#ive wanted rohan as an LI for so long

[aegor-bamfsteel]

Since the Blackfyres were mentioned to have a court in exile do you think Aegor was Rohane's hand of the Queen, since she probably served as regent for her son? Why didn't any Targaryen kings try and arrange a marriage between a Blackfyre and a Targ to try and end the fighting? Any headcanons on Bittersteel and Rohanne's dynamic? How they thought of each other? Who do you think Bittersteel picked as his successor to lead the Golden Company?

These are all great questions that merit more time than I’ve spent on them, but I’ve kept you waiting long enough.

Do I think Aegor was Rohanne’s Hand of the Queen? Contrary to fandom wisdom, I don’t believe so. We don’t know a great deal about either character, but we do know that Aegor served with the Second Sons as a sellsword for a time prior to founding the Golden Company, which meant he wasn’t around during part of the crucial regency period. In addition, although Yandel is a biased Blackfyre-hater and him castigating Aegor for “being focused only on the arts of war” is seriously underestimating Aegor’s strategic acumen, it certainly implies that Aegor wasn’t interested or knew he was incapable of the duties that being Hand required. So while Aegor was developing the fighting style that would make the Golden Company famous, another man (perhaps older, from a wealthy family, and capable of forging alliances/not offending the local elite) served as Hand. Depending on the state of the exile court, the Hand could’ve been one of Rohanne’s kin, or from one of the more important exile families minus the Peakes (I say no Peakes because of Gormon’s plan lacked the broader support of the Blackfyre exiles). One of my no-evidence headcanons is that the Hand was Robb Reyne, a famed knight from a wealthy family who very possibly went into exile in Tyrosh (since by the Peake Rebellion, the Reynes were on the side of Maekar).

Now for some wank under the cut:

Why didn’t any Targaryen kings try and arrange a marriage between a Blackfyre and a Targ to try and end the fighting? The Targaryens treated the Blackfyres as undeserving of basic respect (see: the way they handled every member from Daemon I to Aenys); they weren’t going to wed any of their precious family members to this disgusting line of bastards, “born of lust and lies” who rebelled despite how graciously Da3ron II rewarded Daemon with a keep and a wife (even though he only did that to avoid angering the Archon of Tyrosh, but he’s called Da3ron the Good, so he must be kind and generous!) The Targaryens would rather marry two of their princes to Kiera of Tyrosh rather than propose a marriage pact with the Blackfyres, because for them the Blackfyres were never kinsmen to be placated but rebels to be squashed as brutally as possible. Absolutely none of the Targaryens of the era received comeuppance for the atrocities they committed against House Blackfyre and Westeros in general. Which is one reason among many why I am anti-Targ, pro Blackfyre.

What are my headcanons on Aegor and Rohanne’s relationship? This question brings me back to over a year ago, when xenowlsome and I had some conversations about Rohanne x Aegor; I don’t think much has changed about my headcanons, other than I’m more open to shipping them now that I’ve found out Maelys not Aegor sacked Tyrosh. I really liked them as friends who were outsiders amongst many of Daemon’s “King’s Landing-and-Reach supporters” in different ways; Aegor is the sullen, quick-to-fight kid from the rural Riverlands and Rohanne is the money-savvy, rather proud, motherly Tyroshi woman who is some years older than Daemon. While they don’t have a lot in common, I think they both would have a great deal to learn from each other pre-Rebellion, and shortly post-Rebellion they had a deep bond forged from Ro saving Aegor’s life and giving him a temporary home. However, the years of failed Rebellions and Blackfyres dying/mentally scarred eroded Rohanne’s trust in him, and they were estranged for the last years of their lives (this was incredibly sad for both of them, but Rohanne was too stubborn and Aegor too self-pitying to ever reconcile). That’s my headcanon version, anyway. For me, young!Aegor/Ro is brOTP gold.

Who did Bittersteel pick to succeed him as head of the Golden Company?: Aegor believed in meritocracy, or at least kraterocracy (rule by the strongest) and he wasn’t going to appoint anyone to succeed him; the captain-generalship of the GC isn’t like a mansion that’s inherited, but a position in a mercenary company that the senior captains of said company elect. But who did Aegor perhaps endorse during his last years? I touched upon this in a Maelys meta, but I believe Aegor wanted Captain Daemon (IV) Blackfyre, cousin of Maelys, to take up the mantle of Company leadership and Blackfyre Kingship. While Maelys was unofficially disinherited due to his birth defects, Captain Daemon was presumably able-bodied and enough of a warrior to lead the Golden Company, so Aegor could’ve endorsed him right off the bat. On the other hand, neither Haegon nor Daemon III were ever members of the Golden Company as far as we know, let alone the captain-general, so perhaps Aegor Rivers was supporting another candidate who wasn’t Daemon IV as king (or queen, considering that Daemon I’s line of succession has daughters inherit before uncles. That…actually makes some sense). I admit I haven’t been thinking too much about GC politics in the latter days of known Blackfyre history these days, though.

#ask #asoiaf #asoiaf headcanon #rohanne of tyrosh #aegor rivers #house blackfyre #anti targaryen