Saera Targaryen

Saera Targaryen
Political information
House(s)	Targaryen
Title(s)	Princess
Personal information
Culture	Valyrian
Father	{Jaehaerys I Targaryen}
Mother	{Alysanne Targaryen}
Issue	Hugh

"She worked in a pleasure house. She was granted more freedom than most because of who she was. And because rich men paid more to fuck a woman with silver hair. She used to tell me I was no different to her brother's boys, Viserys and Daemon. But I was ashamed of her."

―Hugh on his mother

Princess Saera Targaryen was the ninth child of King Jaehaerys I and Good Queen Alysanne.

Biography

Background

Despite her high standing as a royal princess, Saera worked in a pleasure house. She had at least one bastard son, named Hugh.

House of the Dragon: Season 2

After Rhaenyra calls for dragonseeds, Hugh reveals his parentage to his wife, Kat.

Family

Rhaena Targaryen Deceased

Aegon Targaryen Deceased

Viserys Targaryen Deceased

Jaehaerys I Targaryen1 Deceased

Alysanne Targaryen Deceased

Vaella Targaryen Deceased

Aemon Targaryen Deceased

Jocelyn Baratheon Deceased

Rodrik Arryn Deceased

Daella Targaryen Deceased

Baelon Targaryen Deceased

Alyssa Targaryen Deceased

Corlys Velaryon

Rhaenys Targaryen Deceased

Aemma Arryn Deceased

Viserys I Targaryen2 Deceased

Alicent Hightower

Daemon Targaryen

Rhea Royce Deceased

Daemon Targaryen

Laena Velaryon Deceased

Laenor Velaryon3

Rhaenyra Targaryen2

Daemon Targaryen

Aegon II Targaryen

Helaena Targaryen

Aemond Targaryen

Daeron Targaryen

Baela Targaryen

Rhaena Targaryen

Jacaerys Velaryon

Lucerys Velaryon Deceased

Joffrey Velaryon

Aegon Targaryen

Viserys Targaryen

Jaehaerys Targaryen Deceased

Jaehaera Targaryen

¹ Jaehaerys had thirteen children in all. For simplicity, only the direct ancestors of future generations are on this family tree and they are not in the exact order of birth. The thirteen children in correct order are: Aegon, Daenerys, Aemon, Baelon, Alyssa, Maegelle, Vaegon, Daella, Saera, Viserra, Gaemon, Valerion, and Gael.

² Due to the nature of their respective births and deaths, Baelon Targaryen, son of Viserys and Aemma, and Visenya Targaryen, daughter of Rhaenyra and Daemon, are not included on this family tree.

³ While Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey are officially Laenor's, he and Rhaenyra never had any biological issue. Their three sons were in fact fathered by Harwin Strong.

Behind the scenes

Saera was mentioned by name in an earlier draft of the script for "Driftmark," in which Harrold Westerling tells of Ser Chester Mooton, her sworn protector, and the fate he met as a warning to Criston Cole.

In the books

In Fire & Blood, Saera was born in 67 AC. She was courageous, disobedient, and manipulative, making her an extremely difficult child. Her first word was "no." She often performed cruel pranks on her sister Daella and the court fool Tom Turnip, and she once stole the white cloaks of the Kingsguard and dyed them pink. Her septa considered her to be an "evil child."

Saera was known to be exceedingly promiscuous, entertaining an uncounted number of squires, knights, lords, and other men of the court. She had three favorites: Ser Braxton Beesbury, Lord Roy Connington, and Jonah Mooton. Saera, her favorites, and her two closest friends Perianne Moore and Alys Turnberry, were involved in a royal scandal in 84 AC: two men of the City Watch found Tom Turnip being entertained by prostitutes at the Blue Pearl, with Beesbury, Connington, and Mooton among the patrons laughing at the royal fool. When questioned, Jonah Mooton said that it had been Princess Saera's idea. The lordlings were brought before the king himself, and then imprisoned in the Black Cells for refusing to reveal any further information concerning Saera. The king and queen then questioned Perianne Moore and Alys Turnberry, who revealed that they and Saera had practiced at kissing, before daring each other to kiss real boys. Saera proclaimed that she would kiss a man, and went to Braxton Beesbury.

Jaehaerys summoned Saera to the throne room, where he scolded her for the joke she played on Tom Turnip. When told of the imprisonment of her companions, according to Septon Barth, Saera "went from denial to dismissal to quibbling to contrition to accusation to justification to defiance" within the span of an hour. Jaehaerys then asked her if any of the three had claimed her maidenhead, to which she revealed that they all believed themselves to be the first. She then suggested marrying all three of them, comparing herself to the polygamous kings Aegon the Conqueror and Maegor the Cruel. Saera proudly comparing herself to Maegor sent Jaehaerys into a black rage, immediately placing her under arrest in her bedchamber. He went so far as to disown her the next day. That night, Saera escaped and attempted to steal a dragon from the Dragonpit, further enraging her father. He then had her placed in a tower cell, under guard by Jonquil Darke. Ser Braxton eventually demanded trial by combat, in which he fought Jaehaerys himself. Saera watched from her tower cell as the king killed Braxton with Blackfyre.

Saera was sent to Oldtown to join the Faith of the Seven, under the tuition of her sister, Septa Maegelle. She became a novice of the Silent Sisters. The next year, however, she fled and went into self-exile in Lys, where she became a prostitute dressed as a novice of the Faith. Upon learning of this, Jaehaerys said that Saera had always been a whore. It was said that Jaehaerys had never been the same after this scandal. Saera later moved to Volantis, where she ran her own pleasure house.

Saera did not press her claim at the Great Council of 101 AC, proclaiming that she had her own kingdom in Volantis. Three of her bastard sons, however, did arrive at Harrenhal.

On his deathbed, King Jaehaerys grew increasingly demented and often mistook the young Alicent Hightower for his daughters. Near the end, he was convinced that Alicent was Saera.

There is no mention in the book that Saera was Hugh's mother.

Appearances

• – "Second of His Name" (mentioned indirectly)
• – "Driftmark" (mentioned in script) (non-canonical mention)
• – "The Red Sowing" (mentioned)

External links

• Saera Targaryen on A Wiki of Ice and Fire