Elyana Dayne

Elyana Dayne, the current Lady of Summerhall, is the eldest child of Aemon Dayne and his wife Lady Ellyn Lannister.

Following her meteoric rise in social status after wedding the so-called 'Hero of Dorne', Aerion Targaryen, Elyana has come to be recognised in the capital for both her cunning wiles and unruly temper.

Commonly known as 'The Queen's Thorn' by court mainstays, the informal title references her role as the right hand of the Silver Queen, Visenya Silvermoon.

Appearance & Character
Largely does Elyana possess the typical Stony Dornish cast. True to her Dayne heritage, the tan of her skin is muted and the blonde of her hair is naturally flaxen. Much like her father it is Elyana's eyes that serve as the most immediately alluring facet of her appearance; yet unlike his, hers are a deep blue hue that contrast strikingly against fair features.

The rest of her countenance lacks any true sharpness, remaining full and soft even against the test of time. Tall and lithe, the Lady of Summerhall is devoted to maintaining an appearance crafted in the shadow of the Silver Queen. There has not yet been an occasion where she did not wholly embrace the finest jewelries of silks, and despite her pious nature is partial to the styling of her Dornish homeland.

Outwardly gregarious and owing to a naturally warm nature, Elyana has never struggled to find friends. Above all else does she value her social status, and cultivates it as one would wealth. It takes few souls long however to discern the cunning intricacies webbing the personality beneath, or to learn of the volatile temper that seems to have constant kindling under the surface. Kindness can be quick to turn to ire, and gossip runs rampant on her heels.

Where Lady Gael Targaryen has been recognised as the diplomatic facet of Visenya's council, delivering the warmth and geniality of the Queen, it is Elyana that protects her political interests with fearsome zeal.

Early Life
Beloved as a firstborn daughter, Elyana's early years were simple and wholesome in her native Starfall. In every respect an average child, only her beauty surpassed expectation. Many had expected Aemon's children to inherit his piercing violet eyes, but Elyana's were as blue as could be. This made them no less striking, and their intensity did not fade with time, becoming the focal feature she was recognised for.

An active child, Elyana was a rambunctious tyke from the moment she could walk. Never happy to sit still, Ellyn was often given to chasing her daughter to acquire her for the most menial of things; sitting Elyana down for a meal was little short of a chore, and even then her family were subject to the cheek of her tongue. Often was it noted that she only ever truly behaved for her father, with whom she shared a close bond from childhood.

The Bloodstar
Through her six year old eyes, Elyana beheld the beginnings of Summerhall's tragic tourney as Aemon Dayne's lance pierced the helmet of Leyton Hightower, bringing the Oldtown patriarch to his mortal end.

In quick succession did her life unravel. No longer was her father a vaunted knight, the Sword of the Morning - his title was stripped and his name defiled as the Bloodstar. The political, and moral, ramifications of his actions were lost on a child of six, but his absence was not. Nor the sudden loss of her mother, in the weeks that followed.

These events shaped Elyana in some of her most crucial formative years, forever altering the woman she would grow to become. Aemon was above reproach in his daughter's eyes, and even as her aunts condemned his actions, Elyana retained an unbreakable loyalty to his memory.

In public, she has learned to convey the opinions expected of her. In private, she remains convinced her father was an honourable man who acted for the greater good in all things. Whatever reason brought him to end the life of Leyton Hightower, surely was it a justified one.

The concept of the 'greater good' is perhaps what first led Elyana to the arms of the Faith. Recognised since childhood for being notably pious, in adulthood her acts of charity and kind overtures have always belied the manipulative traits inherent in her personality.

Family Ties
With the future Dayne heir set to be raised in King's Landing, Elyana was relegated to Starfall to be raised by her mother and aunt. Now essentially an orphan, the expectations set for her were not overly high. Given a great deal of leniency, there was all too ample an amount of room for her behaviours to deteriorate beyond what was expected of a young lady. When discipline was enforced, Rhaella and Ashara tackled Elyana together, imposing upon her a joint influence of their will.

The two women became the dominant figures in her life, and if nothing else, instilled in her a deep desire to protect her own as she grew. Vorian was a rare sight, but Elyana did all she could to tend a close relationship with Ulrick.

When questions rose about Aemon and Ellyn, stern and condemning was the answer. His exile was justified, his choices were the cause of their seperation. Her mother, too, had brought upon herself the terrible series of events that befell her. Regardless, no matter how hard they tried to stress her parent's stupidity, Elyana's mind resolved to justification, if only as a means to cope with her entrance into court being marked by murder.

A Future Obligation
Often did Elyana sojourn to Sunspear, even at thirteen a social butterfly who imposed upon Rhaella to allow her to exercise her naturally gregarious nature. In 425 A.C, the Water Gardens saw a visit from the future Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, Visenya Silvermoon.

Where Elyana was but thirteen and Visenya herself seventeen, the slight gap in age was not enough to deter an immediate friendship. Both shared in projecting kind amiability, but were quick to turn to gossip - the young Dayne was all too happy to introduce Visenya to the workings of Sunspear for the short duration of her trip.The only true difference between them proved to be Elyana's convictions in the Faith - ones that she would impose upon all around her, whether they desired it or not.

Lady of Summerhall
King Rhaegar II Targaryen was arguably known for many a thing, but often would the man himself boast of his appreciation for beauty. By 430 A.C. Elyana had matured fully, and at eighteen stood testament to all that could be found alluring in a Dornish woman. Though she had spent a great deal of time in the capital with her brother, Vorian Dayne and his guardian Gael Targaryen, Elyana's Starfall childhood and adolescence meant she retained a lilt in her accent that reflected her origin.

With Aerion Targaryen she shared both age and beauty, and to the Realm at large this was enough to solidify their union as viable. Though they were not well acquainted and knew one another only in passing, Aerion and Elyana understood that they could mend the broken ties between Houses Targaryen and Dayne.

For Elyana, there could have been no greater match - it was one that would send her soaring to newfound heights on the social ladder, and directly into the sphere of Visenya Silvermoon once more. They married late in 430 A.C in a lavish affair, and once more did celebration reign at Summerhall for moons after.

Insistent on being all that her father would have expected of her, Elyana is a devoted and caring wife, despite her otherwise acerbic tendencies. Never has Aerion seen the true deviancy of his partner, for even in the present day does much of her scheming go unnoticed; perhaps if only because he is content enough in knowing he possesses her true loyalty, and simply ignores it.

When his mother Rhaenys passed, and Aerion mounted the great dragon Vhaegon in the aftermath, Elyana's support was unwavering and paramount. Yet his bonding with the beast made her husband even more of a wandering soul, now free to fly off on dragonback whenever he so desired. In the many years that followed, it would be the source of the brewing tension beneath their happy facade.

The Silver Wedding
Aegon and Visenya's affair had never been a secret to Elyana, and when the opportunity arose for Visenya to become more than the paramour of the future King, Elyana saw herself climbing the steps of the social ladder before the words had even been spoken.

A faithful woman, wife and friend, throughout her years the Lady of Summerhall had done all she could as a true servant of the Faith. Her donations were vast and her charitable works many, and never had Elyana sought to mix the realms of soul and politick.

The time came regardless, and Elyana embraced it. She did all she could to convince Visenya, and key members of the Faith with whom she was personally familiar, that this course of action was one sanctioned by the Seven - for the good of the realm.

The Queen's Thorn
Throughout her life, Elyana had wanted for little. Wealth, prestige, love - such were what all men sought, and never had she struggled in pursuit of them. As the years passed and she remained childless, Elyana began to wonder if she had traded one life for another. As a result of her decadence, her scheming and her cruelty, she feared the Gods would forever deny her a child of her own.

These thoughts were vanquished in late 433 A.C when, at last, the Maesters pronounced the Lady of Summerhall to be with child. Never had she been so thrilled, and her relationship with Aerion - one that had been troubled by their lack of an heir - underwent a resurgence. To look upon them in such bliss was to see them once more as they were, eighteen and eager for their lives ahead.

Such happiness, however, did not last. When Aerion departed upon the back of Vhaegon to fight in The War of Stone and Sky, it was not long until the sickness took Elyana. By the time the Targaryen prince returned at the war's end in 435 - victorious as the Hero of Dorne - he returned to an empty cradle. Their child had never reached fruition, and the loss had made his wife into a woman he did not fully recognise. Bitterness had seeped its way into her soul, and Elyana spent more time in the Sept than ever before. Quietly she wondered once again if the Seven had punished them. Tales of the Black Scourge travelled fast and wide across the Kingdoms, of the many lives he had stolen in one terrible breath. She was sure that such death and destruction could not come without a price - one she had paid for her husband in full.

The three years that followed marked Elyana's rise to become known as The Queen's Thorn; for both how Visenya wielded her, and her troublesome nature toward Queen Rhaenyra's courtiers. The relationship with her husband entered a crossroads, and rare was the occasion that they shared a bed for more than a few nights. Wholeheartedly did she become consumed by the intrigues of the capital, instead. Furthering Visenya's agenda became one and the same with furthering her own - and her place by the side of the Silver Queen became perhaps the only true shield she had against quiet rumours she could be set aside.

Family

 * Lord Aemon Dayne b. 493 A.C. d. 418 A.C.
 * m. Lady Ellyn Dayne nee. Lannister, Lady of Starfall b. 393 A.C. d. 418 A.C.
 * Lady Elyana Dayne, b. 412 A.C.
 * Lord Vorian Dayne, Lord of Starfall, b. 414 A.C.
 * Lord Ulrick Dayne, b. 417 A.C.