(Spoilers) Sons of the Dragon Reading at LonCon Today

[The Dragon Demands]

Maegor accompanied Alyssa's father Aethon to the Stepstones, not Aegon I.

I've also mentioned in my updated post that the spelling is confirmed unless I mark it. Ceryse is confirmed - the name and the spelling.

It's unbased speculation that the rift between Aegon and Visenya had anything to do with her preferring Maegor over Aenys. There could have been other reasons, and I'd actually like to believe that Visenya only killed Aenys - if she did it - because she came to the conclusion that Aenys would or could not save the Targaryen rule of Westeros.

Walter Wyl was the son of the Wyl who cut off Orys' son, not that Lord himself.

There are no miscarriages, stillbirths, or monstrosities mentioned in the reading, neither in connection to Ceryse, nor in connection to Alys. This should inidicate that Maegor did not impregnate any woman throughout the reigns of his father and brother. The mostrosities most likely came later, during his own reign.

Whatever happens to Maegor prior to the beginning of his campaign against the Faith Militant, poison doesn't seem to be a likely option anymore. My guess is that it had something to do with the reconquest of KL and the RK.

Some of your other speculations should also be marked as such.

Cool. Thanks for these corrections.

[The Dragon Demands]

I think all of this should be removed from that post. Seeing as there is only one source on this, which we are not allowed to discuss the contents of on forum, and in addition, which gives other years on some of the stuff stated in this part of the post, it should be removed.

This wasn't in the Sons of the Dragon reading (nor in the Westerlands reading) after all, and the SotD reading is what we discuss here.

I removed it, but you should delete your quotation of it as well.

[The Dragon Demands]

Sometimes we sound like the gossipiest of the Westerosi :D

This is the business that we have CHOSEN for ourselves.

[Grievous]

This is the business that we have CHOSEN for ourselves.

... we do it, FOR THE REALM!

[The Dragon Demands]

Well... no. Rhaenyra, Laena (father was Daemon in this two case) and Dany had deformed babies too (Jaehaerys had six fingers and Jaehaera was mentally unable) and they or their mommies didn't use magic to make them.

Citizens of Mantarys are deformed too.

It's in the Valyrian blood.

...when was it said that Jaehaera was mentally unstable? And Jaehaera was Aegon II's daughter; Daemon's children with Laena were Baela and Rhaena.

[Mrs.Grumpy]

...when was it said that Jaehaera was mentally unstable? And Jaehaera was Aegon II's daughter; Daemon's children with Laena were Baela and Rhaena.

I thought it was strongly implied. I know J & J are Aegon's twins, I just throw them in too :p

[The Dragon Demands]

I...don't see how it was implied. She was a very young child. All we know about Jaehaera is that she was Aegon II's only legitimate child to survive the Dance, and was married to young Aegon III to hopefully heal the rift between the two branches of the Targaryen dynasty....then Jaehaerys bore Aegon III no children, and through unknown means she later died, and he remarried to a Velaryon, mother of all his children.

[The Dragon Demands]

POSTERITY will thank all of you who took down notes at the live read!

For all we know, the full "Fire and Blood" might never be released, and we'll only get a parsing in "World of Ice and Fire".

[Arataniello]

Couple of other points I have remembered/deciphered from my handwritten notes -

- GRRM described Gyldan (the maester who was the 'author' of the reading's material) as "an opinionated old fart".

- the name of the pirate lord in the Stepstones was something like Salassor Saan.

[Veltigar]

Couple of other points I have remembered/deciphered from my handwritten notes -

- GRRM described Gyldan (the maester who was the 'author' of the reading's material) as "an opinionated old fart".

- the name of the pirate lord in the Stepstones was something like Salassor Saan.

It makes sense to use another Saan. They seem to be quite the pirate dynasty, we already had Salladhor, Samarro 'the Last Valyrian' and now Salassor.

[DNDM]

- GRRM described Gyldan (the maester who was the 'author' of the reading's material) as "an opinionated old fart".

Hummm... "opinionated old fart" doesn't really fit with "archmaester fun", at first glance, but there is ways to reconcile that. Was that the exact wording? Or more infos? I'm very interested in anything about Gyldayn.

[HexMachina]

I...don't see how it was implied. She was a very young child. All we know about Jaehaera is that she was Aegon II's only legitimate child to survive the Dance, and was married to young Aegon III to hopefully heal the rift between the two branches of the Targaryen dynasty....then Jaehaerys bore Aegon III no children, and through unknown means she later died, and he remarried to a Velaryon, mother of all his children.

Here is the quote:

And so she did, and quickly. Barely a year later, in 123 AC, the fourteen-year-old princess gave birth to twins, a boy she named Jaehaerys and a girl called Jaehaera. Prince Aegon had heirs of his own now, the greens at court proclaimed happily. A dragon’s egg was placed in the cradle of each child, and two hatchlings soon came forth. Yet all was not well with these new twins. Jaehaera was tiny and slow to grow. She did not cry, she did not smile, she did none of the things a babe was meant to do. Her brother, whilst larger and more robust, was also less perfect than was expected of a Targaryen princeling, boasting six fingers on his left hand, and six toes upon each foot.

It seems to imply she had developmental problems. I believe the most common specualtion on these forums is that it was a form of autism. Obviously, here brother was deformed.

I think there is also a quote from tPatQ where Jaehaera doesn't react at all to Blood and Cheese. I would need to check that out.

[Rhaenys_Targaryen]

In addition to Helena's quote, in tpatq, Jaehaera is called "simple"

[RumHam]

Hummm... "opinionated old fart" doesn't really fit with "archmaester fun", at first glance, but there is ways to reconcile that. Was that the exact wording? Or more infos? I'm very interested in anything about Gyldayn.

I think he was being sarcastic with the "Archmaester fun" thing.

[yolkboy]

Hummm... "opinionated old fart" doesn't really fit with "archmaester fun", at first glance, but there is ways to reconcile that. Was that the exact wording? Or more infos? I'm very interested in anything about Gyldayn.

well i know the quote from the Con

"he was a strongly opinionated and pedantic old fart, so remember that it's him speaking here"

@ home with notes now :)

[Alia of the knife]

expanding on info above--

Aegon the Conqueror had recognized the importance of keeping the Faith sweet since they were never fully on board with incest and polygamy. He married his son Maegor to a Hightower. That marriage had no issue. In the meantime Aenys (now King and married to Alyssa Velaryon) had six children as stated above (Jaehaerys, Alysanne, Rhaena, and one daughter who died young. Not sure about the fate of the other two sons -- previously unknown afaik, though I see Arataniello has given one of them a name at least ;) )

Maegor was so desperate for children that he took a second wife, which enraged the Faith, ultimately leading to the Faith Militant and their uprising. King Aenys was a poet and philosopher, who refused to use the power at his disposal to deal with his enemies. People grew to despise his weakness and discontent was widespread (I'm reminded of Cersei's comment about treasons sprouting up like "mushrooms in the rain")

Seems like the message is that with Aegon I's death a huge void in diplomacy with the Faith was left behind. Neither the gentle philosopher Aenys nor the fierce warrior Maegor was the right person to fillet. In fact, the actions of both (continuing to practice incest and polygamy, and setting aside the Hightower wife) led directly to the Faith's uprising which Maegor would put down so brutally in the future.

ETA--- Episode 04 of Radio Westeros will be a full report from LonCon, including details from the reading and an interview with Ran and Linda on t

he upcoming World Book :)

Thanks Lady Gwen:)

[The Dragon Demands]

Here is the quote:

It seems to imply she had developmental problems. I believe the most common specualtion on these forums is that it was a form of autism. Obviously, here brother was deformed.

I think there is also a quote from tPatQ where Jaehaera doesn't react at all to Blood and Cheese. I would need to check that out.

Interesting...very interesting. Thanks.

Well that raises all sorts of questions. It seems it wasn't a mere matter of being "feeble-witted" like Daeron the Drunken's daughter....yeah, is he implying autism or something?

(It's nice that TPATQ tried to acknowledge more that, you know, heavy inbreeding of brother to sister for a couple of generations results in various medical problems)

[yolkboy]

I think I read in the thread somewhere it was Balerion who supplied the fire to light Aegon's pyre - it was Vhagar. I think the insinuation is that dragon flame didn't touch Blackfyre, as grrm specified no "common fire" can melt Valyrian steel. Blackfyre was darkened but not harmed.

[yolkboy]

RE - why Aenys made the clusterfuck decision to wed Aegon and Rhaena after exiling Maegor for polygamy... here's a chunk from the write up I'm working on...

Aeyns became inspired and worked hard to finish the Red Keep. In this time he contemplated the Targaryen traditions, and thinking of the thousand year legacy he planned for the Red Keep, made the disastrous decision to wed son and daughter – Aegon and Rhaena – aged eighteen and fifteen. Seems he became proud and sentimental about Targaryen history and legacy as he became more involved with building the Red Keep.

(there could well be more to this but that's the explanation that was given. I wonder if he realised something about dragon riding)

[DNDM]

"he was a strongly opinionated and pedantic old fart, so remember that it's him speaking here"

Thanks ! That has already a different ring to it ;-)

Gyldayn was definitly a leader who knew what he was doing, not a sheep.