Rhaella Targaryen

Queen Dowager **Rhaella Targaryen** is the mother of King Rhaegar I Targaryen, She is the sister, wife, and queen of King Aerys II Targaryen and the only daughter of King Jaehaerys II Targaryen and his sister-wife, Queen Shaera Targaryen.

Rhaella is the mother of King Rhaegar, Prince Viserys, and Princess Daenerys and the grandmother of Princess Rhaenys, Prince Aegon and Prince Jaehaerys.

## **Appearance and Character:**

Rhaella is always described as a beautiful woman, even as she has grown older in age she is still just as beautiful. In her youth she looked just like her daughter Daenerys, who is described as one of the most beautiful woman in the world.

She has pale Valyrian skin, her silver hair has now gone grey with age and she has Violet eyes.

While her husband Aerys was alive she was tormented to terrible things, he used to rape her, force her to watch as he burned people alive with Wildfire, separated her from her son Viserys and emotional abuse caused on Rhaelle left an effect. Even after his death it took years for her to get other the years of abuse, to get back to old Rhaelle, to the one who used to be happy and the main reason for that, was the birth of Daenerys and her grandchildren.

Rhaelle loves her family more than anything, they were the reason she was able to fight and recover for all these years. Her children, grandchildren and good-daughters are the most important things in the world for her, the reason she returned to King's Landing, to the place she thought she would want to come back, to be close to her family.

As she has grown older she has grown into her role as the Queen Mother, accepting her role in the court as a member of House Targaryen, a much bigger role than she ever had as Queen while Aerys was King. As the oldest member of her house, not including Maester Aemon in The Night's Watch, she is often consulted by members of her family and the court, including King Rhaegar, regarding matters that include House Targaryen. She is a patient person, who is wise and cunning and has become confident in dealing with the court.

## **History:**

Rhaella was born to Prince Jaehaerys and Princess Shaera Targaryen. She had an older brother, Aerys.

Rhaella was married at a young age to her older brother, Aerys, on the command of their father, Prince Jaehaerys. Jaehaerys had been influenced by a woods witch brought to court by Jenny of Oldstones. The woods witch prophesied that the prince that was promised would be born from Aerys's and Rhaella's line,[7] making Jaehaerys determined to marry his daughter to his son. King Aegon V Targaryen, whilst frustrated with his son's decision, allowed Jaehaerys to do as he wished. According to Ser Barristan, there was no fondness between Aerys and Rhaella on the day of their wedding.

As a princess, and eventual queen, Rhaella had multiple ladies in waiting. At some point, they included the mother of Prince Doran Martell, Lady Joanna Lannister from Casterly Rock.

Whilst present at Summerhall, Rhaella gave birth to the first of her children, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, whilst the tragedy of Summerhall raged. During the tragedy, Rhaella's grandfather, King Aegon V Targaryen, died, leading to her own father, ascending the throne as Jaehaerys II Targaryen. Following Jaehaerys's own death Rhaella's brother and husband ascended the throne as King Aerys II Targaryen, and Rhaella became queen.

Following Rhaegar's birth, Rhaella and Aerys had multiple trouble where childbirth was concerned. In the seventeen years following Rhaegar's birth, Rhaella went through multiple pregnancies, stillbirths and miscarriages.

While at first, her brother comforted Rhaella in her grief, the multiple stillbirths, miscarriages and dead children eventually caused Aerys to become suspicious. He accused her of having been unfaithful, and claimed that the dead children had been bastards. Rhaella was confined to Maegor's Holdfast, and Aerys decreed that two septas would sleep in Rhaella's bed every night, to ensure she would remain faithful.

The death of Prince Jaehaerys, shifted Aerys' suspicions to others. He first blamed Jaehaerys's wet nurse, and had her beheaded in a black rage. He later became convinced that Jaehaerys had been poisoned by his mistress, and had the girl and her family tortured to death.

Aerys then fasted for a fortnight, made a walk of repentance across the city to the Great Sept of Baelor, and prayed with the High Septon. Upon his return, he declared that he would only sleep with Rhaella, his wife, from that day forth. As far as is known, Aerys remained true to this vow, no longer taking any mistress.

Rhaella gave birth to Prince Viserys. While he was small and robust, he was healthy. However, Aerys feared that Viserys would die like his brothers, and so tasked the Kingsguard to watch over the infant. Even Rhaella was forbidden to be alone with her son. Aerys insisted that his food taster suckle at the breasts of the wet nurse, to be certain that there was no poison on her nipples.

In the later years of the marriage of Aerys and Rhaella, the Mad King's insanity set in. According to Ser Barristan Selmy, Rhaella did her best to protect Viserys from the worst of Aerys's excesses, keeping her child oblivious to the fact his father was sliding deeper into madness. According to Ser Jaime Lannister, Rhaella's eyes had been closed for years by the time Aerys ordered caches of wildfire be placed all over King's Landing.

Aerys grew sexually abusive toward Rhaella, developing a sexual fetish for fire and death and only sleeping with Rhaella after he had executed someone by burning. The last time was during Robert's Rebellion after Aerys burned his then-Hand, Lord Qarlton Chelsted, for opposing the Mad King's wildfire plot. Jaime recalls listening outside Rhaella's bedchamber as she cried as the king raped her; when Jaime protested that the Kingsguard were sworn to defend the queen as well, his sworn brother Ser Jonothor Darry replied, "We are, but not from him". The queen's maids reported seeing scratches, bruises and bite marks all over her body.

Soon after the burning of Lord Chelsted, Ser Jamie Lannister was able to sneak the Queen and her son, Prince Viserys to Dragonstone, out of reach of The Mad King. She stayed on Dragonstone for the rest of the war and after she found out that she was pregnant. She gave birth to her daughter, Princess Daenerys. She stayed on Dragonstone to raise her children with the help of the Castellan of Dragonstone, Ser Willem Darry.

It took Rhaella a while to recover from the years of abuse that Aerys put her through, what helped her most, was the love of her daughter and grandchildren. Her heart was broken every time Viserys would have a outburst of hate or anger, his hatred of anyone who wasn't a 'Pure Blooded Dragon', all she could hear some times when he was angry was Aerys, she could tell that Viserys believed everything that The Mad King had told him. When Viserys tried to force himself on Daenerys was the last straw, Rhaella took her daughter and went to King's Landing to be with her oldest son Rhaegar and her grandchildren, thinking it would be good for Daenerys to be close to over kids her age. That's how Rhaella ended back in King's Landing, the one place she thought she would never come back to.

It turned out to be the best thing for her and Daenerys, being with Rhaenys, Aegon and Jaehaerys was perfect for both of them. Rhaella took up the job of helping to teach Daenerys and Rhaenys after Rhaenys had refused to be taught by a Septa and she loved it, spending that time with them. Rhaella also tried to spend as much time with Elia and Lyanna as possible and her biggest surprise was how much Jaehaerys loved and respected her, she loved how her grandson tried to spend time with her everyday, she was devastated when she found out that he was going to The North for years, but loved that he still managed to send letters to her.