Following Robert’s Rebellion, which ousted the Targaryen dynasty from the Iron Throne, Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen, the surviving children of King Aerys II, were smuggled across the Narrow Sea to the Free Cities. Initially, they found refuge in Braavos. Their early years in exile involved constant movement, relying on the dwindling support of loyalists and the hope of raising an army to reclaim their birthright.
This period of exile is crucial to understanding the characters of Daenerys and Viserys. It shaped their motivations, personalities, and ultimately, their destinies. Viserys’s bitterness and obsession with regaining the Iron Throne festered during these years of displacement, while Daenerys, initially under her brother’s thumb, began to develop her own strength and ambition. This exile laid the foundation for Daenerys’s later transformation into the “Mother of Dragons” and her eventual return to Westeros. The story of their exile reflects themes of displacement, survival, and the enduring power of legacy.