Fables & Fantasy Second Scroll
4 Queens Enter, Only One Queen Stall Rule The Seven Kingdoms.
Welcome, traveler of distant realms, to another chapter of epic fantasy and Black royalty!
Today, we’re not looking at Black Royalty but at the Queens or Wouldbe Queens of the Seven Kingdoms. I have been doing a rewatch of Game Of Thrones since the second season of House Of The Dragon ended, and I had one thought, well, two. First question is why did it take them so long to crown a queen especially after Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, most of it is misogyny based around the whole male hair thing, but maybe it might also be based around Rhaenyra’s time on the throne. Nonetheless, my second question was, who would have been the best Queen if they hadn't been contested? So this is a little look at the four women who could have or have ruled over the Seven Kingdoms with my thoughts on why they could have been great Queens or why their rule would have turned to ashes.
Queen Cersei of the House Lannister, the First of Her Name
We will start with the clear “She would have gotten everyone killed,” Queen. Cersei is very cold-blooded, and by the time you see that side of her, you’re already in a dungeon underground. The one thing that the Lannisters made clear (aside from always paying their debts) is that the family’s well-being is what counts; the issue with that is internally, they all had different ideas on who is family. Cersei counted her father as family. She looked at Jammie and her kids as family/tools but never Tywin. Cersei and Tyrion's hate for Tywin caused them to be blind to what was happening around them and to Tywin as a threat, which cost Tyrion his life. I don’t feel Cersei’s kingdom would stand because she was cruel. She only cared for her family if they did what she said. When she was Robert’s Queen all she had to do was smile and be nice and she couldn’t do that, the people hated her. I honestly feel like her reign would end at the hands of her people, which is fitting for a Lannister because, with them, the threat is always coming from inside the house.
She didn’t even want to give the poor leftovers! She’s getting overthrown, for sure.
Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, the first of her name
Rhaenyra! The Queen we were promised. Rhaenyra had every right to the throne and was going to be our first Queen, but greed or, according to the show, a misunderstanding of a dying King’s words led to her having to fight for what was rightfully hers. The Dance of the Dragons changed the Targaryen line and one of their keys to holding power. I won’t get into that because there’s no reason to spoil the show, but I will tell you why I feel Rhaenyra’s reign wouldn’t have lasted long. The Queen surrounded herself with wise men who didn’t want to give her a voice. She tried to fight in battles they advised her to stay behind which is something they wouldn’t have said to a King, a King is expected to be out there fighting for his people. She surrounded herself with people who didn’t want to see her on the throne but were loyal to her house and father. The consistent “No” and undermining stars create a level of distrust. She’s making an environment that breeds paranoia, and nothing will cause you to lose control of a kingdom faster than thinking everyone is out to get you. That’s not to say everyone wasn’t out to get her, but in the book, it gets a bit extreme. Without spoiling anything, it’s the environment she created that will be her downfall cause it hardly allows trust to grow within it.
Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, The First of Her Name
Daenerys: The Queen We Wanted! Was it her madness that was trapped in her DNA? Was it her husband/nephew who was the rightful ruler? What was it that caused Daenerys' reign to end? If you say it’s her attack on Kingslanding, then I mean, you’re right cause that’s what caused her death, but for me, that was a necessary evil. There are 7 Kingdoms, but due to the way the show and story are told, you only care about two Kingdoms, Kingslanding and Winterfell. I don’t think Daenerys was insane. I think this was the attack she’d wanted to do since she arrived, but she was talked out of it countless times. Daenerys watched everyone else’s plans for her fall apart, so she went back to trusting herself, which got her to Westeros. That’s what I feel would have been her downfall. If she destroyed Kingslanding and got away with it, there would be no need for an inner council because no one would or could do what she believes needs to be done. She will think her way is the right way, and that’s an excellent way to catch an arrow in the back while flying. Those who surround her will start to think she doesn’t have what it takes to rule, and they will turn on her and plot against her, just like they did in the show, but it would be later down the line. Daenerys was a badass breaker of chains, and that’s what got her to the throne and what will get her killed.
The Queen Who Never Was
Rhaenys Targaryen had a chance at being Queen but was passed over for a male in both the book and the show. Now, why I feel Rhaenys would have been a great Queen is because she’s level-headed; she plays the game well. She’s battle-tested (The battle we saw ended in death, but you can’t win them all). She’s loyal and lived a full life without being touched by Targaryen Madness. Rhaenys strikes me as a Queen who will have advisors but is more than fine overruling them at times (Not all the time). Sure, she’ll have people who want to challenge her seat on the throne, but she would ride her dragon into battle and lay waste to them. My only issue with her reign might be Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen’s branch of the family tree because if they still came out the way they did in the show and book, I don’t see them wanting to sit quietly while Rhaenys ruled. Maybe she could send them off with some land and castles, but Daemon, for sure, would still be trying to figure out a way onto the throne. So maybe a civil war was just destined for that era of time. Still I would have loved to see her rule, I feel like she would have brought more peace than the others.
Until the next tale is told, farewell!
