Swan Song part 10/16. What happened at the Kingswood

[Megorova]

This part of the “Swan Song” is the most speculative. To compile this thread, I sifted through the texts of ASOIAF and the World Book, and picked out of there those facts and events that, in my opinion, are relevant for this thread’s topic, and then arranged them in approximately chronological order. So, continuing the theme of the previous thread - Varys came to the 7K to create there his spy-network and to plant the seeds for the upcoming Sixth Blackfyre Rebellion. The only thing that was still missing is the child with a Blackfyre blood who would have became the King of the 7K after Golden Company thru Varys’ help would have seized the Iron Throne. To create that child Varys decided to let fate guide him. When he became Aerys’ spy-master, he got unrestricted access to the private archives of the Targaryen family. There he found what remained of the partially burned book “Signs and Portents” in which were recorded prophecies given by Daenys the Dreamer, including the prophecy about the Prince that was Promised, and what omens are supposed to herald his coming. Then he somehow found Shiera Seastar, or maybe she found him, and together they orchestrated the birth of the Blackfyre-Messiah. And this is how it happened.

Prologue

In the late 278 AC, the King sent Steffon Baratheon to Volantis on a mission to find a suitable bride for Prince Rhaegar. Before Steffon’s departure, he held a tournament at Storm’s End.

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“When he was young, His Grace rode brilliantly in a tourney at Storm’s End, defeating Lord Steffon Baratheon, Lord Jason Mallister, the Red Viper of Dorne, and a mystery knight who proved to be the infamous Simon Toyne, chief of the kingswood outlaws. He broke twelve lances against Ser Arthur Dayne that day.”

“Was he the champion, then?”

“No, Your Grace. That honor went to another knight of the Kingsguard, who unhorsed Prince Rhaegar in the final tilt.” - ASOS, Dany IV.

While his parents were away on that journey, Robert had returned home from The Eyrie to stay with his brothers (at that time he was approximately 16 years old, Stannis was 13 or 14, and Renly was no more than a year old). After the tournament ended, Robert continued to host his father’s guests - going with them hunting, parting, and visiting neighbors, because that’s what kind of guy he was.

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“My brother had a gift for inspiring loyalty. Even in his foes. At Summerhall he won three battles in a single day, and brought Lords Grandison and Cafferen back to Storm’s End as prisoners. He hung their banners in the hall as trophies. Cafferen’s white fawns were spotted with blood and Grandison’s sleeping lion was torn near in two. Yet they would sit beneath those banners of a night, drinking and feasting with Robert. He even took them hunting.” - ASOS, Davos IV.

That’s also when Prince Rhaegar visited Griffin’s Roost and chose young Jon Connington as his new squire (his previous one probably got knighted on the tournament at Storm’s End):

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“Your father’s lands are beautiful,” Prince Rhaegar had said, standing right where Jon was standing now. And the boy he’d been had replied, “One day they will all be mine.” As if that could impress a prince who was heir to the entire realm, from the Arbor to the Wall. - ADWD, The Griffin Reborn.

When Lord Steffon’s ship crushed on the return trip from Volantis, Rhaegar decided to marry with his distant cousin - Elia Martell. She visited Storm’s End together with her brother. Oberyn, the Red Viper of Dorne, at that tournament was defeated by Rhaegar.

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Early in the year 279 AC, Rhaegar Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone, was formally betrothed to Princess Elia Martell, the delicate young sister of Doran Martell, Prince of Dorne. They were wed the following year, in a lavish ceremony at the Great Sept of Baelor in King’s Landing, but Aerys II did not attend. He told the small council that he feared an attempt upon his life if he left the confines of the Red Keep, even with his Kingsguard to protect him. Nor would he allow his younger son, Viserys, to attend his brother’s wedding. - TWOIAF, Aerys II.

Before her wedding, either in late 279 or in early 280 AC, Elia was traveling to King’s Landing thru the Kingswood. As the Crown Prince’s bride she was escorted by the Lord Commander of the Kingsguards, Gerold Hightower. At that time the Kingswood Brotherhood weren’t yet widely known.  

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In his youth he had been an outlaw, a member of the infamous Kingswood Brotherhood. He claimed he’d once put an arrow through the hand of the White Bull of the Kingsguard to steal a kiss from the lips of a Dornish princess. He had stolen her jewels too, and a chest of golden dragons, but it was the kiss he liked to boast of in his cups. - ASOS, Sam II.

Possibly, that chest of golden dragons was Elia’s dowry. When she came to King’s Landing for the wedding, it was the first time when Jon Connington met her. Could be that Jon had a crush on Rhaegar.

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A bride for our bright prince. Jon Connington remembered Prince Rhaegar’s wedding all too well. Elia was never worthy of him. She was frail and sickly from the first, and childbirth only left her weaker. After the birth of Princess Rhaenys, her mother had been bedridden for half a year, and Prince Aegon’s birth had almost been the death of her. She would bear no more children, the maesters told Prince Rhaegar afterward. - ADWD, The Griffin Reborn.

While Rhaegar lived with his wife at Dragonstone, Varys used their absence from court as an opportunity to put a wedge between Rhaegar and his father by spreading all those disturbing rumors.

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When Prince Rhaegar and his new wife chose to take up residence on Dragonstone instead of the Red Keep, rumors flew thick and fast across the Seven Kingdoms. Some claimed that the crown prince was planning to depose his father and seize the Iron Throne for himself, whilst others said that King Aerys meant to disinherit Rhaegar and name Viserys heir in his place. Nor did the birth of King Aerys’s first grandchild, a girl named Rhaenys, born on Dragonstone in 280 AC, do aught to reconcile father and son. When Prince Rhaegar returned to the Red Keep to present his daughter to his own mother and father, Queen Rhaella embraced the babe warmly, but King Aerys refused to touch or hold the child and complained that she “smells Dornish.” - TWOIAF, Aerys II.

Princess Rhaenys was born in the late 280 AC. Afterwards, her mother was bedridden for six months. Thus, to present Rhaenys to her grandparents, they came to the Red Keep in the early 281 AC. Though it was a small private ceremony and other people were not allowed to attend. Even before Rhaegar’s wedding, Aerys was already highly paranoid, he even refused to attend the celebration. He distrusted everyone, especially Dornishmen, so Elia’s relatives weren’t allowed to visit her at the Red Keep. Thus, to officially celebrate Rhaenys’ birth, her parents had to make compromises. It would have been inconvenient for the well-wishers to attend the court at Dragonstone because not everyone had ships, and because of the other reasons. Robert Baratheon was a cousin to both Rhaegar and Elia and to Rhaenys too. Thus, her parents decided to hold the celebration at Storm’s End. Robert agreed to host the party at his castle because he liked to party and would have taken any opportunity to do so. Also, because he was a multitasker, he decided to combine Rhaenys’ welcoming party with the tournament to honor his deceased father. At that tournament both Robert and Rhaegar were defeated by Barristan Selmy.

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Sole champion of Lord Steffon’s tourney at Storm’s End, whereat he unhorsed Lord Robert Baratheon, Prince Oberyn Martell, Lord Leyton Hightower, Lord Jon Connington, Lord Jason Mallister, and Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. - ASOS, Jaime VIII.    

When Oberyn came to Storm’s End, he brought his niece Arianne with him. That’s when she met little Rhaenys and her great-uncle Lewyn Martell.

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“You forget, my great-uncle wore the same cloak. He died when I was little, yet I still remember him. He was as tall as a tower and used to tickle me until I could not breathe for laughing.” - AFFC, The Soiled Knight.

“I was seven when Elia died. They say I held her daughter Rhaenys once, when I was too young to remember. Aegon will be a stranger to me, whether true or false.” - TWOW, Arianne I.

In TWOW, Arianne and her party, including Elia Sand, are going to Storm’s End to meet there fAegon and Jon Connington. The choice of their meeting place is kind of symbolic, considering that that’s where Arianne had met her aunt Elia, and Jon met Rhaegar.

After the tournament Rhaegar and his family sailed back to King’s Landing. Though Barristan Selmy hadn’t went with them because he got assigned (possibly on Varys’ suggestion) to assist Arthur Dayne with confronting the Kingswood Brotherhood.

The Kingswood Brotherhood

Known members of the Brotherhood: Simon Toyne, the Smiling Knight, Wenda the White Fawn, Oswyn Longneck the Trice-Hanged, Big Belly Ben, Fletcher Dick, Ulmer.

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That old rogue Ulmer of the Kingswood proved as adept at dancing as he was at archery, no doubt regaling his partners with his tales of the Kingswood Brotherhood, when he rode with Simon Toyne and Big Belly Ben and helped Wenda the White Fawn burn her mark in the buttocks of her highborn captives. - ADWD, Jon X.

The leader of KB, Simon Toyne, in the end got killed by Barristan Selmy. Jaime Lannister, who at that time was Lord Sumner Crakehall’s squire, saved him from Big Belly Ben. Though afterwards the outlaw had escaped him, and then Jaime briefly fought with the Smiling Knight, who then was defeated and killed by Arthur Dayne. Ulmer was seized and sent to the Wall. Oswyn got hanged. In my opinion, could be that Fletcher Dick and Dick Crabb, whom Brienne met at Maidenpool in AFFC, is the same person. And there is no mentioning what happened afterwards to Wenda the White Fawn. She wasn’t mentioned at all, not in Jaime’s memories about those events, not in Barristan’s entry in the White Book, not by Ulmer, who is currently serving at the Castle Black. In my opinion, that’s because Wenda had left the Brotherhood before their confrontation with the Kingsguards.

I think that Wenda is an alias, not her real name, and that it’s a hint to her Blackfyre-ancestry. Because the sole battle of the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion was fought at the Wendwater bridge. There’s a theory, not mine, that Wenda was a member of House Cafferen. On their coat-of-arms there are two white fawns, and the seat of their House is Fawnton, which is located at Stormlands, and the Wendwater river flows thru Fawnton. One of my theories is that Wenda’s real name is Meris Cafferen, she is Brienne Tarth’s mother, and currently she is known as Pretty Meris from the Windblown sellswords company.

If you have read the sixth part of the “Swan Song”, then you know my theory about Duncan the Tall’s descendants, that he had twin-children with Alysanne Stark/Old Nan (daughter of Beron Stark and Lorra Royce), and that Nan’s family sent her off to The Twins and married her to Franklyn Frey (Walder Frey’s paternal uncle). In addition to that theory, I have several clarifications concerning Nan’s descendants (I’m not too sure about the Frey-part of the chart, though their Targaryen-like names could be hints intentionally left by GRRM):

Alysanne/Nan + Dunk		Nan + Franklyn Frey
son + wife	daughter + husband from Westerlands	son (died during Robert’s Rebelion, possibly was married and had children)	daughter + husband from House Royce
son + wife	son (kennelmaster of Casterly Rock, founder of House Clegane) + wife; daughter + husband from House Cafferen		Perra Royce + Walder Frey
Walder/Hodor	son (squire of Tytos Lannister) + wife; Meris Cafferen + Selwyn Tarth		Stevron, Emmon, Aenys, Perianne
	Gregor, Sandor, daughter; Brienne		Aegon “Jinglebell”, Aegon “Bloodborn”, Rhaegar

Thus, if my theory is correct, then Wenda/Meris is Duncan the Tall’s great-granddaughter, Hodor’s second cousin, and she is 1/8 dragonseed (1/16 Targaryen and 1/16 Blackfyre, thru Dunk’s parents - Daenerys Targaryen and Daemon I Blackfyre). In my opinion, Meris is aware of her ancestry. Even though officially her great-grandfather was Franklyn Frey, she knew that her real ancestor was Duncan the Tall. She sort of inherited his shield, that’s how it ended up at Selwyn Tarth’s armory at the Evenfall Hall. Meris was Selwyn’s wife and the mother of his children - twin-girls Arianne and Alysanne (named in honor of Meris’ great-grandmother, Alysanne Stark, who also was named in honor of her great-grandmother - Alysanne Blackwood), and Brienne (not sure about Galladon, he could have been a son of Selwyn’s first wife, if he was married more than once, or could be that he also was one of Meris’ children). Could be that Meris was similar to Arya and Brienne, she was unsatisfied with the role that, as a woman, she was supposed to play in society - to get married, raise children, do needlework and other boring things that women are supposed to be doing. Instead, she wanted to be a warrior, an adventurer like her famous ancestor whose shield she owned. Or maybe she was afflicted with the Targaryen-madness, like her cousin the Mountain. And thus she created the Kingswood Brotherhood, either as an outlet to let loose when her dragon-blood boiled, or maybe she intended for the KB to be something like Robin Hood and his Merry Men - they robbed the rich and gave away their loot to the poor. Probably later we will hear Meris’ story from herself. Thus, for now, let’s skip this part. I’ll just add that it seems likely that at some time prior Brienne’s birth, Varys got in contact with Meris and offered her a deal - he needed to have access to the Kingswood Brotherhood, and in exchange, if Meris gave away her place as the leader of the KB to Simon Toyne, she would have received a place at the Golden Company. Meris agreed to his proposal and, shortly after Brienne’s birth, migrated to Essos. That’s why she wasn’t with the KB during their confrontation against Arthur Dayne and Barristan Selmy. Meris/Wenda being the original leader of the KB also explains this part - “helped Wenda the White Fawn burn her mark in the buttocks of her highborn captives.” - they were HER captives because she was the leader.

The Contenders

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“In ancient books of Asshai it is written that there will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him.” - ACOK, Davos I.

The source of Varys’ knowledge about the Promised Prince also mentioned the bleeding stars and the burning sword. Probably with Shiera Seastar’s guidance, he found out that the sword from the prophecy is the sword of Daynes - Dawn, and that a comet that possibly is the omen from the prophecy will be passing above Westeros in the early 281 AC. That’s why he suggested to King Aerys to send Arthur Dayne to deal with the KB. Varys was intending to seize Arthur’s sword.

Varys planned that the Promised Prince of the Blackfyre-descend will be conceived on the night when a comet will be passing in the skies. To make that happen, he had to carefully choose the candidates or the contenders for the roles of the child’s father and his mother. The mother was an obvious choice and her candidacy was supported by the Golden Company. When Aenys Blackfyre came to the 7K, before going to King’s Landing, he left his family at Stonehelm castle under protection of their relative - Lord Swann. Blackfyres and Swanns are bloodrelated, both of those Houses are descendants of Johanna Swann, Larra Rogare’s mother and Aegon the Unworthy’s grandmother. Thus, Varys had chosen Lady Jeyne, Lord Manfred’s granddaughter, to become the woman that will give birth to the Promised Prince. Though to find a suitable father turned out to be a more difficult task.

At certain point in time, Varys was even contemplating choosing Petyr Baelish. Even though Petyr was not exactly a Blackfyre by blood, he was distantly related to them (more on this topic you can read in “SS part 15/16”). Eventually, Varys had chosen a man who was his second cousin, and 1/4 Blackfyre - grandson of Aenys Blackfyre, Barristan Selmy.   

Daemon I Blackfyre	+ Daenerys Targaryen	+ Rohanne of Tyrosh
		Aenys and his siblings + spouses
Duncan the Tall + Rohanne Webber		daughter + Lyonell Selmy; children + spouses
Jenny of Oldstones + Duncan the Small; Jenny + Maelys		Barristan + Jeyne Swann; Maelys, Daemon, the Smiling Knight
Melisandre; Serra, Varys		fAegon

The Prince’s father got chosen, though there were still two problems left. The chosen candidate was a Kingsguard, so he gave an oath of celibacy, which seriously hampered Varys’ intentions concerning him. And the other problem was that the Smiling Knight, who was a Blackfyre from a female line and became captain-general of the Golden Company after Maelys’ death, hadn’t wanted to give away to someone else what he thought to be his by right. He was not Ok with Varys’ plans. Thus, to keep him on a leash, Varys sent to the Kingswood Brotherhood one of his agents, to watch him. Obviously all of this are just my assumptions, I did warned in the beginning of this thread that this part of the “Swan Song” is the most speculative. So in my opinion, Big Belly Ben is actually Strong Belvas. I’m not sure whether Barristan met Ben during his confrontation with the KB, because according to Jaime - Ben managed to escape.

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 And Ser Gerold might have written a few more words about the deeds he’d performed when Ser Arthur Dayne broke the Kingswood Brotherhood. He had saved Lord Sumner’s life as Big Belly Ben was about to smash his head in, though the outlaw had escaped him. And he’d held his own against the Smiling Knight, though it was Ser Arthur who slew him. What a fight that was, and what a foe. The Smiling Knight was a madman, cruelty and chivalry all jumbled up together, but he did not know the meaning of fear. And Dayne, with Dawn in hand… the outlaw’s longsword had so many notches by the end that Ser Arthur had stopped to let him fetch a new one. “It’s that white sword of yours I want,” the robber knight told him as they resumed, though he was bleeding from a dozen wounds by then. “Then you shall have it, ser,” the Sword of the Morning replied, and made an end of it. - ASOS, Jaime VIII.

According to Barristan’s entry in the White Book, he fought against both Simon Toyne and the Smiling Knight, and then killed Simon. If my assumptions are correct, it seems that both of them attacked Barristan, together they were intending to kill him. With Barristan dead, the Smiling Knight could have taken Jeyne as his woman, to assure that the Promised Prince will be his child. That way, he would have continued to keep the reign over GC in his hands and wouldn’t have to give it away. Also, it seems that he was intending to take Arthur’s sword for himself, not to give it to Varys. Though he overestimated his fighting abilities and in the end, was killed by Arthur. And that’s how Barristan became the final contender - he was chosen not only by Varys, but also by fate. Afterwards Jaime Lannister got knighted by Arthur, and Barristan saved Lady Jeyne and her unnamed septa.

The Night of the Comet & The Mysterious Septa

If you have read my other threads, the previous parts of the “Swan Song”, then you know my theory about the significance of missing pieces and how important they could be.

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Rescued Lady Jeyne Swann and her septa from the Kingswood Brotherhood, defeating Simon Toyne and the Smiling Knight, and slaying the former. - ASOS, Jaime VIII.

This theory started from that single sentence in the White Book. My idea about Barristan Selmy and Jeyne Swann being fAegon parents is based on one small detail missing from the account of those events - the septa’s name. Based on PTSD (patterns, trinities, symbols, + deduction) relevant for this theory, I figured out that the mysterious septa actually was Shiera Seastar in shadow-glamour. That’s how Varys was planning to make Jeyne break thru Barristan’s oath of celibacy - with Shiera’s assistance.

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“You’ve known queens and princesses. Did they dance with demons and practice the black arts?”

“Lady Shiera does. Lord Bloodraven’s paramour. She bathes in blood to keep her beauty. And once my sister Rhae put a love potion in my drink, so I’d marry her instead of my sister Daella.” - TSS.

It seems that the love potion for Rhae, on her request, was made by her dear aunty, Shiera. Though in the books, aside from Shiera, there are also other characters that were known for dealing in love potions, for example, Maggy the Frog - grandmother of Sybell Spicer (Jeyne Westerling’s mother, and Robb Stark’s mother-in-law). And there is a parallel pattern in the names of these characters:

Robb Stark - Sybell Spicer - Jeyne Westerling

Barristan Selmy - Shiera Seastar - Jeyne Swann

RbbS-SS-Jeyne / BrrS-SS-Jeyne

So it seems likely that both Jeynes used love potions on their targets - the Westerling with an intention to make Robb marry her, and the Swann to have Barristan’s child. In ASOS Jeyne approached Robb when he was the most vulnerable, wounded and grieving over the supposed death of his brothers. ASOS is also the book in which Jaime mentioned the Kingswood Brotherhood and have read thru Barristan’s entry in the White Book. And there are more clues in the other books.

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Lemore had changed out of her septa’s robes into garb more befitting the wife or daughter of a prosperous merchant. Tyrion watched her closely. He had sniffed out the truth beneath the dyed blue hair of Griff and Young Griff easily enough, and Yandry and Ysilla seemed to be no more than they claimed to be, whilst Duck was somewhat less. Lemore, though … Who is she, really? Why is she here? Not for gold, I’d judge. What is this prince to her? Was she ever a true septa? - ADWD, Tyrion VI.

Lemore is too well-mannered and well-educated to be one of the smallfolk. And Griff treated her with respect. Tyrion noticed that she has stretch marks on her belly from bearing a child. Lemore is obviously an alias and not a real name. It sounds similar to French “les mûres” which translates as “the blackberries”. In ASOIAF and accompanying novels, blackberries are symbols of lies, deceptions and the Blackfyres.

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Cersei set a tasty table, that could not be denied. They started with a creamy chestnut soup, crusty hot bread, and greens dressed with apples and pine nuts. Then came lamprey pie, honeyed ham, buttered carrots, white beans and bacon, and roast swan stuffed with mushrooms and oysters. Tyrion was exceedingly courteous; he offered his sister the choice portions of every dish, and made certain he ate only what she did. Not that he truly thought she’d poison him, but it never hurt to be careful.

…The swan was too rich for his taste.

A line appeared on Cersei’s pale white brow, between those lovely eyes. “You put too much trust in that eunuch.”

“He serves me well.”

“Or so he’d have you believe. You think you’re the only one he whispers secrets to? He gives each of us just enough to convince us that we’d be helpless without him. He played the same game with me, when I first wed Robert. For years, I was convinced I had no truer friend at court, but now . . .”

…Serving men cleared away the swan, hardly touched. Cersei beckoned for the sweet.

“I hope you like blackberry tarts.”

“I love all sorts of tarts.” - ACOK, Tyrion XII.

[A tart is slang for a female who is attractive and has the air of being promiscuous, even if she isn’t.]

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Haldon took note of her change of garb as well. “What are we to make of this sudden loss of faith? I preferred you in your septa’s robes, Lemore.”

“I preferred her naked,” said Tyrion. - ADWD, Tyrion VI.

At Illyrio’s mansion (in ADWD, Tyrion I), among other dishes Tyrion was served a black swan in her plumage, which reminded him that supper with Cersei, when he also ate a swan, which turned out to be too rich for Tyrion’s taste, and then he ate blackberry tarts, while they were talking about Varys, how fake and dangerous he is. In TWOIAF and F&B, there was a character whose alias was the Black Swan - Lady Johanna Swann, and the thread “SS part 2/16” is about her. Lemore is Jeyne Swann, one of the Black Swan’s descendants, and she’s a fake septa. So it makes sense if Jeyne’s own septa, the one that was saved by Barristan Selmy, also was a fake. And same as Jeyne, she is also one of Johanna’s descendants.

GRRM, not revealing in the White Book what was the septa’s name, is the clue - the missing piece - using which I uncovered this mystery. Because if that septa was someone irrelevant, then what was the point of mentioning her as being saved by Barristan alongside with Lady Jeyne? And if she is significant enough to deserve being mentioned in the White Book, then why her name wasn’t recorded there? Septas are also people, they too have names. So it’s a similar situation to Mance’s story about how he deserted from the Night’s Watch. Both - Mance’s unnamed savior and Lady Jeyne’s septa - are actually the same person, and it’s Shiera Seastar. Thus, with this new information, let’s go back to the Kingswood.

In my opinion, after the fight ended and Jaime received his knighthood, he offered Arthur his assistance with escorting the captured outlaws, Ulmer and Oswyn, to King’s Landing for the trials. Though someone had to stay with the women to escort them wherever they were intending to go afterwards, and Barristan, who in his youth squired for Jeyne’s grandfather, was an obvious choice. That’s how Barristan, Jeyne and her septa stayed back and spent that night at the Kingswood. It’s likely that Barristan was wounded during his confrontation with Simon Toyne and the Smiling Knight - another reason he had to stay, otherwise he would have hindered the others on their trip to King’s Landing. Later that evening Jeyne’s septa approached Barristan and offered to help him treat his wounds. And then, under the guise of medicine, she gave him a love potion. And then Jeyne raped him.

Contrary to what people think about love potions, it’s unlikely that they actually make people fall in love with whomever they will see first thing after the potion begins working. More likely, it’s something like a date-rape drug, like Rohypnol. From Wikipedia - “under the influence of Rohypnol a person may experience a state of automatism (spontaneous production of often purposeless verbal or motor behavior without conscious self-control or self-censorship) or dissociation. After the drug wears off, users may find themselves unable to remember what happened while under its influence (anterograde amnesia), and feeling woozy, hung-over, confused, dizzy”.

That’s how Barristan broke his oath, conceived a child with Jeyne, and was unaware of it afterwards. Later, some of Barristan’s memories resurfaced thru his dreams (something similar happened in AGOT, Dany IX). So if he ever meets Jeyne again, eventually he may remember what happened. Either he will realize on his own that fAegon is his son, or Varys will reveal it to him in a crucial moment when fAegon will require his help. Then Barristan will be faced with a choice - either to stay loyal to his Queen, or to betray her to help his son. This could be the treason for love (“three treasons will you know . . . once for blood and once for gold and once for love” - ACOK, Dany IV) and a parallel to what Jaime experienced at the end of Robert’s Rebellion (he had to either kill his own father or to betray his King).

Aftermath

Varys sent Jeyne to Pentos, where later in the early 282 AC, she gave birth to fAegon (though he’s real name is obviously something else). He was raised at Illyrio’s mansion and his early childhood was devoid of any politics. He was growing up as a normal child, not knowing that he’s a Blackfyre or who his parents are. Illirio gave the boy three dragon eggs that he acquired from the mummer-dwarfs (Hop-Bean, Oppo and Penny). Him and Varys were hoping that the eggs would hatch, because that’s what the prophecy said - that the Promised Prince will awaken dragons from stone. Though the eggs didn’t hatch, and thus, several years later, when the child was old enough to live without a nanny, Varys made a new plan. During the Sack of King’s Landing, the Mountain killed Rhaegar’s son, the real Aegon Targaryen, and the child’s body was unrecognizable. This gave Varys an idea to pose their boy as that Aegon.

When Jon Connington failed to seize Robert at the Stoney Sept, Varys persuaded King Aerys to exile him to Essos. Afterwards, from the moment JonCon departed the Red Keep, he was followed by Varys’ agents. By the circumstances that they created around him, Jon was manipulated into joining the Golden Company, and he’s not even aware that it wasn’t his own idea. Later Varys was planning to use Jon and his knowledge of the Stormlands during the Sixth Rebellion of Blackfyres, with Griffin’s Roost as an entry point for the invading forces. That part of the plan hadn’t changed, though in addition to it Varys also decided to use JonCon as a guardian and a mentor that will raise fAegon as a Targaryen Prince. He realized that fAegon may receive a warmer welcome from the people of the 7K if his arrival to Westeros will be presented as a miraculous return of the lost Prince, not as an invasion of a Blackfyre-conqueror. That’s why for the next twelve years JonCon was raising and protecting “Young Griff” in the guise of his father.

P.S.

I wrote extended Prologue in this thread, because information about all those events helps us to set-up a timeline for when exactly had occurred Barristan’s encounter with the Kingswood Brotherhood and Lady Jeyne.

It is known that Rhaegar and Elia married in early 280 AC. After their wedding, they lived at Dragonstone, and that’s where, in the late 280 AC, Elia gave birth to Rhaenys. Afterwards, she was bedridden for six months. Thus, their family went to King’s Landing to introduce Rhaenys to her grandparents in the early 281 AC. Then Rhaegar went to participate in Lord Steffon’s tourney at Storm’s End. That's when Arianne met little Rhaenys. Elia at that time wasn't pregnant yet, that's why Arianne said that Aegon will be a stranger to her. After the tournament Rhaegar went back to King’s Landing, and then, on the night of the comet, he and Elia conceived their Aegon. On the same night at the Kingswood, Barristan and Jeyne conceived fAegon. Based on the information from the World Book, Aegon was born in very early 282 AC, on the first month of the new year, sometime in the middle of January. Between his conception and his birth passed approximately 40 weeks, or 9 months and 10 more days, because that’s the usual duration of a full term pregnancy. Thus counting backwards from the middle of January, we land in late March - beginning of April.

Also, it is known that, after his encounter with the KB, Jaime went to King’s Landing, where Cersei persuaded him to become a Kingsguard. Afterwards he went to Casterly Rock, and from there to Riverlans to attend the tournament at Harrenhal which, based on the information about the False Spring, lasted 10 days, from late October to early November. And less than two months later, the winter returned to Westeros, and with the coming of the new year at Dragonstone was born Elia’s Aegon. I calculated distances between Kingswood, King’s Landing, Casterly Rock and Harrenhal, and how much time Jaine needed to travel those distances. To arrive to Harrenhal by late October, he had to depart the Kingswood in the late March. Which is a match to the timing of Aegon’s and fAegon's conception in the calculations from above.

These calculations are relevant and it does matter when exactly those children were conceived - Aegon and fAegon - because the timing, when it happened and when that comet was passing in the skies also has an additional hidden meaning. That comet appeared on the night of April 1st, the Fool’s Day. Both Varys and Rhaegar were wrong - that comet was not an omen from the prophecy; it was just an average comet. That’s also why Barristan and Jeyne are parallels to Florian the Fool and Lady Jonquil (more on this topic you can read in “SS part 14/16”).

The End