4 The Cursed Tourney

Harrenhal

279AC

The summer sun shimmered and gave the grounds of the tourney at Harrenhal a fleeting radiance as it went on. Rhaegar Targaryen, the Crown Prince of the Seven Kingdoms observed the complex dance of power and politics, which was hidden from view by the banners of the aristocratic families that floated in the breeze. He was perched above the melee, his crown of rubies glistening like drips of blood, and his mind was dancing with schemes. Although he much preferred to stay with his books and ponder his prophecies, he understood that he needed to play the so-called Game of Thrones that the nobles of the Kingdom liked to play. Especially now, when his father's madness was at the peak, and there was a real threat of the nobles forcefully removing House Targaryen. In such times, he felt that he was the only hope of his house.

His mind went towards his family. His father, the King of the Seven Kingdoms, was by all means, mad. Although, his first few years as King were quite successful, he eventually succumbed to paranoia and jealousy, especially towards his childhood friend Tywin Lannister. Initially, the lion lord bared it, however, after an incident between his father and Lady Joanna Lannister a few years back, which had left Lady Lannister despondent, before his mother sent her back to the Rock, and his father's remarks after she died giving birth to her third child had pushed the Lion Lord too far, and he begins to look out for his interests. Initially, he wanted to get his blood on the Iron Throne, with a marriage between his daughter and himself, but, that option ended with his marriage with Elia. Now, he was wary of what the Lion Lord would do to achieve his goals. On top of his resentment towards Tywin, the Defiance of Duskendale happened, after which his father's sanity rapidly went down a steep slope. He was sometimes suspicious of the Defiance. He could not understand how a minor Lord could have guts to imprison a King, without powerful backing. However, when he tried to investigate, he was blocked at every turn strengthening his suspicions. After some time, he could only drop his efforts, but he stayed vigilant of any future plots.

He then thought about his marriage with Elia. She was a nice girl. He didn't love her, but she had given him 2 heads of the dragon for the prophecy. The issue was that she couldn't give him the third head. The Grandmaster had warned them that another pregnancy would be fatal for both, Elia and her child. This left him in a difficult situation. The dragon needed to have three heads, but Elia couldn't give him the third head. He needed to find a suitable woman to give him the third head.

It was all these reasons that led him to convince the Lord Whent to host Tourney. Harrenhal was large enough to host a tourney extravagant enough to attract the Lord Paramounts. Moreover, it symbolised Targaryen supremacy, by reminding people of their victory over Harren the Black. I was also the site of the Great Council of 101AC. While his father had blocked his access to the Royal Treasury, the tourney had been partially funded by his coffers on Dragonstone, and partially by the Braavosi, who had been suspiciously helpful.

He was sure that the majority of the Lords would support him in replacing his father, his father's madness was no secret after all. It was the issue of the third head that was more pressing for him. After the Grandmaester's news, he had looked at the prophecy more closely. It called for a union of ice and fire. Ice was synonymous with the North. He was sure that the mother of the third head must come from the North. So, he made sure that the Northern nobility would be present at the Tournament. Now he would see who among the Northern Ladies was worthy enough of bearing the third head of the dragon.

"During the years before the Tourney of Harrenhal, Rhaegar Targaryen gradually turned into a melancholic man, spending less time in politics and administration than what you would expect a Prince with a father as disastrous as Aerys the Mad. Instead, he spent more time on books and prophecies. This obsession had gone so far, that when Lords, Ladies and even family members close to Rhaegar begged him to take over his father's throne, he refused due to what now is known as reluctance to do anything before he understood a particular prophecy.

That is not to say that Rhaegar was completely clueless about the comings and goings of the realm. It is suspected that for a few years before the fateful tourney, the majority of the Kingsguard, sworn directly to the King, were more Loyal to the Prince instead. These included big names with huge family resources, like Arthur Dayne and Gerold Hightower. Rhaegar also kept in touch with various Lords with huge resources, the most prominent among them being Mace Tyrell. For years, Rhaegar has tried his level best to shrug off pressure from his various friends and acquaintances to dethrone the King. Finally, he decided to sponsor a grand Tourney at Harrenhal, presumably to discuss the very same possibility. 

Hosting the tourney was a challenge in itself. Aerys had blocked his son's access to the treasury after advice from his Master of Whispers, Varys, an eunuch with suspicious motives from Essos. Dragonstone's coffers were not enough for the scale that Rhaegar had planned. He could not approach is supporters to avoid them having too much influence over him. Under these circumstances, he was forced to approach the Iron Bank, which was suspiciously easy to convince. Finally, with the required funds and cooperation of Lord Whent, who held a large and historical keep, the preparations for the tourney were started, and took 6 moons to complete, just in time for the nameday of the Lord's daughter, providing an excellent cover. Across Westeros, every single ruling Lord and Lady made their way to Harrenhal, to get themselves rid of the unstable element they called their King.

Of course, what happened at the Tourney changed the course of Westeros…

Excerpt from the book, "The Fall of the last Valyrians" by Rickard Alexakis, published in 401 AC by Titan Publishing House, Braavos