What if Viserys and Daenerys were captured at Dragonstone?

[Here's Looking At You, Kid]

On 12/31/2021 at 5:38 PM, Aline de Gavrillac said:

It was too late for Viserys.  He was the chosen heir and Rhaella had already made him King of Westeros. Robert cannot be king while he lives on any part of Westeros.  Princess Daenerys can be used to grease the political wheels to bring along the Royalists.  I am not willing to put the Targaryen children at the mercy of Robert's dogs.  Thank goodness for Ser Willem and his brave companions. 

 

The exile saved his life.  Not only because of the distance.  It would have caused a diplomatic incident if Robert had assassinated King Viserys III overseas.  Even a ship captain from outside Westero, Quhuru Mo, considers the Targaryens the only legitimate rulers of Westeros. 

[Aejohn the Conqueroo]

On 12/30/2021 at 4:13 PM, James West said:

Stannis is not the honorable man that you think he is.  He's no better than Roose Bolton.  I think a lot of the Stark supporters like Stannis because he is a friend to the Starks.  Look closer and Stannis is a monster.  

Well he's not a friend of the Starks as a crispy little leach will attest.

If you're one of the people here who sees this whole thing through the lens of having to support one of the 'factions' and attack characters in the others to somehow help them prevail or something then there's really nothing for us to discuss. 

Finally if you're going to argue that Stannis was a monster during Robert's rebellion you have to support it with something other than the fact that you think he's like Roose Bolton. 

[Hrulj]

If I was king Robert I'd have castrated Viserys and then sent him to the wall when he grows up a bit. It would have to be public so no one can claim descent from him in the future. 

Daenarys is to be a hostage and married to my heir. 

[BlackLightning]

On 12/30/2021 at 5:13 PM, James West said:

Stannis is not the honorable man that you think he is.  He's no better than Roose Bolton.  I think a lot of the Stark supporters like Stannis because he is a friend to the Starks.  Look closer and Stannis is a monster.  

Stannis is not a monster.

Do I think he's a good person? Meh, not really. But he's definitely not a monster.

 

However, you hit the nail on the head when you say that a lot of people (Stark supporters or not) like Stannis because he is a friend of the Starks. Stannis is not nor has he ever been a friend of the Starks. If he had been, he would've--I don't know--helped Ned in King's Landing. Or at the very least, tried to make common cause with Lysa Arryn and/or Robb Stark and iron out the details later. He also was in a position to get Sansa out of King's Landing but he chose not to do so.

The enemy of your enemy is not always your friend. Sometimes, the enemy of your enemy is another enemy (as we saw firsthand during the War of the Five Kings) and sometimes the enemy of your enemy is just a random person that you have no history or ties with.

[Skahaz mo Kandaq]

On 12/29/2021 at 9:33 PM, Lord Lannister said:

This is a question that's always intrigued me. Viserys stated that the garrison at Dragonstone was plotting to sell him and Daenerys to the Usurper and Robert was always critical of Stannis for not taking Dragonstone quickly enough. Assuming Viserys wasn't just fabricating the "plot" against him to make him seem more important and Robert wasn't being unreasonable in his criticism of Stannis(both possibly big ifs), let's assume the Targaryen children weren't able to flee quickly enough and were captured when Dragonstone fell to the Baratheon forces. This is an interesting scenario that could spawn all sorts of questions.

Would Robert have flat out ordered Viserys and Daenerys executed? Robert always talked a big game about the Targaryens and certainly didn't seem to mind too much about Rhaegar's children being slain, but turning a blind eye to Tywin's actions and ordering the execution are two different things. Though as both irl history and the regular novels show, keeping rival claimants alive never ends well.

How would this affect his relationship with Ned and his other lords if he did? Robert and Ned's friendship would almost certainly die if Robert ordered their execution, even with the shared pain of Lyanna's death.  How far would Ned take it though? Would he still be a dutiful vassal? Would he minimize his service as much as he can? Does he still help suppress the Ironborn rebellion? 

How would this affect Illyrio and Varys' plots? Young Griff always seemed to be the original plan for a Targaryen restoration, though it seemed to get put on the backburner once two Targaryens with unquestioned heritage came under their influnece. Does (f)Aegon get the dragon eggs? Is his dragonblood enough to have a similar miracle? Do they find a spouse for him that ensures he has the power to take the Seven Kingdoms?

Does Ned take any greater steps to protect Jon? If Jon is arguably the last Targaryen, would Ned take greater steps to keep Jon's secret safe even at the risk of isolating him from his family? Would Ned feel compelled to protect the Targaryen legacy and ensure Jon knows his heritage if he's the last one?

Just a lot of random what ifs, but interesting food for thought I think.

That is a lot of "what ifs?"

1. The Targaryen king and his little sister would have been killed by Stannis.  King Viserys III and Princess Daenerys would have died on Dragonstone.  Ser Willem and the loyal men who helped him saved the lives of the children.  Stannis would not have shown compassion. 
2. You overestimate Ned's morality.  Yes, Ned would not approve of the killings but he would smart off and go back to Winterfell.  He will behave the same way he did when Rhaeny, Aegon, and Elia were killed.  He will feel badly for a while but he will continue to support Robert.
3. The dragon eggs were always meant for the Targaryen who will hatch them.  They were not going to hatch for Aegon. 
4. Jon is not a Targaryen.  He is a Stark. 

[SeanF]

I really don't think that child murder is a deal breaker, for many of these people.  It's not chivalrous, any more than the murder, rape, and pillage of luckless peasants is chivalrous, but it happens. You can't boast about it, but many lords accept it as one of the necessities of this world.

Had Viserys and Dany been caught at Dragonstone, they'd have been finished off on the spot.