Lucerys Velaryon (son of Vaemon)

Lucerys Velaryon is the second son of Vaemond Velaryon and Princess Vaella Targaryen. He is one of two dragonriders home to Driftmark, and is bonded with his late mother's dragon, Seastar.

Appearance and Character
Blessed with physical strength, grace, and beauty, in his youth Lucerys was a strapping example of the height of knightly achievement. The arrogance he carries himself with even now makes it plain that he never forgotten that, even as the years have taken their toll upon him. Too fond of drink for his own good, he has developed a prominent gut and a permanent flush to his cheeks, as well as a pox that occasionally flares up in unsightly boils around his mouth. Beneath his weathered exterior, though, he is still the same hardened and reckless warrior - albeit perhaps a bit less quick on his feet.

His silver blonde hair is threaded through with wiry bits of white and gray, and a beard disguises the scars that mar his mouth and cheek. Still as mischievous as ever, his eyes are deep indigo, hovering between his mother's violet and a rich ocean blue.

Fiercely independent, stubborn, and aggressive, he benefits from the moderating influence of a firm hand - most often Visaera Targaryen - but cannot take no for an answer where his desires are concerned. His tenacity and determination won him the loyalty of his dragon, but those same traits burned his bridges with his older brother. Too often, Lucerys is held in thrall by blind ambition, regardless of the consequences that it may bring. The grudges he holds are violent and long-lasting, simmering under the surface for years on end.

Lucerys has never had the patience nor inclination for intellectual pursuits; books bore him, lessons tire him, and common sense evades him. He views education in others as an eccentricity at best - or as an object of outright scorn. Instead, he vastly prefers carousing and revelry, striking up an easy rapport with whores and gamblers wherever he roams.

Youth In Revolt (378 AC - 407 AC)
As is tradition for seasnakes, Lucerys was born upon the isle of Driftmark as the third product of Vaemond Velaryon and Vaella Targaryen's union, only minutes before his twin sister, Rhaella.

As children, the twins were inseparable. Saera Celtigar, Lucerys' grandmother, commented that she could hardly tell them apart; both he and Rhaella boasted the same head full of silver-white locks, straight as a board and flowing to their waists. As they grew, they would work their likeness to their advantage, with Rhaella adopting a jerkin and breeches in pursuit of a life beyond books and knitting.

Lucerys was no older than nine when his father arranged his mentorship beneath Prince Aemon Targaryen, one of the finest swordsmen of his age. To their despair, the twins were separated for the first time in their lives when Lucerys was sent to ward at Dragonstone. That despair began to dissipate, however, when he warmed to both the young royal couple and their storied home. The sight of the Painted Table stirred in him an insatiable desire for greatness - any fragment of a past in which his ancestors had sat around it and plotted their conquests. Soon, the boy began to lose himself in daydreams of valiance in battle and a victor's laurels, but more insidious was the ambition he never voiced: that it would be him, and not his brother, who would lead House Velaryon in the years to come. At the end of his education, Lucerys was knighted by Prince Aemon - though he had been carefully shielded from any brush with real combat.

In the years following, Lucerys traveled the realm, returning home to Driftmark sparingly. Rhaella had been wed long ago, and years away had alienated him from his remaining siblings. He noted the births of their children with little interest and kept his distance as their families grew. His curiosity was piqued, however, upon learning that his eldest niece's fledgling dragon had mauled its mistress's sister. What might have passed for a tragedy had it ended otherwise struck him as terribly amusing, and he wondered what potential might lie in both girl and beast. As the years passed, he wormed his way back into the family, ingratiating himself towards Daenaera with gifts and lavished attention. Aurane, ever suspicious, saw more than just an uncle's natural affection - and his instincts, in time, would prove disastrously right.

The next time Lucerys would return home would be by summons. A raven reached him at an inn nestled in the heart of the Reach bearing the news that his mother had passed of a wasting illness. While Vaemond bore no animosity towards his son for his absence, Aurane accused him of irresponsibility and callousness, making no small matter of the fact that Lucerys had not been present to ease Vaella's suffering or help with her care. Tensions heightened between the two brothers brothers whose distaste for one another had begun as children, blossomed with the amount of time Lucerys spent with Daenaera that Aurane deemed inappropriate, and met fruition when both sought to take their late mother's dragon for their own.

It was Seastar that chose Lucerys; soon after, he departed for Dragonstone to seek Visaera Targaryen's aid in fully taming the dragon. He spent each year since his mother's death upon the stormy island, ofttimes accompanied by Daenaera, until 407 - when the realm was summoned to Harrenhal, in celebration of the Red Comet.

A Clash of Brothers (407 AC - 408 AC)
Lucerys' brutal murder of his young niece went unpunished and unnoticed, her family having long since given up hope of her return. But when Erinnon's wings were seen on the horizon at Driftmark, Aurane knew for certain that Daenaera was no more.

The Realm and The World (409 AC - 416 AC)
He could not bring himself to forgive or forget what he saw as a grotesque slight against him - after all, was he not Corlys' superior in every way? More clever, more daring, more loyal to the queen? Though he made the polite noises expected of him, he did not understand the queen's decision and resented it deeply. To name his baby brother as a superior - even as an equal - was more than Lucerys could stomach. A seed of bitterness had been planted, and it found fertile ground in a heart as black as his.

In hopes of removing the possibility of a feud as destructive as the one that had raged on years before between Velaryon brothers, Queen Visaera decided that Lucerys' talents would best be utilized across the Narrow Sea and sent him on missions of trade and diplomacy rather than allowing him to brood and stew in King's Landing. By all outward appearances, the decision was a success.

To Tame A Dragon (417 AC - Present)
For his bastard by-blows, Lucerys spares only the bare minimum of attention; he is willing to keep them fed and with a roof over their heads, but they have received no education and are treated with nothing but scorn. They are often seen playing in the lanes below his apartment, barefoot and dirty, and are quick to scatter whenever they hear him approach.

Recent Events
407 AC 408 AC
 * Fifth Moon: Lucerys resides on Dragonstone amongst his cousins, and travels to Harrenhal in the company of Princess Visaera and her family.
 * Sixth Moon: Harrenhal brings opportunities to grow closer to Princess Aelinor and her ladies-in-waiting, but his eyes most often rest upon Daenaera. When news breaks of his father's sudden, violent death, Lucerys convinces the girl to flee with him - believing Aurane to be behind Vaemond's murder.
 * Seventh Moon: On Driftmark, Lucerys prepares a violent surprise for his kin and ambushes Aurane while he is disembarking at its port. Accusing him of murder, he duels and disarms his brother, fully intending to murder him. At the last moment, however, Daenaera attacks and robs him of the opportunity - a betrayal that stings far more than Vaemond's death ever could.
 * Eighth Moon:
 * Ninth Moon:
 * Tenth Moon:
 * Eleventh Moon
 * Twelfth Moon:
 * First Moon:
 * Second Moon:
 * Third Moon:
 * Fourth Moon:

Family

 * Vaemond Velaryon (345 - 407)
 * m. Vaella Targaryen (346 - 404)
 * Shiera Vance b. 371
 * m. Perceon Vance
 * House Vance
 * Aurane Velaryon b. 375
 * m. Naera Sunglass (375 - 389)
 * Daenaera Velaryon (389 - 408)
 * m. Baela Targaryen b. 379
 * Valaena Velaryon b. 392
 * Aelora Hightower b. 394
 * m. Leyton Hightower
 * House Hightower
 * Lysa Velaryon b. 398
 * Vaella Velaryon b. 402
 * Daena Velaryon b. 408
 * Vaemond Velaryon b. 409
 * Lucerys Velaryon b. 378
 * m. Gael Targaryen
 * Zahra Waters b. 410
 * Aethan Waters b. 411
 * Alyn Waters b. 411
 * Rhaella Dayne b. 378
 * m. Ulrick Dayne
 * House Dayne
 * Corlys Velaryon b. 382
 * m. Visaera Targaryen
 * Aerys Velaryon b. 408