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| Prince Aemon Targaryen, art by Chillyravenart |
If Ser Arthur Dayne is the perfect knight and nearly everyone agrees the stories about him are true, then what of Aemon the Dragonknight? He occupies a similar place in the history of Westeros: the living embodiment of knighthood and honor. The difference is time. Ser Arthur has people still alive who knew him and saw him fight. Aemon’s exploits sit roughly a hundred and twenty years in the past. That distance raises the natural question of how much the stories have been polished by time and memory.
But first, some history.
Background
Aemon the Dragonknight had the misfortune of being the brother of the worst Targaryen to sit the Iron Throne: Aegon IV, the Unworthy. It can be argued that the damage Aegon did by legitimizing his Great Bastards caused more long-term harm than even the Mad King Aerys II. The repercussions of that single act of selfishness would shape the realm for generations and lead directly to the Blackfyre Rebellions.
Aemon stood in sharp contrast to his brother. Where Aegon was decadent, self-indulgent, and faithless, Aemon was the model of everything a knight was supposed to be. He served in the Kingsguard, rose to Lord Commander, and by all accounts lived the vows he had sworn. His skill with a sword was legendary even in his own time, and the stories that followed him only grew after his death.
The Warrior
Aemon was regarded as the finest swordsman of his age. He was said to be a match for any knight who faced him, and the tales credit him with a string of victories that cemented his reputation. He fought in tourneys and in earnest combat with equal distinction. The most famous of his weapons was the Valyrian steel sword Dark Sister, which had once belonged to Queen Visenya. That blade in the hands of a man of his skill made him a truly dangerous opponent.
What separates Aemon from many other legendary warriors is the consistency of the accounts. Even allowing for the passage of time and the tendency of singers to polish a good story, the core remains the same: he was exceptional with a sword, disciplined, and nearly impossible to best in single combat.
Naerys and the Question of Honor
Aemon’s relationship with his sister, Queen Naerys, is one of the most discussed parts of his legend. The songs and stories present him as her devoted protector and, in some versions, as something more. Whether or not the more romantic claims are true, what is clear is that he took his duty to her seriously. When she was accused of adultery and treason, it was Aemon who stood as her champion and defeated her accuser, Ser Morgil Hastwyck, in trial by combat.
That moment matters. It shows a man willing to put his life and reputation on the line for what he believed was right, even when the politics of the court made such a stand dangerous. In a reign as corrupt as Aegon the Unworthy’s, that kind of integrity stood out.
The End
Aemon died as he had lived, in service. He was killed defending Aegon IV during an attack by two brothers of House Toyne who sought revenge for the execution of their brother. Aemon cut down one of the attackers but was slain by the other. He fell protecting a king who by most accounts was not worth the sacrifice. That final act is pure Aemon: duty first, even when the man he was sworn to protect had done little to deserve it.
Why #5
Placing Aemon the Dragonknight at number five feels right. He sits just behind the absolute top tier of living legends and near-contemporaries whose feats are better documented. Ser Arthur Dayne occupies the summit because the evidence is closer and harder to dismiss. Aemon’s reputation is enormous, but the distance of more than a century means we have to allow for some inflation.
Even with that caveat, the core of the legend holds. Aemon was a superb swordsman, a true knight in an age that produced far too few of them, and a man who lived (and died) by the vows he had sworn. That combination puts him firmly among the greatest warriors the Seven Kingdoms have ever seen.
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