Alysanne Targaryen and Rhaella Targaryen

Alysanne Targaryen and Rhaella Targaryen were aunt and niece whose recorded encounters link quiet religious service with the grief surrounding Rhaella’s missing twin, Aerea. Alysanne first met Rhaella in Oldtown while the young woman was a novice; later, at a royal celebration, Rhaella’s presence brought Aerea’s likeness sharply before the queen and moved her to tears.

Kinship and First Meeting

During a visit to Oldtown, Alysanne remained in the city while Jaehaerys Targaryen travelled through the Reach. She spent a day with the Silent Sisters in prayer and contemplation and another with septas who cared for the sick and destitute. Among the novices she met was her niece Rhaella, whom Alysanne regarded as learned and devout, though shy and prone to stammering and blushes. The encounter presents their kinship within the routine of Rhaella’s religious life rather than as a formal court occasion.

Rhaella and Her Family

Rhaella was the twin sister of Aerea and a daughter of Rhaena Targaryen. When Rhaena later came to Oldtown searching for Aerea, she was able to spend time with Rhaella, who had remained there. Rhaena regretted not having been a better mother; Rhaella embraced her and answered by crediting the Mother Above, and Rhaena, with the mother she had become. Alysanne is not present in this exchange, but the episode gives context to Rhaella’s family ties and to the loss that would shape the later reunion between aunt and niece.

Reunion at the Royal Celebration

At a tourney marking the anniversary of Jaehaerys’s coronation, the ill High Septon could not attend and sent Rhaella, now his newest septa, in his place. She was still shy, but smiling. Alysanne wept with joy at seeing her: Rhaella’s face and form recalled Aerea, as if the missing twin had grown older and appeared before her. The moment makes Rhaella both a beloved niece in her own right and an unexpected reminder of the absent princess.

Significance of Their Bond

The relationship is conveyed through a contrast between two brief meetings. In Oldtown, Alysanne notices Rhaella’s learning and devotion; at the celebration, her response is overwhelmed by Rhaella’s resemblance to Aerea. Rhaella’s progress from novice to septa gives the encounters a span of time, while the queen’s tears reveal how the family’s continuing absence and uncertainty remain present even amid a public gathering marked by peace and celebration.