Aegor Rivers

## Aegor

Struan Rodger as Aegor Rivers

Hand of the King

Second Sons

Golden Company

Queen Naerys Targaryen † (*Stepmother*)

Balerion Otherys

Brynden Rivers

Princess Daenerys Targaryen

Lady Alysanne

Lady Lily

Lady Willow

Lady Rosey

Bellanora Otherys

Narha Otherys

Lady Mya Rivers

Lady Gwenys Rivers

Lady Shiera Seastar

### Coat of Arms

A red stallion with black wings snorting flame on gold*(Or, a stallion gules winged sable snorting flames proper)*

### Issue

Prince Aerion Blackfyre
Princess Valaena Blackfyre

Prince Maegor Blackfyre

Princess Daenys Blackfyre

## Special Characteristics

### Weapons

Blackfyre
Dark Sister

Ser **Aegor Rivers**, frequently called **Bittersteel**, was one of the Great Bastards and a son of King Aegon IV Targaryen by his fifth mistress, Lady Barba Bracken. Aegor was the founder of a famed group of exiled sellswords, the Golden Company. In his personal arms, he combined the red stallion of House Bracken with black dragon wings from House Blackfyre, on a golden field.

## Appearance and Character

Being half-Targaryen, Aegor had purple eyes, but black hair. As an adult, he had a close-cropped beard. He looked like a warrior, being lean, light, and tall. Aegor's armor was well-made, though plain-looking, being grey-steel and black rings. On his helm was a horse head with a horse's mane flowing behind. His shield displayed his personal sigil: a stallion with black dragon wings, on a golden field, snorting fire.

Aegor was angry all of his life, and quickly irritated and offended. He did not smile, and especially loathed his younger half-brother, Brynden Rivers, and Brynden's mother, Melissa Blackwood, who had replaced Aegor's mother Barba Bracken as King Aegon IV Targaryen's mistress.

## History

### Early life

Aegor was born at King's Landing to one of King Aegon IV Targaryen's mistresses, Barba Bracken. When Queen Naerys Targaryen recovered her health, Prince Daeron and Aemon the Dragonknight forced Aegon to send Barba and child from the capital, and Aegor was instead raised at Stone Hedge in the riverlands.

The angry Aegor reserved particular loathing for his half-brother Brynden Rivers, whose mother, Melissa Blackwood, had replaced his own as their father's favorite mistress. Aegor loathed Brynden, who was known as Bloodraven, even further when Shiera Seastar, their beautiful half-sister and a fellow Great Bastard, chose Brynden over him. Their other half-brother, Daemon Blackfyre, agreed to wed his daughter Calla to Aegor. Aegor often urged Daemon to press his own claim to the Iron Throne.

### First Blackfyre Rebellion

In the First Blackfyre Rebellion in 196 AC, Aegor sided with Daemon Blackfyre against King Daeron II Targaryen. During the battle of the Redgrass Field, Aegor commanded the right of Daemon's host.

To prevent a rout upon Daemon's death during the battle, Aegor rallied his troops and charged into the Raven's Teeth, the archers of Brynden Rivers. Although Aegor took out Bloodraven's eye during their duel, he ultimately fled the battlefield. Carrying the Valyrian Steel sword Blackfyre, Aegor fled Westeros with Daemon's widow, Rohanne of Tyrosh, and her surviving children, eventually settling in the Free City of Tyrosh.

### The Golden Company

Aegor served a year with the Second Sons before leaving to create the Golden Company, a famous mercenary organization, to stop the loss of support for the Blackfyres as other exile lords began to join other mercenary companies. While sellswords are notoriously unreliable, the Golden Company has a respectable reputation. They are said to have never broken a contract. The words of the Golden Company are "Beneath the gold, the bitter steel", and refer to Aegor's nickname, Bittersteel. Shortly after its creation, the Golden Company became one of the most famous and disciplined sellsword companies known in the Free Cities. They quickly established their reputation by sacking Qohor when the city refused to honor its contract.

The Golden Company was heavily involved in three of the four Blackfyre Rebellions that followed the first one. While Aegor refused to support Daemon II Blackfyre during the Second Blackfyre Rebellion in 211 AC, he supported Haegon I Blackfyre in the Third Blackfyre Rebellion in 219 AC. Aegor was captured at the end of the third rebellion, and brought to the Red Keep as a captive. While Brynden Rivers and Prince Aerion Targaryen argued that Aegor should be executed, King Aerys I Targaryen decided to send Aegor to the Wall to join the Night's Watch. The ship taking Aegor north was intercepted, however, and Aegor returned to the Golden Company. In Tyrosh, before the year was over, Aegor crowned Daemon III Blackfyre, Haegon I's eldest son.

In 236 AC, Aegor landed on Massey's Hook at the head of the Golden Company with Daemon III, starting the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion. The rebellion was crushed at the battle of Wendwater Bridge, though Aegor managed to escape. A few years after the Wendwater Bridge, Aegor reappeared in the Disputed Lands, where he fell during a skirmish between Tyrosh and Myr. On his deathbed, he commanded the men of the Golden Company to boil the flesh from his skull, dip it in gold, and carry it before them when they cross the narrow sea to retake Westeros. The captains-general who have since led the Golden Company have followed Aegor's example.

During one of the various Blackfyre Rebellions, Aegor swore a blood oath with Torwyn Greyjoy, but this Lord Reaper of Pyke betrayed Aegor to his enemies.

## Quotes

> Bitter his steel may have been, but worse was his tongue.
>
> writings of Yandel

> He died defeated and alone, a broken man in an alien land.
>
> Jon Connington's thoughts

> Bittersteel and Bloodraven both loved Shiera Seastar, and the Seven Kingdoms bled.
>
> Barristan Selmy's thoughts