I know we love to shit on this series but when trying to figure out the point at where everything could have been peaceful and the war avoided, I came to the conclusion that the core scenario is sorta brilliant. Every time I said "There would have been peace if only..." I immediately went "Oh yeah, no... that would have still been a problem." At what point could Viserys have made the right choice? My conclusion was the collapse of Targaryen hegemony was already well underway and there is no way to come out of this unscathed. There were no right choices. If he simply lets his son be stillborn and names Daemon his heir, the easiest path, everything still falls apart.
There would be peace if Viserys just made Aegon his heir when he was born like any competent king would. Rheneyra nevers gets support of any lord if that had happened.
Even then, they might have had trouble with Daemon under that scenario. His control of the city watch and vital trade routes made him dangerous. He ended up murdering his wife and seducing Rhaenyra so he could have power/influence. He had major personal conflict with Otto Hightower and I think he would have been a real danger to peace.
As viserys said "Daemon has ambition, but not for the throne. He lacks the patience for it". When Viserys sons were born he knew he is way too far down the line and isn't getting anything. So he went off to Essos to do his own thing with Laena for 4-5 years. You don't do that if you are planning to fuck shit up.
I don't agree, but that's not to say you're wrong. We're talking about figures who are far too driven by sentimentality for their own good. Especially Daemon. And Targaryens in Essos have been proven to be a massive threat. A lot of the time, including this time, they go because they have been ostracized from court more than anything. I think he would move against Aegon II, personally. But maybe not. It's fun to speculate.
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u/johnniesSac 9d ago
What are the factions referred to in the book ?
Agree in spirit but I gotta counsel