The Green Cause: Being an Account of the War of Aegon II Against the Usurper Rhaenyra

[ScottishMongol]

The Green Cause
Being an Account of the War of Aegon II
Against the Usurper Rhaenyra,
or
That Late Lamented Conflict Known as
The Dance of the Dragons​

"Much blood is spilled in war, and much ink spilled thereafter." These were the words of Archmaester Sumner, and wisely said. After every conflict, partisans of both sides seek to resolve with the written word what the sword could not. Each will seek to cast their side in a favorable light and the other unfavorably, to justify this action or that; the victors will cement their gains by slandering their enemies, the losers will report how just and honorable their cause was. Many maesters of the Citadel speak of neutrality, the charge to take no sides, but despite our vows we maesters are mere men, and are subject to the attachments and desires of men, however much we may pretend otherwise.

In the late lamented conflict known as the Dance of the Dragons, rumor and slander played their role. Untangling the web of lies and calumnies is no easy task, and many dubious rumors may be given undue consideration because they are convenient to one side or the other.

I myself cannot remain neutral – how could I, when I myself taught Queen Alicent to read and write, and lived to see her death and the deaths of her children? Yet it shall not be said that I, Headmaester Joss, advisor to the Tyrells of Highgarden, am a liar, for unlike many other men who are partisans, I make no claims that I am not.

***

About the author: Joss was born in the harbor town of Kayce, the third son of a merchant man. When his father was lost at sea, his family was ruined financially, so Joss sought to relieve the burden on his widow mother by seeking a career at the Citadel. A callow boy of three-and-ten, he was trained and chained and grew to be a learned young man. Then sent to Highgarden to serve as tutor to the Tyrell household, he rose to be Headmaester, commanding a dozen lesser maesters who kept the ravens, tended the sick, and kept the household accounts, though Joss himself had a special care for the children of the Tyrells and their wards. Joss served as Headmaester through the Dance, a conflict in which House Tyrell took no part.

About the text: The Green Cause was penned in the Regency, when the wounds of the Dance were still fresh. It was thought for some time that the realm could yet tear itself asunder, and indeed some of the conflicts of the Regency had their roots in the unresolved tensions of the Dance, but in the end the old grudges were allowed to die. The Green Cause was seen by many maesters as controversial, for its pro-Aegon bias and its focus on the atrocities and tyrannies of Rhaenyra were thought to be inflammatory, and indeed perhaps Headmaester Joss wished to remind the Greens' supporters of their cause. Joss stopped just short of treason, however, yet maesters at the Citadel and elsewhere avoided citing the Green Cause, and Grand Maester Munkun gave it nary a mention in his True Telling. It was only after the time of Munkun that scholars began to reconsider Joss' text and revisit many of the views thought settled regarding the Dance.

Spoiler: Author's Note

About the project: Hello! This is a bit of a project that has been a long time coming.

The Dance of the Dragons as presented in GRRM's Fire and Blood is not, in my opinion, very satisfying. Both sides come off as bad, but the Greens in particular are not given much focus, having little characterization beyond shallow villainy, and furthermore are straightforward heels; the Blacks get all the cool characters, the fan-favorite houses like the Blackwoods and the Starks, while the Greens never seem to win a battle save through treachery. I think this shows - most fans seem to prefer the Blacks. The show House of the Dragon improved this a bit by injecting Alicent and her family with some complexity, but it still has to deal with the broader issues of the Dance, especially militarily.

So, this is a project with two layers.

The first layer will be my attempt at reworking the Dance to be more narratively satisfying as well as being more realistic. Hopefully you will be able to see both the Blacks and Greens at their best, and there will be some actual narrative tension, as well as more big battles and dragon fights than the scant fare we got in Fire and Blood. The second layer will be that this is a pro-Green framing of that series of events; while the Greens are not straightforward good guys in this story either, I wanted to play with historical bias a bit (in the spirit of Fire and Blood), and then tilt the scales a bit by giving us a pro-Green source, something I felt lacking in Fire and Blood. So try to keep in mind as you read on that our good maester is just as biased towards the Greens as Fire and Blood is against them...

 

[ScottishMongol]

Prelude to War: The Great Council of 101​

To recount all the tragedies and trials that befell King Jaehaerys in the latter part of his reign would escape the scope of our accounting, so we shall be brief. Due to a series of accidents, mixed in some part with misjudgments on the part of Jaehaerys, all his children had died, leaving only grandchildren. His firstborn son Aemon had left behind only a daughter the Princess Rhaenys by his wife Jocelyn Baratheon.

Jaehaerys had previously passed over Rhaenys upon the death of her father, choosing instead his second son Baelon the Brave as his heir, but Jocelyn Baratheon and her kin of House Baratheon were heard to advocate still for Rhaenys' rights. Tensions increased when in 98 AC, the Princess Rhaenys married Otto of the Hightower, Lord of Oldtown.

The circumstances of their marriage are in doubt. Some court gossips said it was for love, but this seems unlikely. Otto and his wife were not of similar temperament – Otto was a learned man, methodical in his ways, even cautious by many accounts. He was no great warrior, but he was a passable knight in his youth. He had been tutored by the best the Citadel had to offer, attended lectures, and his teachers were heard to say that by rights he could have claimed a maesters' chain, had he been so inclined. He was soft-spoken, yet stern. "A bloodless man", said those who envied him his later position at court.

He was a second son, and had just ascended to the Highseat following the death of his father and brother had died of a virulent pox. Otto speaks of this time in his personal writings, when he was locked out of the Hightower while his father and brother suffered within.

Rhaenys, on the other hand, was as spirited as befits a woman born of the union between the houses Targaryen and Baratheon. Fiery, clever, quick to anger and quick to laugh, without fear, a dragonrider who had tamed the mature and formidable Meleys the Red Queen, she could not be gainsaid by any man. She loved the company of Meleys, but loved the company of people as well. She was quick to take offense, and yet also quick to forgive and forget, so she made enemies at court as well.

In short, two different souls we cannot imagine.

So, why this marriage? That Rhaenys consented to the match we cannot deny, for no man on earth could have compelled her to marry against her will, though some foolishly spoke of her mother's machinations. It is more likely that Rhaenys and her mother conceived of the match together, to lend the hand of a Targaryen bride and her dragon to one of the Great Houses of the realm, to win their support and thus to lend their strength to her claim.

Headmaester Bertran, who served at the Hightower at the time, does indeed speak of political ambitions, while Maester Durwell, who served at Storm's End, says much the same. Yet how the match was broached and what exactly was promised cannot be said for sure. Gossips said Rhaenys seduced him, though Otto was not known to be greatly fond of women. The two had much time to speak together, as both spent much of their time at court, he as Hand of the King and she as a member of the king's household. Almost of an age – he was four-and-twenty, she was two-and-twenty – it seemed natural.

And yet, there was controversy. Rhaenys in her youth had been surrounded by suitors, the most notable being the famous voyager Lord Velaryon, Lord of Driftmark, Lord of the Tides, Corlys the Sea Snake. Jaehaerys had refused them all, most likely because he wished to avoid her bearing children who would come to be a rival claimant against his son Baelon. Yet at the time of the marriage between Rhaenys and Otto, Jaehaerys was taken abed with illness, so while he consented to the marriage, many were heard to whisper that the king had not been in his right mind, that Jocelyn or Rhaenys had taken advantage of the king in his infirmity to gain his approval. Whether there is any truth to this we cannot say, but it was believed at the time.

In any case, the marriage was not without fruit. They appeared together at feasts and balls, sat together at tourneys, and Rhaenys was given free reign of the Hightower on such times as she deigned to visit it. Both, so far as we can tell, were loyal, and had affection towards each other after a fashion. Certainly, they had four children together, the first being Aegon Hightower, later Aegon Targaryen, born in 99 AC. This was curious, for as mentioned Otto Hightower had little desire for women, while Rhaenys was said to be more energetic, as many noted during their bedding. Indeed, certain rumors were bandied about that it was Rhaenyra who "wore the cock" in the relationship.

Prince Baelon, called Baelon the Brave, died of a burst belly in 101 AC. While Baelon had been named heir and Hand, he had never ascended and had never been crowned, so the right of his status as heir to pass to his son Viserys was dubious, and now Lord Hightower and Lord Baratheon came forth to advocate again for Rhaenys' rights. The quarrelsome House Baratheon were like to take up arms over the issue, and Viserys' younger brother Daemon was gathering swords to support his brother's claim. Fearing civil war, Jaehaerys chose neither, but rather asked his son Archmaester Vaegon for advice. Vaegon advised Jaehaerys to call a Great Council, and leave the issue up to the lords of the realm.

Many lesser claims were raised and then dismissed, and in the end only the claims of Viserys Targaryen and the Princess Rhaenys were seriously considered. Rhaenys' claim was judged the weaker due to her sex, and her son Aegon was still a babe at the breast, and was judged unsuited to be heir at a time when the realm needed stability. And yet Rhaenys had many supporters; her mother's kin of House Baratheon and her husband's kin of House Hightower were chief among them, and to this House Baratheon of Storm's End could add many of their vassals, while House Hightower had deep influence and deep pockets, and many houses of the Reach backed Rhaenys. House Blackwood of Raventree Hall and House Stark of Winterfell also supported Rhaenys.

Prince Viserys had many allies as well. Most houses of the Riverlands, the Vale, and the Westerlands supported his claim, and the Sea Snake lent his support to Viserys' claim as well, and his coin swayed many lesser lords. Perhaps if more Northern houses had attended the Great Council, the vote would have been closer yet, but only Lord Manderly and Lord Dustin had come south with Lord Rickon Stark.

In the end the vote was perhaps four to one in favor of Viserys Targaryen, and so he was named heir to the Iron Throne. Rhaenys had again been passed over, and after this she was ever known as the Queen Who Never Was. Rhaenys was said to have taken the loss gracefully, and Otto Hightower as well, but Jocelyn Baratheon raged and until her death would continue to insist that her daughter's rights were stolen. Jaehaerys, ever the conciliator, made Otto Hightower his Hand of the King.

Daemon Targaryen was said to be pleased. Viserys had a daughter of seven, Rhaenyra, by his wife Aemma Arryn, but by rights Daemon was now second in line to inherit the Iron Throne.

 

[CaptainShadow]

Corlys against Rhaenys is deliciously ironic.

Watched!

 

[Altered]

Daemon Targaryen was said to be pleased. Viserys had a daughter of three-and-ten, Rhaenyra, by his wife Aemma Arryn, but by rights Daemon was now second in line to inherit the Iron Throne.

Click to shrink...

I see Bittersteel's found his... Hero to admire here with Daemon appearing 'manipulative'.

It is interesting, I had thought you'd take Fire and Blood's Dance stuff make a green edition, instead you've utterly changed the foundational sides of the Dance.

 

[ScottishMongol]

Prelude to War: The Reign of King Viserys​

Men called him Viserys the Peaceful, and in many respects, his was a peaceful reign. Many saw it as a continuation of the reign of Jaehaerys the Old King, the peace and prosperity lengthened by Viserys' stable hand. Viserys inherited a full treasury and a united realm – but that unity would not survive his reign. Call him Viserys the Peaceful if you will, but it was under Viserys that the cracks began to form in the foundation of the House of the Dragon, and no sooner was his body cold than the realm burst into open war.

While we cannot lay the conflict totally at Viserys' feet, he was not a strong king, and ever he sought to avoid conflict than to resolve it. When emissaries and petitioners pressed him, he was more like to give them all they wanted, for he ever sought love and approval. He lavished coin and titles on his favorites, and when disputes arose, he commanded them to set their grievances aside rather than seek a compromise which risked leaving one or both sides unhappy.

It was good, then, that he had a strong Hand in the form of Otto Hightower. Where Viserys prevaricated, Otto was decisive. It fell to him to hear disputes as Hand of the King and to judge them wisely, and under his tenure the crown kept its coffers full and the roads safe. It may rightly be said that the continuation of Jaehaerys' peace can be attributed to Otto Hightower.

Nevertheless, Otto Hightower had enemies at court, for he had risen high in so short a time. Many envied his success, and others distrusted, rightly or no, his wife's ambitions. Chief among his rivals was Daemon Targaryen, the Rogue Prince.

Daemon Targaryen was ever an ambitious and mercurial man, irreverent towards gods and custom, a renowned knight who had been granted the Valyrian steel blade Dark Sister by Jaehaerys himself. He was married to Rhea Royce, Lady of Runestone, but he loved her not. Mocking her as his "Bronze Bitch", he never consummated their marriage and never visited her seat in the Vale. Rather, he stayed at King's Landing and his brother's court. Many believed he coveted the Iron Throne itself, yet he showed no aptitude for sitting on his brother's Small Council. After brief tenures as Master of Laws and Master of Coin, he was put in charge of the City Watch of King's Landing at the behest of the Hand, in the hopes that it would keep him out of trouble.

To Otto's regret, he thrived in the position, and the City Watch swelled to two thousand men. Daemon ensured each man was armed and armored and given a golden cloak, giving the City Watch their common name, "the goldcloaks". However, the City Watch was loyal not to the law but to their commander. Daemon delighted in inflicting harsh punishments, personally maiming and executing criminals with Dark Sister. Daemon freely gave offices to his friends and followers, and it was said (though never proven) that those in the city who displeased him would be taken by the goldcloaks, guilty or no, while those who he favored could operate without concern for the law.

And truly, the owners of taverns, pot shops, and brothels sought to court Daemon. In this time, he became known as "the Prince of the City", or "Lord Flea Bottom", and was a welcome patron in many establishments high and low. It was said that certain brothels provided Daemon with young girls freshly flowered, for it was these he most delighted in despoiling.

Whether crime itself went down under Daemon's tenure as Commander of the City Watch is of dispute, but certainly more criminals were handed down punishments than before.

Viserys loved his brother and usually forgave him his flaws, but he could not forget that Daemon sought to inherit the throne, and there was no lost love between the Prince and the Hand. Things came to a head when Viserys' wife Aemma Arryn died delivering the king a son, a boy name Baelon who died not soon after. Daemon was overheard in a tavern toasting the boy as "Heir for a Day". Viserys grew wroth when he was delivered the news, and disinherited Daemon and exiled him from the court – "internal exile", in the exact wording of the king's decree. That it was Otto who delivered the news, and Otto who urged the king to remove Daemon from the line of succession, we cannot doubt.

Still, the succession must needs be addressed. Some urged Viserys to remarry, and the Sea Snake even made so bold as to put forward his own daughter. Denied his royal marriage, he had won the hand of Bethario Prestayn, daughter of the Sealord of Braavos. She had given him a son, Laenor, and a daughter, Laena. This was ill-received; Viserys was still grieving Aemma, who he loved, and Laena was judged too young besides, a girl not yet flowered.

Another name suggested at the time was Alicent Tyrell. The younger daughter of a younger son of Highgarden, she was of an age with the Princess Rhaenyra and had come to court to serve as her handmaiden. Alicent was clever, studious, possessed of courtly manners, pious and honorable. Perhaps she strove so hard because, as a child, she was overshadowed by more important children at Highgarden. I do believe that before coming to court she had no friends save the maester who taught her.

She and the Princess had become close companions, and the two were said to be fond and more than fond of each other. As a match she had much to offer – she was everything a noble lady should be, she had flowered, and she was of high birth but not so proximate to the Lord of Highgarden that the match would be seen to unduly favor her house. Viserys rejected this suggestion as well, though. He would never remarry.

Even Otto Hightower was not so bold as to suggest his own son as Viserys' heir, leaving only the Princess Rhaenyra herself. "The Realm's Delight", she was named, for she was beloved at court as a young girl, and Viserys doted upon her.

Prince Daemon also doted upon Rhaenyra. He gave her lavish gifts, taught her courtesies, and the two took flights together – he on Caraxes and her on her dragon Syrax. It was obvious to many that Daemon wanted to court Rhaenyra when she came of age, though the age difference between them was deemed significant. Otto warned against Daemon's intentions, but Viserys brushed this off. In her letters home to Highgarden, Alicent Tyrell spoke of "liberties" taken with the princess, but how far these liberties went we cannot say. If Daemon had deflowered the princess, as was whispered, Alicent, who knew and loved her well, did not dare to speak of it.

Indeed, it was said by some that on his final night in King's Landing, Prince Daemon sought to enter the princess' chambers, only to be stopped by her sworn sword, Criston Cole of the Kingsguard, and Alicent Tyrell, who shared the princess' bedchamber that night. It was thought that as a final gambit he sought to seduce the princess and then urge the king to marry them to preserve her honor, but this cannot be proven. "No doubt he only wished to say goodbye to his niece, who he loves," Viserys said when he was informed.

In 106 AC, Viserys summoned the lords of the realm to King's Landing to publicly name her heir to the Iron Throne. Hundreds of great lords bent the knee and swore to place her upon the Iron Throne. She was three-and-ten years old.

Spoiler: Author's Note

Yes, I retconned Rhaenyra's age from the last post. She Alicent are four years older than Aegon.

 

[veteranMortal]

Alicent... my beloved... She has Arrived

 

[bookwyrm]

I like the idea of Alicent having a purely platonic just genuinely healthy friendship with Viserys being huge nerds together and caring for him as his nicks on the Iron Throne turn leprous, like book Alicent and the last couple years of old Jaehaerys. I guess this means that her marriage she's forced into this time is gonna be Aegon Hightower?

 

[ScottishMongol]

I like the idea of Alicent having a purely platonic just genuinely healthy friendship with Viserys being huge nerds together and caring for him as his nicks on the Iron Throne turn leprous, like book Alicent and the last couple years of old Jaehaerys. I guess this means that her marriage she's forced into this time is gonna be Aegon Hightower?

Click to shrink...

Yes, which is weird (or funny, depending on your POV) but we'll see how that goes later.

 

[Wade Garrett]

Okay Criston, doing good in the first quarter, but that's only the first quarter, I know it goes against all your natural instincts but DO NOT SCREW THIS UP

 

[ScottishMongol]

Prelude to War: The Rogue Prince​

Prince Daemon had been exiled from court, but he had no taste for Dragonstone, nor did he wish to return to Runestone. He instead sought to ally with another whose ambition matched his own: Corlys Velaryon. The Sea Snake's holding of Driftmark sat hard by Dragonstone, separated by a brief flight on dragonback. The Sea Snake had two children by his wife Bethario Prestayn, those being his son Laenor and his daughter Laena.

While at Driftmark, Daemon was seen to dance with Laena at a ball held in his honor, and later offered her gifts, as he had the Princess Rhaenyra. He even offered to take her flying on Caraxes. This courtship, if courtship it was, did not progress far, as Daemon was still married to Rhea Royce. No doubt Corlys would have welcomed a match to seal their alliance otherwise, but for the nonce he would seek other means of enticing Daemon into an alliance.

Daemon and Corlys aspired to a lofty prize: no less than the Stepstones. These rugged islands between Dorne and the Disputed Lands had never been successfully claimed, though one power or another had tried through the centuries. The most recent would-be possessor of the Stepstones was the Triarchy, the threefold alliance of Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh. While their conquest under Grand Admiral Cragas Drahar was at first welcomed, the Triarchy's neighbors and rivals soon grew weary of their exacting tolls, especially since the slave-holding cities often demanded a levy of strong lads and comely young maidens from the ships they seized.

"Prince Daemon's War" was a private war, waged without the declared involvement of the Iron Throne, although Viserys did support the effort through indirect means in the hopes that it would keep Daemon away from Westeros where he could otherwise cause trouble. Daemon and Corlys could rely on loans from the Iron Throne, ships of the Royal Fleet to guard their supply lines, and Viserys' express approval for those who wished to join Daemon's war effort. House Velaryon could further draw on the support of Braavos, due to his political ties and their own rivalry with the Triarchy.

The Sea Snake's ships supported by Daemon on Caraxes were enough to break the Triarchy, dealing their combined fleets an early defeat that opened the sea to their movements. Daemon had amassed an army of second sons, landless knights, and upjumped sellswords – these men were known as "Daemon's Boys" or "the Second Son Army" back in the Seven Kingdoms, mockingly, but under Daemon they became a hardened force, fiercely loyal to him. Several men distinguished themselves as great warriors whose names would become famous – Ser Ethan Bracken, a second son of Stone Hedge; Dennis Crabb, called Hardshell; Ser Byren the Bad; Terrio, called Titan (mockingly, for he was famously short, if a deadly bravo for all that); and the sellsword captain Lefthand Luwin.

Laenor Velaryon also blooded himself in the Stepstones, fighting alongside his favorite, Ser Joffrey Lonmouth, the Knight of Kisses.

Daemon also had the support of the Ironmen. That cold, cruel, rapacious folk are ever seeking bloodshed and plunder, and Daemon offered it to them freely. Under Toron Greyjoy, Lord Reaper of Pyke, the Ironmen descended on the Stepstones to reave and plunder to their heart's content.

To take a kingdom is one thing, to hold it another. Even after Daemon slew Craghas Crabfeeder in single combat and his men crowned him King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea, the Triarchy continued to fight on. They raised up a new Grand Admiral, the flamboyant rogue Racallio Ryndoon, and contested the seas landing troops on the islands. Their marines and sellswords learned to hide when Caraxes came burning, and though Daemon took his toll of their ships, he could not be everywhere at once.

As Viserys expected, the war kept Daemon busy, and for five years he continued to battle, but in time he grew bored of his meagre kingdom. The Ironborn could continue to reave and the Sea Snake's ships would continue to fight to keep the trade routes open, and five more men would follow Daemon as King of the Stepstones, but the war was over…yet not without fruit for Daemon. He had gained many followers, hardened soldiers personally loyal to him, and Caraxes was now fearsome, no stranger to blood and battle.

In 111 AC, Daemon returned to King's Landing unlooked-for. Standing before the Iron Throne, Daemon doffed the crown he had worn as King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea, and knelt before his brother the king. Despite his command to Daemon to leave court years before, Viserys welcomed his brother home gladly and once again forgave him, as he had so many times before.

But Daemon had returned to find a very different situation at court than the one he left.

 

[bookwyrm]

I really like how you've started to flesh out Daemon's posse of killers, I imagine going forward there's going to be lots of this inner core of gutter knights and daggermen who Daemon lands sinecures as Goldcloaks of the Watch or customs serjeants or riverwardens or what have you, rebuilding his position as Lord Flea Bottom and basically gangster prince of King's Landing. And these characters can really work in selling the covert Daemon support by the swords of the city I think, in that the natural biases of the Greens would make them look to smallfolk leaders only as established portly craftsmen or yeomen-y squires- dismissing Daemon's Boys as shiftless mercenaries but the spear wielded by all the various lordlings who joined up in the war for vainglorious adventure or pious hatred of slavery as much as love of Prince Daemon. Thus the surprise Pikachu face when the Greens find out these feral dogs were actually warhounds genuinely personally loyal to Daemon above all else.

 

[ScottishMongol]

I really like how you've started to flesh out Daemon's posse of killers, I imagine going forward there's going to be lots of this inner core of gutter knights and daggermen who Daemon lands sinecures as Goldcloaks of the Watch or customs serjeants or riverwardens or what have you, rebuilding his position as Lord Flea Bottom and basically gangster prince of King's Landing. And these characters can really work in selling the covert Daemon support by the swords of the city I think, in that the natural biases of the Greens would make them look to smallfolk leaders only as established portly craftsmen or yeomen-y squires- dismissing Daemon's Boys as shiftless mercenaries but the spear wielded by all the various lordlings and who joined up in the war for vainglorious adventure or pious hatred of slavery as much as love of Prince Daemon. Thus the surprise Pikachu face when the Greens find out these feral dogs were actually warhounds genuinely personally loyal to Daemon above all else.

Click to shrink...

Absolutely, and when the war starts Daemon just can whistle and call up a force of veteran soldiers and put them in the field.

Similarly, the Ironborn here aren't just opportunists, they're guys who know Daemon, have fought with him, and know he's good with the plunder.

 

[digital2]

Two questions.

Why did Viserys never remarry? It's pretty risky to have only one heir.

And why did Daemon not try to end his marriage with Rhea Royce if he hated her so much?

 

[ScottishMongol]

Two questions.

Why did Viserys never remarry? It's pretty risky to have only one heir.

And why did Daemon not try to end his marriage with Rhea Royce if he hated her so much?

Click to shrink...

"Though many urged King Viserys to remarry, he was adamant that he would not. In this, as in few other things, Viserys could not be swayed. Risky, as you say, though perhaps not so risky as to complicate the succession further with children by a second wife." - Headmaester Joss

"Several times Daemon pleaded with King Viserys to annul his marriage to Rhea Royce (perfectly legal, as the marriage had never been consummated), but each time Viserys insisted that Daemon should settle down and do his duty as a husband." - Headmaester Joss

OOC: We know in canon that Daemon eventually got around to murdering Rhea Royce, he'll do the same thing about on schedule ITTL.

 

[bookwyrm]

Lady Rhea Royce was Lady of Runestone, the heir of Lord Yorbert Royce who was regent of the Vale while Lady Jeyne Arryn was underage and who participated in the Great Council in Jeyne's name. Which meant that essentially Viserys owed the Royces big time for bringing home the votes of all the Vale lords for him to be King instead of Princess Rhaenys, and why would he not want to give back to his wife Aemma's birthplace and build on the alliance of his reign with the Vale, setting up his brother Daemon to beget a new generation of Arryn-Targaryen dynasts?

The fact that, even with selecting such a singularly bold and man-hearted character as Lady Rhea who Viserys thought would be vigorous enough even for the wild and fey moods of his rogue brother, Daemon just utterly refuses to be in the same room as her and makes it so publicly clear that it is all on him for not consummating the marriage and raising a family makes it seem to Viserys like its entirely just a problem of Daemon just throwing a tantrum and wanting to be a teenager forever. With the court thus semi-purposely ignorant of true depths of how utterly poisonous the relationship between Rhea and Daemon is, annulling and dissolving the marriage on the terms Daemon asked for would have to be a direct insult on the womanly honor of Lady Rhea (for as a women's battlefield is on the birthing bed so too is it as mortal an insult as disparaging a knight as a coward as to suggest that a noble lady is a wretch entirely unable to bring Daemon to consummation or bear his children), and a slight the Lords of Runestone, kingmakers of his own coronation, would not soon forget.

Maybe a more decisive king would have just done it and tried to compensate House Royce in some way equal to the way he's hurt them and wasted their time, or just stripped Daemon of Dragonstone and banished him to Runestone until he comes back with an heir, but that would involve exactly the kind of open breaks and rancor that the peacekeeping Viserys wishes to avoid.

EDIT: whoops, beaten by a country mile by the writer themselves

 

[ScottishMongol]

Prelude to War: Weddings and Funerals​

In King's Landing, the cracks were beginning to show. Aegon Hightower had turned from a boy into a handsome youth, tall, broad in the chest – he promised to be a great warrior when a man grown. In terms of looks he took after his mother, and was possessed of a head of dark hair and violet eyes. He was charismatic, boisterous, a man other men loved to be around. He was, it must be said, fond of drink and food and women, but such things are not necessarily considered a vice by certain men.

He had also hatched a dragon; Sunfyre the Golden, the most beautiful dragon the world had ever seen, a beast with shimmering golden scales that men wondered to behold. When he took his first flight on Sunfyre, it was said he had a kingly look about him.

Rhaenys had also borne Otto Hightower other children. Their daughter Helaena was blonde of hair and blue of eye, though it must be said that many considered her plain-looking as an adult. In time she tamed Dreamfyre, who had once been the dragon of Princess Rhaena Targaryen. Their second son, Aemond, was the most Targaryen in looks, with flaxen hair and blue eyes, and would eventually grow into a dashing, handsome youth, one who displayed intelligence and wisdom from a young age. Their youngest child, Daeron, was still a babe, but promised to inherit his looks from his mother as well. The egg placed in his cradle would hatch into Tessarion, the Blue Queen.

Aegon, as has been said, was beginning to show an interest in women, and it was at the age of four-and-ten that the lady Alicent Tyrell caught his eye. Though living together in the Red Keep for so many years had led Alicent to think of him as more of a younger brother – "and an annoying one, at that" in her words – Aegon nevertheless began to court her. She initially rejected his fumbling advances, but there were those who saw sense in the match.

Aegon was infatuated, and pleaded with his parents to allow them to be betrothed. The boy's parents believed Alicent would be a worthy match for the future Lord of the Hightower (and the future king, if one believes their ambitions were such this early), and one that would give them ties to Highgarden. Even King Viserys supported the match, but in the hopes that it would prevent Aegon from seeking the hand of Rhaenyra herself. Viserys foresaw conflict if such a match occurred, the husband and wife competing for a throne where but a single person could sit. Rhaenyra was herself developing an interest in men, and King Viserys was concerned about her lack of discretion.

Of course, in all this the wishes of the Lady Alicent were not given much concern. She pleaded with the Princess Rhaenyra to intercede with the king on her behalf, to no avail. King Viserys saw the attempt not as a girl advocating for her friend, but a princess acting out of spite or jealousy. No matter where she turned, Alicent found her pleas for help falling on deaf ears, as king and court now worked to secure the match. Alicent was on the verge of asking Rhaenyra to flee with her to the Free Cities when a raven arrived from Highgarden. Her parents had assented to the match. Alicent Tyrell and Aegon Hightower were betrothed, and would marry when he reached the age of his majority – he would be six-and-ten, she would be twenty.

The relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent became difficult after this. Some foolishly believed this rift to be born of jealousy, but Rhaenyra never truly showed interest in her second cousin. Rather, it seems she had heard of the Hightower's ambitions – the court was full of such whispers now – and feared her friendship with the Lady Alicent being used against her. Perhaps also the rift emerged from the simple fact that Alicent was no longer the princess' handmaid, and the two could not be as close as they once were. But it was a rift slow in growing, and would not truly turn to enmity until much later.

King Viserys was satisfied with the match he had brokered for Aegon, and now he sought to secure his house's future by gaining a match for the Princess Rhaenyra. She had flowered, and lords now swarmed to court vying for her hand. The sons of Lord Blackwood and Lord Bracken fought a duel in her honor (Ser Amos Bracken had the victory, but did no more gain Rhaenyra's hand than Samwell Blackwood did), Lord Forrest Frey made so bold as to ask for her hand (rejected, of course), and Lord Jason Lannister likewise was denied his ambition of a royal match.

Not for these Riverlords or golden lions would be the hand of the Heir to the Iron Throne. Only one house had the same lofty heritage of Valyria as House Targaryen: House Velaryon, Lords of Driftmark. Corlys' son Laenor was close in age to Rhaenyra, an ideal match by all accounts…save one. Laenor Velaryon had never shown interest in women, preferring instead the company of squires his own age, most of all Ser Joffrey Lonmouth, the Knight of Kisses. This did not factor in to the deliberations; Corlys expected that once married, Laenor would develop "a man's tastes", and in the words of Grand Maester Mellos: "What of it? I am not fond of fish, but when fish is served, I eat it."

Rhaenyra was less fond of the match, but Viserys insisted. Indeed, it was rumored that Rhaenyra only consented to the match because Viserys threatened to disinherit her – but this rumor may not have much truth to it.

Removed of her closest companion, it seems Rhaenyra now sought comfort in the arms of her second-closest companion, her sworn shield, Ser Criston Cole, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Criston Cole spurned her advances; in fact, we are told he was horrified, offended that the princess he had known from so young an age would ask him to sully his cloak. Following this, Rhaenyra dismissed him as her sworn shield, and instead took on the strapping Ser Harwin Strong, son and heir to Lyonel Strong, Lord of Harrenahl. Harwin was Commander of the City Watch, the strongest knight in the realm, known as "Breakbones".

(When the news of the betrothal was delivered to him, Daemon reportedly beat the messenger half to death.)

At the tourney held in honor of the wedding, Ser Criston Cole sought out Ser Harwin Strong in the melee and beat him badly with his morningstar; he broke Ser Harwin's elbow and his collarbone (after this, Harwin was mocked as "Brokenbones"). What animosity Ser Criston had for Ser Harwin may have been borne not of jealousy (as some believed), but out of anger at the knight who, he believed, had sullied the princess' honor before her wedding night.

A greater tragedy befell that tourney, however, for in the melee chance or design put Ser Joffrey Lonmouth in Criston's path, and Criston in his haste to reach Harwin had struck a blow to Joffrey's head with his morningstar. Joffrey was borne from the field insensate and died six days later; Laenor never left his side. Criston swore after that it had been an accident, and some believed him; but many, including Rhaenyra and Laenor and their supporters at court, did not.

Criston Cole even fasted in the castle sept as penance, only ceasing when Lady Alicent approached him and showed him pity, reminding him of the Mother's mercy; after this, he was often associated with the Hand's household.

Another tragedy befell the realm soon after. Scarce a year after Daemon's return to court, his wife, the Lady Rhea Royce, fell from her horse and died, having struck her head. It was accounted a shocking and sudden death, and many would have considered it a tragic accident…had Daemon not arrived at Runestone the day after her passing. That Daemon's hand had done the deed himself is of course impossible, but many suspected assassins, perhaps even the Faceless Men of Braavos.

Daemon sought to claim Runestone himself as the Lady Rhea's husband, but her nephew Gunthor Royce, later called the Bronze Giant (though he was then a stripling), denied him this, barring the gates of Runestone and refusing even to let Daemon see his wife's body where it laid in state.

Jeyne Arryn, the Lady of the Vale, was no more welcoming. When the case was brought before her, she sided with Gunthor Royce, and went so far as to exile Prince Daemon from the Vale. Though neither she nor Gunthor Royce could prove murder, both suspected it, as did Daemon's many enemies.

If this angered him, he did not show it; indeed, this was all well and good for Daemon, since he was now free to marry, which he did. His bride would be the Lady Laena Velaryon, sister to Laenor, daughter of the Sea Snake.

 

[bookwyrm]

God I can just picture the family dynamics of Otto coming around to Alicent seeing a fellow introvert and something of himself as a youth in her and having a kinda Shireen-Stannis relationship as a father figure, while Rhaenys is more of a harsh but fair mentor with a heart of gold challenging her to wake up and become a player in the game of thrones or forever be played with at everyone else's mercy.

And then meanwhile Aegon continuously fails to meet the expectations Otto set down envisioning the perfect golden king he would mold and continues to set thinking Aegon only needs to pull himself together and let go of the pleasures of the flesh, like how in Tywin's eye Jaime can do no wrong but also can never be enough compared to Tywin's idea of Jaime. And while Rhaenys is less obsessive about making a king out of Aegon and seeing something in him that is not there, she is also continuously disappointed in his blindness in the truths of the world she tries to impart on him, about what life is like for common squires and chambermaids as well as what his life as a princeling will soon truly entail.

Must make for interesting pillow talk, for Aegon to see his wife draw more of his parents' affections than he himself.

 

[ScottishMongol]

Prelude to War: the Blacks and the Greens​

Laena and Laenor both took after their father, with the aquiline nose and silver-gold hair of House Velaryon. Their mother, Bethario Prestayn, was of the Free City of Braavos, where men of a hundred races mingled together, and she had amber skin, dark, almond-shaped eyes set in a flat face, and lustrous black hair.

Men said that Laena Velaryon's only true love was the sea. As a girl her father had indulged her in this, letting her row a dinghy around the dockyards at Hull. Later, she served as her father's cabin girl, and in time learned to tie a rope and furl a sail as well as any man in the Velaryon fleets. In time, she captained her own ship, a swift shallow-draft skiff named Wavekiss.

Though she married Daemon Targaryen, this was done at the urging of her father, who wished to cement his alliance with the Rogue Prince. Their marriage was relatively distant, and the only fruit was a pair of twin daughters, Baela and Rhaena. It was for the best, as Daemon was by all accounts an indifferent father and husband.

Rhaenyra had been confirmed as Princess of Dragonstone on her majority, and still spent much of her time there. Daemon and Laena often came to call on them, alone or together. Rhaenyra still had time for the uncle she practically worshiped as a child, and they flew together often on Caraxes and Syrax. Rhaenyra and Laena became close companions as well, often taking short voyages around Blackwater Bay on the Wavekiss, visiting Driftmark, Duskendale, and King's Landing.

Rhaenyra's firstborn, Jacaerys Velaryon, was born with brown hair and a pug nose. This caused muttering at court; the child resembled Laenor Velaryon not at all, but was the spitting image of Harwin Strong, who had followed Rhaenyra to Dragonstone as her sworn shield. It did not pass without notice that Laenor preferred the company of other men, taking to Rhaenyra's bed only rarely, while Harwin was ever at the Princess' side. One child was followed by two more, Lucerys and Joffrey, each resembling Harwin more than Laenor.

Neither Corlys nor Laenor challenged the parentage, so the outrage was muted, but for many it was taken as fact that Rhaenyra's children were bastards. This had gone beyond indiscretion; if Rhaenyra attempted to name an illegitimate child such as Jacaerys Velaryon her trueborn heir, it would be seen by many as high treason.

Rhaenyra split her time evenly between Dragonstone and King's Landing, but increasingly Alicent Hightower was seen to dominate courtly life there. As good-daughter of the Hand and wife to the heir to the Hightower, she commanded significant influence. She had used this influence to come into her own, taking delight in organizing balls and feasts. Alicent spent much of her time with the noble ladies of court, where Rhaenyra avoided them. Courtly manners had never come as naturally to Rhaenyra as to her friend Alicent, nor was she ever glib of tongue, and she often gave offense to lords or ladies (sometimes even unintentionally). She had a tender sense of pride, and could be suspicious, always expecting a slight and sometimes giving slights of her own to preempt them. As she grew older, Rhaenyra began to prefer riding leathers and armor to silk gowns.

Alicent came to be beloved by the commons for her acts of charity and piety. She gave to beggars on the streets of King's Landing and funded motherhouses that cared for widows and orphans. On the holy days of the Faith, she handed out bread and silver to petitioners. On the Smith's Day, she feasted with the heads of King's Landing's guilds, and on the Maiden's Day she prayed with the common women of the city. Rhaenyra, meanwhile, was not only indifferent towards the Faith but seemed to actively spurn it at times.

Aegon, in the meantime, had grown into a handsome young man and a great fighter. His feasting and drinking had led to him growing plump, but it was fat layered over hard muscle. He was a middling tourney knight, but he was the terror of every melee he entered, and he delighted in hunting and hawking where King Viserys did not. It must be said, his infatuation with his wife soon wore off. After a few years he no longer sought their marriage bed, and he turned to other women, seeking the company of a procession of paramours and ladies of negotiable affection. Still, he was often a fixture at court, his boisterous demeanor and making him the focus of many feasts. He began to gather around him lords and knights, some sycophants but many notables and men of good reputation.

At the great ball to celebrate the new year in 115 AC, Alicent was seen to wear a brilliant green dress, while Rhaenyra wore one of Targaryen black; soon it became custom to refer to "the Blacks" for Rhaenyra's faction and "the Greens" for that of Alicent and Aegon.

Among the Blacks it now became quite clear that Aegon sought the throne, or at least that his parents sought it through him. There are those that say this only came about once the parentage of Rhaenyra's children was called into question; others said that they had always sought the throne. Among the Greens it was taken as fact that Rhaenyra's children were the sons of Harwin Strong, and many who now gathered around Aegon did so because they did not wish to see a bastard ascend to the throne. Rhaenyra and Alicent, whose relationship had grown more distant following Alicent's marriage to Aegon, now began to see one another as chief rivals.

Alicent confided to those close to her that she was conflicted about working against her former friend, but increasingly felt that the girl she knew had grown into a vindictive woman, whose infidelities and poor judgement would trouble the realm. Rhaenyra in turn felt betrayed by Alicent's increased involvement with the Greens and her ensuing popularity. Perhaps she also feared the reveal of her infidelities.

But Rhaenyra was not altogether without supporters, nor was she idle in seeking them out.

It was in 116 AC that the Dornishmen began to raid in greater numbers across the Marches. Hundreds of bands crossed the mountain passes to steal sheep, murder travelers, and burn what they could not take. Lord Borros Baratheon called his banners, and Rhaenyra urged her father to take a hand as well. King Viserys judged that Lord Baratheon could handle it, and he may have been right – the Dornishmen had raided across the Marches hundreds of times in the past – but Rhaenyra was not satisfied. She mounted her dragon Syrax herself and made for Storm's End, to lend aid to Lord Baratheon.

She fought in the Marches for the next two years. Though the smaller Dornish raiding parties could easily evade Syrax, or hide in caves where they could not be spotted from the air, Rhaenyra was able to scout far and wide, covering more ground in a single day than a whole contingent of men on foot or ahorse could in a week. The Stormlander forces could react quicker to the Dornish raiders than they would have otherwise. Rhaenyra stayed in many castles – Nightsong, Blackhaven, Stonehelm, and Horn Hill on the Reach side of the Marches were the most prominent, but even minor Marcher lord could host the Princess for a night or more in their meagre keeps and towerhouses.

When the Dornishmen did give battle, it was Syrax, stooping and breathing gouts of fire, that drove them screaming back into the hills, leaving hundreds dead and burned behind them. Though could not claim sole credit for the victory – for every raider Syrax burned, a hundred more were felled by sword and mace and longbow – Rhaenyra earned great fame and love in the Marches, and Borros Baratheon was heard to say "there stands a queen who protects her own".

 

[bookwyrm]

And here it must unman Ser Criston Cole so much more that not only has Rhaenyra found a replacement boy toy in Harwin Breakbones but that with Syrax she has taken away the better portion of his rise to fame and showed him up in his own hometown. Actually, you know what would be an interesting twist is if Larys Clubfoot is dialed back a bit, and the primary spymaster and legbreaker of the Greens ends up being Criston the Kingmaker, using all the dirty Marcher tricks he learned as a common freerider and hedge knight.

 

[Red Robyn]

Nice to see a Rhaenyra that doesn't spend all her time eating pies and cake