Rhaenyra

Biodata

Appearance

• Hair and eyes: Silver hair and purple eyes 2 27.
• Bearing: Described as young and beautiful, with an extraordinary bearing 72.
• Clothing: Wears elaborate dresses embroidered with flames, flowers, and branches. Her mourning robe bears a red dragon on black 2 19.
• Distinctive scent: Cole associates her with charred wood and leather, likening the scent to a dragon’s breath and scales 19.
• Injury: Her right hand is heavily bandaged after Cole breaks her wrist 27.

Personality

Rhaenyra is fiercely protective of her family. As a child mourning Aemma, she promises to protect the newborn Baelon and punishes the maids who leave him unattended. That protectiveness later becomes overbearing: she accuses Baelon of recklessness over his determination to claim an adult dragon, despite his repeated promises to take precautions 2 10.

She openly rejects the sexual double standards of Westeros. When her relationship with Criston Cole is exposed, she refuses to accept that pursuing desire is inherently shameful for a woman. Her flirtation also reflects her enjoyment of status and control: she wants Cole’s affection without abandoning her position as princess 19 23 24.

Her grief for Aemma remains unresolved long after the funeral. She resents the idea that her mother’s death might be justified by Baelon’s achievements or Viserys’s prophecy. Although she loves her brother, briefly believing that he might be the destined prince makes her feel disloyal to their mother 50 51.

Rhaenyra can act decisively under extreme danger, but she is not unaffected by violence. After freeing herself from Cole and killing him, she trembles, cries, and subsequently comforts her distraught father rather than dwelling on her own injury 27.

Abilities & Skills

Dragonriding

• Became a dragonrider at seven, riding Syrax, who had grown up alongside her. Viserys describes her as the youngest dragonrider before Baelon’s attempt to claim Vermithor 28.
• Commands Syrax to breathe dragonfire at Aemma’s funeral 4.
• Pursues Daemon to recover a stolen dragon egg and returns with both her uncle and the egg 24 26.

Weapons Training

• Learned practical killing techniques from Criston Cole, including targeting the abdomen with a lance and striking the side of the neck to disable an opponent’s arm 27.
• Uses Cole’s instruction against him, stabbing his neck and kicking away his fallen sword to escape being held hostage 27.
• Physical limitation: Mellos predicts that her broken wrist will restrict movement and reduce her grip to roughly seventy or eighty percent of its former strength. Numbness in her middle and ring fingers may be permanent 27.

Court Experience

• Has served as Small Council cupbearer for seven years, listening to confidential discussions and learning governance 47.
• Despite that experience, she has no chair of her own at the council table, and her opinions receive little attention 47 48.
• Intervenes in family disputes, including Baelon and Daemon’s arguments and Daemon’s confrontation with Laenor Velaryon 38 70 74.

Equipment / Items

• Dragonbone-hilted dagger — Carried at her waist; used to escape Cole’s grasp and subsequently kill him 26 27.
• Golden dragon egg — Personally selected for Baelon and placed in his cradle as a protective gift. The egg is later returned to the Dragonpit at Baelon’s instruction 2 10.
• Specially made perfume — Gives Alicent several bottles of the fragrance Viserys selected for House Targaryen 51.

Relationships

• Baelon Targaryen — Younger brother. Rhaenyra’s affection survives his position as the male heir; she denies being upset by his council appointment and repeatedly promises to protect him 2 50 70.
• Viserys I Targaryen — Father. He cherishes her, but they clash over her relationships, marriage expectations, and his treatment of Aemma. Rhaenyra knows about his frightening dream of his child dying in a dragon’s jaws but withholds it from Baelon 11 23 51 65.
• Aemma Arryn — Mother. Rhaenyra believes she failed to protect Aemma and becomes fiercely defensive of her memory and dignity 45 50 51.
• Alicent Hightower — Closest friend and confidante for nearly ten years. Alicent comforts her after Aemma’s death and listens to the resentment she cannot share openly at court 4 51.
• Daemon Targaryen — Uncle, whom she also finds attractive. She initially refuses to believe that he slandered Baelon, but later challenges his cruelty toward other family members and allies 5 19 28 74.
• Criston Cole — Her chosen White Knight, weapons instructor, and romantic partner. Their relationship ends when he takes her hostage and she kills him 19 26 27.
• Syrax — Dragon companion raised alongside her and ridden since she was seven 28.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Aemma’s Death and Baelon’s Birth

Rhaenyra learns of Aemma’s death during the tournament celebrating the anticipated birth. After obtaining permission to see her mother’s body, she visits Baelon at night, gives him a golden dragon egg, and swears to protect him. Finding his cradle unattended, she confronts his maids and docks a year’s wages 2.

At Aemma’s funeral, Rhaenyra gives the command for Syrax to ignite the pyre when Viserys cannot bring himself to do so. She withdraws into grief afterward, with Alicent providing companionship. Viserys later tries to repair their strained relationship through their shared affection for Baelon 4 5.

Marriage Expectations

Viserys receives marriage proposals for Rhaenyra from across the realm beginning when she is twelve. He favors Jason Lannister as a means of binding the Westerlands more closely to the Iron Throne, while Lyonel Strong warns that Rhaenyra may resist having her marriage dictated to her 16 17.

Jason subsequently resolves to win her favor at the royal tournament, hoping marriage will bring dragonriding descendants to House Lannister. Tyland also expresses hopes of winning her hand 37 71.

The Criston Cole Crisis

Rhaenyra enjoys her relationship with Cole but rejects his proposal that they abandon their positions and flee together. Ser Harrold interrupts an intimate meeting in the Godswood, triggering Cole’s fear of exposure and a confrontation between Rhaenyra and Viserys 19 23.

When Cole flees and Daemon departs with a dragon egg, Baelon urges Rhaenyra to prioritize the egg’s recovery. She recognizes the danger of allowing the Free Cities to obtain a dragon, disregards the threatened scandal, and sets off after Daemon 24.

She returns with the egg as Daemon volunteers to fight Cole. Instead of completing their duel, Cole seizes her and holds a sword to her neck. Rhaenyra distracts him with memories of their first meeting, draws her dagger, and disables his sword arm with a stab to the neck. He breaks her right wrist before the Kingsguard restrain him 26 27.

Rhaenyra prevents Daemon from executing Cole, then kills Cole herself with repeated dagger strikes. Mellos warns of lasting damage to her hand, but she tells Viserys that she has at least survived. The crisis ends with Rhaenyra, Viserys, Daemon, and Baelon embracing together 27.

Exclusion at Court and Aemma’s Memory

Rhaenyra confronts Grover Tully after he insults Aemma, threatening to defend her mother’s honor with sword and dragonfire. Grover refuses to retract his views on women’s power, and Borros Baratheon supports male precedence in inheritance 45.

At the Small Council, Rhaenyra remains standing despite her years of service. Baelon signals that she should take an empty chair, while the council’s enthusiastic response to his ideas highlights how little notice it gives her contributions 47 48.

She later explains to Alicent that her distress is not simply resentment of Baelon’s position. She fears his success is erasing Viserys’s guilt and turning Aemma into a necessary sacrifice for a prophesied king. Afraid of eventually sharing her mother’s fate in childbirth, she proposes leaving Westeros with Alicent after the war. Alicent refuses and reveals that she is pregnant 50 51.

Alicent’s Pregnancy and the Velaryon Alliance

When Viserys announces his intention to marry Alerie Hightower, Rhaenyra initially accepts remarriage as his duty. Learning his choice, however, she confronts him about Alicent’s pregnancy, accusing him of fathering a child without intending to marry its mother. Viserys is shocked by the revelation 65.

During the Velaryons’ visit, Rhaenyra follows Laenor after noticing that he has gone after Daemon. Concerned that a confrontation could damage Baelon and Laena’s betrothal, she intervenes and persuades Daemon to stop insulting him. Daemon leaves, although Laenor remains determined to challenge him at the tournament 72 74.

Notable Quotes

“I hate those customs of Westeros! A man's affairs are something to boast of, but the moment a woman follows desire and love, she is condemned by everyone.” 24

“Every word of praise he receives seems to prove that my father did nothing wrong.” 51

“I'll protect you. Don't be afraid.” 70