Rhaenys Targaryen

[FP1997]

Rhaenys Targaryen

• Status: The Queen Who Never Was

• Traits: Fiery, confident and loyal. Her dragon Meleys makes her a formidable force during the civil war.

• Famous quote: "Men would rather set the realm ablaze than see a woman ascend the Iron Throne.”

• Family: Wife to Corlys Velaryon; mother of Laena and Laenor Velaryon. daughter of King Aemon Targaryen and Jocelyn Baratheon.

Rhaenys Targaryen entered the world with the weight of royal expectation upon her. As the firstborn child of the Prince of Dragonstone, many saw her as the natural successor to the Iron Throne. Even Queen Alysanne Targaryen hailed her as "our queen to be".  At 13, she claimed Meleys, the dragon once ridden by her late aunt Alyssa Targaryen, and joined King Jaehaerys I Targaryen on his royal progress, as they journeyed to Highgarden and the Shield Islands. It was during this journey that she revealed her intention to marry Lord Corlys Velaryon, receiving her grandfather's blessing.

Their union, when Rhaenys was merely sixteen, marked the beginning of a significant chapter in her life. Notably, she insisted on arriving at the wedding on the back of Meleys, emphasizing her connection to her dragon. When Rhaenys learned she was pregnant with her first child, the joyous news was soon overshadowed by the death of her father, Prince Aemon Targaryen. As the Prince of Dragonstone, his passing forced King Jaehaerys to appoint a new heir to the Iron Throne. The decision boiled down to Rhaenys, Aemon's only child and heir, or Aemon's brother Baelon.

The Queen Who Never Was

Jaehaerys chose Baelon, bypassing Rhaenys, who was carrying her own potential heir. Rhaenys herself protested this decision, and her husband, Corlys Velaryon, sacrificed his positions on the small council and as lord admiral in solidarity. Despite these setbacks, Rhaenys welcomed her daughter Laena Velaryon into the world, followed by her son Laenor Velaryon two years later. The ultimate blow came with the death of Baelon, prompting King Jaehaerys to convene the Great Council at Harrenhal to determine the next heir.

As the firstborn child of Prince Aemon Targaryen and thus, firstborn grandchild to King Jaehaerys Targaryen, Rhaenys was seen by many as the future Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. By law of lineage, her position far out-ranked that of her younger cousins Viserys and Daemon Targaryen. However, the Grand Council meeting decided the line of succession should prioritise the male line over the female, and so Viserys was named heir.

A Woman Scorned

Those most dismayed by the king's choice included Rhaenys's mother, Lady Jocelyn Baratheon, her uncle, Lord Boremund Baratheon, and her grandmother, Queen Alysanne Targaryen, wife of King Jaehaerys. Rhaenys's repeated disappointments earned her the title amongst the smallfolk: "The Queen Who Never Was." And though the votes were held in secret, word has it that the lords favoured Viserys by twenty to one; rubbing salt in the wound.

Yet another snub came in the form of a rejected marriage proposal. After Queen Aemma Arryn’s death, it was suggested that Rhaenys’s twelve-year-old daughter Laena would be the most suitable candidate in producing further heirs and bridging the gap between House Targaryen and House Velaryon. King Viserys, put off by the extensive age gap, chose to favour Alicent Hightower as a bride instead. Thrice scorned now, Rhaenys and her family did not attend the wedding ceremony and was only mollified years later when Princess Rhaenyra was matched with her son Laenor, making him Prince.

Dance of the Dragons

Rhaenys was issued three grandchildren during the marriage between her son and Rhaenyra: Jacaerys, Lucerys and Joffrey. Although it was rumoured that the children were fathered by Harwin Strong, Laenor claimed them as his blood, and so both houses were united once more. Rhaenys’ bloodline appeared to be growing ever closer to the Iron Throne until, in quick succession, tragedy struck. Her daughter Laena died after giving birth to her and Daemon’s third child around the same time that her son Laenor was murdered in Spicetown by Qarl Correy.

With only her grandchildren left, Rhaenys and her husband sat on the Black council of Rhaenyra; planning to have her fly on Meleys to keep the greens from attacking their shipping fleet. However, as news came of Lucerys’ murder, she held firm and prevented Joffrey from mounting a revenge attack, which earned her command over Rhaenyra’s war council.

Who plays Rhaenys Targaryen?

• Rhaenys Targaryen is portrayed by Eve Best: an Australian actress known for her roles in Nurse Jackie, The Homecoming and Fate: The Winx Saga. Her background in award-winning theatre largely informed her role as Rhaenys Targaryen.