Aegon II Targaryen

Aegon II Targaryen was a member of House Targaryen. He is a major character in George R.R. Martin's works "The Rogue Prince" and "The Princess and the Queen", which are presented as in-universe histories by Archmaester Gyldayn.

Aegon II was born in 107 AC, the eldest child of Viserys I Targaryen and his second wife Alicent Hightower. Viserys had only one surviving child with his first marriage to Aemma Arryn, Rhaenyra Targaryen. However Viserys had become the heir to his grandfather Jaehaerys I due to a Great Council electing to pass over the female and female-line claimant, apparently showing that the Iron Throne could not pass to a woman. Viserys' brother Daemon Targaryen thus considered himself his brothers' heir. Angry at his brother Viserys had declared his daughter heir. However when Viserys remarried to Alicent Hightower, daughter of the Hand Ser Otto Hightower, and had sons he continued to proclaim his daughter heir, going against the laws of succession followed elsewhere in his lands (Dorne had not yet joined the realm). A feud developed between Alicent's family and Rhaenyra and her supporters, as Alicent wanted her son to inherit. They became known as the Blacks and the Greens, due to Rhaenyra wearing a black dress while Alicent wore a green dress during a ball.

When Rhaenyra was to be married, Alicent tried to have Aegon marry his half-sister but they were 10 years apart and had never gotten on, Viserys knowing Alicent wanted her son to be King. Rhaenyra married her second cousin Ser Laenor Velaryon, heir to Driftmark and a female-line claimant to the Iron Throne who had been passed over by Viserys. She had three sons during her marriage. However it was widely believed they were fathered by Harwin Strong, as despite having two Valyrian parents they had brown hair and other features similar to Harwin, who was her champion. Laenor was rumoured to be more interested in men then women also. The King had Rhaenyra's sons and his sons attend the same events, but dislike grew between them. Aegon believed them bastards, telling his younger brother Aemond Targaryen. In a fight between Aemond and their half-nephews where he called them Strongs, he lost one of his eyes.

Aegon bonded with the dragon Sunfyre the Golden, said to be the most magnificent dragon to ever fly the skies of Westeros. In 122 he married his sister Helaena, who was 2 years younger then him. They had twins, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, and later another son, Maelor. Aegon also fathered bastards. After Laenor's murder Rhaenyra married her uncle Daemon Targaryen.

In 129 Viserys died in his sleep. Alicent called the Small Council, hiding the news of his death. She persuaded them to have Aegon crowned King. The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Ser Criston Cole, known as "the Kingmaker", murdered the only member who supported Viserys' wishes, the 80-year old Master of Coin Lord Lyman Beesbury. Aegon was crowned King in the dragonpit by Ser Criston.

This led to the Dance of the Dragons, a war between the supporters of Rhaenyra and Aegon, the Blacks and the Greens. When Rhaenyra's second son Lucerys Velaryon was killed over Shipbreaker Bay by Aemond, violence began. Daemon sent agents known as Blood and Cheese into the Red Keep, who murdered Aegon's six-year old heir Jaehaerys in front of his mother, Helaena, who began to sink into depression and madness. Aegon stripped his grandfather Otto of the Handship and gave it to Criston. As his personal sigil Aegon had the Targaryen dragon in gold instead of red, due to his dragon's colour.

At Rook's Rest a trap was set, which caught Rhaenyra's former mother-in-law Rhaenys Targaryen, wife of Lord Corlys Velaryon, one of Rhaenyra's main supporters. When she arrived on her dragon she was attacked by Aegon and Aemond on their dragons. She met their attack and with her dragon was killed. However Aegon was injured in the fall and left with burns. His brother Aemond became the regent. They led an attack on Harrenhal which had been taken by Daemon but found it deserted. However due to him taking much of the Green army from King's Landing it was taken by Rhaenyra's dragons. Aegon disappeared during the fall of King's Landing. Larys Strong "the Clubfoot", Lord of Harrenhal and Master of Whisperers, helped him flee. He hid on Dragonstone, Larys correctly realizing Rhaenyra would not think to look for him on her fortress.