Who exactly arranged Rhaegar and Elia's marriage?

[Alexis-something-Rose]

52 minutes ago, Loose Bolt said:

Another oddity is that Martells should have potential affinity for water magic and hate of dragons. Or there is a possibility that one purpose of that marriage was to minimize Targs access to fire magic and made return of dragons impossible.

The whole water magic aspect of things is something that's not spoken of nearly enough, imo. I think that was the purpose of the trip down the Rhoyne to the biggest center of water magic, and why I'm convinced Young Griff is very much Aegon Targaryen.

Why would Aerys want to minimize Targ access to fire magic, though ,when he was trying to hatch dragons himself?

31 minutes ago, EggBlue said:

interesting points . however , it seems a little odd that Aerys wouldn't think an unhealthy wife could as easily die herself and leave Rhaegar no obstacle to have another marriage alliance , say with the Lannisters. then again , we are told Aerys was mad , we are never told he wasn't stupid ! 

I don't think Elia's death would have mattered because Aerys would still have chosen his son's next bride. And it still wouldn't have been Cersei. 

[EggBlue]

32 minutes ago, Alexis-something-Rose said:

I don't think Elia's death would have mattered because Aerys would still have chosen his son's next bride. And it still wouldn't have been Cersei. 

well, Aerys would have had to go through the problem of bachelor-Rhaegar all over again. the best way to alienate Rhaegar politically would have been to marry him to someone from a loyal family to Aerys without as much power or influence of one of the great houses. and thinking of Baelor Breakspear and Aerys I's marriages , it wouldn't have been impossible to consider such a match for his heir . yet again , I'm not really opposed your explanation since Aerys was not the most stable or thoughtful of kings...

[frenin]

On 5/16/2022 at 3:47 AM, EggBlue said:

2. everything Yandal says about Aerys, Rhaegar and Dornish is either exaggeration or downright lie . after all , Aerys was quick to kill the man who came after Rhaegar instead of , you know, let his ungrateful son pay for whatever he'd done. (it wouldn't be Yandal's first lie.. look at the manner of Targlings' deaths)

Yandel has a reason to lie and exaggerate about the Targlings death or even abour Aerys's madness but he has no actual reason to lie about the dynamics in the court at the time. They are harmless history.