George R R Martin - The Rise of the Dragon

behind to rule from Dragonstone and King’s Landing—sometimes even rendering judgments and giving commands while seated on the Iron Throne. Queen Rhaenys, who filled the court with singers and bards and was a friend to women and children throughout the realm, once sat in judgment over the case of a husband who beat his wife to death and whom the dead woman’s brothers wanted punished. According to the Faith, it was proper for a husband to chastise his wife, but Rhaenys determined that no more than six blows were permissible, as the seventh would be for the Stranger, who is death. As the husband had administered ninety-four blows in addition to the lawful six, the brothers were allowed to return him the same number.

During Aegon I’s reign, King’s Landing grew rapidly:

2 BC—The site of the future King’s Landing is only a fishing village and armed encampment, with a motte-and-bailey and palisade at the peak of the highest hill.

1 AC—King’s Landing has grown to a bustling town of several thousand souls.

10 AC—King’s Landing has officially become the newest city in Westeros, albeit the smallest.

19 AC—Aegon commands the city to be walled, with seven gates to honor the Seven gods of the Faith.

20 AC—Construction of the walls begins under the oversight of Ser Osmund Strong, the Hand of the King.

25 AC—King’s Landing becomes the third largest city in Westeros, behind only Lannisport and Oldtown.

26 AC—The construction of the city walls is completed.

33 AC—King’s Landing is still the third largest city in Westeros, but now has a population over one hundred thousand.

35 AC—The Aegonfort is torn down and construction begins on the Red Keep, overseen by the current Hand, Alyn Stokeworth, and Queen Visenya.

Visenya was sterner and less well-loved—a warrior and an alleged dabbler in poisons and dark arts—but she was just as capable as either of her younger siblings. Her most notable addition to the king’s court was the creation of the Kingsguard in 10 AC, following multiple attempts on Aegon’s life by Dornish assassins. Until then, Aegon had trusted to his guards and his own skill with a sword to protect him, but after one such attempt, Visenya drew her Valyrian steel sword, Dark Sister, and slashed his cheek before he or any of his guards could respond. After that, Aegon admitted the wisdom of her argument and allowed her to provide him with better protection.

But Aegon trusted more than just his sisters. At his first coronation at the Aegonfort, Aegon had granted offices to his earliest supporters. Daemon Velaryon, Lord of the Tides and Master of Driftmark, would be the first admiral and master of ships. (For many years, the Velaryons—who provided the bulk of the royal fleet—would be so regularly appointed to this office that it seemed almost hereditary.) Upon Daemon’s death, the position was granted to his son, Aethan. Triston Massey, Lord of Stonedance, became the master of laws. Crispian Celtigar became the master of coin. Orys Baratheon, Aegon’s baseborn half-brother, became the first Hand of the King.

Raising the walls of King’s Landing.

Yet after his return from captivity in Dorne, minus his sword hand, Orys felt he would be a laughingstock—the Hand without a hand—and so he resigned the office in 7 AC. Lord Edmyn Tully succeeded him until 9 AC, but then desired to return to the riverlands after the death of his wife in childbirth. Alton Celtigar, Lord of Claw Isle, then became the King’s Hand until he died in 17 AC. Ser Osmund Strong next served until his death in 34 AC. After him came Lord Alyn Stokeworth.

In 5 AC, Aegon also asked the Citadel in Oldtown to send one of their maesters to advise him. They elected Archmaester Ollidar to become the first Grand Maester, but he died within a year. He was succeeded by Archmaester Lyonce, who served until his passing in 12 AC. After that—and perhaps learning from their mistakes—the Citadel dispatched Grand Maester Gawen, a younger man, who would serve King Aegon and the Iron Throne for thirty years.

Visenya saw the Kingsguard not only as a protective force for the king, but also as a powerful emblem of his right to rule. Though other kings may have had single champions, the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms should have seven, she declared, and these seven should be knights, sworn and anointed to the king’s service alone. Their cloaks and armor would be pure white, showing both the purity of their duty and their lack of allegiance to whatever house they had been born into. She modeled their vows on those of the Night’s Watch, and like the Night’s Watch, they would serve for life—giving up their fortunes and lands and titles, and swearing themselves to celibacy, so they would be devoted to no one but the king.

Also, rather than choosing champions from a grand tourney, Visenya hand-picked the men herself, judging them by their loyalty and willingness to die for their king as well as by their skill at arms. The first seven she chose are storied names: Ser Richard Roote; Ser Addison Hill, Bastard of Cornfield; the brothers Ser Gregor and Ser Griffith Goode; Ser Humfrey the Mummer; Ser Robin Darklyn, called Darkrobin; and Ser Corlys Velaryon, the first Lord Commander. Each would have their names and deeds written down in the White Book, the chronicle of the Kingsguard, and two would die in the king’s service.

The first Kingsguard.

Aenys and Maegor.

THE OTHER ROLE of a king, after establishing his realm, is to beget heirs. Though Aegon and his sisters came to the throne childless, all three were young and healthy, and it was expected that children would soon follow. As the years passed, however, some at court grew concerned. Much attention was therefore given to the relationships between the three siblings. Aegon’s marriage to Visenya, his elder sister, had been expected and proper, according to the Targaryen tradition, but marrying Rhaenys as well was unusual. Many assumed that, of the two, it was Rhaenys who held his heart, while his relations with Visenya spoke more of duty.

Whether true or not, it was observed that Aegon spent ten nights with Rhaenys for every night he spent in Visenya’s bed, so it was no surprise when Rhaenys was the first to give birth in 7 AC. Her son was named Aenys. He was weak and sickly to begin with, refusing wet nurses and instead nursing only from Rhaenys’s own breast. And after his mother’s death in 10 AC, he became even weaker, reverting to crawling instead of walking and inconsolable at her loss. He began to thrive only after he was given the hatchling dragon Quicksilver.

Some would later whisper that one of the handsome young men who flocked to Rhaenys’s side at court must have been his actual father—especially as he grew and became less and less like his grave, stern, warrior father. Aenys was kind, charming, and soft-spoken—eager to please and preferring music and dance to other pursuits. He was an adequate fighter, but no true warrior. This was in marked contrast to his younger half-brother.

For in 11 AC, Visenya announced that she was with child. Maegor was born the next year on Dragonstone—a large and robust child. He was mostly raised on Dragonstone by Visenya and had little early contact with his elder half-brother. Like his father, there were early signs of his talent for arms—although there were also early signs of his cruelty. (He used his first sword to kill a cat, and at the age of eight he stabbed a horse to death after it kicked him.)

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