Editing Daemon Targaryen (section)

==History==
===Early life===
Daemon was born as the second son of Prince [[Baelon Targaryen (son of Jaehaerys I)|Baelon Targaryen]] and his sister-wife, Princess [[Alyssa Targaryen]], in {{Date|81}}, during the reign of his grandfather, King [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen]]. He had one older brother, [[Viserys I Targaryen|Viserys]], as well as one younger brother, [[Aegon Targaryen (son of Baelon)|Aegon]], who died in infancy.{{Ref|TWOIAF|Appendix: Targaryen Lineage}}{{Ref|FAB|The Long Reign - Jaehaerys and Alysanne: Policy, Progeny, and Pain}} Within a fortnight of Daemon's birth, Alyssa took the child flying on [[Meleys]].{{Ref|FAB|The Long Reign - Jaehaerys and Alysanne: Policy, Progeny, and Pain}} Daemon was free spirited and adventurous in his youth.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

Daemon was [[knight]]ed at sixteen, and at some point King [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen]] gave him [[Dark Sister]].{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}{{refn|group="N"|''[[Fire & Blood]]'' does not explicitly state when [[Dark Sister]] was given to Daemon Targaryen by [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen|King Jaehaerys]]. It is plausible that happened between {{Date|101}}, after the previous wielder of Dark Sister, [[Baelon Targaryen (son of Jaehaerys I)|Prince Baelon]], died, and {{Date|103}}, before Jaehaerys's death.}}

In {{Date|97}}, Daemon married Lady [[Rhea Royce]], the heir to [[Runestone]], but he disliked both her and the [[Vale of Arryn]]; Daemon referred to his wife as his "[[bronze]] bitch".{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}} During the [[Great Council of 101 AC]], Daemon supported the claim of Prince Viserys, as it would make Daemon the heir after his brother. Daemon gathered a small army of [[sworn sword]]s and [[men-at-arms]] when it was rumored that Lord [[Corlys Velaryon]] was readying a [[Velaryon fleet|fleet]] to defend the rights of his son, [[Laenor Velaryon]].{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Targaryen Kings: Viserys I}}

===Early reign of Viserys I===
[[File:Daemon_Targaryen_by_Jaenarra.png|thumb|350px|Daemon by Jaenarra]]
Ser [[Criston Cole]] twice defeated Daemon in the [[tourney for King Viserys I's accession]] in {{Date|104}}, besting him in first the melee and then the joust.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}} Daemon asked his brother to set aside his marriage to [[Rhea Royce]], but was refused.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}} Daemon served briefly as [[master of coin]] from {{Date|103}} until {{Date|104}} and [[master of laws]] for six months after that.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}} Governance bored Daemon, however, and the prince's demeanor made him a rival of the [[Hand of the King]], Ser [[Otto Hightower]], who could not stand Daemon's presence and had begged King Viserys to remove him from the [[small council]].{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

Daemon was appointed Commander of the [[City Watch of King's Landing]], a position he thrived in and maintained for about a year to Otto's regret, as, with two thousand men at his command, he waxed more powerful than ever.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

Daemon inspired loyalty with many of the rank-and-file men of the City Watch, improving their armaments and equipment. He gave every man a golden cloak, which led to the guards becoming known as the gold cloaks. Crime fell sharply under Daemon's command, likely due to his love of inflicting harsh punishments on thieves and cutpurses.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

Daemon developed a dark reputation in the stews and brothels in [[Flea Bottom]], becoming familiar to every cutpurse, [[whore]], and gambler.{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - A Son for a Son}} He became acquainted with a prostitute named [[Mysaria]], known to her enemies as Misery. While Daemon called himself the "Prince of the City", he became known as "Lord Flea Bottom" among the residents of [[King's Landing]].{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

Daemon considered himself his brother's heir as Viserys had no living sons, and he coveted the title [[Prince of Dragonstone]], which the king refused to grant. Otto Hightower equally did not want Daemon to follow Viserys and proposed the idea that Viserys's daughter, Princess [[Rhaenyra Targaryen]], should be named heir. Viserys did not address the issue of inheritance, hoping a future son would settle the issue.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

Viserys's first wife, [[Aemma Arryn]], died birthing [[Baelon Targaryen (son of Viserys I)|Baelon Targaryen]], Viserys' second son, the first having died in the cradle. Baelon died a day after his birth, however. Daemon was observed in a brothel in the [[Street of Silk]] making drunken japes about the "heir for a day". When word of this reached the grieving Viserys, the enraged king had Rhaenyra declared heir and Princess of Dragonstone in response to his ungrateful brother's apathy. The furious Daemon resigned from the gold cloaks and flew with Mysaria on [[Caraxes]] to [[Dragonstone (island)|Dragonstone]], and so was not present for Rhaenyra's ceremony in the [[Red Keep]].{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

Living on Dragonstone, Daemon impregnated his lover, Mysaria. He wanted to present her with a [[dragon egg]], but the angry Viserys demanded that Daemon return the egg and return to Rhea in the Vale. Daemon sent Mysaria to [[Lys]], but Mysaria's ship sailed through a storm in the [[narrow sea]] and Mysaria lost the child. This hardened Daemon against his brother.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

===Conquest of the Stepstones===
In {{Date|106}}, Daemon and [[Corlys Velaryon]], [[Lord of the Tides]], allied together for a private [[war for the Stepstones]], with Daemon desiring his own kingdom and Corlys wanting to rid the [[Stepstones]] of rule by the [[Triarchy]]. While Corlys provided the [[Velaryon fleet]], Daemon flew on his [[dragon]], [[Caraxes]], and led an army of adventurers and second sons.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

Daemon made many enemies from [[Lys]], [[Myr]], and [[Tyrosh]], and he slew [[Craghas Drahar]] in {{date|108}}. After conquering all but two of the islands, Daemon declared himself [[King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea]] in {{Date|109}}, being crowned by Corlys the Sea Snake. The Triarchy launched a massive fleet under [[Racallio Ryndoon]] to retake the isles, and [[Dorne]] joined the alliance against Daemon.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

===Return to Court===
[[File:Daemon's crown.jpg|thumb|400px|Daemon offers his crown to his brother, King [[Viserys I Targaryen]], by Chase Stone, as depicted in ''[[The World of Ice & Fire]]''.]]
Bored with ruling his meager kingdom, Daemon returned to the capital of [[King's Landing]] in {{Date|111}} during the [[tourney]] that gave the [[greens]] and the [[blacks]] their names. He reconciled with [[Viserys I Targaryen]] by offering him his [[Stepstones]] crown. [[Viserys I Targaryen]] welcomed his brother's return and Daemon was given a seat on the [[small council]].{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

Neither age or exile had changed Daemon's nature, however. He took up again with old companions in the [[City Watch of King's Landing|City Watch]] and returned to the brothels on the [[Street of Silk]]. Daemon was cold with Viserys' second wife, Queen [[Alicent Hightower]], and her children, who had pushed him further down in the line of succession. Daemon spent hours in the company of his niece, Princess [[Rhaenyra Targaryen]], praising her beauty, enthralling her with tales of his adventures, taking her [[hawk]]ing, and mocking her stepmother Alicent and her greens. Daemon gave her books, [[pearl]]s, [[silk]]s, and a [[jade]] tiara once owned by the [[Empress of Leng]].  Daemon and Rhaenyra often flew to [[Dragonstone]] on their dragons, [[Caraxes]] and [[Syrax]].{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

Six months after Daemon's return, the brothers fell out again, with Grand Maester [[Runciter]] referring to an unspecified quarrel and others claiming that Alicent wanted Daemon gone. Septon [[Eustace (Dance of the Dragons)|Eustace]] alleged that Daemon had seduced Rhaenyra, taking her [[maiden]]hood prior to her sixteenth [[name day]], and that the two had been found by Ser [[Arryk Cargyll]] of the [[Kingsguard]]. Eustace's tale has Rhaenyra expressing her love for Daemon. The notorious [[Mushroom]] instead claimed that Daemon had been providing explicit lessons to the girl in how to seduce her champion, Ser [[Criston Cole]] of the Kingsguard, whom the girl was supposedly in love with. When Rhaenyra approached Criston, however, he spurned her. [[Lyonel Strong]], [[Lord of Harrenhal]], counseled the livid Viserys that Daemon should be executed for treason. Eustace, however, reminded the council about the taint of [[kinslaying]], and Daemon was exiled instead. Daemon returned to [[Bloodstone]] in the Stepstones and resumed his struggle over his barren kingdom.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

===Second marriage===
[[File:Daemon Laena Chillyravenart.png|thumb|250px|Daemon and [[Laena Velaryon]], by chillyravenart ©]]
Daemon's wife, [[Rhea Royce]], died from falling from a horse in {{Date|115}}. Daemon abandoned the [[Stepstones]] and flew to the [[Vale of Arryn]] to claim [[Runestone]], which had been Rhea's seat, but he was refused by [[House Royce]]. Sent away from the Vale by Lady [[Jeyne Arryn]], Daemon turned to [[Driftmark]], where he laid eyes upon the enchanting [[Laena Velaryon]], the daughter of his friend, Lord [[Corlys Velaryon|Corlys]], and he asked the Sea Snake for her hand in marriage. Laena was already betrothed to the son of a late [[Sealord of Braavos]], but Daemon killed the Braavosi with [[Dark Sister]] in a duel. While singers say Daemon fell in love with Laena at first sight, others state Daemon married into mighty [[House Velaryon]] to check his own descent from power, as he had been pushed far down the line of succession and made many enemies in his adventures.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

Because the marriage had been without consent of King [[Viserys I Targaryen]], Daemon and Laena left [[Westeros]] for [[Essos]]. [[Mushroom]] claims the pair went to the ruins of [[Valyria]], but more reliable sources indicate they toured the [[Free Cities]], visiting [[Pentos]], [[Volantis]], [[Qohor]], and [[Norvos]]. They returned for some time to [[Pentos]], where they learned that Laena was pregnant, causing their daughters [[Baela Targaryen|Baela]] and [[Rhaena Targaryen (daughter of Daemon)|Rhaena]] to be born there in {{Date|116}}.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

When the twins were half a year old, the family returned to Driftmark. Daemon wrote his brother begging leave to present his daughters to court to receive a royal blessing. The [[small council]] advised the king to refuse, but Viserys told Grand Maester [[Mellos]], "Daemon is a father now. He will have changed."{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

Viserys' daughter, Princess [[Rhaenyra Targaryen]], was wed to Laena's brother, Ser [[Laenor Velaryon]]. While Rhaenyra disliked her stepmother, Queen [[Alicent Hightower]], she became fond of Laena: the two often flew together on their dragons, together with Daemon.{{Ref|TROTD|7}} With the blessing of King Viserys, Rhaenyra betrothed her two eldest sons, [[Jacaerys Velaryon|Jacaerys]] and [[Lucerys Velaryon]], to Baela and Rhaena.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

Laena died in {{Date|120}}, the Year of the Red Spring, trying to birth a son who died as well. Later that year, Laenor was killed in [[Spicetown]] by his companion, Ser [[Qarl Correy]]. According to [[Mushroom]], it was Daemon who arranged the death of Laenor by paying Qarl to kill him.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}} [[Lyonel Strong]], [[Lord of Harrenhal]], and his heir, Ser [[Harwin Strong|Harwin]], died in a fire at [[Harrenhal]] in {{Date|120}}. Since Harwin Breakbones was believed by some to have been the actual father of Rhaenyra's children with Laenor (Jacaerys, Lucerys, and [[Joffrey Velaryon]]), Septon [[Eustace (Dance of the Dragons)|Eustace]] counted Daemon as one of the possible suspects for the mysterious fire.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

===Third marriage===
[[File:Daemon Rhaenyra Chillyravenart.png|thumb|250px|Daemon and [[Rhaenyra Targaryen]], by chillyravenart ©]]
In {{Date|120}} at the age of thirty-nine, Daemon married again, this time to his niece, [[Rhaenyra Targaryen]], the twenty-three-year-old [[Princess of Dragonstone]]. This marriage was performed suddenly without the knowledge of King [[Viserys I Targaryen]], and was scandalous since neither [[Laena Velaryon|Laena]] nor [[Laenor Velaryon]], Rhaenyra's previous husband, had been dead for six months.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

Daemon and Rhaenyra had two sons together, Prince [[Aegon III Targaryen|Aegon the Younger]], born in {{Date|120}}, and Prince [[Viserys II Targaryen|Viserys]], born in {{Date|122}}.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}} 

In {{Date|126}}, Rhaenyra urged the ill Lord [[Corlys Velaryon]] to name as his heir her second son, [[Lucerys Velaryon]]. When Corlys's nephew, Ser [[Vaemond Velaryon]], objected and claimed that Rhaenyra's first three children had been fathered by Ser [[Harwin Strong]], Rhaenyra had Vaemond seized by Daemon, beheaded, and then fed to [[Syrax]].{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

===The Dance of the Dragons===
King [[Viserys I Targaryen]] died in {{Date|129}}, leading to the outbreak of the civil war called The [[Dance of the Dragons]]. While Viserys had previously decreed Daemon's wife, [[Rhaenyra Targaryen]], [[Princess of Dragonstone]], to be his heir, the [[greens]] kept the king's death a secret from [[Dragonstone]]. Ser [[Otto Hightower]], the father of Queen [[Alicent Hightower]], objected to the idea of Daemon as king consort, and Ser [[Criston Cole]] claimed that Rhaenyra and Daemon would turn the [[Red Keep]] into a brothel. Criston crowned Alicent's son, Aegon the Elder, as King [[Aegon II Targaryen]].{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - The Blacks and the Greens}}

Meanwhile on [[Dragonstone (island)|Dragonstone]], Rhaenyra gave birth to a stillborn daughter, Princess [[Visenya Targaryen (daughter of Daemon)|Visenya]]; Rhaenyra blamed the child's deathon the [[greens]]. During the meeting of the [[black council]], Daemon advised that the [[blacks]] should court the [[Great Houses]] who had not yet announced their support for Aegon II. During Rhaenyra's rival coronation on Dragonstone, Daemon placed the crown of King [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen]], which had been smuggled from the capital by Ser [[Steffon Darklyn]], on the head of his wife, proclaiming her queen and claiming himself [[Protector of the Realm]].{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - The Blacks and the Greens}}

The experienced Daemon led the [[assault on Harrenhal]], capturing [[Harrenhal|the ruined castle]] from its castellan, Ser [[Simon Strong]], without conflict by landing [[Caraxes]] on top of [[Kingspyre Tower]]. Daemon's victory allowed the [[riverlands]] to rise up in support of Rhaenyra.{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - A Son for a Son}} Daemon later led the [[taking of Stone Hedge]] from the greens.{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - The Red Dragon and the Gold}}

After hearing of the death of his stepson, Prince [[Lucerys Velaryon]], at the hands of his nephew, Prince [[Aemond Targaryen]], at [[Storm's End]], Daemon, through his former mistress [[Mysaria]], hired [[Blood (the butcher)|Blood]] and [[Cheese (the rat-catcher)|Cheese]] to infiltrate the [[Red Keep]], and the two murdered Prince [[Jaehaerys Targaryen (son of Aegon II)|Jaehaerys]], a son of Aegon II.{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - A Son for a Son}}

[[File:Daemon vs Aemond.jpg|thumb|The [[Battle Above the Gods Eye]], by Douglas Wheatley, as depicted in [[Fire & Blood]].]]

The enemies made by Daemon during his earlier adventures came back to haunt the blacks when Ser [[Otto Hightower]], now the [[Hand of the King]] of Aegon II, recruited the [[Triarchy]] to send a fleet against them. The [[Battle of the Gullet]] broke the [[House Velaryon|Velaryon]] blockade of [[Blackwater Bay]] and killed Daemon's stepson, [[Jacaerys Velaryon|Jacaerys]].{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - The Red Dragon and the Gold}}

Daemon abandoned Harrenhal when Aemond and Criston began marching on the great castle with a host of [[greens]]. Instead, Daemon flew Caraxes back to the capital and assisted Rhaenyra with the [[fall of King's Landing]] to the blacks.{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - The Red Dragon and the Gold}} Daemon's lover, Mysaria, became [[mistress of whisperers]] in all but name. While Lord [[Corlys Velaryon]] suggested peace with their enemies and pardons for the greens, Rhaenyra and Daemon were more bellicose and vengeful.{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Triumphant}}

Rhaenyra sent Daemon and [[Nettles]] on their dragons, Caraxes and [[Sheepstealer]], to search the [[Trident]] for Aemond and [[Vhagar]], who were burning the riverlands. Making [[Maidenpool]] their base, Daemon kept Nettles, a seventeen-year-old [[dragonseed]], by his side at all times. Despite the fact that the lowborn Nettles was an unlikely paramour for a prince, according to [[Mushroom]]'s ''[[The Testimony of Mushroom|Testimony]]'', Daemon came to love the girl and took her as his bedmate. Though Mushroom's veracity is often questionable, Gyldayn considers this to be far more likely than most of his tales. Gyldayn further references Maester [[Norren (House Mooton)|Norren]]'s ''[[Chronicles of Maidenpool]]'', which recorded that "the prince and his [[bastard]] girl" slept in adjoining bedrooms, but that they ate together each night and morning. Norren wrote that Daemon doted upon Nettles "as a man might dote upon his daughter", and described Daemon teaching her common courtesies and giving her fine gifts such as an ivory hairbrush, a silvered looking glass, a velvet and satin cloak, and leather riding boots. Norren further wrote that Daemon showed Nettles how to wash herself properly, and recorded that maidservants reported they often shared a single tub, washing each other.{{ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Triumphant}}

After the betrayals of two dragonseeds, Ser [[Hugh Hammer]] and Ser [[Ulf White]], at the [[First Battle of Tumbleton]], Queen Rhaenyra's court at the Red Keep was outraged. Lady Mysaria fed Rhaenyra's growing distrust of the dragonseeds, informing her that Nettles was sharing Daemon's bed and saying that she would soon be pregnant with Daemon's bastard. Rhaenyra raged, declaring that Nettles used [[magic|spells]] to bond with Sheepstealer and to seduce her husband, and that Daemon could not be relied upon while in the girl's thrall. The queen sent a [[raven]] to [[Manfryd Mooton]], Lord of Maidenpool, ordering him to deliver Nettles's head but not to do Daemon any harm, only to tell him to return to the capital. However, according to Maester Norren, Manfryd and his advisors, fearful of how Daemon slept beside Nettles, unwilling to [[guest right|kill a guest]] or a young girl (or two guests, to prevent Daemon from becoming enraged at the death of the girl he was "more than fond of" and taking out his wrath on Maidenpool), disobeyed the queen and followed the maester's advice to pretend that they had never received the letter. When Maester Norren informed Daemon that Rhaenyra had declared Nettles a traitor, Daemon sadly replied, "A queen's words, a whore's work," recognizing Mysaria's hand in Rhaenyra's words, and thanked the maester for the warning. It is unknown how they spent their last night together, but at dawn Daemon helped Nettles saddle Sheepstealer one last time, before she escaped into the morning mists of the [[Bay of Crabs]]. According to Norren, no word of farewell was spoken between Daemon and Nettles, but as Sheepstealer flew away, Caraxes let out a scream that shattered all the windows of [[Jonquil's Tower]]. On the same day, Daemon publicly announced his departure for Harrenhal.{{ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Triumphant}}

The arrival of Daemon on Caraxes sent squatters fleeing from Harrenhal, so the prince waited for Aemond in solitude. Each evening at dusk he slashed the castle's [[heart tree]], a [[weirwood]] in the [[godswood]]. On the fourteenth day of Daemon's waiting, Aemond arrived on Vhagar with his paramour, [[Alys Rivers]]. While the two dragons grappled in the [[Battle Above the Gods Eye]], Daemon leapt from his saddle and drove [[Dark Sister]] into Aemond's blind eye. Both dragons crashed into the [[Gods Eye]], with Caraxes crawling to the shore before dying. The bodies of Aemond and Vhagar were discovered in the lake years later. Daemon's body was not found, but historians are convinced he died there as well.{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Triumphant}}