Daenerys Targaryen

Daenerys Targaryen ( də-NAIR-iss tar-GAIR-ee-ən) is a fictional character in the series of epic fantasy novels A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin. She is a prominent point-of-view character, and is one of the series' most popular characters. The New York Times cites her as one of the author's finest creations.

Introduced in 1996's A Game of Thrones, thirteen-year-old Daenerys is one of the last surviving members (along with her older brother, Viserys III, the "Beggar King") of House Targaryen, which, until 14 years before the events of the first novel, had ruled Westeros from the Iron Throne for nearly 300 years before being ousted. She subsequently appeared in A Clash of Kings (1998) and A Storm of Swords (2000). Daenerys was one of a few prominent characters not included in 2005's A Feast for Crows but returned in the next novel, A Dance with Dragons (2011).

In the story, Daenerys is in her early teens, living in exile in Essos, where she has developed a Tyroshi accent. She remains dependent on her abusive older brother, Viserys, and is forced to marry Dothraki horselord Khal Drogo in exchange for his army reclaiming the Iron Throne in Westeros for Viserys. Daenerys adapts to life with the Dothraki, and her character emerges as strong, confident, and courageous. She becomes the heir of the Targaryen dynasty after her brother's murder and plans to reclaim the Iron Throne herself, seeing it as her birthright. A pregnant Daenerys loses her husband and child, but blood magic allows Daenerys to hatch three dragon eggs. The dragons provide her with a tactical advantage and prestige.