Lucerys Velaryon

Prince Lucerys Velaryon, nicknamed Luke, was a prince of the Targaryen dynasty and the heir to Driftmark following the presumed death of his legal father, Ser Laenor Velaryon. He was the rider of the dragon Arrax.
==Biography==
===Background===
Lucerys is the second son of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Laenor Velaryon, younger brother of Jacaerys Velaryon, and older brother of Joffrey Velaryon. Although presented as legitimate and third-in-line for the Iron Throne, Lucerys and his brothers are in truth bastards fathered by Ser Harwin Strong. Because his older brother Jacaerys will inherit the Iron Throne after their mother, Lucerys is set to inherit Driftmark from their father.
===House of the Dragon: Season 1===
When Rhaenyra and Laenor return to their chambers in the Red Keep with the newborn Joffrey, they find Luke and Jace playing with Harwin. Luke and his brother show them the dragon egg that Luke chose for their new brother. Luke asks to hold Joffrey, but Laenor takes him and Jace back to the Dragonpit instead for their training. At the pit, Luke, Jace, and Aegon pull a joke on the dragonless Aemond by giving him a pig dressed as a dragon and making squealing noises. Luke later trains in arms alongside Jace, Aegon, and Aemond in the Red Keep's courtyard under Ser Criston Cole. Sometime after, Luke is present alongside Rhaenyra, Jace, and infant Joffrey as they see off Ser Harwin Strong, who is departing for his seat at Harrenhal. Luke himself later departs King's Landing along with his mother, brothers, and father for Rhaenyra's seat at Dragonstone.
Luke is present with Rhaenyra, Laenor, Jacaerys, and the rest of the royal family during the funeral of his aunt, Laena Velaryon. During the funeral reception after, his grandfather, Lord Corlys, discusses with Luke on his future succession as Master of Driftmark and Lord of the Tides once his brother, Jace, ascends the Iron Throne. Luke despondently responds to Corlys that he does not want to rule Driftmark, reasoning that when he becomes Lord of Driftmark, it would mean that "everyone is dead."
Later that evening, Luke accompanies Jace, Baela, and Rhaena as they confront Aemond returning from riding Vhagar, Baela and Rhaena's mother's dragon. When they begin fighting Aemond after he hurls insults at them, Luke joins the fight after his brother is punched to the ground, only for Luke himself to be punched in the face by Aemond, breaking his nose. Despite this, Jace manages to push Aemond to the ground, and he, Baela, and Rhaena begin to pummel Aemond. Aemond nevertheless manages to escape and when Luke attempts to engage Aemond again, he is grabbed by the throat by Aemond, who brandishes a rock to hit him with, threatening to burn Luke alive just like his father, before calling Luke and Jace bastards. This prompts Jace to unsheathe a knife and attack him, but Aemond dodges him before hitting him in the head with the rock. As Aemond prepares to strike Jace again, Jace blinds him with sand before Luke grabs the dropped knife and slashes Aemond in the left eye. The commotion attracts the attention of Lord Commander Harrold Westerling and other members of the Kingsguard, including Ser Criston, ordering the children to cease fighting.
The children are brought to the Hall of Nine, where King Viserys angrily demands to know from the Kingsguard how this happened, while Aemond's eye is tended to by Maester Kelvyn as Corlys, Rhaenys, Rhaenyra, and Daemon enter the hall. As the children begin arguing on who was responsible for the fight, Viserys orders them into silence, before demanding the truth from Aemond. Queen Alicent comments on what more can be said since Aemond was maimed by Luke. Rhaenyra states in the defense of her children that it was a regrettable accident, that her sons were only defending themselves, and that vile accusations of their parentage were uttered. When Viserys asks what insults were said, Jace states that Aemond called him and Luke bastards. Viserys demands for Aemond to tell him the truth on where he heard these rumors, with Aemond replying that Aegon told him. When Viserys questions Aegon on where he heard the rumors, Aegon simply states that everyone knows based on Luke's and Jace's unusual Targaryen appearance.
Viserys furiously demands that the children make peace with another, as they are family, but Alicent declares this insufficient. She proceeds to demand that in exchange for Aemond's eye, Lucerys must lose an eye as well. Viserys shuts the idea down, but Alicent insists that if Viserys will not seek justice, she as queen will, ordering Ser Criston to bring her one of Luke's eyes, shocking Luke and the assembled court. Viserys once again urges Alicent to cease, but as he walks away, Alicent grabs Viserys's Valyrian steel dagger and attempts to carry out the punishment herself, frightening Luke and sending the room into uproar. Rhaenyra moves to stop her and protect Luke, suffering a wound on her left arm in the process.
The following day, Luke and Jace are present with Rhaenyra as her arm is sown by Maester Kelvyn. When Laenor enters the room asking what had happened, Kelvyn states that Luke's broken nose is the worst to have occurred. Rhaenyra then dismisses Kelvyn followed by both Luke and Jace, claiming that the two have caused enough trouble as it is.
Sometime after the incident with Aemond and his father's alleged murder, Luke is present alongside Jace, Baela, and Rhaena for the wedding of Rhaenyra and Daemon at Dragonstone.
Six years later, Luke travels with his family to King's Landing to defend his claim to Driftmark, as Lord Corlys has been severely wounded in the Stepstones. Corlys's brother Vaemond, backed by the Hightowers who rule in the name of the bedridden Viserys, seeks to take Driftmark for himself, believing he is Corlys's heir due to Laenor's death and Luke's illegitimacy. He and Jace go to the training yard. Growing uncomfortable at the many stares he and his brother are getting, Luke whispers that none of this would be happening if he didn't look like Harwin Strong. Jace tells him that it doesn't matter what other people think. The two then see Aemond sparring with Criston Cole and go to watch. When Aemond wins the duel, he mockingly asks if they have come to train. A potential fight is prevented by Vaemond's arrival.
Rhaenyra talks to Rhaenys in the Red Keep's godswood, where she proposes that Jace and Luke should be betrothed to Baela and Rhaena, to further strengthen the alliance between the Targaryens and Velaryons.
Luke is defended at the hearing over his inheritance by Rhaenyra, Rhaenys, who has agreed to the marriage proposals, and to the surprise of all, King Viserys himself. Vaemond loudly declares the bastardy of Rhaenyra's children, causing Daemon to decapitate him.
At dinner that night, Luke can't help but laugh when Aemond is served a roast pig, reminding him of the prank that he pulled with Aegon and Jace. Aemond responds by mockingly toasting the boys as "strong." Jace punches Aemond when he says it again. Luke tries to help him, but Aegon comes up from behind and slams his head into the table. Daemon intervenes, forcing his stepsons and his nephews to back down, while Rhaenyra decides to take her family back to Dragonstone that night.
Days later, Luke asks Rhaenyra if Corlys is going to die, saying that Vaemond was right in being the better heir to Driftmark. Corlys is the best sailor alive, but Luke grew up on Dragonstone and is very prone to sea sickness, which makes him think that he will ruin House Velaryon. Rhaenyra comforts him by saying that she was named heir to the Iron Throne at his age and was also nervous, but in time she earned her inheritance. When Ser Lorent Marbrand informs Rhaenyra of Rhaeny's arrival on dragonback, Rhaenyra sends her son off.
Luke goes out to train with Jace on the beach under the tuition of Ser Steffon Darklyn, but Rhaenys arrives with news of a Hightower coup in King's Landing that has crowned Aegon in the wake of King Viserys's death. Rhaenyra summons them to her bedchamber, where they arrive to see that she is prematurely giving birth to their half-sister, Visenya. After she tells them of Viserys's death and Aegon's coronation, they are both sent out of the room.
At Visenya's funeral, Luke witnesses Ser Erryk Cargyll deliver the crown of Viserys to Rhaenyra, and joins the others in kneeling to her as their queen.
Later, as Rhaenyra tries to firmly establish alliances with the great houses, Jace and Luke volunteer as messengers. Rhaenyra decides to send Luke to Storm's End to treat with Lord Borros Baratheon. Before they leave, Rhaenyra tells Luke not to get into any fights and that Lord Borros shares blood with him through Rhaenys; he should receive a warm welcome. He leaves Dragonstone on his dragon Arrax and flies south.
Luke arrives at Storm's End and lands in the courtyard. He is frightened to see Vhagar on the other side of the castle, meaning that Aemond arrived before him. He approaches the guards at the door and introduces himself. Brought to the main hall, Luke delivers his mother's message to Lord Borros. The Lord of Storm's End is insulted by the wording, and asks Lucerys which of his daughters he will wed, as Aemond has already secured the Baratheons' support by promising to marry Floris Baratheon. Luke responds that he is already betrothed. Borros tells him to go home in response. As he is leaving, Aemond gets his attention and tries to provoke him, asking if he thought he could conspire to steal Aegon's throne without cost. When Luke says that he will not fight, Aemond responds that he doesn't want him to, and takes off his eyepatch to reveal that he has placed a sapphire in the empty socket. He demands that Luke cut out one of his eyes as payment and throws him a dagger. When Luke refuses, Aemond charges to take out the eye himself. Lord Borros stops the fighting by reminding Aemond of Luke's status as an envoy, insisting he won't allow bloodshed between them under his roof, before ordering his guards to escort Luke out of the castle.
Luke finds Arrax in a state of great distress. After looking around for Vhagar and finding nothing, he calms Arrax and the two fly off into a severe thunderstorm. Luke soon hears the roars of Vhagar, and finds himself fleeing from the ancient dragon as Aemond has followed him to claim his debt. Luke steers Arrax into a ravine to lose them, but he loses control of his panicked dragon, who blasts Vhagar in the head with dragonflame. As Aemond struggles to regain control over his enraged dragon, Luke and Arrax fly up above the storm. As Luke is looking around for his pursuer, Vhagar emerges from the clouds and bites into Arrax. As she crushes the much smaller dragon in half with a single bite, Luke is devoured whole.
Daemon informs Rhaenyra of her son's death. Consumed by grief, Rhaenyra puts aside any doubts she had about going to war.
==Quotes==
===Spoken by Lucerys===
===Spoken about Lucerys===
==Family==
===Biological paternal===
===Legal paternal===
===Maternal===
==Behind the scenes==
In The Dance of Dragons, Lucerys is pronounced with a hard (c), like the (k) in his nickname Luke. In House of the Dragon, his name is consistently pronounced with a soft (c).
==In the books==
In Fire & Blood, Lucerys Velaryon was the second son of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and her first husband Ser Laenor Velaryon. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and a pug nose. Considered strong and strapping, he was skilled at arms.
The encounter between Lucerys, Aemond, and their respective dragons ended with the deaths of Lucerys and Arrax. Arrax fell, broken, to be swallowed by the storm-lashed waters of the bay. His head and neck washed up beneath the cliffs below Storm's End three days later, to make a feast for crabs and seagulls. Lucerys's body, however, was never found.
There are several versions of Lucerys's fate:
*According to Mushroom, his corpse washed up beneath the cliffs below Storm's End, and Aemond cut out his eyes and presented them to Maris Baratheon on a bed of seaweed; Archmaester Gyldayn considers this version excessive.
*Vhagar snatched Lucerys off his dragon's back and swallowed him whole.
*He survived his fall, swam to safety, but lost all memory of who he was, spending the rest of his days as a simple-minded fisherman.
*According to Munkun, all the aforementioned versions are nonsense; Lucerys simply died with his dragon.
With Luke's death, the war of ravens and envoys and marriage pacts came to an end, and the war of fire and blood began in earnest.
==Appearances==
* 
*
*
*
* 
*
==References==
===Notes===
==External links==
* 
*
Category:Bastards
Category:Black Council
Category:Crownlanders
Category:Dragonriders
Category:Individuals appearing in House of the Dragon
Category:Individuals from The Dance of Dragons
Lucerys Velaryon
Lucerys Velaryon
Category:Princes
de:Lucerys Velaryon
es:Lucerys Velaryon/House of the Dragon
it:Lucerys Velaryon
nl:Lucerys Velaryon
pl:Lucerys Velaryon
pt-br:Lucerys Velaryon
ru:Люцерис Веларион
uk:Люсеріс Веларіон
zh:路斯里斯·瓦列利安(雷妮拉之子)