House of the Dragon. Bastard and Usurper Rhaenyra AU. The coronation of Viserys sparked controversy across the Realm. At the urging of his Dornish Queen, the young King declared his firstborn daughter, Princess Alaeyne Targaryen, “The Sunrise Princess,” his named heir. There was outrage, of course. But the Realm built by the Old King Jaehaerys was strong and resilient. One by one, the Lords of the Realm came to King’s Landing to bend the knee and swear obeisance to King Viserys and the Princess of Dragonstone. It seemed that a woman would rule the Seven Kingdoms for the first time in its history. However, quiet words - not spoken, but whispered - began to spread throughout the realm. They held no real importance by the time of Viserys’ coronation or for many years thereafter. But, by the end of Viserys’ life, they set the Realm asunder in a Dance of Dragons. If a woman is to rule the Realm, then let it be the daughter of Aemma Arryn, the “Bastard of the Vale,” more Targaryen than the “Sunrise Princess” in everything but name.
It is one of the ironies of history that an attempt to stop a war would be the cause of one. Or at least, that is what the Maesters of the Citadel say when they speak of the betrothal between the then Prince Viserys Targaryen and the Dornish Princess Eliadna Martell.
The betrothal came on the eve of rising tensions in the Dornish Marches. It was an attempt by the Old King Jaehaerys to reach a Détente with Dorne, to lower tensions and cool tempers with Sunspear.
Memories of the Fourth Dornish War, often called Prince Morion's Madness, were still fresh in the memories of many. The war had left the Stormlands devastated and had all but eradicated the Dornish fleet and levies. Both the Iron Throne and Sunspear considered the cost of war to be too great and aimed to prevent a fifth war from erupting.
Therefore, a marriage pact was put forth.
It was not meant as a political alliance but rather an attempt at dialogue. Both Jaehaerys and Mara Martell, the ruling Princess of Dorne, sought to create ties that would facilitate mediation and negotiation between King's Landing and Sunspear. Consequently, the matches put forth had to be high enough in station to serve as liaisons between the two rulers while not standing to inherit anything of note that would too deeply intertwine the two dynasties.
The Princess of Dorne put forth her niece, the second daughter of his brother, Princess Eliadna Martell. Meanwhile, the Old King thought it wise to offer up his grandson Viserys Targaryen, son of his fourth child, Prince Baelon Targaryen. Both matches were, essentially, "second sons" that did not stand to inherit the lion's share of their House's power.
At the time, the young Viserys had been courting Aemma Arryn from the Vale. It was said that Aemma was Viserys' one true love and that she was as smitten with him as he was with her. There had been no formal betrothal, but they had been practically promised to each other. A promise the Arryns of the Vale, who kept an important presence at court, had counted on for many years.
It was a promise that was broken when the Old King chose to betroth Viserys to the dornish princess. The lack of a formal betrothal contract did not prevent the insult the Vale felt at the king's decision. The Arryns would remain bitter for decades, and their influence on the throne would only continue to decline.
So, by the year 91 AC, the wedding between Viserys Targaryen and Eliadna Martell was held in King's Landing. Nevertheless, Aemma Arryn remained in court for many years, even as most of the Arryn presence slowly trickled out and rertuned to The Vale.
No one expected the Prince of Dragonstone, Aemon Targaryen, to die a year later from a stray bolt coming off a Myrish pirate's crossbow. No one expected him to die without a male heir. However, it was no surprise when Jaehaerys passed over Aemon's daughter, Princess Rhaenys, in favor of his son Baelon and named him heir to the Iron Throne.
By the year 92 AC, Baelon had been made Prince of Dragonstone, and Viserys had been put in the direct line of succession for the throne. Along with Viserys came the dornish the Old King had tied his grandson to.
There certainly was unease in the realm at this development, especially in the Reach and the Stormlands, who had fought the dornish for centuries. But it was overshadowed by the certainty and confidence the lords had for Prince Baelon.
The mood of the Realm was reflected by the words of the Good Queen Alysanne, who, upon Baelon's declaration as heir, told her son, "You will be a great king, even greater than your father."
So, the Realm carried on. Despite the unexpected death of the Prince of Dragonstone, it held strong. Even the marriage between Targaryens and Martells worked better than expected as the tensions between the two Realms tempered. Only the Marcher Lords in the Reach and the Stormlands seemed somewhat dissatisfied.
This period of optimism was only enhanced by the most fortuitous of news.
In 95 AC, the royal family was blessed with the news that Princess Eliadna was with child. Viserys was to have his firstborn child. Nine months later, the Red Keep welcomed Alaeyne Targaryen.
The birth was an event befitting the girl's royal station. With countless courtiers waiting in the halls and handmaids all around her, Princess Eliadna gave birth to Alaeyne as the sun rose over King's Landing, draping the mother and her babe in its warm rays.
The newborn was given the moniker of the "Sunrise Princess." Not only for the sigil of the Martell House but because it was said that the sun itself came out to greet her. And every day thereafter, it would be a common saying in King's Landing that the sun rose over the city only to greet its new Princess.
The saying was no mere empty praise, as it became clear early on that the Princess would grow into a radiant woman one day. Alaeyne was born with the characteristic thick and brown Dornish locks, as well as the Dornish olive complexion. However, her aquiline features and vibrant lilac eyes left no doubt as to the other half of her parentage.
It was said that even Prince Daemon, young at four and ten years of age and who distrusted Eliadna Martell and the Dornish at court, found himself captivated by his new niece. Many of the maids whispered of having seen the young prince cradling baby Alaeyne to sleep in his arms.
"She is a warrior" had been the only words lacking in contempt that Prince Daemon had ever directed at his goodsister.
Despite the birth of a beautiful daughter, many at court noticed how Viserys' gaze lingered on the once-spurned Aemma Arryn. Moreover, many also noticed that these gazes were reciprocated.
The suspicions of many were proven correct when, in 96 AC, Prince Viserys attempted to elope with a pregnant Aemma Arryn. Many said that had the Black Dread not died two years before, then Viserys would have been successful. Many argue that it would not have made a difference, as Balerion had been far too lethargic for years before his death to have made any difference.
Perhaps if Viserys had been successful and Daemon had ascended to the throne in his stead, one of the most destructive conflicts in Westeros could have been avoided. But that is something that would never be known, as it was Daemon himself who dragged a despondent Viserys to the throne room, where the Old King and the Prince of Dragonstone awaited. What transpired inside, the words shared between them, were only known by the Kingsguard accompanying them. Only one thing was clear: Viserys had brought shame to the House of the Dragon.
Similarly, Lady Aemma Arryn was forced to return to the Vale in shame. The people of The Vale, to whom she was beloved, never forgot the insult.
Nine months later, she would give birth to a daughter of her own, Rhaenyra Stone.
So, in early 97 AC, the birth of the bastard girl happened in one of the towers of The Eyrie beneath the light of a full moon. The birth appeared to be a quiet affair, with the moonlit mother and daughter only accompanied by a few handmaidens and Lady Jeyne Arryn. It would have remained so had the Blood Wyrm not been spotted in the skies of the Vale.
The recently knighted Prince Daemon Targaryen had come to witness the birth of his second niece. He brought with him a most precious gift. A dragon's egg, to put next to the babe's cradle according to the traditions of their house.
"She is a Dragon," the young prince fondly mused to Lady Aemma Arryn as he cradled his second niece in his arms.
There was no royal moniker for Rhaenyra, as henceforth, she would be referred to as the "Bastard of the Vale." It was a title many in the region would come to resent and see as an insult to the little girl.
Of course, there was political fallout from Daemon's actions. Once the realm knew of his gift to his bastard niece, something he had done without the leave of the king, the people of the Realm began to refer to him as "The Rogue Prince."
King Jaehaerys even considered the possibility of demanding the egg back from the Arryns, claiming that it was a royal property that the young prince had no leave to give. However, the Old King decided against it. The Arryns were a Great House and still bitter over the treatment of Aemma Arryn, whom they considered to have been dishonored by the House of the Dragon. Demanding the egg back would only serve to further open the rift.
So, to save face for the crown, the egg was spun to be an official offering of peace to the Vale. It came along with an advantageous marriage pact. Prince Daemon Targaryen would wed Lady Rhea Royce of Runestone. Yet, all knew this betrothal for what it was. Punishment for the Rogue Prince. Daemon had chosen to make his bed with the Valemen, and now he would have to lie in it.
Jaehaerys saw this as a prudent course of action. After all, there was no guarantee that the egg would hatch. The king might have saved himself a political headache in exchange for what was likely to be a simple rock.
Yet the egg did hatch. The Vale was blessed with a second birth. However, this time, it was not a bastard girl but a golden dragon.
The situation only deteriorated when the egg given to Princess Alaeyne grew cold. There would be no hatchling for the Sunrise Princess.
The lack of a hatchling was a fact that only served to infuriate the young Targaryen, who would longingly stare at her uncle's Blood Wyrm. It was said that the Princess attempted several times to claim a beast from the Dragon Pit in King's Landing. Each attempt ended in failure and left only burns on her skin.
However, her tenacity revealed something. Even at her young age, Alaeyne proved herself to be a fierce child. She was interested more in swords, knights, and horseback riding than the usual activities of a Princess. All these endeavors were heartily supported by her Dornish mother, who saw no issue with a Princess learning the ways of a Prince. Some even said that her mother was preparing the Princess to rule, but none at the time gave much credence to the notion.
Among her tutors and septas, another moniker began to spread for Alaeyne. "Visenya Reborn," many of them muttered, afraid of the possibility of having to teach the willful princess. It was a nickname the Princess rejoiced in, especially because her beloved uncle seemed to find it both fitting and amusing.
The fondness for his first niece had never left the Rogue Prince, who often spent time with the Sunrise Princess during his visits to King's Landing, telling her stories of all of his travels and showing the girl his precious Valyrian Steel sword. It was said that Princess Alaeyne was the only one in King's Landing who could lay a hand on Dark Sister without losing it.
"When I claim Blackfyre, both swords will be reunited. Just like in the time of our ancestors, just like with Aegon and his sister-wife Visenya!" She would proudly declare with a countenance that could only belong to a Princess.
"And how would you accomplish that?" the Prince would respond with good-natured laughter.
"By taking your hand in marriage," the little Princess would once again declare, ignoring the clear difficulty of obtaining Blackfyre itself first. To her, it was a given that the sword would eventually belong to her.
"But I am already married," Daemon would counter with a smirk, aware of the annoyance that caused the small Princess.
"Marriages can be dissolved!" the small Princess would huff out with the expected annoyance.
However, no matter how fond Prince Daemon was of his first niece, it quickly became clear to many that she could not compete with her younger half-sister in the Vale. The Rogue Prince had a favorite, and it was not the Sunrise Princess.
For every day Daemon spent in King's Landing, he would spend ten in the Vale. Attending his lady wife in Runestone, he would claim. But all knew that the Prince spent his nights in the Eyrie rather than the Royce holdings.
Daemon's gift of a Dragon's egg to his young niece seemed to have ingratiated him to the Arryn and the people of The Vale. He was the only Targaryen they happily welcomed into their domain.
It was said that the humors of the Rogue Prince tempered in the Eyrie, as he would spend long days teaching his younger niece the tongue of his ancestors. At night, he would cradle her to sleep while reciting the Valyrian histories from thick tomes. Their time not spent in the libraries of the Eyrie, was spent on dragonback as they flew across the mountains of the Vale. While in the air, he would reveal the secrets of dragon lore for the soon-to-be dragon rider.
When, in 104 AC, Rhaenyra took to the sky on her Dragon Syrax, she became the youngest Dragon Rider ever recorded. No doubt, the teachings of her uncle had been instrumental.
Daemon himself labeled her the youngest rider in Targaryen history, a comment for which he was harshly reprimanded by the king.
He would bring gifts. Rare gems, precious silks, and delicate jewelry from his travels in Essos. Nowhere in Westeros had seen the like. And all these precious items were laid at the feet of the "Bastard of the Vale." Clad in the precious fineries brought by her uncle, Rhaenyra earned herself another moniker. This one was used by the people of the Vale, who adored her just like they did her mother.
In the Vale of Arryn, and to those sympathetic to her, Rhaenyra Stone became "The Vale's Delight." A title given to her by those who believed both the young girl and her mother had been wronged by the Targaryens of King's Landing.
Some of the most vicious tongues in the Realm would even claim that this bastard girl, draped in her uncle's gifts, looked more of a Targaryen Princess than Viserys' true born daughter, who seemed to prefer the training yard to the comforts of silk, ever would.
At the time, these seemed like minor political concerns. To be sure, they presented a constant political headache for the Old King and the Prince of Dragonstone. But it was nothing that would threaten the stability of the realm. These were the antics of a ruling family, there for the lords of the Realm to gossip about. After all, with the Old King Jaehaerys and Baelon alive, both girls were at least two generations down the line of succession.
The banality of the conflict seemed to only grow sharper when in 100 AC, Viserys had a son. Aegon. The second-born of Viserys was assumed to become his heir. After this, to the lords of the Realm, the conflict between the Princess and the Bastard became the squabbling of women who stood to inherit nothing and were too far down the succession line to matter.
Never mind that the girls had never met, so it would have been impossible for them to squabble. But the opinions of the lords of the Realm are often far removed from reality.
But tragedy always comes uninvited, and politics is the comedy that accompanies it.
In 104 AC, Prince Baelon died of a burst belly just days after his appointment as Hand of The King. But an empty seat in the Small Council was the least of the Old King's concerns. The Realm now had a succession crisis on its hands.
To prevent a war from being fought over his succession, Jaehaerys called a Great Council to determine who would be heir to the Iron Throne. Many claims were heard, but only two were truly considered. That of Princess Rhaenys, daughter of Aemon Targaryen. And that of Viserys, son of the late Prince of Dragonstone. Ultimately, it was Viserys' claim which prevailed.
It is said that when making the decision, the lords gathered at the Great Council did not only heed the swords raised by Prince Daemon in support of his brother but also the spears of Dorne behind Princess Eliadna Martell.
When breaking bread with the Dornish, The Old King had never meant to create a political alliance; he had never meant to deeply intertwine their houses. However, the rapid and unexpected ascension of Viserys had done it for him and unwittingly began the integration of Dorne into the Realm.
However, the declaration of Viserys as Prince of Dragonstone did not come without political cost. The tensions and unease at the Dornish influence on the throne, long kept at bay by Prince Baelon, began to resurface. This was especially true in the Reach and the Stormlands, who were loath to have a Dornish overlord.
These tensions would only grow with the death of the Old King in 105 AC. The coronation of Viserys the First of His Name would only spark controversy. At the urging of his dornish wife and following dornish tradition, the newly made king declared Princess Alaeyne Targaryen, "The Sunrise Princess," to be the Princess of Dragonstone and his named heir.
There was outrage, of course. The loudest voices argued that it was Aegon, the Princess' younger brother, who should be given the title. Some, realizing the folly of expecting that a prince raised by a dornish mother would seek to overthrow his older sister, called for Prince Daemon to take the title. However, these voices quieted when the Rogue Prince gave no indication of wanting it.
Ultimately, the ties and the Realm built by the Old King Jaehaerys were strong and resilient. While there was dissent, there was no open opposition or rebellion against Viserys' declared heir. One by one, the Lords of the Realm came to King's Landing to bend the knee and swear obeisance to the King and his named heir.
It seemed that a woman would rule the Seven Kingdoms for the first time in its history.
However, quiet voices began to sow the seeds of war. It first spread among the Marcher Lords of the Reach and The Stormlands. These words were not spoken but whispered. They held no real importance by the time of Viserys' coronation or for many years thereafter. But, by the end of Viserys' reign, these were words that would set the Realm asunder in a Dance of Dragons.
They said that if the realm was to be ruled by a woman, then let it be the "Bastard of the Vale," Rhaenyra Stone. Whom many thought to be more Targaryen than the dornish "Sunrise Princess" in everything but name.