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ludwig-holy-blade · 1 year

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The Eyes of the Beholder

Rhaenyra Targaryen x Male Dayne Reader

Rhaenyra Targaryen, the realm’s delight, did not feel beautiful today. It was the early morning on the isle of Starfall and Rhaenyra was sat upon the beach as she was oft to do every morning. Her gown had been soaked around her ankles and bum for the better part of an hour now, though she had hardly noticed.

Her thoughts were awash with doubts as she stared out towards the Torrentine. It was only eight days ago that she had given birth to her fourth son and it had become strangely apparent to her that she was not the beauty she once was. After ten years of marriage Rhaenyra and Y/N had produced no less than eight children together. The thought brought a smile to her face. She and her husband had been rather over eager in their passions.

The truth was however that those births had added weight to her once slender form. While Rhaenyra and her husband enjoyed the new size her breasts and bottom she had quickly become quite frustrated with the weight around her middle. This frustration was often made worse whenever she saw Alicent, still slender and slim despite having birthed four children of her own. She often feared that in time her husband would grow disgusted with her and in time would seek out others. There were so many after all in Dorne alone not to mention across the Narrow Sea and in Westeros itself.

These thoughts liked to creep into her mind in the early morning and late into the evening. They would often leave her quiet and staring into the mirror, reminiscing on her once beauty.

The sound of splashing dragged her out of her thoughts.

The reason for Rhaenyra’s love of watching the waves in the early morning was twofold. On one hand the sound of the waves and the cool air were calming and brought her a sense of peace. On the other, was her husbands love of swimming. Lord Y/N Dayne loved to swim around the entire length and breadth of his Island Castle and Rhaenyra loved to watch him.

Y/N had also gotten bigger over the last ten years except unlike Rhaenyra Y/N had turned said weight into muscle. This was made easy due to her husband’s love of swimming and many other forms of exercise, he often spends hours training with his houses ancestral blade Dawn and loved wrestling and grappling. Rhaenyra loved to watch him train, not only was it incredibly attractive to watch Y/N’s muscle flex and move but it also made Rhaenyra more comfortable, it was a comfort to know just how well her husband could and in fact would protect her if needs be.

The sight before her was one she had seen many a time but still never grew tired of witnessing. Her husband came out of the water in naught but his small clothes and while a grin broke out across her face at the sight of him and thoughts of more amorous activities flooded her mind she couldn’t stop herself from covering her stomach.

Y/N approached sluggishly, as there was no way possible to exit the water attractively. A smile broke out across his face as soon as he saw her, his true smile, the one that reached his eyes. The slow walk turned to a quick stride as he got closer. The sight of his approach made Rhaenyra’s heart beat faster and heavier, made her smile almost painfully wide and made a blush spread across her face and ears.

He came and sat before her folding his knees under him. He looked nearly boyish in that moment, smiling like a fool without saying a word. The two of them simply sat there gazing at each other simply smiling.

“Hello gorgeous.” Were the first words spoken, quietly, as if he was speaking reverently of her. Rhaenyra merely took him by the face brought his lips to hers. joy flood into her as it often did when they kissed.

They parted for a mere moment and Y/N stopped to look at her. “What’s wrong Rhaenyra.” She averted her eyes though she knew she couldn’t hide her upset. She never could, not from Y/N. “It’s too early in the morning to be so distressed.” Rhaenyra had turned her face into her shoulder, a vain attempt to hide herself but Y/N had followed her turning his face with her. No longer desiring to hide from her husband, it was to want to she knew, Rhaenyra steeled herself. Taking a deep breath she spoke.

“Do you still find me beautiful Y/N?” The shock that over took his face would have been funny if Rhaenyra was in a joking mood but she remained stoic. Y/N appeared almost offended by the very question when he answered. “Why wouldn’t I Rhaenyra, your as beautiful now as you’ve ever been.” His response was earnest and yet still Rhaenyra’s face was still downcast. “Who would call you anything but lovely Rhaenyra, tell me they’re name, I'll strike them down with a god’s wrath.” A laugh bubbled up from Rhaenyra. “No one Y/N I swear no one had offended me so.” A laugh interrupted her and she brought her hand to his cheek once again. “Though thank you for caring so much as to kill someone for my pleasure.” The two of them laughed quietly.

“I will be honest with you then my love but please try not to judge me,” Rhaenyra breathed deeply again. “Over the past I have begun to notice, after the children have been born, I have kept more weight on my stomach than I should have been.” Y/N once again began to speak but Rhaenyra’s raised hand stopped him. “I simply do not feel as beautiful as I once did, I know you love me but it does worry me that perhaps one day you will decide to seek out another younger woman.” She wove her hand through his long dark hair, Y/N closed his eyes and took her hand.

“Rhaenyra I want you to listen to me and hear everything I say.” She nodded. “I have loved you since the moment I first saw you as a boy. You are as beautiful as you could possibly be.” Y/N came forward, making Rhaenyra lie on her back. He settled his hands in her splayed out hair, as he loved to play with her silver locks. Y/N locked eyes with his wife before he spoke again. “There may younger women, prettier women, women with larger tits, tighter asses and the like.” He brought his hand down to stroke her cheek. “There will never be a woman more beautiful than you in my eyes, no one. And there shall never be another woman as beautiful as you to come.”

Y/N began to kiss Rhaenyra’s neck, long deep kisses which pulled moans deep from within her throat. He descended slowly kissing a trail down her body. He opened her night gown, revealing her breasts to the early morning air, he kissed both of them for some time before moving on. He made his way downwards to her belly and stopped. He kissed it once, twice, thrice then over and over and over again. It was obvious what he was doing but Rhaenyra had not married him for his wits but rather for his honesty and frankness. It was not to say his kisses were ineffective either. Rhaenyra became hot once again, warmth flooding through her chest as Y/N’s kisses continued.

After much time and many more kisses Y/N finally stopped. Crawling back upwards he sat between her legs, Rhaenyra wrapped them around his waist almost instinctively, and he kissed her lips again. “You may grow as big a house if you so desire Rhaenyra Targaryen and should any man call you anything less than beautiful I’ll kill them and the next generation of their families. No man or woman will demean you in my presence, not even yourself.”

He brought his lips to hers once again, passion colliding as they embraced. Rhaenyra knew in that moment that no more words need pass between them, Y/N intended to prove his loyalty the best he could. It was long into the morning that they loved each other and Rhaenyra in that moment, could not have felt more magnificent.

#rhaenyra targaryen #house targaryen #House Dayne #rhaenyra targaryen x reader #rhaenyra targaryen x male reader #male reader #dayne!reader #house of the dragon #game of thrones #a song of ice and fire

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ludwig-holy-blade · 1 year

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Update: I will no longer be continuing the Royce Reader HOTD series. To sum things up I’ve simply lost interest in the premise. I may revisit the idea with fresh eyes later but for now it is finished.

I sincerely apologize to those who have enjoyed the series and hope you’ll keep reading any future works of mine.

Thank you.

#rhaenyra targaryen x reader #house of the dragon #rhaenyra targaryen x male reader

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ludwig-holy-blade · 1 year

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Love and Duty

Plot: In a time of crisis King Viserys makes a choice that effects both Rhaenyra and you.

Daemon Targaryen & Rhea Royce!Son x Rhaenyra Targaryen:

Commander of the City Watch: In an effort to familiarize you with the people of King's Landing your uncle Viserys, in all his wisdom, placed you in charge of the City Watch of King's Landing. A role which once belonged to your father. You set to work immediately. You wouldn’t say that the City Watch was inept, so much as it was toothless. Your father treated his men like a band of thugs and brigands. Better suited to thrashing poor folk and brutalizing women and children than actually functioning as enforcers of the law. This would have to change.

Enlisting the aid of Rhaenyra and Alicent you began the process of weeding out the members of the City Watch you could neither rely on nor trust. Out of two hundred and thirty only ninety met your standards. This decision was, unpopular, amongst the nobility and Viserys was pressured to replace you. It was only Rhaenyra and Queen Aemma who could convince him not to. They asked him to trust you and he did.

Your plan was simple. You appointed a captain beneath you in this case you chose Harwin Strong, a strong warrior, loyal son and trusted ally of the crown. He was in charge of properly training the men in the use of short swords and shields as well as crossbows. In the interim, a multitude of men at arms from House Royce were sent to act as temporary City Watchmen and help keep the peace. In a six months your plan had already shown fruit, the men were not great warriors but understood how to operate as small individual units that could respond and act quickly. You decided to take them on their first true test.

In the dark of the night. Under a moonless, starless sky choked by dark clouds the City Watch of King's Landing moved silently, their gold cloaks left long behind. You led from the front, Captain Strong by your side as your approached your target. Within the largest brothel in Flea Bottom, a place called The Rutting House, lay the largest Rat Pit assembly in the city. The Royce men at arms surrounded the building with a ring of tower shields, an impenetrable wall to stop any from escaping. You and your ninety men entered the building, took control of the top level then descended in to the lowest of the seven hells.

The Rat Pit was filthy, covered in grime and shit, stains of beer, wine and otherwise unsavory liquids caked the floor and the pungent aroma of piss pervaded the entire room. You and your men entered silently through the hidden passage and when every man was there you struck. At the sight of ninety armed and armored men wielding swords and maces most of the people scattered, some collapsed in fright and few fought back. Taking this Rat Pit was easy bloody but easy.

The true horror came after, nearly three-hundred men and women were arrested and sent to dungeons and nearly one-hundred and twenty children rescued from the pits, their teeth filed into fangs, starved and forced to fight for food they were barely human. At the appalling sight one-hundred and twenty abused children some of your men wept, other vomited at the sight of the ones that were dead and left you rot. You nearly joined them. No the horror was special for you however, as the children were being carried out and taken to the maesters and septa waiting in the Red Keep you scanned the crowd shackled criminals and among them you found a familiar face. Framed by his silver hair now messy after having been forced to the ground. Your father's violet eyes stared long into yours.

The King's Justice: You were commended by the King and his small council for your success but then the real work began. Weeks and weeks of trial and sentencing, you and Rhaenyra hearing men and women attempt to justify their being at the Rat Pit. Many went to the wall, many others were executed by your own hand. All the while one man's face burned inside your mind.

The matter was to be settled privately your uncle said, between family. Your father was apparently a frequent patron of the Rat Pits and held no remorse for doing so. "Why should I?" He said. " Are we not closer to gods than men?" You were enraged, your uncle was less so, more annoyed. Rhaenyra didn’t know what to do. She loved her uncle, truly she did, but the Rat Pits were awful she knew from her new attendants. Following the fall of the Rutting House you had brought every boy from the Rat Pits into the City Watch they would be trained, fed, housed and most importantly cared for by the City Watch which they would one day join. She however had taken in the girls. Some as young as six, Rhaenyra had seen many made into the her personal servants which she lavished with gifts and kindnesses. The rest were taken into the Red Keep and made staff members. The stories they told her chilled Rhaenyra to her very bones.

After many days of arguing and fighting, accusations and excuses Viserys came to a decision. Daemon would leave King's Landing, return to your mother and remain there until after the birth of the he and Aemma's next child. You were not satisfied. Before he could leave you had one demand, he must leave Darksister here. His response was expected. "If you do desire my sword boy, come and claim it." So the challenge was made. At dawn the following day you and your father were to duel for the possession of Darksister.

A Duel of Blood: Rhaenyra and Alicent came to you the night before, they didn’t want to see you harmed. You were offended by their lack of belief, you had been training every day for nearly your entire life, you were well trained not to mention already taller and thicker with muscle than your father and with Lamentation. You felt your victory was assured.

Dawn came and many gathered, nobles, the small council, Viserys and Aemma as well as Rhaenyra and Alicent however reluctantly. Your father was dressed in ceremonial armar adorned with a dragon shaped helm and black and red armor with Darksister out on display. You however dressed in simple steel plate with gambeson. The most filigree you had was bronze inlay on the steel demarcating it as Royce armor.

Duel began equally, neither of you striking merely testing each other. Both of you had shields so most blows were simply swiped away, then Daemon set in. A flurry of blows came your way each barely blocked by your shield. Eventually an opening came and you parried with Lamentation, breaking his momentum and you began a slow march of strikes. Not nearly as fast but dangerously strong, massive cleaves quickly turning Daemon's shield into kindling.

Daemon was cleaver however and used what was left of his shield to punch you. Despite the protection of the helm you were still shocked and staggered back giving him an opportunity to disarm and send Lamentation flying into the dirt. You had Darksister pointed at you and little room to move so instead of leap for the sword you charged with the shield, battering Darksister out of his hand. Tackling him to the ground you removed his helm and called him to yield. He refused. You began to strike him, over and over and over again years of rage and sadness and abandonment boiling over as you took it all out on your father. So vicious and prolonged was the attack that Harold Westerling had to drag you off of him. You thought you heard somebody screaming, later Viserys told you it was in fact you who was screaming. You were declared the victor and later that day your father left, leaving Darksister behind and without a word to you.

Rhaenyra came your room later that night, none had seen you since the duel. She found you still in your armor, sitting in your chair staring at the wall where Darksister now hung. She comforted you, told you you had done the right thing. That it was justice. But some how this get hollow, like you hadn’t actually done anything. She only asked you why you wanted Darksister and finally you spoke. "Because he was unworthy of it. Because he proved himself no better than a criminal, he dishonored himself, this House, my mother and me. He is unworthy of his position, of the love we give him and of the loved ones he was soiled." Somewhere in your rant, you began to weep, hot thick tears falling from your face as you finally broke. Rhaenyra held you as you began to weep into her shoulder and she realized something then. All you wanted was to be loved, by the father who’d abandoned you, the mother who’d barely raised you by the family you had come to love to faithfully. Rhaenyra began to weep herself as she drew you close and held you tightly.

Happinesses End: Queen Aemma was pregnant. A blessing to be sure but also a great risk, many of her previous pregnancies had been not only fruitless but dangerous leaving her bedridden for weeks on end. The realm rejoiced as well as King Viserys but the invisible sword of what could be was impossible to ignore. Rhaenyra was elated, she would be happy with a new brother but the thought of a sister brought her inexplicable joy. You yourself were happy with the news, a surprise to many but you understood that you’re position as heir was incumbent on whether this child was a Prince or Princess. If it were a Princess than you maintained your position, if it were a Prince than you were free to explore other interests.

You and Rhaenyra devoted much of your time to Aemma, attending to many of her needs yourselves. Aemma often couldn’t help but smile to herself as she noticed many of Rhaenyra’s sidelong glances towards you, taking in your tall, muscular form in a borderline leering manner. She also noticed how soft you had become around Rhaenyra, smiling and laughing with her, even cracking jokes from time to time. She and Viserys couldn’t help but giggle to themselves in private when she recounted the days events to him. The months rolled on and all seemed right with Aemma and in celebration of the coming birth of the new Targaryen Prince or Princess Viserys declared a tourney.

The tourney was magnificent, splendid and in your opinion incredibly wasteful and stress inducing. As commander of the City Watch you were now responsible with securing King's Landing. Luckily with new recruits and Harwin's aid you were able to declare the city secure, mostly. You sat in the royal box next to Rhaenyra, attempting to take in her beauty as stealthily as possible when through the tourney gate your father rode in on a black stallion. You stood to confront him, had it not been for Viserys commanding you to stay and Rhaenyra grabbing you, you would have confronted him then. The tourney continued on, many people lost many won, some were injured and a few of them died. But during the high point of the tourney, Viserys was dragged off by Otto Hightower turning your mood sour and the worry began to cloud your mind, you couldn’t even find joy in watching your father being knocked into the dirt. Eventually you went to find out more and when you walked toward the birthing room Lord Commander Westerling got in your way, the two of you stared challengingly in the hallway, the stand off breaking when one of Aemma's screams broke out of the room.

You forced past Westerling and into the room only to see the maester cutting into the Queen while Viserys clutched violently to his wife's hand. You moved to strike the maester only to be tackled by Westerling. You were held down and while you couldn’t see what was happening you could hear it and the sound of Aemma's screams over the splitting of her flesh as she begged for her life would come to haunt you forever more. You finally ripped yourself free only to be confronted by the sight of Viserys holding the tiny body of the baby Prince and Rhaenyra locked in place within the doorway as tears poured down her face.

#rhaenyra targaryen x reader #rhaenyra targaryen x male reader #hotd headcanon #hotd imagine #house of the dragon #house targaryen #house royce #rhaenyra targaryen #daemon targeryan

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ludwig-holy-blade · 1 year

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Rhaenyra Targaryen Headcannons: Male Dayne Reader: Part IV

One Thousand Years: The war in the Step-Stones had been hell for you, for Rhaenyra it had been little easier. She was now alone, with neither her best friend nor her love to comfort her. To make things all the worse she was suddenly bombarded with responsibilities above all others the need to marry. While Viserys had allowed the betrothal between you and her he had no assurance you would come back from the war alive. Therefore Rhaenyra was still made to meet with prospective suitors, all of which desired to steal her heart from the "filthy" Dornishman. This of course made Rhaenyra miserable, an endless stream of disingenuous suitors all with a single goal in mind. The Iron Throne. She was prize to these men and what none of them could comprehend was the possibility that she had already been won by another.

Her loneliness was only compounded by the marriage of her father to her once best friend Lady Alicent Hightower. Though she found friends in the younger Strong sisters she couldn’t help but feel alone. There was a lack of love in King’s Landing that was evident to her now more so than ever. The people didn’t love her, that much was evident, her father was clearly happy with his new sons. The faith had no love her, her womanhood and status as heir made sure of that. She was alone here, her solace being the few letters from you that made their way to her and her regular flights on Syrax’s back. To her the war in Step-Stones was the most evil war in off history, it had taken her peace and worse her happiness.

Rhaenyra lived for those two years as if she was a revenant. Angry, bitter and resentful. How dare anybody be happy while she was denied her love. She remained as such until you pushed open the doors to the small counsel chambers and for the first time what felt like a thousand years Rhaenyra Targaryen felt joy. Finally her Dayne lord had returned.

Reunion of Souls: Reuniting with Rhaenyra after two years, two years of war and death and pain, made it quite possibly the single happiest moment of your life. There before her father, the lord hand and the other members of the small council the two of you embraced. Locked in a kiss which seemed to last forever Rhaenyra only broke it to ask if this was real. You held her closer, assuring her you were here to stay.

The two of you turned round on King Viserys. United hand in hand you asked only a single question. How soon could you be wed.

The Dragon at Dawn: It took months to prepare the wedding, something that Alicent seemed all too willing to help with. Cooks, bakers, trailers and more were contacted and brought to King's Landing. Myrish silks were imported for Rhaenyra's dress while your mother came to King's Landing and brought with her your father's clothing, the same clothes and cloak he had married your mother in. A dark purple attire emblazoned on the back with sword and star of House Dayne. The cloak was even more ornate, much like Dawn, the cloak was passed from father to son since the foundation of your most austere house.

Since your return neither you nor Rhaenyra wandered too far from one another. Few in the Red Keep could find one of you without the other. If Rhaenyra wanted to explore King's Landing you accompanied. If you desired to train from sun up to mid day she was there watching the entire time. During the time you truly got to meet her family, King Viserys was a kind, genial and polite man but you could see the sadness in his eyes whenever he looked at Rhaenyra. The two of you bonded, however slightly, over your losses. Your father for you and Queen Aemma for him. Queen Alicent was no warmer than before but she also wasn’t outwardly hostile. She expressed gratitude on your part, she had nearly lost hope that Rhaenyra would marry and for that she was grateful. In a somewhat humorous turn both Aegon and Aemond took to you rather quickly. Enamored by the Sword of the Morning with his magic great sword Dawn. You would become something of an older brother to them in the years to come.

Finally after the months came and went the day arrived when you wed Rhaenyra. In the tradition of House Dayne the wedding would take place at dawn. The whole of King's Landing, dozens of dornish and westerosi lords arrived the week of the event. But that night all you could think of was Rhaenyra and life to come after your union. The morning arrived, you were escorted to the Red Keep for the wedding. As you stood before the Iron Throne, surrounded by the men of your house looking out towards the doors your could barely contain the enormous grin on your face. Then, like a goddess, she arrived. Wreathed in myrish silk with a crown of Valyrian steel upon her head your truest love was coming to join you in holy union.

The world slowed when she came before you and both you barely containing your selves as the Septon droned on and on about the seven and their blessings. All you could focus on was a smile on Rhaenyra's face, the shape of her nose and sunlight reflecting in her eyes. You swore your vows to her and she swore hers to you. As your lips met to solidify the union of House Targaryen and Dayne a sheath of warmth came over the both of you and you knew. Peace and happiness had come at last.

Fin.

#rhaenyra targaryen x reader #hotd x reader #house targaryen #house dayne #rhaenyra targaryen x male reader #male reader #house of the dragon

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ludwig-holy-blade · 1 year

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This Cursed City

Plot: Now living the viper's den called King's Landing Lord Y/N Royce's life becomes more complicated.

Daemon Targaryen & Rhea Royce!Son x Rhaenyra Targaryen:

Prince Daemon Targaryen, Master of Laws:

To call your father an enigma was something of an understatement. He was at once a warrior and commander you admired with superb skill at arms. A gifted dragon-rider who rode one of the most battle hardened dragons still alive. However, he was also a lout who took pleasure in violence, a regular attendant of the Street of Silk and worse, the rat pits. A supremacist who thought that not just Valyrian blood but Targaryen blood in particular made him and his family closer to gods than men. Worse yet he used said supposed superiority to justify his lack of faith to your mother. Over the initial days and weeks in King’s Landing you had come find your father as a respectable warrior but an honor-less man.

Your first week there he had summoned you out of the Red Keep and brought you to his favorite pleasure house. To make a man of you he said. He handed you a bag overflowing with gold and told you to have as many whores you wanted. You were awkward, sitting in a chair just watching the goings on. The girls were all nice and complimentary but it was all feigned, all a lie and you despised it all. The patrons lied to their spouses and the whores to the patrons. In the end you parceled out the gold to random whores through out the building, an act of generosity rarely seen in Flea Bottom. When your father returned to the castle and found you had simply left without partaking he was disappointed. “I see your mother’s made you an honorable fool, like the rest of the Vale-men. Not much of dragon in you after all.” You said nothing and simply closed the door.

Queen Aemma Arryn, The Queen Consort:

Queen Aemma had to be one of your favorite new family members to have in King’s Landing. Not only was she of the Vale like you were and as such was unsurprised by your Royceish behavior. She often invited you to midday tea and would reminisce about home with you. It wasn’t much but it did go far in making you feel less alone in the foreign land of King’s Landing. The friendship between you only endeared you further to your uncle Viserys who found it heartwarming to see his nephew growing closer to his family.

The Princess and the Lady:

You were usually a calm and reasonable person that did not however, make you an agreeable person. After your father’s attempt at “bonding” with you failed you joined your mother amongst the objects of his ridicule. This only lead to further isolation from your peers. Once again you found solace in training. Now however you had the privilege of training against none other than Harrold Westerling, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. During one of these training sessions was when you truly met your cousin and her lady in waiting. The two of them had been watching you train against Ser Westerling and through great effort, you still lost, you were only three-and-ten after all. To your surprise the Princess Rhaenyra and Lady Alicent were standing by the training yard watching, they cheered as you finished. They called you over to speak and you were awkward to say the least. Suffice to say social interaction was not one of your more well honed skills.

Your polite manner was a joy to Lady Alicent, who was worried you might have been Daemon born again. To Princess Rhaenyra it immediately became her pleasure to tease you the moment she realized you could be flustered through a compliment. They decided they needed your help, Rhaenyra had a deep and intrinsic need for cake at that very moment and needed your help. She decided to steal it from the kitchens and needed you and Alicent to distract the kitchen staff so she could nab one. Why did she need to steal one? Because she wanted too that’s why. The plan went swimmingly, with Alicent feigning an argument with you in front of the kitchen staff. She slapped you for added dramatic effect, while Rhaenyra stole a cake.

The rest of your day was spent with the two girls talking, joking and enjoying each other’s company whilst of course eating cake. The bonds of friendship between you grew with surprising ease. Rhaenyra made it a mission of hers to draw you out. Tried to make you enjoy things outside of hunting and training, she taught you cyvasse and often used you to cover for much of her mischief. Lady Alicent enjoyed teaching you the nuances of courtly skill, she taught you dancing, singing (though it pained both of you listen to that) and the playing of an instrument. Their friendship was unencumbered by the expectations heaped upon you by your mother and father, they wanted nothing from you but friendship in turn. You returned it with devoted love. You became their confidant, a constant companion and principle defender. You taught Rhaenyra how ride a horse with expert skill and began teaching her the basics of sword-craft. For Lady Alicent you forged for her a dagger so she could use for herself and brought her books on the history of the Vale.

It was because of Rhaenyra and Alicent that you were given a very special gift for your four-and-tenth name day. Rhaenyra, with the support of Alicent was able to convince King Viserys to bring you to Dragonstone. It was high time you were given a dragon of your own.

The Cannibal and the Prince: You were turning four-and-ten, a year had now passed and you were finally given the chance to get a dragon of your own. You went by ship to Dragonstone, accompanied by King Viserys and Queen Aemma. Your father and Rhaenyra traveled on dragon-back, beating you there. On Dragonstone you were introduced shocked to find not only were your aunt Lady Rhaenys and her husband Lord Corlys Velaryon there to see you claim a dragon but they had brought your mother from Runestone to witness this herself. There was no loving greeting or grand embrace, she said only one thing to you. “Only claim the greatest of them.” Your father said nothing at all. As you stood before the entrance to the Dragonstone caves King Viserys and Princess Rhaenyra cheered you on. You entered the caves and hours passed, day turned to night and still there was nothing. You had little hope entering the caves and there was almost none left when you heard it. A roar from deep within and against your better judgement you went deeper.

You followed the noise and in time you found your way to a den. The den was littered with bones, broken dragon eggs and the decaying corpses of multiple small dragons. In the darkness of the cave you could barely make out the enormous coal black form of a dragon. It’s bright sickly green eyes following you through the darkness. The dragon was known as the Cannibal the oldest dragon on Dragonstone, or so the rumors said. He was wild and crazed prone to violence but he hadn’t moved yet. You had no idea how to claim a dragon much less one like Cannibal so you panicked and did something strange, you started to sing. You weren’t singing in common or valyrian however, you sang in the old tongue. As a child your mother did sing to you typically in the old tongue of the first men and you remembered one about the dragon Urrax. As you sung the great dragon roared in a strange semi-tune of his own and as the song came to it’s end the both of you fell into silence.

The common folk of Dragonstone fled into their homes as the shadow of Cannibal flew over their towns but in the castle of Dragonstone you could hear nothing but cheering from King Viserys, Princess Rhaenyra and even your father of all people. All were silence by the cheers of praise announced by your mother, her voice drowning out all others. You brought Cannibal to back to land and could for the first time call yourself truly happy. It was truly as shame, that it was not to last.

#house of the dragon #hotd x reader #hotd imagine #hotd headcanon #house targaryen #house royce #rhaenyra targaryen x reader #rhaenyra targaryen x male reader #male reader #rhaenyra targaryen

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ludwig-holy-blade · 1 year

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It Must Be You, Or No One.

Plot: You were a child born of Old Valyrian blood and blood of the First Men, life was never meant to be easy.

Daemon Targaryen & Rhea Royce!Son x Rhaenyra Targaryen:

Your Birth: Yours was not an easy birth. In the darkness of the night your mother, lady Rhea Royce, walked to the Maester's tower to give birth. Rather than aid her in this trial your father, Prince Daemon Targaryen, simply took to the skies on Caraxes and proceeded to remain there for the duration of your birth. It took the entire evening and into the next for you to come into this world, your mother demanded to have the window open so she could curse her husband. When dawn turned to dusk your mothers cries were replaced with your own. Your father returned not long after, a dragon egg in hand. When you were placed in his arms but rather than embrace as most fathers would Daemon Targaryen inspected you. He could find neither purple or blue in your eyes and your head hadn’t even a sliver of silver. Affronted he passed you to the midwife and left for Kings Landing that night. Dragon egg in hand. When you began to cry she attempted to pass you back your mother but alas Rhea refused and turned to rest asking you be taken elsewhere. Your grandfather, Yorbert Royce, Lord of Runestone carried you off whispering tales of old gods and heroes past as he did.

Childhood: Growing up neither of your parents were truly interested in you. Daemon spent the majority of his time in King's Landing only returning on your name-days with some expensive, extravagant gift from a far off place. Practice swords made of dragonbone, Qohoric knives, Lyseni silk clothing and the like. In the end however he would leave long before the day was over. Your mother concerned herself mostly with her companions and court favorites, riding out in hunting parties or out to engage in combat with the Mountain Clans. This left you alone mostly though it didn’t make you sullen so much as angry. The only attention you could muster from your mother was when you would pick fights with other children, some Corbray child or Waynewood heir. She would praise you ever so slightly if you’d won and scold you if you lost. When you were six your grandfather told you. "If your going to fight you might as well do it right." He showed you Lamentation, House Royce's Valyrian steel long sword and you wanted it. You set out with a new goal from there. You would be the greatest warrior to ever come out of Westeros much less the Eyrie. In time you’d set your eyes upon Dark Sister as well.

Your training was purposefully intense. Four hours of swordsmanship everyday, beginning at daybreak. Then time for food and lessons before another three hours devoted to mounted combat and finishing out more swordsmanship long into early hours of the night. You spurned socialization with other devoting yourself wholly to study of both blade and battle. Yes you also studied in preparation to one day rule Runestone but that was not your passion. Your passion was such that by the tender age of twelve not a single squire in Runestone could hold their own against you. Such was your skill that you trained against two at a time. It was in your three-and-tenth year when you were put to the test.

In celebration of your birth you were invited to hunt with your grandfather. For two days and a night you spent time in the woods with your father and a small contingent of Household guard. You drank wine and laughed freely. One of your happiest memories was watching your grandfather trip backwards into a river, nearly drown under the weight of his armor. It was in the evening when the mountain clans attacked. They overwhelmed the guards forcing you and your grandfather to flee for home. Somewhere in the madness your grandfather took an arrow and as you passed through the gates of Runestone he collapsed. In the chaos of the yelling and the screaming and the men carrying your grandfather away nobody noticed you taking Lamentation, a bow and a quiver bursting with arrows. In the dark of the night, you followed their trail back to their camp. It was small, they were celebrating. When you fell on them they didn’t expect it. You circled with your horse volleying arrows into their legs, dropping them where they stood. From there you collected fifteen heads from their living bodies and returned to the seat of your house bloodied with Lamentation on your hip.

King’s Landing: When news made it's way to King's Landing of what happened Viserys was incensed. With Daemon all but out of consideration for the throne you were Viserys's unspoken but clearly favored heir. He had made it clear that until he was certain her couldn’t produce another child, a male heir, then you would take the position as Viserys's heir. Apparently Daemon had failed to inform you during his last visit, your one-and-tenth name day. Worried for your safety he decided to demand your mother send you to King’s Landing for your protection as well as to begin proper education should you be chosen as his heir.

It was a bright and sunny day when you left home. Your mother waited at Runestones gates with you for your father to finally arrive. It was a long quiet wait with a mother in the throes of grief and about to be forced to speak to the husband she hated. She hadn’t said a word. When you heard the beating of Caraxes's wings was the moment Rhea finally spoke you. She unveiled Lamentation and passed it to you with a single command. "Show them boy, show them all who you are, remind them that the blood of the first men more than matches that of Old Valyria." Caraxes's shook the earth when he landed and Daemon Targaryen, a stranger with a familiar face who you called father, dismounted the dragon. You took up Lamentation, marched to your father and mounted the blood wyrm without of a word. You arrived in King's Landing that evening, the walk through the streets up towards the Red Keep was as silent as the flight. The entire time not a word was shared between you and your father. You had expected a silent entrance to the Red Keep to your surprise when the doors opened there was a celebration. Queen Aemma Arryn greeted you with an embrace followed by your cousin the Princess Rhaenyra. King Viserys greeted you warmly but the final embrace was your father, Daemon Targaryen took you into his arms and spoke for the first time that day. He said to you. "Welcome home son."

The Song of Ice and Fire: In the days following your arrival you spent a great deal of time with your uncle Viserys. He was different than you expected, at Runestone men were typically stoic, indomitable and soberingly serious but Viserys was surprisingly gentle. A man with a good soft heart, who was quick to laugh when he was happy, prone to tears when sad but he wasn’t weak he simply bore his emotions outward. In short he was a good man, you liked him, he reminded you of grandfather. He kept you close which you found mildly odd but threw it up to him being curious about his next possible heir. He found you quite funny as well, at only three-and-ten you were serious, dutiful, honor focused and quick to anger. You met any perceived slight to your house or family physically, especially if those insults involved your mother. Many a young man at court had made the mistake of referring to your mother by her new moniker "The Bronze Bitch" in your presence had found themselves lacking teeth. The few young ladies who’d disparaged your mother usually left your presence weeping after being bombarded with insults and cruel jabs.

Viserys would in time trust you with the secret of House Targaryen. You would be summoned in the dead of night by Harold Westerling, Lord Commander of the King's Guard. Taken to the King's chambers you were met by both Queen Aemma and King Viserys, there he explained everything about Aegon's prophecy and asked you what you thought about Dragons. You called them weapons to be feared and he approved. He wouldn’t call you heir yet, he and Aemma wanted to try once more for a boy child but should worst come to worst Viserys told you. "It must be you, or no one."

To be continued

#hotd x reader #hotd imagine #hotd headcanon #house of the dragon #house royce #house targaryen #daemon targeryan #viserys targaryen

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ludwig-holy-blade · 1 year

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Rhaenyra Targaryen Headcannons: Male Dayne Reader: Part III

War In The Step-Stones: All your life you had been raised to understand the true price of war. Your father made certain that you understood that war didn’t mean glory, honor or heroic song, war only brought death, violence and suffering. Good men would turn to butchery, rape and theft because they could before departing for home as though they hadn’t changed. Cruel men would take pleasure in every waking moment of the war, laughing and killing and burning their way across the realm. Your father, the Sword of the Morning ensured you knew this in your heart of hearts before you were even young man. However nothing could have prepared you for the true brutality of seeing War in the Step-Stones.

Your ship had been sunk before you could even arrive at the Step-Stones. Ships of the Triarchy had appeared suddenly and destroyed the multitude of ships moving to reinforce prince Daemon and Lord Corlys. Had you not leapt from the ship moment’s before impact you would have died. Your armor nearly drowned you but you had just enough time to grab on to a ships fallen mast. If Laenor Velaryon hadn’t of come in suddenly and burned the attacking ships with Seasmoke, the ships would have crushed you as they pushed forward.

As you pushed your way to shore and claimed your bearings you began to look around and notice. Men around you pale from blood loss. Gown men, frightening and devastating warriors all, begging for their mothers. This was war, the war you were warned of. There was no glory to be found here. But there was work to be done. You had promised Rhaenyra you would return and you had every intention of honoring that promise.

The Quagmire: War was hell, that much had become obvious but it became worse when you realized how much of a horrendous slog it would be day in and day out. Battle was not constant much of your day was spent marching with the men. You were Dornish, so few of the nobles showed you much favor and while Lord Laenor, Lord Corlys and Lord Vaemond were polite for the most part Prince Daemon took every opportunity to demean you. So you marched rather than ride, you fought with the infantry which bought you good will with many small-folk and landed knights. This did however only make it worse, when you did engage the enemy and your newfound companions were cut down, butchered and captured. This weighed on you and you knew little help would come from Westeros though you knew Rhaenyra would be petitioning her father day and knight trying her damndest to get you and the war front the help you needed. Help would arrive however sooner than expected but from a singularly unexpected source.

Dawn's Arrival: It was two years into the war when aid arrived. Sixty dornish ships appeared on the coast bearing the sigil of House Dayne upon their sails. At their head was your father Lord Maladon Dayne, Lord of Starfall and Sword of the Morning. With the aid of your father and the near fifteen thousand men he brought the tide of the battle turned in favor of Westeros. While House Dayne is famed mostly for their chief office of Sword of the Morning few and far between now about the sheer strength and skill of the men of Starfall. Most trained from childhood to be ready to fight at a moments notice. Many forget that the Dayne's were kings once like the Starks and the Durrandon's of old and to this day the family and their men at arms give testament to that bloodline.

Arise, Sword of the Morning: It had been some time since you had seen your father and you couldn’t have been happier. When you had left you had expected him to turn against you, rage against you and disown you from the family. You were surprised when he embraced you and declared you his son and heir before all his men, reaffirming your position. For months after the two of you would battle together, side by side like the stories of old. A Dayne lord and his heir cutting down the enemies of peace with dragons in the air and battle roaring around them, you had never been happier. But it was not to last.

A year after his arrival you and your father had fallen into a trap laid by the Crabfeeder. Drawn into a valley you, your father and seven hundred men were surrounded on all sides and pelted with arrows. Your plate armor protected you from the majority of the arrows, and you soon found yourself taking cover behind a large boulder with a shield covering what was left exposed. When you saw your father desperately dragging Vaemond Valeryon to cover you rushed to aid them earning yourself three arrows in painful but not lethal areas your father was not so lucky receiving four arrows to an exposed gap in his armor, piercing his lung. Had Daemon Targaryen not arrived so soon after you and Vaemond would have surely died.

Through some miracle your father lived long enough to be returned to the maestar who could do nothing but make him comfortable as he died. In his dying breath your father, Lord Maladon Dayne declared you worthy of his office. Not only of Lord of Starfall but of Sword of the Morning. You had passed every trial of strength, spirit or flesh that life had thrown at you and so as dusk fell that day you rose with Dawn in hand and swore a third vow to the moon and stars that you would not rest until you killed the Crabfeeder.

The Wars End: Two more years of war followed your fathers death. Two years of hunting and killing any man who was even remotely close to the Crabfeeder. Oddly this finally caused a bind to grow between you and Prince Daemon who likewise hated the Crabfeeder and wished to see him dead more so than anything at that time. The time finally came however when supplies were running low, men were demoralized and no amount of dragon fire or Valyrian steel could keep the campaign going. So Daemon Targaryen got clever.

It was during the siege of Bloodstone that aid from Westeros finally arrived. Both yourself and Daemon had grown tired of Viserys's negligence of the situation and perused the Princes plan to end this conflict quickly and to your own benefit. You and Daemon went alone under white flag to feign surrender and when Crabfeeder showed himself you struck. Wielding only a dagger Daemon rushed towards him while you followed behind with Dawn on your back, a shield in one arm and Dark Sister in the other. The sight was glorious the two of you cleaving through a truly ungodly amount of men to get to the Crabfeeder. You found him the dark of a cave struggling with Daemon, you tossed Daemon Dark Sister and took up Dawn. In two motions, the Crabfeeder died, You drove forward impaling the man who killed your father and Daemon removed his head to take for himself.

You left the Step-Stones quickly after. You had your revenge, Daemon would settle things there with the aid the Velaryons and you. You rushed by ship back towards Kings Landing you had made a promise before you left to marry Princess Rhaenyra you intended to keep it.

#hotd imagine #hotd x reader #male reader #rhaenyra targaryen x reader #Rhaenyra Targaryen x male reader #Dayne!Reader #house dayne

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ludwig-holy-blade · 1 year

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Prince of the Rat Pit Flea Bottom!Bastard Headcannons

Birth: Flea Bottom is a shit-scented corner of the city of King’s Landing. Filled to bursting with naught but low-lives, whores, criminals and those too poor and infirm to fight back against those who’d brutalize them. Thus it was into this world of shit that you were born. The bastard son of some noble from some far off place who would never know, your mother was another unknown quantity, she sold you to the owner of the brothel she worked at and he had but one purpose for young boys. While some might have sold boys to certain men of a certain persuasion he had a different interest. The Rat Pits.

Childhood: From the moment you were given over to the brothel owner you were no longer human. If you resisted any command you were beaten, if you caused any trouble you were starved. All transgressions were punished a severely as possible and your master relished in the power. You had no name, you were referred to only as Rat, one of many. You were given little food, what little there was you had to fight for which often resulted in the death of some of the smaller Rats. You always pried some food for yourself almost always taking a finger or two with it. When you had grown large enough, when your aggression and rage had been primed only then were you given over to the Pits.

The First Fight: Your first fight, the first kill was not an easy one. You were fighting another Rat, one owned by another brothel. He was larger and faster. He beat you for what felt like hours, driving his fists into your face over and over until one of your eyes went white. When the pain overtook you, when the realization that you were about to die rang though your skull, you retaliated. You bit his nose off, grinding the cartilage between your teeth. In his panic you pounced driving your thumbs deep into his eyes you proceeded to beat him, again and again until he stopped moving all together. Your gift for this victory was simple, new clothes, and new weapons. Your teeth were filed into fangs, all the better rip into your enemies with.

The Fights to Come: Over several years you won many bouts against many opponents, your savage and violent style making up for what you initially lacked in raw size and strength, though that too would come in time. With every fight your master grew richer and with every fight you began to wonder why. Why did you take orders from him why did you have to bow to man to did nothing but abuse you, force you to kill others and treat you like an animal. In time you realized you didn’t have to

The Rats: Whilst not engaged in fights you spent the majority of your time in an underground cellar beneath the brothel with the other Rats. You were one of the oldest boys, in a way they saw you as a leader. You would personally divide up the food as equally as possible, violently punishing any who attempted to take more than their ration. One plan of yours that truly helped the other was when you dealt with the actual rats in the cellar. Using a bucket and a morsel of food you rounded up every rat living in the cellar and left them in their. Over time they began to eat each other and when there was only a handful left you released them. Now the rats would eat other rats.

The Cat: During one evening a commotion woke you in the night, a cat screaming in the corner. You and several other Rats followed the noise to it’s source, a large black cat being attacked from all sides by the rats you had trained to hunt other rats. Before the sight of you all, the rats killed the cat. While the others went back to sleep you investigated the wall. The rats feasted as you stepped over them and when you probed the wall you found something, a hidden tunnel which led to the armory of the City Watch. When you realized this you couldn’t help but smile. A horrific and terrible smile.

The Rebellion of the Rat Pits: You spoke to your master with an idea, a plan for more money than he could ever dream of. What if he gathered all of the brothel owners and their rats for a single massive mock battle? The idea was profitable and your master agreed. What he could not know was that you had raided the City Watch armory for weapons and had hidden them in the brothel, in all the nooks and crannies that the master never looked in. Dozens of them were hidden beneath the dirt of the Rat Pit itself, easy to access for that was to come. During the day all the rats gathered in your home, every rat from every brothel, easily spoken to, easy to convince. During the match they were all gathered in the pit you at the center. In a voice like a dragons you roared for the attack and all at once nearly five hundred Rats attacked at once. Pulling swords, axes, mauls and spears from the dirt beneath their feet. It took nearly three hours but the majority of crowd would die, every master was killed first. Speared, beheaded or defenestrated, most of the guests were as well. But the true prize would come from a single guest that was found attempting to escape. A Prince with silver hair and a Valyrian steel sword. As your boys surrounded him, dozens of spears blocking him from escape, the Prince yielded.

The Silver Prince: Had Daemon Targaryen not been so far from the door when your rebellion began he could have escaped. But alas here he was now, dark sister pried from his fist, nearly three dozen spears pointed at his throat and surrounded by fanged, snarling children. However, what caught his eye was not the children but you. You stood above them, like a warlord amongst his troops directing every movement, every attack. You matched his gaze and Daemon could tell that whatever happened here tonight you were not finished and as that realization dawned on his face you smiled a wolf’s smile.

TO BE CONTINUED IN THE RATS REBELLION.

#house of the dragon #flea bottom #hotd imagine #oc

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ludwig-holy-blade · 2 years

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Rhaenyra Targaryen Headcanons: Male Dayne Reader: Part II

The Time of Mourning: Rhaenyra was inconsolable. For the intervening months you acted as her rock, serving as her confidant and sworn shield. In the days and weeks following Aemma's death you had spent nearly every moment in Kings Landing attempting to console her. Hours spent in the godswood reading to her or reminiscing with Rhaenyra about her favorite memories. In that time old feelings resurfaced and young love sprouted once more and in fact even more virulent than previously. Those feelings once kindled by letters and smalls gifts became a bonfire within Rhaenyra. Warming and comforting her during what was then, the most difficult part of her life. Your unwavering support became even more important when Viserys named her heir to the Iron Throne.

A show of Force: You accompanied Rhaenyra every where even the small council meetings. Though the both of you despised them your mutual support made the meetings less tedious and annoying. The true test of your patients came with news of the Crab-Feeder. To watch as Rhaenyra was ignored by the council, by her own father when she was correct the need for force made you want to cleave some of these men in two. As always, when they sent her away to choose new Kingsguard, you went with her.

Ser Criston Cole: There were two people you could say you truly hated in Kings Landing one of them was Criston Cole and. When you joined Rhaenyra in her choosing a new member for the Kingsguard you couldn’t help but notice how Criston's eyes lingered on Rhaenyra more than they should have. Rhaenrya couldn’t help but notice your reaction to this and couldn’t help herself but tease you. The entire walk back she could do nothing but dawn over his handsome face and skill at arms. You silenced such comments with a kiss. Her plan all along. Displays of affection between you both were rare. Despite your closeness being well documented, neither of you wanted to give the schemers and plotters any chance to accuse her of impropriety. There was one person however whom Rhaenyra trusted beyond all others who she was fine telling about the both you. A person you wouldn’t trust as far as you could throw.

Lady Alicent Hightower: Just because you didn’t trust the lady Alicent didn’t mean you harbored her any I’ll will. This was not mutual. You were Dornish and she a Reachman your people had killed each other for generations. Not to mention her father had warned her to be wary of the ways of foreigners. You however didn’t trust her for a singular reason. Her father was a cunt. A scheming, conniving political animal that would do anything and everything to garner more power for his family. It was this proclivity towards power grabs that united you and Rhaenyra in your opinions on Hightowers.

A Sisterhood Broken: To call Rhaenyra incensed to learn her father planned to marry her girlhood friend would be a gross and dangerous understatement. Unlike her usual wroth Rhaenyra was overtaken by silent, belligerent rage. The entire court could see it in her hateful glances and hear it in her clipped and snapping tone. You however could see a step beyond that, the rage and anger a mask for betrayal. Alicent had been as a sister to Rhaenyra, her friend and confidant. While the court whispered of the young dragon-riders rage you had held her in the quiet night as she wept, grieving a friendship lost. She clung to you all through the night making you swear and swear to her that you’d never leave her. Regrettably you couldn’t keep that promise.

The Cruel Wars: When Daemon Targaryen and Corlys Valeryon made off to the step-stones to wage war against the Triarchy many men at arms and knights went with him. When they did you knew you had to join them. How could you not, men, women and children were suffering under Prince Drahar's sadism and would suffer still if nothing was done. You explained this for nearly six hours to Rhaenyra when you told her and still she raged. Crying and screaming, ordering you not to go. When the anger passed you held her close and promised her you’d return, this vow you made to the moon and stars same as the last. She refused to speak to you for the rest of the evening, demanding you leave her. The following day as you announced your intent to leave before the court and King Viserys Rhaenyra approached you. In front of the eyes of entire court she took out her favor and wrapped it about your wrist before drawing you in for a kiss. The kiss was long and deep and full of promise. You held her and whispered to her that when you returned you would take her to wife and with promises traded you left to join the cruel wars.

#house targaryen #house dayne #house of the dragon #rhaenyra targaryen #rhaenyra targaryen x reader

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ludwig-holy-blade · 2 years

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Rhaenyra Targaryen Headcannons: Male Dayne Reader

How you met: The two of you met as children. You had come as a squire for your father the then Sword of the Morning whilst he was escorting the Martell envoy to the Targaryen royal family.

When she first saw you: When she first laid eyes on you Rhaenyra was only a girl of only seven, she was bored before she saw you, preferring to be on dragon back rather than meeting some boring foreigners. Then she saw you. All black hair and purple eyes, the heir to Starfall, squire to the Sword of the Morning. She wanted you and Rhaenyra always gets what she wants.

When you first saw her: Rhaenyra took your breath away when first you saw her. Her eyes were like yours, a vibrant lilac, her hair was pale silver and you couldn’t bring yourself to look away. Though not a woman grown she was as a goddess to you. One you would happily worship.

Kings landing: You spent no less than eight months in Kings Landing. Most if not all of your time there was spent with Rhaenyra. Playing games where she was a queen and you her faithful knight or Rhaenyra and her friend Alicent would pass you back and forth in a kissing game. Over those eight months as the adults argued over making the six kingdoms into seven and trading routes you Rhaenyra became as close as children could you even swore vows before the weirwood in a mock wedding. When the negotiations fell through and the Dornish returned home none were so incensed as Rhaenyra, who begged her father to make you stay. As she said her goodbye she gave you her favor, a red lilac cloth embroidered with the sigil of House Targaryen. In the end you left with little argument but you did make a vow upon the moon and stars to her that you would return one day her gift to her.

The years between: Forbidden from flying Syrax to see you Rhaenyra made due by sending raven after Raven to you and you returned in kind. Letter after letter, two or three a day you maintained your friendship. She kept each letter in a oak box gilded in gold and jewels. With each letter your childhood affection turned to young love it became known amongst the Red Keep that the Princess's heart was firmly in the grasp of the heir of Starfall. In time however the letters became less frequent, never ceasing but rather becoming less frequent as your training to take your fathers place grew in intensity and Rhaenyra's responsibilities took up more of her time. She did not now that the birth of her brother Baelon would reunite you both.

The Heir's Tourney: You hid upon a ship bound for King's Landing news, of a tourney to commemorate the coming birth of Prince Baelon had reached your ears and you took your chance to see your Princess again. You entered the melee as a mystery knight: The Morningstar Knight. Your weapon of choice, the great-sword. During the melee you watched as other men fell either dead or unconscious and despite your age you were never once touched by a blade. The sight of a single man, cleaving his way through a crowd of men drew the attention of the Princess, entranced by your prodigious skill. When time came to announce the champion there was no question, you standing covered in mud and blood were asked to reveal your face. The sight of your black hair and lilac eyes set the crowd into silence as Rhaenyra rose her feet. When she made her way to you she noticed a lilac cloth tied around your neck. When she met your eyes she knew for certain it was you and embraced you like a warrior returned from a long campaign.

Reunited: Rhaenyra’s joy turned quickly to mourning, the deaths of her mother in the birthing bed, then later her brother in his crib. She needed you now more than ever and so it was. You would be there through all the storms and battles to come. But those are stories for another day.

#rhaenyra targaryen x reader #rhaenyra targaryen #male reader #house of the dragon #game of thrones #house targaryen #house dayne

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ludwig-holy-blade · 2 years

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On The Topic of Design: Silas Vorez

I recently played supermassive games's recent interactive horror game The Quarry. In this game the main antagonists are werewolves with a rather interesting design.

While I don’t think much work was put into the design of the werewolves I actually quite like them simply due to the rather unique look they were given. They look like hairless bears with really long arms and human faces. If I could add anything to them it would be small amount of hair on their upper backs/shoulders, lower legs and forearms.

My greater complains is with the design Silas Vorez, the werewolf progenitor himself. Silas is canonically the oldest of the werewolves, possibly one by birth depending on whether or not the theory that Eliza caused his affliction by playing with black magic. The origin of the lycanthropic curse notwithstanding I think they dropped the ball with Silas's design all together.

Aside from being albino, which is barely perceptible due to the sheer darkness of the game. There is no physical difference between him and the other werewolves. This was a major mistake on supermassive games's part but one that could be easily rectified.

The one and only thing necessary to make Silas visually distinct from the others is simple and sweet. Make him fucking enormous. The were wolves are already nearly ten feet tall but they’re also sickly looking, if I had designed Silas I would have made him significantly more muscular, I would have slapped an extra two or three hundred pounds to the lad. Just imagine how much more intimidating the character would be if he looked even more like a fuck off werewolf.

In short, Silas Vorez should have looked a little less like the Until Dawn Wendigo and more like the werewolf from The Cursed 2022

#the quarry #the quarry spoilers #Silas Vorez #character design

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ludwig-holy-blade · 2 years

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Jason Todd: The Boy Who Loved Too Much

Due to the discourse around Gotham Knights and it's writers decision to confirm that (at least in their continuity) Jason Todd did kill Felipe Garzonas, I would like to offer my two-cents.

To make it very simple: I think it’s a brilliant decision if it’s portrayed correctly.

Now before you cut off my head let me explain.

Jason Todd especially as Robin was an absolute sweetheart who had an enormous heart and plenty of love to give to any all who welcomed it in turn. Bruce, Alfred, Dick you name it he was ready and willing to give all the love he had to each every one of them.

Regrettably this made him also susceptible to a deep and intense capability for rage and violence that matches his capacity for love and good works. Jason Todd is the embodiment of the quote. “I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.” Jason feels very strongly. He's never just happy he’s exuberant, he’s never just angry he's enraged, he's never just sad he's despondent. Whenever Jason feels anything he feels it with the entirety of his being.

This is why Felipe Garzonas was the thing that broke Jason Todd.

Through his diplomatic immunity status Garzonas was able to get away with brutally raping and assaulting several young girls one of whom, named Gloria, Jason became very attached to. When Felipe was eventually arrested on drug charges he makes sure that his one phone call is to Gloria and in full view of Batman and Robin promises to see her again that evening.

Despite their best efforts to reach her Jason and Bruce find her hanging from her rafters, having killed herself rather than face the trauma of being assaulted once again by Felipe. In response Jason tracks down Felipe (who’s been released on bail) and chases the man to the roof of his apartment. It’s left and ambiguous as to whether or not Jason pushed Felipe off the roof or if Felipe slipped but in the end it had the same effect. Batman no longer fully trusted Jason as he couldn’t figure it out either.

In my opinion it doesn’t really matter whether or not he did or didn’t push Felipe in Jason’s eyes Felipe's death was a net positive on the world.

In Gotham knights since they’ve chosen the Jason killed Felipe path the only have one good way of selling this.

Jason killing Felipe should only be portrayed as a the beginning of Jason’s tragedy. Jason Todd was a young boy who believed in good and justice and righteousness. He believed that if he could just do enough good then it would even out the bad. I like to imagine that Jason saw himself and Bruce Arthurian knights of sorts, battle a long hard war against the forces of evil and misfortune but always coming out the victor.

Felipe broke that image. Felipe showed Jason that sometime evil wins, it gets away, it against all reason and logic runs off into the sunset. If Jason killed Felipe than it was for one reason only, Jason saw devil when looked at Felipe and decided that sometimes the only way to stop evil is to kill it and cast it into the wind. But for Jason this is a tragic thing. Felipe one in the end if this is the case, he got one final victim in as he died. He violated Jason as much as he did Gloria and Jason was never that same afterwards. That’s the tragedy not that Felipe died or that Jason killed him. The tragedy is that as Felipe's body hit the ground m, turning into a pink and red stain on Gotham's pavement, evil won and Jason knew it.

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ludwig-holy-blade · 2 years

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Kirin O'Connor and the Art of Eternal Defense.

In season 2 of The Wilds I was shocked to find how much I enjoyed the character of Kirin O'Connor. What I initially believed would be just a simple straw man example of toxic masculinity to be used as the narratives punching bag turned out to be, in my opinion at least, to be the most interesting member of the male group. By the by we seriously need to come up with a name for them, but we’ll put a pin in that for now.

The reason for his nuance and depth comes from the fact that despite being an extroverted and incredibly big hearted young man Kirin exists in a constant state of eternal defense. Unlike his counterpart Ivan who is in a contrast state of offense Kirin hides. He hides his emotions behind the veneer of a typical all American douche bag. He hides his incredibly caring and protective aspects behind the veil of nonchalance and general apathy. However we also see that in stressful situations, such as the aftermath of the "plane crash", Kirin's first action is to get to everyone up and moving, trying to give the others an objective a problem they can solve. His first response is to take care of others.

Of course Kirin ends up seeding control to Seth , the mistake to end all mistakes. In my personal opinion Kirin and Ivan should have taken control, split leadership between them but I digress. But that choice, to give leadership to Seth would eventually reveal to the others this hidden side to Kirin through his intense and unprecedented protection of Josh. It was Kirin who pushed for the expulsion of Seth, Kirin who demanded immediate action and later took intense retaliation against Seth not only on Josh’s behalf but also on the behalf of the group when Seth took the lighter with him.

The root of all this, I believe stems from Kirin's nonexistent home life. He has a mother who isn’t a mother. A father who was never there and he ended up relying on his lacrosse coach for a proper parental figure. In essence Kirin has been alone for the majority of his life, no one to protect him or care for him as children deserve. To this effect I don’t think that Kirin can stand to see people being abandoned and left alone to fend for themselves. This is why he responded so passionately to Josh.

Regrettably when he’s abandoned again. When the others leave the group to join Rafe and Seth Kirin responds by shutting down, he recedes back into himself and hides once again. He is once again pretending to be someone else. I think in season 3 we will see Kirin finally decide whether or not he will stop hiding and instead embrace a role as the protector of both groups embracing a more vulnerable side and allowing himself to become a pillar for members of both groups to lean on in times of crisis.

#kirin oconner #the wilds

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