Maeron Targaryen

Baelor Targaryan [d.299]

## Appearance

A man of pure Valyrian blood, Maeron Targaryen is pale and well built, with silvery hair and piercing violet eyes. His jaw is strong, though his face is quite soft. He is less serious than his eldest brother, and as a man who adores his family, he often bears a smile. Though he has experienced war in the past, the ravages of time have not yet born their marks upon his face, though he has a long life ahead...

## History

Born the last son of Vaegon and Daenys Targaryen, Maeron was born mere months after the death of his father, whose love he would never know, unlike his older brothers Vaegon and Vaekar. Ten years their junior, Maeron always looked to the twins as father figures of sorts, and he wholeheartedly believed in the faith of R’hllor and his brother’s status as Azor Ahai Reborn.

After the death of her husband, Daenys attempted to keep Maeron “safe” from the training grounds and rough camps of the Blackscales, and pushed him into the realm of academics. He took to it well enough, delving into religious and historical studies every day, and eventually he became interested in the history of their ancestors in Old Valyria. Tales of dragonriders and Valyrian power took hold of his imagination and never let go, even into adulthood.

Eventually, Daenys’ attempts to keep her youngest son apart from the world of warfare failed. At the age of ten, Maeron had seen his brothers in the Blackscale training yards in Volantis. Enamored with the strength and beauty of the weapons and armor they used, he asked them to teach him to fight. Instead, Vaegon appointed one of his five commanders to teach the boy. It took time, and Maeron learned that he had no innate proficiency with a blade, but it did set him a new path.

Through his lessons with the Commander and others, Maeron became more interested in military history and tactics from all over the world; Valyria, Sarnor, Ghiscar, the Free Cities, even Westeros. He read of Aegon Targaryen, and the history of the Blackscales. The stories he poured over for years led him to one conclusion-- it was his destiny to become a hero among his ancestors. The boy who had once been sheltered from the ways of the world, timid and enveloped by his studies, had changed. The blood of Old Valyria pumped in his veins, and it seemed that as he grew, so did it.

When Maeron was ten-and-eight, he was told he would be marrying his cousin Shiera, though she would not be told until her sixteenth name-day almost a moon later. During that time, and even after it was revealed to his cousin, Maeron attempted to reach out and become friends with her. They had always known each other, but there was never much of a connection between the two. Maeron tried, but the man never was truly talented when it came to romance. Of course, Shiera had not helped the situation any more than he had. She was frustrated and angry at the prospect of marrying someone she was told to, someone she did not love, and she took it all out on her future husband in the months leading up to their wedding.

On their wedding night, after an already uncomfortable ceremony, Maeron and Shiera very awkwardly consummated their union. Afterward, Maeron’s new bride sat up in their bed and began to cry, unleashing all of the sadness and anger she had felt over the last several months. Maeron understood, and though he had tried to come to peace with the situation before, he knew then and there what he needed to do. Without a word, he took a blanket from the bed and laid it over his wife’s shoulders, and listened to her story. When she had told him everything, he gently wrapped his arms around her and let her fall asleep.

A month passed, and things started to look up. Maeron became more comfortable around Shiera, and when the couple learned they would be having a child, Maeron fell into the position of husband and future father quite easily. The two spent many days and nights at the Targaryen manse discussing all subjects. Though he tended to ramble and eventually stammer when speaking of his beloved books, he found that Shiera seemed to truly enjoy his company, as he enjoyed hers. His wife was more of an adept duelist than himself, and when her belly grew large with child, he saw the disappointment in her face.

As a wedding gift months earlier, the patriarch of the Targaryen family had given his youngest brother a position in the Blackscales Company under his own command, as well as a new sword. Crafted of the finest Sarnori steel, its blade rivaled no other in Maeron’s eyes, save for that of Vaegon’s own sword. He took the sword and appointment with pride in his eyes, and though he only served twice before the birth of his daughter, he knew the battlefield was where he belonged. The son of Vaegon the Lesser rose through the ranks of the Blackscales Company quickly, and distinguished himself as an intimidating and intelligent soldier and tactician. He wanted more than anything to prove, to his brother and family (and yes, himself), that he was powerful.

After several months, Maeron and Shiera were blessed with a baby girl. Maeron let his wife name her, who in turn gave her the name Elaena after her own mother. Elaena’s eyes matched Shiera’s, but she seemed to have a face like her fathers. The first moment he held her, Maeron had fallen in love, and while Shiera slept he whispered in her ear. *“Everything I have, and everything I am, is yours from this day until the end of my days.”* It was a promise he intended to keep not only to Elaena and what future children they would have, but to their mother as well, whom he had slowly come to love over their first year of marriage.

Some time after the birth of Elaena, Maeron was called away by his brother and Commander, Vaegon, to engage with a renegade band of sellswords near Selhorys just north of Volantis. The Company set out, and as they met the enemy in battle, Maeron truly proved himself. His allies could feel the intimidating confidence that radiated from within, and they fought hard by his side. After much blood was shed, the Blackscales stood victorious two days later, and Maeron Targaryen was held up as a hero of the battle by his comrades.

Two years later, the couple’s second daughter was born. Maeron named her Rhaenys, and she was just as beautiful as her sister. He whispered the same promise to her, and over the next four years he protected his family with every fibre of his being. Though he had grown and taken on more responsibilities, he never ceased his studies into the history of his people and their power. Rumors of dragons in Westeros and remote regions of his own continent swirled in his head, and though he had a duty to his family and the Company, he wished to one day uncover the truth behind them.

Four years passed, and just as Maeron and Shiera were becoming stressed at the prospect of having no more children after three years of trying, they became pregnant once more. Finally, unto the couple was born a son, whom they named Baelor. Maeron looked upon his first son, the one who would continue his line, and whispered his promise along with an addition that no one else could hear. *”One day, my son, you will be a lord of dragons.”* He knew in his heart that, one day, the two of them would discover the true power of their family together.

After the birth of Baelor, Maeron once again left to serve with the Blackscales before returning to Volantis for an extended period. As Vaegon had set their family up as the Dragon Party and taken the position of Triarch among the nobility of the city, their family saw a tremendous leap in wealth and responsibility. Suddenly, the family had a duty to the city and their own ambitions that required more of them than a sellsword company. When the Kingdom of Sarnor announced their intent to open the city of Sarnath to outsiders and celebrate their great victory over the Dothraki with the numerous cultures of Essos, the Targaryen family took the opportunity to further their interests in the city, along with their rival Parties.