Rhaegar

Biodata

Appearance

• Hair and eyes: Long, silvery-white hair and clear amethyst eyes 30 31.
• Build: Tall and well-proportioned, with a slender neck that still shows his youth 31.
• Features: High brow bones, deep-set eyes, long lashes, lean cheeks, and sharply defined facial features 31.
• Voice: Clear and resonant, between a boy’s voice and a grown man’s 31.
• Court dress: At Jaime Lannister’s welcoming banquet, he wears a black silk shirt, a velvet cloak secured with a gold clasp, and a gold three-headed dragon brooch with gemstone eyes 46.
• Resemblance to Rhaenys: Their similar hair, eyes, and facial features cause courtiers to remark on how closely the betrothed pair resemble one another 34 35.

Personality

Rhaegar is courteous and concerned with honorable conduct. When Ghost accidentally walks into his armor, he stops the Kingsguard from drawing their swords and politely asks her to let him pass. Later, he refuses to keep an apparently owned puppy because taking someone else’s possession would be dishonorable 31 50.

He opposes Aerys’s indiscriminate killing of commoners and repeatedly receives reprimands for speaking against it. Although he recognizes his father’s destructive behavior, he cannot prevent the king from ordering executions. Their strained relationship sometimes leaves him wondering whether Aerys hates him 32 35.

Reserved in public, Rhaegar prefers sword practice, reading, and walking around King’s Landing to ordinary noble entertainments. In private, he is more easygoing: he jokes with Arthur Dayne, talks earnestly to a puppy, and sings despite being badly out of tune 37 50.

His confidence does not extend to romance. He initially treats Rhaenys’s jealousy as a pointless distraction, yet becomes jealous of her closeness to Oberyn himself. When she withdraws, he seeks his mother’s advice rather than understanding the problem unaided 44 49.

Abilities & Skills

Swordsmanship

Rhaegar trains under Arthur Dayne and continues practicing with the Kingsguard 40 48.

• Combines strength and agility rather than relying predominantly on speed 40.
• Uses a broad-bladed knight’s longsword in his practice duel with Oberyn Martell 40.
• Stops a sword strike just above Oberyn’s head when Ghost cries out 39.
• Recognizes that Rhaenys’s unfamiliar fencing techniques would probably defeat him under the same competitive conditions in which she defeats Oberyn 44.

Military Leadership

Rhaegar participates in suppressing the Kingswood Brotherhood alongside Arthur Dayne 30 32.

• Returns to the Red Keep after days of combat and marching 31 32.
• Spares commoners who sheltered the outlaws, although Aerys subsequently orders their deaths 32.
• His endurance has limits: the campaign leaves him exhausted enough to fall asleep repeatedly after returning 32.

Court Affairs and Diplomacy

Rhaegar handles complaints arising from Aerys’s harbor-tax policies and conducts negotiations with the Martells 38 42.

• Understands that Aerys’s tax increases are intended to undermine and humiliate Tywin Lannister 42.
• Offers Dorne an alliance while rejecting the idea that political cooperation requires him to marry Elia 38.
• Warns Rhaenys that her public friendships can be interpreted as statements of his political position 46.
• Speaks Old Valyrian fluently enough to converse with Aerys and Rhaenys about Targaryen history 35.

Music

Rhaegar plays a silver harp skillfully, but his singing does not match his reputation 50.

• Has a good voice but sings out of tune 50.
• Likes playing and singing for commoners 50.
• Arthur Dayne openly mocks his singing, while Ghost attributes its glowing reputation to Cersei’s infatuation 50.

Equipment & Wealth

• Black plate armor: Elaborate heavy armor bearing House Targaryen’s three-headed dragon in gold wire across the breastplate 31.
• Dragon-shaped helm: A black helmet shaped like a roaring dragon’s head, with metal wings extending from its ears 31.
• Sword: Carries a sword at court and uses a knight’s longsword for his duel with Oberyn 35 39 40.
• Silver harp: Plays it during a private nighttime visit to a ruined colonnade 50.
• Private book collection: Holds books among the royal household’s privately controlled collections 37.
• Treasury: His steward supplies Rhaenys with silks, jewels, and gemstones and offers her access to his treasury. Barbara reports that Aerys gave him a palace for storing gold and gems 37.

Background / History

The Search for a Bride

Aerys insists on finding Rhaegar a bride of Valyrian ancestry, rejecting proposals from numerous great houses. Rhaegar’s marriage is consequently delayed repeatedly, while Cersei Lannister and the Martells remain interested in securing the match 28 40.

Rickard Stark uses this search to place Ghost near the crown prince. With Maester Weilisi’s assistance, Ghost prepares a false identity as a noblewoman of Old Valyrian descent. Her own purpose is to investigate Rhaegar and prevent the future tragedy she associates with his meeting Lyanna Stark 20 21 29.

Kingswood Campaign and Betrothal

Rhaegar is away fighting the Kingswood Brotherhood when Ghost reaches King’s Landing. Aerys names her Rhaenys Targaryen, adopts her as his daughter, and selects her as Rhaegar’s bride. The pair first meet when the distracted Ghost walks directly into his breastplate in a corridor 30 31.

After the campaign, Aerys condemns Rhaegar for sparing villagers and townspeople who aided the Brotherhood. Rhaegar argues that they are ordinary commoners, but the king orders them burned. Exhausted by the campaign and confrontation, Rhaegar returns to his chambers before visiting the royal baths that night 32.

Ghost secretly follows him into the baths and escapes discovery in human form by transforming into a white puppy. Rhaegar has Arthur remove the animal, without identifying it as his betrothed 32 33.

Aerys later fixes their wedding for Rhaegar’s eighteenth birthday, one year away. During a subsequent garden walk, Rhaegar teases Rhaenys about admiring his appearance. When she unexpectedly cries, he offers his handkerchief; he also gives her a thistle 35 36.

Dornish Negotiations and the Duel

Aerys asks Rhaegar to entertain Elia Martell and keep her in King’s Landing. Rhaegar reacts angrily to his father’s intentions, then tells Elia that he will accept an alliance with Dorne but not a marriage—even when she raises the possibility of his taking two consorts 35 38.

When Oberyn seizes Rhaenys’s wrist while questioning her uncanny knowledge of his life, Rhaegar intervenes with his sword and challenges him to a duel. They fight with blunted training weapons until Elia and Rhaenys interrupt by pretending Elia has fainted 39 40.

Harbor Taxes and the Fencing Exhibition

Rhaegar becomes occupied with complaints after Aerys triples port trade taxes and adds further charges despite storm damage at White Harbor, Gulltown, and Lannisport. He suspects that intervening openly could worsen the dispute between Aerys and Tywin 42.

Meanwhile, Rhaenys develops fencing as a secret apology gift for him. At its public demonstration, Rhaegar is impressed by her victory over Oberyn and begins questioning how she acquired such skill. She directs nobles interested in lessons or investing in a fencing hall to the prince 41 43 44.

Their relationship deteriorates after Cersei clings to Rhaegar during the event. Rhaenys publicly reclaims her place beside him, but their private argument exposes conflicting expectations of marriage. He declares that she alone will be his wife while saying he will not interfere with her other relationships unless she goes too far—a reassurance that instead deeply hurts her 44.

Attempts at Reconciliation

At Jaime’s welcoming banquet, Rhaegar tells Rhaenys that Aerys has tacitly approved his taking both her and Elia as wives. He expects jealousy and is displeased when she says she has no objection 46.

As Rhaenys avoids him and becomes occupied with clothing commissions, Rhaegar asks Queen Rhaella how to build a happy marriage. She criticizes his dismissiveness and advises him to show genuine care through actions rather than gifts. His attempt at reconciliation over dinner fails when Rhaenys recommends Elia as a better match; he insists Rhaenys will be his only wife and leaves angrily 48 49.

That night, Ghost finds him playing his harp with Arthur nearby. Unaware that the white puppy is Rhaenys, Rhaegar affectionately handles it, calls it “Little William,” and admits that he intends to ask his mother for further advice 50.

Fate Remembered by Ghost

Ghost’s knowledge of the original storyline links Rhaegar’s future meeting with Lyanna at the Tourney at Harrenhal to Lyanna’s death in childbirth and Robert Baratheon’s rebellion. She also remembers Rhaegar dying at twenty-one before he can become king 16 32 35 36.

These are anticipated events, not his established fate in the altered storyline. Ghost intends to keep Rhaegar and Lyanna apart to prevent that chain of tragedies 36.

Relationships

• Rhaenys Targaryen / Ghost — His betrothed. Their mutual attraction is complicated by jealousy, political obligations, and incompatible assumptions about love; he does not recognize her when she visits him as a puppy 35 44 49 50.
• King Aerys — His father and sovereign. Aerys controls his marriage and rebukes his mercy toward commoners; Rhaegar increasingly finds his conduct repulsive 32 35.
• Queen Rhaella — His mother and confidante. He turns to her for guidance when his relationship with Rhaenys falters 49.
• Arthur Dayne — Combat instructor, trusted protector, and close friend. Arthur accompanies him privately, guards him, and jokes at his expense 32 40 50.
• Elia Martell — A prospective political bride. Rhaegar offers her house an alliance while resisting marriage as its necessary price 38.
• Oberyn Martell — A rival in a brief, interrupted duel after Rhaegar intervenes on Rhaenys’s behalf 39 40.
• Cersei Lannister — A persistent admirer whom he does not want to marry. Her childhood mutilation of a maid convinced him of her cruelty 43.
• Tywin Lannister — The Hand of the King. Rhaegar recognizes the strain Aerys places on him and worries that his patience may eventually break 42.

Notable Quotes

“There is no need to be nervous. I am not my father. Just speak the Common Tongue.” 35

“There is no hurry. You may have a lifetime to look.” 35

“No. Taking what belongs to someone else is dishonorable.” 50

Trivia

• Ghost is initially overwhelmed by his resemblance to the actor who played young Grindelwald, whom she admired in her previous life 31.
• His admirers sometimes sneak into the Red Keep to see him. After discovering movement in his bath, he is more worried about a naked woman emerging than an assassin 31 32 33.
• He enjoys wandering the palace at night, a habit familiar enough that the patrolling Gold Cloaks treat it as routine 32.