Rewriting dance of dragons

General ASOIAF Discussion

I was thinking about the Dance of the Dragons as a premise, and I don't think it really works. Westeros is a deeply misogynistic society as a whole. There should not be this much support for Rhaenyra. In *The Anarchy*, which the Dance is based on, it basically happened between Matilda and Stephen, and even Matilda's husband had better support than Rhaenyra does in her historical counterparts.

Anyway, I thought about how to fix it. I wanted to make it more of a devastating war that really starts from Viserys being a terrible father and not understanding the rest of the realm. Here are my thoughts:

Rhaenyra gets named heir the same way. Then Alicent marries Viserys, and they have the canon children we know. Alicent and the Green siblings are hurt by this — well, except Aegon; I would keep his indifference the same.

Anyway, Alicent marries Aegon to a Tyrell (a Margaery-like person) who guides him toward ambition. And Alicent marries Helaena to the son of Borros Baratheon without the king's leave. I imagine the boy as another Lyonel/Robert figure: charming, competent, a fighter. I could see him as second-in-command after Aegon dismisses Otto. He is kind of anti-dragon — he says chivalry died when dragons came. He doesn't like Aemond, and that becomes a major tension, considering Aemond has Vhagar.

On Rhaenyra's side, the first marriage happens the same way — the Strong children are there. After her second marriage, she does not marry Daemon. Instead, she marries a Dornish prince. In my AU, Dorne has done well since the Dornish Wars. They have captured a few cities and islands overseas, maybe Lys, etc. They also used the Sea Snake as an ally in some expeditions.

Now, the prince wants a dragon for himself. What his father achieved in tactical brilliance could easily be lost in the next generations. He needs dragons to keep power. On a personal level, Rhaenyra likes open relationships, and in Dorne, female rulers are actually legitimate. Rhaenyra wants Dorne to join the Seven Kingdoms, but they don't want that because Jace is not their blood. It becomes a Charles V situation. Rhaenyra's child would rule two different entities. Of course, many people in Dorne remember the Dornish Wars, and they are not very happy about it.

I wanted to create a few differences with this version:

A) The Green siblings refuse incest and gain more allies.

B) It becomes a more continental war.

C) A female leader ascending the throne has a pro within Dorne.

D) I want the Andal lands to follow Andal law more — that's why the Stormlands, the Reach, and the Rock should be together.

(Dorne marriage thing can change as daemon marrying their princess, or baela/rheana going as consorts. Maybe sending Luke or Joffrey as consorts...)

Posted May 28, 2026, 5:05 PM UTC

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