#rhaelya

Lyanna stark

“the singers would have us believe it was all rhaegar and robert struggling in the stream for a woman both of them claimed to love„ ⚔︎

“She wore a garland of pale blue roses, and her eyes wept blood.”

You fool, it's exactly BECAUSE the marriage was 'political' that Elia would 100% mind it.

A political union is by definition for the benefits of ALL parties involved.

Rhaegar got a pretty fertile wife. He got a woman who was already a born princess in her own right. From her he got a male heir and a female spare in TWO years of marriage, his two heads of the dragon. He got her uncle serving House Targaryen loyally as a Kingsguard until Lewyn died fighting in Rhaegar's war. He got the Dornish army fighting to the death with him at the Trident.

What did Elia/Dorne get in return from this "political marriage"?

They were supposed to get a Dornish woman as Queen Consort -

Instead they found out she was rap*d and split in half and her skull was crushed through her eye sockets.

They were supposed to get a future half Dornish King of the Seven Kingdoms -

Instead, they found out their baby prince was bashed into a pulp against a wall, and then his murderer rap*d his mother with Aegon's blod and brains on him.

They were supposed to one day get the half Dornish princess Rhaenys with a beneficial match that would have her dubbed "The Envy of Westeros" -

Instead, Dorne learned Rhaenys was stabbed half a hundred times to death at the age of three, while she hid under her uncaring father's bed, hoping he would come save her. He didn't. He couldn't even save himself.

Dorne was supposed to get influence at court, increased power. House Martell was supposed to be able to strengthen their power in their region through this dynastic union -

Instead, Dorne got a rap*d and murdered daughter and her murdered children whose corpses were never even returned to them, whose murders, r*pe, and mutilation became a badge of honor on Tywin Lannister's endless list of crimes against humanity.

Tywin The Sexual Sadist got a crown for his psycho daughter. Dorne got told to shut up and suck it up.

Dorne kept it's end of the bargain.

Rhaegar made sure to pay them back with incomparable humiliation on a national stage, by crowning another woman his queen of love and beauty when his pregnant wife was right there, and so was his infant daughter, and all of Westerosi nobility.

Then he again taught them just what their place in his mind was, by running off with his side piece when Elia was post partum, struggling to stay alive.

Rhaegar's no. 1 fanboy, Jon Con, himself told us that the birth of Aegon nearly killed Elia. What perfect timing Rhaegar kept choosing.

Elia kept her end of the bargain.

Rhaegar decided, while using and discarding Elia for all she was worth, till his last breath, repeatedly, that clearly he was above such politics.

Rhaegar and Lyanna spending their morning with their precious baby boy ♡

Day 6 | LOVE IS THE BANE OF HONOR, THE DEATH OF DUTY

“We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy.”

My biggest issue with Elia’s characterization is that it starts from an interesting premise before collapsing under its own contradictions. I genuinely liked the idea of her supporting Rhaegar in removing Aerys from power. That aligns with House Martell’s interests and gives Elia real political agency. But then the story pushes the “girlboss” angle so far that it becomes self-defeating.

Having Elia actively support Rhaegar and Lyanna’s relationship undermines her own stated goals. If her priority is strengthening House Martell, why would she support a situation that threatens her children’s future? Aegon may be the eldest son, but Rhaegar has already proven himself willing to disregard his marriage for the sake of prophecy and obsession. He believes his third child is the Prince That Was Promised, so what is stopping him from legitimizing that child, naming Lyanna his queen, and setting Elia aside? A half-rotten onion is still a rotten onion. Once Rhaegar has shown he is willing to abandon one duty, there is little reason for Elia to trust him with the rest.

The story seems aware of this problem, so instead of addressing it, it sidesteps it. Elia is rewritten as someone who never cared for Rhaegar romantically and is instead in love with Ashara. But Ashara herself exists largely as “the love interest,” making the relationship feel less like a meaningful romance and more like a convenient excuse to remove any emotional conflict. Rather than developing Elia and Ashara’s relationship for its own sake, it mainly serves to make readers more accepting of Rhaegar and Lyanna.

There’s also a broader pattern that weakens many of the female characters. The women are written as so relentlessly calculating, ruthless, and “strong” that they lose much of their humanity, while the men are softened by comparison. Rhaella’s desperate desire for a child that is destructive, while Aerys is reframed as simply wanting a child who will bring peace. Rhaegar is the one cautioning Lyanna against becoming consumed by prophecy. Elia becomes an untouchable political mastermind, and Ashara is reduced to an endlessly liberated “girlboss” who wants countless lovers.

The problem isn’t that these women are ambitious, politically savvy, or morally gray. Those traits can make for fantastic characters. The problem is that the story seems to equate strength with emotional detachment, constant competence, and a rejection of vulnerability. In trying so hard to make its women appear powerful and independent, it strips away much of the softness, insecurity, and emotional complexity that make characters feel like real people. Ironically, that ends up making the male characters seem more grounded and sympathetic than the women, despite the story’s apparent intentions.