Rhaegar Targaryen

* this is a continuation of my Month of Thrones series. Note that there are no spoilers past season three for my non-book readers*

 

"There was a melancholy to Rhaegar, a sense... of doom"

"Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died."

I'm doing things a little differently today by discussing a character who is not only dead long before season three, but also one that never makes a direct appearance in the books/show. Despite this, I believe that he is one of the most important characters in the entire series as his actions snowballed into the current events coming into season 4. The first we hear of Rhaegar Targaryen, Robert is vehemently bashing his character out of hatred while Ned doesn't exactly agree despite the circumstances. We also hear bits of his character from Daenerys, who as his sister, would want to know the most about her famed brother.

He was born out of grief, during the Tragedy of Summerhall where his great-grandfather (the renowned Aegon V) and his great uncle (the heir, Duncan) died, in which then his grandfather, the sickly Jaehaerys II was raised to the throne. He always carried around the melancholy attitude through his life and it was said he was more thoughtful and sad. He was said to be a beautiful man with lilac eyes, long silver hair and sad eyes. He was also a skilled musician and bard. A bookish boy initially, he read something that inspired him to become a warrior. He then excelled and became well known for his skills at jousting and sword-fighting, besting many of the greats (Ser Arthur Dayne, Barristan Selmy) of the time during tournaments in the realm. The tournament that he is most infamous for is the Tourney at Harrenhal, where he beat the competition and as the winner was able to crown a Queen of Love and Beauty. Instead of choosing his wife, Elia Martell, he choose to crown the beautiful Lyanna Stark, which caused a scandal.

In the year following the tourney, it is said Rhaegar "stole" Lyanna (who was betrothed to Robert Baratheon), which led to the beginning of Robert's Rebellion. This event was the steppingstone of the the entire story, as Robert wouldn't have rebelled against the Targaryens, they wouldn't have been wiped out and Ned's father and older brother would still be alive, changing many things for all involved. He still has a strong presence in the story as Daenerys tries to emulate his good traits while also naming one of her dragons after him. He also inspires hatred in Robert, who accepts the brutal murder/rape of the remaining Targaryens (Rhaegar's wife, his daughter and his infant son), which causes his falling out with Ned. The most interesting thing about Rhaegar was that on the way to what would be his final battle, he told Jaime Lannister that things were going to change, which would hint towards a coup against his crazy/paranoid father, Aerys. This may have also been one of the deciding factors for Jaime to kill Aerys rather than have him destroy the city in madness.

Rhaegar was a key factor in the story affecting lives, marriages, kingdoms and alliances and his presence will always be felt as his remaining sister seeks revenge for his death and for the rest of her family (also for the nomadic life she was forced to live).