I’ve been thinking a lot about Rhaenyra and her stupid husband lately… (i always think a lot) Book canon, not Ryan Condolences’ Wattpad fanfiction. I don’t like this show and I don’t like show Daemyra either
DISCLAIMER: I SHIP RHAELYA
Daemon went to kill Vhagar believing that her death would guarantee Rhaenyra’s victory. He didn’t know that by then she had already lost three dragons, the Velaryons, and that the situation in King’s Landing was rapidly getting worse and the Blacks were losing control
I think his sacrifice at the God’s Eye was both “chivalrous”… and futile (at least in the short term, to make myself clear). It’s not like Daemon didn’t choose his fatal fate. He channeled all the pain he felt into one last act of devotion, because a sacrifice is the greatest expression of devotion one can offer. It’s also the rawest manifestation of despair and loss
Daemon had crowned Rhaenyra queen of the Seven Kingdoms and named himself Protector of the Realm in her service (Protector of the Realm’s Delight…) In asoiaf, crowning someone is deeply symbolic. It can be a literal coronation/proclamation of a monarch, or like when Rhaegar crowned Lyanna queen of love and beauty at the tourney at Harrenhal. Both of those coronations led those four people to their graves through a chain of erratic events…
Daemon was suspected of arranging Laenor’s death, then he married Rhaenyra less than six months later. I think that theory is the most plausible honestly. One detail I noticed: Daemon was the one canonically suspected of being the possessive one. Even though I don’t believe he killed Harwin, he remained not only a suspect, but Gyldayn even considered Eustace’s suggestion more plausible than the others. That says a lot about him I think
Despite the scandal and suspicion, his devotion to Rhaenyra peaked in his final act… which also led his wife to an early death:
-He died believing that Baela, Rhaena, and Aegon would be safe, unaware that Baela had been captured during the fall of Dragonstone, almost at the same time as the battle above the God’s Eye
-He died believing that Joffrey would be king after Rhaenyra (so much for the man who allegedly wanted to kill the “Strong boys” to put his own son on the throne…)
The last word he spoke about Rhaenyra before dying was: “Queen.” He had proclaimed her queen at the start of the war, and “queen” is the last thing he ever said about her
DISCLAIMER: OVERREACHING (or maybe not?)
The deaths of Daemon and Rhaenyra mirror each other:
-Daemon died in boiling water soaked with Vhagar’s blood
-Rhaenyra was “bathed in flames” after Sunfyre smelled the blood on her breast
The word “bathed” evokes water, and Daemon dying in boiling water evokes heat/fire. There’s an image of a liquid fire engulfing them both. And fire and water are opposing elements, but here they merge
I really like playing with the symbolism of natural elements. And to be honest I don’t think it’s overinterpretation (alright, maybe a little, but who cares) the saga is literally called A Song of Ice and Fire lol
Fire melts ice, which turns to water, which puts out fire. Or… even though fire can bring water to a boil, boiling water can still put out a fire. And in the end, everything cools down
Daemon and Rhaenyra were swallowed and drowned in the fire. Opposite elements that are still connected: Daemon and Rhaenyra were separated and they were together at the same time
Aemond and Sunfyre were both mutilated in the same way: Aemond lost his right eye because of Luke, Sunfyre lost his right eye because of Baela and Moondancer. Daemon finished what Luke started, Baela finished what Rhaenys did… Corlys did the rest haha
Daemon jumped off his dragon onto Aemond before plunging into the God’s Eye. Rhaenyra lifted her head to face Sunfyre’s flames before dying. It’s like a poetic way to say if Daemon hadn’t looked down toward his death, Rhaenyra would never have looked up to witness hers
They left no remains (the claim of Eustace that Sunfyre left his leg “for the Stranger” was just his usual religious writing. Sunfyre certainly didn’t leave a leg)
Daemon carved wounds into the heart tree at Harrenhal, and the “wounds bleed anew” every spring. As Rhaenyra’s reign collapsed after Daemon’s death, the throne repeatedly cut her hands which ended up bloodied from those wounds. Daemon’s suffering reached its peak because of (what he believed was) Rhaenyra’s wrath, and hers was caused by Daemon because of his death and absence… it’s an endless circle of pain and despair. Like fire and ice, and water and fire and…
One of the cruelest and longest winters in Westeros began in 130 AC. It was announced at the start of the year and lasted five years. It also coincides with Rhaenyra’s usurpation. It ended in 135, shortly before her son Aegon dismissed his regents and took power into his own hands…
Daemon died at Harrenhal, a place tied to Dragonstone and the Targaryens (that’s where Aegon I himself wiped out Harren’s line). I think Dragonstone and Harrenhal will play major roles in TWOW and ADOS. Maybe the Others will march through the Riverlands. Either way, something of great importance will happen there. GRRM could’ve chosen anywhere else but the God’s Eye, and Rhaenyra could’ve died in King’s Landing… but I think there was something more to say there. Fire and Blood is filled with little clues after all
Rhaenyra died at Dragonstone, the place where she had been happiest: it was her sanctuary, and Aegon II forever stained it with his Blood Betrayal. Rhaenyra’s three youngest children are the last Targaryens born at Dragonstone before Rhaenys, Aegon (Rhaegar’s children), and Dany
The paragraph describing Rhaenyra’s return to Dragonstone before her death is reminiscent of the one about Queen Alysanne, who also returned to Dragonstone shortly before she died. In both cases, the narrator describes Dragonstone as the place where they’d been happiest with their family, and the only place they felt safe and at peace
Alysanne’s last days are (in my humble opinion) some of the saddest passages in Fire & Blood, and despite all her flaws, you can clearly see how much GRRM loved Alysanne. Honestly, the moment she realised she’ll never fly on Silverwing again broke my heart
Rhaenyra died believing that Daemon had betrayed her, because he never came back or sent news, even though he could have (without killing Nettles and maybe even bringing her with him).⏩️ I wrote a huge meta to explain this damn fiasco⏪️
And Daemon died believing that Rhaenyra had lost her mind and her faith in him. Yet, even then, he refused to accuse her (“a queen’s words, a whore’s work”). His wife’s words snuffed out all joy in him and STILL his first instinct was to blame someone else…
There was no farewell between them because things were never meant to happen this way. Daemon left for Maidenpool believing he’d return to her, victorious in the mission she’d given him to kill Vhagar. Their separation is an interruption frozen in time. I don’t think Rhaenyra was ever able to mourn him, and I’m not even sure she could process the news, since she had to protect her sons
Rhaenyra was 33 when she died, described in language that recalls Christian imagery: “veil/vale of tears” a phrase symbolising the passage from suffering and sorrow, to peace and heaven. The ship she took to return to Dragonstone was called the Violande, meaning “a woman destined to suffer betrayal” which ominously foreshadowed her fate at Dragonstone :⏩️ here’s an analysis of the Violande⏪️
The story of Daemon and Rhaenyra repeats tragic patterns often found in asoiaf:
-They died five months apart. Like Rhaegar and Lyanna, and like Ned and Catelyn, the woman survived the man by a few months or less than a year. All three women died with one of their children in the same room: Jon, Aegon, and Robb. Sansa and Arya also witnessed Ned’s death
-Both couples experienced gendered coded deaths: Daemon and Rhaegar in martial combat // Rhaenyra by femicide, and Lyanna in childbirth
-Rhaegar and Daemon both died fighting a relative (a cousin and nephew, respectively). Rhaegar fought a Baratheon, and Daemon killed Aemond, who was betrothed to a Baratheon
-Catelyn’s naked corpse thrown into the river violated the Tully funeral customs // Rhaenyra’s cremation and being devoured by Sunfyre broke Targaryen rites. It was a mockery of the Tully/Targaryen funeral traditions, and a humiliation of women’s bodies and intimacy (Cat was thrown naked/Rhaenyra’s breast was maimed)
(A happier note: Lyanna was buried in the crypts of Winterfell, alongside her father and brother, an honour usually reserved for the lords of Winterfell)
People always talk about how Rhaenyra ignored the guest right (on the advice of Torrhen and Meryck Manderly, two Northmen, and Cregan Stark never held it against her…), but they forget that the Dragonstone garrison betrayed her and handed her over to Aegon II. She was brutally executed at home, in front of her son. If killing a guest is a great offence, then what is killing a host who never invited you?
This Blood Betrayal forever stained Dragonstone, and no healthy dragon was born after Rhaenyra’s death. In asoiaf, the betrayal at the Red Wedding by the Freys is seen as an abomination and it triggered an absolute fucking mess everywhere. To me, the fall of Dragonstone is no different in terms of symbolism. The fact that Sunfyre devoured Moondancer, Grey Ghost, and Rhaenyra is a reflection of House Targaryen cannibalising itself because of their mistreatment of their own women. I’ve already mentioned the meaning of the Violande, but it has another: this word comes from the Latin Violanda, from the verb violare/violō which means (among other things) to invade/pillage/devastate/profane
Now another numeral parallel with their sons: Viserys II, like Daemon, died at 49/50 years old. Aegon III died at 36 but was 33 (the same age as Rhaenyra when she died) when the last healthy dragon died. We know Viserys and Aegon loved each other deeply (and that’s putting it mildly). Their reunion in Fire and Blood is a balm to the heart (a little) because at least, Daemon still didn’t die in vain, and it’s like he and Rhaenyra found each other again through Aegon and Viserys
The last healthy dragon may have hatched from an egg produced by Syrax and Caraxes (if indeed they mated). The bond between dragons reflect that of their riders: even after their deaths, the love of Daemon and Rhaenyra gave birth to Morning, Rhaena’s dragon. This name means the dawn after the massacres of the Dance, and a new hope for the Targaryens. The smallfolk rejoiced at the sight of Morning, after months of riots and fear. It was a breath of fresh air after the smoke and flames of war
The Greens received news of Morning’s birth very early in 131. But Morning was born BEFORE Rhaenyra’s death. I like the theory that Rhaenyra was pregnant when she died: remember that GRRM kinda messed up the timeline in 130, because Daemon and Rhaenyra are supposed to have died five months apart, but the text makes it look like they died only a few weeks apart, so let’s not focus too much on the technical details. Besides that, Rhaenyra could have been about 6 months pregnant: after Tumbleton, she sent Gerardys away to Dragonstone, so she had no one to watch over her health, and the stress took a toll on her
Eustace kindly tells us she spent her days eating and had gained weight, but most descriptions we have of her after that show her anxious, haggard/gray, ashen, angry and desperate, broken in body… not exactly how you’d describe someone hale and healthy. She might also have been in denial, especially after Daemon’s death and simply not having time to take care of herself
Basically, I think the fact that she might have been pregnant in 130 would have made the Blood Betrayal that led to the eventual extinction of the dragons even worse. Syrax was deeply connected to Rhaenyra’s fertility, and Morning’s egg came from one of Syrax’s last clutches (likely when Rhaenyra was pregnant with Visenya)
I also think this echoes Queen Rhaella and Viserys fleeing to Dragonstone during Robert’s Rebellion. Rhaella died in childbirth but gave birth to Dany, who brought the dragons back. Rhaenyra died, and so did the child in her womb, and the dragons died too…
For nine years, Daemon and Rhaenyra lived happily and peacefully at Dragonstone, which is unusual for Targaryens. Daemon (once the centre of attention, scandal, and quarrels) was barely mentioned in the records between 120 and 129, and always only in connection with her. It’s the longest period of stability in his life: finally he settled down to focus on his true family. Daemon saw them as the last true symbol of the Targaryen identity he cherished so much. The Blacks embodied that identity, as opposed to the Greens. But Daemon witnessed the ruin of that legacy during the Dance, with the death of his sons, Rhaenys, the devastation of the Riverlands, the dragons… and I think that played a big role in his suicide mission. He didn’t want to live in a world like that
When Rhaenyra was 32 and after eight years of marriage, she became pregnant again with Visenya. Despite Viserys I’s declining health, neither Rhaenyra nor Daemon seemed to expect war. This truly contradicts the belief (or wish) that their marriage was marred by politics. If anything they were maybe too absorbed in their marriage and their children. That Daemon got Rhaenyra pregnant so late in their marriage could almost be seen as a lapse in judgment
One of the first arguments raised by the Greens at the Green Council was Rhaenyra’s “wanton ways” and how she and Daemon would turn the Red Keep into a brothel… apparently these two had quite the reputation when it came to their married life…
They married in secret, defying Viserys I, and their union scandalised everyone: the lords, the court, and even the smallfolk. Rhaenyra could’ve risked her inheritance for Daemon. They just did not give a fuck. In the book, it looks like they were somehow banished from court, and Viserys I’s reaction is not unlike Queen Alyssa’s when Jaehaerys and Alysanne eloped to Dragonstone to marry
My theory is that Viserys I only began to forgive them (or tolerate them) after the birth of the second Viserys. And only out of love for Rhaenyra. I don’t think Daemon and Viserys ever truly repaired their relationship after everything that happened between them (Mysaria losing her child, exiles, Rhaenyra…). Rhaenyra was the glue that held them together:
-Viserys was Aegon (riders of Balerion)
-Daemon was Visenya (wielders of Dark Sister)
and Rhaenyra was their Rhaenys (this notion of the Conquerors’ trio isn’t romantic here, at least not for Viserys and Rhaenyra lol. For Daemon, though…)
Rhaenyra was no warrior, she loved flying, loved poetry, was the youngest, was the wife Daemon took without caring about others’ opinions (or their wishes…), her son Aegon was broken by her death, just like Aenys and his mother, and Rhaenys and Rhaenyra share the same prefix in their names
There’s a certain pattern here:
-the secret marriage of Jaeherys and Alysanne (at Dragonstone, too…)
-Aegon I taking a second wife, Rhaenys, “for love”
-Rhaegar and Lyanna running away together
Dragonstone was for Daemon and Rhaenyra what the Tower of Joy was for Rhaegar and Lyanna (and what Paris was for Ilsa and Rick). Aegon III was born at Dragonstone. He was the first child whose name Rhaenyra was able to choose herself. He was born at the end of a year of mourning and tragedy, but he was a bright spot in his parents’ world by coming into it (he was born in grief… a proto-Rhaegar)
Daemon’s arranged marriage to Rhea Royce was completely loveless and unconsummated, nothing but duty. It’s the opposite of his scandalous marriage to Rhaenyra. She was his third and final wife (a very significant number in ASOIAF…), born the same year he married Rhea, 97 AC. Following the arc of his story in The Rogue Prince, which goes from the start of Viserys I’s reign to Rhaenyra’s pregnancy with Visenya, RHAEnyra is the absolute fulfillment of Daemon’s arc, while RHEA is his starting point as the rogue prince and angry second son, hungry for the love of a true family. Daemon found his redemption in his children and in his devotion to his wife and her claim to the throne
The strongest parallel to Rhaenyra is Arianne Martell (even their names sound similar): ambitious, passionate, and afraid of being usurped by her younger brother Quentyn. At fourteen, Arianne loved Daemon Sand, but her father Doran Martell refused to marry her to Daemon because he was a bastard // At fourteen, Rhaenyra begged Viserys to let her marry Daemon, and Daemon himself asked for Rhaenyra’s hand, but Viserys rejected this unworthy brother and exiled him under pain of death
Going back to Arianne: her implied attraction to her uncle Oberyn (who in many ways resembles Daemon, and in the GOT lore videos, lent his voice to Daemon’s narration… just like Joffrey narrated Rhaenyra’s death, and Shireen the end of the Dance with Aegon III and Jaehaera) is similar to Rhaenyra’s romantic feelings for Daemon. Oberyn was famous for his bastard daughters, the Sand Snakes, and one of them was of mixed Summer Islander and Dornish ancestry, which connects to the old theory that Nettles might have been Daemon’s bastard daughter (Baela and Rhaena are said to be Daemon’s “first trueborn children”). Her name is Sarella, and she is a direct descendant of Daemon and Rhaenyra…
Sarella is very (very very) likely Alleras, an acolyte studying at the Citadel under a false identity since women aren’t accepted there. In a conversation with Sam Tarly, Alleras mentioned an archmaester named… Norren. Like the one who observed and knew Daemon and Nettles at Maidenpool, Maester Norren. Just like Alleras, Nettles was a riddle, since her parentage remains quite a mystery for the chroniclers. Both Sarella/Arellas and Nettles, as bastard girls, went beyond their station (studying at the Citadel/claiming a dragon). Oberyn taught Sarella how to defend herself, and Daemon mentored Nettles
Back to Rhaenyra and her husband:
Daemon is described as “her beloved consort.” In GRRM’s language, beloved (when used for a couple) indicates a deep and sincere attachment:
-Alysanne was Jaehaerys’s “beloved wife”
-Rhaenys was Aegon’s “beloved sister”
-Elissa Farman was Rhaena’s “beloved Elissa”
Daemon is one of GRRM’s favourite Targaryens: in an interview, he said one of his favourite aspects about Daemon was his relationship with Rhaenyra. In The Rogue Prince, it’s said that Daemon was “ever at her side” but that line is missing from Fire & Blood (probably because the narrator left it out to subtly hint at the chaos and tragedy caused by the Dance). But its presence in the novella focused on Daemon himself shows a more intimate and calm side of their dynamic before the war tore them apart. It also implies that Daemon was there for the births of his sons, despite having lost Laena following a difficult childbirth
So say and think what you want, whether you’re in the camp of “he hated Rhaenyra and abandoned her to save Nettles” or “he loved her, okay, okay, BUT BUT BUT there was too much politics between them, he was more at peace with Laena” or “it was a political marriage” or “insert another dumb statement”…but in the end, Daemon fought and died for Rhaenyra and their children. He gathered “humble” men who followed him to defend the “Viserys’ little girl” That’s such a touching way to refer to Rhaenyra, so far from The Pretender, the whore of Dragonstone, or Maegor with Teats. The “Viserys’ little girl” was 33, a married woman and mother of seven and it was for this woman that Daemon took Harrenhal, raised an army, and found death by sacrificing himself. (The “Viserys’ little girl” reminds me a lot of “Ned’s little girl”….)
The greatest tragedy between these two is that Rhaenyra “caused” his death, which then led to hers in a chain of events Daemon thought he was preventing by killing Vhagar. I mean, they literally were the loss of each other when you think about it. When I say “caused” I’m NOT blaming Rhaenyra at all (English isn’t my first language, so I honestly don’t really know how to phrase it): it’s because of the message she sent to Mooton that sparked such a reaction in Daemon, and there’s absolutely no way she could have foreseen THAT. The whole thing is a terribly frustrating misunderstanding, because it could’ve been avoided SO easily
I just think, for those who insist Daemon didn’t love her, I wonder how you’d react if GRRM wrote your favourite ship like this…:
-Deaths with parallel dates and in the same year
-Their final days reflecting one another’s
-Deaths connected by the elements of nature
-A secret marriage that parallels Jaehaerys and Alysanne’s. GRRM LOVES controversial unions
-Two sons who literally became ancestors of half of Westeros
-Rhaenyra’s death described in a unique and tragic way compared to other characters
-Daemon described as constantly at his wife’s side
-A long, stable marriage for a man usually so chaotic who couldn’t settle down
-Daemon willing to do the worst for his wife and their children, his or not his
-Daemon suspected of murder to marry Rhaenyra (doesn’t matter where the truth lies, it’s the outsider perspective that speaks volume)
-Daemon killing Vaemond, a knight of the richest noble house in the realm, for her
-Their dragons possibly mating
-The deaths of their spouses, their marriage, and the birth of their son all in the SAME YEAR
-Three pregnancies for Rhaenyra when she absolutely didn’t need more children. Her sons were betrothed to Daemon’s girls, and Daemon was proud of having his legacy pass through his daughters
-A pregnancy at age 32, indicating a healthy sex life even years into their marriage
-Daemon showing joy when Norren brought him a letter from the queen, but losing that joy reading the words inside
-Daemon sacrificing himself thinking it would protect his family
- The author himself saying he likes their relationship
Here’s what canon gives to this pairing… and I know MANY would give anything for their favourite pairings to get the same level of attention from the author lol. And it’s not necessarily only about Daemon and Rhaenyra being shipped with other people. It’s not that different from Rhaelya: you may not like them, and it’s normal, but what’s canon, is canon, and at some point just take it up with GRRM
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