Aemond Targaryen

The Dance of the Dragons was a bloody civil war in the Seven Kingdoms, sparked by the death of King Viserys I Targaryen. Although his designated heir was his daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen, part of the court—led by the Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower and her father Otto—secretly crowned his son Aegon II, fracturing the kingdom into two factions: The Blacks, loyal to Rhaenyra, and the Greens, who supported Aegon II.

The conflict was not only political, but deeply personal. Rhaenyra had the support of houses such as the Velaryons, the Starks, the Arryns, and the Baratheons, as well as her children: Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey (born of her relationship with Harwin Strong but acknowledged by her husband Laenor Velaryon), and her children with Daemon Targaryen: Aegon III, Viserys II, and the late Visenya. For his part, Aegon II was supported by his mother Alicent, his grandfather Otto, and his siblings Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron.

Tensions escalated long before the war. One of the breaking points was when Aemond Targaryen, still a child, claimed Vhagar—Laena Velaryon's widowed dragon—which sparked a fight between the children that ended with Aemond losing an eye to Lucerys Velaryon, but gaining the most feared dragon in Westeros.

The wounds never healed. Years later, in the midst of the war, Aemond was sent to Storm's End to secure the Baratheons' loyalty and explore a marriage alliance. There, he met Raelynn Baratheon, the youngest daughter of Lord Borros: a headstrong, rebellious, and emotionally complex young woman, a stark contrast to Aemond, who was cold, disciplined, and obsessed with power, justice, and duty.

Raelynn had no choice. Aemond claimed her, and her father gave her up. After a forced marriage in King's Landing, she was instructed in the duties expected of a noble wife in times of war. Now, her husband waited in the chambers to fulfill his marital duties.