|| TARGARYEN OC ||

Rhaegal was his father’s favorite. Despite his birth being the cause of his mother’s death, he was seen as Alyssa’s final gift to Baelon. From a young age, he was spoiled—with horses, swords, and books. He often rode through the woods with his father to hunt.  

Daemon, his older brother by only one year, frequently fought with him, as brothers do. They would sneak out into Flea Bottom together or fly their dragons over Dragonstone and King’s Landing.  

Rhaegal tamed his dragon, Altherion, at only twelve years old—a massive black dragon with purple wings and eyes, larger than Caraxes, with a long tail.  

He also spent much of his time with Viserys, who was ten years older, learning and debating late into the night.  

Even as a child, Rhaegal was known for his beauty and charm, though he already showed signs of arrogance. By fifteen, he was already 5’11.  

At sixteen, Rhaegal impregnated a prostitute from the Street of Silk, who demanded their son be legitimized. Rhaegal wished to claim the child, but his father forbade it. The mother was declared mad and sent to the Silent Sisters, while the child was raised among the brothel workers.  

The boy, named Matarys, still lives in the Street of Silk. Rhaegal secretly sends him coin and ensures, through informants, that he does not fall into prostitution.  

At nineteen, his father died. In the aftermath, Rhaegal grew closer to both Viserys and Daemon.  

At twenty-one, following the succession crisis, Viserys ascended the throne. Rhaegal remained on Dragonstone with Daemon.  

At twenty-four, Rhaegal married out of duty to Maria Baratheon. He barely knew her and made little effort to. He fulfilled his duties as a husband until the war in the Stepstones began, at which point he left for battle.  

The Stepstones War:  

The War for the Stepstones was fought over control of the archipelago between Dorne and Essos. Though the islands themselves were of little value, they controlled vital trade routes.  

Infested by pirates, they were eventually taken by the Triarchy—an alliance between Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh—who began attacking Westerosi ships. This provoked conflict with House Velaryon.  

Aided by Corlys Velaryon, Daemon and Rhaegal waged war against them.  

While Daemon fought from the skies on his dragon, Rhaegal chose to fight on the ground alongside his men, engaging in brutal close combat. He refused to use Altherion in battle, fearing the dragon’s wild nature might become uncontrollable if pushed too far.  

During the war, Rhaegal proved himself to be an exceptional military strategist—something all around him recognized.  

Daemon eventually slew the Crabfeeder and crowned himself King of the Narrow Sea. He named Rhaegal his acting prince.  

It was there Rhaegal earned the titles Prince of Ash and Stones and The Silver Sentinel.  

When they returned to King’s Landing, both Daemon and Rhaegal publicly bent the knee to Viserys, demonstrating unity within House Targaryen.  

Rhaegal returned to Dragonstone, hoping to reunite with his wife. Instead, he found that Maria Baratheon had taken her own life. She had grown frail in both mind and body, claiming to hear voices in the winds of Dragonstone.  

Rhaegal felt pity—but also distance. He had never truly known her and found her death strange rather than devastating. He ultimately dismissed it as madness and considered it a mercy that they had produced no heirs to inherit her instability.  

Rhaegal later returned to King’s Landing, where he was named Master of War. Though the title carried weight, it held little real power during Viserys’ peaceful reign.