As a princess of the grand Targaryen dynasty, Rhaenys Targaryen more than makes up for the great legacy of her ancestors. The House of the Dragon character is incredibly brave, intelligent, and loyal to her name. Rhaenys Targaryen won’t have anyone stand in her way, unless duty demands it, a true staple in the Game of Thrones prequel series.
Rhaenys Targaryen is quickly becoming a fan favorite character in House of the Dragon, and even with nine episodes of the first season, she’s become a vastly important character in the entire Game of Thrones mythos. However, even with her explosive entrances, some may still have questions regarding the Queen Who Never Was.
7 Dragonrider Of Meleys
Most of the power of the Targaryen dynasty comes from their relationship with dragons. They seem at one with them and can ride them with ease. Rhaenys Targaryen is one of the many Dragonriders of House Targaryen and owns the mount of Meleys, the Red Queen. The name comes from her scales, as Meleys has bright red scales that make her distinct from the rest.
She formed her bond with the dragon Meleys in 87 AC and has since gone on many adventures with the dragon. It’s a great use for travel and beats boats and horse-drawn carriages any day, especially when the dragon is one of the fastest in the realm, and may even rival the powerful Caraxes.
6 Great Velaryon Wealth
Due to a marriage with Corlys Velaryon, Rhaenys Targaryen came into a great bout of wealth. Her power was already great, thanks to the Targaryen name and her dragon, but an alliance and love from the Velaryon name meant rivaling the wealth of the Iron Throne itself. Corlys went on many voyages and brought back intense wealth from silks, gold, and other rare materials.
Due to the grand wealth of the Velaryon name, Corlys and Rhaenys have quite the money and power to spend on whatever they desire. They spent a great deal of wealth on the petition to make Rhaenys Targaryen Queen of the seven kingdoms, and even in their loss, the wealth did not seem like such a blow.
5 Pale Violet Eyes
One of the stark features of Targaryens is their famous white hair. A lot of their features can be passed down due to their practice of incest, which keeps their genes rare and of their own house. Considering Rhaenys Targaryen is the descendent of Aegon Targaryen and his sister, Rhaenys Targaryen will inevitably have the same white hair as her house. But, one thing is left out of the show, which is her violet eyes.
Violet and purple eyes are other features of the Targaryen dynasty. However, it has been left out of House of the Dragon for obvious reasons, as they are rather distracting, and the cast probably wouldn’t want to wear contacts every day for filming. However, this is a known fact that Rhaenys Targaryen’s eyes were a pale violet.
4 Born In 74 AC
In the language of Ice and Fire, AC means “After the Conquest,” which represents the years after Aegon’s conquest over the Seven Kingdoms. AC is used by the Citadel for the histories of Westeros and remains as their touchstone for such an event. 74 AC was the year that Rhaenys Targaryen was born into the world of Westeros, daughter to Prince Aemon Targaryen and Lady Jocelyn Baratheon.
Although not a lot of events are known in 74 AC, the birth of Rhaenys Targaryen is an important one, as she remains an important figurehead throughout the House of the Dragon. Fans should know her birth year, to follow her continuing story.
3 Didn’t Attend The Royal Wedding
After Queen Aemma Arryn died in 105 AC, there was a void left in the kingdom, as King Viserys was left grieving and without a wife. After much deliberation, Viserys chose Alicent Hightower to be his wife, which left Rhaenys Targaryen angered by the decision. This was because this was the third time the Velaryon name had been scorned by the Targaryen dynasty.
One of these scorns came when Rhaenys Targaryen suggested that Viserys marry her twelve-year-old daughter, Laena. Due to the outrage and upset over Alicent being chosen, Rhaenys Targaryen and her family did not attend the wedding in 106 AC, a notable absence from such a royal event, but not nearly as notable as Daemon Targaryen's constant charisma.
2 The Queen Who Never Was
It’s well known that Rhaenys Targaryen was betrayed for her status as a woman, and denied her right to the Iron Throne. Rhaenys Targaryen saw the support of some, such as Boremund Baratheon and Ellard Stark, but others would not see it that way and believed a woman should never sit on the Iron Throne. As such, Viserys Targaryen was crowned as the new king, with the assembled lords voting twenty to one in favor of Viserys.
Since then, Rhaenys Targaryen has remained strong for both her houses, despite her betrayal of her birth house denying her as Queen. Even the court jester, Mushroom, named her “The Queen Who Never Was,” a title that sticks with her amongst the smallfolk.
1 Her Marriage Was Her Own
A lot of the marriages that audiences see in House of the Dragon are preordained by the parents and the councils of those that seek to keep power installed in houses. Marriages are all for power. Whether under the illusions of love, like the manipulation of King Viserys, or for the strength of the Targaryen and Velaryon houses with the arranged marriage of Rhaenyra and Laenor.
There is once a time when characters could just be happy with one another, without the arrangement made for them. It was Rhaenys Targaryen who wanted to marry Corlys and informed the king of her plans to do so. He gave her his blessing and married Corlys in 90 AC at age sixteen. Their love is clear throughout House of the Dragon, and a genuine one.