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[TWOIAF SPOILERS] what was in Prince Nymor's letter to Aegon the Conqueror?


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To answer a common query: lots of people ask why Aegon was bleeding as he read the letter.



He was sitting on the Iron Throne, and he said himself that a King should never rest easily. Maekor died on the Throne, after all. I think that the shock of what Aegon was reading caused him to grip the Throne too tightly. He was probably shifting the letter from hand to hand, as people do with uncomfortable news.



There's something poetic about Aegon's efforts to be King of Dorne causing him to bleed on the Throne he made from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms.


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Okay, some folks will accuse me of owning stock in a tin foil factory, but here goes:



1) Rhaenys's son Aenys was fathered by some singer, not by brother Aegon, but he didn't know it.



2) Rhaenys was in the earliest stage of pregnancy, by Aegon, when she was shot down.



3) Rhaenys survived, badly injured, and the Dornish held back on saying anything until they knew if she would survive, and if her baby would survive.



4) The baby lived (probably a boy), don't know if Rhaenys did, past the birth, but somewhere along the way she admitted Aegon wasn't Aenys's papa.



5) After Princess Meria died, and things were settled enough for Princess Deria to make the trip, she showed up in King's Landing with the skull of the dragon, Meraxes, and her father Prince Nymor's letter.



What did the letter say?



We have Rhaenys's second baby. You're the father. You'll never find him/her. If you want your child to grow up safe and happy, you will sign an agreement giving us the peace we want. You will keep Aenys as your heir to reign after you, even though his father was really some singer. You will not switch to Maegor, who really is your son. Give us our peace, and we won't make it public that she put horns on you. Neener, neener.



(By the way, Nymore = Know more?)



Aegon read this, burned it, got on Balerion and flew to Dragonstone to take a good look at 3-year-old Aenys's sleeping face.



What follows is a spoiler from the 1886 Thomas Hardy novel "The Mayor of Casterbridge"



I am put in mind of a scene from the book, where a man is given cause to wonder about the paternity of a child. He goes to examine the sleeping child because



"In sleep there come to the surface buried genealogical facts, ancestral curves, dead men's traits, which the mobility of daytime animation screens and overwhelms."




Aegon realizes it's true. Aenys really isn't his son, only his nephew.



Dorne has Aegon over a barrel. If he rejects their offer, his child in Dorne dies. If he changes heirs so his true son Maegor rules after him, his child in Dorne dies. If he gives in to their demands, both of his own children live, but none of his heirs will be his own offspring, merely his nephews, and great nephews...



After thinking about it all night, Aegon goes back and signs the peace agreement.



Consider this -



You remember how the Dornish House Toland changed their sigil from a ghost to a dragon biting its tail, to mock the Targaryens?



You know how the Dornish House Qorgyle is three black scorpions on a red field? House Qorgyle's seat is Sandstone, where Lord Lyonel Tyrell was killed by having all those scorpions dropped on him back in 159 or 160 AC. We don't know if the Qorgyle's changed their sigil like the Tolands did, or if it was just a coincidence that they have scorpions on their sigil, but if it's only a coincidence, then it sure is a convenient coincidence...



Then there's House Blackmont of Blackmont, with their sigil of a black vulture carrying a pink human baby in its talons. Yes, the Blackmonts have some legend about at least one member of the family turning into an enormous vulture, and yes they might also have some connection to the Vulture King who caused trouble in the Dornish Marches during the reign of Aenys I, but none of that explains the baby on their sigil. Like the Qorgyle's, we don't know if their sigil has always had the baby, or if that was added about 290 years ago, just to mock Aegon.



If the theory is true, it could explain why Lady Ashara Dayne has those purple eyes. It could also be used to support the theory that Daenerys is the daughter of Mad Aerys and Lady Ashara. That Queen Rhaella gave birth to yet another stillborn girl, and the two babies were switched. (Did you see the litany of miscarriages and stillbirths and infants who died? That's a classic profile for syphilis, which would also help explain the mental issues for both Aerys and Viserys). If this is true, then Dany is the first known Targaryen since Maegor to genuinely be a descendent of Aegon the Conqueror through mother Ashara, though she'd also be a bastard...



Something else...



So Princess Meria was called "the Yellow Toad of Dorne." We know she had a son, but we never heard her husband's name.



Do you remember Sharna in ASOS? She and her husband, "Husband!" (the innkeep who was no innkeep) are currently running the Inn of the Kneeling Man - where King Torrhen Stark had to kneel to Aegon the Conqueror. They took in an orphan boy. (Then they took in Hot Pie, as well).



Sharna has a sharp tongue and a fierce eye, according to Tom o' Sevens. When she's out of the room Tom sings "A lonely inn on a forest road, the innkeep's wife was plain as a toad."



Anguy shot a duck and says a Dornish girl once cooked him a duck with lemons. He asks Sharna if she'll cook this duck with lemons.



"Lemons. And where would we get lemons? Does this look like Dorne to you, you freckled fool? Why don't you hop out back to the lemon trees and pick us a bushel, and some nice olives and pomegranates too." She shook a finger at him. "Now, I suppose I could cook it with Lem's cloak, if you like..."



There's also some symbolism that I won't try to go into here, with the rabbit being switched for the duck, as well as the ongoing scatological symbolism, not merely with the Lannisters and the current Night's Watch, but also with the so-called Targaryens. Some other time...



There's more to this, but I really do need to log off now... :(

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The Blackmont vulture is because the black ones were said to be able to transform into a vulture and steal babies.

Good theory here, I oarticularly like the detail about paternity. I definitely think that's a likely part of this - Aegon being cuckolded, and going to Dragonstone to verify paternity via staring match. But as for the implications for Targaryen descent, I don't think it matters. Descending from Aegon or his sister, what's the diff? Same genetics. The hang up over male line vs female line isn't scientific, only a social contrivance. Certainly no one is going to question Dany's right to rule over this issue from 300 years ago, which nobody can prove.

It's possible the message behind all this is about the effects of riding a black dragon. If Aegon's only child was the demented Maegor, rumored to have been born with the aid of Visenya's sorcery, we would have all he riders of the black dragons being infertile. Maegor's issues were famous, and even Viserys I didn't have a child until he stopped riding Balerion for three years (Balerion died). Dany is barren as well, although from the miscarriage that hatched Drogon, not riding Drogon.

I've been toying with this idea that Martin's allusion to dragons as nuclear weapons means more than people think it does. The Targ dragon babies and infertility could be simply from inbreeding, but perhaps riding dragons isn't good for your health... Specifically, the black ones.

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What about the fact that Aegon's hand started bleeding when he read it? Tell me that wasn't just a papercut that I overlooked.

I took that to mean that he had clenched his fist so hard that his nails dug into his skin, causing his hand to bleed. The books says "his hand was bleeding, so hard had he clenched it".

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I, too, think it was Rhaenys. My theory is that Rhaenys was captured by the Ullers (remember Meraxes' death and her disappearance occured at Hellholt) and was probably tortured/raped. The Dornish have a saying that "Half the Ullers are mad, and the rest are even worse" (or something to that effect, I can't remember the exact words). The Ullers could have kept Rhaenys prisoner for some time before the Martells (who are more cautious, and not quite as ruthless) found out. At that point the Martells couldn't really do anything, Rhaenys was already messed up pretty badly. They couldn't send her back to Aegon, because he would obviously try to retaliate and punish all of Dorne for what happened to her. Sending the letter was probably a last resort kind of thing in case Princess Deria's efforts to come to a peaceful agreement failed. This is why Deria revealed the letter only after Aegon refused her terms and not as soon as she arrived at King's Landing. We are told Aegon left for Dragonstone, but he left alone on Balerion so no one knows if he really did go to Dragonstone, or whether he actually flew to Dorne or some other place specified by the letter to see Rhaenys. It's possible that Rhaenys may have gone mad due to the torture. By all accounts she was a free spirit who loved flying and surrounded herself with musicians and mummers, so she's more likely to have succumbed to madness than, say, Visenya, the stern and steely warrior. If Rhaenys had indeed succumbed to madness, then Aegon would want to keep that secret, so it's conceivable that he might make a secret deal with the Martells for Rhaenys to remain hidden in Dorne (and treated, well, of course) in return for peace and no further attempts to conquer Dorne. Aegon often travelled alone on Balerion "to Dragonstone" and spent half of his time there. It's possible that he instead travelled to a secret location to visit Rhaenys. I'm leaning more towards this theory, because, if as others have suggested the agreement was for Rhaenys to be mercy-killed in return for peace, then what's to stop Aegon from attacking Dorne once his sister-wife was dead? In any case, Rhaenys seems to have been the Conqueror's weak spot.


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I, too, think it was Rhaenys. My theory is that Rhaenys was captured by the Ullers (remember Meraxes' death and her disappearance occured at Hellholt) and was probably tortured/raped. The Dornish have a saying that "Half the Ullers are mad, and the rest are even worse" (or something to that effect, I can't remember the exact words). The Ullers could have kept Rhaenys prisoner for some time before the Martells (who are more cautious, and not quite as ruthless) found out. At that point the Martells couldn't really do anything, Rhaenys was already messed up pretty badly. They couldn't send her back to Aegon, because he would obviously try to retaliate and punish all of Dorne for what happened to her. Sending the letter was probably a last resort kind of thing in case Princess Deria's efforts to come to a peaceful agreement failed. This is why Deria revealed the letter only after Aegon refused her terms and not as soon as she arrived at King's Landing. We are told Aegon left for Dragonstone, but he left alone on Balerion so no one knows if he really did go to Dragonstone, or whether he actually flew to Dorne or some other place specified by the letter to see Rhaenys. It's possible that Rhaenys may have gone mad due to the torture. By all accounts she was a free spirit who loved flying and surrounded herself with musicians and mummers, so she's more likely to have succumbed to madness than, say, Visenya, the stern and steely warrior. If Rhaenys had indeed succumbed to madness, then Aegon would want to keep that secret, so it's conceivable that he might make a secret deal with the Martells for Rhaenys to remain hidden in Dorne (and treated, well, of course) in return for peace and no further attempts to conquer Dorne. Aegon often travelled alone on Balerion "to Dragonstone" and spent half of his time there. It's possible that he instead travelled to a secret location to visit Rhaenys. I'm leaning more towards this theory, because, if as others have suggested the agreement was for Rhaenys to be mercy-killed in return for peace, then what's to stop Aegon from attacking Dorne once his sister-wife was dead? In any case, Rhaenys seems to have been the Conqueror's weak spot.

This sounds plausible, because the problem I have with the classical Rhaenys torture theory is that Aegon would have never forgiven Dorne and the Martells and he likely would have instilled a Targaryen blood feud to destroy Dorne. Aegon is NOT the type of person, what with his dragon wroth, that would have permitted the Martells to have lived. As mentioned by someone in the Rhaenys to Hell thread: This is the same guy that made the punishment of striking a Targaryen to be the loss of your hand. Aegon who razed Harenhall for daring to defy him.

He would have rained hellfire in retribution after their mercy-kill. He would have been the one to hire Faceless Men. Also consider that Deria Martell (heir to Dorne) was sent as part of the peace envoy. Dorne would have risked her being killed/been captured herself, something that does not seem very likely. If the contents of the letter could have the chance of inciting Aegon against the Martells, they would have not sent their heir to deliver the message. Furthermore, consider that Aegon visits Dorne later in his reign. He would not have done this if the Dornish did anything sinister.

The problem i have with this theory is that Aegon would have never allowed the Ullers to live. The Ullers are a current Great House in Dorne. If they did those things to Rhaenys, who was the love of Aegon's life, he would have exterminated them or demanded it as a condition of peace.

Let's keep things simple, you guys. Although the torture porn and netorare theories might make for a more 'edgy' story, it may merely be that they, seeing as they were able to obtain Meraxes' remains, would have asked if the war was truly worth his Rhaenys' death and offered the safe return of Rhaenys' body for burial on Dragonstone. Thus their one honourable deed in the entire war ended the conflict.

Furthermore, the Dornish are not in a position to demand anything. Their country is literally at collapse from their total war. All their settlements are destroyed, as well. The nobility might be able to hid away in their castles, but the peasants they left behind sure as hell won't be as nationalistic after they find out their homes have all been burnt down. Furthermore, it would make no sense for the Dornish to send Meraxes' skull and the heir to Dorne, both gestures of goodwill, only to deliver an intimidation letter.

It is implied that Aegon and Visenya, who both died there, were buried at Dragonstone, so this negates the question of why her remains were not returned to Kings Landing: they were sent to Dragonstone.

Aegon's rage likely came from his shame and anger at failing to conquer Dorne, the failure to prevent Rhaenys' death, and the futile pointlessness of all his efforts in the Dornish War; which all just as easily could explain his wroth. It would have been hard for him to taste such a defeat after all those victories against the rest of the continent.

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This sounds plausible, because the problem I have with the classical Rhaenys torture theory is that Aegon would have never forgiven Dorne and the Martells and he likely would have instilled a Targaryen blood feud to destroy Dorne. Aegon is NOT the type of person, what with his dragon wroth, that would have permitted the Martells to have lived. As mentioned by someone in the Rhaenys to Hell thread: This is the same guy that made the punishment of striking a Targaryen to be the loss of your hand. Aegon who razed Harenhall for daring to defy him.

He would have rained hellfire in retribution after their mercy-kill. He would have been the one to hire Faceless Men. Also consider that Deria Martell (heir to Dorne) was sent as part of the peace envoy. Dorne would have risked her being killed/been captured herself, something that does not seem very likely. If the contents of the letter could have the chance of inciting Aegon against the Martells, they would have not sent their heir to deliver the message. Furthermore, consider that Aegon visits Dorne later in his reign. He would not have done this if the Dornish did anything sinister.

The problem i have with this theory is that Aegon would have never allowed the Ullers to live. The Ullers are a current Great House in Dorne. If they did those things to Rhaenys, who was the love of Aegon's life, he would have exterminated them or demanded it as a condition of peace.

Let's keep things simple, you guys. Although the torture porn and netorare theories might make for a more 'edgy' story, it may merely be that they, seeing as they were able to obtain Meraxes' remains, would have asked if the war was truly worth his Rhaenys' death and offered the safe return of Rhaenys' body for burial on Dragonstone. Thus their one honourable deed in the entire war ended the conflict.

Furthermore, the Dornish are not in a position to demand anything. Their country is literally at collapse from their total war. All their settlements are destroyed, as well. The nobility might be able to hid away in their castles, but the peasants they left behind sure as hell won't be as nationalistic after they find out their homes have all been burnt down. Furthermore, it would make no sense for the Dornish to send Meraxes' skull and the heir to Dorne, both gestures of goodwill, only to deliver an intimidation letter.

It is implied that Aegon and Visenya, who both died there, were buried at Dragonstone, so this negates the question of why her remains were not returned to Kings Landing: they were sent to Dragonstone.

Aegon's rage likely came from his shame and anger at failing to conquer Dorne, the failure to prevent Rhaenys' death, and the futile pointlessness of all his efforts in the Dornish War; which all just as easily could explain his wroth. It would have been hard for him to taste such a defeat after all those victories against the rest of the continent.

I totally agree, sometimes the best explanation is the most simple one. Sometimes these forums get a bit out of hand aha

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Blackmont vulture is because the black ones were said to be able to transform into a vulture and steal babies.

Good theory here, I oarticularly like the detail about paternity. I definitely think that's a likely part of this - Aegon being cuckolded, and going to Dragonstone to verify paternity via staring match. But as for the implications for Targaryen descent, I don't think it matters. Descending from Aegon or his sister, what's the diff? Same genetics. The hang up over male line vs female line isn't scientific, only a social contrivance. Certainly no one is going to question Dany's right to rule over this issue from 300 years ago, which nobody can prove.

I too like the theory. As for descending from Aegon or his sister being the same, yes and no. I would theoretically agree, but the particulars of male vs female primogeniture being such a theme for the series and the Targaryens in particular, I would assert that it is somewhat important. When the Targaryens decide to place male lineage before female lineage in 101 AC, it now seems like a little bit more like a blow to them, as if off-handedly saying their entire line is somehow weakened in the eyes of the law - especially if the knowledge of what happened was known by the kings after Aegon I.

But yeah, we don't know, but it's interesting to speculate, as always.

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