Daemon Targaryen

Daemon Targaryen is the eldest son of the former Lord Aenar Targaryen of Dragonstone and the eldest brother of its current lord, Aegor Targaryen. Since 184 he has served as a knight of the Kingsguard, and since 196 has also served as the Lord Commander of that order.

Appearance and Character
Daemon is Valyrian to the bone. He has pale white hair, a medium length that is often untamed - yet untamed with an intention that makes it fit him perfectly. His eyes are a striking deep indigo, and through those alone the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard shows the range of emotions he does not shy away from feeling. Upon his face he wears a short beard, neatly trimmed almost in contrast to his loosely kept hair. It too is white, like his hair and like the armour he does not often find himself without, the badge of office of a Kingsguard. Said armour is accompanied by a pale white cape, clasped by a dragon of a similar shade. It falls down from his shoulders to just below his knees and makes the already tall knight, who stands at six feet and three inches, even more obvious.

On his character, more can be said about the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard than is generally desired from such a man. Daemon Targaryen can be impulsive, but he is brave in his actions. He can be loose with the rules - whispers of his relationships with women and men from different parts of the Seven Kingdoms are abound, but none can prove them and certainly none would present such suspicions to the man himself. It is said also that Daemon's Targaryen "coin flip" did not fail, yet nor did it succeed. His impulsive nature is down to simple circumstance, and can be caused by a snap in his mind - often brought on by stress or worry - forcing him to act in accordance with that deep desire. Known only to him, he follows the advice of the voices that represent his obsessions, his beliefs, when they decide to speak - and even then they fail to agree.

The Young Dragon
In the one-hundred-and-sixty-eighth year after Aegon’s Conquest, Daemon Targaryen was born as the eldest son of Ser Aenar Targaryen, the heir to Dragonstone, and his wife, a princess of the royal House of Velaryon. His birth was celebrated as the mark of a continuing Valyrian line upon Dragonstone - after his grandfather and his father, it would be Daemon who inherited the ancestral home of House Targaryen.

It was not too long after his birth, only two years, that Aenar’s second child was born. Daena shared the purple eyes and pale hair of her brother, and it seemed like they were inseparable from the earliest point. When Daemon was not learning from the castle’s maester and his grandfather, Lord Aegon, he would spend his time causing trouble with his sister. Servants, their uncles, their younger siblings, who would slowly be born as they aged, none were safe.

Yet though he was a troublemaker outside of his duties, when he was learning Daemon seemed to be a different boy entirely. He was no prodigal student, not academically, but he picked up the lordly manner well. Proper and well-mannered, yet bold and unafraid, it seemed his more uncouth actions outside of his lessons were simply a product of his daring behaviour and something that could be channeled with training and education. Education that the Lord of Dragonstone was all too happy to give.

Aegon the Younger, as he was called whilst his uncle still lived, was a dour man - he was not immune to being happy, but his grim nature was notable, giving no emotion each way most of the time. It was likely this that inspired Daemon to be quite the opposite. When there was not a smile upon the young Targaryen’s face, he was showing some other strong emotion. Around his sister Daena, it seemed that emotion was love - in keeping with Targaryen tradition, it seemed, the two eldest children of Aenar found themselves drawn together. It would be assumed, therefore, that they would marry. Daemon and Daena had their similarities. Both were rather exuberant children, and both were often getting into trouble together. But they had their differences too, and that made them complement each other perfectly. She was a sly talker - he was a bold one. She found herself outside in Dragonstone’s gardens picking flowers and finding herbs - he found himself outside with a sword in hand, training with the guards on the island and their father, as she watched.

Aegor, Rhaenys, and Valaena, the younger children, were not as close to their older siblings as they could have been - they were not distant, though, and even as Daemon entered his teenage years he could always find time for his little brother and sisters. Yet he also spent a lot of time with a boy he considered to be just as close as a brother - on a trip to King’s Landing with his father, he had met the heir to the Seven Kingdoms, Prince Maelor Velaryon, and the two had bonded quickly. His time was still mainly spent with Daena, but whenever the Targaryens found themselves in the capital, Daemon and Maelor would train together, and disappear off into the corners of the Red Keep often. Daena and he also found corners to hide in, for - at least as far as the public knew - different reasons. Yet one day, whilst he was on Dragonstone, things changed. The Prince became the King, and a letter with the royal seal arrived at the rookery - addressed to him specifically.

The Whitedrake
Within the letter was an invitation. Daemon Targaryen had proven to be one of the greatest warriors in the realm, even at such a young age - Maelor’s words spoke highly of him, and spoke of how leaving such talent to rule an island was a waste. Where he should be, is the Kingsguard.

To serve Maelor in such a manner was an opportunity he could not deny. Almost without thinking, he accepted - his agreement was so fast, so fervent, that it seemed to be a bout of obsessive madness. His father was wary yet proud of his new position, bestowing Dark Sister upon him for use in defense of the new king. Lord Aegon disapproved of the idea entirely. Aegor, Rhaenys, and Valaena were happy to see their brother gain fame and honour, too. But Daena… the two had been close. In love. They would marry, rule together, and have children. For Maelor and for the Kingsguard, he had thrown that away for both of them. Harsh words were exchanged that would remain with both of them forever, and change them deeply. It was of love these words were born, not hatred, but it would not be the same love they once felt. One last kiss was exchanged between them, before Daemon took a ship to King’s Landing - never to return without a white cloak.

His arrival at King’s Landing was filled with celebration, and his induction into the Kingsguard was grandiose - yet the thought of Daena filled every waking moment, from as soon as the white cloak was draped around his shoulders to the first moment he stood guard for His Grace. Daemon was still young when he entered the Kingsguard, still full of joy and unaware of quite what he had lost, or what he would lose in the years to come.

Serving in the Kingsguard, for that first year, was everything he had dreamed of. He was close to his king, and could prove his honour by guarding him faithfully. Yet Daemon had been brought up to be a lord, and he could not ignore the shifting at court that had occurred under the previous king. He had not quite predicted Staedmon’s Folly, but he had felt something like it coming as soon as he moved to the capital. When the conspirators put their ill-fated assassination attempt into action, Daemon was there - Dark Sister sheared through one of the would-be assassins like a heated knife. Soon enough, the war had begun, and Maelor marched to the Reach. At his side were the Kingsguard in full - especially his dear friend Daemon.

Maelor’s Dare was the first true battle the Knight of the Kingsguard had ever fought. It was a bloody one. At seventeen years old, Daemon faced the might of a Reachman army focused on bringing down His Grace only a year into his reign. Dark Sister clashed with Heartsbane in the battle and the young knight proved his reputation was no lie, killing Gwayne Tarly after a fierce duel. When Maelor moved on the Stormlands, and found himself embattled at Skullfort, Daemon was there too. In the aftermath of the battle, he found himself befriending a man who had only just become a knight - Ser Rodrick, the Knight of Skullfort.

When the Wine Wars broke out, and his family became embroiled in conflict themselves, Daemon suffered a crisis. He wished to assist his grandfather’s war against the Graftons, wished to raise Dark Sister in defense of his home - yet the King did not rouse himself from his seat until the war moved to his shores, his bay. It did not dissuade him from supporting his beloved and king, nor did he move against him in any manner, yet he felt pain at hearing the tales from his home island. Even though the tariffs and punishments at the end of the war were harsh to both sides, Daemon cared not. His family had been given a break from the fighting, and that was what he was grateful for. They had not suffered an honourless fate.

Peace had barely settled when once more Daemon was called off to war when Lord Tarth arrived with a mercenary force to begin the Revolt of Sapphire Isle. Dark Sister was bloodied at Truestone, it bit through the bodies of mercenary and peasant alike at the Bookman’s Battle - where Daemon took a temporary position of command before Maelor rose from his tent to partake in the ambuscade. It was during this battle, leading the royal troops, that he met Johanna Baratheon. Daemon and the Stormlander would become good friends, and as the war drew to a close slightly more - their dalliance produced a child, one that Daemon cannot well acknowledge, yet one that causes him great turmoil in his love for his sister. After the Battle of the Kingswood, the royal army would move west to deal with another great conflict between House Tyrell and House Lannister. Daemon, of course, was beside his king the whole way. At the Battle of Red Lake, where Maelor could not halt the battle with his words, Daemon rode beside him in that brave charge that ended the conflict. Blackfyre and Dark Sister cut in unison as the King and his Kingsguard rode together.

On Its Side
Four years of relative peace suited Daemon well. He enjoyed bloodying his blade, that was for certain, but guarding his king was just as important to him as fighting alongside him. And so, that was what he did. Dark Sister and his side-sword became instruments of protection, not violence. War did break out, in the North and the Vale, but Maelor did not march. Daemon, therefore, had time for peace.

Peace that was broken in his twenty-second year by news from Dragonstone. His cousin Rhaegar was to marry, he read, news that brought a smile to his face. One that was quickly replaced by a snarl as he saw who the wedding was to, and the poor news it accompanied - Aegon Targaryen was dead. Worse still, Rhaegar was to marry his sister, his beloved, the only woman he had loved. Daena. For a full day, without sleep, nor food, nor water, from sunrise to the next morning, the Knight of the Kingsguard ordered the training yard of the Red Keep vacated. With Dark Sister in hand, he tore the yard apart. Every dummy, some that had been there for many years before his arrival, was broken and cut to pieces. Dark Sister did not taste blood that year, but it did taste sawdust. Only the intervention of the king himself stopped Daemon’s rage, with Maelor asking the Targaryen to accompany him back to his private chambers.

The next day, Daemon awoke in a royal bed. His fury at the marriage had not faded, but it had been dampened by Maelor’s attention. The Master of Coin would later that day arrive at his office to a letter requesting a full refurbishment of the Red Keep training yards - by order of His Grace.

That same year, Daemon would begin to train his first squire - Denys Darke, the heir to Harrenhal - and he would prove a fair but harsh taskmaster. His training for lordship made the Knight of the Kingsguard a good enough speaker to ensure his lessons were being taken in and taken seriously. Denys was not the best fighter, but Daemon had enough skill to ensure that his squire was not unprepared for what was to come.

Two years later, and Denys would get his first taste of war at his knightly master’s side. Andrik Greyiron’s success was a remnant of King Monterys’ poor rule, and it was up to Maelor to fix this great mistake. Daemon, of course, stood by him. Fairmarket and Wayfarer’s Rest proved that four years of inaction were not enough to put rust on his skills - and certainly not his sword - yet it was Saltpans that tested his ability truly. It was a bloody fight, and the skill of the Greyiron and his men put the royal army to the test. During the battle, though, Daemon snapped. Something overcame him as he was surrounded by the false king’s men, and he simply threw Dark Sister. It caught a knight in the chest, and as he leapt forward to grasp it he screamed three words, before pulling it out and slamming it into the chest of another approaching man. “Honour! Daena! Maelor!” He continued to fight, still repeating those words, cutting his way through the Greyiron men until their leader fell - and even slightly beyond, as he cut a path to the king’s position.

With his outburst in the battle, it became evident that Daemon Targaryen may have inherited a spot of his family’s traditional madness. Yet his honour was still renowned, his martial skill still exceptional - and his loyalty to the King remained steadfast. When the next war came, he was just as ready to fight as he had been before.

House Darklyn were to be the king’s foes, yet that was not an easy thing for Daemon to confront - he had befriended Lord Darklyn’s eldest son over the years, and to know the possibility of crossing swords with him only brought pain. When the rest of the Crownlands joined the rebels, besides his kinsmen and the Velaryons of Driftmark, he was distraught. Fear that Maelor might lose this great conflict set in, but it only drove him to fight harder. He itched to march, and when the king announced the movement of the army to the Riverlands - away from their vulnerable spot in the capital - Daemon was ready.

At Harroway, Daemon’s worries about his king’s success were not assuaged - blood spilled on both sides secured no concrete victory, and Maelor was simply forced to pull back to ensure he did not push his men into a slaughter. When the army pulled back to Riverrun, the knight of the Kingsguard felt himself chafing with anticipation within the walls of the Tully stronghold. So, when Maelor announced they would be marching out, to avoid the Lannister force advancing on them and to put pressure on the rebels, the Kingsguard made sure Dark Sister was polished and ready.

Harrenhal was where the final battle of the war took place. Where Daemon once again bloodied his blade. It was poetic almost, that Dark Sister, in the hands of a man named Daemon, found itself bloodied and responsible for the deaths of many. Bloodied though his blade was, the white armour of the Kingsguard remained pure as snow - cementing his identity as the Whitedrake. At his hands fell the Lord of Fawnton, who gave him a fierce duel, and likely other rebels whose identity he did not know as Dark Sister sheared through their plate. One duel that did not end in the death of his opponent, however, was his fight against Johanna Baratheon. Anonymous though she was, he recognised her movements, her armour. His friend, his one-time lover, battling with him. It was enough to cause him great pain, and enough to make him snap as he did at Saltpans. Yet he did not go into a furious flurry of attacks - instead, he stabbed Dark Sister into the ground, whispering one word over and over. “Honour,” he said, allowing Johanna to continue on unharmed.

His armour remained white, but it was not unharmed - he had suffered a powerful blow from a knight in Rosby colours whilst trying to recover a body also in pale white, a body that had belonged to Ser Jonos Sunderland - the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

In the aftermath of the battle, Daemon still felt that thrill he had in the rest of Maelor’s wars. Yet it was tempered by the things he had seen, the friends who had fallen on both sides. But it was a victory for the king - his king, a man he loved. Upon the battered army’s return to King’s Landing, a set of important appointments were made.

Five regents, all of different walks of life. Ser Rodrick, the Knight of Skullfort and Daemon’s friend was one of them, along with three men that the knight of the Kingsguard respected greatly - and Lord Staedmon, whose family he had spilled blood against in the past. Daemon thought highly of the creation of the Ironguard too, a group led by a man that he respected too, Edwyle Snow. Yet the greatest appointment was one he was not expecting. With Ser Jonos’ death, the Kingsguard were without a leader. Maelor summoned the Targaryen to his solar in the middle of the day, and offered the position to him. Daemon was a man he could trust, a competent leader, and a near-peerless duelist. The King could see no better choice - it was a smart move to keep his lover close, too.

From Father to Son
Maelor’s death was long-coming. His illness had been growing worse, and Daemon had seen it. Whenever he could he would see him - on duty or not. Yet he had other duties too - the king was too ill to fight, and it was Daemon’s job as the king’s most trusted knight and one of the crown’s greatest warriors to train young Prince Laenor in the art of swordsmanship. Unlike his previous squire, the future king took to it well - he was not Daemon, not yet, but he was good.

Yet training his beloved king’s son was not enough to soften the blow that Maelor’s death caused Daemon. As he had nine years before, he spent the day the bad news reached him in the training yard - yet not alone, this time. Laenor was his squire, and instead of taking the day to ruin the yard that the Master of Coin had so kindly refurbished years before, he found himself training the boy - the king - with more intensity.

Since Maelor’s death and Laenor’s ascension to the throne, Daemon has found himself just as pressed as he was at war. He guards the king, he trains him, and he represents the Kingsguard and the King at the meetings of the Small Council. With political intrigue heating up in the capital, Daemon believes it is time for him to put his training under Aegon the Younger to use. He must be Lord Commander. Yet his mind is torn - with the incoming arrival of the realm, he knows that he will see many he has not seen for years. His sister included.

Timeline

 * 168 AC - Daemon Targaryen is born as the eldest son and child of Ser Aenar Targaryen and his wife, Princess _________ Velaryon.
 * 170 AC - Daena Targaryen, Daemon’s younger sister is born. The two form a quick connection, and eventually fall in love later in life.
 * 174 AC - Aegor Targaryen is born, the second son of Aenar and his wife. At the same time, Daemon begins to be educated by his grandfather Aegon.
 * 177 AC - Valaena Targaryen is born, the second daughter of Aenar and his wife.
 * 178 AC - Daemon begins to train in martial pursuits under his father and excels in them.
 * 180 AC - On a trip to King’s Landing, Daemon meets the heir to the Seven Kingdoms, Prince Maelor Velaryon. Both boys feel a connection with each other and become close friends. Whispers abound that their brotherly relationship is in keeping with Valyrian sibling tradition.
 * 184 AC - On the invitation of the king, Daemon leaves his future inheritance and his beloved sister-betrothed to join the Kingsguard. His father knights him and bestows Dark Sister upon him. His acceptance of the offer was so fast, so fervent, that some suppose he underwent a bout of madness.
 * 185 AC - After a failed assassination attempt on Dornish courtiers, the war known as Staedmon’s Folly breaks out. Daemon fights beside his king and befriends Ser Rodrick, the Knight of Skullfort.
 * 188 AC - Daemon travels with the king to the Stormlands to fight in the Revolt of Sapphire Isle. Whilst warring with House Tarth, he meets Johanna Baratheon, a daughter of the Lord of Storm’s End. They become fast friends. Later in the year, he also fights in the War of Oakheart Succession, riding beside the king at the head of the suicide charge at Red Lake.
 * 190 AC - Word reaches Daemon of his sister’s marriage to their cousin Rhaegar. He spends an entire day in the training yard of the Red Keep, destroying all of the training dummies with Dark Sister and sending a bill to the Master of Coin for them.
 * 192 AC - When Maelor marches to assist the Riverlands against the false king Greyiron, Daemon accompanies him. During the Battle of Saltpans, the knight of the Kingsguard suffers a mental break - the first true sign his Targaryen “coin flip” may not have succeeded.
 * 195-6 AC - House Darklyn’s rebellion against the crown is met by royal resistance. Daemon goes with his king to war, fighting beside him and ensuring he is unharmed. He fights his old friend Johanna Baratheon, and once again suffers a break - plunging his sword into the dirt mid-fight and allowing her to pass by him. In the Battle of Harrenhal, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Jonos Sunderland, falls to a brave charge from the Darklyn forces. After the battle, Daemon is named Lord Commander in his place as a trusted and senior member of the order - as well as a man Maelor knew would listen to him. Daemon endorsed the creation of the Iron Guard whole-heartedly, and befriended their commander quickly.
 * 199 AC - After a three year illness, King Maelor passes away. His son, the new King Laenor, becomes Daemon’s full duty.
 * 200 AC - Daemon continues to serve as Laenor’s protector, sometimes chafing with the regents and with the Small Council in his dedication to Maelor’s legacy.

Family Tree
https://www.familyecho.com/?p=NNUX2&c=p8tu3ffqur&f=699459760633025603