Aegon V Targaryen

King **Aegon V Targaryen** was the fifteenth king of the Targaryen dynasty to sit on the Iron Throne of Westeros.

## Early life

Aegon was the fourth son of Prince Maekar and the youngest grandson of King Daeron II. It was highly unlikely that he would inherit the Iron Throne, and spent his first eight or nine years learning about the Seven Kingdoms whilst his father considered what to do with him. Aegon's wish was to become a warrior, although he was a fairly small boy.

In 209 AL Aegon and his eldest brother Daeron attended the great tourney at Ashford, where they were due to meet their father Maekar, uncle Baelor and other brother Aerion. Aegon was unimpressed with his drunken, dissolute brother and absconded to join a passing hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, as a squire, claiming his name was 'Egg'. Ser Duncan acquiesced, but discovered Aegon's true identity at the tourney. After a series of events in which Prince Baelor was accidentally killed and Aerion was banished to the Free Cities, Maekar came to believe that his two eldest sons' disgrace was down to their soft and easy upbringing. He agreed that Ser Duncan could take 'Egg' as his squire, provided he travelled incognito and was not endangered.

Aegon spent the next few years travelling Westeros as Ser Duncan's squire. During this time they crossed the Red Mountains to visit Dorne, mended the rift between House Osgrey and House Webber of the Reach, travelled north to see the Wall and visit Winterfell (where they were briefly involved in the machinations of the Stark She-Wolves) and had many more adventures. In this time Aegon grew into a strong, decent warrior. When he was twenty, he met and fell in love with nineteen year old Lady Betha Blackwood, known as 'Black Betha' and since he was still far in the line of succession, no one opposed the marriage.

## Reign

When Maekaer died, a Great Council of the major houses was convened to debate the succession, since Maekar's eldest two sons (Aegon's brothers) had already died and his other remaining son, Aemon, was a maester of the Citadel who had removed himself to the Wall to avoid being given the crown. Aegon's young nephew and niece were disinherited, and finally the crown was offered to Aegon, who became Aegon V. He was named 'Aegon the Unlikely', as he was born the fourth son of a fourth son.

Aegon reigned for twenty-six years and is accounted a good and just king. He was noble and fair, and his travels around the Seven Kingdoms as a boy had left him with an appreciation of the smallfolk and the minor affairs of the nobility. His insight served him as king well. Although he was seen more as a peacemaker than a warrior, he could fight when needed, trained as a knight by Ser Duncan the Tall. When word reached court that Maelys Blackfyre had allied with eight other powerful warlords of the east and conquered Tyrosh and the Stepstones in preparation for an assault on Westeros, Aegon V despatched a strong army on a pre-emptive strike. Many noted and skilled warriors accompanied this army, including Ser Barristan Selmy, Jon Arryn, Brynden the Blackfish and other knights of note. In this War of the Ninepenny Kings, the Westerosi forces were victorious, the Band of Nine was destroyed, Maelys the Monstrous was slain by Barristan Selmy and the threat of the Blackfyre Pretenders ended.

Aegon appointed his mentor Ser Duncan the Tall as the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, a position he executed superbly. Aegon's respect for his former mentor was so great that he had named his eldest son, Prince Duncan for him, a notable break in tradition from the giving of Valyrian names to Targaryen family members. He succumbed to tradition by naming his younger sons and daughters Jaehaerys, Daeron, Shaera and Rhaelle.

Aegon ruled well into his fifties, close to his sixties, and the Targaryen family grew quite large during his rule. Unfortunately, one of the things he was most criticized was that since he married out of love, his children tried to do the same. There appears to have been a scandal when his son Duncan fell in love with a woman named Jenny of Oldstones (who may have been a mere commoner) but this was overcome. His second son Jaehaerys loved his sister Shaera, and despite Aegon and Betha's protests, the marriage was consummated. He indulged the family tradition by marrying his grandson Aerys and granddaughter Rhaella (the children of Jaehaerys) together. Their third son Daeron was betrothed to Olenna Redwyne, but he never showed any interest in marriage, preferring to continue being a warrior, he ended up dying quashing a rebellion alongside his supposed lover. Because Duncan broke his betrothal to the daughter of Lyonel Baratheon, Aegon had to make amends by marrying his daughter Rhaelle Targaryen to Lord Ormund Baratheon, Lyonel's son and heir.

## Death

Aegon V Targaryen was a good leader, but like many of the later Targaryen kings he bemoaned the fact that their dragons had died out. After reading and researching the matter, Aegon came to believe that extreme heat may prove the answer in hatching the last three dragon eggs left by the final dragon when it died a century earlier. He tested out his theory at Summerhall in 259 AL.

The attempt did not go well. The fire got out of control and Aegon V, Prince Duncan and Ser Duncan the Tall were all killed in the blaze. Rhaella, who was pregnant at the time, gave birth amidst the chaos to a young son whom she and Aerys named Rhaegar. After the Tragedy of Summerhall, Jaehaerys was named ruler of the seven kingdoms.

The dragon eggs did not hatch, and they were subsequently removed from Westeros under unclear circumstances.

## Character and appearance

Aegon V was a popular and canny king, fair and honest. Unlike every other king, he had spent part of his youth sleeping in ditches and living amongst the smallfolk and minor nobility. He saw how life was lived in the Seven Kingdoms from up close, giving him a degree of empathy with the common folk.

His understanding of the smallfolk made him try create concessions that improved their living, but most of the nobility disagreed, and all those concessions became undone once Tywin Lannister became Hand.

He was slender but strong, not a natural warrior but trained as a knight by Ser Duncan and capable of defending himself. To cover his identity as a Targaryen, he shaved his hair off as a boy. His bald head was allegedly the source of his nickname 'Egg', although it had originally been a simple shortening of 'Aegon'. Aegon wore the simple, unadorned crown of Aegon III.

## Appearances in the series

Aegon, as 'Egg', is a major protagonist in *The Hedge Knight*, *The Sworn Sword* and *The Mystery Knight*.