Visenya Silvermoon

Visenya Silvermoon is the Queen Consort of the Seven Kingdoms, the second of Aegon VII’s two sister-wives. The product of an affair between Rhaegar Targaryen and Selenya Targaryen of Lys, Visenya was introduced to court by Rhaegar’s wife, Rhaenys, who raised her alongside their trueborn children. Despite the stain of her illegitimate birth, the young Visenya flourished at court, proving exceptionally charming and tactful at an early age.

Initially wed to the son of the Sealord of Braavos, the unexpected death of Visenya’s husband and the suspected infertility of Rhaenyra prompted Aegon VII to take her as his second sister-wife in the first polygamous royal marriage since Maegor the Cruel. This arrangement exacerbated her long-running feud with Rhaenyra, and as the royal court contended with the chaos of The Bleeding, rival political factions emerged around the two queens.

Reputed to be charismatic, empathetic and generous, Visenya cultivates an appealing image that conceals ambition, insecurity and contempt. At court, she strives to further an agenda that is often at odds with that of her sister; Visenya advocates long-term diplomatic approaches to the Iron Throne’s most pressing dilemmas.

She is the rider of Siren, who she first mounted in 418 AC.

Appearance and Character
Bright violet eyes and fair skin create the unmistakable image of a Targaryen, but Visenya Silvermoon is nevertheless easy to distinguish from her half-siblings. Her light blonde hair lacks the silver tint characteristic of her lineage, and though she stands well above the average woman, Visenya is still dwarfed by her more imposing kin. Her facial features are soft yet defined, absent of the severity exhibited by so many of her ancestors; the silver queen’s visage conforms more to Andal standards of beauty despite her overwhelmingly Valyrian heritage. Round eyes rest beneath strong brows within a square-shaped frame that has matured with her age without losing its immaculate beauty.

But it is not natural beauty alone that renders the silver queen so comely. The appeal of her image is amplified by a pleasant demeanor, a charming presence and an impeccable sense of fashion. She adorns clothing that is neither too modest nor too scandalous for a woman of her stature, emphasizing the finer qualities of her figure with the utmost subtlety. Visenya carefully cultivates her wardrobe to project her status as a Westerosi queen; she consciously eschews foreign styles, not wanting to offer any reminder of her mother’s Lysene origins. Nevertheless, the colors of her clothes frequently contrast with those of the royal house: Visenya favors silver, blue and white.

At an early age, Visenya Silvermoon distinguished herself as a quick learner and a charismatic speaker - though it was the latter that would define her public image. Her natural extroversion and eloquent speech enable her to make friends with ease, and can at times disarm her fiercest opponents. Though she is as proud as any other royal, Visenya is not without a sense of humor, and is even capable of self-effacement. When her words cause offense, she assumes an apologetic disposition and counters indignation with an even temper and a poised calm. Such qualities once made her a darling of the court despite her illegitimate birth, and she remains accustomed to staying in everyone’s good graces. This unquenchable desire to be widely well-liked often compels Visenya to seek the favor of every acquaintance, and leaves her privately frustrated when her generous gestures are rebuffed.

Her practiced tongue, however, would have little use without an exceptional emotional intelligence. With a high level of empathy, she can easily identify the doubts and desires of others and relate them to her own. In intimate conversations, these admissions of insecurity can earn her the trust and sympathy of others, and ease the most dubious minds. Likewise, private company is where Visenya prefers to offer criticism and admonition, sweetening every scolding with polite and encouraging language. Praise, however, is offered much more liberally: those who please the silver queen are presented before their peers as examples to follow. She is skilled at making others feel appreciated and noticed; Visenya readily recounts minute details about the lives of every acquaintance she makes.

The strength of these qualities lies within their authenticity, but because of the nature of her position, Visenya is at times suspected of duplicity when her words are truly sincere. Indeed, she regularly wields her virtues toward ulterior ends, perverting the most admirable facets of her personality. The success of her political ambitions hinges entirely on her exceptional social abilities: Visenya uses persuasion and personal appeal to recruit and unite those with more practical talents. Her convictions are seldom too fierce for compromise, which she often embraces in pursuit of consensus. Visenya flourishes in collaboration, though she is somewhat overconfident in her keen eye for talent. Responsibilities are readily delegated to her most trusted subordinates, who are sometimes allowed too much discretion in their work. Visenya can be quite susceptible to the advice of her inner circle, but influence over the silver queen depends largely on her faith in one’s intentions; whenever they are in doubt, Visenya can become surprisingly obstinate.

Since the advent of her adulthood, Visenya’s intrinsic compassion has gradually given way to shrewdness and guile. The pride she still keeps in her waning virtue has blinded her to the consequences of her actions and the impurity of her motives. She rationalizes her most questionable decisions with an arrogant belief in her own goodness; Visenya is convinced that she - and she alone - can guide Aegon VII into a peaceful, prosperous and beloved reign. She considers her ideology of appeasement to be an essential counterweight to the severity of her sister, who in her view can only lead the realm into tyranny and disharmony. Personal pettiness underpins Visenya’s rivalry with Rhaenyra, but she refuses to acknowledge its apolitical aspects. She often offers the other queen empty gestures of rapprochement, though in truth she is no more willing to yield.

The fundamental uncertainty of her position drives Visenya to be proactive in politics, which can ironically lead to bold interferences that only weaken her standing. The validity of Aegon’s bigamous marriage remains controversial, and Visenya fears that she may be set aside if she does not continually prove her utility to the king. In many respects, she lacks the practical strengths of the other queen - thus she often meddles in matters for which she has minimal experience and expertise.

Early Life
Several decades after the Lysene branch of House Targaryen diverged from the main line, an affair between reunited the two in the form of Visenya Silvermoon. The child, however, was immediately detached from her maternal roots; her mother, Selenya of Lys, perished shortly after giving birth. Instead she was raised entirely in the royal court, owing to the favor of her father, the Prince of Dragonstone, and his wife, the Princess of Summerhall - who resolved to raise Rhaegar’s bastard as one of her own. Indeed, this compassion was enough for the child to regard Rhaenys as her maternal figure, even as she suspected her of favoring her trueborn daughter.

As soon as she could speak, Visenya distinguished herself with as a quick learner with a sharp wit and a way with words. Despite her illegitimacy, she was well regarded by many in Visaera’s court, leaving strong impressions with her natural charm. Rhaegar’s fondness for his bastard was plainly evident, but as the Prince of Dragonstone - and later, the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms - he had little time reserved for his children. In his absence, Visenya turned to older and wiser men; Grand Maester Abelar was delighted by her enthusiasm for her studies, and in her great uncle Daeron - the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard - she found a second father figure.

But charm was not enough for the child to be universally welcomed at court. Her grandmother, Visaera, was reluctant to accept a bastard, and regarded her with open contempt, never hesitating to remind Visenya of her illegitimate status and inferiority to her siblings. The Black Queen instilled a sense of insecurity into the otherwise confident child and bred a lasting resentment. It was not until the advent of her maturity that Visenya came to realize that the queen did so not out of hatred and spite, but rather out of genuine concern: Visaera foresaw her granddaughter’s tumultuous future.

Several moons after Visenya’s birth, Rhaenys brought her own daughter into the world. Rhaenyra Targaryen was initially quite close with her half-sister, sharing with her the innocent joy of childhood. With the passage of time, however, their personalities and interests began to diverge, and the two became more prone to bickering. As Rhaenyra grew to resent the bastard’s theft of attention, Visenya began to envy her sister’s legitimacy - and her expected future of one day marrying their brother, Aegon. A sense of competition emerged between them as they vied for the attention of their father, and in his absence, their uncle Daeron.

As infants, Visenya and Rhaenyra were each given a dragon egg in their cribs; both hatched shortly thereafter. At first an unruly whelp, Siren’s draconic ferocity was eventually tempered by the gentle child’s guidance. Their bond was immediately strong, though Visenya’s cowardice and cautious postponed her first ride. In 418 AC, two years after she mounted Silanax, Rhaenyra reluctantly helped her half-sister overcome her fear and at last take flight. This experience, however, was not enough to ease the tension that was gradually growing between them.

Brothers and Sisters
The first of her generation, Visenya grew up witnessing the celebrated births of several more royal siblings. Her friendship with Aegon began as soon as he reached a conversational age, though for many years she did not view this in a romantic light; the younger Visenya accepted that he was destined for Rhaenyra. Indeed, her envy of the trueborn daughter was alleviated by daydreams of an idyllic future as the wife of a Tyrell or an Arryn.

The second son was the hot-blooded Aerion, who was naturally drawn to the martially-inclined Rhaenyra. With Visenya, he developed a much different bond: she provided him emotional consolation and filled his head with tales of knightly valor. Later, she helped him learn the language of old Valyria - and with that, incited his interest in poetry, which he was reluctant to share with any other. The two elder sisters developed a similar relationship with Baelor, the third son. Though it was Rhaenyra who molded him into a great warrior, Visenya instilled Baelor with chivalric idealizations and a diplomatic finesse.

Her ability to bond with her youngest two siblings was hindered by a great difference in age. By the time Daemon and Naerys were old enough to form meaningful relationships with their older sisters, Visenya was preoccupied with the demands of marriage and children. As a small child, Daemon exacerbated this with his taunting of the ‘half-blood’, though he became more diplomatic toward her with maturity. Naerys, on the other hand, was more elusive - and more resistant to Visenya’s charisma. Moreover, she was partial toward Rhaenyra, though she never developed any animosity toward her half-sister. In Naerys’ adolescence, Visenya was at least able to captivate her with lessons in feminine propriety.

Visaera’s sole offspring with her second husband, Aerys Velaryon, was a Targaryen in all but name. Though he was an uncle to Visenya, they were of the same age and virtually siblings. She found his brilliant mind intriguing, perplexing and admirable all at once, though her attempts to develop a closer bond with him always fell flat. Visenya’s emotional intelligence was a poor match for Aerys’ rationality, and though animosity never emerged between them, Visenya’s inability to truly understand her uncle has often lent itself to suspicion.

Recent History
WIP

Targaryen Family Tree

 * King Aenar I Targaryen, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms b. 320 A.C.
 * m. Queen Helaena Targaryen b. 322 A.C. d. 346 A.C.
 * 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.
 * Queen Visaera Targaryen, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms 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 II 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 AC d. 429 A.C.
 * Taena Zalyne b. 426 A.C.
 * Tregar Zalyne b. 428 A.C. d. 429 A.C.
 * m. King Aegon Targaryen, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms b. 411 A.C.
 * Prince Daeron Targaryen b. 431 A.C.
 * Princess Elaena Targaryen b. 433 A.C.
 * Prince Valerion Targaryen b. 436 A.C.
 * m. Queen Rhaenys Targaryen b. 387 A.C.
 * Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen b. 408 A.C.
 * King Aegon Targaryen, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms b. 411 A.C.
 * Prince Aerion Targaryen b. 412 A.C.
 * Prince Baelor Targaryen b. 415 A.C.
 * Prince Daemon Targaryen b. 416 A.C.
 * Princess Naerys Targaryen b. 418 A.C.
 * Prince Laenor Targaryen b. 388 A.C.
 * m. Meria Martell b. 381 A.C.
 * House Martell
 * Princess Aelinor Targaryen b. 389 A.C. d. 418 A.C.
 * Prince Viserys Targaryen b. 402 A.C. d.
 * Prince Daeron Targaryen, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard b. 373 A.C. d. 425 A.C.
 * Princess Saera Targaryen b. 383 A.C.
 * Princess Vaella Targaryen b. 346 A.C d. 404 A.C.
 * m. Lord Vaemond Velaryon b. 344 A.C.
 * House Velaryon