Baela Targaryen

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Baela Targaryen
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Art by Enife

Alias Baela Velaryon
Titles
Allegiances
Race Valyrian
Culture Crownlands
Born In 116 AC[4][5]Pentos
Spouse Lord Alyn Velaryon
Issue Laena Velaryon
Books

Lady Baela Targaryen was a daughter of Prince Daemon Targaryen and Lady Laena Velaryon.[1] She had a twin sister, Rhaena Targaryen, and two younger half-brothers, Aegon and Viserys. She was a dragonrider, whose dragon was Moondancer.[1]

Appearance and Character

Baela was slim and short of stature,[6] lean, and quick. She had silver hair that was cropped as short as a boy's, so it would not whip about her face when she was riding.[7] Baela was as fearless as her father.[1] She was a wild and willful young maiden, more boyish than ladylike. She knew naught of fear, and lived to dance and hawk and ride. As a young girl she was oft chastised for wrestling with squires in the yard, and as she grew older she played kissing games with them.[6] She loved to ride and fly. She was known to be deliberately provocative at times.[7] She was quick to anger.[8]

History

Youth

Baela was born in Pentos in 116 AC.[4] She was named after her paternal grandfather, Prince Baelon Targaryen.[4] When Baela was half a year old, she and her mother and twin sister sailed from Pentos to Driftmark.[4] In 117 AC, she and Rhaena were presented to King Viserys I Targaryen by their father, Prince Daemon Targaryen.[9] In 118 AC, with the blessing of the king, Baela was betrothed, at the age of two, to Prince Jacaerys Velaryon, her cousin and step-brother.[4] Baela eventually bonded to the dragon Moondancer. Baela grew up on Dragonstone.[1]

Dance of Dragons

During the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, Baela remained on Dragonstone. She refused to leave her betrothed, Jacaerys, and insisted on fighting by his side on her dragon, even though Moondancer was not yet large enough to be ridden. Baela furthermore announced to marry Jacaerys immediately. They did not marry, however; According to Grand Maester Munkun claims that Jacaerys wanted to wait with their marriage until the war was done, whilst Mushroom claims Jacaerys had taken the bastard girl Sara Snow for his wife during his time at Winterfell.[10] Baela first flew on Moondancer in 130 AC.[6] After her step-mother Rhaenyra won the Iron Throne, Baela divided her days between Dragonstone and Driftmark, flying back and forth on her dragon.[6]

After the carcass of the dragon Grey Ghost had been found at the base of the Dragonmont, Ser Robert Quince concluded the Cannibal as the killer. Quince refused to send knights to hunt down the Cannibal, believing that the murderous dragon would not hurt the people on Dragonstone if they left him alone. Baela disagreed with his decision, however, and offered to travel to the Dragonmont to seek out the truth of Grey Ghost's death. Quince forbade her to go, and Baela was no longer allowed to leave the castle. She attempted to leave the castle regardless that night, but was discovered and confined to her chambers.[6]

Baela was still confined to her chambers during the fall of Dragonstone to King Aegon II Targaryen during the second half of 130 AC. Baela escaped Tom Tangletongue and his ruffians by slipping out of her bedroom window before they smashed down her door. By the rooftops Baela reached the yard and using routes in the castle unknown to the men of King Aegon II, she reached Moondancer before her pursuers could catch her.[11] As King Aegon II flew down on Sunfyre to land in the yard of Dragonstone, Baela and Moondancer flew up and met him in the sky. Sunfyre and Moondancer fought in the air, eventually slamming into the ground. While King Aegon II jumped from Sunfyre's saddle twenty feet from the ground, Baela stayed on Moondancer's back as they reached the ground. She was burned and battered from the fighting, but still had the strength to undo her saddle chains and crawl away from Moondancer as the draogn coiled in her death throes. Ser Alfred Broome drew his sword to slay her, but his sword was wrenched from his hand by Ser Marston Waters. Tom Tangletongue then carried her to Maester Hunnimore.[1][11] Afterwards, Baela was placed in the dungeons of Dragonstone.[12]

After Sunfyre died on the ninth day of the twelfth moon of 130 AC, King Aegon II had Baela brought up from the dungeons and ordered her to be put to death. As Baela's head was on the block, Aegon changed his mind when the maester informed him that Baela was the granddaughter of Lord Corlys Velaryon. Aegon then sent a raven to Driftmark, informing Corlys's bastard-born grandson Alyn Velaryon that he had to present himself on Dragonstone to swear fealty to Aegon within the fortnight. If Alyn would not do as he was bid, Baela would be executed.[12]

Once King's Landing was taken by the loyalists of Aegon II, Lord Corlys Velaryon was freed from the dungeons and offered a place among Aegon II's people. Corlys agreed, on several conditions, including Baela's immediate release. Corlys's terms were granted, and after he swore fealty to Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower in front of the Iron Throne, ravens were sent to Driftmark and Dragonstone, arriving just as King Aegon II was preparing to behead Baela once again. Baela traveled to King's Landing with Aegon and his court from Dragonstone in the waning days of 130 AC. She was kept in chains, as Aegon's people feared she might attack Aegon if she was freed.[12]

At King's Landing, near the end of his reign, King Aegon II threatened to Lord Corlys that, if Alyn Velaryon were to fails him, or if one of the Braavosi ships of the enemy were to pass the Gullet, Baela would "lose parts". That same day, Baela was spirited away by men of Lord Larys Strong, while King Aegon was murdered.[12]

Reign of Aegon III

After the ascension of her cousin and half-brother, King Aegon III Targaryen, Baela and Rhaena were thought to be the only living Targaryens aside from the king and queen, as Prince Viserys Targaryen was presumed dead at the time. Baela and her sister became the darlings of King's Landing, as they frequently traveled through the city, while the king and queen remained hidden inside the castle.[13]

When Hand of the King Cregan Stark ordered the men who had freed Baela from Aegon II's confinement the day of the king's death were condemned to death, Baela made an impassioned plea to save their lives. She brandished a sword and declared that she would cut off the hand of any man who attempted to harm the men who head kept her safe. Amused, Cregan allowed he would her to keep her "dogs", if she were so fond of them. Baela and her sister Rhaena were among the foremost of those pleading for a pardon for their grandfather, Lord Corlys Velaryon. They made their plea directly to King Aegon III Targaryen, who went against the wishes of his Hand, Lord Cregan, and pardoned Velaryon.[13]

In 132 AC, following the sudden death of Baela's grandfather, the small council began to discuss the matter of King Aegon III's heir. Baela and her twin sister were considered to be the only two claimants the realm would likely accept as the childless king's heirs. The small council considered Rhaena more qualified of the two, but Baela was the elder of the two. Grand Maester Munkun proclaimed that both Baela and Rhaena were female, and that the war they had fought previously had shown that they had to favor primogeniture, as the Great Council had ruled in 101 AC. However, Baela had grown into a wild and willful woman. She often escaped the castle to seek adventure in the streets of the cities. She had a taste for companions who were considered to be unsuitable. Neither her septa, Amarys, or the Red Keep's septon, Eustace, could curb her of her wild ways. Septon Eustace informed Ser Tyland Lannister, the Hand of the King, that, if Baela was not wed soon, she would "bring dishonor down upon House Targaryen, and shame His Grace".[7]

That year, the council eventually agreed that Baela should be wed to Lord Thaddeus Rowan, after considering and dismissing Lord Kermit Tully, Lord Benjicot Blackwood, Lord Lyonel Hightower, Lord Dalton Greyjoy, Prince Qyle Martell, and the self-proclaimed King of the Stepstones, Racallio Ryndoon. Rowan already had seven sons, and it was considered that any son he would have by Baela would be the unquestioned heir to King Aegon. Baela disagreed with the match, however, as Rowan was forty years her senior and quite large. She claimed to the Hand that she had bedded two of Rowan's sons. Ser Tyland subsequently had Baela confined to her rooms until the next meeting of the regents.[7]

The next day, Baela escaped the castle and fled to Driftmark, where she confided in her uncle, Lord Alyn Velaryon. They were married in the sept on Dragonstone a fortnight later. Although some outraged regents asked Ser Tyland to appeal to the High Septon for an annulment, the Hand put it about that the marriage had been arranged by the royal court, as he believed Baela's defiance was the true scandal, not her choice of husband. In the eyes of the regents, however, Baela's actions had confirmed that she should not be allowed to be Aegon's heir.[7]

After the Winter Fever of 133 AC killed the Hand and much of the king's small council, Aegon wanted Baela back at court with her husband as hi master of ships, but this decision was reversed by Aegon's new Hand, Unwin Peake, as the king had not consulted with his regents.[14]

In 133 AC, Baela's husband Alyn left on the first of his six voyages. When they said their goodbyes, Baela informed him he was pregnant. Alyn told her to name the child Corlys, after his grandfather, while Baela declared the child would be named Laena, after her mother.[14] Their daughter Laena was born the following year, before Alyn returned from his voyage.[15]

On his first voyage, Alyn sailed on a Braavosi war galley he had captured in the Stepstones. He renamed the hip Lady Baela, after his wife. During his voyage, he sent a letter to Baela from Oldtown after he learned of Queen Jaehaera's death and the announcement of the king's betrothal to Myrielle Peake shortly after. The contents of the letter are not known, but Baela and Rhaena arrived in King's Landing with Baela's young ward, Daenaera Velaryon, at the ball known as the Maiden's Day Cattle Show. At the ball's conclusion, King Aegon announced he would marry Daenaera,[14] causing Lord Unwin Peake to dislike Baela even more.[15] Baela was present with her sister for the king's wedding on the last day of 133 AC.[14]

Baela accompanied the royal court with her newborn daughter to the harbor of King's Landing to welcome back her husband from his voyage.[15] Baela returned with her daughter and husband to Driftmark.{{Ref}fab}The Lysene Spring and the End of the Regency}} After Ser Corwyn Corbray, the husband of her sister Rhaena, had been killed in the Vale, Baela traveled to Dragonstone, where Rhaena resided, to comfort her sister and at the same time make sure that Rhaena would not take her dragon to the Vale to avenge Corwyn.

Baela and Alyn's marriage was a stormy one,[7] and when Alyn set out to leave on his second voyage in 136 AC, Baela quarreled with him, as she had heard the rumors of her husband and his involvement with Princess Aliandra Martell of Dorne. They reconciled before he left, and Alyn set out mid-136 AC, leaving Baela behind on Driftmark, pregnant with their second child.[8]

When the king's regents and Hand were making plans for a royal progress after Aegon's sixteenth nameday, Baela declared that she would comefor the progress, whether she was wanted or not.[8]

Quotes

So it came to pass that when King Aegon II flew Sunfyre over Dragonmont's smoking peak and made his descent, expecting to make a triumphant entrance to a castle safely in the hands of his own men, with the queen's loyalists slain or captured, up to meet him rose Baela Targaryen, Prince Daemon's daughter by the Lady Laena, and fearless as her father.[1]

Family

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Corlys
Velaryon
 
Rhaenys
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Viserys I
 
Aemma
Arryn
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Laena
Velaryon
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Daemon
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rhaenyra
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Baela
 
Alyn
Velaryon
 
Garmund
Hightower
 
Rhaena
 
Corwyn
Corbray
 
 
 
 
 
Visenya
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Laena
Velaryon
 
Issue
 
 
 
Six daughters
 
 
Jaehaera
 
Aegon III
 
Daenaera
Velaryon
 
Viserys II
 
Larra
Rogare
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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House Targaryen.svg
 
 


References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 The Princess and the Queen.
  2. The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon III.
  3. The World of Ice & Fire, Appendix: Targaryen Lineage.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 The Rogue Prince.
  5. Fire & Blood, A Question of Succession - Heirs of the Dragon.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Triumphant.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Fire & Blood, Under the Regents - The Hooded Hand.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Fire & Blood, The Lysene Spring and the End of Regency.
  9. The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Viserys I.
  10. Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - The Red Dragon and the Gold.
  11. 11.0 11.1 Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Overthrown.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - The Short, Sad Reign of Aegon II.
  13. 13.0 13.1 Fire & Blood, Aftermath - The Hour of the Wolf.
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Fire & Blood, Under the Regents - War and Peace and Cattle Shows.
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 Fire & Blood, Under the Regents - The Voyage of Alyn Oakenfist.