Born the 5th child of King Aenys I and Queen Alyssa Velaryon in 36 AC, Alysanne Targaryen
was a sweet, kind and clever girl, who rode the dragon silverwing.
Overshadowed in her youth by elder siblings expected to inherit rule over the Seven Kingdoms
of Westeros, everything changed when the King died in 42 AC, and his brother Maegor the
Cruel usurped the Iron Throne.
Still a child, Alysanne and her brother Jaehaerys were left in the care of their mother Alyssa,
while the rest of the family was scattered and in danger from Maegor and the Faith Militant
Uprising, a religious rebellion protesting the Targaryen tradition of incest.
Her brother Viserys was tortured to death by the new king, while her eldest sibling
Aegon, true heir to Iron Throne, was killed in the battle beneath the godseye, leaving
his sister-wife Rhaena a widow, who was then forced to marry Maegor, the man that killed
her husband and stole his crown.
A fearsome warrior, riding Balerion the Black Dread, Maegor was a merciless tyrant who soon
lost nearly all support, as the Lords of realm rallied behind his nephew Jaehaerys Targaryen,
eldest living child of Aenys, who made an alliance with Rogar Baratheon of Storm’s
end, and was proclaimed the true King of Westeros.
A boy of 14, Jaehaerys mounted his dragon Vermithor and led his army to the capital,
joined by his sister Alysanne, age 12, riding Silverwing, and Rhaena Targaryen, the eldest
sibling, age 25, mounted on Dreamfyre, after she fled from the capital to join her brother’s
campaign.
Yet when they arrived in King’s Landing, Maegor the Cruel was dead, possibly from suicide,
and so King Jaehaerys I sat upon the Iron Throne.
Unable to take full charge of the Kingdom until the age of 16, the King’s mother Alyssa
was given regency, while his greatest supporter Lord Rogar Baratheon served as Hand of the
King.
Known as the Conciliator, the reign of Jaehaerys brought peace to a warring realm when he granted
amnesty and pardons to followers of Maegor and the Faith Militants.
To celebrate the end of war, House Targaryen held a Golden Wedding, where the king’s
mother Alyssa married Rogar Baratheon in 49 AC.
Amid the lavish feasts and merriment a tourney was held, called the War for the White Cloaks,
where hundreds of knights competed to join the Kingsguard of Jaehaerys I. In the end,
5 champions were named, each of who felt a special loyalty to the King, as they earned
their positions though merit rather than noble birth.
*Ser Lorence Roxton, Ser Victor the Valiant, Ser Willam the Wasp, Ser Pate the Woodcock,
Ser Samgood of Sour Hill* After the wedding, the Small Council went
to work making marriage plans for both Jaehearys and his sister Alysanne.
To avoid trouble, neither were consulted as the siblings were close all their lives and
likely wanted to marry each other.
Fearing another religious rebellion over the practice of incest, the small council decided
13 year old Alysanne would marry Ser Orryn Baratheon, brother to the hand of the king.
But the clever young girl learned of this betrothal and immediately told Jaehaerys,
before the two departed for Dragonstone where they wed in a secret ceremony.
Furious to learn of their actions, Alyssa and Rogar gathered their warriors and sailed
to end the marriage before it was consummated.
Yet Jaehearys and Alysanne were not alone, protected by the loyal Kingsguard who stood
their ground despite being badly outnumbered.
Wanting to avoid bloodshed, the king’s mother convinced her husband to back down, and return
to the capital.
Jaehaerys and Alysanne remained on Dragonstone for the rest of the regency, spending every
available moment together and charming everyone with the happiness of their relationship.
Though all agreed Jaehaerys was intelligence, kind, wise, and hard working, many believed
the same about Alysanne who always sat by his side in meetings and offered sage council.
When at last the King turned 16, the reign of Jaehaerys and Alysanne truly began, considered
by many to be the golden age of Targaryen rule.
Throughout their long years together, the Queen was a regular fixture at small council
meetings and was the king’s most trusted advisor.
Some of their most notable achievements, included a unified code of law for the Seven Kingdoms,
reducing the crown’s debt with Braavos, limiting personal expenses, and investing
in infrastructure by raising taxes on the wealthy.
This added revenue allowed them to build the dragonpit along with fountains to provide
clean water, drains, sewers, and a road system to connect the territories they controlled.
In order to prevent another religious rebellion, they sent seven speakers across the continent
to popularize the Doctrine of Exceptionalism, which stated that House Targaryen were an
exception to the laws against Incest because they could bond with dragons.
In time this idea gained enough support to be officially integrated into the teachings
of the Faith.
However, when it first began to spread some were unconvinced, and so during the First
Royal Progress in 51 AC, while visiting Maidenpool, a group of septa’s attempted to assassinate
the pregnant Queen while she was bathing.
Yet Alysanne was so beloved, her servant women threw themselves at the attackers, saving
her life.
Fearing for her safety, the Queen wanted a female guard who could accompany her anywhere,
and the king sent for Jonquil Darke, a warrior who distinguished herself in the War for the
White Cloaks years earlier.
Unfortunately, this attack was followed by premature birth of the king and queen’s
first child, Aegon, and his death 3 days later.
Over the next 3 decades Aysanne gave birth to 12 more children, including Daenerys who
died young of the shivers, Aemon who became heir, Baelon who became heir after the death
of Aemon, Alyssa, the wife of Baelon, Maegelle who served as a septa of the faith, Vaegon
who was an archmaester, Daella who died in child birth, Saera who was disinherited for
her wild behaviour and became a prostitute in Lys, Viserra who died in a riding accident,
Gaemon who died after only 3 months, Valerion who died after a year, and finally Gael born
frail and sickly.
Known as Good Queen Alysanne, the wife of Jaehaerys was beloved by nobles and small
folk alike.
Described as charming, kind, wise, scholarly and charitable, she delighted in bringing
young nobles to court and marrying them into good houses from other regions of Westeros,
making many successful matches which encouraged peace brought the realm closer together.
She also created her famous women’s court, meetings held all across the continent, where
any woman, rich or poor could bring their concerns directly to the Queen.
While visiting the North Alysanne befriended House Stark, arranged a new gift of land for
the Night’s watch in addition to selling her jewels to fund the construction of the
castle Deep Lake.
She then held a woman’s court in a nearby town where she learned the tradition of First
Night was still followed.
This was an old tradition where Noble Lords had the right to bed the smallfolk women in
their territory on their wedding night.
Outraged she convinced Jaehaerys and the small council to banish the practice entirely.
Though the King and Queen loved each other dearly, they had 2 great quarrels in their
later years which separated them for some time.
The first was over the disgrace of their daughter Saera who became a prostitute in Lys.
After several years in exile, Alysanne begged her husband to bring her back, but the king
would not hear of it and spoke harshly, considering her dead.
This left the Queen so angry she left him and relocated to dragonstone.
Eventually their eldest child Aemon arranged a reunion but a second great quarrel came
following the death of this same son in 92 AC, when a new heir was needed.
The king chose their second born son Baelon, thereby skipping over Rhaenys, the daughter
of the deceased Aemon Targaryen.
Angry that their granddaughter was being passed over simply because she was a woman, the Queen
again left her husband, remarking that “If your Grace truly believes that women lack
the wit to rule, plainly you have no further need of me.”
Two years later they were reconciled once more, this time by their daughter Maegelle
and again they were happy.
But after losing so many children over the years, Alysanne was a shadow of her former
self, and eventually suffered an accident which broke her hip, withering away the last
of her strength, leaving her walking with a cane.
Yet the final blow came in 99AC when her youngest daughter Gael was seduced, impregnated and
abandoned by a travelling singer, resulting in the birth of a still born child which left
the girl so devastated she ended her own life.
Consumed by grief over the death of her daughter, Alysanne died in 100 AC at the age of 64.
Remembered as the greatest Queen in the history of the Seven Kingdoms.