Silver Wedding

Just three years following the union of Aegon and his sister Rhaenyra, the future King of the Seven Kingdoms would make a move unprecedented since the times of his long-deceased ancestors.

In 431 A.C. Prince Aegon took a second wife in his half-sister, the legitimized bastard Visenya Silvermoon in a ceremony presided by Septon Bryce. Long had she been the true apple in the eye of the court, famed for both beauty and charm since she was but a child.

The genesis of these circumstances were considered tenuous by many. Largely did the claim rest upon Rhaenyra’s failure to provide an heir, whilst by comparison Visenya had already been proven fertile twice over.

All knew that continuing the lineage was of the utmost import, yet many of the highborn considered three years too short a passage of time to justify such measures. Equally, though the smallfolk of Westeros had come to accept cultural Targaryen oddities such as incestuous marriage, polygamy had long remained taboo as a social custom. The instance had not been repeated in the annals of history since the reign of Maegor the Cruel.

Be that as it may, the marriage was sanctioned by both the monarchs and the Faith; the two facets which had, in the past, barred such practice.

Late in the year, the realm gathered once more to celebrate another joyous union beneath the banners of the dragon.

Opening Events
Far smaller an affair than the grandiose festivities of 428 A.C, Visenya’s wedding was entirely bespoke. While a tournament was held, comprised of both melee and joust, it was little more than a requisite tradition.

In its stead, focus was poured freely upon events of culture. A grand masquerade in the days preceding the ceremony at the sept gathered every notable figure of the Seven Kingdoms; from the Starks of Winterfell to the Martells of Sunspear. All were brought to witness the rite that would see them one day live under a three-headed monarchy. For those who did not already see it plain, quickly did it become apparent that Aegon intended to make Visenya his wife not out of duty, but rather love.

Held in the Red Keep, the masquerade that gathered the arrivals for a night of merriment and mingling proved the perfect combination of elegance and exhilaration. Only the King and Queen upon their makeshift thrones in the great hall were instantly recognisable; all others were left to play a guessing game.

Predictably did the air grow thick with whisper and rumour, much of which was propagated against the bride-to-be. Even so, few could deny the gregarious magnetism of Visenya herself, who was gradually recognised as the night went on by the dress she wore. Many took in the days following the party to noting her as being ‘cast in moonlight’; an overly poetic turn of phrase that referred to her resplendent silver gown, and the grace with which she wore it. Some lords who may have considered her an unsuitable candidate for a future Queen had their cheeks turned by her good-humoured charm, disarming and persistent.

Save for the traction of the opening celebration, the atmosphere may have been significantly more soured. With all eyes upon Visenya, many forgot the plain discomfort that hung like an overcast cloud above them all; the presence of Rhaenyra Targaryen. Though the Princess bore the proceedings with all the dignity befitting her blood, hers became a visage cast in ice much akin to Visaera I.

The Ceremony
When Aegon and Visenya had made their pledges beneath the Mother, a fortnight of gaiety quickly followed. Notably their exit from the Sept as man and wife was not met with the same rambunctious cheers that had been heard in 428 A.C, for as anticipated many of the people were not wont to favour the practice of polygamy.

A portion of those who did laud the procession had been swayed by several philanthropic endeavours undertaken in Visenya’s name prior, alms for the poor that saw beggars fed and children clothed. She wanted all to share in her joy, and went to significant trouble to see such a fact well portrayed to the smallfolk.

Several theatrical performances were enjoyed in a slew of feasts, with bards from across the known world coming to play for the new couple, participating in competitions that tested both song and string. No small few hailed from Essos, a reminder of the original roots of the Silvermoon consort and her Lysene mother, Selenya Targaryen.

When the bells had finished tolling, Prince Aegon stood poised to one day rule the Seven Kingdoms with two sister-wives, as the Conqueror before him. No astute soul in attendance however could not already see the divergence between the two women who sat beside the Prince.

Their dichotomy could be no better epitomized than when the three took flight above the city in a grand dance of their dragons. Rhaenyra upon the resplendent Silanax, wreathed in gold, and Visenya upon Siren, shrouded in silver - polar opposites, with Aegon caught betwixt.