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ON THE DAY VISENYA TARGARYEN WAS BORN King's Landing was changed forever. The dragon was born through a raging storm that nearly tore apart the Red Keep. The screams of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen echoed through the halls for three days as she endured labor to bring her daughter forth. Many looked on and said the storm was the curse of the events that took place to bring the babe forth. A horrid rumor that the Princess had been defiled by her uncle in a pleasure house. When the babe was born, she was so small that many thought she would die.
Visenya proved to be as strong as her namesake.
Nine moons ago, when Princess Rhaenyra's life was changed forever deep in the pleasure house of Flea Bottom, her father had the maester present her with tea, but she did not drink it. Together, the princess and her uncle went to plead their case to the King, but he would hear none of it. He exiled his brother from King's Landing and swiftly married his daughter off to Laenor Velaryon. Knowing Laenor's preferences for his chambers, Viserys knew that Rhaenyra could marry him and pass her coming child off as his.
But not everyone was so easily convinced.
Bastard was whispered about the princess before she was born. The rumors were started by Queen Alicent Hightower. She had just given birth to her third child, a son, Aemond Targaryen, a few moons before Rhaenyra's labor started. No matter how quickly her husband married Rhaenyra off, she knew who the child's true father was. She overheard her father, Otto Hightower, the former Hand of the King report to Viserys that he had been told Rhaenyra and her uncle, Daemon had been seen coupling with each other in a pleasure house.
When Otto brought this information to Viserys, he was immediately removed from his position, Lyonel Strong was promoted to Hand, while Otto was sent back to Oldtown. Three days later, Viserys announced Rhaenyra's engagement to Laenor Velaryon. A few months after that, Rhaenyra's belly started to swell with pregnancy, and everyone congratulated the "happy couple,'' while Alicent's resentment grew. She didn't understand how Rhaenyra was allowed to get away with this.
As the young Princess grew, she was rarely seen without her mother. Rhaenyra fed her from her own breast. She did not trust that the Queen wouldn't try to poison her child by way of the wet nurses. Rhaenyra knew giving birth to the young princess immediately put her life in danger, but she couldn't have imagined drinking the tea that night and not staring into the purple eyes of her beautiful child.
Laenor Velaryon claimed the child as his own, although Rhaenyra gave her the last name Targaryen instead of Velaryon. She told Laenor of Visenya's true parentage, but since she has pure Valyrian features, she would be able to pass for his daughter. Her public reasoning for keeping her child's last name Targaryen was that when she inherited the Iron Throne after her father, Visenya would inherit after her, and she would inherit the throne as a Targaryen.
This burned Queen Alicent with more anger that the excuse seemed to win the people over.
Alicent Hightower did her best to keep Rhaenyra's child away from her children, but the task seemed impossible. As they grew, Alicent noticed that her third child, Aemond Targaryen, had a certain affinity for his niece. He was always visiting Rhaenyra's apartments to dote on the young princess and spend time with his sister. Aegon gave no care to the child while Helaena spent too much time being sent into dragon dreams to get to know her sister.
