Rhaena Targaryen

Rhaena Targaryen is the firstborn child of Prince Maekar Targaryen and Lady Leona Tyrell. Though female and not yet a dragon rider, Rhaena believes herself to be her father's rightful heir in the absence of any living brothers, and the girl works tirelessly to earn his affection and respect. Her abrasive personality, however, often gets in the way.

Appearance and Character
Rhaena is a lanky, slender girl with a long, plain face and a mess of untidy brown curls. Her sole physical trace of Valyrian ancestry is a faint violet tint to her otherwise hazel eyes, a fact that puts her ill-at-ease in the company of her aunts and uncles. Tall for her age, she often slouches and carries herself without an ounce of grace. Her manner of dress is conservative and plain, with her only adornment a simple seven-pointed star pendant on a leather cord.

An assertive and aggressive child, Rhaena possesses a fearsome, hair-trigger temper and quickly grows envious of others. Fiercely competitive, she cannot stand losing, and is likely to alienate those around her through petty histrionics in the wake of any set back.

She is fascinated by matters of strategy and tactics, and is accomplished at cyvasse. In an effort to impress her father and earn his affection, she has also whole-heartedly embraced the Faith and can often be found lecturing people on their sins. Meddlesome, bookish, and a born control freak, Rhaena believes she knows more about anything and everything than those around her - and especially enjoys knowing things she shouldn't know at all.

History
Rhaena's birth in the eleventh moon of 395 AC was cause for much celebration, as the first grandchild of Prince Baelor Targaryen. A squalling, healthy babe with hair that grew darker by the week, she held her parents' affection and attention tightly wound around one chubby finger. But it was not long before Leona's efforts turned to producing a proper heir for her husband - a duty that the passing years revealed she could not easily accomplish.

Raised with no companions of her age save for her younger sister  Gael Targaryen, Rhaena often sought the company of the adults of the court at Summerhall. On his brief visits home, the girl grew especially close to her reserved and somber grandfather, idolizing him for his exploits and long career as a soldier. From Baelor, she inherited an implacable and unwieldly temper as well as a fascination with tactics and strategy. Though Rhaena never learned to hold a lance or wield a blade, the battle-hardened prince spent hours teaching her cyvasse, with the child propped up on several cushions and eager to impress and please. His death was a deep blow to a lonely child, and afterwards, Rhaena grew more difficult and defiant. She could not help but see herself as ignored and insignificant in a family known for its great deeds and ancient lineage.

Her father's promotion to the small council came with a move to King's Landing - one that left the girl ever more isolated and stand-offish. She never adjusted to the city, nor to the larger court, though the libraries of the Red Keep were a much-needed refuge where Rhaena spent hours hidden amongst the stacks. Maekar's duties left little time for raising small children, and what interactions he had with them were often stiff and formal. Try as she might, Rhaena never recaptured the easy warmth she'd had with her gruff grandfather, and though the tales of her father's victories in the War of the Three Thieves seemed exciting, they never mentioned the daughters he'd left behind to go and fight. The older she became, the more the girl began to realize that she would always be secondary to her father's pursuit of perfection - whether it was in regards to his duties, his faith, or his family.

When at last a brother was born, Rhaena did not greet the babe with enthusiasm - it felt like a betrayal by her mother, and she has not forgiven Leona since. The princess continued to question why her parents could not see her as enough for them, and envy deepened into a violent bitterness towards young Baelor. That he bore her beloved grandfather's name, just as he might someday inherit the man's keep, seemed the cruelest insult of all.

The younger Prince Baelor, however, did not live long. For years, Rhaena had prayed obsessively that the Seven would take the child's life and give her back her parents' love. When the sickly boy died shortly before his third nameday, it seemed those prayers had been heard. Rhaena was more frightened than satisfied - she had been handed concrete proof of the power of the gods, and of how little even the lives of princes meant by comparison. In the wake of his demise, she turned fiercely devout, believing the Seven to have granted her prayers for a reason, and fully intending to offer them the fealty they deserved.

Seeing a second chance to convince Prince Maekar of her worth, Rhaena has spent the last two years in a maddening effort to prove herself the perfect child - wise, subtle, obedient, and devoted. Unfortunately for the princess, she is ultimately very few of those things. Her temper and impatience alienate many who might otherwise help her; her intellect and talents are overshadowed by her gloominess and acerbic tongue. Though there are many things Rhaena has learned from books and games of skill, how to relate to others is not among them. Desperate to earn her father's esteem, she holds herself to impossible standards and lashes out should she fail.

Rhaena possesses a dragon egg of a deep iridescent teal, flecked with gold and azure. It came from the same clutch laid by Cyrax that resulted in the hatching of Stormsong, but has remained dormant and still from the time it was placed in her cradle. The princess harbors a feverish hope that it will hatch, and believes that such a clear sign of her heritage would force her father to consider her worthy of his trust.

Family
Prince Baelor Targaryen (m. Lady Deana Arryn)
 * Princess Jaehaera Targaryen
 * Prince Maekar Targaryen (m. Lady Leona Tyrell)
 * Princess Rhaena Targaryen
 * Princess Gael Targaryen
 * Prince Baelor Targaryen
 * Prince Aegon Targaryen
 * Princess Baela Targaryen
 * Prince Jacaerys Targaryen