Lysono Maar Is a Descendant of Daemon Blackfyre

[Lost Melnibonean]

Lysono Maar is a descendant of Daemon Blackfyre. The lilac eyes and the white gold hair are more common features in Lys, but still, those are Targaryen features.

The one thing that gives me pause is that he was not known to Jon Connington, who rode with the Golden Company for five years. But that was what, 14 years ago? Assuming Lysono is under 30, he would have been still a boy when Jon was in the company.

Assuming Lysono is a Blackfyre helps to make sense of this statement coming from the effeminate spy master rather than one of his more martial comrades...

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"Sack Meereen, aye, why not? I would have done the same in her place. The slaver cities reek of gold, and conquest requires coin."

The Lost Lord, Dance 24

Notice that Lysono argues most adamantly against retrieving Daenerys. In fact, after Franklyn Flowers endorsed Aegon's proposal to sail west instead, Lysono advised that the Volantenes would be eager to lend them ships to sail to Westeros. Then, when Harry Strickland reminded them that they wanted, even needed Daenerys's dragons, it was Lysono who said...

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"The first Aegon took Westeros without eunuchs,” said Lysono Maar. “Why shouldn’t the sixth Aegon do the same?"

The Lost Lord, Dance 24

In Arianne II, Winds, in Weeping Town, the storyteller takes time to tell us that

Spoiler

the corpse of Daeron I remained there for some time after he was killed in Dorne.

Is the author focusing our attention on a dead Targaryen for a reason? Rhaegar's heir was also killed, with his corpse displayed for the realm to see.

Arianne's party departs Weeping Town with the rising sun (a symbol of Dorne), through green (the color associated with Aegon's side against the the queen in the Dance of the Dragons) fields, and into the blackest (the color of the Blackfyre dragon) pitch under the canopy of the Rainwood at night. 

We are reminded of what Catelyn told Robb about House Mudd--that the line of Tristifer Mudd ended after his heir failed him. But of course, we meet

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a Mudd in the Golden Company.

So, even though the line was supposedly extinguished, and

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John Mudd

might be a shoot from a lower branch on the tree, we see that old names thought to be extinguished (like Blackfyre) can resurface. 

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Chains's proudest boast is that his great grandfather fought with Blackfyre and followed Bittersteel. Even though, he was bastard born in Essos three generations later, he was raised as a Westerosi, speaking the Common Tongue. 

Then Arianne meets Lysono Maar, and she notes that he speaks the Common Tongue very well, like Chains, no? 

As they talk about the beauty of Targaryen men, Lysono says he has only met one Targaryen man. Well, Arianne and the casual reader would assume he is referring to Aegon.

But didn't Daenerys tell us that Viserys feasted the captains of the Golden Company? And shouldn't we assume that Lysono, the company spymaster was among those captains who laughed at Viserys? If so, then Lysono met Aegon and Viserys, but he says he has only met one Targaryen man. 

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Lysono claims Aegon is the son of Rhaegar and Elia,

but if Aegon is The Blackfyre, Lysono has to lie to effect the ruse,

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and something about Lysono makes Arianne's skin crawl. This is a signal that the Dornish princess is not so much offended by his effeminate appearance, but that we should mistrust what he says. 

And note that Lysono Maar, just "a sellsword late of the Free City of Lys," is offended by the term sellswords, asserting that the Golden Company is a "free brotherhood of exiles," still persistent even after several failures.

This, of course is consistent with what we know about the character of the Golden Company...

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". . . Are you aware that the Golden Company has broken its contract with Myr?"

"Sellswords break their contracts all the time."

"Not the Golden Company. Our word is good as gold has been their boast since the days of Bittersteel. Myr is on the point of war with Lys and Tyrosh. Why break a contract that offered them the prospect of good wages and good plunder?"

"Perhaps Lys offered them better wages. Or Tyrosh."

"No, she said. I would believe it of any of the other free companies, yes. Most of them would change sides for half a groat. The Golden Company is different. A brotherhood of exiles and the sons of exiles, united by the dream of Bittersteel. It's home they want, as much as gold. Lord Yronwood knows that as well as I do. His forebears rode with Bittersteel during three of the Blackfyre Rebellions." She took Ser Arys by the hand, and wove her fingers through his own. "Have you ever seen the arms of House Toland of Ghost Hill?"

He had to think a moment. "A dragon eating its own tail?"

"The dragon is time. It has no beginning and no ending, so all things come round again." Anders Yronwood is Criston Cole reborn. He whispers in my brother's ear that he should rule after my father, that it is not right for men to kneel to women . . . that Arianne especially is unfit to rule, being the willful wanton that she is." She tossed her hair defiantly. "So your two princesses share a common cause, ser . . . and they share as well a knight who claims to love them both, but will not fight for them."

The Soiled Knight, Feast 13

This was the first we learned of the most formidable of the sellsword companies, which was founded by Bittersteel with those Blackfyre loyalists that had followed him across the Narrow Sea. They continued to fight for gold, but we were told that they want home, i.e., the Seven Kingdoms. We also read that Bittersteel returned two more times to lead the Third Blackfyre Rebellion and the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion. And then, perhaps most importantly, we read the arms of House Toland, a dragon eating its own tail, and we were told that the dragon was time, and all things come round again. This was not just homage to Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time. The George was clearly telling us early in the second act of ASOIAF, when Daenerys Targaryen would return to reclaim her fathers throne, that the Blackfyre, or at least something like it, would return.

And the passage recalled another homage to Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time. Note that Jordan's true name was James Rigney...

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"Archmaester Rigney once wrote that history is a wheel, for the nature of man is fundamentally unchanging. What has happened before will perforce happen again, he said."

The Kraken's Daughter, Feast 11

Very early in Dance, Illyrio, quite surprisingly, advised Tyrion that he had contracted the Golden Company to support Daenerys's claim to the Seven Kingdoms in addition to the motley group of forces that Daenerys had acquired in the east, As they traveled to meet Griff, Tyrion apparently assumed that Illyrio had secured the Golden Company with coin, but Illyrio never claimed that. In fact, he hinted at the truth when he said, "Some contracts are writ in ink, and some in blood. I say no more." Tyrion had assumed that the chests brought by Illyrio were filled with gold to secure the Golden Company, but when they finally met Haldon and Duck, Tyrion learned that the chests were filled with armor and clothing and gifts for Daenerys. There was no gold for the Golden Company... but we had learned their words, Beneath the gold, the bitter steel. 

Myles Toyne, called Blackheart had entered into a secret agreement with Illyrio to back Aegon, which we knew was a contract written in blood. And when Aegon suggested that they should leave Daenerys and her dragons behind and strike for Westeros on their own, the captains of the Golden Company swore their swords to Aegon. They did not sell them. Beneath the gold, the bitter steel.

[aryagonnakill#2]

Well if as you say Jon Con doesn't know Lysono because he was not around when Jon Con left, it could easily be that he was not yet an officer when Viserys feasted them. 

Or, if as most people suspect Aegon is a Blackfyre, Lysono could be aware of that.

IMO, both are simpler explanations of that line than Lysono himself being a Blackfyre.

[Lord Varys]

@Lost Melnibonean

What @aryagonnakill#2 has said. The Golden Company is not some club you join by being born into. You can sign up at any time. And a man like Maar could rise quickly enough through the ranks during the years of Connington's absence.

You actually don't give a single piece of evidence that Maar may be a Blackfyre descendant in your entire post. If you had said that it would be kind of cool I might consider it. But this way? Nope.

And by the way - we don't even know whether the children and grandchildren of Daemon Blackfyre kept their blood sufficiently pure to even have Valyrian features in this day and age - assuming they still exist. Neither Varys nor Illyrio have purple eyes. And unless Illyrio also dyes his body hair the man doesn't have silver-gold hair, either. Aegon may have inherited his Valyrian features only from one of his parents. 

Why on earth would any Blackfyre descendant in the Golden Company not simply claim command of the company and the Iron Throne? The reason that they don't is a strong hint that the Blackfyre descendants have left them.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

Lysono could easily be lying about how many Targaryens he's met, or have not met Viserys. At any rate, yes he could certainly be a Blackfyre descendant. Being from Lys he could also be a descendant of Aerion Brightflame. And there's always Saera Targaryen who could have descendants all over Essos by now. 

It would be good to see something linking Lysono in some way to Tyrosh. I'll be watching for that in TWOW. He's definitely going to be trouble, no matter who his ancestors were.

 

[Makk]

While it's likely he is descended from an original Golden Company exile (he does take this invasion very personally) and may be a relative of fAegon, I don't see anything directly pointing to Daemon Blackfyre. I actually think he will play a part in Arriane working out that Aegon is a fake and of Lyseni descent, but we shall see.

[sweetsunray]

23 minutes ago, Lady Blizzardborn said:

Lysono could easily be lying about how many Targaryens he's met, or have not met Viserys. At any rate, yes he could certainly be a Blackfyre descendant. Being from Lys he could also be a descendant of Aerion Brightflame. And there's always Saera Targaryen who could have descendants all over Essos by now. 

It would be good to see something linking Lysono in some way to Tyrosh. I'll be watching for that in TWOW. He's definitely going to be trouble, no matter who his ancestors were.

 

I did think of Brightflame as well, except for his last name. When people have a last name in Essos they tend to be of a noble house there. House Saan for example is a noble Lyseni house, even though they're pirates. It's not confirmed that Lysono is of noble birth, but he definitely has a Lyseni first name and last name. And while I can imagine Aerion Brightflame having fathered bastards on a bedslave in a pillow house, I'm not sure the Lyseni nobles woudl have been fine with that, especially if Aerion was unmarried for what seems quite a while.

The same issue pops up for Saera Targaryen.

But I agree. I'm very reluctant to see anyone as a Blackfyre descendant without a definite Tyrosh link.

To the OP

I don't regard the Golden Company of much proof, as Maelys was a kinslayer and usurper in a manner that would have turned Aegor Rivers in his grave. I don't think any Blackfyre descendant of the female line would have anything to do with them anymore, after they accepted Maelys as commander, especially since he turned the Company against Tyrosh where they would have had kin, mothers, etc., where their relative would have been forced to whisper about their Blackfyre blood as that would be a bad mojo name in Tyrosh, as much as being called Frey in Westeros is.

Meanwhile most of the Golden Company don't care one twit anymore which dragon it is, as long as they can finally go home. Only one not displaying this behavior is Harry Strickland. He doesn't care for Dany, or for Aegon, or even going home.

I agree something's up with Lysono though.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

19 hours ago, sweetsunray said:

I did think of Brightflame as well, except for his last name. When people have a last name in Essos they tend to be of a noble house there. House Saan for example is a noble Lyseni house, even though they're pirates. It's not confirmed that Lysono is of noble birth, but he definitely has a Lyseni first name and last name. And while I can imagine Aerion Brightflame having fathered bastards on a bedslave in a pillow house, I'm not sure the Lyseni nobles woudl have been fine with that, especially if Aerion was unmarried for what seems quite a while.

The same issue pops up for Saera Targaryen.

But I agree. I'm very reluctant to see anyone as a Blackfyre descendant without a definite Tyrosh link.

<snip

Yes he would have to be descended from a bastard to be a Brightflame or Saera's descendant, but bastards occasionally end up marrying into noble families, or becoming nobles themselves (rare, but it happens). If it was known (or at least claimed by the mother) that her child was fathered by a Targaryen while the Targs still held the Iron Throne, it would be possible for her child to make a better marriage than your ordinary Valyrian-looking bastard in Lys.

The Blackfyre females could have married men from other cities. But I expect some mention of a connection to Tyrosh from or about Lysono in TWOW if he's got Blackfyre blood.