Aegon II and Aemond's brotherly and regency relationship

Aegon II and Aemond's brotherly and regency relationship was shaped by the crisis of succession and transformed by the battle at Rook's Rest. The brothers fought for the same crown, but when Aegon's injuries left him unable to govern, Aemond took up the royal emblem and the realm's command without claiming the title of king. His regency preserved his brother's formal kingship even as it gave Aemond room to pursue his own campaign and authority.

Brothers in a contested succession

Aegon and Aemond were sons of King Viserys and Queen Alicent, and the succession dispute turned their family position into a political one. After Viserys died, the Green council moved to advance Aegon's claim over that of his half-sister Rhaenyra. Aemond was summoned to the council with his older brother as the court prepared for the transfer of power. Nineteen years old, he was found in the armory preparing for morning practice; his appearance there linked the new ruler's claim to a brother already equipped for action.

Aegon's coronation made that claim public. In the Dragonpit, Ser Criston Cole placed the Conqueror's iron-and-ruby crown on Aegon's head, while Alicent crowned Aegon's wife and sister, Helaena, as queen. The ceremony established Aegon as king before the wider conflict unfolded. Aemond's later assumption of that same crown therefore carried a charged distinction: he could display the symbols of rule and exercise its powers, yet he did not displace his brother by taking the royal style for himself.

Fighting on the same side

At Rook's Rest, the brothers entered the same battle on dragons. Rhaenys arrived on Meleys to aid the castle's defenders, and Criston Cole's forces drew her into the fight. Aegon rode Sunfyre, while Aemond rode Vhagar; the two Targaryen brothers faced Rhaenys together in the sky. The dragons collided in a three-way battle and crashed to the ground. Meleys was killed, Sunfyre was badly injured, and Aegon suffered severe injuries. Vhagar alone rose unharmed.

The battle bound the brothers' political fortunes together but left their capacities sharply divided. Aegon survived and was carried back to King's Landing, where he remained abed for the rest of the year. He could not resume the work of kingship, and the court had to govern in his name. Aemond's role changed from that of a younger royal brother fighting alongside the king to the person expected to wield power until Aegon recovered.

The regency and its limits

Criston Cole told Aemond that he must rule the realm until his brother was strong enough to take the crown again. Aemond accepted the charge and took up the Conqueror's iron-and-ruby crown. Yet he called himself Protector of the Realm and Prince Regent, not king; Criston remained Hand of the King. These titles kept Aegon as the formal sovereign while assigning the immediate exercise of royal authority to Aemond.

The arrangement was a real transfer of power, not merely a ceremonial substitution. Aemond summoned his bannermen and council and proposed to attack the Riverlands from both east and west, coordinating his own force with Jason Lannister's host. His aim was to crush the riverlords gathered around Daemon at Harrenhal. Some councillors argued for waiting until Aegon and Sunfyre had recovered, or for securing further support before beginning the campaign. Aemond rejected delay. He claimed there was no need to wait for his brothers, and the account presents him as determined to win the campaign's glory himself. The regency thus gave him the means to direct the war while Aegon's incapacity prevented the king from sharing or checking that direction.

Shared rule, unequal agency

Aemond's authority depended on a distinction he maintained: Aegon remained king, while Aemond governed as regent. The distinction was visible in his choice of title and in his use of the crown, which belonged to the Conqueror and had already signified Aegon's accession. By wearing it without claiming kingship, Aemond asserted command while formally preserving his brother's place in the dynasty.

Their relationship is therefore presented through public acts more than private exchanges. The brothers appear together as dragonriders at Rook's Rest; afterward, Aegon's injuries leave him absent from rule, and Aemond's decisions determine the next military move. This sequence makes their bond politically consequential without establishing a personal quarrel between them. Aemond's regency was justified as temporary service to an injured brother, but his refusal to wait for Aegon's recovery, and his wish to own the coming victory, reveal how easily delegated authority could become a vehicle for individual ambition.