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Trope has been renamed to Diagnosed By The Audience and made YMMV. Removing for not fitting the definition.
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* AmbiguousDisorder: Rhaegar is strongly implied to suffer from Bipolar Disorder, but given he lives in an medieval fantasy world, he clearly never gets a diagnosis.
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* BreakTheCutie:
** Use of AnachronicOrder means we can directly contrast Rhaegar at various stages of cutie breakage.
** Lyanna as well, which Rhaegar lampshades: “he has broken her, as much as he has ruined her.”
** Use of AnachronicOrder means we can directly contrast Rhaegar at various stages of cutie breakage.
** Lyanna as well, which Rhaegar lampshades: “he has broken her, as much as he has ruined her.”
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Not So Different has been renamed, and it needs to be dewicked/moved
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Not So Different has been renamed, and it needs to be dewicked/moved
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** Defied by [[spoiler:Rhaegar towards Lyanna once she turns against him after her family's deaths. Despite the fact he's keeping her imprisoned, needs her to have his children, and he does consider her his wife, he's terrified by the thought he might have to force himself on her, because [[NotSoDifferent that would make him just like Aerys]]]].
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** Defied by [[spoiler:Rhaegar towards Lyanna once she turns against him after her family's deaths. Despite the fact he's keeping her imprisoned, needs her to have his children, and he does consider her his wife, he's terrified by the thought he might have to force himself on her, because [[NotSoDifferent [[NotSoDifferentRemark that would make him just like Aerys]]]].
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No longer a trope.
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* YourCheatingHeart:
** Rhaegar cheats on Elia with Lyanna, and then elopes with her.
** It's also said that Aerys used to cheat on Rhaella constantly, although he had a [[TheBluebeard bad habit of killing his mistresses]]. Now he stays faithful, [[MaritalRapeLicense which is much worse]].
** Rhaegar cheats on Elia with Lyanna, and then elopes with her.
** It's also said that Aerys used to cheat on Rhaella constantly, although he had a [[TheBluebeard bad habit of killing his mistresses]]. Now he stays faithful, [[MaritalRapeLicense which is much worse]].
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misuse; does not fit trope description
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* BadDreams: Rhaegar has a nightmare at the end of the third chapter, where he imagines being pursued across Dorne by Queen Nymeria and her army. [[spoiler:He manages to fend them off by breathing fire, only to set himself alight instead. Nymeria then turns into Elia, who smirks when she sees him burning alive.]]
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Dewicking per TRS decision.
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** Elia says if Rhaegar made her sleep with two septas in her bed to be sure she was faithful (as Aerys did to Rhaella), she'd simply fuck the septas. It's unclear if she's BiTheWay, a believer in SituationalSexuality, or just kidding.
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** Elia says if Rhaegar made her sleep with two septas in her bed to be sure she was faithful (as Aerys did to Rhaella), she'd simply fuck the septas. It's unclear if she's BiTheWay, bi, a believer in SituationalSexuality, or just kidding.
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* DramaticIrony: [[spoiler: Rhaegar and Lyanna both think their unborn child will be a girl, whom he plans to name Visenya (he already has Rhaenys and Aegon). It's all but stated that their child is actually Jon Snow]].
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* DramaticIrony: DramaticIrony:
** [[spoiler: Rhaegar and Lyanna both think their unborn child will be a girl, whom he plans to name Visenya (he already has Rhaenys and Aegon). It's all but stated that their child is actually JonSnow]]. Snow]].
** [[spoiler: One of the reasons Rhaegar married and had a child with Lyanna is because he believes he needs three children to fulfill the prophecy, but he doesn't want Elia to die bearing another child. Given that this fic all but states that it supports the fan theory of R+L=J, [[note]] Jon Snow is the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna [[/note]] ''Lyanna'' ended up dying giving birth to his child. And running off with Lyanna eventually leads to Elia (and their children) being killed]].
** [[spoiler: Rhaegar and Lyanna both think their unborn child will be a girl, whom he plans to name Visenya (he already has Rhaenys and Aegon). It's all but stated that their child is actually Jon
** [[spoiler: One of the reasons Rhaegar married and had a child with Lyanna is because he believes he needs three children to fulfill the prophecy, but he doesn't want Elia to die bearing another child. Given that this fic all but states that it supports the fan theory of R+L=J, [[note]] Jon Snow is the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna [[/note]] ''Lyanna'' ended up dying giving birth to his child. And running off with Lyanna eventually leads to Elia (and their children) being killed]].
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* MarryForLove: Jaehaerys married his sister Shaera from love and they're still in love years later. Although he had other motives too, it's also revealed that [[spoiler: Rhaegar married Lyanna from love (or at the very least infatuation and admiration)]].
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* MyOwnPrivateIDo: [[spoiler: Rhaegar and Lyanna have a private wedding ceremony by [[MakingLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces having sex beneath a weirwood tree.]] The exact legality of the situation isn't clear, and the couple never gets around to telling anyone before all hell breaks loose]].
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* DaddyIssues: ''Rhaegar''. But given [[TheCaligula who his daddy is]], what do you expect?
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* DaddyIssues: ''Rhaegar''. But given [[TheCaligula who his daddy is]], what do you expect?expect? Rhaegar does some terrible things, but it all stems from the way he's been treated by his father all his life, and the toll that's taken on his mind.
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* DestructiveRomance: Tragically, [[spoiler: Rhaegar and Lyanna's]] relationship descends into this. While they do actually love each other, the unfortunate circumstances that arise from their relationship start tearing them apart; although he's well aware of what he's doing and despises himself for it, [[spoiler: Rhaegar]] starts to become quite verbally abusive towards [[spoiler: Lyanna]] and effectively keeps her prisoner (though his [[WellIntentionedExtremist intention is to protect her [[spoiler: and their unborn child]]). She grows to resent him for this and for what [[spoiler: his father did to her father and brother]]. They do make up though, right before [[spoiler: Rhaegar goes to fight Robert at the Trident]].
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* DestructiveRomance: Tragically, [[spoiler: Rhaegar and Lyanna's]] relationship descends into this. While they do actually love each other, the unfortunate circumstances that arise from their relationship start tearing them apart; although he's well aware of what he's doing and despises himself for it, [[spoiler: Rhaegar]] starts to become quite verbally abusive towards [[spoiler: Lyanna]] and effectively keeps her prisoner (though his [[WellIntentionedExtremist intention intention]] is to protect her [[spoiler: and their unborn child]]). She grows to resent him for this and for what [[spoiler: his father did to her father and brother]]. They do make up though, right before [[spoiler: Rhaegar goes to fight Robert at the Trident]].
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* FreudianExcuse: Rhaegar does some terrible things, but it all stems from the way he's been treated by his father all his life, and the toll that's taken on his mind.
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* AintTooProudToBeg: When Aerys wants to have a poacher burnt alive in front of Rhaenys, Rhaegar completely breaks down and begs him not to.
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* AintTooProudToBeg: When Aerys wants to have a poacher burnt alive in front of Rhaenys, Rhaegar completely breaks down and begs him not to.
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* AintTooProudToBeg: When AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Aerys wants to have a poacher burnt alive in front has this view of Rhaenys, Rhaegar completely breaks down due to Jaehaerys proclaiming him the Prince That was Promised and begs begins resenting him not to.for it. Rhaegar is only three years old at the time.
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* AnachronicOrder
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* AnachronicOrderAnachronicOrder: The story jumps around different points of Rhaegar's life, ending with his death at the Trident.
* BrattyHalfPint: Ten year old Cersei is about as charming you'd expect, even [[TantrumThrowing throwing a tantrum]] when her father orders her to leave court.
* DeadpanSnarker:
** Rhaella gets in a few sarcastic lines towards Aerys.
-->'''Aerys:''' You drink too much.
-->'''[[LadyDrunk Rhaella]]:''' No more than usual, dear.
** Lyanna has her moments of snark too.
-->'''Rhaegar:''' You're the bravest woman I've ever met.
-->'''Lyanna:''' What, don't they have women in King's Landing?
** Rhaella gets in a few sarcastic lines towards Aerys.
-->'''Aerys:''' You drink too much.
-->'''[[LadyDrunk Rhaella]]:''' No more than usual, dear.
** Lyanna has her moments of snark too.
-->'''Rhaegar:''' You're the bravest woman I've ever met.
-->'''Lyanna:''' What, don't they have women in King's Landing?
* DestructiveRomance: Tragically, [[spoiler: Rhaegar and Lyanna's]] relationship descends into this. While they do actually love each other, the unfortunate circumstances that arise from their relationship start tearing them apart; although he's well aware of what he's doing and despises himself for it, [[spoiler: Rhaegar]] starts to become quite verbally abusive towards [[spoiler: Lyanna]] and effectively keeps her prisoner (though his [[WellIntentionedExtremist intention is to protect her [[spoiler: and their unborn child]]). She grows to resent him for this and for what [[spoiler: his father did to her father and brother]]. They do make up though, right before [[spoiler: Rhaegar goes to fight Robert at the Trident]].
* DotingGrandparent: Jaehaerys and Shaera are very affectionate towards Rhaegar; unlike [[AbusiveParent Aerys]], Jaehaerys tells Rhaegar he's [[SoProudOfYou proud of him]] for being clever enough to read all the histories at the age of just three.
* DramaticIrony: [[spoiler: Rhaegar and Lyanna both think their unborn child will be a girl, whom he plans to name Visenya (he already has Rhaenys and Aegon). It's all but stated that their child is actually Jon Snow]].
* ExoticExtendedMarriage: [[spoiler: Rhaegar marries Lyanna in a traditional Northern ceremony used generations ago by the First Men, while still married to Elia Martell. He justifies it as needing a third child to fulfil the prophecy (which Elia cannot provide him without likely dying in the process) and that Aegon the Conqueror also had two wives and at least neither of Rhaegar's are his sisters. The exact legality of the marriage is [[AmbiguousSituation never made clear]] and very few people know of it]].
* DramaticIrony: [[spoiler: Rhaegar and Lyanna both think their unborn child will be a girl, whom he plans to name Visenya (he already has Rhaenys and Aegon). It's all but stated that their child is actually Jon Snow]].
* ExoticExtendedMarriage: [[spoiler: Rhaegar marries Lyanna in a traditional Northern ceremony used generations ago by the First Men, while still married to Elia Martell. He justifies it as needing a third child to fulfil the prophecy (which Elia cannot provide him without likely dying in the process) and that Aegon the Conqueror also had two wives and at least neither of Rhaegar's are his sisters. The exact legality of the marriage is [[AmbiguousSituation never made clear]] and very few people know of it]].
* HappilyMarried: [[BrotherSisterIncest Jaehaerys and Shaera]] genuinely love one another. They're pretty much the only consistently happy couple in the story.
* JerkassHasAPoint: Rhaegar is unnecessarily harsh about it, but he does have a point that [[spoiler: Lyanna can't go travelling to the other side of the continent alone and pregnant while a war is going on]].
* MommasBoy: Rhaegar is a lot closer to his mother than his father and attempts to defend her from Aerys on a few occasions, which Aerys berates and mocks him for.
* NotWhatItLooksLike: [[spoiler: It turns out that Rhaegar didn't kidnap and rape Lyanna; they consensually eloped together]].
* ProneToTears: Rhaegar is rare male example. He often cries when he's feeling emotionally overwhelmed (which is a frequent occurrence). Considering his [[RoyallyScrewedUp family and upbringing]], it's not surprising.
* RoyalBrat: Viserys, though it's not entirely his fault; Aerys' overindulgence of him and other negative behaviors instil a sense of childish entitlement in him at a young age.
* SecretSecretKeeper: Rhaegar reveals to Jon Connington he's known for years that [[spoiler: Jon was attracted to him]], but said nothing.
* SecretSecretKeeper: Rhaegar reveals to Jon Connington he's known for years that [[spoiler: Jon was attracted to him]], but said nothing.
* SexlessMarriage: Rhaegar is very reluctant to have sex with Elia after Aegon's birth out of fear she will get pregnant and die in childbirth (though at one point he ends up performing oral sex on her as it won't lead to pregnancy).
* SweetPollyOliver: [[spoiler: Lyanna is revealed to be the Knight of the Laughing Tree in this story, which is how she and Rhaegar first met]].
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** It's also said that Aerys used to cheat on Rhaella constantly, although he had a [[TheBluebeard bad habit of killing his mistresses]]. Now he stays faithful, [[MaritalRapeLicense which is much worse]].
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** It's also said that Aerys used to cheat on Rhaella constantly, although he had a [[TheBluebeard bad habit of killing his mistresses]]. Now he stays faithful, [[MaritalRapeLicense which is much worse]].worse]].
* YouthIsWastedOnTheDumb: Lyanna, who is around sixteen, recklessly [[spoiler: elopes with Rhaegar and runs off to Dorne with him, even though he's already married and she betrothed to Robert Baratheon]]. She starts to realize this was [[DidntThinkThisThrough probably not the best idea]] when [[spoiler: people start to believe she's been kidnapped]], but the damage is done by this point.
----
* YouthIsWastedOnTheDumb: Lyanna, who is around sixteen, recklessly [[spoiler: elopes with Rhaegar and runs off to Dorne with him, even though he's already married and she betrothed to Robert Baratheon]]. She starts to realize this was [[DidntThinkThisThrough probably not the best idea]] when [[spoiler: people start to believe she's been kidnapped]], but the damage is done by this point.
----
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It is available [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/10217825/chapters/22675214 here]] on ArchiveOfOurOwn, and [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12447104/1/Lyssophobia here]] on FanfictionDotNet
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It is available [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/10217825/chapters/22675214 here]] on ArchiveOfOurOwn, Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn, and [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12447104/1/Lyssophobia here]] on FanfictionDotNet
Website/FanFictionDotNet.
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!!This fanfic provides examples of the following
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!!This fanfic provides examples of the following tropes
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* MaternalDeath: Discussed. After Aegon is born, Rhaegar thinks that if Elia dies he will never be able to forgive the boy for it, though he knows Aegon doesn't deserve that.
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* MaternalDeath: MaternalDeathBlameTheChild: Discussed. After Aegon is born, Rhaegar thinks that if Elia dies he will never be able to forgive the boy for it, though he knows Aegon doesn't deserve that.
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* Parental Favouritism:
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* Parental Favouritism:ParentalFavouritism:
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''Lyssophobia'' is an ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' fanfic. Told in four parts, in AnachronicOrder, it recounts the life of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, from his grandfather Jaehaerys' illness and death when he was three years old, to his own death at the Battle of the Trident. The fic explores Rhaegar's feelings toward his family and the prince who was promised prophecy, his relationships with his wife Elia Martell and Lyanna Stark, his struggle with the Targaryen tendency toward madness, and with his father, the mad king.
It is available [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/10217825/chapters/22675214 here]] on ArchiveOfOurOwn, and [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12447104/1/Lyssophobia here]] on FanfictionDotNet
!!This fanfic provides examples of the following
* AboveTheInfluence: Jon Connington, who despite having been in love with Rhaegar for years, [[spoiler:refuses when Rhaegar propositions him, since Rhaegar is in a state of deep depression at the time.]]
* AbusiveParents: Aerys is horrifically emotionally abusive to Rhaegar, and often physically abusive as well.
* TheAlcoholic: Rhaella is always seen with a glass of wine in hand. [[DomesticAbuse Hard to blame her, really.]]
* AintTooProudToBeg: When Aerys wants to have a poacher burnt alive in front of Rhaenys, Rhaegar completely breaks down and begs him not to.
* AllForNothing: Rhaegar is horrified when he learns Rhaella is pregnant again, meaning he and his siblings could be the three heads of the dragon after all, and his elopement with Lyanna (and the resulting deaths of her family members and civil war) could have been this.
* AmbiguousDisorder: Rhaegar is strongly implied to suffer from Bipolar Disorder, but given he lives in an medieval fantasy world, he clearly never gets a diagnosis.
* AmbiguouslyBi:
** Elia says if Rhaegar made her sleep with two septas in her bed to be sure she was faithful (as Aerys did to Rhaella), she'd simply fuck the septas. It's unclear if she's BiTheWay, a believer in SituationalSexuality, or just kidding.
** Rhaegar himself is primarily attracted to women, but [[spoiler:propositions Jon Connington at one point. However this appears to be an act of spite towards his father more than anything based on attraction.]]
* AmbiguousSituation: It's unclear what the legal status of Rhaegar and Lyanna's relationship is – [[spoiler:they 'wed' by laying together in front of the Heart Tree in Winterfell's godswood, but Lyanna points out, no-one's really followed that custom in a while.]] Rhaegar is also already married, and while the Targaryens do have a precedent for polygamy, it's not been invoked in centuries. Rhaegar considers them married, but he's not the sanest guy around.
* AnachronicOrder
* ArchnemesisDad: Aerys and Rhaegar, natch.
* ArrangedMarriage: Aerys and Rhaella, whose marriage is so awful Rhaegar considers it a form of RapeByProxy on the part of their father, Jaehaerys. Rhaegar and Elia's borders on a PerfectlyArrangedMarriage, prior to Rhaegar's elopement with Lyanna.
* BadDreams: Rhaegar has a nightmare at the end of the third chapter, where he imagines being pursued across Dorne by Queen Nymeria and her army. [[spoiler:He manages to fend them off by breathing fire, only to set himself alight instead. Nymeria then turns into Elia, who smirks when she sees him burning alive.]]
* BecauseDestinySaysSo: Rhaegar is very dedicated to fulfilling the Prince Who was Promised prophecy. [[spoiler:Subverted when he reveals his motivation is less 'destiny' and more that he thinks fulfilling the prophecy is the only justification for his RoyallyScrewedUp family to exist.]]
* BerserkButton:
** Rhaegar really hates it when people call him mad. Subverted when [[spoiler:Lyanna says it after he refuses to let her return north after Rickard and Brandon's deaths, at which point he thinks [[HeelRealization she's probably right]]]].
** He also believes RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil, as shown by the incident he recounts of beheading a man in a rage, in an inn, because he'd beaten and raped a prostitute. This terrified both Rhaegar himself, and the innkeep.
* BreakTheCutie:
** Use of AnachronicOrder means we can directly contrast Rhaegar at various stages of cutie breakage.
** Lyanna as well, which Rhaegar lampshades: “he has broken her, as much as he has ruined her.”
* BrokenAce: Rhaegar, who is adored as the Wise Prince throughout the Seven Kingdoms, but inside is extremely mentally unstable and horribly traumatised by his father's abuse.
* ButWeUsedACondom: Medieval variant. Rhaegar refuses to use the withdrawal method when Elia suggests it, remembering a number of his father's mistresses who said they did that but fell pregnant anyway, who Aerys then had killed.
* BystanderSyndrome: Enforced. Aerys is the king, so no-one really can intervene against his cruelties without being killed themselves. Nonetheless, Rhaegar feels some serious guilt for failing to stop him, especially as being Aerys' son and heir, he's one of the few people Aerys can't kill.
* CallForward: Quite a few.
** Jaime [[spoiler: preventing Rhaenys from seeing the poacher's execution]] is quite reminiscent of [[spoiler:Yoren]] preventing [[spoiler:Arya]] from seeing [[spoiler:Ned's]].
** The conversation Jaime and Rhaegar have right afterwards, where Rhaegar says that any man can kill the king if he can face what comes afterwards, foreshadowing Jaime becoming the Kingslayer.
** Rhaegar's assessments of Varys and Tywin, see HorribleJudgeOfCharacter.
* TheChosenOne: Rhaegar initially believes he's this, as does his grandfather Jaehaerys. Aerys is extremely bitter about it. Later Rhaegar changes his mind and believes his son Aegon is the Chosen One. [[spoiler:He tells Lyanna that he believes he has to fulfill the prophecy, as it's the only way he can justify the existence of the Targaryens, and himself]].
* ClusterFBomb: Rhaegar has one when thinking about the various Targaryens throughout history he blames for his current situation.
* ContinuityNod: Rhaegar is a history nerd who's obsessed with his family heritage, so his thoughts are full of references to past Targaryens.
* DaddysGirl[=/=]DotingParent: Rhaegar and Nyssie are extremely close.
* DaddyIssues: ''Rhaegar''. But given [[TheCaligula who his daddy is]], what do you expect?
* TheDeadHaveNames: The mistress Aerys had killed after Prince Jaehaerys' death, who Rhaegar calls Hanna, and says she was sweet and polite and only seventeen.
* DeathByChildbirth: Defied. [[spoiler:After Rhaegar is told Elia won't be able to bear any more children without dying, she is willing to try again, as she views it as her duty to give him heirs, but Rhaegar refuses. This is what motivates him to run off with Lyanna.]]
* DomesticAbuse: Aerys towards Rhaella, as in canon.
* DoomedByCanon[=/=]ForegoneConclusion: Rhaegar is killed by Robert at the Battle of the Trident.
* EvilIsPetty: Aerys, who along with being TheCaligula, mocks Rhaegar for his love of books, insinuates he's gay, and laughs at him for being scared of a little girl (Cersei, who Rhaegar is seemingly scared of because she reminds him of Aerys.)
* FilleFatale: Cersei, who attempts to seduce Rhaegar at only ten years old. Rhaegar notably regards it as very TroublingUnchildlikeBehaviour and blames her father for it.
* FreudianExcuse: Rhaegar does some terrible things, but it all stems from the way he's been treated by his father all his life, and the toll that's taken on his mind.
* HarmfulToMinors:
** Rhaegar's sanity has not only been worn away by his father's active abuse, but also from being exposed to his DomesticAbuse of Rhaella, and his actions as TheCaligula.
** [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] when Aerys tries to have a poacher burned alive in front of Rhaenys, purely to spite Rhaegar. Luckily, [[spoiler:Jaime Lannister prevents her from actually seeing it]].
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Overlapping with CallForward and DramaticIrony. Twice, Rhaegar makes judgements about people that are deeply ironic given what we, the readers, know about them.
** Particularly cringeworthy is Rhaegar's statement he's always liked Tywin Lannister, when we know that Tywin will have Rhaegar's wife and children brutally murdered.
** Rhaegar hates Varys, [[spoiler:who is going to save his son from certain death and plan to have him restored to the throne]]. [[EpilepticTrees Well, if you believe him anyway]].
** Readers are also unlikely to agree with his assessment that Aegon V was as mad as the rest of the Targaryens.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Lyanna, who uses the fact Robert has cheated on her and fathered a bastard to justify running away with a married man. [[spoiler:She later changes her mind however, and claims that she has no right to judge Robert.]]
* IAmNotMyFather: Rhaegar really, really doesn't want to be anything like his father.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Each chapter is named after an nickname or epithet attached to a former Targaryen monarch.
** OddNameOut: The first three chapters are named after recognised Targaryen kings, and they're nicknames gained for their actions as king. The last chapter is named after Queen Rhaenyra, now considered a pretender, and it's a name she had long before taking the throne.
* InnocentInaccurate: As a child, Rhaegar wants to squire for Bonnifer Hasty because he was friends with his mother, not realising they were actually StarCrossedLovers. It doesn't go very well.
* MaritalRapeLicense
** Aerys towards Rhaella.
** Defied by [[spoiler:Rhaegar towards Lyanna once she turns against him after her family's deaths. Despite the fact he's keeping her imprisoned, needs her to have his children, and he does consider her his wife, he's terrified by the thought he might have to force himself on her, because [[NotSoDifferent that would make him just like Aerys]]]].
* MaternalDeath: Discussed. After Aegon is born, Rhaegar thinks that if Elia dies he will never be able to forgive the boy for it, though he knows Aegon doesn't deserve that.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
** Rhaegar has this reaction after he slaps Viserys during an argument, because Viserys said he'll never be half the king Aerys is.
** He has this to a much greater extent after Aerys executes Brandon and Rickard Stark as a result of his eloping with Lyanna, [[spoiler:although this doubles as an IgnoredEpiphany - see NecessarilyEvil below.]]
* NecessarilyEvil: How Rhaegar views his relationship with Lyanna, especially [[spoiler:imprisoning her when she asks to go back home after her father and brother's deaths, until she gives birth to his child.]]
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Rhaegar almost exclusively calls his daughter Rhaenys "Nyssie", excising the Targaryen prefix she shares with him from her name.
* Parental Favouritism:
** Aerys, who despises Rhaegar and dotes on his second son Viserys.
** Also Rhaegar, who adores his firstborn Rhaenys (typically referred to as “Nyssie”) but is distinctly cool to his son Aegon when he's born, and is never seen interacting with him after that (granted, he's just a baby). Seemingly, this is because Rhaenys inherited her mother's Dornish colouring, whereas Aegon looks like a Targaryen, and Rhaegar [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch really doesn't like the Targaryens.]]
* ParentsAsPeople: Rhaella, who clearly loves her sons and does what she can to protect Rhaegar from Aerys (which admittedly, isn't much), and encourages them to form a brotherly relationship behind their father's back. However, she views it as her duty as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms to stay by Aerys' side regardless of what he does to her, tells Rhaegar she wouldn't leave him if she could, and implies it's Rhaegar's duty to do the same.
* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Played with regarding Elia and Rhaegar. They're extremely happy together, up until [[spoiler:Elia tells Rhaegar they should have another child regardless of whether she'd die in childbirth,]] at which point Rhaegar decides he could never love her. However [[spoiler:protecting Elia from this fate is one of his main motivations for running away with Lyanna]].
* PetTheDog: Almost literally – Aerys pets and is sweet to Rhaenys' kitten Balerion, when Rhaegar was fully expecting him to hurt or kill it out of spite. Rhaegar finds this very stressful.
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil:
** Rhaegar strongly believes this, no doubt influenced by his father's invocation of the MaritalRapeLicense against his mother.
** Lyanna later [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructs]] it some, giving Rhaegar a WhatTheHellHero for using this to maintain his moral superiority while still [[spoiler:keeping her captive and refusing to let her return to what's left of her family]].
* ReluctantPsycho: Rhaegar clearly has some significant mental health issues, but is absolutely terrified of going mad, given [[AxCrazy what mad Targaryens]] [[TheCaligula tend to be like]].
* SelfFulfillingProphecy: Aerys' paranoia that Rhaegar is plotting against him leads him to abuse Rhaegar so thoroughly Rhaegar wants to plot against him, [[SubvertedTrope although he never really accomplishes much.]]
* SmallRoleBigImpact: Jaehaerys, who only appears in the first scene, but whose actions in wedding Aerys to Rhaella and claiming Rhaegar is the prince who was promised motivate just about everything else that follows.
* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: Rhaegar's crowning Lyanna Queen of Love and Beauty, and later eloping with her, are very impulsive decisions, with extremely tragic consequences. Given he's implied to have Bipolar Disorder and have made those decisions in a manic state, this is probably justified.
* WellDoneSonGuy:
** Averted. Rhaegar is really not interested in earning Aerys' approval, he just wants to escape the abuse.
** Although it's implied this might be part of Aerys' reason for abusing Rhaegar in the first place, being very bitter over Jaehaerys thinking he was the prince who was promised.
* YourCheatingHeart:
** Rhaegar cheats on Elia with Lyanna, and then elopes with her.
** It's also said that Aerys used to cheat on Rhaella constantly, although he had a [[TheBluebeard bad habit of killing his mistresses]]. Now he stays faithful, [[MaritalRapeLicense which is much worse]].
It is available [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/10217825/chapters/22675214 here]] on ArchiveOfOurOwn, and [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12447104/1/Lyssophobia here]] on FanfictionDotNet
!!This fanfic provides examples of the following
* AboveTheInfluence: Jon Connington, who despite having been in love with Rhaegar for years, [[spoiler:refuses when Rhaegar propositions him, since Rhaegar is in a state of deep depression at the time.]]
* AbusiveParents: Aerys is horrifically emotionally abusive to Rhaegar, and often physically abusive as well.
* TheAlcoholic: Rhaella is always seen with a glass of wine in hand. [[DomesticAbuse Hard to blame her, really.]]
* AintTooProudToBeg: When Aerys wants to have a poacher burnt alive in front of Rhaenys, Rhaegar completely breaks down and begs him not to.
* AllForNothing: Rhaegar is horrified when he learns Rhaella is pregnant again, meaning he and his siblings could be the three heads of the dragon after all, and his elopement with Lyanna (and the resulting deaths of her family members and civil war) could have been this.
* AmbiguousDisorder: Rhaegar is strongly implied to suffer from Bipolar Disorder, but given he lives in an medieval fantasy world, he clearly never gets a diagnosis.
* AmbiguouslyBi:
** Elia says if Rhaegar made her sleep with two septas in her bed to be sure she was faithful (as Aerys did to Rhaella), she'd simply fuck the septas. It's unclear if she's BiTheWay, a believer in SituationalSexuality, or just kidding.
** Rhaegar himself is primarily attracted to women, but [[spoiler:propositions Jon Connington at one point. However this appears to be an act of spite towards his father more than anything based on attraction.]]
* AmbiguousSituation: It's unclear what the legal status of Rhaegar and Lyanna's relationship is – [[spoiler:they 'wed' by laying together in front of the Heart Tree in Winterfell's godswood, but Lyanna points out, no-one's really followed that custom in a while.]] Rhaegar is also already married, and while the Targaryens do have a precedent for polygamy, it's not been invoked in centuries. Rhaegar considers them married, but he's not the sanest guy around.
* AnachronicOrder
* ArchnemesisDad: Aerys and Rhaegar, natch.
* ArrangedMarriage: Aerys and Rhaella, whose marriage is so awful Rhaegar considers it a form of RapeByProxy on the part of their father, Jaehaerys. Rhaegar and Elia's borders on a PerfectlyArrangedMarriage, prior to Rhaegar's elopement with Lyanna.
* BadDreams: Rhaegar has a nightmare at the end of the third chapter, where he imagines being pursued across Dorne by Queen Nymeria and her army. [[spoiler:He manages to fend them off by breathing fire, only to set himself alight instead. Nymeria then turns into Elia, who smirks when she sees him burning alive.]]
* BecauseDestinySaysSo: Rhaegar is very dedicated to fulfilling the Prince Who was Promised prophecy. [[spoiler:Subverted when he reveals his motivation is less 'destiny' and more that he thinks fulfilling the prophecy is the only justification for his RoyallyScrewedUp family to exist.]]
* BerserkButton:
** Rhaegar really hates it when people call him mad. Subverted when [[spoiler:Lyanna says it after he refuses to let her return north after Rickard and Brandon's deaths, at which point he thinks [[HeelRealization she's probably right]]]].
** He also believes RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil, as shown by the incident he recounts of beheading a man in a rage, in an inn, because he'd beaten and raped a prostitute. This terrified both Rhaegar himself, and the innkeep.
* BreakTheCutie:
** Use of AnachronicOrder means we can directly contrast Rhaegar at various stages of cutie breakage.
** Lyanna as well, which Rhaegar lampshades: “he has broken her, as much as he has ruined her.”
* BrokenAce: Rhaegar, who is adored as the Wise Prince throughout the Seven Kingdoms, but inside is extremely mentally unstable and horribly traumatised by his father's abuse.
* ButWeUsedACondom: Medieval variant. Rhaegar refuses to use the withdrawal method when Elia suggests it, remembering a number of his father's mistresses who said they did that but fell pregnant anyway, who Aerys then had killed.
* BystanderSyndrome: Enforced. Aerys is the king, so no-one really can intervene against his cruelties without being killed themselves. Nonetheless, Rhaegar feels some serious guilt for failing to stop him, especially as being Aerys' son and heir, he's one of the few people Aerys can't kill.
* CallForward: Quite a few.
** Jaime [[spoiler: preventing Rhaenys from seeing the poacher's execution]] is quite reminiscent of [[spoiler:Yoren]] preventing [[spoiler:Arya]] from seeing [[spoiler:Ned's]].
** The conversation Jaime and Rhaegar have right afterwards, where Rhaegar says that any man can kill the king if he can face what comes afterwards, foreshadowing Jaime becoming the Kingslayer.
** Rhaegar's assessments of Varys and Tywin, see HorribleJudgeOfCharacter.
* TheChosenOne: Rhaegar initially believes he's this, as does his grandfather Jaehaerys. Aerys is extremely bitter about it. Later Rhaegar changes his mind and believes his son Aegon is the Chosen One. [[spoiler:He tells Lyanna that he believes he has to fulfill the prophecy, as it's the only way he can justify the existence of the Targaryens, and himself]].
* ClusterFBomb: Rhaegar has one when thinking about the various Targaryens throughout history he blames for his current situation.
* ContinuityNod: Rhaegar is a history nerd who's obsessed with his family heritage, so his thoughts are full of references to past Targaryens.
* DaddysGirl[=/=]DotingParent: Rhaegar and Nyssie are extremely close.
* DaddyIssues: ''Rhaegar''. But given [[TheCaligula who his daddy is]], what do you expect?
* TheDeadHaveNames: The mistress Aerys had killed after Prince Jaehaerys' death, who Rhaegar calls Hanna, and says she was sweet and polite and only seventeen.
* DeathByChildbirth: Defied. [[spoiler:After Rhaegar is told Elia won't be able to bear any more children without dying, she is willing to try again, as she views it as her duty to give him heirs, but Rhaegar refuses. This is what motivates him to run off with Lyanna.]]
* DomesticAbuse: Aerys towards Rhaella, as in canon.
* DoomedByCanon[=/=]ForegoneConclusion: Rhaegar is killed by Robert at the Battle of the Trident.
* EvilIsPetty: Aerys, who along with being TheCaligula, mocks Rhaegar for his love of books, insinuates he's gay, and laughs at him for being scared of a little girl (Cersei, who Rhaegar is seemingly scared of because she reminds him of Aerys.)
* FilleFatale: Cersei, who attempts to seduce Rhaegar at only ten years old. Rhaegar notably regards it as very TroublingUnchildlikeBehaviour and blames her father for it.
* FreudianExcuse: Rhaegar does some terrible things, but it all stems from the way he's been treated by his father all his life, and the toll that's taken on his mind.
* HarmfulToMinors:
** Rhaegar's sanity has not only been worn away by his father's active abuse, but also from being exposed to his DomesticAbuse of Rhaella, and his actions as TheCaligula.
** [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] when Aerys tries to have a poacher burned alive in front of Rhaenys, purely to spite Rhaegar. Luckily, [[spoiler:Jaime Lannister prevents her from actually seeing it]].
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Overlapping with CallForward and DramaticIrony. Twice, Rhaegar makes judgements about people that are deeply ironic given what we, the readers, know about them.
** Particularly cringeworthy is Rhaegar's statement he's always liked Tywin Lannister, when we know that Tywin will have Rhaegar's wife and children brutally murdered.
** Rhaegar hates Varys, [[spoiler:who is going to save his son from certain death and plan to have him restored to the throne]]. [[EpilepticTrees Well, if you believe him anyway]].
** Readers are also unlikely to agree with his assessment that Aegon V was as mad as the rest of the Targaryens.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Lyanna, who uses the fact Robert has cheated on her and fathered a bastard to justify running away with a married man. [[spoiler:She later changes her mind however, and claims that she has no right to judge Robert.]]
* IAmNotMyFather: Rhaegar really, really doesn't want to be anything like his father.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Each chapter is named after an nickname or epithet attached to a former Targaryen monarch.
** OddNameOut: The first three chapters are named after recognised Targaryen kings, and they're nicknames gained for their actions as king. The last chapter is named after Queen Rhaenyra, now considered a pretender, and it's a name she had long before taking the throne.
* InnocentInaccurate: As a child, Rhaegar wants to squire for Bonnifer Hasty because he was friends with his mother, not realising they were actually StarCrossedLovers. It doesn't go very well.
* MaritalRapeLicense
** Aerys towards Rhaella.
** Defied by [[spoiler:Rhaegar towards Lyanna once she turns against him after her family's deaths. Despite the fact he's keeping her imprisoned, needs her to have his children, and he does consider her his wife, he's terrified by the thought he might have to force himself on her, because [[NotSoDifferent that would make him just like Aerys]]]].
* MaternalDeath: Discussed. After Aegon is born, Rhaegar thinks that if Elia dies he will never be able to forgive the boy for it, though he knows Aegon doesn't deserve that.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
** Rhaegar has this reaction after he slaps Viserys during an argument, because Viserys said he'll never be half the king Aerys is.
** He has this to a much greater extent after Aerys executes Brandon and Rickard Stark as a result of his eloping with Lyanna, [[spoiler:although this doubles as an IgnoredEpiphany - see NecessarilyEvil below.]]
* NecessarilyEvil: How Rhaegar views his relationship with Lyanna, especially [[spoiler:imprisoning her when she asks to go back home after her father and brother's deaths, until she gives birth to his child.]]
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Rhaegar almost exclusively calls his daughter Rhaenys "Nyssie", excising the Targaryen prefix she shares with him from her name.
* Parental Favouritism:
** Aerys, who despises Rhaegar and dotes on his second son Viserys.
** Also Rhaegar, who adores his firstborn Rhaenys (typically referred to as “Nyssie”) but is distinctly cool to his son Aegon when he's born, and is never seen interacting with him after that (granted, he's just a baby). Seemingly, this is because Rhaenys inherited her mother's Dornish colouring, whereas Aegon looks like a Targaryen, and Rhaegar [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch really doesn't like the Targaryens.]]
* ParentsAsPeople: Rhaella, who clearly loves her sons and does what she can to protect Rhaegar from Aerys (which admittedly, isn't much), and encourages them to form a brotherly relationship behind their father's back. However, she views it as her duty as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms to stay by Aerys' side regardless of what he does to her, tells Rhaegar she wouldn't leave him if she could, and implies it's Rhaegar's duty to do the same.
* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Played with regarding Elia and Rhaegar. They're extremely happy together, up until [[spoiler:Elia tells Rhaegar they should have another child regardless of whether she'd die in childbirth,]] at which point Rhaegar decides he could never love her. However [[spoiler:protecting Elia from this fate is one of his main motivations for running away with Lyanna]].
* PetTheDog: Almost literally – Aerys pets and is sweet to Rhaenys' kitten Balerion, when Rhaegar was fully expecting him to hurt or kill it out of spite. Rhaegar finds this very stressful.
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil:
** Rhaegar strongly believes this, no doubt influenced by his father's invocation of the MaritalRapeLicense against his mother.
** Lyanna later [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructs]] it some, giving Rhaegar a WhatTheHellHero for using this to maintain his moral superiority while still [[spoiler:keeping her captive and refusing to let her return to what's left of her family]].
* ReluctantPsycho: Rhaegar clearly has some significant mental health issues, but is absolutely terrified of going mad, given [[AxCrazy what mad Targaryens]] [[TheCaligula tend to be like]].
* SelfFulfillingProphecy: Aerys' paranoia that Rhaegar is plotting against him leads him to abuse Rhaegar so thoroughly Rhaegar wants to plot against him, [[SubvertedTrope although he never really accomplishes much.]]
* SmallRoleBigImpact: Jaehaerys, who only appears in the first scene, but whose actions in wedding Aerys to Rhaella and claiming Rhaegar is the prince who was promised motivate just about everything else that follows.
* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: Rhaegar's crowning Lyanna Queen of Love and Beauty, and later eloping with her, are very impulsive decisions, with extremely tragic consequences. Given he's implied to have Bipolar Disorder and have made those decisions in a manic state, this is probably justified.
* WellDoneSonGuy:
** Averted. Rhaegar is really not interested in earning Aerys' approval, he just wants to escape the abuse.
** Although it's implied this might be part of Aerys' reason for abusing Rhaegar in the first place, being very bitter over Jaehaerys thinking he was the prince who was promised.
* YourCheatingHeart:
** Rhaegar cheats on Elia with Lyanna, and then elopes with her.
** It's also said that Aerys used to cheat on Rhaella constantly, although he had a [[TheBluebeard bad habit of killing his mistresses]]. Now he stays faithful, [[MaritalRapeLicense which is much worse]].
