Sworn Fate // Aegon Targaryen II

Introduction

Overview of Participants Involved In

The Dance of Dragons:

Queen Rhaenyra's Second Child

Aerion Velaryon

Written by Maester Gyldane

About a year after her marriage to Laenor Velaryon, Rhaenyra Targaryen gave birth to two healthy twin boys in the year 114 AC.  She named her heir and firstborn child Jacaerys before choosing to give the second child the name Aerion.  After the many years of struggle that prevailed through the marriage of Viserys Targaryen to Aemma Arryn, the kingdom was relieved that the Princess had managed to give birth to two healthy potential heirs before she had even ascended the throne. 

Unfortunately for Princess Rhaenyra, soon after their birth, rumors started to swirl about the validity of the twins' parentage.  Prince Jacaerys had brown hair, dark eyes, and a pug nose—all traits he would later share with his younger brothers Lucerys and Joffrey.  Out of all the children supposedly born from Rhaenyra and Laenor, Aerion had the good fortune to inherit the most visibly Targaryen features.  He had dark brown hair like his brothers, but he'd inherited his mother's violet eyes and the delicate facial structure typical of Targaryens.  Despite these traits, many in the castle were quick to point out the similarities between the two children's features and that of Ser Harwin Strong, Lord Commander of the City Watch. 

However, Aerion's clear Targaryen features were enough to keep these accusations to tittered rumor until the birth of his brother Lucerys where they grew into a small blaze of gossip throughout court.  Once prince Joffrey was born and observed to have the same features as the majority of his elder brothers, however, the gossip grew into an untamable inferno.

Nevertheless, the rumors about the children's parentage mattered little to King Viserys and he treated all of Rhaenyra's children from Laenor as legitimate until the day the Stranger took him. 

As a child, Prince Aerion was described as being slightly strange with eyes that were almost too knowing for a child of his young age.  He was quiet, but seemingly quick witted and cunning.  He crept his way silently through the castle and was often caught balancing on windowsills and climbing up the castle walls.  In his younger years, many joked throughout the castle that if Aerion hadn't been born a prince, he could have found a calling as a Faceless Man.  Though of course, none of these comments were uttered anywhere near Princess Rhaenyra or her supporters. 

As he grew older though, these comments began to wane.  Aerion retained his stillness and his quiet manner, but he was thought by many to be just as kind and fair as his brother Jacaerys.  Aerion was said to have been kind to the servants of the castle and to the smallfolk who approached him.  He wasn't prone to strong fits of temper in the presence of others, and instead kept a level head throughout various conflicts and often helped his brothers do the same. 

The notable exception seems to have been when Aerion heard one of the noble children in the castle accuse Jacaerys of being a bastard and not the true heir to the throne.  Before Jacaerys could reply to the insult, Aerion had already tackled the child to the ground and drawn his blade, holding it to his throat as he demanded an apology. 

It was noted by many at court that from a young age Aerion had become attached to his uncle Aegon, who was only a few years his senior.  It's hard to say what brought the two princes together considering their differences in temperament, but in the years that Aerion lived at court, the two were said to be inseparable. In particular, the pair would often travel to the Dragonpit  together and ride on the back of Aegon's golden dragon Sunfyre during the years that Aerion's dragon was too small to ride. This association was said to be particularly disagreeable to Queen Alicent who held little good will towards any of Princess Rhaenyra's children.  Perhaps suspecting the true nature of their relationship, she was often witnessed dragging Aegon to the Sept and pointing out the passages in the Seven Pointed Star that prohibited relationships between those of the same gender.

After Rhaenyra and her children left court to live at Dragonstone, the accounts of Aerion's childhood grow much less detailed.  It's noted that he spent some time seafaring with his Grandfather Lord Corlys in preparation for taking over the title of Lord of Driftmark and that he was dedicated to his studies, particularly that of history.  In the lead up to the Dance of the Dragons, Aegon and Aerion remained in contact, flying back and forth to visit each other, though the frequency of these visits is also unknown.

Despite the controversy about his fatherhood, there can be very little doubt about Aerion Velaryon having had true Targaryen blood.  Throughout his actions in the Dance, it was clear to see that the fire in his blood simply blazed so cold that it burned anyone who stood in his way.