Jaehaerys Targaryen (Lord Tywin's Gift)

## Jaehaerys Targaryen

Prince **Jaehaerys Targaryen**, also known as the **King of Fools**, is a member of House Targaryen and the younger brother of King Rhaegar I Targaryen. He is married to Lady Cersei Lannister and has three children with her.

## Appearance and Character

During his infancy Jaehaerys suffered from a persistent illness, something that plagued him all his life. He never grew strong like most Targaryen's were able to, nor was he particularly bright as his father focused more on his stronger younger brother Viserys.

Jaehaerys wasn't a particularly attractive man, his face was gaunt with deep purple bags under his eyes. His skin was pallid and his eyes were a piercing lilac colour, so much so some felt uncomfortable when he looked at them, feeling he looked through them more than at them. In contrast to his unattractive appearance Jaehaerys was rarely found without a smile on his face, finding joy in even the smallest things.

Jaehaerys spent much of his youth with the servants of the Red Keep, in particular a fool who was able to entertain him greatly. While his father grew increasingly distant in favour of his young brother, Jaehaerys' mother Rhaella provided for him by bringing an increasingly large number of fools to the Keep so as to keep him amused. This earned the young Prince much private ridicule and he became known as the King of Fools by many.

## History

### Early Life

Jaehaerys was born in 274 AC to King Aerys II Targaryen and Queen Rhaella Targaryen. He was their second son and their first living child since 259 AC when Jaehaery's older brother Prince Rhaegar was born. His birth brought much joy to the King who had had a rising madness beset him.

Soon after his birth the young Prince's health began failing and at one point it appeared he would succumb to his illness and perish. However the baby miraculously recovered enough to survive, though he would be consistently effected by a weak physicality and illnesses all his life.

As Jaehaerys grew older it became apparent to all around him that he suffered from mental deficiencies, it took him much longer to learn how to walk, read and even toilet training was a struggle. One day in 280 AC the King overheard a courtier mocking the boy and who said the Prince should squire for the fool who returned with Lord Steffon Baratheon from Essos. Said courtier was burned that night alive by wildfire and the man he'd been talking to had his tongue cut out so he couldn't repeat it.

Despite this Jaehaerys' simple nature became increasingly difficult to hide from the court and so he was withdrawn from the public eye, only Aerys' most trusted allies were allowed near the boy and the Hand of the King Steffon Baratheon agreed to take the young Prince on as a page. The Baratheon Lord was kind to Jaehaerys, and indeed he encouraged his fool to entertain the Prince.

At the age of eight in 282 AC the realm descended into civil war with Jaehaerys' brother Prince Rhaegar fighting against their father Aerys II and the claimant Robert Baratheon for the throne. The King was kidnapped by Rhaegar early into the war and not long after the Prince's forces captured King's Landing.

Once the war was over Jaehaerys was betrothed to Cersei Lannister as part of the agreement made before the war between Rhaegar and Lord Tywin Lannister of Casterly Rock for the Westerlands support. Rhaegar, who hadn't seen much of Jaehaerys since his birth, was shocked at the mental deficiencies his brother had and in a similar fashion to their father he kept the young Prince hidden from the court - especially Lord Tywin.

### King of Fools

The fool Lord Steffon Baratheon had brought to King's Landing remained after the war and became increasingly close to Jaehaerys as he became more and more isolated even within his own family. The young Viserys was sent to Storm's End to squire for Lord Robert Baratheon, Princess Rhaella focused on raising her newborn daughter Daenerys and King Rhaegar simply ignored Jaehaerys.

As the young Prince ventured further out of his quarters with the fool Patchface the court once again began talking about his condition and association with the jester. He gradually became mockingly known as the King of Fools as he began to act like Patchface and try to entertain some of the courtiers who he believed were laughing with him rather than at him.

The Hand of the King Lord Tywin Lannister was outraged at the state of the Prince and so requested that the Prince be sent to Casterly Rock to squire for his own son Ser Jaime Lannister. The Kind relented, hoping it might help his younger brother to become more like a knight, though he feared it might be too late as Jaehaerys was now twelve.

On the day Jaehaerys was forced to leave King's Landing for Casterly Rock he cried like a child and refused to leave until it was guaranteed that Patchface would join him on his journey. When he arrived it was said Jaime was truly shocked at the state of the Prince when he arrived - gaunt, weak and imbecilic. The Lannister host initially didn't want to help him at all, and considered sending him back to his father. Eventually though Jaime's mother Joanna Lannister convinced him to take the Prince on as his squire.

### Knighthood and Marriage

After four years as Jaime Lannister's squire Jaehaerys saw his first combat in the Greyjoy's Rebellion where his sire fought directly in the war. The Prince proved to be a general nuisance for Jaime Lannister, who relied more heavily on his other squire, . Despite this during the capture of Pyke at the end of the war Jaehaerys proved to be key when a reaver nearly killed Ser Jaime and the Prince protected his sire, losing his hand in the process.

As an acknowledgment of this act, and of his own personal sacrifice, Jaehaerys was knighted by Ser Brynden Tully on the battlefield, thus completing his squireship. At the tourney of Lannisport held to celebrate the victory over the Iron Islands as well as the subsequent marriage of Ser Tyrion Lannister and Lysa Tully, Jaehaerys met his betrothed for the first time. It's said that Cersei could barely contain her distaste towards the Prince whom she'd been campaigning against marrying now for years, but she did her best at putting a brave face on.

On their wedding night Jaehaerys struggled in bed with his new wife, it was his first time and his weak nature meant he couldn't perform. This humiliation alongside his new wife's attitude towards him led to Jaehaerys becoming increasingly reliant on his pets, the number of which gradually increased over the years.

Cersei gave birth to three children: Daemon, born in 290 AC, Myrcella, born in 293 AC, and Joffrey, born in 297 AC. The legitimacy of these children was generally unquestioned, though many assumed Jaehaerys was too weak to father any. Indeed, Daemon and Myrcella were in fact the bastards of Lord Monford Velaryon, while Joffrey was the bastard to Damon Lannister, Cersei's cousin.