Tear Jerker / My Father's Son

• Rhaegar having to tell Elia about his father's new decree. Elia is already distraught at the prospect of another woman making her already tense marriage even worse, and Rhaegar for his part wants everything to work out, but the emotion is still too raw for Elia to truly accept what's coming.
• There's a real frustration and anger from Lyanna's first meeting with Robert. You can get a feeling for why Lyanna would try anything to get out of her betrothal after all that.
• Lyanna gets physically abused by Aerys just as they were going to leave for their honeymoon on Dragonstone. Instead of a calm bliss after the wedding, the royal couples leave a hasty retreat, trying to get away from the abusive goodfather and mentally scarring Rhaenys and Lya for years to come.
• The breaking of Dacey and Arthur. When Dacey tells Arthur that she's pregnant with his child, Arthur can't comprehend how he broke his oaths so badly, and Dacey in turn is affronted that Arthur would care more for himself than for what is to come. As such, she coldly cuts off contact with him for several months, hurting both of them emotionally.
• The greatest of tragedies happen in the transition period between finishing the honeymoon and beginning their secret ally gathering tour. While working to endear herself to Viserys, Lyanna is assaulted by Aerys right in front of him. This would mark another lost opportunity to better heal the 2nd prince, and more horrifically, caused a miscarriage in Lyanna which she would be terrified about repeating for years.
  • Elia reveals she had this happen to her as well before Lyanna came, losing a child between Rhaenys and Aegon, so please don't shut yourself out because it won't help you or the ones around you.
• The burning of Rickard and Brandon carries a tragic dimension for Brandon. He was just telling his father that he would take a page from Duncan the Small to renounce his birthright to travel the world for their house and make Ned the lord the North needed. He'd finally figured himself out, and thought out how to treat Catelyn right too by sending her to Elbert. But then all that disappeared in fire and treachery.
• Rhaegar, Elia, Ashara, Lyanna and Ben find out about the burning of Rickard and Brandon. It's awful for many, but for Lyanna, it's devastating. Not only does she lose her family, but they were killed due to the Knight of the Laughing Tree. She even goes into a panic attack, so distraught she becomes.
• Aerys II received way more mercy than he deserved. His Kingsguard, his wife, his son, the northern lord whose family he wronged, his Lannister guard, and even the new dragon all insist that he step down peacefully. All of them angry at him, but all refraining from actually killing him until Rhaella is forced to. Aerys tries to pull a Taking You with Me on Rhaegar, and Rhaella is forced to use Jamie's sword to kill Aerys to ensure the realm got the king it deserved.
  • And then, in love, Jaime has to destroy his reputation by claiming the deed to ensure Rhaella doesn't get the worst of labels.
• Elia and Lyanna's argument during the plague of 284AC. Aegon had been stricken with the Red Plague, and Balerion the death god had played on their insecurities. And in their stress, fear and anger, Elia accidentally lays down a curse on Prince Baelon just so Lyanna would know what her own sorrow was like. But immediately afterwards, Elia regains her senses on seeing their son stricken, realizing My God, What Have I Done??
• Though her life in the North was problematic for the realm, there's something a little sad at how Catelyn Stark meets her end in this story. While Ned and she never found the time to become true companions like in canon, she died with her world broken in pieces. Getting her will for her eldest daughter countermanded, her perception of Ned shattered due to finding out about his bastard with Cersei, having her rosy view of Brandon broken by Ned's knowledge of Brandon's intention to leave her, and then assassinated by Tywin in order to get his bastard grandson installed, barely getting her child birthed, and then dying. Though she wasn't always the best momma or lady, that was quite the fall in the course of a day for Lady Catelyn.
• As Rhaegar reflected, the raid of the Red Keep was a breaking point for the Targaryen children. That when they had to hide for their lives, and the eldest had to fight to protect them, they lost their innocence. That Rhaenys had her sullenness solidified in knowing that she'll need to be a defender before too long. And Baelon began brooding, and seeking new ways to do the same after feeling helpless like that.
• Lyanna lashing out at Rhaegar for allowing adoptions for Robert. That even after all these years of joy and growth, Robert is like a wound she can't quite heal from, no matter how much her loves try to give her peace.
• Despite everything good in her life, Lyanna never got a chance to truly grieve the death of her father and brother. So, on return to Winterfell, she goes out to the Godswood, and just cries into the heart tree.
• Viserys Targaeryn is a walking tragedy building. But the worst of it is where he's given the Robb treatment and forced to marry Talisa after knocking her up. All his resentment and anger pours out as he lays into his brother and goodsisters about feeling his own resentments and bitterness over what's happened to his family, and in the end, Rhaella has to attend to all his hurt feeling. Feeling the pain of her brother/husband coming back to haunt her, and not knowing how to change her rough middle child.