Maekar Targaryen (son of Baelor)

Maekar Targaryen is the Prince of Summerhall, and the son of Prince Baelor Targaryen. Born in 376 AC, Maekar inherited Summerhall when his father died in 402 AC, during the War of the Three Thieves. He would go on to defeat Alequo Silverband the next year, slaying him and his dragon and helping end the war. This propelled Maekar into following his father's reputation as a warrior of renown, serving on the Small Council for two years under his grandfather.

Maekar is married to Leona Tyrell, twin sister of Lord Lyonel Tyrell, with whom he has two daughters; Rhaena and Gael. He rides the dragon Stormsong, a swift and deadly beast of grey and blue.

Appearance and Character
When one thinks of a Targaryen Prince, one does not think of Maekar. The Prince of Summerhall is akin got Baelor Breaskpear in that his appearance carries no indication of his heritage expected. More like his mother and grandmother than his father and grandfather, Maekar's hair is a darker blonde, and his eyes a pale blue. He keeps his hair to his neck, usually tied back, and his beard short and neat - a picture of fastidiousness in how well-kept he is. A strong face with a bold nose, Maekar is quick to smile, an expression backed by a genuine kindness. He is oddly serious as well; an earnest sort of sincerity fired by the strong religious views he holds deeply.

Not the tallest of men, Maekar stands at 5'9, yet he carries the broad shoulders of his father, strengthened over time by the effort behind riding and controlling Stormsong. As expected from a man as zealous as him, much like his wife Maekar's dress lacks ostentation, and is relatively simple. Practical cuts, with an edge of militarism, Maekar dresses the part of the pious war hero. His armour is decidedly traditional for House Targaryen, perhaps one of the few aspects of him that is. Scale armour of black and red, the design is akin to the old suits of Valyrian Steel that have been lost to the ages. In battle, he wields a poleaxe primarily, a deadly weapon forged to break through armour. On dragonback, he fights with longsword in hand, the swift cutting edge much more useful.

Maekar is very much the grandson of Patrice Hightower, who heavily influenced him as he grew. While the Schism is not at the height it was in decades gone by, Maekar is an extremely strong proponent of the Starry Rites. He looks upon the incest that House Targaryen practices with disgust, seeing it as a sign of the excesses, corruption, and everything wrong with his family. While not necessarily ambitious in his own right, he genuinely increasingly sees himself as the last bastion to save his family from themselves. Maekar believes himself to be a properly pious man. He holds to the Seven Sided Star as much as possible, and has a close relationship with his Confessor, Septa Malora, as well as his equally pious wife. His religious views bond easily with his chivalric nature; Maekar takes his oaths of Knighthood just as seriously as the ones he swears to the Seven, reflected in refounding the Rainbow Guard as a knightly order.

Past that, Maekar is generally a kind and affable man. He can be merciful to the point of naivete - unless the wrong is done against his core beliefs, and then he is implacable is his response, and desire for justice. Maekar strives for perfection in himself - and strives to see it in others, as well. Maekar expects the best of everyone, and few people meet it. His wife is perhaps the only woman who does meet the high standards he sets, and this pushing of people to be the best they can be in his eyes also pushes them away. As much as Maekar is friendly, he easily isolates those who could be friends, in a misguided desire to force them into being better people.

Childhood - 376 AC to 387 AC
Maekar was born in 376 AC, the first son of Baelor Targaryen and Deana Arryn. While his older sister had been born during Baelor's tenure as Master of Laws, by the time that his wife was pregnant again, the Prince of Summerhall had grown restless. The Dragon of the East, as he would come to be known, spent much of his time fighting in Essos during this period, coming back and forth over the years, a few months at a time. Left to mostly raise their growing brood by herself, it was not unexpected that Deana would take her children to King's Landing very often in the beginning; something very much supported by the Queen, who enjoyed seeing her grandchildren. Indeed, Queen Patrice would become a major influence in the young Prince's life, and his first memories were more of her and his mother than his father. It was here, through both of them, that the spark of religion was kindled in him. it was simply a way of life; prayers before meals, attending service in the Sept, a life where the Faith was woven thickly through it in near every aspect.

Of course, Maekar had a cradle egg as well. Cyrax had recently laid a clutch at the time of his birth, and the first of those eggs was placed with him; an egg as dark as charcoal, with deep blue veins. The colours of the tempest, and when the beast was hatched when Maekar was eight, it looked like the storm. Scales of dark grey, claws, ridges, and membranes of a dark, brooding, blue; Maekar, on encouragement from his mother and grandmother, would avoid the usual Valyrian name and decide upon Stormsong. The dragon quickly proved itself to be a swift, deadly, beast, with a speed unmatched by most of its peers.

Like his father before him, Jacaerys swiftly began to prove himself a skilled fighter. If not as skilled as either his father or Aegon, he was still far above average, earning the praise of the Master-at-Arms at both King's Landing and Summerhall. However, it was not just combat the young prince concentrated on. As he grew, hatching his dragon, and serving as a page in the court of the Red Keep, Maekar became more and more well known. The young boy impressed in the Great Sept of Baelor with his quiet dedications - until he harangued the High Septon as only an eleven year old could over the Schism. For, while he was of House Targaryen, and lived with his family there, his mind had been pushed towards the Starry Rites by Queen Patrice and her own companions. It was with a surprising fervour that Maekar had adopted the Rites, and that would last through his life. As a boy, it would be a steady piety for the Faith of the Seven as a whole - it would be later in his life that the meanings of the Starry Rites truly began to impress upon him.