Have you ever read a headcanon about a couple or character and it sticks in your mind because it fits so well with the couple's dynamic or the character's personality?
Well, that happened to me with a post from a Tumblr user (I don't remember their name, so all credit goes to them) where they described how Maekar, in a way, is jealous of Valarr because he feels Valarr has taken away Maekar's attention and place in Bealor's life. And I must admit that I love this trope because of the anguish, pain, and difficult-to-accept feelings it generates simply by reading it, but at the same time it makes me think of countless other possibilities for why Maekar dislikes or dislikes his nephew Valarr instead of Bealor being the reason.
What if the reason Maekar dislikes Valarr isn't because he took his place in Bealor's life, but because Valarr inherited Bealor's worst qualities (in addition to the good ones, of course)? His complacency, his ego (and Maekar admits he's also egotistical, but Baelor surpasses him), his (erroneous) conviction that he's doing the right thing at the expense of others, and that simply by being the heir he knows better, his blindness to his own mistakes, and many other things make Maekar feel like he's reliving his youth.
Even though he knows it's unfair to burden a son with the sins of his father, he can't help but feel repulsion and rejection for every trait of Baelor's personality that he sees reflected so strongly in his nephew. Maekar believed he was doing the Valar a favor by keeping his distance; he was his nephew, and after all, he loved him. But the difference was obvious when Maekar interacted with Aelor, Aelora, and Daenora. Even the affection he had for his other nephew, Matarys, was noticeable. But Maekar couldn't force himself (even if he wanted to) to have a closer relationship with the Valarr, and everyoneāthe royal family, the villagers, and everyone elseānoticed the rejection (to put it mildly) that Daeron II's fourth son showed toward his nephew.
Baelor often wanted to talk to Maekar about this or call his attention to his "selfish and childish" attitude toward the Valarr, but when he finally grew tired of seeing Maekar neglect the Valarr to be affectionate with his other nephews and tried to put a stop to it, he was immediately stopped by Daeron II, who told him that he was explicitly forbidden from demanding or questioning Maekar.
Although it was clear that Maekar didn't have the same closeness with the Valarr as he did with his other nephews, he had never treated him discourteously or rudely, and Baelor should (and had to, because it was a direct order from his king) leave things as they were.
Daeron II knew he was being unfair to his eldest son by not giving him an explanation or reason why he shouldn't seek retribution for the treatment his grandson was receiving from Maekar.
What father wouldn't do the same? But at the same time, Daeron II couldn't force his youngest son to feign ignorance and act like the best person when Daeron II himself could so clearly see how the worst traits and qualities of his eldest son were reflected in his grandson, and what this caused Maekar.
His fourth son fulfilled his responsibilities to the family and the kingdom, bowing his head and carrying on as he had to in his youth. (Daeron II is not blind, nor will he ever be. He saw from afar the love that Baelor and Maekar shared in their youth. He also saw how Maekar hoped his elder brother would appeal to that love when the possibility of a marriage between Baelor and Lady Jena Dondarrion was raised, and how all of Maekar's hope was shattered when he saw and heard Baelor say nothing and simply accept.
With this, Daeron II doesn't mean he expected his eldest son to shirk his responsibilities, but rather that he perfectly understood what Maekar felt at that moment: the heartbreaking certainty of understanding that the words of a loved one are not the same as actions, and that it doesn't matter how much you bleed for that person if, in the end, they won't show even a fraction of what you are willing to give when it truly matters.
Daeron II admits that he was not the best father; for none of his four children, although he tried with all his might, he failed a hundred times but now he can recognize that he is doing the right thing not only for Maekar and for Valarr but also for Bealor even though his eldest son does not yet see it.
