The Heir of the Dragon: A Rhaenyra Targaryen Quest
- Thread starter Teen Spirit
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And I'm gonna close votes now
Omegahugger
Inattentive Idiot
Oh my what a shocking result.
Why do I have the feeling these two are going to be very teenagers about this?
They have read entirely too many storybooks and are gonna larp the *hell* out of them as much as humanly possible.
The thing about Gwayne is true. If it's show-Gwayne, he also raised Daeron himself so he'd be a good dad, bottom-line. On one hand if he's willing he'd be about the best beard to protect Alicent since it's his dear sister and so her being close to us wouldn't be as suspicious. On the other hand, the Hightower themselves could be brought in with Alicent provided Otto realizes Rhaenyra is madly in love with Alicent. I'm banking on his sheer ambitiousness to bypass the fact his daughter is in the most sapphic relationship ever with the princess.
I wouldn't mind Forrest if he's characterized similar to how he's in that Tanya fic, he was rather endearing. The Riverlands are a great place to have a foothold in and the Frey themselves basically control a vital point armies gotta pass through so it evens out with the fact the Freys aren't the Lord Paramounts.
Harwin would bring Harrenhal, and his dad's also on the council IIRC unless I'm misremembering the timeline on if he was already a member before he became Hand, so it'd be a good thing to have him in our pocket even if he's Hand only in the possible future. Harwin is canonically a good love interest who was loyal to Rhaenyra, iirc he was a good dad to Jace and co within what was possible and yet the kids still turned out like the most stable so he and Rhaenyra were doing something right I suppose. The problem is that this makes it so taking care of Larys is more urgent if we don't want to end up a widow or for our fiance to have a sudden and unfortunate death.
The North doesn't really have any eligible people since Cregan was born on 108 A.C, so Rickon, his dad, is likely already married as he was born on 96 A.C. going by book dates, obviously we won't marry somebody from the Iron Islands, and the Vale is at least secured for this one generation since we've got blood ties + Jeyne likes us, probably even more so if we try to help with her issues right now.
As for the other choices, Baratheon is indeed an option I believe but honestly I'm not feeling too hot about it. I'd like to at least stablish rapport in a "I consider you kin" way since in canon they felt snubbed by Rhaenys. Otherwise, I'd really rather not.
Same with Jason, Borros may have a temper but he could be tolerable with great deal of patience, with Jason I fear Rhaenyra might actually smother him with a pillow on their wedding night, not to mention how he'd be likely the worst option to help us hide a possible Alicent relationship.
There's also that other one, but as mentioned, it'd risk alienating like half the kingdoms.
Finally, there's Laenor. From a political POV, he's the best. A Dragonrider, comes with a huge fleet, lots of wealth, all the works. The problem is that he's, of course, as gay as Rhaenyra or maybe even more, so the question of heirs is up in the air. If Rhaenyra wasn't a romantic, I'd suggest in a true Game of Thrones fashion that she instead bedded like, Corlys or whichever of the other Velaryons to get them kids the Velaryon looks, but alas, that'd likely stress out Rhaenyra a lot.
Unless Laenor was secretly bi and just no Westeros woman scratched his particular niche, but that's too good to be true. Honestly aside from the materialistic support I don't know he'd actually fare in a "actually helping Rhaenyra make connections and manage the Realm" way.
I agree in that the best options would either be the Riverlands or Laenor for the sheer amount of support he brings even with all the downsides;
I'd love to bring in the Lannisters as a pretty hefty counterweight to the Westerlings if only Jason wasn't an utter cunt, which makes it a shame Tyland isn't the Lord Paramount since IIRC in canon even after the torture he was a good dude towards Aegon III, unless we can stage an unfortunate case of death for Jason, in which case Tyland wouldn't be nearly as bad as an option.
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Where does that idea of marrying heirs come from, let alone Great House heirs? That would be a political disaster. The lines must be continued separately. We must be looking for a non-heir, unless there are really great overriding reasons speaking for that guy (like Laenor has, IMO - but of course also additional downsides). But Jason and Borros are right out just because they are in fact heirs.
Clearly this means Rhaenyra must marry a Bolton. (Jk)
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Would he be okay with his daughter being madly in love with but not married to a crown prince? Is he going to consider the mutual affections of a couple or teenagers with nothing to show for it the bedrock for an alliance? "But [he] really loves me, I'm different" is the cope of every royal mistress in history - right up until the king becomes bored or they become politically inconvenient. Unless there is actually a marriage between us and the Hightowers, Otto would be right to consider everything to be built on sand.
I feel like relying on characterization from a fanfic is a bad idea until we meet him and actually get a read on him. Although in fairness we don't hear about any drama between him and Sabitha in canon. And the Vyprens are a lesser house then the Frey's, I assume, so he could have started shit but didn't. Also he's a romance option, so he's probably into warrior women.
His dad is on the council (Master of Laws). Harrenhal is a white elephant though, and Larys is a real problem.
I'd like to point out that the Laenor marriage in book canon likely netted like -1 marriage alliances. Because Rhaenyra's kids weren't Laenor's, which meant that not only was the iron throne not going to have someone with Velayron blood on it, but Driftmark wasn't either, which required betrothing both Jace & Baela and Luke & Rhaena to fix. When otherwise those marriages could have gone to like Storm's End.
In show!canon Corlys might have been cool with it, but in show!canon Laenor wanted to run off to Essos with his bf.
From the perspective of a marriage alliance with the Velayrons, it might be wiser to betroth our kids and Laenor or Laena's kids.
I think marrying non-heirs is probably preferable, so Tyland seems like a reasonable option. I think a mark against this though is that there's the least evidence he would be okay with us having an affair. Being an upstanding person doesn't mean someone will be okay with an open marriage or your wife cheating.
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In regards to Forrest, I'm just saying it however I do understand it's unreasonable to expect an across the board 1:1 same depiction from different authors when it's such a minor character. Kinda just hoping, I guess.
And yes, that's why I mentioned that marrying Harwin would mean immediately making actions to IC make Rhaenyra realize Larys hates him. I dunno if he'd kill him before the wedding comes or if in canon he did it because he was even more pissed off about the whole Strong Boys deal
I know about Laenor, IIRC him and Rhaenyra did try but it didn't really work. We could finagle a three person deal to see if that works but I shan't speak more of those ideas here lol.
There's, of course, other options such as bearing the sons from a cousin and passing them off as his instead of whatever possessed OG Rhaenyra have Harwin as the father, but again, this runs the risk of them running their mouth about the parentage.
In canon Jason stood by his brother's side since Tyland was favoured by the Greens in the council, so unless the Queen gets the idea to marry a Westerling to Jason if we marry Tyland, then the Westerlings would be in an awkward position in Court or when the inevitable succession war comes knocking. So yeah, marrying Tyland is an option. Problem is, as you said, that Tyland was an upstanding dude in canon who was mutilated, gelded, blinded and still didn't say where the money was sent. Can't say dude wasn't loyal; he even was kind to Aegon III, son of the woman who tortured him and left him a cripple that had to hide his face with a hood. Who knows if he'd be similarly steadfast in a relationship and dislike us having an affair
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Temes1066
To Defy Gravity you must Let It Go
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- Coleraine
I don't think there is need to kill Jason, as long as he provides support for his brother King-Consort Tyland
Yeah, Harwin would probably be a good choice, if we didn't have to worry about Daemon, the Velaryons and the Westerling supporters
Yeah, Larys is a creepy problem. Does anyone know his motives for his actions?
That is idea is crazy, and would piss a lot of people off but it could work from a purely romantic perspective.
I have an idea, we encourage Laenor to run off with Joffrey Lonmouth, then promise to wed one of our children (either by Harwin or Tyland) to one of Laena's to keep the Velaryons onside. Which should stop any civil wars as long as Daemon doesn't pull any antics.
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Fundamentally a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Otto attempting to marry off Allicent risks any gains from having the lady love of the future ruler on the Iron Throne in exchange for... what, exactly? What match would exactly defray the risk. This is a dude who dressed his daughter up in his wife's dress as soon as the body of the King's wife had finished cooling and sent her to talk to him.
And now he's going to show caution and tact and not value a close relationship with the throne??
And now he's going to show caution and tact and not value a close relationship with the throne??
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Aren't Laena and Laenor twins in the show?
So if we marry Laenor... to avoid messing up the Driftmark succession, couldn't Laena be named the Velaryon successor with royal approval?
Since they are just as Valyrian as our House, the same exemption from Andal succession rules would apply. Though Corlys would probably still be pretty skeptical about that notion....
So if we marry Laenor... to avoid messing up the Driftmark succession, couldn't Laena be named the Velaryon successor with royal approval?
Since they are just as Valyrian as our House, the same exemption from Andal succession rules would apply. Though Corlys would probably still be pretty skeptical about that notion....
Also Cursed Harrenhal, its kinda a thing.
Just piss him off by saying "Lord Jason and his More Handsome Half" in the future lol
Tyland is, as far as I know, not a Romance option so we'd really have to see since that's like Top Priority for Rhaenyra.
I always thought it was a bit like Aemond's issues with Aegon— younger brother who thinks they'd be better than their brother at ruling if only they were given the chance and resources the older was given by virtue of being born first (or in Larys' case, by being born healthy)
He was probably pissed off that Harwin in his eyes squandered his yearned-for position as Heir by fathering bastards on the princess and thus affecting their house, plus just in general jealous and possibly resentment for any teasing/childhood bullying from other people or even inadvertently Harwin when growing up.
His self-esteem issues are even evident in the way he makes Alicent pay for his services in canon. I personally think he doesn't have a foot fetish so much as he has severe self-worth and self-image issues paired with the fetish (or rather, desperate need) to humiliate and tear down people to his level. SA makes the body the scene of the crime, and so by doing that to Alicent he makes her ashamed of her feet just as he's ashamed of his; simply by making them, something she can't just take off, a reminder of something that can't be fixed.
TL;DR in other news, Larys is a creep
Temes1066
To Defy Gravity you must Let It Go
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- Coleraine
Lord Lyonel Strong served as Master of Laws prior to elevation as Hand but he was only elevated to the position of Hand because Otto wouldn't stop hectoring Viserys about the succession, which wouldn't happen here as Otto would (probably) prefer us rather than some Westerling kid.
Get rid of Larys pronto even if we don't marry Harwin, got it.
Alicent can't resist Muscle Mommy Rhaenyra.
Next time, someone compares us to Visenya; We have claim its untrue because we are much more beautiful than Visenya ever was.
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I think all the marriage options besides Laenor would need more investigation and conversations first. We know both the advantages and drawbacks with Laenor.
I think Laenor & Gwayne are the ones where we might plausibly have a reason for an emergency marriage or betrothal. Laenor if we need to change our Velayron relationship in a hurry. Like if Viserys dies tomorrow and Daemon is stopping off at Driftmark to marry Laena before heading here. Gwayne if Otto learns about us and Alicent and doesn't view it as a positive thing, and freaks and tries to pull Alicent from KL, or views it as leverage and tries to use the threat of pulling Alicent from KL to force the match himself, or we need to lock in the Hand's support for something.
Because of that, I think Gwayne's the one that needs scoping out first, not just his opinion but Alicent's. If we marry Forrest or Harwin or Tyland it'll likely be after careful consideration of suitors, but we could find ourselves with an option to marry Gwayne in order to defuse some issue before having got his or Alicent's thoughts.
I think we probably shouldn't assume Otto prefers us to unborn Westerling son at this point. In canon he viewed Rhaenyra as a not-Daemon placeholder until Viserys had a son, and I don't think one of exchange of favors would tilt that, and we don't know if our rapport with Alicent would change that without any firm marriage alliance. Entirely possible he vaguely prefers a son at this point just from a general peace and acceptability to the realm standpoint.
I think Laenor & Gwayne are the ones where we might plausibly have a reason for an emergency marriage or betrothal. Laenor if we need to change our Velayron relationship in a hurry. Like if Viserys dies tomorrow and Daemon is stopping off at Driftmark to marry Laena before heading here. Gwayne if Otto learns about us and Alicent and doesn't view it as a positive thing, and freaks and tries to pull Alicent from KL, or views it as leverage and tries to use the threat of pulling Alicent from KL to force the match himself, or we need to lock in the Hand's support for something.
Because of that, I think Gwayne's the one that needs scoping out first, not just his opinion but Alicent's. If we marry Forrest or Harwin or Tyland it'll likely be after careful consideration of suitors, but we could find ourselves with an option to marry Gwayne in order to defuse some issue before having got his or Alicent's thoughts.
I think we probably shouldn't assume Otto prefers us to unborn Westerling son at this point. In canon he viewed Rhaenyra as a not-Daemon placeholder until Viserys had a son, and I don't think one of exchange of favors would tilt that, and we don't know if our rapport with Alicent would change that without any firm marriage alliance. Entirely possible he vaguely prefers a son at this point just from a general peace and acceptability to the realm standpoint.
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[X] Kiss her on the hand, offer to be the Knight to her Lady.
Gotta embody the chivalric ideal of romance, yeah?
Edit: Seems like I was late to the party, lol. Don't mind me!
Gotta embody the chivalric ideal of romance, yeah?
Edit: Seems like I was late to the party, lol. Don't mind me!
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I will note he viewed Rhaenyra as that because he was angling to have Alicent marry Viserys. It is kind of hard to overstate how much Otto's desire to see him and his family in power colors his actions and words through out HotD season 1.
Temes1066
To Defy Gravity you must Let It Go
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- Coleraine
Unborn "Westerlings" is important to note, Otto (probably) doesn't want Westerlander Lords taking over, he doesn't benefit from it.
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The son would only be a Westerling as much as we're an Arryn. Unless Otto has some connection with the Arryns or rivalry with the Westerlings, he has no reason to prefer us to the son on that grounds - or vice versa.
Temes1066
To Defy Gravity you must Let It Go
- Location
- Coleraine
Westerland Houses are a growing power at court, and who will they be taking power from; that's right Otto Hightower.
So by backing us, Otto preservers the power of House Hightower at court.
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Turn 6: Results Part III
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Turn 6: Results Part III
You wanted this, you realized. You wanted her. Her love, her warmth, her hands on your face once more. Your heart was hammering in your chest from that kiss. Part of you wanted to do nothing more than return Alicent's affection twofold and kiss her right back. But you knew her. You knew that would just sour things.
Even if Alicent accepted such a bold action, she was a true lady. There was a proper protocol to winning the heart of a lady, particularly for an aspiring knight such as yourself.
You approached her and she almost recoiled as she stared back at you with the oddest mix of fear and longing you had ever seen. Taking her hand carefully and kneeling down slightly, you planted a gentle kiss on the top of her hands as you held her.
"What are you doing?" Alicent asked, clearly confused by your actions.
"Expressing my affections for such a lovely lady as any aspiring knight should," you replied with a clear grin across your face.
Alicent, to your surprise, laughed at this. Not mockingly. Her laughter was almost musical to your ears and you could see the tension melting from your shoulders.
"If you're mocking me, it's not very funny," her inability to stop laughing undermining her point.
"I am serious," you assured her. "A lady such as yourself should have dozens of knights composing ballads, writing poems, and fighting for even the chance for you to give them the smallest crumb of your affection."
"I want what you want," you went on as you stood, meeting her gaze. "I want for us to always be at each others sides. I want to win your heart. I want to be your knight. But I want to do this the right way."
Alicent let out a small gasp, her big brown eyes wet with tears.
"Do you mean that, truly?"
"Every word," you replied confidently. "I want you watching when I spar. I want to feel your hands upon my cheek again. But I know I need to earn such affection."
"I'm not sure there is a right way to do of what you speak," Alicent said, nervousness creeping into her voice. "If people see us-"
"They will see two friends enjoying each other's company," you again assured her. "They will think we are being silly perhaps, but nothing more. And if we ever want anything more intimate, that will be for us and those we trust alone."
Tales of knightly romance were a complex thing. Some were clearly chaste, a knight pining for a lady he could never have, while some were clearly romantic and with all that entailed. You very much did not want the former and it was obvious that Alicent did not want it either.
"I-I," she hesitated, "I think we can make this work, as absurd as it sounds."
"When is romance ever not absurd?" you replied, earning a smile from her.
"Very well," Alicent replied, the knot within her seemingly undone at long last. "But if you're going to do this, I want you to do it properly like any knight would. I want poetry and songs and crowns of flowers in my hair. Can you do that?"
"Nothing would please me more, my lady," you smiled, while Alicent was beaming at your words.
"Excellent," she said, her face red from blushing.
She reached into a pocket and pulled out a white handkerchief, trimmed with bright green and embroidered with a single A.
"Now it mayhaps isn't quite proper to simply give this, but I believe you've more than earned this, my aspiring knight," she said as she placed the token of her affection in your hands. "I ask you keep it on you, hidden and safe, while you train and fight, so that I might always be close."
"I shall," your heart fluttered from her new name for you.
You felt relief and joy, mixed with a small twinge of terror. You had long wanted a romantic relationship and you had found one in a place you never expected with your friend Alicent. It wasn't your dream, wasn't love just yet. You knew she loved you as a friend just as you loved her, but that wasn't the same as romantic love. That would take time.
A romantic relationship with another girl, even one dressed up in chivalry and courtly romance, would not be an easy thing. If the court found out, there would be scandal. But the risk was worth it. You knew it was more than worth it for the chance to win Alicent's heart.
-2 Stress
Achievement Unlocked: First Sparks
- You Have Begun a Romantic Relationship.
Achievement Unlocked: The Knight and the Lady
- You have begun a Knightly Romance with Alicent Hightower.
Relationship with Alicent Hightower Dramatically Improved
New Status: The Beginnings of Something More
New Actions Unlocked
Your training largely stayed the same as it was, though the weeks that followed would be particularly in depth and intense. Hours would be spent in the yard, and sometimes you all but collapsed from exhaustion when you returned to your quarters afterwards. But clear results were showing. You could feel your swings going faster and hitting harder. And when you dueled with Ser Tarly, you came away the victor about as many times as he did, with most of your fights effectively ending in draws.
This caught your Sworn Shield's attention. At first you were worried he might be growing resentful that a girl not even half of his age was fighting him to a draw, but then he surprised you one day by walking out onto the training yard with another knight of the Kingsguard, Ser Steffon Darklyn.
Darklyn was a true knight. Despite being heir to Duskendale he had accepted the white cloak without hesitation when the Old King offered it in his last years. He was always kind to you as well.
"We are basically matching each other," Ser Tarly explained. "I need to know if that's because we are equal in skill or because I have grown familiar with how you fight. So, for today, Ser Steffon has agreed to take my place and duel you"
Ser Steffon nodded, looking calm and collected.
That surprised you, mainly because you had assumed no one else in the Kingsguard would be willing to train you, let alone duel.
"I thank you, Ser, for giving me this opportunity," you replied.
"The honor is mine, Princess," Steffon replied, seemingly showing little issue with the prospect of fighting a girl.
You expected a repeat of your introduction to Ser Tarly, perhaps something along the lines of your fight with the Mallister knight. You would give a better show than anyone expected but in the end you would lose.
What happened next took everyone off guard.
Steffon charged at you, striking with his training sword. You turned the blade away and then struck back, and you struck back hard. Far harder than Ser Steffon had expected. The two of you clashed for a while longer but it was clear the knight was not prepared for your speed to be matched with such strength.
After a flew blows, the unthinkable happened as Darklyn's sword hit the gravel, the sound of a dull blade striking the rocks somehow almost deafening to your ears.
The two of you stared in disbelief, you hands shaking as you struggled to maintain your grip. Those watching had gone silent and even Alicent seemed stunned.
You had just beaten a member of the Kingsguard. Not only that, but you had won handily against him.
Ser Tarly's screaming laughter broke the spell over the yard, the man grasping Ser Steffon by the shoulders.
"Did I not tell you?!" he exclaimed. "Did I not tell you she was magnificent?!"
"I was not expecting her to be so skilled, or so strong," Steffon said, almost numb from surprise. "Quite strong indeed. You trained her well, Tarly."
"Thank you," he replied. "Though she was clearly a natural fighter even when I found her."
A few people in the crowd began to clap, a couple even cheered. You weren't sure if the cheers were real. You weren't sure if any of this was real.
You weren't even six and ten. How did you defeat a knight of your father's Kingsguard?
"Of course, now the real problem is I need to find more people for her to spar with," Ser Tarly said with a broad smile. "It's clear I've grown too used to her fighting style."
You barely said anything as the two knights talked, your eyes focused on your training blade, the blade that had just brought you victory. You felt proud, beyond proud, you had just proven your skills to someone beyond your sworn shield. Your talents were sure to be noticed now, for better or worse.
Still, you knew this was far from the end of things. You had proven the last nearly two years of on and off intense training was paying off, but you still had room to grow, and you needed to find a way to prove yourself beyond the training yards.
Your Prowess has Noticeably Improved
New Actions Unlocked
"I need a dress," you replied, earning a smile from your father, "One that's preferably suited for travel and the outdoors as well, as I wish to take part in a Royal progress as well."
"A progress?" Viserys said hesitantly. "It's been quite a while since I did one of those, and I'm not sure if I'm up for one."
"I have not left the Crownlands since you named me heir," you pushed. "If I am to one day rule, I need to establish myself to the lords of this realm and get a better understanding of the Kingdoms that one day will be sworn to me."
It was Seven Kingdoms after all, not just King's Landing and Dragonstone. You needed to build up some sort of relationship with the lords if you were to have any chance of your rule being accepted without violence.
"That is quite true," Viserys accepted your logic. "The realm should get a chance to meet it's future Queen. I'll leave preparations up to you and Lord Beesbury will provide you with whatever coin you need."
"Thank you," you replied with a nod. "I appreciate that greatly."
"I urge you keep care of how you present yourself while you're out there," your father cautioned. "For many this will be the first time they've even seen the Crown Princess. Be sure to make a good first impression."
"I will do my best," you replied.
He was probably urging you to not dress in armor and go around punching any misbehaving boys you came across. You couldn't quite bring yourself to promising not to do either of those things.
"And you will be at least ten and six by the time this occurs," he went on. "To many lords this will mean you will be almost an adult. There will be marriage offers, many of them. I could not shield you from all of them even if I tried my best. Be sure to treat them all with grace and dignity, and give them some thought. You may find some as special as Aemma was out there."
You bit your tongue at that, not wanting to discuss your building relationship with Alicent just yet with your father.
"I-" you hesitated, "I will try, father. I promise."
The prospect of marriage did not scare you as much as it might have once had, but it still left you with a deep burning pit in your stomach. You did not want to marry so soon, and the thought of hundreds of lords all trying to force you into a marriage built on political gain instead of love left you wanting to vomit. But a royal progress simply offered too much for you in too many different ways for you to just give up on the idea just to avoid the unwanted offers.
And mayhaps you would get lucky and find some man out there who would accept your new relationship with Alicent. That wasn't love, but it was tolerable.
New Actions Unlocked
QM's Note: Had originally planned to make this part of the interlude but I am moving soon so I am not sure how much time I will have to work on this for the rest of the month. So, I wanted to make sure this bit at least was out while I still had time. Apologies for the lack of things to vote on. Also yes, this has unlocked a lot of actions.
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Very interesting...
@Teen Spirit just to know is Rhaenyra right here, if we had kissed her back in full strength, would we have scared her away?
And what if we went for the kiss in the cheek option?