Baelor Targaryen

In 209 AC, Princes Baelor and Maekar Targaryen traveled to Ashford to attend the Tourney of Ashford. While Baelor wished to watch his son Valarr compete, Maekar hoped to see his sons, Daeron and Aerion, surpass their nephew. However, Daeron and his squire, Aegon ("Egg"), fled to avoid the tournament. At the castle, the knight Duncan the Tall (Dunk) was allowed to participate thanks to Baelor's intervention, who treated him with respect and advised him to adopt his own sigil. During the tournament, Aerion Brightflame dishonored himself by deliberately killing Ser Humfrey Hardyng's horse. Baelor ordered his disqualification and the delivery of Aerion's horse as compensation to the wounded knight. Enraged, Aerion unjustly accused the artist Tanselle of treason and tortured her. Dunk defended her, attacked Aerion, and ended up imprisoned. With Egg's help, Baelor convinced Dunk to demand a Trial by Combat. Aerion chose a Trial of Seven, believing that Dunk wouldn't find enough allies. However, six champions joined Dunk, and when only one remained, Baelor surprised everyone by taking his side, stating that Dunk had protected the weak, like a true knight. Before the combat, Baelor devised a strategy for his team and led Dunk's champions. During the battle, he confronted his own brother, Maekar, preventing him from helping Aerion. While Dunk defeated Aerion and forced him to drop the charges, Maekar accidentally delivered a fatal blow to Baelor's head. Baelor lived only long enough to see Dunk's victory. Shortly after, upon removing his helmet, the severity of the wound became apparent, and the prince died. His funeral took place at Ashford with the traditional honors of House Targaryen. Consumed by guilt for having caused his brother's death, Maekar became even more severe and exiled Aerion to Lys. Baelor's death deeply marked Westeros and became forever associated with both Maekar and Duncan the Alt.

Following the death of Lord Hayford, Hand of King Daeron the Good, at the Battle of the Redgrass Field at the hands of Lord Gormon Peake in 196 AC, Prince Baelor was named his father's new Hand. At some point he was also named Protector of the Realm. In 199 AC or 200 AC, Prince Baelor participated in the Storm's End tourney. Prince Baelor has a habit of researching his opponents before facing them, so he researched the past of his next opponent in the jousts, Ser Arlan of Pennytree, an old Hedge Knight who defeated Lord Stokeworth and the Bastard of Harrenhal in melee combat at the Tourney in King's Landing in 192 AC or 193 AC and, many years before, unhorsed Damon Lannister, the Grey Lion, at Lannisport. Prince Baelor eventually knocked Ser Arlan of Centarbor off his horse, but not before they broke four lances in the clash.

When it seemed the rebels would win, Prince Maekar Targaryen's forces joined the army of the defeated Bloodraven (Bittersteel defeated him in single combat, gouging out his eye with the sword Blackfyre), while Prince Baelor and his army, formed with men from Dorne and Storm's End, attacked the rebel rear, crushing them and ending the First Blackfyre Rebellion once and for all. After this, a famous song about the Battle of the Redgrass Field was written, called "The Hammer and the Anvil," with Prince Baelor being the "Hammer" that crushed the rebels and Prince Maekar the "Anvil" that held back Bittersteel's advance. Both Prince Baelor and Prince Maekar were widely recognized as great generals for their feats in the decisive battle of the First Blackfyre Rebellion, but Daemon Blackfyre's mistake in not attacking Prince Maekar's army when he had the chance did not go unnoticed. Perhaps this triggered a certain rivalry on the part of Prince Maekar towards his older brother, Prince Baelor.

First Blackfyre Rebellion: The resentment Daemon harbored towards his half-brother, King Daeron II, for marrying his beloved Princess Daenerys to another man, was not forgotten. Bittersteel and Fireball also nurtured this resentment for eight or nine years, until finally the First Blackfyre Rebellion took place in 196 AC. When the First Blackfyre Rebellion was in its early stages, Prince Baelor advocated for clemency for Daemon and his rebellion, while Bloodraven argued that pardoning rebels sowed the seeds for the next rebellion. King Daeron II heeded Bloodraven's advice, opting for war and the severe punishment of traitors. With no other options, Prince Baelor accepted this path. Several battles were fought in the Vale of Arryn, the Westerlands, the Riverlands, and various other places, but the decisive fight would take place at the Battle of the Redgrass Field in 196 AC. Prince Baelor served as one of the commanders of the loyalist forces. After Daemon's troops defeated Lord Donnel Arryn's army and Ser Gwayne Corbray's reinforcements of the Kingsguard, he had the chance to advance against Prince Maekar Targaryen's forces (who was trying to reorganize the remainder of Lord Arryn's defeated vanguard), but Daemon chose to retreat, attempting to save the life of his wounded enemy, Ser Gwayne Corbray. This decision proved to be a grave mistake, as it gave Bloodraven and his Raven's Teeth time to reach Weeping Peak and rain down arrows upon Daemon and his twin sons, Aegon and Aemon. Immediately after the death of Daemon and his sons, Bittersteel took up the sword Blackfyre and assumed leadership, rallying the rebels and launching a final, mad attack against Bloodraven's loyalist army.

Early life and youth: Prince Baelor was born in 170 AC in King's Landing. He was the firstborn son and heir of King Daeron II Targaryen and Queen Mariah Martell and had three younger brothers: Prince Aerys, Prince Rhaegel, and Prince Maekar Targaryen. Ser Quentyn Ball, known as "Fireball," was the Master-at-Arms of King's Landing and trained both Prince Baelor and all his younger brothers and the "Great Bastards" in arms,[6] except for Aegor Rivers, as he was raised at Stone Hedge. Prince Baelor's father, King Daeron II, intended to unify Westeros and arranged the marriage between Prince Maron Martell and Princess Daenerys Targaryen, Daemon Blackfyre's childhood sweetheart. This marriage took place in 187 AC, and a tournament was held to commemorate the event. Prince Baelor participated in such a tournament and earned his nickname "Spearbreaker" by defeating his uncle Daemon Blackfyre in the tournament's joust final.

Prince Baelor was a tall man with long legs and appeared to be a head taller than his brother, Prince Maekar. He had more Dornish physical features (inherited from his mother) than Targaryen ones. Instead of golden and silver blond hair, Prince Baelor had dark hair, speckled with gray, and wore it short. Instead of the traditional violet eyes of the Targaryens, his eyes were dark. His jaw was strong, beardless, and his nose appeared to have been broken more than once. Prince Baelor was honorable, bold, and fearless. A merciful man, he believed that forgiveness was the best way to deal with an honorable adversary and a great tool to save innocent lives. Much loved by the people, Prince Baelor was known for making friends and allies easily, earning people's respect, being generous and just like his father. Despite dressing very simply and humbly, especially compared to other Lords of Great Houses of Westeros, his presence had a natural weight, an impression of power and certainty. His most common clothes were a green doublet, a brown cloak, and worn boots, but when he wore his finest attire, he usually wore a black velvet tunic with the three-headed dragon highlighted in scarlet thread across the chest and a heavy gold chain. Prince Baelor was a natural warrior, comparable to members of the Kingsguard, and was the best knight of his time, eclipsing his younger brother, Prince Maekar, because even though the latter had a reputation as a formidable warrior and a great battle general, he always remained in the shadow of his older brother. Prince Baelor was also a natural leader whose men followed him both in politics, due to his work as Hand of the King, and on the battlefield, as evidenced by his leadership, courage, and strategy in the First Blackfyre Rebellion and the Trial of the Seven of Dunk.

Pseudonym(s) Baelor Breakspears The Hammer Title(s) Prince Knight Hand of the King Protector of the Territory Prince of Dragonstone Loyalty to House Targaryen Valyrian race Culture of the Crown Lands Born 170 AD Death 209 AD Vaufreixo Father King Daeron II Targaryen Mother Queen Myriah Martell Spouse/Wife Mrs. Jena Dondarrion Son(s) of Prince Valarr Targaryen Prince Mattarys Targaryen