Alyssa Targaryen’s death and the birth of Jocelyn Baratheon were bound together in a crisis at Storm’s End: the queen could not survive the birth, while an operation offered the child only a slight chance of life. Jaehaerys Targaryen and Alysanne Targaryen reached their mother before the operation, and Alysanne remained beside her throughout. The accounts disagree over whether Alyssa woke and consented, but agree that Jocelyn survived.

Background and arrival at Storm’s End

Alyssa was the mother of Jaehaerys and Alysanne, and by this point was also Rogar Baratheon’s wife. The royal couple learned of her condition while visiting Blackhaven. Alysanne had taken a particular liking to their host, Lord Dondarrion’s son Simon, whose harp playing and songs kept the party there longer than planned. They were still at the castle when a raven arrived from Storm’s End with news that Alyssa was close to death.

Jaehaerys and Alysanne flew at once on Vermithor and Silverwing to reach her as quickly as possible. The rest of the royal party followed overland, under the command of Gyles Morrigen. At Storm’s End, Alyssa lay in a chamber high in the castle’s single massive drum tower. Jaehaerys found Rogar outside the room, distressed and unable to face what was happening. The urgency of the journey and the family’s arrival set the scene for a decision that could not be postponed.

The danger and the choice

The midwife explained that Alyssa was not yet due to give birth. The child was badly positioned, and the midwife believed that neither mother nor child would survive until morning. Maester Kyrie offered a strong draught to relieve Alyssa’s suffering, but warned that it might kill her and would almost certainly kill the child. He saw no way to save Alyssa. There was, however, a slight chance of saving the baby by opening the womb and removing it; the child might still die, and the operation would cost Alyssa her life.

Jaehaerys did not make the choice himself. He reminded Rogar that Alyssa was his wife and told him that the decision belonged to him. Rogar struggled to speak, and the king had to bring him back into the chamber and insist that he answer the maester. Rogar finally asked that the child be saved, then left the room. The decision was therefore made under the pressure of an explicit choice between Alyssa’s life, which the maester considered beyond saving, and a narrow possibility for the unborn child.

Alyssa’s death and Jocelyn’s birth

The accounts differ on Alyssa’s final moments. In many, she woke before the operation began, despite her pain, and was glad to see her children. Alysanne explained what the maester intended to do, and Alyssa gave her assent, asking that the child be saved. Other accounts say that Alyssa never woke and died while the maester performed the operation. The narrative preserves both versions rather than presenting her consent as certain.

One detail is shared across the accounts: Alysanne held her mother’s hand from beginning to end. The operation ended when the baby’s first cry sounded in the room. The child was a girl, not the son Rogar had hoped for, and she was so small and weak that the midwife and maester doubted she would live. She did survive. Rogar named her Jocelyn several days later, after he had recovered sufficiently from the crisis to consider the matter. Her survival gives the event its second outcome, but does not soften the loss of her mother.

Aftermath and significance

Rhaena Targaryen arrived at Storm’s End as dawn was breaking, seeking to make amends to Alyssa. She came too late. Jaehaerys told her she need not look upon their mother’s body, but Rhaena insisted. Afterward, she kissed Jaehaerys and embraced Alysanne; when the midwife offered her the newborn Jocelyn, she refused and asked where Rogar was. The scene records a family gathered around both death and survival, while leaving Rhaena’s response to Rogar unelaborated.

The event places a royal birth within the limits of the care available to the family: Maester Kyrie could offer relief that carried grave risks, or an operation that might save the baby but could not save Alyssa. It also shows how childbirth shaped dynastic life not only through the arrival of heirs, but through the deaths and decisions surrounding them. Jocelyn’s survival began with an uncertain chance; Alyssa’s did not. Alysanne’s hand held her mother’s through the transition, while the differing accounts leave the precise manner of Alyssa’s final consent unresolved.