House Targaryen

**House Targaryen** is the royal house of Westeros. Their ancestral fortress was Dragonstone before they established the city of King's Landing and their stronghold of the Red Keep within it. Their sigil is a red three-headed dragon, breathing flame on black. Their words are "*Fire and Blood*".

## **History:**

### **The Conquest:**

House Targaryen was, of old, a noble family of ancient Valyria, far to the southeast of Essos. Five hundred years ago, the Targaryens departed the Valyrian homelands and travelled to Dragonstone, a small island off the east coast of Westeros, where they established a keep and trading post. According to some legends, a Targaryen ancestor named Aenar encouraged this move due to a prophetic vision. Other reports suggest that the Targaryens may have been exiled, or merely assigned to establish the trading post.

One century after the Targaryens arrived on Dragonstone, the Doom descended on Valyria and destroyed it, shattering the peninsular and devastating the Freehold. The empire collapsed, most of its dragons were slaughtered and the conquered vassal states became independent. This time of chaos was known as the Bleeding Years and lasted for approximately one century after the Doom. During this time the Valyrian colony of Volantis on the southwestern coast of Essos requested Targaryen aid, and that of their dragons, in re-establishing Valyrian control of the coastal regions. The newly raised lord of Dragonstone, Aegon, refused. Instead, he had a mighty table carved as a map of the Westerosi continent, with every bay and inlet marked but with no borders. Aegon envisaged a Westeros united under one ruler, and he determined he would be that ruler.

Aegon and his two sister-wives, Visenya and Rhaenys, landed with a small force of men at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush. Over the next several years they undertook the Conquest, seizing control of all the lands of Westeros from the Wall to the Red Mountains with the help of their dragons. Only Dorne beyond the southern mountains refused to yield, and in the end Aegon permitted it to remain free. Aegon began construction of a great new capital at King's Landing.

### **The Blackfyre Rebellion:**

Aegon IV was a reputable warrior, but after taking the throne he lost himself to vice, becoming grossly fat and interested in matters of the flesh. He took many lovers and had many bastards, but was insanely jealous. When he caught Terrence Toyne, one of his Kingsguard abed with one of his mistresses, he had both killed. Toyne's brothers tried to avenge him and came close, but his brother Aemon the Dragonknight gave his life to save Aegon's.

Aegon IV was unhappy with his legitimate son, Daeron, considering him weak for he was more interested in wisdom gleaned from books and maesters rather than war and combat. He had married Daeron to Princess Myriah Martell of Dorne in an effort to entice Dorne into peacefully joining the Seven Kingdoms, but to his dismay his son seemed to take up Dornish ways instead. Aegon's eldest natural-born son, Daemon, was made of different material. He had been a strong boy, large for his size and noted for his fighting skills when only twelve years of age. Aegon IV recognised him as his son and, to the disbelief of the entire royal court, gave him the ancestral Targaryen sword Blackfyre. Daemon grew into a warrior of formidable and legendary repute, with another of Aegon's bastards, Aegor Rivers or 'Bittersteel' not far behind him in skill. Aegon IV was rumoured to be considering naming Daemon his heir when he died.

Daeron took the throne instead as Daeron II and ruled peacefully for a decade, but there was disquiet as the court took on a more Dornish flavour and Daeron pledged to marry his sister Daenerys to Prince Moran Martell, in return for which Moran would finally bring Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms. Daenerys was rumoured to be the love of Daemon, who by now had taken the surname 'Blackfyre' for the sword, further estranging Daemon from his half-brother. Finally, rumours surfaced that Daeron II was actually the son of a union between his mother and uncle, Aemon the Dragonknight, and was thus illegitimate. Daemon Blackfyre claimed the Iron Throne, provoking a bloody year-long war called the Blackfyre Rebellion. At the end of the war Daemon and his two eldest sons were dead, and his younger sons and Bittersteel had been forced into exile. Daeron II went on to rule for another fifteen years as Daeron the Good King, bringing peace and prosperity back to the realm.

### **Succession Crisis:**

When Daeron II died, his son Aerys I took the throne, but he was bookish and reclusive, leaving the realm almost entirely to the ruling of his Hand, his uncle Brynden Rivers, known as 'Bloodraven'. Aerys I died after 12 years of rule and was succeeded by his brother Maekar. Maekar had not expected to inherit, as he was only the fourth son of King Daeron, but ruled reasonably well until he was killed in battle with an outlaw lord.

Maekar's death triggered a succession crisis, for Maekar's eldest two sons, Daeron and Aerion had already died, Daeron of a pox and Aerion from drinking wildfire. Daeron left behind a feeble-minded daughter and Aerion an infant son. A Great Council was convened to discuss the matter. Daeron's daughter was deemed unsuitable due to her gender and lack of intellectual capacity. The Council passed over Aerion's son because of fears the child might have inherited his father's mental instability It was agreed that the throne should be offered to Maekar's third son, Aemon, in training to be a maester. Aemon rejected the crown and Maekar's youngest son Aegon thus took the throne, becoming Aegon V, known as Aegon the Unlikely because he ascended to the Iron Throne despite being born the fourth son of a fourth son. Aemon joined the Night's Watch shortly after his younger brother was crowned, as he did not want to be used by those who might oppose his brother's rule.

### **The Tragedy at Summerhall:**

Aegon V ruled wisely and well. During his rule Westeros remained at peace, and the threat from the Blackfyre Pretenders was apparently ended once and for all when Maelys the Monstrous was killed in the War of the Ninepenny Kings. Despite the prosperity of this time, Aegon was convinced that the last three surviving dragon eggs could still be hatched and devoted much time to studying them. This led to his downfall when an attempt to hatch the eggs went badly wrong. The Targaryen summer palace at Summerhall was destroyed by fire. Aegon V, his life-long friend and mentor Ser Duncan the Tall, Aegon's son and heir Prince Duncan the Small, and numerous others lost their lives in the resulting blaze. During the firestorm, Rhaegar Targaryen was born to Prince Aerys, Aegon V's grandson, and his sister-wife, Rhaella Targaryen.

### **The Mad King:**

Aegon's younger son Jaehaerys took the throne, but he was in a state of shock from the deaths of his father and brother and died prematurely just two years later. Aerys II took the throne.

Aerys' early years were filled with promise. He filled his court with a new generation of younger, skilled warriors and politicians. He appointed the canny and skilled Tywin Lannister as his Hand, and the Kingsguard reached the apex of its martial skills at this time under the command of Gerold Hightower, with Ser Barristan Selmy and, later, the prodigiously skilled Ser Arthur Dayne joining its ranks.

After a decade, Aerys had become more sullen and moody, and unhappy that much of the credit for the running of the realm had gone to his hand. When Lord Denys Darklyn of Duskendale refused to pay his taxes, Aerys attempted to sort the situation out personally. Instead, in what became known as the Defiance of Duskendale, he ended up imprisoned in the town for six months before Tywin was finally able to break him out. Freed, Aerys' rage was terrible to behold as he had the entire Darklyn family utterly destroyed, its surviving members put to death through horrendous and inventive methods.

From this time on, it is said that Aerys danced on the edge of madness. He alienated Tywin by going back on an agreement to marry his son Rhaegar to Tywin's daughter Cersei, instead wedding him to Princess Elia Martell of Dorne. He also accepted Tywin's eldest son Jaime into the Kingsguard, disinheriting him as Tywin's heir, to Tywin's utter fury. When Rhaegar allegedly kidnapped Lyanna Stark, her father, Lord Rickard Stark and brother, Brandon Stark, came to King's Landing to ask for the King's justice. Believing that they intended to kill his son, Aerys had both of them murdered. In response, Houses Stark, Baratheon, Arryn and Tully rose their banners in rebellion.

A conflict which was quickly ended by Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark before it truly began, Lyanna proved to her brother Eddard Stark, the new Lord of Winterfell and The North that she was not kidnapped, that she was in love with the crown prince, that they had married in front of the Old Golds. The reaction to this news was not received well, Eddard Stark was angered at Prince Rhaegar and his sister Lyanna, Robert Baratheon was furious with the Prince, still not believing that Lyanna would choice to be Rhaegar Targaryen's second wife over his on her free will, he was certain he forced the girl into it, he was prepared to still go to war over it, only to be talked down by Jon Arryn and Eddard Stark.

The next matter for the Prince to talk to the lords about was what to do with his father the King, he knew his father had gone to far into his madness. He promised Eddard Stark justice for the death of his father and brother, for it was his actions that cost them their lives.

I don't think any of them realised how far The Mad King Aerys Targaryen would really go, in his madness he had began to lose his mind, becoming paranoid over every whisper that entered his hall. The months leading up to Prince Rhaegar's return, The Red Keep was often filled with the sound of The Mad King burning people alive. When he heard Rhaegar had plans to betray, he had the alchemist pour wildfire around the city. On Rhaegar's approach to the keep he ordered Jamie Lannister to 'Burn them all', set the wildfire off around the city. Jamie Lannister broke his oath to protect the king, stabbing him in the back. He had a choice, Obey his king and potentially kill up to 500,000 people, or break his oath and kill the king, kill one mad man to save thousands.

Rhaegar wasn't sure what to expect when he entered The Red Keep, but seeing his father on the floor dead surrounded by Wildfire, while Jamie Lannister sat at the steps in front of The Iron Throne, with a bloody sword wasn't what he expected.

## **Family:**

* King {Aerys II Targaryen}, called "the Mad King" and "King Scab". Slain by Ser Jaime Lannister.
	+ Queen Dowager Rhaella Targaryen, his sister-wife, the Queen Mother of King Rhaegar I Targaryen.
		- King Rhaegar I Targaryen, called "the Silver Dragon", the current King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men King on The Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm.
			* Queen Elia Martell, originally of House Martell, is the first of Rhaegar I Targaryen's wives. She died of an illness.
				+ Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, their eldest child and Rhaegar's only Daughter.
				+ Prince Aegon Targaryen, called "the Young Silver Dragon" or "the Silver Prince" their second child is the Crown Prince, Rhaegar's heir and the future Prince of Dragonstone.
			* Queen Lyanna Stark, originally of House Stark, is the second of Rhaegar I Targaryen's wives.
				+ Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen, commonly referred to by his family as "Jae" or "Jon", the second son of Rhaegar I Targaryen is the future Prince of Summerhall. His direwolf is named Ghost.
	+ Prince Viserys Targaryen, their second son, currently traveling Essos.
	+ Princess Daenerys Targaryen, their only daughter, called "Daenerys Stormborn".
* Maester Aemon, born "Aemon Targaryen", the great-uncle of Aerys II Targaryen, a Maester serving at Castle Black.