The Heir of the Dragon: A Rhaenyra Targaryen Quest

Teen Spirit · 2024-07-25T17:35:42+00:00

You stand in the throne room, the many blades of the Iron throne flanking you as you stare into a hall filled with almost every lord of note in the Seven Kingdoms, from Hightowers to Starks, Greyjoys to Royces. A cascade of various colors and banners stretches out before before your eyes. All gathered to swear fealty to the King's new heir, to swear feality to you, Rhaenyra Targaryen. A few months ago this would have seemed impossible, you were your father's only living child yes and a skill dragon rider in your own right but you were a girl and to many the pervious king, the one had made your father, Viserys, his heir and successor, had made it clear a woman was not allowed to sit the Iron Throne in her own right. And your father had never shown much interest in having you as his heir, keeping his brother Daemon as heir as he tried desperately to have a son. But a great many things had changed in those months. Your mother was dead, along with the brother you could have had. Your uncle disgraced himself in the night following their passing, leading to Daemon storming out of the city on dragonback in a dark fury as your father revealed to you the secrets of your family line. Before then you had another title, a nickname really, one given to you by your father. You were- Nickname (Origins) [] The Realm's Delight (Canon) Before today you were viewed largely as King Visery's beautiful daughter, one of the fairest princesses the Realm had known in some time, but of course you were so much more than that. You were charming, when you wanted to be, quick witted, and a skilled dragon rider. For the past few years you have wanted nothing more than to ride your Dragon Syrax and eat cakes with your best friend Alicent Hightower. Had your parents given you a brother that lived you likely would have ended up as his consort, but that was not to be. Despite the nickname and naming you heir, your relationship with your father has been awkward and tense for a few years now. He had always so wanted a son and you were little more than his cupbearer much of the time. You were much closer with your uncle, Daemon often giving you gifts when he returned from his many adventures. Though with you taking Daemon's place as heir to the Iron Throne, both relationships may soon change drastically. As you look out at the lords before you see some uncertainty among the crowd but nothing of particular note. You sense that there are more than a few objections to the idea of a woman being heir but none particularly focused on you personally for the moment Your Relationship with your Father is: Complicated Your Relationship with Alicent is: Strong Your Relationship with Daemon is: Decent Your Dragon is: Typical for its age, well behaved by dragon standards. Gain Traits: Beautiful, Kind [] The Scholar You have been buried in books since probably before you could walk. Were you man you probably would have already forged a few links at the Citadel. You've met more than one Maester who you outmatched in smarts and knowledge, that much was for sure. You loved reading the histories of Nymeria's ten thousand ships and your ancestor's conquest with Alicent Hightower but your real passions lay in exploring the mysteries of old Valyria with your father. The two of you had spent many a moon pouring over the ancient texts, translating them and making the plans for the stonemasons. You can say with fair confidence that a solid third of your father's grand model of Valyria's capital city exists thanks to your efforts. You are well learned many subjects, froms the histories of the great houses of westeros, to the many facets of stewardship, and the kingdom's complicated trade relationship with the various cities of Westeros. Your father believes you are well prepared for the burden he has placed on you, he has in fact expressed his deepest regrets over not realizing he had a suitable heir already. But as you look around you see doubts in the faces of the lords swearing fealty to you. You are a bookish girl, little known to the Realm at large, barely ever seen at court. They see you as weak, perhaps even weaker than the average woman would be in your position. You know your uncle Daemon will not react well to be replaced by you. He once called you "Vaegon with tits"' after the Old King's barely remembered youngest son, and has remarked on more than one occasion how boring he finds you. Despite this, you are not without support, many in court understand that you are a bright young woman who's brilliant mind is full of wonderful and quite ambitious ideas. Your Relationship with your Father is: Excellent Your Relationship with Alicent is: Strong Your Relationship with Daemon is: Poor Your Dragon is: Small for it's Age and Timid Gain Traits: Scholar, Reserved. [] Visenya Reborn You came out of the womb fighting, it is said, a fitting start for what you have become. You are strong and tall, not just for a woman your age but even compared to men of your age as well. More than one person has compared you to Visenya Targaryen, one of Aegon the Conqueror's sister-wives and fierce warrior in her own right. All your life you've wanted to be like her, a warrior, perhaps even a knight. Naturally such things were considered impossible for women and any chance at being trained was refused to you. So you started getting into fights with boys your age. After being found by the Kingsguard with blooded knuckles or a broken nose on far too many occasions, your father gave in and hired a Master-at-arms to train you, declaring that if you were going to keep getting into fights you should at least learn to do it properly. You took quite well to training, quickly developing skill with the sword and with a lance, much to the frustration of your father, and your friend Alicent. The exceptional treatment you have gotten clearly does not sit well with the more proper Hightower lady and the two of you don't speak that much these days, though you have noticed that when you train in the yards she is almost always watching you, often quite intently. At first your uncle encouraged your interests but as you grew older, and more brash and bold, he grew distant, you sense he feels threatened by you to some extent. As you stand before the gathered lords, dressed in armor instead of silks, you see a wide variety of expressions staring back at you. From the Starks, Strongs and Baratheons you see curiosity, perhaps even approval. A respect for strength despite its origins. From others you see confusion, revulsion, contempt, even scorn. They hide it as best they can but you see it all the same, to many of these lords you're a freak, a misbegotten thing your father has given too much indulgence. You will prove them wrong in time, of that you are certain. Your Relationship with your Father is: Complicated Your Relationship with Alicent is: Very Complicated Your Relationship with Daemon is: Wary Your Dragon is: Large for it's age and eager for battle. Gain Traits: Strong, Defiant As you look at the crowd, at the men who would one day be your bannermen and call you Queen. You think to future and your dreams and plans for it. You would be queen, that was certain, no matter who challenged you, are there would be challengers of that you had little doubt, but there was more to your goals then just being Queen. Goals (up to three. Not counting the mandatory one). These are your goals for the years to come, what you seek to accomplish now that you are heir to the Iron Throne, these goals will shape much of the actions you may take on an average turn. Success with a goal brings with it many rewards, while failures and setbacks may have consequences for you, mentally as well as physically. [X] To become Queen (Mandatory) While you may have hesitation about your role as heir, as you see the crowd standing before know you know you will never waiver, your father made you heir and one day you will sit the Iron Throne, no matter who gets in your way. [] To become a Knight (Visenya Reborn only) While you maybe a warrior now, you seek to be something more, something no woman has ever become, a knight. You want to be annointed by a septon and swear your vows as another warrior puts his sword upon your shoulder, you want to knock men off their horses with your lance. To be a knight would be the ultimate validation of your training, proof that you are not simply tough for a women as so many claim, but you are a warrior in your own right who should be respected and feared. [] To build a New Valyria (The Scholar only) The more you studied the ancient texts the more you realized how much was lost with the doom. The Freehold was monstrous, that you cannot deny, but the magics and sciences they had were almost beyond belief. Much of that is lost, but perhaps not quite as much as people think. You have uncovered much in you studies of the ancient texts, more than just records of what was. Fragmented passages provide hints at how they constructed their cities, how they were able to use magic so easily. Westeros will never be Valyria but you're convinced you can use some of the Freehold's secrets to make the Seven Kingdoms so much more than they are. [] To convince Alicent to ride on Syrax (The Realm's Delight only) Alicent has been your friend for as long as you can remember and you have been passionate about dragon riding since your dragon, Syrax, was large enough to carry you. Syrax is nearly big enough to carry two people without discomfort for any involved. And yet Alicent refuses to even consider going for a ride. Not of fear of Syrax, rather she fears she will look improper. That absurdity is preventing your friend from sharring in one of your greatest passions. You can fix this, you know you can. With some work you're certain you can convince Alicent to take at least one ride with you. [] To have an Adventure You are Ten and Four years of age, your father is in his prime. It will in all likelyhood be many decades before you sit the Iron Throne. Time enough for you to live, to do something you've never done before, something drastic and bold, something unsuited for a common princess but something not entirely unreasonable for an to the throne to do. You aren't sure what yet, fight pirates in the Stepstones, explore Essos, fly Syrax east as far as you dare, but it will come to you in time. [] To find Love Your parents loved each other deeply, the void left by your mother's death was proof enough of that. While the end result terrifies you, you cannot deny you want something similar to what your parents had. You want to love someone so deeply that leaves a mark on your very soul and for them love you as much in turn. It doesn't have to be your husband, it need not even be a man. You're not really sure what you're looking for, perhaps it is someone you already know, or a complete stranger. All you know is they must be out there somewhere. [] To sit on the Small Council You are heir to the Iron Throne, and your father's cup bearer. While the latter gives you a great position to listen in on the dealings of the small council it provides little in the way of power, or even respect. If you are going to one day sit the Iron Throne, you need to be more than just a cupbearer, you need a seat on this council, to have a voice in the Iron Throne's affairs. This will give you the practice you need to prepare for your own rule and it will help establish your presence in politics to the lords of Westeros. [] To Conquer Aegon built a lot in a short time but you can't help but feel the work is unfinished. Dorne stands defiant of your family's dragons, their knees still unbent. And what of the Stepstones, for how long has such vital shipping lanes been allowed to remain a haven for pirates? The realm has known peace for decades but to what end? The Iron Throne belongs to the last dragon riders left in the known world, it's high time your family put them to use again. [] To be the Greatest Aegon forged the Realm and Jaehaerys brought it stablilty but you could be be better than either of them. You will show the lords of the Realm that not only can a woman rule in her own right, they could rise to greatness if given the chance. The road to glory will not be easy or safe, but you are confident you can master it if given time. By the time you're gone they won't speak of any of the kings who came before, they will only speak of you. [] Write-in (Subject to QM approval) QM's Note: So a couple of notes, this will generally follow the canon of House of the Dragon save for maybe a few changes. Generally assume that everything save Rhaenyra herself, followed show canon up to the end of episode 1. Also this quest is going to have some mechanics, which I will get into soon, but some of it is background stuff, but the focus here is much more on narrative, I want the readers to be more focused on creating an interesting story then turning Rhaenyra into some canal-building Goblin. Also if anyone would be willing to collabrate with me on this quest or beta read at least I would greatly appericate it. While I have a solid idea of what I want from this quest, it's been a very long time since I've even tried to do a quest so I am nervous. vote by plan for this opening vote.

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Shapeless Phobos

Sidestory The Dornishmen's Prince

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Shapeless Phobos

Filthy Casual

Mar 13, 2025

#10,301

The Dornishmen's Prince

The Dornishmen's Prince was as warm as the sun,
and his coming heralded spring.
But the Dornishman's bride was clad in black steel,
and her heat was a terrible thing.

The Dornishmen's Prince would smile as he spoke,
in a voice that was sweet as a pear,
But the Dornishman's bride had a song of her own,
and were none who'd call it fair.

As he knelt on the ground with all the Realm around,
and the Sour Red on his tongue,
His brothers knelt by him and swore them an oath,
and he smiled and he laughed and he sung,

"Brothers, oh brothers, our wars here are done,
the Dornishman's ended the strife,
But woe be to him, for all men must know,
the Dornishman's taken a wife!"

The Dornishmen's Prince,
'Written' by Sobohp the Malformed (A Bard of little talent, less skill, and no sense.)
to 'honor' Princess Rhaenyra's wedding

(You just know somebody in-universe is dumb enough to make a parody of The Dornishman's Wife. ~~It's me, I'm that dumb~~.)