Excerpts 1
Scholars have long bemoaned that so little of Aelyx Targaryen's early life was properly documented. Unlike most other members of the Royal House, the murky circumstances of Aelyx's birth meant that it was not properly recorded for posterity. The earliest proof of his existence comes from a letter written in 108 AC by an unknown individual to Lord Lyonell Strong referencing an Aelxy of Lys. He doesn't enter the historical record again until 111 AC when his father legitimized him as Prince Aelyx Targaryen and named him heir to The Kingdom of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea. Unfortunately, those original writes were lost when Prince Daemon abandoned his kingdom, however, contemporary documents from the archives of both the Red Keep and Braavos do attest to their existence. While later biographers would write extensively on Aelyx's years on Bloodstone, it difficult to distinguish fact from fiction.
-Spyr, Jorah. "Daemon's War and Viserys's Peace." The Dragon Kings: The Targaryens of the First and Second Century, Steel House, King's Landing, Crownlands, 921, p. 253.
One of the first questions asked when examining the Triarchy's history is why they stopped with the Stepstones. When Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh united to form the Kingdom of the Three Daughters they went from three squabbling cities, about to be brought to heel by Volantis, to one of the most powerful polities west of the Bone Mountains. And yet, the only effort they made to extend their power was the seizure of the Stepstones. Many both now and then wondered why they did not use their newfound strength to force cities such as Pentos into their sphere of influence. The short answer is; they couldn't. While the Three Daughters appeared united to outside observers in reality riven by internal factionalism as each city pushed forward its own interest. In this paper, I will examine the internal fragility of the Triarchy's governance and explain its inability to project power and its rapid collapse.
-Hartaen, Daaros. "Instability in the High Council of the Triarchy." The Myrish Historical Review, vol. 4, no. 3, 8/12/896, p. 1. 11.
By 112 AC the First War for the Stepstones had devolved into a frustrating quagmire. Prince Daemon had defeated the Triarchy counter-attack and driven back the Dornish offensive, and yet his hold on the islands was still not secure. The Triarchy adopted a strategy of insurgency. Pirates from across the known world rallied to their call as the Three Daughters offered massive bounties for any ship flying Velaryon covers. These pirates hugged the coast of the former Disputed Lands and Dorne, before sallying into the Narrow Sea to disrupt trade. The bolder ones would even establish temporary bases within the Stepstones themselves, secreting themselves within hidden coves unknown to the Targaryen-Velaryon interlopers. To his consternation, the Sea Snake discovered that rather than controlling one of the world's most valuable trade nodes he was now losing ships at a higher rate than before he began the war. Prince Daemon was of minimal assistance in combating these new tactics. While dragons are excellent weapons for breaking up large formations, their reliance on their riders to visually spot targets from the air means that they have limited utility when it comes to picking off lone ships within a target area that spans tens of thousands of square miles. And that is before one considers the prince's lack of patience when it came to such tedious endeavors.
-Cooper, Marc. "Daemon's Conquest." Bloody Tides: The Wars for the Narrow Sea, Citadel Publishing, Oldtown, Reach, 983, p. 255.
121 AC saw the power of the Greens reach its nadir. When Otto Hightower was banished from court in 109, he left behind a powerful faction in support of his daughter. Over the course of the succeeding decade, Queen Alicent, a skilled politician in her own right, would build on that foundation drawing many lords to her side. She was helped in this endeavor by the rumors that swirled around Ser Laenor and Princess Rhaenyra, rumors that Alicent was sure to spread far and wide. However, in the third decade of the second century, a series of events would lead to the sudden, albeit temporary, near collapse of the faction. First, despite the sudden death of both their children, Lord Corlys Velaryon and his wife Princess Rhaenys adopted an aggressive diplomatic stance actively courting many unaligned lords and tepid Greens, while simultaneously reinforcing ties with existing allies. Second Princess Rhaenyra wed her uncle, Prince Daemon Targaryen. This silenced many critics who had expressed discomfort at the thought of a female on the Iron Throne, with many coming to believe that it would be Daemon who ruled in truth. Third and finally a key member of the Black in the form of Ser Aelyx Targaryen would begin to rapidly build an independent power base outside of the confines of Westeros.
-Falcon, Almia. "Shifting Alliances." The Green Uprising, Steel and Quill, King's Landing, Cownlands, 945, pp. 67–68.
At the turn of the century, Pentos emerged from the First Pentoshi-Braavosi War and found itself facing a powerful new rival. Since the end of the War on the Myrth, Pentos had held itself apart from the squabbling of the Three Daughters. As the power of the Triarchy waxed paranoia soon gripped the city as they watched the once quiet Myrish border anxiously. Many within Pentos feared that should the Triarchy decide to march its armies the to very walls of the city, there would be very little the war-weary nation could do but submit. As such the news that the nascent state had turned its attention to Stepstones instead was met with relief. That relief soon turned to outrage at the heavy tolls and outright theft that the forces occupying the islands forced on Pentoshi vessels. Many in the city called for action, well others cautioned against angering a superior power. In short order, the Triarchy Question as it was called became the epicenter of Pentoshi Politics. Every faction had its own opinion and many long-standing parties collapsed as their members argued among themselves.
-Mopanar, Sirala. "The Triarchy Dilemma." Pentos: Valyria's Half-Daughter, Rogare University Press, Lys, 1012, p 246.
By the standards of the time the company of men that Aelyx Targaryen assembled on Driftmark was not anything special. There were many larger, better-organized, and better-equipped professional armies scattered across Essos. These included the Iron Legions of New Ghis and the Guard-Battalions of Yi-Ti. Those armies were well-developed, veteran forces whose institutions were the result of centuries of evolution and experience. By contrast, Aelyx's Company had been hastily assembled over the course of four moons. The Long Peace of Jaehaerys meant that none of the members had ever seen combat, beyond the occasional violent feud that so frequently flared between the feudal lords of Westeros. However, it must be noted that despite his relative lack of experience the young Targaryen had spent his entire life around militarily minded men and when he found the opportunity to build his own army from scratch, he took to it with gusto. The army was organized around Ser Aelyx who took the role and title of Lord Commander. Directly beneath him was the First Captain Rupert Pyne, who acted as Aelyx's right hand and would lead the company when Aelyx was atop Vhagar. Third in command was Daeron Velaryon the Second Captain, he led the cavalry into battle and served as the company's quartermaster. Finally, the Third Captain Jaremy Darkwood and Fourth Captain Artys Hunter commanded the halberdiers and archers respectively. Under the captains were the serjeants who led units of roughly twenty men each. There were two serjeants of horse and eleven serjeants of foot.
-Greenriver, Mychel. "The Originals." For, Glory, Gold, and Adventure: The Men Who Followed Aelyx Targaryen Across the Narrow Sea, Citadel Publishing, Oldtown, Reach, 897, p. 22.
The negotiations carried on through the early moons of 121 AC. But as the weeks passed it became increasingly clear that neither party intended to back down. The main bone of contention was the Stepstones. The Pentoshi demanded that the Triarchy foreswear all claims to the island chain, something that they categorically refused to do. In anger at what they viewed as unreasonable and arrogant demands the Triarchy advanced old Myrish claims to a series of towns in the southern flatlands. Tensions continued to escalate as moderate voices were drowned out by war hawks on both sides. The Daughters were supremely confident due to their large advantage in manpower and resources. Those who raised concerns about the news that Aelyx Targaryen intended to cross the Narrow Sea with Vhagar were mocked for fearing a boy, whose father they had already sent fleeing from the Stepstones. The Pentoshi in turn were banking all their hopes on the might of the Great Lady. Many spoke with relish of Triarchy learning that same lesson that the Reach and Westerlands had a century prior. By the fifth moon of the year, tensions had reached a boiling point.
-Silversmith, Rodrick. "Preparations for War." The Five Moons War, Blackwater University Press, King's Landing, Crownlands, 926, p. 46.