#rhearoyce

Something is bugging me because when she appears on screen for the first (and only) time, we are shocked.

Daemon only described her as uglier than a sheep, called her his "bronze bitch." Of course we expected someone horrid; we meet a beautiful woman, who likes to ride and hunt, isn't scared to speak her mind and who dares to mock him and challenge him.

I often saw posts saying "is that what Daemon calls ugly?" and ughr.

I feel that the fact that Daemon was forced, litteraly dragged before the Seven, to wed her, is overlooked. And I'm not stating that to romantize him or wathever. Rhea certainly didn’t deserve to die as she does, and the series clearly shows and states that women do not often have a say to whom they get married to. She is a victim of it, even more, because of the fact that she is a woman; while Daemon has the liberties of a man, to bed who he wants; plus he is a prince, plus he basically does whatever he pleases most of the time. He acts first and think later.

Nevertheless, no matter how morally wrong it is for him to murder her, not even granting her a word while she speaks, I think it is relevant to remember that he was forced into marrying.

Like Rhaenyra was.

And it must be gust wrenching, even in Westeros, even in a world as tragic as ASOIAF. It is something that is disgusting, no matter the circumstances. How breaking it must be to comply when you want to run. Canonically, Daemon tried his best to escape.

When he comes to her at the wedding asking her "is it what you want? This is not for you," we ought to remember that himself had been forced to marry. He fought against it, he never touched his wife in hope of getting an annulment. He litteraly begged for an annulment; and that has nothing to do with ambition or Rhaenyra. He was basically sold, too. Sent off to the Vale, to be kept away from court (in episode 1, Daemon says he sent him away to the Vale. I think in the books it was his grandfather who married him off.) From Viserys.

Not to say that his deeds can be redempted (GOT and HOTD are not a place to discuss characters through ethics and moral), I think it is a side of him that is overlooked. Even more, I think it is something that makes him closer to Rhaenyra. They eloped to get a secret wedding; when they both had to suffer one when they couldn't be together at first.

Rhaenyra never questions Rhea's death, when he says his wedding has been "dissolved", she knows the truth of it, yet she says "so take me then." I am convinced it is because she knows what it is to marry when you don't want to. And she loves Laenor, she cares for him, it has nothing to do with him. She just doesn't want to get married at all.

I believe she can imagine what it feels to be forced upon wedding someone you dislike, because he had utter dispise for the Vale. It is not even directed against Rhea for who she is, solely for what she embodies. The fact that he was forced. His anger is not against her personally. Or because he tinks she is ugly. Daemon only wanted to stay close to his brother, and the Vale also represents a punishment. Even a character as conflicted as Daemon shows human emotion, from time to time, and whenever it comes to his first marriage, all that Rhea represented was one of the time he was forced to yield.