Before that, beware spoilers.
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Daemon Targaryen
Prince Daemon Targaryen was a member of House Targaryen, being a younger son of Prince Baelon Targaryen and a brother of King Viserys I Targaryen. Daemon was the second husband of Rhaenyra Targaryen, Princess of Dragonstone, following Ser Laenor Velaryon.
Daemon was the most experienced warrior of his time and wielded the Valyrian steel blade Dark Sister. A dragonrider whose dragon was Caraxes, Daemon declared himself the King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea.During the Dance of the Dragons, he was a prominent supporter of his wife, Rhaenyra.
Much of Daemon's life was written about by Archmaester Gyldayn in The Rogue Prince, or, A King's Brother.
Daemon was described by Maester Yandel as dashing, daring, and dangerous, but mercurial and quick to take offense.[7] Archmaester Gyldayn wrote that Daemon was ambitious, impetuous, and moody, as charming as he was hot-tempered.[1]
Daemon was a renowned warrior skilled in the joust, hunting, and swordplay.[1] He was unfaithful to his third wife, Rhaenyra Targaryen, taking Mysaria and possibly Nettles as his lovers.[8]
Daemon made many friends in King's Landing, especially in Flea Bottom,[1] and among the gold cloaks,[9] as well as in Pentos.[9] However, he was intensely disliked by Ser Otto Hightower.[1]
According to art for Fire & Blood and The World of Ice & Fire, Daemon had silver hair and wore plate armor.[8][7] While Commander of the City Watch of King's Landing, he wore a gold cloak and a surcoat depicting the three-headed dragon of House Targaryen.[7] He wielded Dark Sister, a Valyrian steel sword, and rode Caraxes.
Daemon was born as the second son of Prince Baelon Targaryen and his sister-wife, Princess Alyssa Targaryen, in 81 AC, during the reign of his grandfather, King Jaehaerys I Targaryen. He had one older brother, Viserys, as well as one younger brother, Aegon, who died in infancy.[10][3] Within a fortnight of Daemon's birth, Alyssa took the child flying on Meleys.[3] Daemon was free spirited and adventurous in his youth.[1]
Daemon was knighted at sixteen, and King Jaehaerys I Targaryen gave him Dark Sister.[1]
In 97 AC, Daemon married Lady Rhea Royce, the heir to Runestone, but he disliked both her and the Vale of Arryn; Daemon referred to his wife as his "bronze bitch".[1] During the Great Council of 101 AC, Daemon supported the claim of Prince Viserys, as it would make Daemon the heir after his brother. Daemon gathered a small army of sworn swords and men-at-arms when it was rumored that Lord Corlys Velaryon was readying a fleet to defend the rights of his son, Laenor Velaryon.[1][7]
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Rhea Royce
In 97 AC, Queen Alysanne Targaryen wed her grandson Prince Daemon Targaryen to Lady Rhea Royce, the heir to Runestone. Although the marriage was a fine, rich match, the marriage was not a success. Daemon found the Vale of Arryn little to his liking and grew bored. He soon developed a dislike for his wife, holding no love or affection toward Rhea, referring to her as his bronze bitch, a mocking reference to the ancient armor of the Royces. Rhea likewise had no love for Daemon, and they were soon estranged.
Shortly after 101 AC, Rhea succeeded Lord Yorbert Royce as the Lady of Runestone. Meanwhile, Rhea's union with Daemon proved to be barren. Upon the ascension of his brother King Viserys I, Daemon petitioned the king to set aside his marriage, but Viserys denied the request. However, he did allow his brother to return to court to serve on the small council. While at court, Daemon acquired the Lady Mysaria as a mistress and impregnated her in 105 AC. After Daemon attempted to give her a dragon egg, Viserys commanded Daemon to return the egg and return to Lady Rhea at Runestone, or else be attained; Daemon obeyed with ill grace and returned to Rhea's unwelcomed company.
By 106 AC, Daemon had once again left Lady Rhea at Runestone, this time to wage a war over control of the Stepstones with Lord Corlys Velaryon, declaring that he had suffered all he could of the Vale and his lady wife. Daemon later reportedly requested for his marriage to be set aside to wed his niece, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, but the king exiled him from the Seven Kingdoms.
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House Royce
House Royce of Runestone is an old and powerful noble house of the Vale, sworn to House Arryn. Their seat is the castle Runestone, located on the coast of the narrow sea north of Gulltown. There is also cadet branch occupying the non-hereditary seat of the Gates of the Moon, located on the path that leads to the Eyrie.
The Royces of Runestone blazon their arms with black iron studs on bronze, bordered with runes, and their motto is "We Remember". The Royces are proud of their descent from the First Men. They have several sets of ancient bronze plate armor inscribed with runes that are thought to make their wearers immune to injury. The truth of this claim has been called into question, however, as quite a few Royces have died wearing them. The Royces control several ports and do not depend on Gulltown for its commerce.
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Vermithor
Vermithor was a bronze dragon with "great tan wings". Vermithor was already a large dragon in 48 AC; only Balerion and Vhagar were larger. By the time of the Dance of the Dragons, Vermithor was almost a hundred years old.
Vermithor was a fearsome beast. Accustomed to men and having had a previous rider, by the reign of Aegon II Targaryen Vermithor was tolerant of the presence of people and more accepting of new riders. Vermithor often coiled with Silverwing.
Vermithor had accepted Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen as his rider by 48 AC, when Jaehaerys made his claim for the Iron Throne.[5][4] Nine days after the mysterious death of King Maegor I Targaryen, Jaehaerys flew to King's Landing upon Vermithor to claim the throne.[4] During his reign, Jaehaerys I and his sister-wife, Queen Alysanne Targaryen, once visited Winterfell with six dragons.[6] After Alysanne grew bored and flew her own dragon Silverwing north to the Wall, Jaehaerys came after her on Vermithor.[7]
Vermithor became riderless when Jaehaerys died in 103 AC. Throughout the reign of Jaehaerys's successor, King Viserys I Targaryen, Vermithor had no new rider.[8] During this time, Vermithor remained on the island of Dragonstone and made his lair in one of the smoking caverns of the Dragonmont.[3]
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Dance of the Dragons
The Dance of the Dragons, also known as the Dying of the Dragons, was a civil war during Targaryen rule of the Seven Kingdoms. A war of succession between Aegon II and his half-sister Rhaenyra over their father Viserys I's throne, the war was fought from 129 AC to 131 AC. It saw the deaths of both rival monarchs, and the crowning of Rhaenyra's son, Aegon III.
In early 2013 George R. R. Martin announced that the anthology Dangerous Women, previously expected to include the fourth Dunk and Egg story, would instead include the novella The Princess and the Queen, which Martin described as "(...) the true (mostly) story of the origins of the Dance of the Dragons."[1] The abridged version in The Princess and the Queen consists of 30,000 words, while the complete 80,000 word history of the civil war is written in Fire & Blood.
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Helaena Targaryen
In 109 AC, Helaena was born to King Viserys I Targaryen and his second wife, Queen Alicent Hightower. She had an older half-sister, Princess Rhaenyra, and an older brother, Prince Aegon, and would have two younger brothers, Prince Aemond and Prince Daeron.[1][6]
By the age of twelve, Helaena had become a dragonrider, and rode the dragon Dreamfyre. In 122 AC, at the age of thirteen, Helaena was married to her older brother Prince Aegon, following the ancient tradition of House Targaryen. Barely a year after her wedding, Helaena gave birth to twins: Jaehaerys and Jaehaera.[1]
On the first day of 127 AC, Helaena's father, King Viserys I, held a feast to celebrate the recovery of his health. According to the court fool Mushroom, after the king had left the feast, Helaena's nephew, Prince Jacaerys Velaryon, asked her for a dance, which her husband and brother, Aegon, took offense to. Later that same year, Helaena gave birth to a third child, a boy named Maelor.[1]
On the third day of the third month of 129 AC, Helaena brought her three children to her father's chambers, where the king, the night before his death, entertained her children with a fictional tale[N 1] about their great-great-grandsire, King Jaehaerys I Targaryen.[1]
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Aegon II Targaryen
According to a semi-canon source, Aegon resembled his father, Viserys I Targaryen, in appearance.[11] He was a handsome young man,[6] though he had a sullen look to his eyes and a pouty mouth. Aegon had a wispy mustache instead of a beard. Overall, he did not look like a warrior.[11] He wore the iron-and-ruby crown of Aegon I Targaryen and carried Blackfyre, his namesake's Valyrian steel sword.[2]
Aegon was severely injured during the Dance of the Dragons, which left him bent and twisted.[6] At Rook's Rest, Aegon broke his ribs and hip, and was burned on half his body, most severely on his left arm.[7] His burns turned to scars, and his subsequent use of milk of the poppy gave him a puffy face.[6] Later at Dragonstone, Aegon broke both his legs and was for the remainder of his life unable to walk.[6][4]
Aegon II was quick to anger and slow to forgive.[2] At the age of fifteen, he was known to be a lazy and somewhat sulky boy, inclined to gluttony at the table and given to swilling ale and strongwine, traits he carried to adulthood.[12] A sweet Arbor red was Aegon's favorite vintage.[4] During the Dance, after a series of defeats and setbacks, Aegon's drinking grew more frequent, as he used strongwine to drown his fears.[3][7] He would later use wine to dull his pain from the injuries and burns he had suffered.[6] Grand Maester Kaeth described him as grasping.[13] Through his reign, Aegon never knew joy nor peace.[14]
It was widely known that the promiscuous Aegon had fathered several bastards. Even at a young age, he was known to pinch or fondle any serving girl who strayed within his reach.[12] After his injuries left him incapable of sexual congress, the court fool Mushroom claims Aegon would watch as one of his favorites coupled with a serving girl or lady of court, though he would later weep and summon Septon Eustace to grant him absolution.[4]
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Alicent Hightower
Alicent was born in 88 AC to Otto Hightower, the younger brother of Lord Hightower, the Lord of the Hightower. Alicent had several brothers, including Gwayne.[5]
When her father was named Hand of the King by King Jaehaerys I Targaryen in 101 AC, thirteen year-old[N 1] Alicent accompanied him to court together with her brothers and mother. Alicent eventually became the constant companion of King Jaehaerys, whose health was failing. She fetched his meals, helped him wash and dress, and read to him. In the end, King Jaehaerys sometimes mistook her for his daughter, Saera Targaryen. Jaehaerys eventually died in 103 AC, while Alicent was reading to him.[5]
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Alicent stayed at court, as her father continued to occupy the position as Hand under Jaehaerys's grandson and successor, King Viserys I Targaryen. Already early in the reign of Viserys, Ser Otto and Prince Daemon Targaryen were at odds with each other, and the court fool Mushroom has suggested that the quarrel between the two men began when Daemon deflowered Alicent. The truths of these tales have never been uncovered.[5]
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Rhaenyra Targaryen
Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, cheered as the Realm's Delight when she was young and later called the Half-Year Queen,[1] was the first-born child of King Viserys I Targaryen. Rhaenyra was King Viserys I's only living child by his first wife, Queen Aemma of House Arryn. At the age of eight, she was made her father's heir and grew up expecting to become the first ruling Queen of Westeros. Rhaenyra was a dragonrider whose mount was Syrax.[1][4]
Her claim to the Iron Throne was challenged by her younger half-brother, Aegon II Targaryen, sparking the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. She was the mother of two kings,[5] Aegon III and Viserys II.
Rhaenyra's personal sigil was the normal Targaryen heraldry (a three-headed red dragon on a black field), quartered with the moon-and-falcon sigil of House Arryn (for her mother Aemma Arryn), and the silver seahorse on sea green of House Velaryon (for her first husband Laenor Velaryon, as well as for the Velaryons in general, who were among her major supporters). During the Dance, her faction used her personal heraldry as their battle-flag.[6]
Rhaenyra had her family's Valyrian looks, wearing her silver-gold hair in a long braid in the manner of Queen Visenya Targaryen.[8] Beautiful as a child,[9] Rhaenyra was later declared by her uncle, Prince Daemon Targaryen, to be the most beautiful maiden in all the Seven Kingdoms.[4] Rhaenyra never lost weight gained from pregnancies, and she had grown stout and thick of waist at the age of twenty after her third pregnancy.[4] Rhaenyra had a large bosom.[8]
Rhaenyra was proud and stubborn, and there was a certain petulance to her small mouth. Though she could be charming, Rhaenyra was quick to anger and never forgot a slight.[8] She resented her slender older stepmother, Queen Alicent Hightower,[1] but was fond of Lady Laena Velaryon.[4]
Rhaenyra always dressed richly, favoring purple and maroon velvets and golden Myrish lace in intricate patterns. Her bodice often glittered with pearls and diamonds, and there were always rings on her fingers. Whenever she was anxious, she would turn them compulsively around her fingers.[8] During the Dance of the Dragons, she wore the crown of her father, Viserys I,[8] which had first been worn by King Jaehaerys I Targaryen.[1]
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Criston Cole
Ser Criston Cole was a knight from House Cole who rose to become Lord Commander of the Kingsguard for Viserys I Targaryen.[4] His relationship with Viserys's daughter, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, was first friendly and then adversarial.[4]
Criston convinced Viserys's son, Prince Aegon the Elder, to claim the rule of the Seven Kingdoms as his father lay dead. This led to the Dance of the Dragons, a civil war between Aegon II and his elder half-sister, Rhaenyra, whom Viserys had long groomed as his successor. For this the knight became known as Criston the Kingmaker.[3] Criston also served as Hand of the King for Aegon II during part of the war.
Ser Criston was born to a steward of Lord Dondarrion at Blackhaven, in the Dornish Marches.[4]
In 104 AC, Criston won a melee at the tourney at Maidenpool to celebrate the ascension of King Viserys I Targaryen to the Iron Throne, drawing the attention of the royal court by knocking Dark Sister from the hands of Prince Daemon Targaryen with his morningstar. He gave the victor's laurel to the seven-year-old Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, whose favor he wore while unhorsing Daemon in the joust, as well as the twins Ser Arryk and Ser Erryk Cargyll of the Kingsguard, before being unhorsed by Lord Lymond Mallister. Thereafter, King Viserys indulged Rhaenyra by naming Criston her personal sworn shield. In 105 AC, the twenty-three-year-old Criston became a member of the Kingsguard, taking the place of the legendary Ser Ryam Redwyne.[4]
Criston wore Rhaenyra's favor in a tournament in 111 AC where he unhorsed Ser Gwayne Hightower, younger brother and champion to King Viserys's second wife and queen, Alicent Hightower.[4] Half a year later, Daemon departed the capital after quarreling with his royal brother. According to Mushroom, Daemon had given explicit lessons to Rhaenyra so that she could seduce the noble Criston. When Rhaenyra finally approached the knight, however, the horrified Criston rejected the girl.
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Otto Hightower
Ser Otto Hightower was a knight from House Hightower who served as Hand of the King to three kings, although two of the kings removed him from office at various times.[4] He was the younger brother of Lord Hightower,[1] and the uncle of Lord Ormund Hightower of Oldtown.[5] His children included Alicent Hightower, the second queen of King Viserys I Targaryen, and Ser Gwayne Hightower, second in command of the gold cloaks.[6] Otto is remembered as a warning that knowledge is not everything.[7]
Ser Otto first served as Hand of the King after the death of Prince Baelon Targaryen, the Hand and son of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen. Jaehaerys was devastated by the deaths of Baelon and his beloved wife, Queen Alysanne Targaryen, becoming grief-stricken, and with his health failing he became bedridden. Otto effectively ruled the Seven Kingdoms as Hand in the final two years of Jaehaerys's reign, while his daughter, Alicent Hightower, nursed the ailing king.[1]
Otto continued as Hand to Jaehaerys's grandson and successor on the throne, Viserys I Targaryen. He became a bitter rival of the king's brother, Prince Daemon Targaryen, who had been named master of coin. Otto convinced the king to remove him from office and did so again when Viserys named Daemon master of laws. He came to regret this, however, when Daemon was named commander of the City Watch, as this put two thousand men under Daemon's command and the prince thrived in this new office. Otto feared Daemon would become a second Maegor the Cruel if he ever ascended to the Iron Throne, sharing his fears with his brother, the Lord of the Hightower. Thus, by this time, Otto wished for Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen to succeed her father.[1]
Otto's daughter Alicent became King Viserys's second wife in 106 AC, after the death of Queen Aemma Arryn. In 109 AC, Otto was removed as Hand for hounding Viserys to declare Alicent's sons the heirs to the Iron Throne instead of Princess Rhaenyra. Having no place at court anymore, Otto returned to Oldtown. A "queen's party", known as the greens, a group of powerful lords who were friends with Queen Alicent, remained, who supported the rights of Alicent's sons.[1]
In 120 AC, Otto returned as Hand after Lord Lyonel Strong died. When Viserys died in 129 AC, Otto played a crucial role in crowning his eldest grandson as King Aegon II in defiance of the last will of Viserys I, which specified Rhaenyra as the successor. This defiance precipitated the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.[7]
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Lyonel Strong
Lyonel was a large, balding man who had a reputation as a battler. He was slow of speech and quiet and was often mistaken for a brute. He was in reality extremely intelligent and well learned, however.[2]
Lyonel studied at the Citadel, where he earned six links, and he had an exhaustive knowledge of law.[2]
In 105 AC, Lyonel came to court with his four children - Ser Harwin, Larys and two unnamed daughters - to serve as master of laws for King Viserys I Targaryen.[2] He later replaced Ser Otto Hightower, as Hand of the King, when Otto was removed from office in 109 AC.[4]
In 111 AC, when the allegation that Prince Daemon Targaryen had taken Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen's maidenhead came before the small council, Lord Lyonel's counsel to Viserys was that Daemon should be executed for treason. Septon Eustace, however, reminded the council about the taint of kinslaying, and Daemon was exiled instead.[2]
In 120 AC when Lyonel's son, Ser Harwin, was removed as Princess Rhaenyra's sworn shield, Lyonel left the court at King's Landing to accompany him on his return to Harrenhal. He died in a fire at Harrenhal with his eldest son and heir that same year. The fire was considered an accident and blamed on the curse of Harrenhal. Other non-mystical suspects included Prince Daemon, Lord Corlys Velaryon, Lyonel's younger son Larys, who inherited Harrenhal, and King Viserys I.[2]
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Viserys I Targaryen
Viserys I Targaryen was the fifth Targaryen king to sit the Iron Throne,[4] ruling from 103 AC to 129 AC. He succeeded his grandfather, the Old King Jaehaerys I. Viserys continued the prosperous peace and legacy of his grandsire, but the seeds for the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons that would much later engulf the realm were inadvertently sown in his reign.[2]
Viserys was a dragonrider who rode Balerion until the dragon died of old age during the reign of Jaehaerys I. Viserys never bonded with another dragon after Balerion's death.[5]
Viserys was a peaceful man who hated conflict and was plump and pleasant. He was described as amiable, open-handed and eager to please. Though Viserys was never considered strong willed, he was not pliable or indecisive either, when he made a choice he was unwavering and firmly stood by his decision.[2]
King Viserys's generosity was legendary, and the Red Keep became a place of song and splendor during his reign. He hosted countless balls, feasts and tournaments, and he lavished gold and offices and honors among those he favored. Viserys was well loved by lords and smallfolk alike.[2]
In his midlife Viserys's stoutness caused him numerous health problems, including from gout, aching joints, back pain, and respiratory issues. Towards the end of his life his girth nearly kept him from ascending the steps to the Iron Throne.[2]
Viserys sported a bushy, silver-gold mustache and wore the crown of his grandfather, Jaehaerys I Targaryen.[7]
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Aemond Targaryen
Prince Aemond Targaryen, also known as Aemond One-Eye[1][2][3] and Aemond the Kinslayer,[4] was a member of House Targaryen. He was the second son of King Viserys I Targaryen by his second wife, Queen Alicent Hightower, and the younger brother of King Aegon II Targaryen.[2][5] Like his siblings, Aemond was a dragonrider, and rode the dragon Vhagar.[2]
At birth, Aemond was said to be half the size his older brother, Aegon, had been, though he was twice as fierce. At the age of ten, Aemond lost his right eye during a fight with his nephew Lucerys Velaryon.[2] Subsequently Aemond took to putting a sapphire in place of the missing eye.[3] Aemond was also known to wear an eye patch over his sapphire eye at times, apparently when he was in open court and did not want to frighten noble ladies with his scars (such as when he was in the Round Hall of Storm's End with Borros Baratheon's wife and daughters).[4]
As a child, Aemond was bold, wild, willful, hot-tempered and unforgiving, and grew to be a proficient and dangerous swordsman.[2] As a young man, Aemond wore nightblack armor, chased with gold.[8]
Aemond was born in 110 AC to King Viserys I Targaryen and his second wife, Queen Alicent Hightower. He had two older sisters, Rhaenyra, Viserys's daughter by his first wife, and Helaena, and an older brother, Aegon. Aemond would later also have a younger brother, Daeron.[2][9]
The births of Aemond and his older brother Aegon were the cause of some strife at the court of Viserys I. The king had named Rhaenyra, his only surviving child by his first marriage, his official heir in 105 AC, but refused to change the order of succession after the birth of two healthy sons. This eventually led to the rise of the "queen's party" at the royal court, as opposed to the "princess's party". Additionally, Prince Daemon Targaryen, the younger brother of King Viserys and Aemond's uncle, was said to be notably cool towards Aemond and Aegon, as their births had pushed him back even further in the line of succession as well.[2]
The enmity between Aemond's mother, Alicent, and older half-sister, Rhaenyra, was passed on to their children. Aemond and his siblings became bitter rivals to Rhaenyra's three sons, Princes Jacaerys, Lucerys and Joffrey Velaryon, resenting them for stealing their birthright, the Iron Throne. The time the six boys were forced to spend together (e.g. attending feasts, sometimes training together at arms or studying under the same maester) only caused to increase this dislike.[2]
In 120 AC, when Aemond was ten years old, his brother-in-law, Ser Laenor Velaryon, died. Aemond accompanied his parents and siblings to Driftmark to attend Laenor's funeral. King Viserys had suggested traveling to Dragonstone after the funeral, and informed Aemond, who out of all his siblings was the only one yet without a dragon of his own, that he could claim a dragon egg or hatchling on Dragonstone for his own, if he was "bold enough". Annoyed by his father's comment, Aemond resolved to claim Vhagar, the eldest of the dragons, who had recently become riderless with the death of Laena Velaryon. Vhagar was present on Driftmark, and Aemond, who knew that his parents would not allow him near the dragon, went to make his attempt in secret.[2]
Aemond was caught by his three-year-old nephew, Prince Joffrey. In an attempt to keep him quiet, Aemond slapped and threatened the younger boy, before shoving him into a pile of dragon droppings. When Joffrey began to yell, Aemond climbed on top of Vhagar's back. The dragon broke free of her chains, and Aemond flew two circles before landing.[2] Joffrey, however, had alarmed his two older siblings, Jacaerys and Lucerys Velaryon. The four boys fought with wooden training swords, until Aemond called his nephews "Strongs". Jacaerys, old enough to understand the insult, attacked Aemond again. When Aemond gained the upper hand and began to beat Jacaerys savagely, Lucerys drew his dagger and slashed at Aemond's face, taking out his right eye. After the incident, Queen Alicent called for Lucerys to lose an eye as penance, which King Viserys refused, while Princess Rhaenyra demanded that Aemond was questioned, "sharply", until he revealed where he heard her sons being described as "Strongs"—as naming them such was suggesting they were bastards, and therefore that Rhaenyra was guilty of high treason by sleeping with Ser Harwin Strong. Forced by his father, Aemond eventually admitted hearing the name from his brother, Prince Aegon.[1][2]
While he was an unforgiving person, Aemond would later say that he considered losing an eye to be a fair trade in exchange for obtaining Vhagar. Despite the loss of his eye, Aemond developed into a dangerous swordsman under the guidance of Ser Criston Cole, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.[2]
On the first day of 127 AC, King Viserys held a feast to celebrate the return of his health. After the king had left the feast, Aemond toasted his three Velaryon nephews, speaking of their appearance, mocking them as "three strong boys".[2]
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Corlys Velaryon
Corlys Velaryon, known as the Sea Snake, was a fabled Lord of the Tides, Master of Driftmark, and head of House Velaryon.[6] He was the husband of Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. During the Dance of the Dragons, he became Hand to Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen.
Corlys was born in 53 AC at Driftmark to the eldest son of Lord Daemon Velaryon (possibly Corwyn Velaryon) and his lady wife.[2] He was named after his great-granduncle, Ser Corlys Velaryon, who served King Aegon I Targaryen as the first Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.[11][2]
Corlys took to the sea at a young age, first crossing the narrow sea to Pentos with an uncle when he was only six. Corlys would make such voyages every year that followed, working on the ships as a member of the crew. According to the captains he served under, they had never seen such a natural sailor as Corlys. He became a captain himself at the age of sixteen, when he sailed the Cod Queen from Driftmark to Dragonstone and back.[8] By the age of twenty-three, Corlys was already a celebrated mariner.[12] Corlys sailed to Oldtown, Lannisport, Lordsport, Lys, Tyrosh, Pentos, and Myr. He sailed the Summer Maid to Volantis and the Summer Isles, and he took Ice Wolf to Braavos, Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, Hardhome, Lorath, and the Port of Ibben. He also took Ice Wolf beyond the Wall, but was unsuccessful in finding a northerly route in the Shivering Sea around Westeros.[8]
Corlys was knighted at some point.[12]
Corlys sailed aboard his Sea Snake, a ship he designed and built, on nine great voyages to Essos. During his first voyage, he sailed beyond the Jade Gates at Qarth to Yi Ti and Leng. Corlys returned with treasures like silk, spice, and jade, doubling the wealth of House Velaryon.[8] His second voyage took him to Asshai, where he "lost his love and half his crew", according to the stories. At Asshai, Corlys also saw a ship docked in the harbor that he believed to have been the Sun Chaser of Elissa Farman.[12] Corlys's third voyage led to him becoming the first Westerosi to navigate the Thousand Islands in the Shivering Sea and visit Nefer[13] in N'ghai and Mossovy.[8]
During his ninth voyage on Sea Snake, Corlys filled the ship's hold with gold and bought twenty more ships at Qarth, loading them with spices, elephants, and silk. Only fourteen ships reached Driftmark and all the elephants died, but Corlys became vastly wealthy from the venture.[8] He took his nickname "Sea Snake" from his famous ship. Corlys's expeditions on the Sea Snake have been described by Maester Mathis in his book The Nine Voyages.[11]