Lucerys Velaryon

"With his death, the war of ravens came to an end, and the war of fire and blood began."

- - Robert Baratheon

Biography
Lucerys was the middle son of Rhaenyra Targaryen and her first husband/cousin, Laenor Velaryon. His mother was the first child and daughter of Viserys I Targaryen, who did not change the succession of the Iron Throne upon the birth of his sons. This therefore made Lucerys third in line for the throne. When his grandfather died, his uncle was named Aegon II Targaryen, on the orders of his step-grandmother Alicent Hightower. When Rhaenyra heard the news, the Dance of the Dragons began. By this time, Laenor had presumably died and Lucerys' mother had remarried her uncle Daemon Targaryen, and had two sons with him. In order to gain more supporters on the mainland of Westeros, Rhaenyra sent him on his dragon, Arrax, to Storm's End. However, by the time he arrived, his uncle Aemond Targaryen was already there, pledging Lord Borros Baratheon to pledge himself to the Greens. However, Lucerys still pleaded his mother's case, but Borros had made his decision. He sent him back to Dragonstone, saying that his bitch of a mother cannot summon him like a dog. Aemond then looked insistingly at Lucerys, his sapphire eye gleaming. This cause him to run out of the castle in a fright. However, he was caught in the middle of a storm whilst leaving, which made is difficult for him to fly very far. Lightning and thunder delayed him. Just then, he heard Vhagar's roar, as he soared throught the clouds with Aemond on his back. Vhagar was five times the size of Arrax, so it was easily won. As all of Storm's End watched, Vhagar took a bit into Arrax neck, eventually decapitating it. With Arrax's lifeless body falling, Lucerys fell into Shipbreaker Bay, only to be consumed by the waves. His mother considered ending the Dance of the Dragons when she heard about this, but his step-father Daemon had other ideas.

Youth
King Viserys I Targaryen was delighted with Luke when he was presented at court. In 118 AC Rhaenyra Targaryen announced the betrothal of her eldest sons, Jacaerys and Lucerys, to Rhaena and Baela Targaryen, the daughters of Prince Daemon Targaryen and Laena Velaryon.

When Prince Aemond Targaryen attempted to ride Vhagar, one of House Targaryen's dragons, he was confronted by the Velaryon brothers. Aemond broke the nose of five-year-old Luke, who eventually took out Aemond's eye with his dagger.

When Lord Corlys Velaryon fell ill, Rhaenyra wanted him to name Luke as his heir to Driftmark, as his elder brother Jacaerys was in the line of succession to the Iron Throne.

Dance of the Dragons
Prince Lucerys and Arrax are killed by Prince Aemond Targaryen and Vhagar, as depicted by Chase Stone in The World of Ice and Fire.

Prior to the Dance of the Dragons Lucerys had long served as a squire. He was fourteen years old at the start of the civil war.

Luke was sent on a mission that was considered shorter and safer than his brother Jacaerys's, flying on Arrax as a messenger to Storm's End where it was expected that Lord Borros Baratheon would give him a warm welcome. Prior to his mission he swore on the Seven-Pointed Star to his mother on Dragonstone that he would take no part in fighting.

Once at Storm's End tragedy befell Lucerys, as Prince Aemond Targaryenhad already arrived at the castle on Vhagar. Upon his arrival in the Round Hall Luke ignored Aemond and went to deliver his letter to Borros. The Lord of Storm's End asked Luke, "And if I do as your mother bids, which one of my daughters will you marry, boy?" He then told him to pick one of his four daughters standing in the Round Hall. When Luke admitted he was betrothed to his cousin, Rhaena Targaryen, Borros replied that he thought as much and told him to go home.

Aemond drew his sword but Lucerys told him he came as an envoy, not aknight. Lucerys was escorted back to the castle yard where Arrax waited amidst a terrible storm. In the Round Hall, Borros granted Aemond's request to leave. Arrax was struggling to stay aloft as Aemond mounted Vhagar and went after Luke. Arrax was younger and swifter, and on a calm day might have been able to outfly his pursuer, but the weather impeded him and Vhagar was five times the size of her foe and the hardened survivor of a hundred battles.

The two dragons met above Shipbreaker Bay. According to Archmaester Gyldayn, if there was a fight it could not have lasted long. Arrax fell, broken, to be swallowed by the storm-lashed waters of the bay. His head and neck washed up beneath the cliffs below Storm's End three days later. Prince Lucerys's corpse washed up as well.

On Dragonstone, Rhaenyra collapsed when told of his death and Luke's younger brother Joffrey swore a terrible oath of vengeance against Aemond and Borros. As the black council sat to consider how to strike back, a raven arrived from Harrenhal. "An eye for an eye, a son for a son," Prince Daemon wrote. "Lucerys shall be avenged".