Aegon Targaryen

Shield of His People

Visenya Targaryen - sister-wife

Rhaenys Targaryen - sister-wife

Aenys Targaryen - son

{Arys Targaryen} - uncle

Orys Baratheon - half-brother

Raenna Minsworth - cousin

King **Aegon Targaryen** is a major character in Book 1 and 2. As the young head of House Targaryen, Aegon holds relatively small lands, only ruling over a handful of islands in the Narrow Sea between Westeros and Essos. However, he also controls the last three dragons that survived the destruction of the Valyrian Empire. With ambitions to restore the former pride of his family, he has recently set his eyes upon Westeros. Unusually even for Valyrian standards, he is married to both of his sisters, Visenya and Rhaenys.

## Background

Aegon Targaryen was born as the second child and first trueborn son of Aerion Targaryen, the Lord of Dragonstone and head of House Targaryen. He grew up together with his sisters Visenya and Rhaenys, though by chance, he also developed a deep friendship with his secret half-brother Orys Baratheon.

In time, Aegon grew particularly close to his sister Rhaenys and the two formed a bond that went well beyond what is typical between siblings, crossing over into romantic love. Of course, with House Targaryen following the customs of the Valyrian Empire, love between siblings was not unusual and in fact, it was always expected that Aegon would marry one of his sisters once both came of age.

However, his father had intended for Aegon to marry his older sister, Visenya, while Rhaenys was meant to be wed to Aethon Velaryon, the heir of Driftmark, whose father Daemon is a close ally and the most powerful Targaryen bannerman. Visenya herself was prepared for this moment her entire life, though Aegon had different plans.

When the day came that the two were to be wed, Aegon made his love to Rhaenys public. A scandal, mostly due to her not being his intended bride, he caused an uproar at the court of Dragonstone when he refused to marry Visenya if he'd be denied to marry Rhaenys. His father was left with no choice but to allow him to marry both, a compromise that was unusual even for Valyrian customs.

Not long afterwards, Aerion died after a heavy illness, which many speculate has already plagued him when Aegon demanded to marry Rhaenys, further influencing his acceptance of their love. Aegon followed him as Lord of Dragonstone and unlike his father, he was noted for his ambition.

When the Volantene Hegemony sought to fill the void left by the doomed Valyrian Empire, they attacked the Free Cities of Lys, Myr and Tyrosh. In despair over the mighty opponents, Tyrosh sought help from its neighbours across the Narrow Sea, after Myr and Lys had been taken. Two men answered, Aegon and the Storm King, Argilac Durrandon. Fighting side by side, the Stormlanders destroyed the Volantene on land, while Aegon set fire to the Volantene fleet atop his great dragon, Balerion.

It was this war that cemented Aegon's desire to rebuild the legacy of his people by becoming a conqueror. However, he decided to conquer to the west, not to the east. Together with his wives, he travelled Westeros in the following years, sometimes openly, sometimes in secret, disguised as a common traveller. When he returned to Dragonstone, he ordered the construction of a table, carved into the shape of Westeros, with every river, every mountain range and every castle clearly visible, his own map to plan his invasion of Westeros.

And such, the preparations began in secret. His bannermen were informed, while Aegon himself made sure his line would continue, fathering a child with Rhaenys. The son, Prince Aenys, was born weak, though he was still Aegon's firstborn son and as such, the future of House Targaryen was secured in the eyes of Aegon, who soon after prepared for a full-scale invasion of all Westeros, alongside his entire force, most importantly the three dragons of House Targaryen, the last in the known world.

## Book 1

### Butterfly

Though not appearing in person, Aegon sends an envoy, his close friend Corilyan Celtigar, to Storm's End, to negotiate with King Argilac over an alliance. As his former comrade in arms, Aegon hoped to convince Argilac to join forces with him, especially after the Storm King previously proposed an alliance against Harren Hoare. In this proposal, Argilac offered his daughter Argella in marriage, disregarding Aegon's marriage to Visenya and Rhaenys as unlawful due to them being family. However, Aegon remained faithful to his wives, instead offering his brother Orys as a potential match. He did not expect Argilac to be insulted by this, but the Storm King's fury exceeds any expectation, when he cuts off Corilyan's hands, mutilating him and eventually causing his death as a result of this. The death of his friend is the final straw for Aegon to launch his invasion.

### Valar Dohaeris

Aegon is first seen in person in the epilogue of Book 1. Having sent letters to each ruler in Westeros, he landed at the mouth of the Blackwater, where he constructed a small camp. By his side were his sisters, as well as some of his most loyal men, his master-at-arms Quenton Qoherys and his bannermen, Daemon Velaryon and Crispian Celtigar. They were later joined by Ser Iwan Bar Emmon, who brought word from his father, Lord Michael Bar Emmon and Lord Triston Massey, who both decided to support Aegon's claim over their own sworn king, Argilac Durrandon.

Sending Quenton ahead to gather the two lords closest to his territory, he is there to witness the arrival of Regis Rosby, Lord of Rosby, as well as Simon Stokeworth, heir to Stokeworth. The latter had already correctly deduced Aegon's intention to invade and he quickly swears fealty in his father's name, whereas Regis is more sceptical, considering Aegon's ambitious goal and tiny force. A polite exchange between the two begins and Aegon defused the situation by displaying his true power, showing Regis his dragon, Balerion, and convincing him of his ability to indeed conquer all of Westeros. With two new bannermen, the Dragonlord makes his presence in Westeros known, proclaiming himself King of All Westeros and Shield of His People.

## Book 2

### Fires Far

The first men to stand in Aegon's way were the two most powerful lords of the region, Bryen Darklyn of Duskendale and Grenn Mooton of Maidenpool. Amassing an army of three thousand, they alone already exceed the numbers Aegon and his bannermen, who are now supported by the houses Rosby, Stokeworth, Massey and Bar Emmon. Confident in their victory on the field, the two lords do not expect Aegon to descend upon them on his dragon.

The use of Balerion saves House Targaryen from what could have been a crushing defeat. Killing the enemy lords in battle, he turns it into a victory, a fight that would later be known as Aegon's First Test. During the battle, House Targaryen suffers moderate casualties, whereas the Mooton/Darklyn alliance is nearly wiped out. Bryen Darklyn's son, Damon, and Grenn Mooton's brother, Jon, are taken captive and Damon, being Bryen's lawful heir, is later convinced to bend the knee.

However, Grenn's daughter and heiress, Amerei, is more stubborn, refusing to bend the knee to the man that killed her father. After a tense moment, Aegon decides on a compromise. She is allowed to refuse to pledge to him, if she gives up on her inheritance in favour of her more agreeable uncle, Jon. She accepts this offer and leaves, much to Visenya's chagrin, who would have rather seen the girl executed for her insults.

It is there that Aegon's advisor, Wulvren, the Archmaester of Magic, encounters two former acquaintances. The Red Priestess Noelle Mield and her young companion Ellena Terys had travelled across Westeros, after Noelle saw Aegon as the Prince who was Promised, a mythical hero of her religion, who would lead the fight against the creatures of the approaching Long Night. However, her zeal has caused great pain, including the near death of Archmaester Wulvren, who is appropriately enraged by her presence.

Instead of dealing with this in public, Aegon invites the two guests to his war tent, where he gets into a short discussion with Visenya over his deal with Amerei Mooton. Justifying his actions towards her, he once again states his refusal to burn an innocent child for grieving her father. He then turns to Noelle and Ellena, listening to their tales. Ultimately, he agrees with Wulvren that Noelle has to be punished for her crimes, including murder and attempted murder. However, he is willing to listen to her urgent pleas that a dangerous servant of the Great Other could try to get close to him to kill him, something she seeks to prevent. For this, he allows her to live for the time being.

After this, he has to decide on the matter of House Darklyn, whose new lord Damon is not considered loyal despite bending the knee. Visenya in particular advices strongly to take further action and this time, Aegon follows her course of action. Despite Damon's protests, it is decided that his younger brother, Robin, the only living member of his family, will be taken as a ward back to Dragonstone, where he will become the squire of Rahaerys Velaryon.

### Thorns

After this war council, Aegon leaves some of his men, led by Crispian Celtigar, in the newly built Aegonsfort, while he returns to Dragonstone by boat to plan the next step of his war with his closest advisors. Back there, he meets up with Quenton Qoherys again and he listens to Quenton's failure to convince the houses of Crackclaw Point to submit to House Targaryen.

In the castle itself, Aegon is reunited with his close advisors Laevon Raelgaeron and Visedar Solus. Calling for a war council, he and Visenya leave with their advisors, while Rhaenys remains behind to check up on their son, the young Prince Aenys. She eventually decides not to participate during the war council and sends Ellena as well as her handmaiden Hemys Raelgaeron to inform Aegon of this.

## Appearance

Aegon Targaryen, being a pure-blooded Valyrian, shows the traits of these people. He has the silvery-golden hair and purple eyes that are typical for his race. In his case, he cuts his hair short and sports a similarly short beard. Aegon is noted to be a very handsome man, built like a warrior, though with charming features underneath a stern glare. Generally he rarely smiles or shows much emotion, at least to those that don't know him very well.

Being of House Targaryen, Aegon wears black and red at all times, a red cloak and a set of black chainmail when in battle. His crown is a thick black circlet, adorned by large square-cut rubies. It is the only piece of jewelry he wears, as he usually dresses surprisingly modest for a man of his standing.

## Personality

Aegon is an enigma to anyone but a selected few that are close to him. Calm, silent and observant, nobody could ever deny his superior intellect and brilliant mind. He prefers to listen, only speaking when he truly has to add something to a situation and he is not afraid to be confronted by clashing views and opinions. He speaks in a calm tone and rarely raises his voice, yet still displays passion in his actions and at times, it shines through that he is very much capable of strong emotion, such as relief or anger, as well as genuine love to his friends and family.

A great warrior and capable ruler, Aegon knows when to be ruthless and when to show mercy. Not afraid to be harsh, he nonetheless never feels any joy when unleashing his full power on the battlefield, but is in return glad when able to subdue an opponent without having to kill them. A natural charisma and leadership ability cause him to be able to turn even former enemies into true supporters and even friends. Merciless to those that choose to be his enemies, he is generous to his friends and allies, even to former opponents.

Few know Aegon's personality beyond the rare public displays of leadership. As good as he is to turn people to his side, he is not a very sociable man behind all this, preferring to stay by himself, or in the company of a few selected friends. Family and friendship mean everything to him and he is valuing loyalty over power when it comes to potential vassals.

## Relationships

### Rhaenys Targaryen

Rhaenys is without any doubt the one true love of Aegon's life. He has chosen her even over his intended bride, their older sister Visenya, refusing to marry anyone if he couldn't have her. Loving her dearly, Aegon spends most of his time with her, or at least close to her and they have a very supportive relationship. Rhaenys' kindness is what motivates Aegon to his occasional acts of mercy and she is the one with the biggest influence over him. In return, she clearly loves him as well, even if it is rumoured that she is occasionally unfaithful to him. Playful and light-hearted, Rhaenys liveliness captivates even the brooding Aegon and out of all the people around him, there is none he values higher than her.

### Visenya Targaryen

In contrast to the loving relationship with Rhaenys, Aegon's marriage with Visenya is one of duty, with there being no romantic love between the two. They respect each other as friends, but their love is distant and it is rumoured that Aegon even shuns her bed in favour of Rhaenys. From Visenya's side, there is quite some bitterness and anger involved and the queen feels humiliated by Aegon's public display of love to another woman. This makes her both, one of his most loyal supporters and most trusted advisors, as well as the one most likely to speak against his plans. That being said, her criticism is always well-founded and Aegon listens to it gladly, appreciating her in his own way, even if not as a lover.

### Orys Baratheon

Between the king and his semi-secret half-brother lies a surprising, yet deep friendship. Becoming friends even before learning the truth about Orys' heritage, they have been close for most of their lives and Orys has supported his king and brother during each of his campaigns, becoming general of his army during the war against the Volantene Hegemony. Orys is by far the man closest to Aegon and one of the few that truly know what to make of the mysterious conqueror.

### Quenton Qoherys

As one of the oldest retainers of House Targaryen, Quenton has ascended to his current position as master-at-arms during the rule of Aerion Targaryen. He was the man to teach Aegon how to fight and remains a close friend and a bit of a father figure to the Dragonlord. One of the few that are genuine friends with Aegon, Quenton is among the first to support his king and one of his most loyal followers. In return, he is one of Aegon's most valued and trusted allies.

### Regis Rosby

Never a true opponent, Regis is nonetheless the first man that has to be convinced to bend the knee to Aegon, by being shown the dragon Balerion and realizing how strong this beast is. Quickly, he becomes a faithful advisor to his king, growing to genuinely support and appreciate him. In return, Aegon grows fond of Regis' wisdom, installing him as one of his advisors, with plans to grant him a greater honour in the future.

## Appearances

 Butterfly
 Valar Morghulis

 River Crossing