Daemon Targaryen (son of Rhaegar II)

Daemon Targaryen is a prince of the Seven Kingdoms as a scion of royal blood. He is the fifth child and fourth son of King Rhaegar II Targaryen and his sister-wife, Queen Rhaenys. Of the royal princes, young Daemon is among the most willful, cunning, manipulative, and ambitious. Where another might wither in the shadow of the Dragon, he thrives within it, if only because in such darkness he can tend the many fractures within his carefully cultivated facade.

Appearance and Character
Prince Daemon Targaryen is a slight, elegant man with all the hallmarks of the Old Blood that runs fast and true through his veins. He was a beautiful baby, and this was a quality that he retained, and perhaps even curated, with age. His sharp features have none of the rigidity one might come to expect and are thus refined rather than harsh. Like so many of his forebears his blonde hair is cast in platinum, bright and luxuriant. The prince’s eyes, however, much like his elder brother Prince Aerion, are different than either of his parents. Rather than the dark purple of his father and light violet of his mother, Daemon’s eyes echo those of his grandfather, the lost Prince Aemon, and are a delicate, lilac hue.

While many of his brothers, and indeed his eldest sister, are most comfortable in armor with a sword strapped to their hips, Daemon has wholly rejected this aesthetic. He is a, at heart, a true scion of the royal court, preferring soft silks and other such decadent fabrics. A goodly portion of his allowance is allocated to such fashions, and indeed there have been times his expenditures in that regard has rivaled even those of his half-sister, Visenya Silvermoon. Thus, his wardrobe is diverse featuring fashions from King’s Landing, Oldtown, Lannisport, and even a handful of cities from across the Narrow Sea.

Facets of his wardrobe and his manner lend the prince to a most flamboyant image. Yet despite the ornament, and the ostentation, Daemon has an intrinsically subtle nature, and his flamboyant airs act as a sheath in which that dark, subtle frame of mind is left to nurture and grow. It is this very nature that makes him a man with a proclivity to make grand displays and gestures, be it for obfuscation, his own amusement, or the encapsulation of a statement that needs be made. This is notable when it came to the origins of Rhaenyra’s talons. So amused was dear Daemon by the observations of Grand Maester Godwyn, he commissioned a brooch for his sister in the shape of a dragon’s claw, which he presented to her before all the court on her nameday that same year.

Daemon has affection for his family, and fully embraces his identity as a prince with the blood of the Dragon in his veins. Nevertheless, he is also a quintessentially selfish person, whose current tenor of existence is not conducive to a purist form of service to the dynasty he is meant, in part, to represent. This quality, if it could be called such, is represented through the way he thinks, the way he pursues his goals, and even how he perceives himself. In all things, Prince Daemon’s ultimate barometer is attuned towards what will serve him.

His moods are many, and his appetites without surcease. Indeed, the young prince is also a man who can sometimes be given to demure in the face of pressures, desires, or even demands of decorum. Yet, that is not because he is a man easily pressed upon or dominated by the will of others when their imperatives are not in line with his own. At certain times and in certain places, he can be as rigid, and as stalwart as his grandmother, the Black Queen. This is apparent in his refusal to marry, or even entertain courtship of any kind.

They say when a member of House Targaryen is born the gods toss a coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it might land. Daemon exemplifies this adage, for madness and genius are well represented on either side of that coin. He is an intelligent, cunning man to be sure, with an eye for detail and a mind that is capable of pursing many a possibility. Yet, he is not immune to the afflictions that have sometimes assailed his lineage. He is given to violent swings in mood and demeanor. The severity and frequencies of such episodes vary, but needless to say the delicacy of Daemon’s mind ever hangs in the balance, no matter the sophistications of his plans.

Early Life
Prince Daemon Targaryen was born upon the island of Dragonstone during the Eighth Moon of 417 A.C., the fifth born child and fourth son of Rhaegar Targaryen, then Prince of Dragonstone, and his sister-wife, Rhaenys, whom at the time was haled as the Princess of Summerhall. The long-time Maester of Dragonstone, Godwyn, oversaw the birth, as he had done for almost all of Rhaegar’s children at the behest of regnal mother, Queen Visaera. The birthing of royal children had traditionally been a role fulfilled by the Grand Maester, but Abelar had never enjoyed the Queen’s confidence as had his predecessor, Selwyn. His mother, Rhaenys, bestowed his name upon him only a few short hours of his birth, confident that the fourth son to pass between her loins would be as healthy as all the rest.

Daemon was a beautiful babe, with a shock of startling blonde hair and eyes that harkened to his grandfather, Prince Aemon. He was small at the time of his birth, but Godwyn assured the royals that there was nothing to worry over. The cries associated with being brought into he world provided evidence of his health, for they were as robust and loud as any. As was ever his wont, Rhaegar took little part in the rearing of an infant, relegating that task to his wife and their respective households. In that first, most formative of years, Rhaenys devoted a great deal of time to the boy, but this interest faded when he began to walk, talk, and thus shorn himself of the most precarious year of infancy behind.

Like his brothers Aegon and Aerion, Daemon was not bestowed an egg upon his birth. His grandmother, the Black Queen, was quite exacting in the distribution of eggs, taking a longer view than even the Old King, Aenar, had done. It was his destiny, then, to prepare himself to one day assume his father’s dragon, Nightwing. When he aged enough to grasp the concept, it cultivated a certain kinship with his eldest brother, for like Aegon, a great aspect of his power would need await the death of their father, the king. Daemon was little effected by the death of his grandmother, whom had ruled and held the Seven Kingdoms within her thrall for more than thirteen years. He was too young to understand the magnitude of her passing, and what it might meant, not only for his family, but the realm. Young as he was he remained well outside the many plots, and schemes that were hatched in the shadow of her death. There was one shift, however, though in truth it was not so great. His parents had spared little time for the youngest of their sons, especially after the birth of his younger sister, Naerys. Yet, after their ascension, their presence in his daily life diminished further still.

What comfort he could not derive from his mother and father, he found from what might have been considered an unlikely source. Grand Maester Godwyn, the same maester that had served House Targaryen for decades, had been selected by the Conclave to sit upon the Small Council after the passing of Abelar. The aged scholar had always taken an interest in Daemon and was granted leave by the King to take charge of Daemon’s studies. It was part of his duties in the first place, to be sure, when the royal children were in residence at the Red Keep, yet his investment in the prince surpassed the duties of his chain. He kept a dutiful, watchful eye over Daemon, consulting with his caretakers and observing the dips and schisms within his moods. So, it was then, that Godwyn was the first to take note of a certain delicacy within his prince and was resolved that it would not conquer the boy as it had his uncles, and so many others of House Targaryen that had come before.

Juvenescence and Springtide
At Godwyn’s urging, Daemon’s elder sister, Rhaenyra, took a particular interest in Daemon’s day to day affairs. She was growing into womanhood and had a strict regiment she followed, but where their mother forewent her duties Rhaenyra picked them up. Like Godwyn, she had noted a certain volatility that could sometimes infect Daemon’s demeanor, and so thought that he might benefit from the self-imposed structure in which she had ever thrived. The difference within their ages and natural affinities did little to dissuade their blossoming relationship.

The two often engaged one another in games of cyvasse, an endeavor at which both excelled for different reasons. Rhaenyra was a tactical thinker by rote, and Daemon’s eye for detail and natural cunning allowed him to take measure of her moves, so as he might anticipate her advances upon the board. Like his brother, Prince Baelor, he took measure of Rhaenyra’s other areas of prowess, particularly those of the blade. He enjoyed lurking within the training grounds watching her overcome those she set herself against. It might not have inspired him to take up such pursuits for himself, but he came to appreciate the arts of war nonetheless.

His relationship with Rhaenyra naturally dampened the effects of Visenya’s charms, but in boyhood he did not resent the young woman that bore both the blood of the dragon and the leviathan within her veins. There were some instances, much like his observations of Rhaenyra and Aerion, that he partook of taking in her natural proclivity for the graces and niceties of the royal court. This wandering fascination was supplanted, however, for as Daemon grew older he took note of how Rhaegar and even his mother, Rhaenys, doted upon her. At that age he was a long way from dislike, but the tendrils of jealousy settled deep within his impressions of the girl they called Silvermoon. Daemon was among many who attended the festivities associated with the wedding of his brother and sister, and indeed he had been given a place of some honor at the feasts, no doubt at the future queen’s behest. He was a social creature, and thus thrived in such events. The prince did not begrudge the court its affectations, its pomp, and indeed reveled in the ornament of such affairs. After the wedding he was situated in an esteemed role when Aerion was named Prince of Summerhall, having been tasked by his mother with the keeping of the princely diadem that she placed upon his elder brother’s brow.

Daemon’s first bout of controversy occurred just after his twelfth nameday. Unlike his brothers, he been neither been taken on as page or squire. Rhaegar had always been a man to insist upon such pursuits, but in this he found opposition. The young prince was not silent in his complaints after being informed of the subject being raised during a meeting of the Small Council. He disliked the notion of service that came along with being a squire, even as a prince, and knightly undertakings were not to his liking.

In this his greatest ally was his uncle, Prince Aerys Velaryon, who was able to bend the ear of his elder siblings, and so dissuade the Small Council from pursuing it further. Aerys had never been forced to undergo the functions of a squire, for like Daemon his talents, his proclivities lie in an arena wholly outside the province of the sword.

Bereavement and Chagrin
Queen Rhaenys had, for years, been pursuing many of her own interests and sometimes found herself absent from court. Nevertheless, for reasons that Daemon never became aware of, there was a marked shift in the relationship between the queen and her youngest son. In 430 A.C. he even accompanied Rhaenys on a trip to Oldtown. This was his first foray so far south, for Daemon had only ever departed King’s Landing previously for brief spells in either Dragonstone or Summerhall. He found Oldtown to be a beautiful city of alabaster stone. He knew its history due to the tutelage of Grand Maester Godwyn, but he also had long been friendly with one of his father’s wards, the young Lord of Oldtown, Arthur Hightower. They were hosted by Arthur’s family as a matter of course, and during that time Daemon became acquainted with Arthur’s siblings, including Addam Hightower. Daemon was an ever-watchful boy, and so despite their different interests, he found Arthur’s younger brother to his taste.

Prince Daemon never knew what his mother was up to, and so found himself often in the company of the Hightowers and their ilk. H e enjoyed his time in the city, but he did not begrudge his departure when the time came for he and his mother to depart. Rather than return to King’s Landing, the royal entourage settled back into Summerhall. It had ever been his mother’s favored residence, as he and his siblings well knew. Shortly after their arrival there his mother fell ill, and then little more than a moon later, with his father at her side, perished.

Rhaenys’ passing deeply effected Daemon, and he found himself ill equipped to deal with so keen a loss. It was, perhaps, one of the most trying times of his life. He spiraled into a deep, brooding depression that held him in thrall for weeks on end. In the end, in part due to the support of his mentor and in part due to the whispers he began to take heed of around the court, he came through it.

Two unions awoke Daemon to the greater goings on within House Targaryen, both for reasons personal and otherwise. The first was his brother Aerion’s wedding to the Bloodstar’s daughter, Elyana Dayne. He was ever polite to her, for the sake of his brother, but he disliked her nature, for like Visenya, a deep sense of envy colored his impression of the Dornish woman from the start. The nature of this jealousy did not balk him, for all his faults, he never shied from the myriad desires that bubbled within. Despite the deeply personal reasons for his opposition to Lady Elyana, it was the second union that truly ignited a deep sense of disappointment and even outrage within the youngest of Rhaegar’s sons. Rhaenyra had yet to successfully become with child after nearly three years of marriage, and there were whispers within even the Small Council of the fear that she would not be able to provide sons for the succession. Like most, Daemon took it to be idle chatter, despite his suspicions of a budding affair between his brother and recently windowed half-sister, Visenya Silvermoon.

Young as he was, Daemon felt there was little he could do when the notion of seeing the two lovers wed became a realistic notion discussed within the court. Had his mother lived, he knew, such talk would have been quashed. For despite Rhaenys’ sometimes distance from stately affairs, her voice carried weight, and her influence would have been sufficient to protect the eldest of her daughters. Of this Daemon was convinced, no matter the favor and affection she had showed to Rhaegar’s natural born daughter. Daemon protested in private, and even conjured the bravery to confront his father, but to no avail. He was only mildly appeased when it became clear that it would be impossible to put Rhaenyra aside, for despite all the support given to Visenya, Rhaegar nor Aegon were willing to go quite so far.

As the date the two were to be wed approached, Daemon voiced a reluctance to attend. Even Aerion, whom had garnered increasing influence within his younger brother’s life, had been unable to sway him. Rather, it was Rhaenyra who finally prevailed upon the young prince’s better nature. Displeased as he may have been on her behalf, he could not be absent if even the most injured party of the entire ordeal meant to attend. Thus, he relented and with all the others attended the wedding officiated by his father’s Master of Laws, Septon Bryce.

Within the Ebony Tower
The second marriage of his brother, the Prince of Dragonstone, sent shock waves through the realm. There were many, of course, who accepted the decision of the powers that be within King’s Landing, but there were many that raised voices of dissent. Chief among these was that of the High Septon, known as the Gregarious One, whose authority in the matter had been usurped by the ambitious Septon Bryce. Visenya, however, had always proved a popular woman within the city, even after her wedding to the foreign Zalyne. The city, then, was as divided as the court upon the issue. Daemon was not immune from that division, but he never struggled to ascertain where his truest loyalties lie.

Well into 431 A.C., reports of troubles in Oldtown and the reformation of the Warsmiths made their way to King’s Landing. Rising tensions that were borne from the Great Synod of Lannisport and the Silver Wedding had ignited, and Daemon felt some contentment in that fact. Lauded as his half-sister was within King’s Landing, there were many others who scorned the union. Of course, Daemon’s opinion was forged by a different path, but amongst his social circle he often laid blame at the feet of the woman who had once been known as the “People’s Princess.” As the conflict grew and the debates about his father’s response reached a pitch, Daemon lent a modicum of support to Rhaenyra’s arguments that the cancer that was Ser Duncan Hammer should be excised sooner rather than later. Grand Maester Godwyn tempered the level of his pupil’s involvement, and indeed the elder man’s own counsel was as muted. The Grand Maester’s tenor in the first year of the conflict struck Daemon as odd. Godwyn was a wise man, after all, but free in his counsel to the king. When he inquired as to the old man’s disposition he was given half-answers, but such was his respect, and indeed affection for Godwyn that he did not press it further.

As the Bleeding spread across the southron portion of his father’s realm, Daemon maintained some distance from the conflict. He was not present in the city during the Razing of the Red Temple, having been sent to Dragonstone for several moons at a time. He did not begrudge this distance, for young as he was, he was not yet one to entrench himself in the politics of court nor did the conflict spark any interest in the arts of the sword.

Even when House Targaryen’s hand was forced, unlike his brothers Daemon took no part in the fighting. Instead he remained between the Red Keep and Dragonstone, distant from the toils and tribulations of war.

Aerion
The young prince Daemon had never taken much interest in courtship, despite the marriages that had been arranged for his brothers. His father had shown little interest in the future prospects of his youngest son, and indeed it was rare that the subject was raised within the Small Council, for even Perceon Vance often had other, far more pressing concerns. This had begun to change shortly after the Bleeding. There were whispers that the prince may have cared little for the charms of the fairer sex, preferring the company of men.

Beyond that, however, there were other pressing needs that might have brought the issue to a head. With Ser Duncan Hammer garnering some measurable support among the nobility, there was sometimes talk of arranging a political match that could secure the loyalties, and thus resources of a lord within the lands of the Trident, or even the war-torn West. In the end, however, such talk dissipated as the entreaties of Princess Rhaenyra and her followers raised the pitch of their need to unleash the might of the Dragon.

Though the discussions of a possible union faded, they proved to be the firebrand for a desire long the young prince had long cultivated. Prince Aerion had often been away in Dorne during the years of his wardship, and after taming the late queen’s dragon, he had ever been a man to take wing on one venture or another. In that way he was a fixture of some fascination for Daemon, and in the years since Aerion’s return from Sunspear they had grown close. Like Rhaenyra he was an anchoring force for the sometimes-troubled prince, but there was a darker, subtler cast to the dynamic between the two.

Like Daemon, Aerion had accrued somewhat of a reputation but in a decidedly different manner. Many a courtier had commented that the sands of Dorne had infected the Prince of Summerhall with promiscuous values. His tastes, so much like those of Rhoynish blood, were varied and seemingly without surcease. Daemon took heed of these whispers, for though court gossip could sometimes be a vapid affair, there were ever kernels of truth that might be derived.

Only a few days before riots broke out in King’s Landing, Prince Aerion was among those that escorted Daemon to be sequestered for a time within Dragonstone. The Prince of Summerhall had been a fixation of young Daemon for some time, and it was during that period that he realized the fruits of passion he had long coveted. His airs and entreaties proved sufficient to ignite the desires of his elder brother. As Flea Bottom burned so too did the conflagration of a most forbidding union.

Where others might have felt a modicum of shame or guilt, Daemon rejected either notion in equal measure. He cared little for Aerion’s responsibilities to his wife, or for how they might be condemned. To him their liaison was a natural culmination of two figures that had long been drawn to one another, despite the disparities in interest and age. Social as he was, Daemon had never before felt such a sense of completion, protection, and ardor as he did in the moments the two were able to share.

My Brother, the King
Only two true blooded Targaryens remained in the capital after the Warsmiths had stoked Rhaegar’s fury with an assault upon Summerhall. The king had finally raised his banners and dispersed his sons and daughter to war. Rhaenyra had accompanied their father in his march to strike at the heart of the long-lived rebellion, Aerion had answered the calls of their cousin in Dorne, Baelor had taken wing to the Iron Isles, and Aegon had been dispatched to unravel the machinations of Ravella Swann. Daemon, while intelligent and cunning, was young, dragonless, and ill suited for the fields of battle. Thus he, along with his sister, Naerys, remained under protection while their father and siblings were carried forth by the winds of war.

While Visenya and Naerys made a series of public appearances to assuage and keep order among the smallfolk of the capital city, Daemon remained largely out of the public eye. This was by his own inclination, rather than any counsel by those that yet remained seated upon the Small Council. Nevertheless, there were times he was given to relent upon his reticence to accompany Visenya Silvermoon and his younger sister, largely due to the influence of the Grand Maester. This inactivity did not extend to those that remained at court, however, and in that arena, he remained an object of some fascination as his tastes began to mature.

Daemon was prone to bouts of anxiety during the period. Like so many, he lived upon the news they received from the various corners of the realm. No matter his selfish nature, he did hold a certain amount of familial affection for all that had departed to bring order to the Seven Kingdoms. Most especially, however, he was concerned for news of Aerion. Though the Martells of Sunspear had remained steadfast, he knew well the histories of House Targaryen’s forays into Dorne. None had truly ended in their favor, and it was there that even great Meraxes had been felled by a poisoned bolt. Daemon descended into a state of considerable melancholy and shock when news of his father’s death reached the capital. The days and weeks that followed were somewhat of a blur to the young prince, even as other fantastic victories in the wake of such tragedy came to light. Thus, when his brothers and sister returned to the capital it was bittersweet. His concerns were exacerbated upon taking in the state of his sister, Rhaenyra, for the wounds she accrued during her titanic duel that ended in her slaying Ser Duncan Hammer himself. These concerns were easily abated after the ministrations of the Grand Maester, and when she arose it became clear that her hard-fought victory had elevated her to a peak of influence within the city and the royal court. As the dusts settled and preparations for the coronation began, the old rivalries began to flare. As Rhaenyra’s power waxed so did Visenya’s wane, for her advocacy had been a point of failure that some said had resulted in the death of their father, the king. Despite their differences, however, even Daemon did not lay the blame wholly at Silvermoon’s feet. Instead, much like his sister Rhaenyra, he focused his anger upon the Hand of the King, who was dismissed shortly after Aegon’s return to the city.

The accession from one monarch to another was a time of high intrigues, and Daemon might have been a silent actor within them if not for the intercession of his brother, Aerion. Like so many times before he was able to lift his younger brother’s spirits and serve as a tool to relieve his increasingly somber moods. This proved to be just a moderate remedy, and so Daemon began to take greater interest in the court, though that interest was rarely noted by his peers.

After the executions and trials wound down, along with many eminent figures of the realm, Daemon stood as witness to the coronation of his brother, now haled as Aegon VII Targaryen, and his wives. It pleased the prince to see Rhaenyra given the respect she was due, being the first of the queens to have a crown placed upon her brow and given the senior position at Aegon’s side. This served to cool the chill in which he had come to regard his brother in the years since the Silver Wedding and made way for a far more precipitous connection between the two. Aegon came to consider Daemon a confidante, and often spoke to him of more personal affairs. Daemon was the youngest of his brothers, unwed, and though he had a great many connections at court, had not garnered great honors as had Aerion, Baelor, and even Rhaenyra for the feats of prowess they had displayed during the conflicts.

In that way, Daemon was less of a political liability in the eyes of the king, and though they had personal differences, they were easily overcome in the comforts borne from a sense of relief that accompanied the absence of threat.

Nightwing
Much to Prince Daemon’s surprise, shortly after his father’s death, he was bequeathed with one of Rhaegar’s more treasured items. Daemon had known that his father’s dragon, Nightwing, would be his for the claiming after his father’s passing, but he did not expect to find himself in possession of one of Rhaegar’s more treasured tokens. The late king had long donned an amulet that bore a scale from the ethereal dragon, and this too was passed down to the youngest of his sons. In truth, Daemon had come to accept that he was not a prevalent fixture in his father’s mind, and so the inheritance elicited conflicting emotions. Complicated as that response may have been, however, he came to treasure the item and felt it might increase the chances of an easy transition.

Nightwing had not been confined to the dragon pit after the death of Rhaegar, but instead had made her way to the island of Dragonstone. There she kept company with the voracious, fearsome Tyraxes, the dragon who had laid her egg more than half a century before. Thus, for sever moons after the coronation Daemon once more found himself ensconced upon the isle, preparing for the task ahead.

Prince Daemon could sometimes be regarded as a fey, mercurial figure by some within the court. Even some within his inner circle believed the young prince to be of such a cast. This was not so, for though sometimes driven to swift judgments in those times when his blood was high, Daemon was a naturally careful, methodical in the implementation of his will. His brother and lover, Aerion, had been swift to mount Vhaegon with all the boldness that the Prince of Summerhall could bring to bear, but that was not his younger brother’s way. Instead, Daemon studied the dragon when he could, and became quite resolved that he would wait until the Gilded Queen left her hatchling’s side.

He requested the aid of Aerion, and more importantly his brother’s dragon. Vhaegon and Nightwing were connected in a manner akin to some dragons that had taken flight together before. It was rare that they were apart, and indeed when the dragons were younger it was said that harrowing cries could be heard in the capital when the two were forced to part. The moon had reached its zenith by the time the brothers and Vhaegon set out after Nightwing, and it did not take long for the subtlest of dragons to mark them.

Nightwing was a natural predator and had a vicious streak that was much akin to the she-dragon from which she was born. Vhaegon’s presence, however, was calming to an acceptable degree. Daemon certainly knew fear in those moments, even with his brother on hand to intervene. The chances of the dragon killing him were minimal in that regard. No, he most feared the dragon’s flames. Such fears were unwarranted. Nightwing did not dissuade his approach, nor was she resistant to him when he though to climb upon her back. The two were naturally well suited to one another, both with a certain mystique that evoked an image of ineffability.

The Gilded Claw
Shortly after the conclusions of the various tribunals, and the coronations, political divisions once more began to create deep fissures within the royal court. The environment was such that Grand Maester Godwyn once quipped that if Aegon was the head of the dragon, then Rhaenyra was as its talons and Visenya its wings. Daemon thought this an astute observation, and one that amused him immensely. Rhaenyra was a strict, stern woman who had more than proven her mettle when it came to the many theaters of war.

That he was close with Rhaenyra had never been in question. Yet, despite his differences, he had never been openly hostile to Visenya Silvermoon. This courtly deference was twofold. She was his half-sister, of course, but more importantly, disapprove as he might, she was also a queen of the Seven Kingdoms. In the realm of courtly politics his voice had been relatively silent in regard to the ideological divides, but after Godwyn’s quip this changed. At least, in the fashion that was a hallmark of the prince.

He was ever a man for grand displays. Typically, they seemed to be for his own amusement, but more often than not there were statements that could be divined. There was little subtlety in his gesture on Rhaenyra’s nameday that same year. He had commissioned a gilded brooch fashioned in the image of a dragon’s claws. Before all the court during the festivities he presented it to the queen, enshrining the name bestowed by his long-time mentor.

Princely Endeavors
The years of the winter were fruitful for Daemon, as he continued to establish his identity within both House Targaryen and the royal court at large. He still refused to entertain any matters of courtship and cared little for what his detractors were given to discuss in that regard. He had ever been a socially competent man, and thus had spent those years making connections both within and without the Red Keep. A notable shift in his entourage was encapsulated in Ser Addam Hightower, who had been named a knight of the Kingsguard following the Battle of Ashford. He had connected with Addam during his short time in Oldtown, and it was an easy relationship to resume when the man had come to bear the white cloak of that most auspicious order.

Few were truly kept within Daemon’s confidence, but there were many who thought they had come to understand the most hedonistic of the late king’s sons. He often hosted parties, balls and other such gatherings which sometimes included members of the Small Council, courtiers, and well-placed merchants from King’s Landing. He embraced his lifestyle, but his imperatives were never quite as superficial as they might have seemed. For years he had been using such contacts and gatherings to slowly spin a web of influence that extended far beyond the capital.

Chapter III: Firebrand
The recent death of Grand Maester Godwyn has weighed heavily upon the Prince Daemon's psyche. In many ways the old scholar was a more a parent to him than either the late King Rhaegar or Queen Rhaenys had ever been. Despite this keen sense of loss, like so many others within the capital he prepares for the journey to Oldtown, where his sister Naerys is set to wed his old friend, the Lord of the Hightower.

Family

 * King Aenar I Targaryen, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms b. 320 A.C. d. 407 A.C.
 * m. Queen Helaena Targaryen, b. 322 A.C. d. 346 A.C.
 * Prince Aenys Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone b. 340 A.C. d. 368 A.C.
 * m. Lady Lenore Blackwood, b. 339 A.C. d. 367 A.C.
 * Maegor Waters, Bastard of Dragonstone b. 365 A.C, d. 407 A.C.
 * Prince Viserys Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone and Hand of the King b. 342 A.C. d. 398 A.C.
 * m. Lady Gwynesse Lannister, b. 345 A.C. d. 416 A.C.
 * Queen Visaera Targaryen, Princess of Dragonstone b. 369 A.C. d. 420 A.C.
 * m. Prince Aemon Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone b. 371 A.C. d. 405 A.C.
 * King Rhaegar Targaryen, b. 387 A.C. d. 435 A.C.
 * w. Selenya Targaryen, b. 381 A.C. d. 408 A.C.
 * Queen Visenya Silvermoon, b. 408 A.C.
 * m. Luco Zalyne, b. 403 A.C. d. 429 A.C.
 * Taena Zalyne, b. 426 A.C.
 * Tregar Zalyne, b. 428 A.C. d. 429 A.C.
 * m. Queen Rhaenys Targaryen, b. 387 A.C. d. 431 A.C.
 * Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, b. 408 A.C.
 * King Aegon Targaryen, b. 411 A.C.
 * Prince Viserys Targaryen, b. 431 A.C.
 * Prince Daeron Targaryen, b. 431 A.C.
 * Princess Elaena Targaryen, b. 433 A.C.
 * Prince Valerion Targaryen, b. 436 A.C.
 * Prince Aerion Targaryen, b. 412 A.C.
 * m. Elyana Dayne, b. 412 A.C.
 * Prince Baelor Targaryen, b. 415 A.C.
 * m. Aemma Arryn, b. 415 A.C.
 * Prince Jacaerys Targaryen, b.
 * Princess Saera Targaryen, b.
 * Prince Daemon Targaryen, b. 417 A.C.
 * Princess Naerys Targaryen, b. 418 A.C.
 * Prince Laenor Targaryen, b. 388 A.C. d. 414 A.C.
 * m. Meria Martell, b. 381 A.C. d. 411 A.C.
 * m. Eliane Martell, 391 A.C. d. 413 A.C.
 * House Martell
 * Princess Aelinor Targaryen, b. 389 A.C. d. 419 A.C.
 * m. Gwayne Baratheon, b. 385 A.C.
 * House Baratheon
 * Prince Viserys Targaryen, b. 402 A.C. d. 418 A.C.
 * Prince Daeron Targaryen, b. 373 A.C. d. 425 A.C.
 * Princess Saera Targaryen, b. 383 A.C. d. 435 A.C.
 * m. Osric Arryn, b. 382 A.C. d. 435 A.C.
 * House Arryn
 * Princess Vaella Targaryen, b. 346 A.C d. 404 A.C.
 * m. Lord Vaemond Velaryon, b. 344 A.C. d. 407 A.C.
 * House Velaryon