| Rhaegar Targaryan | ||||
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| POV Role | POV Role | |||
| Appears In | {{{Appears In}}} | |||
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| Title | Official Titles
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| Nickname | Placeholder | |||
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| Born | 5093 | |||
| Religion | {{{Religion}}} | |||
| Status | Alive | |||
| Allegiance | Family Loyalties | |||
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| Paternal | {{{Paternal race}}} | |||
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| Father | Aryes Targaryan III. | |||
| Mother | Jurnei Targaryan | |||
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| Siblings | Full Siblings | |||
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| Spouse | Placeholder | |||
| Children | Placeholder | |||
- “I don't blame anyone for what happened to us back in Lucerne, because I understand what happened. To be a human being means to possess a feeling of inferiority which constantly presses towards its own conquest. The greater the feeling of inferiority that has been experienced, the more powerful is the urge for conquest and the more violent the emotional agitation.”
- — Rhaegar Targaryan
Rhaegar Targaryan is the oldest son of Aryes Targaryan III, and Jurnei Targaryan making him the heir of House Targaryan. Rhaegar has two younger siblings in the form of Deneyres, and Viserys Targaryan of whome Deneyres is a very important dragonborn of the house, and Viserys is a military commander of the forward dragonstone fort of Redkeep. Despite his high position he has never married any of the suitors that have tried to get his hand in marriage.
Rhaegar is a truly gifted warrior with a just as brilliant mind, and form an early age it was clear that he was going to be the heir to the Emperor of Dragonstone, as well as the Patriarch of House Targaryan, This position was the reason he was given the harp of the dragon which is one of the most important relics of House Targaryan as it is able to call dragons to the player. Rhaegar spent a long time attempting to use the Harp without success but one night he had a graphic dream in which he was fighting a dragon, and after losing in the dream nothing changed with the harp, but eventually he had the dream again and when he won this time the Harp begin playing for him. After this a massive tower was built in Dragonstone, and at the top of the tower Rhaegar played his harp once a week until finnally six months later the red dragon Flenix heard the song and came to Dragonstone. Attacking west of Dragonstone his sister would meet problems against the Kingdom of Nordling of whom formed a large alliance in order to resist the coming Visigoths that the Nordlings believed would not be good for their future. Rhaegar would meet with their leadership in an attempt to convinse them to stop their resistence and his arrival on another dragon was supposed to put great fear into the hearts of the nordlings but instead sparked more fighting as they were able to recruit two other kingdoms to join them after the threat. Rhaegar was unable to stay in the west long due to further advancement of the Trollocs in the south and he was forced to lead a large force from Dragonstone against the Trollocs of which led to the large Battle of Crenek where the two sides were greatly bloodied but the Trollocs came out better due to their superior numbers and basically halted the Targaryan southern advance. Following this Rhaegar digs into Red Keep alongside a growing amount of incoming troops from Dragonstone and the rest of the empire. He is dealt a betrayal when Tyrande Whisperwood abandons them and takes her forces back to High Forest and this loss of troops is a great danger to the entire front.
History
Early History
- “I was the first son and I guess I just understood better then some princes do what that meant. I was never afraid of it. The responsibility. The effort. It was just a challenge to me. Something I had to beat.”
- — Rhaegar Targaryan
Prince Rhaegar was Aryes Targaryan III., and Jurnei Targaryans first born son, and was born during the exodus of the Targaryans to their new home in Westros. As a child he read obsessively, to the point that jests were made about his habits. He became a noted warrior later in life, although he did not initially seem inclined to martial habits. However, he became motivated to excel in this field, apparently by something he read. At seventeen he was knighted as a dragon knight of Targaryan, and from all reports grew into a highly skilled and capable fighter, always distinguishing himself well at every fight he took part in.
Rhaegar's Harp
- “This harp looks like just something to play tunes with my son, but look again and you will see the instrument of our salavation. We can become something far greater then just this city. With this Harp we can become something truly great.”
- — Aryes Targaryan III.
When Rhaegar turned eighteen he was approached by his father Aryes Targaryan III., who decided that the time was right to give Rhaegar the harp of the Dragon. The harp of the dragon was the item that the Targaryans had recieved for doing the bidding of the robed man in Koenisburg. Rhaegar was made to understand the extreme importance of him being able to use the harp so that they could call the dragons to them at some point, and to this end Rhaegar spents weeks sitting at the harp attempting failingly to make the harp make noice. It was said that only one truly destined for greatness could make the harp play, and so his failure brought him great shame.
Coming of the Dragon
Main Article : Flenix Comes to Dragonstone
| The Coming of the Dragon I never believed truly that playing that harp would bring about anything more then good music. | ||
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The Targaryans had been alongside several other Lucernian houses given gifts by the White Dovah of Lucerne but the Targaryans themselves had been given an additional gift in the form of the Harp of Lucerne. The Harp was a Magi item created by the White Dovah of Lucerne and would allow the player of the harp if they held the blood of the Dragonborn to be able to communicate with a Dovah and thus basically summon a dragon to them. Having taken the harp with them when they fled Tree Hill the Targaryans had upon taking control of Dragonstone almost immediately begin attempting to use the Harp but discovered that it would not work for any of the Targaryans at that time. After years of failure the Targaryans gave up attempting to use the harp, and it was only on the sixteenth birthday that harp was brought back out when it was given to Rhaegar who loved history as a gift. There was some excitement about a new generation attempting to use the Harp but when Rhaegar used it no music played from the Harp just as before, and thus it was believed that still no one of Dragonborn blood had returned to House Targaryan. Rhaegar though for his part became obsessed with the idea of the Dovah returning and thus he would spend his considerable political capital as the heir of Dragonstone to rebuild and expand the Tower of Dragonstone which he turned into a great monument to Glaurung believing that Glaurung would view this tower as penance for whatever sin they had committed to make him no longer listen to them. Despite all of this work nothing seemed to work but despite constant failure it was Rhaegar that became more fanatical in finding a fix to the harp, which did not know had been sabotaged by the Green Dovah of High Forest on the order of Stragnarax. As time went on he was eventually joined in this by two other Dragonborn who like all Dragonborn were drawn to the harp, but these two in the form of Deneyres Targaryan, and Maella Aranyon were especially drawn to the harp and together the three played the harp together every day. Flenix Moved South 
Lornax would travel to the Green Dragonshire alongside a large force of White Dovah in order to meet with the Green Dovah there and discuss the changing situation, but while there he discovered from the Green Dovah Nassyra that the Targaryan Harp was in an Ostrogoth city called Dragonstone. While the rest of the White Dovah met at the Green Dragonshire he would travel to Dragonstone, and using Magi he took on a human image calling himself Visedor Valtigar and entering the city of Dragonstone in search of the Targaryan Harp. While traveling the city he discovered a high concentration of Dragonborn, and was shocked that the Harp had not attracted any Dovah with the power of some of the Dragonborn, but understood when he found the harp and discovered it had been sabotaged. Not knowing how to fix the damage he would return to the Green Dragonshire and attempt to find a way but discovered that it was the Green Dovah who had damaged the harp at the request of Stragnarax and were thus unwilling to help.
 Coming of the Dragon 
Flenix was by this point so exhausted that he was unable to to control his descent and landed in the northern part of the city on the small island that existed in the lake. The entire city flew to the spot he had crashed all wanting to see why it had crashed, and when Rhaegar arrived he was shocked at the condition the dragon was in. Flenix had passed out but Rhaegar was able to see that he had scars all over the one side of him, and he could barely lift his head, and with that came the fears that he might die. Rhaegar had been the first to get across on one of the small boats but only minutes after he had dissected the situation he was accompanied by others from the mainland, and together they attempted to help the Dragon.
Over the course of the hours that followed they begin bringing materials onto the island and over the following days as they tended to his wounds they constructed around him a makeshift wooden house where he would be allowed to heal. During this time Rhaegar the prince of Dragonstone was never far from his side, and alongside him his younger sister Deneyres Targaryan also became glued to the Dragon who had yet to raise his head or make any sign that he was alive other then the fact that he was breathing. Over the day nearly every noble would attempt to see the Red Dovah but eventually Deneyres would convince her brother Rhaegar to not let anyone else in, and that they needed to give the dragon time to heal itself thus leaving only Rhaegar, Deneyres, Maella inside the house with him. As time went by it was the simple singing of Deneyres that would wake the mighty red drake, and Deneyres begin to notice the dragon reacting to her voice. At first they just desperately wanted Flenix to drink or eat, and they were able to feed and let him drink thus getting him more strength. It was after nearly a week of this process that Flenix finally opened his eyes and ushered the first words to Deneyres Targaryan.
Flenix and Deneyres would talk for some time, and eventually Flenix was lured in by her promises of protection and a part of something more then just fleeing constant attacks from Dragon Hunters. With this Rhaegar would enter the tent followed by several members of House Targaryan and their allies of which each would promise that they would remain loyal to the dragon, and in this oath never turn away from this loyalty. The final one to enter was the old and sickly Aryes Targaryan III. of whom was carried in by Aegon, and Hanzal Targaryan and would rest himself on the floor in front of the mighty dragon, who by this point was now standing and walking throughout the island home. Aryes it is said wheeped in front of the dragon as he finally for the first time in his life came to realize that the pain and hardship that he had endured as a child was now possibly going to lead to something better. Flenix would move towards Aryes and would speak softly to the old leader of House Targaryan and basically promise himself to the members of House Targaryan until such point that their bloodline was spent, and thus become the first of the Dovah sworn to Dragonstone. The Stormrain Dragon
Following his playing of the harp this first time unknown to the Targaryans the playing of the harp was a part of a spell that had been placed on the dragon egg held by House Stormrain and with the playing of the harp the Stormrain egg would hatch to the shock of House Stormrain. With the egg hatching the leadership of House Stormrain would move quickly into action with Aegon Stormrain II. preparing the long awaited ritual to discover a dragonborn among their number so that one of them would be able to ride the dragon and thus return themselves to the ranks of Lucerne. |
Travelling Westros
While Flenix recovered the Targaryans decided they needed to get back their heirlooms they had lost during their stay in Koenisburg, and Karhold. In order to do this they decided on a two fold plan. The first stage would be to gather money through the use of Rhaegar Targaryan winning tournaments throughout Westros. The second stage was the larger production of the minerals in the mines northwest of Dragonstone. With both of these plans they believed they could quickly procure vast wealth which they could use to retreive their old heirlooms, as well as providing for supplies, and equipment that would improve Dragonstone itself.
War of Five Armies
| War of Five Armies My sister fights in the West. My cousin in the north. This is where I fight. This is where I will resist the movement of our enemy. This is where we will destroy them. | ||
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With their attack grinding to a halt under the seemingly endless numbers of the Trolloc it was the decision of Rhaegar to try and find assistance where he could. Using gold from his supplies Rhaegar would send his cousin Daemon Blackfyre to the north where he was to meet with Kursten North, and her sister Junet Targaryan of whom were at Dragonsport and would assist him in moving into Pontus where they were to recruit mercenaries there in order to bring forces into northern Dragonstone while the remainder of the forces either moved west or south. Kursten North would work closely with Daemon and despite being unable to recruit most of the large mercenary groups they would arrive in Braavos where they met with the leaders of the Company of the Lion of whom they were able to recruit to their side. With the Company of the Lion recruited they would depart Pontus moving southward with the nearly four thousand mercenaries from Pontus of which gave them cause to reengage the offensive. Moving southward Daemon, and Kursten would find the Dragonsport besieged by the forces of Pontus but would move during the night into the forests west of the siege before sending word to Dragonsport about there arrival. This new offensive would take the Trollocs by suprise and led to several early victories in which it looked like the forces of Dragonstone might be able to push their enemies past the river and thus be able to fortify the river crossing. After a third victory though the assault would be countered when forces from Isengard begin to appear on the front, making it apparent that Sauron and Sauruman had conspired with the Trollocs to stop Dragonstone in its tracks. The Isengard reinforcements would fortify the river and stopped the Dragonstone forces from being able to assault the river and thus kept open the stream of reinforcements.
With the alliance of the two dark groups they were able to push the Dragonstone forces back further and further until eventually they were only a few miles from Red Keep. Sending word to Visery's to prepare the defences Rhaegar would return to Dragonstone briefly where he gathered the other two dragons that were old enough for battle and flew east of Red Keep. Leaving the defence of the fortress to his family he awaited the attack of the Mordor-Isengard forces before he struck with near complete shock. The Mordor and Isengard forces would push against Red Keep with nearly forty thousand Trollocs, and ten thousand Orcs and humans of Isengard and quickly put the castle under siege. Viseryan, and Red Wind would mount a spectacular defence of the western wall of which killed thousands with the loss of very few defenders, and when the full scale attack was launched Rhaegar finally had his moment. Using all three of his dragons he was able to defeat the Trolloc-Isengard army at Red Keep and bloodied their forces quite badly during the First Battle of Red Keep. The Trolloc-Isengard forces suffered extreme losses as the dragons chased them from the field burning their army nearly completely, but the Dragonstone forces would be unable to push their advantage when word came that Deneyres had suffered a near massacre against the Nordlings. Rhaegar at this point would be forced to go westward when his sister's attacks begin to fail due to serious resistence from the Kingdom of Nordling. Travelling westward he brought with him two of the dragons leaving only one dragon on the western front. Before he left he sent a letter to William Lovie detailing him the situation and how the dynamics were changing.
Tyrande Whisperwood would become involved in conflict against the Trollocs east of High Forest in the war called the First War of Five Armies. After alligning themselves somewhat with the humans of Dragonstone under the advise of Lucerne the forces of High Forest found the humans being pushed further back following the involvment of larger numbers of Trollocs, the forces of Isengard from the south, and finally the small forces of Bolten also in the area. Tyrande would lead the rangers into the Battle of Sodistin Mountain where the forces of Dragonstone, and High Forest would battle against a massive army of Trollocs, and Isengard allies, of which the battle would all but decide the fate of that region. Battle of SodistinDuring the Battle the Sindar Elves would mass themselves into position behind the army of Dragonstone where their longer range could be of better use, and thus during the battle the Elves reigned incredible amounts of arrows on the Trollocs and Orcs. The army of Dragonstone consisted of two dragons in the form of Beleyrian, and Bevarion of whom were forced this time to deal with large numbers of Bat Riders sent from Mordor of whom kept them from destroying the massive Trolloc, Orcish force. The main Dragonstone army numbered nearly sixty thousand and was far more disiplened, and prepared then the opposng forces but their superior numbers gave them the ability to surround the army around the village of Sodistan. Despite all of this the numbers of Trollocs and Orcs shattered the Dragonstone center and forced a unorganized retreat where by much of the Dragonstone army was killed, and many of the High Forest army also fell. Following the battle Tyrande would regroup her forces near Red Keep and instead of staying with her new allies she pulled her forces back and retreated to High Forest to the discust of Rhaegar Targaryan who cursed Tyrande as a traitor. |
Family Members
Relationships
Lyanna Starke
See Also : Lyanna Starke
POV Role
Rhaegar Targaryan would become a POV Character during the newest chapter of The Rise of the Dragon where he would launch the massive invasion of the lands south of Dragonstone, while his sister went west and his cousins and others went northward.