The Heir of the Dragon: A Rhaenyra Targaryen Quest
Bro is just a loser though.
Loses two kings, has to be saved by a king from the Dornish. Gets his girl stolen by his brother, has to protect and obey his worst brother for the rest of his life, dies for his unworthy King, then gets slandered by said king after death.
Actual bum behavior.
Shapeless Phobos
Filthy Casual
[X] [Title] Rhaenyra The Silver
[X] [Title] Rhaenyra The Dragon Knight
The preeminent example of Targaryen chivalry for years to come will be a lovestruck poet wannabe and I need that.
[X] [Travel] Rhea Royce
[X] [Travel] Steffon Redfort
Let the man fly! Or be a wingman to our wingwoman, that's good too.
[X] [Title] Rhaenyra The Dragon Knight
The preeminent example of Targaryen chivalry for years to come will be a lovestruck poet wannabe and I need that.
[X] [Travel] Rhea Royce
[X] [Travel] Steffon Redfort
Let the man fly! Or be a wingman to our wingwoman, that's good too.
Tabascoheath
Unkempt, Evil-eyed Charlatan, and Pseudo-Mystic
- Location
- Your Nearest Orbital Habitat
[X] [Title] Rhaenyra The Falcon
[X] [Travel] Gwayne Hightower
[X] [Travel] Gwayne Hightower
- Location
- United States
[X] [Title] Rhaenyra The Falcon
[X] [Title] Rhaenyra The Silver
[X] [Travel] Gwayne Hightower
The only people to whom I think it'd actually be bad for us to appear interested in Gwayne are Gwayne and Alicent. Gwayne is a nonissue, since we could clear up any misconception over the flight, and Alicent knows us and her brother well.
Frankly, since one potential outcome of this convo would be that Gwayne agrees to fake a courtship with us to cover for us and Alicent, I think this looking somewhat interested is a good thing. Bu even if you don't want to pursue that course of action, looking somewhat interested is pretty costless. Unless you're saying it could look like our virtue is compromised, but if that's an issue with Gwayne it'd be an issue with everyone else too.
I wasn't against talking to Yonnel or Isembard, or the Manderlys. I wouldn't be against talking to Borros or Tully at some point. But Steffon isn't just not already important, he's IMO already unimportant. He's essentially just guardsmen #16 that we have to do something with at some point for appearances sake. Like, what do the people who want to talk to Steffon want to talk to him about? The only reason I've seen put forward to talk to him is that by the end of the progress we need to have appeared to talk to him, not for it's own sake but to appear like we're not just rewarding our political allies (which we are). Like, this is extreme, but that could be accomplished by sitting in silence for an hour and then saying we talked. I'm not saying we do this because some training or minor vetting would be better, and it takes the same time. But that gives an idea of just how low priority interacting with this guy is.
And also, I might be attributing more significance to dragon rides than other people, but who in ASOIAF are confirmed to have ever rode on a dragon outside of the Targaryen family? There are songs about the time Visenya gave Ronnel Arryn, The King Who Flew, a ride. And we are considering giving guardsmen #16 a ride because he thinks it'd be neat like we're a hang-gliding instructor whose scheduled client canceled on us so we might as well give out a freebie because we have to get down anyway.
[X] [Title] Rhaenyra The Silver
[X] [Travel] Gwayne Hightower
The only people to whom I think it'd actually be bad for us to appear interested in Gwayne are Gwayne and Alicent. Gwayne is a nonissue, since we could clear up any misconception over the flight, and Alicent knows us and her brother well.
Frankly, since one potential outcome of this convo would be that Gwayne agrees to fake a courtship with us to cover for us and Alicent, I think this looking somewhat interested is a good thing. Bu even if you don't want to pursue that course of action, looking somewhat interested is pretty costless. Unless you're saying it could look like our virtue is compromised, but if that's an issue with Gwayne it'd be an issue with everyone else too.
I wasn't against talking to Yonnel or Isembard, or the Manderlys. I wouldn't be against talking to Borros or Tully at some point. But Steffon isn't just not already important, he's IMO already unimportant. He's essentially just guardsmen #16 that we have to do something with at some point for appearances sake. Like, what do the people who want to talk to Steffon want to talk to him about? The only reason I've seen put forward to talk to him is that by the end of the progress we need to have appeared to talk to him, not for it's own sake but to appear like we're not just rewarding our political allies (which we are). Like, this is extreme, but that could be accomplished by sitting in silence for an hour and then saying we talked. I'm not saying we do this because some training or minor vetting would be better, and it takes the same time. But that gives an idea of just how low priority interacting with this guy is.
And also, I might be attributing more significance to dragon rides than other people, but who in ASOIAF are confirmed to have ever rode on a dragon outside of the Targaryen family? There are songs about the time Visenya gave Ronnel Arryn, The King Who Flew, a ride. And we are considering giving guardsmen #16 a ride because he thinks it'd be neat like we're a hang-gliding instructor whose scheduled client canceled on us so we might as well give out a freebie because we have to get down anyway.
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
Rhaenys flew with Lord Corlys when they got engaged and Rhaena Targaryen regularly flew around with all three of her girlfriends though presumbly not at the same time since Dreamfyre's large but not that large.
- Location
- United States
That makes sense. All of those cases are romantic partners, and in the Rhaenys Corlys case, Corlys is a massive deal politically and it's at a major event. Less so in the Rhaena case but at least all of the people she took riding were important to her. I don't think this contradicts the idea that riding with Steffon would seem a bit much.
- Location
- Spain
Besides that we have already won a big Tourment and almost certainly achieved our dream of becoming a true knight, we have a much more manageable schedule on this Royal Progress and we can limit our traing to once a year so that we can do more stuff...
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
REACTION POOST!
Well, it's not really surprising. Lord Manderly's bold, but he's not crazy.
Still, if he wants to make an issue of it, "the better man won today" is something he can't unsay.
>
[X] [Title] Rhaenyra The Dragon Knight
[X] [Title] Rhaenyra The Bold
No disrespect to the canonical and eventual holders of those titles, who fully deserve them... but canon is derailed now, and they may well be butterflied. And I for one fully intend for Rhaenyra to live up to either name.
Rhea might be a good choice too, at least an interesting one.
[X] [Travel] Gwayne Hightower
[X] [Travel] Rhea Royce
[X] [Travel] Steffon Redfort
Damn, I forgot! Wildling women fight, and the North is used to it. Cultural reference point.
Crap.
Well, it's not really surprising. Lord Manderly's bold, but he's not crazy.
Crap. Well, not entirely unexpected. Pity that Criston can't get over himself, no surprise that Unwin doesn't.
Still, if he wants to make an issue of it, "the better man won today" is something he can't unsay.
>
Oh. Oh my.
[X] [Title] Rhaenyra The Dragon Knight
[X] [Title] Rhaenyra The Bold
No disrespect to the canonical and eventual holders of those titles, who fully deserve them... but canon is derailed now, and they may well be butterflied. And I for one fully intend for Rhaenyra to live up to either name.
Honestly, this would be a good opportunity to sound out Gwayne as a potential husband, and it sounds like he's actually interested.
Rhea might be a good choice too, at least an interesting one.
[X] [Travel] Gwayne Hightower
[X] [Travel] Rhea Royce
[X] [Travel] Steffon Redfort
Yeah, that's fair. People discussed that possibility and it was a reasonable one. Personally I thought Manderly might go for it because as noted, he's bold and ambitious and clearly wants to cultivate Rhaenyra as an ally. But that was a 'might,' and I didn't give enough weight to the (very weighty indeed) part where Manderly really REALLY doesn't want to piss off the king.
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- Location
- Spain
I don't really see much of a point with the Gawyne match, if we are willing to renouce to a marriage of love the Velaryon match is so much better politically that it is unfair with everyone else...
Besides that I am pretty sure that Alicent would be prefer basically anyone else rather than his brother to fuck his beloved pricess so that the sucession line is preserved... And let's be honest since each child is also a dragonrider for our side we want to have lots of children...
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
Not only that but at a small Tourney when Queen Alysanne visited White Harbor, they staged a fight between Queen Alysanne's sworn shield and a Wildling woman that one of the Northern Lords had taken as his ward, the fight proved quite popular with the crowd apparently.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
It should be noted that Aemon was, by all accounts, not just a great warrior but the perfect knight, in that he performed the idealized role of the knight as a warrior of honor, dignity, dedication, and so forth perfectly.
It's like the difference between Arthur Dayne and the likes of the Cleganes. Even if the Hound or the Mountain could be relied upon to win in a fight against Ser Arthur (not at all a foregone conclusion of course!), no one in their right mind would seriously contend that they were the better men as opposed to the better swordsmen.
I don't know if Rhaenyra is going to be able to cultivate that reputation for perfect honor, and it may well not even be desirable for her to try given that, well, she's aspiring to become queen. And as Barristan the Bold reflected after his dismissal from the Kingsguard, it's quite possible to be a good knight and a bad monarch.
That's a fair point. I don't think it'd be suspicious since there's still quite a bit of progress to go, but I'll add him to my vote.
[X] [Travel] Steffon Redfort
[X] [Title] Rhaenyra The Dragon Knight
I'm on a personal quest to steal all the cool epithets our descendants would have; so I'm morally obligated to vote for "The Dragon Knight"
(1) It'd piss off Daemon since he has a yee yee ass "Rogue" lame nickname, meanwhile we have a much cooler one at a much younger age
(2) Sounds cool.
(3) That's it
[X] [Title] Rhaenyra The Dragon Knight
I'm on a personal quest to steal all the cool epithets our descendants would have; so I'm morally obligated to vote for "The Dragon Knight"
(1) It'd piss off Daemon since he has a yee yee ass "Rogue" lame nickname, meanwhile we have a much cooler one at a much younger age
(2) Sounds cool.
(3) That's it
And isn't that the greatest reward at all? I want a scene of Rhaenyra and Otto bonding as they plot the downfall of their enemies
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Hrrrm. That... is also a fair point. I dunno.
It would be very good if we could get a sense for how this would play out before we reach the Velaryons' home island.
Though the steps we've already taken that have kiiind of tilted the Velaryons against us and towards Daemon may make the marriage improbable.
Toaster cult
I Am An Imaginary Living Body
- Location
- Tokyo
- Pronouns
- She/Her
honestly a velaryon match is too good its boring, let some spice exist fo us to work with
Aemon didn't even have a dragon to go with his knighthood, he doesn't deserve the nickname.
Prefer Rhea over Gwayne because she gives actual advantages if she can tie down an alliance with a northern house, in addition to probably being minimized as a companion post-Progress.
She'll also double down on the warrior woman vibe we've unveiled so spectacularly in the North. Seems like she would have the most fun interactions with characters we meet.
And in the best case, she'll even make Alicent jealous enough that she's finally willing to ride Syrax.
Gwayne interactions seem like they would come naturally and be synergistic when we start going through the Reach.
Don't see the appeal of marrying Gwayne or 'fake courting' him when we're already so tied together through Alicent and our eventual raising him to Captain of the Gold Cloaks. Since Alicent is our Handmaid and we're expected to spend the majority of our time with her anyway, the pretend dating with her brother just seems unnecessary.
Prefer Rhea over Gwayne because she gives actual advantages if she can tie down an alliance with a northern house, in addition to probably being minimized as a companion post-Progress.
She'll also double down on the warrior woman vibe we've unveiled so spectacularly in the North. Seems like she would have the most fun interactions with characters we meet.
And in the best case, she'll even make Alicent jealous enough that she's finally willing to ride Syrax.
Gwayne interactions seem like they would come naturally and be synergistic when we start going through the Reach.
Don't see the appeal of marrying Gwayne or 'fake courting' him when we're already so tied together through Alicent and our eventual raising him to Captain of the Gold Cloaks. Since Alicent is our Handmaid and we're expected to spend the majority of our time with her anyway, the pretend dating with her brother just seems unnecessary.
- Location
- Spain
That is why I want to go for Harwin, that or try to bring Dorne to the fold 100 yeras before Daeron the Good...
Corlys is ambitious, if he has the chance of putting his blood on the throne he will take it...
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Well, let's hopefully make extra sure to avoid combat situations. Yes, Rhaenyra has just proven she absolutely can take care of herself, but Dad is the king and he said "no more live combat on this progress"
So no sneaking out the gates of the Wall to fight wildlings or anything daft like that.
Maybe a really big dragon like Balerion might be up for it, but that's not really relevant to us. We're lucky Syrax is that big at all, and I gather we may have the "Visenya reborn" option to thank for that.
I think Aemon absolutely deserved it.
Yeah. Aemon spent basically his whole adult life as a knight of the Kingsguard. He went where they sent him, and you can criticize the Kingsguard for "just following orders" mentality but oaths are a big deal in that cultural framework.
Saves king who saved him from the Dornish, it must be said.
More generally, getting the shitty end of the stick and still conducting yourself honorably and living up to your word to the utmost of your ability is one of the definitive archetypes of knighthood. Knighthood isn't really about winning, though you're expected to be hell on wheels in a fight. Knighthood is about following your promises and performing the cultural role, and the people who will go down in history for following their promises are usually the ones who had a really, really understandable reason for breaking those promises.
Also, frankly, I think that on some level I'm not really sure it's even that much of a problem if Rhaenyra has a reputation for occasionally flying off with cute noble boys as long as she doesn't get pregnant and isn't clearly attached to some boytoy without being properly married to him.
Alicent would have had problems, but that's because she'd be riding off with a guy nobody knows and who may not even be a noble- someone who has no reputation and isn't accountable for his actions.
With Gwayne or Steffon? I think maybe it's the "there will be rumors" level, not the "these rumors actually become a problem" level.
I dunno, talking to him might grant an interesting perspective on politics from another angle, or he might turn out to have some potential we could benefit from cultivating?
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Sometimes not even his blood lmao considering the tomfoolery the Velaryons put up with in show canon
Shame this Rhaenyra is as blunt as a Bobby B Warhammer to the face and that Daemon never manages to live long in the Red Keep, otherwise I'd suggest we go the Tywin route with Daemon AKA that one poison that made Tywin unable to shit.
I don't really have beef with Aemon, I want to steal all cool titles equally, but honestly Aemon to me read a bit like a... Jaime that never gave up(?) weirdly enough. It's both impressive and utterly infuriating how he always kept to his vows. Had he killed Aegon IV sneakily, a lot of grief would've been spared. Then again, much like Jaime after serving and then killing Aerys, that would have broke him. Maybe the thing holding him together were his shackles, in the end?
And isn't that the greatest reward at all? I want a scene of Rhaenyra and Otto bonding as they plot the downfall of their enemies
Just picturing a timeline where Otto and Rhaenyra both seethe and shit talk Daemon is way too funny lol
He truly has a way to unite people (against him)
- Pronouns
- They/Them
The good news is that even with the speed of ravens or so on (though I doubt there's a Raven that knows how to go straight from home to Winterfell) we'll probably be out-pacing Dad's messages for a while!