Bethany Bracken
Bethany Bracken was a lady of Stone Hedge, daughter of the lord of House Bracken, who came to the royal court during the reign of Aegon IV Targaryen, a king remembered for the sheer number of mistresses he kept.
Her time at court, meant by her family as a move against the Blackwoods, ended up tangled with one of the most remembered episodes of Aegon IV's reign: the betrayal of House Toyne.
Chapter 1
The chosen one of Stone Hedge
177 ACBooks only
Bethany was raised in Stone Hedge as the daughter of the lord of House Bracken and the younger sister of Barba Bracken, and both groomed her with one aim: taking Melissa Blackwood's place as the king's favorite mistress.
Her chance came in 177 AC, when Aegon IV traveled to Stone Hedge to visit his bastard son Aegor Rivers. There he noticed Bethany and chose to bring her back with him to court.
Yet the king was not the man she had hoped for: heavy, ill-tempered, and increasingly hard to bear. At court Bethany grew close to Ser Terrence Toyne, a knight of the Kingsguard, and that closeness soon turned into a secret love.
Chapter 2
The fall of House Toyne
178 ACBooks only
In 178 AC, Aegon IV caught the couple together in bed. Their protests of love changed nothing: the king ordered them both put to death. Terrence Toyne was cut apart piece by piece, and Bethany was made to watch his execution before facing her own.
Terrence's brothers sought revenge and moved against Aegon IV himself. Prince Aemon Targaryen, known as the Dragonknight, stepped in to shield him and died doing so; the Toyne brothers did not survive their attempt at regicide.
The episode marked the beginning of the end for House Toyne, dragged down by their sons' treason.
