it might have been much otherwise. Do you think I have forgotten how it felt to be afraid? ... "Only lies offend me, never honest counsel. (...) I have a dragon's temper, that's all.You must not let it frighten you."

It will be interesting to see if there's hints of that further in, her fear vs her temper, and whether there's a slide of the scales from one to the other.

She had taken care never to be alone with Ser Jorah after that, keeping her handmaidens with her aboard ship, and sometimes her bloodriders.

good thinking. throw him over board if need be!

... Irri/Dany has a major power imbalance, yet is still somehow healthier than the rest of her ships thus far.

"- I saw these sons of the harpy today, all their proud highborn warriors. They dress in linen skirts, and the fiercest thing about them was their hair. -"

local cops just rich sons in world's trashiest LARP cosplay, confirmed.

"There was no higher honor than to receive your knighthood from the Prince of Dragonstone." "Tell me, then - when he touched a man on the shoulder with his sword, what did he say? 'Go forth and kill the weak'? Or 'Go forth and defend them'? (...) did they give their lives because they believed in Rhaegar's cause, or because they had been bought and paid for?" (...) "My queen, (...) all you say is true. But Rhaegar lost on the Trident. (...) Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died."

You know, for all it hung over parts of the show, I feel like Rhaegar and Lyanna just didn't haunt the story of the show enough. They're a tragic backstory that gets trotted out for special occasions but mostly gathers dust on the mantle.

Not so, here in the books, where they remain characters even though they've both been dead for over a decade.

Here, we see Jorah using Rhaegar to jostle Dany down the slippery slope of compromise. Dany wants to do the right thing, the good and just and clearly morally correct thing, and she's going to try to find a moral solution she can live with, but there's Jorah at her side reminding her that being a good person* is what got Rhaegar killed. Suggesting the slave army and then continuing to steer her to partake in mass slavery, he just keeps "it's for the greater good"ing this. And if this is acceptable in the name of Dany's greater good, then what else is. If this much is okay, then surely just a bit more is okay, and a bit more is okay, and a bit more until you're miles from where you started and you aren't really sure how you got there but you're in too deep to get out.

*Rhaegar's goodness is debatable and subject to personal perspective. I'd taze him.

"- His blood swirled down the river with the rubies from his breastplate, and Robert the Usurper rode over his corpse t steal the Iron Throne. -"

ruby | rubies = 🍷

[qeutzalcoatl]

girls i hate to remind y’all but dean still died, he was strong and brave and we loved him but he still died and i’m still sad no amount of destiel going canon is going to fix this

[maid-with-sunset-in-her-hair]

Dany had dream about Rhaegar fighting at Trident where she took place of Rhaegar as the last Dragon. She then proceed to burn the usurpers at Trident and felt satisfied. It seems like she feels Rhaegar was wronged and he should have won at Trident. Also it can be foreshadowing for burning her enemies at KL

Hello Dot! Hope you're okay! Thanks to asking this question, you gave me the chance to finish a meta I've been writing for like a year 😅 You’re right that she probably feels he was wronged, but that dream is actually foreshadowing Daenerys' death. The narrative often compares her to Rhaegar, and specifically to Rhaegar on the Trident. The first character to do so is Jorah, when she decides to ignore his advice and stop the men raping the girl:

The knight gave her a curious look. "You are your brother's sister, in truth."

"Viserys?" She did not understand.

"No," he answered. "Rhaegar." He galloped off. (AGOT Daenerys VII)

She quickly internalizes this, and starts comparing herself to her brother and tries to emmulate a romanticized ideal of Rhaegar when she believes she’s about to die:

"Death?" Dany wrapped her arms around herself protectively, rocked back  and forth on her heels. "My death?" She told herself she would die for him, if she must. She was the blood of the dragon, she would not be  afraid. Her brother Rhaegar had died for the woman he loved. (AGOT Daenerys VIII)

She does it again during the “waking the dragon” dream, when she sees herself wearing Rhaegar’s armor:

And saw her brother Rhaegar, mounted on a stallion as black as his armor. Fire glimmered red through the narrow eye slit of his helm. "The last dragon," Ser Jorah's voice whispered faintly. "The last, the last." Dany lifted his polished black visor. The face within was her own. (AGOT Daenerys IX)

There’s no mention of it having rubies on the breastplate, but the fact that he died wearing a black armor was mentioned multiple times at that point. The symbolism linking Rhaegar and death comes back in ASOS:

“(...) I have borne a child, burned a khal, and crossed the red waste and the Dothraki sea. Mine is the blood of the dragon."

"As was your brother's," he said stubbornly.

"I am not Viserys."

"No," he admitted. "There is more of Rhaegar in you, I think, but even Rhaegar could be slain. Robert proved that on the Trident, with no more than a warhammer. Even dragons can die." (ASOS Danereys II)

And again:

"My queen," the big man said slowly, "all you say is true. But Rhaegar lost on the Trident. He lost the battle, he lost the war, he lost the kingdom, and he lost his life. His blood swirled downriver with the rubies from his breastplate, and Robert the Usurper rode over his corpse to steal the Iron Throne. Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died." (ASOS Danereys II)

And now it comes the dream that supposedly foreshadows how Daenerys will fight the others and save humanity! 🤪

That night she dreamt that she was Rhaegar, riding to the Trident. But she was mounted on a dragon, not a horse. When she saw the Usurper's rebel host across the river they were armored all in ice, but she bathed them in dragonfire and they melted away like dew and turned the Trident into a torrent. Some small part of her knew that she was dreaming, but another part exulted. This is how it was meant to be. The other was a nightmare, and I have only now awakened. (ASOS Danereys III)

So yeah, I think she’s gonna die.

(Also, I don’t remember who was the one that noticed it, but “exulting” always appears in the books with negative connotations: using magic as an escapism method or to hurt others, losing wars, political conflict and death.)

[aerltarg]

Rhaegar Week 2021

Day 4: Quotes

“Prince Rhaegar loved his Lady Lyanna, and thousands died for it.” (ADWD, The Kingbreaker)

“Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died.” (ASOS, Daenerys II)

“Her brother Rhaegar had died for the woman he loved.” (AGOT, Daenerys VIII)

[cheremorte]

no but rhaegar is definitely an "end justifies the means" type of person, except he did not consider half of the means when he acted. he cut corners with the assumed belief things would fall into place because they had to. for someone so melancholic, he was far too optimistic or rather — obsessed with the prophecy to consider prophecies are fickle things that might not go as he interprets them. perhaps he was used to getting his way as crown prince, however much i doubt that's 100% correct considering who his father is.

he considered elia's anger, distrust and dislike of him in the aftermath of his decision to disappear with lyanna stark. he considered that there would be backlash. these things were prices he was willing to pay, because to him, these means justified the end result: the ptwp/three-headed dragon. he did not consider his father's response to the backlash. he did not consider his father holding elia and the children captive as a means to make rhaegar cooperate, based solely on the knowledge that rhaegar would remain fond of elia and their children regardless and would want them to remain safe.

the latter part ensured aerys that rhaegar would fight on his side in the rebellion aerys caused (because let's be real, it was not quite lyanna's supposed kidnapping that started the rebellion, it was rickard and brandon's plead with the king and their subsequential wildfire death that caused the rebellion to start. while the whole situation with lyanna definitely affected the route this went down, this is no retelling of helen of troy and there likely wouldn't have been such a large-scale retalliation if aerys had not done what he did to the starks).

in my belief, rhaegar is definitely not as malicious nor as selfish as fandom like to make him seem, but he is a fool with tunnel-vision and it caused him and his family everything.

[fedonciadale]

If unsullied were not treated cruelly by their masters and it was shown to Dany, do you think she would still buy the army the way she did in books? I think Dany was more appalled by slave treatment than slavery. She herself was sold to Drogo and while she is still traumatized by what happened to her, she still think marrying lamb women to Dothraki is solution for their rape.

Hi there!

this is an interesting question. The thing is that Dany had no money to buy the Unsullied in the first place and I think she never intended to part with one of her dragons.

She thinks she has to get an army if she wants to conquer Westeros and it never crosses her mind that the solution could be not to try to conquer Westeros.

In ASOS Daenerys II it is clear that while Dany is appalled at the treatment of the Unsullied the questions she wonders about is whether the Unsullied will serve her purpose. Barristan Selmy does not want her to buy them because he doesn't want to use slaves and he fears what it would do for her repuation. Jorah Mormont gives her the advice to use the Usullied though. He explicitly tells her that the moral high ground will gain her nothing:

“My queen,” the big man said slowly, “all you say is true. But Rhaegar lost on the Trident. He lost the battle, he lost the war, he lost the kingdom, and he lost his life. His blood swirled downriver with the rubies from his breastplate, and Robert the Usurper rode over his corpse to steal the Iron Throne. Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died.”

In the next chapter Dany buys the Unsullied and it is interesting that her freeing that she throws away the symbol of her rule over them only after she gave the order to kill the slavers (and everyone who wears a tokar).

She takes Jorah's advice not to listen to her qualms but to fight "dirty" instead of valiant,y nobly, and honorably. She pretends to buy the Unsullied for a dragon (and Illyrio's goods that do not even belong to her) and then she does not pay but instigates the Unsullied to rebel or rather she commands them to slay their former masters. Thus she didn't pay, and she's yet in possession of the Unsullied.

I think that the only effect the gruesome training of the Unsullied has on her decisions is that she can feel as a freedom fighter.

"Unsullied!" Dany galloped before them, her silver-gold braid flying behind her, her bell chiming with every stride. "Slay the Good Masters, slay the soldiers, slay every man who wears a tokar or holds a whip, but harm no child under twelve, and strike the chains off every slave you see." She raised the harpy's fingers in the air . . . and then she flung the scourge aside. "Freedom!" she sang out. "Dracarys! Dracarys!"

She completely forgets what she has been told:

"The Good Master has said that these eunuchs cannot be tempted with coin or flesh," Dany told the girl, "but if some enemy of mine should offer them freedom for betraying me . . ."

"They would kill him out of hand and bring her his head, tell her that," the slaver answered. "Other slaves may steal and hoard up silver in hopes of buying freedom, but an Unsullied would not take it if the little mare offered it as a gift. They have no life outside their duty. They are soldiers, and that is all."

From that moment onward Dany's men are called freedmen, but if you look at it it is almost always her freedmen. It is interesting how GRRM does it. The contradiction is right there, in the text. They are freed and yet they are hers. Just look at how often the word freedmen is used in connection with a possessive pronoun!

So, yes, all in all, I think the treatment of the Unsullied made no difference as to the how Dany purchased them. She never intended to pay a price. Jorah Mormont gave her the advice to have no qualms about purchasing slaves and to fight dirty. And she did exactly that. She conned the Astapori and killed them and in the end she had money and slaves and the good feeling that she had given them their freedom.

I mean the whole chapter and how Kraznys treats Dany really is laid on rather thick if you think about it. The Astapori are certainly the worst, Kraznys is a sexist and classist asshole, a slaver directly copied from archetypes of villains. And this veils the fact that the Unsullied just change their master.

Thanks for the ask!

[stormborns]

Chapters of A Song of Ice & Fire - A Dance With Dragons - Daenerys V      “What am I to do with a list of names?”      “Every man on that list has kin within the city. Sons and brothers, wives and daughters, mothers and fathers. Let my Brazen Beasts seize them. Their lives will win you back those ships.”      “If I send the Brazen Beasts into the pyramids, it will mean open war inside the city. I have to trust in Hizdahr. I have to hope for peace.” Dany held the parchment above a candle and watched the names go up in flame, while Skahaz glowered at her.      Afterward, Ser Barristan told her that her brother Rhaegar would have been proud of her. Dany remembered the words Ser Jorah had spoken at Astapor: Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died.

[valyrianpoem]

asoiaf & got characters // pt. XXXVII - Prince Rhaegar loved his Lady Lyanna

“It was a prince that was promised, not a princess. Rhaegar, I thought … the smoke was from the fire that devoured Summerhall on the day of his birth, the salt from the tears shed for those who died. He shared my belief when he was young, but later he became persuaded that it was his own son who fulfilled the prophecy. […] The triumphant Prince of Dragonstone named Lyanna Stark, daughter of the Lord of Winterfell, the queen of love and beauty, placing a garland of blue roses in her lap with the tip of his lance. […] Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died.”

[ this post on twitter ]

[sirmacintosh]

Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died

I love this sad anime man i wish I could’ve married him.

Also mom thought he looked too sad the entire time I was working on him so there’s that

[effervescentdragon]

Ok so my fave quotes from ASOIAF, that I sometimes randomly repeat in my head on a loop of an internal monologue and wanna share here are:

"I rose too high, loved too hard, dared too much. I tried to grasp a star, overreached, and fell."

and

"Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died."

And if GRRM never writes another thing in his life, I honestly wouldn't care, bcs these two quotes are IT for me and he cannot top this.

[dcrnishdragcn]

"I wish I could change everything"

He had always admired his lord father, he had always longed to prove himself worthy, to prove himself his equal. As a child, Jon had moved them from place to place, always vigilant, always wary. Many a night the young prince would go to sleep on the hard ground, the pangs of hunger tormenting him with the tales of the beloved Silver prince to sustain him. All he knew was that Rhagar Targaryen was noble, he was just, and that such a man was his true father.

Aegon was no longer a child, clouded by want and longing to be the son of such a man. He had gone to Dornem, he had learned of the affair with the lady Lyanna, had learned the details of his Lady mothers death, his sisters. As a child, he had always known his mother and sisters fate, but never of any detail concerning it.

Here and now face to face with the father he had never known, the man who had given up everything for a prophecy, Aegon felt the anger stirred within him, making his limbs shake, as his eyes water. He would not cry, he would not cry for the life they could have had. Instead, the boy bites the inside of his cheek, focussing on the rage and pain. As much as he tries to be angry, to rage and shout, he just feels defeated, a weariness settles in his heart as the image of his childhood hero shatters. “So do I, my lord.”