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115A.C.
Lucerys Velaryon was born on a hot summer day after a long hard labor, born three years after his brother Jaceary with a head full of curly dark hair, just like his elder sibling. But the prince shared his fathers azure purple eyes, valyrion eyes and caramel coloured skin, just a shade lighter than ser leanor’s own. As such it could not be denied that the princess had born a trueborn son.
Lucerys by nature of his appearance had inevitably protected his elder sibling from birth for even though it could not be denied he was ser leanors babe, he shared the striking dark locks of his brother; the same hair that had been pointed at by so many as a mark of his siblings’ bastard nature.
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Princess Rheany’s was not terribly excited to meet the next child her good daughter would claim was he sons. She had know as soon as the marriage was decided that her husband was making a mistake; for by her son’s very nature he would not sire any trueborn children on his wife. And yet to protect him she did not speak out, but to support the farce that they carried on was a step to far. If her son did not sire any children, by law, her daughter’s children should inherit Driftmark, not a bastard babe of her cousin. As such once she gazed upon the second babe her son claimed s his own she was shaken to her core by how closely her resembled her own babes in their infancy. The only difference his head full of dark rave hair.
It was then that she wondered if perhaps Jace was her grandchild for his features were strictly valerian in nature when ignoring his dark hair. And surely if her second grandson had inherited his locks from her, so could the first babe. It mattered little as the years went by, little luke loved his elder sibling deeply and any mistreatment she would have served to the elder boy his younger brother would not have stood for. If she wanted Lucerys to love her, she had to accept his elder brother, be he half or full. And the boy was a sweet, charming child. Deeply loving of his little brother, they rarely spend more than a moment apart. Her son showered both boys with love and attention equally, she could not spot a difference in how he treated them.
It was the birth of Rhaenyra’s third babe that had the castle buzzing, for the princess had not yet started her labors and ser Harwin, the suspected father of Jacaerys, had left the city ten moons priors to leave for his own upcoming wedding. For if she bore her husband another true Velaryon babe what would become of her common featured first born?
Rhaeny’s had been questioning that herself as soon as her son wrote, his wife was with child once more. For if this babe was trueborn, and Jacaerys was not, by right the throne should go to Lucerys and Driftmark to the new babe. But it was not to be, the princess was blessed. The new babe, princess Joffrey, was also born with a head full off dark hair, but unlike his brothers had shining blue eyes. Ser Laenor proudly declared them Baratheon blue, inherited from his grandmother alongside his hair color. But others whispered they were inherited from the princess Arren relatives and the babe was a bastard.
And so Rhaeny’s settled the matter in her heart. Luke would never forgive her if she made any move that would harm his siblings and proclaiming Jacaerys as a bastard certainly would. The boy was a well-behaved child and would ascend the throne under the name Targaryen, not Velaryon, so she made her peace with it. It was Rhaenyra’s claim he would succeed, not her son’s.
117 A.C.
It was a great tale, the Strong’s of Harrenhall almost fell victim to the curse on the castle. A great fire set ablaze just as the wedding had been completed and dining had started in the hall. But luck was with them, as Catelyn Tully the new bride, used to the Forrest fires near her home smelled the smoke before the fire could close in on them. The Strong’s escaped with their lives. As fate would have it, if not for the bride, Lary’s strong would have been the last remaining member of his house, for his carriage had gotten stuck in the mud on the way to his brother wedding and he arrived just after the fire had been shushed. It is said the Strong’s investigated the fire, and it is even whispered they found the fire was started on purpose, but they never enounced a culprit. Some claimed it was the Queen who ordered it, wishing her father back as hand.
To the surprise of many, the young lord Larys opted to join the faith shortly after the would be disaster; the miraculous survival of his family had touched him so deeply he wished to serve the Seven directly in thanks. Lord strong returned to king’s landing not long after the reparations on Harrenhall were on their way, and announced his son was expecting his first babe with his new wife. A short tourney was hosted on the king’s orders to celebrate the hands safe return and the future arrival of his new heir.
During the tourney an announcement was made; the prince Jacaerys would be wed to his aunt princess Helena once they both came of age. This news was a relief for many, the rift within the royal family was well known to the court, but it appeared the queen had finally seceded some ground, or lost some perhaps. There were rumors of a quarrel between the king and his wife, as they were said to no longer dine together.
118 A.C. and further
Ser Harwin returned to king’s landing for many years to visit his father, bringing along his babes, it was said they often spend time with the princess own children paying together in the courtyard. As the princess herself had once done, with the then hand’s daughter herself. The Strong children took after their Tully mother in looks, ginger haired and fair-skinned. Bearing little resemblance to the princess children, the rumors about prince Jacaerys became less and less commonly spoken over the years.
The Queen lost more and more allies as the years passed, while her eldest son whom she wished to crown was yet unmarried, an appealing prospect for many lords, his behavior was so abhorrent many were not surprised the king refused to name him heir. In his youth the prince had managed to collect a great many debts. Once the Queen had cut of his access to coin in an attempt to curb his blat tend whoring the prince had resorting to borrowing money from other lording’s to gamble away at the slave fighting pits. The prince never repaid his debts and became know as a thief and oath breaker as he had sworn to repay every coin.
The king discovered the prince’s regular mistreatment of the servant girls and Aegon was locked into his chambers, not to be let out or left alone without a king’s guard’s presence. The prince fell down to his death some months later as he was attempting to escape his chambers without the guard’s presence; his head bashed open on the cobblestones outside the tower of the hand. The princess Helena was said to have shouted and wept before word had even reached her of the prince’s passing. Following the prince’s death in 121 A.C. he was burned as per Targaryen tradition on the island of Dragonstone.
His younger brother, prince Aemond, lost an eye and was left badly scarred after attempting to mount Vermithor while on the island. The prince was sent to join his youngest sibling in Oldtown to recover. This final defeat ended the Queen’s desires to seat one of her son’s on the throne.
Prince Daemon together with his wife, daughters and son remained after the funeral and took up residence on Dragonstone. The prince would take on the position of Master of Whispers shortly after returning to king’s landing in 122 A.C. He would remain in that position till the king’s passing and only ascend to the position of Hand after lord Strong’s retirement in 141 A.C.
Prince Jacaerys and Princess Helaena wed in 131 A.C., their marriage would bring forth three sons and two daughters. It is said princess Helaena was never happier than in the presence of her husband and children.
Queen Alicent would join her sons in Oldtown only days after the king’s death in 131 A.C., missing the new Queens coronation, it was seen as an intended slight by many. Although some claim the new Queen Rhaenyra ordered her leave as a form of exile from the city and Queen Alicent’s former position of power.
Prince Daeron married one of his Hightower cousins some years later in 134 A.C. and had three daughters, reportedly well loved and doted on by their grandmother.
Prince Aemond became a maester, as his injuries no longer allowed him the use of his sword hand, and his mother forbade him from attempting to claim another dragon. He lived with and tended to his mother till the end of her days when she passed in 141 A.C. It was known Prince Aemond was his mother’s most beloved son and it was whispered that he was the only child she bore of love not duty, for the prince was never able to claim or hatch a dragon of his own.