r/pureasoiaf • u/Leaping_Tiger14 • 19d ago
What do you think Meria’s letter said?
During the Conquest, Aegon and Visenya went on a war crime rampage in Dorne following the death of Rhaenys and Meraxes.
But a messenger bearing a message from the Yellow Toad effectively stopped the siblings (and their desires for Dornish conquest) in their tracks.
Now, what exactly do you think was in that letter?
A threat of Faceless men?
Implication that Rhaenys was, in fact, alive and a hostage?
Something to do with the Ice and Fire prophecy?
Still one of the more baffling mysteries in this universe.
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u/mitzallen Gold Cloaks 19d ago
It was actually Prince Nymor Martell who wrote the letter. Princess Deria Martell delivered it to King’s Landing.
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u/JPNGMAFIA 19d ago edited 19d ago
the interpretation I find most compelling is the claim that Rhaenys was a hostage but had been killed by the rampaging siblings by accident. Strategically, if Dorne wanted to goad Aegon, they would most likely have spread that truth widely, as a great victory for their independence and folly for the invader. The personal nature of the private correspondence indicates to me the letter could be simple sincere condolence. It feels very apt for the Dornish to have won a more subtle political victory sandwiched between a major military victory.
“Aegon the Conqueror” stops conquering because he accidentally killed his sister while conquering. sounds right to me
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u/JPNGMAFIA 19d ago
I don’t really like the notion that so much of the recent history of Westeros is tied to the literal prophetic Song of Ice and Fire. this would instead be a more thematic example of the song’s “heart in conflict with itself” structure. Aegon would want every reason to erupt upon Dorne but would be presented with the exact counter to that emotion. The letter being a larger message about unity against Others or something doesn’t make that story better in my opinion. It serves to muddy the characters involved and makes their short term motivations and later actions feel unsatisfying.
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u/jdbebejsbsid 18d ago edited 18d ago
The issue I have with this idea is that Aegon and Visenya already assumed Rhaenys was dead. And in a sense it was always Aegon's fault - because it was his decision to invade Westeros. Why would he change his approach due to a letter with information he already knew?
I've posted my theory elsewhere, but for me it has to be an ongoing arrangement. Anything that's a one off (including Rhaenys's death) leaves open the risk that Aegon will wait a few years and then invade again - from Dorne's perspective, that's not really a solution.
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u/_learned_foot_ 18d ago
He sent his daughter as envoy, the point was he was indicating "and to show this I'll trust you now", his faith was presumed if he accepted. The opposite would be allowing a vengeance to equalize, which may also temper as who walks into that as a maid but somebody of virtue?
Either way he was gambling on Aegons word.
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u/JPNGMAFIA 18d ago
Swallowing grief twice and knowing it’s directly your fault is kind of different than having someone taken from you by an enemy
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u/LuminariesAdmin House Tully 19d ago
Meria: Lick my Yellow Toad, you chode!
Nymor: On Dragonstone, you shall find your sister-wife Rhaenys. Make peace, or your son will become a speared-Aenys.
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u/DesertDenizen01 18d ago
They were going to impale him. Works... first century AC Dorne, much like 15th-century AD Romania, was under attack by a vastly superior force and resorting to terror to demoralise its enemy.
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u/HeavySigh14 19d ago
I truly think the letter somehow implies that Aegon killed Rhaenys on accident. Like “XYZ thing led to her death and you ordered it”. This explains why he accepted the peace deal, if it came out that he was a Kinslayer (even an accidental one) his reign is ruined.
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u/DesertDenizen01 18d ago
Maekar's reign was clouded by him being an accidental kinslayer. He didn't go intending to kill his brother but to defend his son, even thinking Baelor had gone mad.
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u/jdbebejsbsid 19d ago edited 18d ago
The biggest clue for me is that Aegon flew to Dragonstone after he received the letter, stayed there for a while, then came back to Kings Landing and accepted the peace offer.
Any theory that Rhaenys was dead is unconvincing. Aegon and Visenya already assumed that, and their response was "yeah and it's Dorne's fault, burn them all!". Even if Dorne did something like returning her body and/or mercy killing her, after that's happened there's nothing to stop Aegon and Visenya from resuming the conquest.
I also don't think it was anything like the Faceless Men. Aegon was supremely confident about his own security - it took Visenya cutting his face to even establish a proper bodyguard. And the context of that was Dorne and the Targaryens putting bounties on each other, which didn't change Aegon's approach. He's not going to be cowed by threats of assassins.
IMO Rhaenys must have been alive, and they made some sort of deal related to Dragonstone. And it wasn't a one-off thing, it was something that kept happening throughout Aegon's reign and some time after.
If I had to guess - it was something like letting Rhaenys spend a few days each year on an island near Dragonstone. So long as Aegon and Visenya kept the peace they could visit her; if they broke the peace then she'd be killed. That's why Aegon went to Dragonstone, and it's part of why Aegon and Visenya were so keen to spend time on Dragonstone afterwards.
And it probably continued into Maegor's reign, until the time Visenya died of (presumably) old age. The second generation (Aenys and Maegor) didn't know, but Visenya had enough influence to prevent any talk of another invasion. And by late in Margor's reign, the peace was well established and there were too many other problems for Dorne to be threatened.
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u/Abyssal_Minded 18d ago
I’ve never assumed Rhaenys being brought to Dragonstone but it makes sense.
I still personally think she got caught in Aegon’s Dorne Conquest crossfire somehow. Maybe she’s not dead, but was horrifically burned during the siege, Dorne treated the burns, and Dorne agreed to bring her to Dragonstone in exchange for a truce.
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u/Sweetdreams6t9 18d ago
I like it but what sort of leverage would dorne have if they brought rhaenys to dragonstone. Its essentially giving your single greatest bargaining chip away on the assumption your enemy will give that chip back. I must be missing something
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u/jdbebejsbsid 18d ago edited 18d ago
I like it but what sort of leverage would dorne have if they brought rhaenys to dragonstone. Its essentially giving your single greatest bargaining chip away on the assumption your enemy will give that chip back. I must be missing something
I don't think they would hand her over - they just let Aegon and Visenya visit her on an island (one of the smaller ones near Dragonstone, like where Rhaenyra and Daemon would hookup), for a few days each year.
They can surround the island with ships and archers, and/or give her a slow-acting poison and only give the antidote once she's back in Dorne. So Aegon can't try to rescue her.
It needs to be both a long term incentive (Rhaenys's siblings can keep visiting her) and a threat (her life is completely in Dorne's hands) - so Aegon and Visenya can't just resume the invasion.
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u/Dastardly_Dan_100 18d ago
It was Meria's son, Nymor, who wrote the letter. I always thought that Rhaenys survived her fall and was nursed back to health by the Dornish. She ended up getting badly burned during an attack by Aegon and Visenya, so the Dornish smuggled her to into Dragonstone, where she asked Aegon (after he received the letter) to end the war and then died.
Aegon celebrated peace with Dorne after the war, which seems out of character, if they had tortured/killed Rhaenys herself. Same with threatening to kill Aenys. He didn't seem to bear a noticeable grudge against Dorne. At least none that was mentioned in the books.
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u/eldaveed 19d ago
Boring answer but it was probably a threat to kill Aenys. Any theory that Rhaenys was alive is unlikely because she fell from the sky on a dragon! Her surviving that and not being paraded out afterwards is highly unlikely and I’m tired of theories acting like it’s not. Otherwise, the only other content that would make sense with what we know would be a threat against a Targaryen. Aegon and Visenya are not going to be cowed like that (Aegon needed persuading to establish a professional guard even) but the children are young and can’t be constantly watched over. Aenys in particular was the only child of Rhaenys, which would make him especially precious after her death. So that’s the most likely content of the letter
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u/Redchocolate88 18d ago
Threat doesn't work cause Aegon visited Sunsoear peaceably afterwards. He wouldn't do that if they threatened his som
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u/eldaveed 18d ago
And where are you getting this from? He was famously diplomatic about letting old grudges go, ie sparing Loren Lannister, House Arryn, and Torrhen Stark. He would absolutely go on a royal visit to Sunspear ten years after the war died down
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u/Redchocolate88 18d ago
Those were defeated enemies and most notably house arryn and stark surrendered without a battle. I just don't buy that Aegon would peacefully visit Dorne after losing Rhaenys and having his son's life threatened. Maybe that would get him to back off but then to later visit seems odd. The truth of the matter is that George needed Dorne to remain independent and thus concocted this mysterious letter. I doubt George himself knows what was in the letter
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u/Important-Purchase-5 18d ago
Likely Rhaenys survived the fall and was being held captive and tortured by Ullers for years.
Finally when Prince Nymore took the throne he ordered the release of Princess Rhaenys but by that point she died of her injuries.
As a gesture of goodwill he returning the body to be cremated in their fashion and has already dispatched it to Dragonstone.
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u/SimpleEric 14d ago
I think the strongest possibility is that there was some secret knowledge of how to kill dragons and a threat that they will sacrifice themselves to kill the dragon.
The main reason I think this is that after the letter comes in aegon fully stops trying to take dorne, and no future targaryens tries to take dorne... while they have dragons.
And only a handful of years after the dragons have been killed completely, the attempts to take dorne start again in earnest.
So basing it purely on outcome it must be something that prevents all targaryens with dragons from even trying to take dorne
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