Saerra Targaryen

**Saerra Targaryen** was the first and only child born to Baelor I Targaryen and Lady Ellyn Tarbeck before the latter's untimely death. She later had one half-sibling from her father's second wife - and her aunt - Rhaenys Targaryen, a sister named Naerys Targaryen.

In 130 AC her father as Lord of the Seven Kingdoms publicly proclaimed that Saerra was the Crown Princess of the Iron Throne, Princess of Dragonstone, and his lawful heir to be set aside by no others.

## Appearance and Character

Saerra was a slender girl at twelve years of age. Just shy of being five feet in height, she weighed less than one hundred pounds absent any of the elaborate gowns that a princess of the royal house might be expected to wear.

Despite having been raised most of her life at the royal court Saerra was not often a proactively extroverted person. That did not mean she lacked for manners, nor did it mean that she was not happy to speak with others. It merely meant that she was often unsure of herself and thus only occasionally approached others. Nevertheless Saerra was a spirited and friendly girl with a curious mind.

## History

Saerra was born in 118 AC as the first child of Baelor Targaryen, then the Crown Prince and Prince Dragonstone, and his new bride Ellyn Tarbeck. She was but four years of age when her mother tragically passed away from illness in 122 AC, which sent her father spiraling into depression.

Baelor retreated to the fortress of Dragonstone where he sought to be alone with his squires and agents, where he could distract himself from royal court and the loss of his wife through relationships with the island's vassals and his fledgling Doctrine of Exceptionalism. Saerra meanwhile was left in the care of her grandmother Queen Zhoe Arryn and her aunts Rhaenys Targaryen and Daenys Targaryen.

It did not take an overly long period of time, however, before Rhaenys decided to take it upon herself to follow her older brother to the island. With Saerra in tow, the youngest Targaryen sibling was determined to find a way to break through Baelor's depression by reminding him of that which he still maintained in life.

For the next several years the young princess lived on Dragonstone with her father and aunt during which time the two grew close as confidantes. From time to time Baelor ventured off the island to other parts - Duskendale, Dragonstone's vassal houses, even to Gulltown in the Vale of Arryn. Meanwhile Saerra grew fond of the castle and its oddities whereas other children might have been frightened of the grotesque gargoyles and its strange, supernatural architecture. She spent time being educated by septas and her aunt Rhaenys to be groomed into as perfect a woman of royalty as she could be.

Then there was a trip to Gulltown that ended in blood for her father, where he lost a member of the Kingsguard whilst avenging the death of his uncle Ser Jasper Arryn. Returned to Dragonstone in grief over the deaths and frustration with the bloodshed he'd caused amongst the city's Poor Fellows, Baelor turned to Rhaenys with a radical proposition - that they become the first wedded pair of Targaryen siblings since Prince Regent Jahaerys Targaryen and Princess Alysanne.

Soon enough they were indeed married in the sept at Dragonstone to which Saerra stood witness. To say that her emotions were conflicted at the time would be an understatement. Although she loved Rhaenys as an aunt she had grown up in an age where this was decidedly not a normal matter of life and indeed appeared to run counter to the teachings of the Faith, no matter that it was among old Valyrian customs. In no time at all her aunt's belly grew with child and the trio returned to the royal court. Her sister Naerys was born in 126 AC.

From 126 AC onward Princess Saerra tried to integrate herself into courtly life at the Red Keep as best she could, befriending those with whom she felt a connection and as yet often confused by the relationship between her father and aunt. That did nothing to change her love for little Naerys, however.

Twin tragedies occurred late in 129 AC - first the death of her grandfather Martyn Tarbeck in Dorne and later in the year the loss of her other grandfather Viserys I Targaryen. Both were men she loved dearly; both were losses that made her deeply sad. Martyn's in particular was a troublesome spot as the Lord of Tarbeck Hall was murdered by a man of Dorne's ruling house; many nights the princess cried herself to sleep thinking of the kindly grandfather she would never see again.

Life would change for her once more the following year when the newly crowned King Baelor would issue a proclamation to the royal court and the realm assembled following his coronation: Saerra was named Crown Princess of the Iron Throne, Princess of Dragonstone, and his lawful heir to be set aside by no others.

Daunted by her new status in life, the girl vowed to herself to do her best to prepare for a life of rule - but on her mind remained a deep worry that a future brother would change her father's mind, or indeed that there might be conflict between herself and a brother down the road. So, too, would she shortly thereafter be betrothed to her cousin Aurion Targaryen, son of Prince Aegon Targaryen who had long served as Hand of the King.