Author's Note: Buckle your seatbelts, we're seeing butterflies really get going now.
Taken from Alessander Crofter's "A History of Westeros" Published in 421 A.C by the White Harbor Publishing House
By the end of 281 A.C[1], the situation across Westeros was tense. The madness of King Aerys was widely known among his lords, as was his cruelty. Thus, when Lord Whent called for a great tourney, it was plain as day who was actually financing the tourney and to what end.
In the end it came to nothing, as King Aerys rode for the first time in four years from the Red Keep, and made an appearance at the feasting. While he had made sure to groom his beard and nails, his words made it clear that he was mad with paranoia. Merely a year earlier he had sacked his Lord Hand, Tywin Lannister, and he was yet to appoint a new Hand. so the appearance of the King did much to sour the events.
For what is worth, it was Rhaegar Targaryen who won the jousts, while Robert Baratheon took the melee and one Stephanos, a Rhoman who was part of the retinue of the Rhoman emissary to King's Landing won the archery contest. Prince Rhaegar would thus crown his wife, Lysara Whitefyre[2] as Queen of Love and Beauty, and for once it seemed that the Seven Kingdoms had dodged a scorpion bolt.
It was not to be, as in the aftermath, Rhaegar Targaryen did call a Great Council a few weeks later, once it had been confirmed that the King had reached King's Landing and that Prince Daeron was embarked on a ship to Constantinople as part of the agreements that led to his marriage to the princess Theodora. His plan however was widely seen as too rash by the Lords, with Lords Tyrell and Lannister, aware that this would result on a civil war but not too keen on defending the King, agreed to sit out of the matter and accept the result -Just on the off case that the Grand Council and its supporters found themselves unable to actually depose King Aerys.
Soon enough, the inherent weakness of the Throne in the design of the Seven Kingdoms was shown, as King Aerys could only fully rely on the Narrow Sea Houses, long supporters of the Royal faction at court as opposed to the Princely faction, and on some of the Crownlands houses such as the Hollards[3], Buckwells and Farrings.
The Campaign began with Lord Lucerys Velaryon trying to put Storm's End to siege, however, between his numeric inferiority (The Stornlands stood relatively united for reasons that will become apparent soon) and the weather forced him to break from the siege.
Shortly afterwards, the Lords Stark, Arryn and Tully agreed to back Prince Rhaegar and the Princely faction. Although Gulltown did declare its loyalty to King Aerys, the Tarth fleet managed to outmaneuver the Velaryons just past Cracklaw point, submitting Gulltown to a blockade. The ill-fated attempt to besiege Storm's End, and a great deal of convincing from Lord Arryn convinced Lord Robert Baratheon to march with those Stormlords not part of the Princely faction, and join what had become the full might of the Stormlands behind the rebel cause.
In what was perhaps the last of his moments of clarity, Aerys Targaryen had Queen Rhaella, Prince Viserys and his grandson Aegon sent to Dragonstone, while he laid Wildfire across the city and sent an emissary to Constantinople, demanding that Basileus Ioannes II aid him with troops and gold to pursue the war. It would be, perhaps ironically, the young Prince Daeron who, together with Nikephoros Bryennios persuaded him to avoid such a military adventure.
Lord Brandon Stark would be killed in a skirmish near the ruins of Duskendale[4]. However the greatest blow -albeit temporary- to the Rebel cause, was caused when a lone arrow struck Rhaegar Targaryen on the neck during the Battle of the Blackwater Rush. The Rebels would stop for two weeks to fully ensure an agreement between the Princely Faction and the Lords Declarant. Most tense was the relationship between Jon Connington and Robert Baratheon. In the end however, Lord Connington, as leader of the Princely Faction, agreed to call a Great Council upon the dethronement of King Aerys.
However, the time taken by the Rebels to ensure that no fights came from the rivalry between Baratheon and Connington, caused them to delay their final march on the Capital until the eve of the Maiden's Feast.
What they found, was King's Landing burning in green flames.
Under such a situations, word was sent to the Lords Tyrell and Lannister, and to Prince Doran Martell, that a Great Council was to be held in Harrenhall.
From the outset, two factions began to form. They soon coalesced around two different claims to the Throne. On one hand, the former Princely faction, alongside a decent portion of the lords that had once formed part of the Royal faction at court coalesced around Jon Connington, backing the proclamation of the Prince Aegon as King Aegon VI -and entering a long regency. Soon this faction found the favor of Lord Tywin Lannister, who aspired to lead this regency and eventually mold the King. A Second Faction which drew support from the rest of the rebel lords coalesced around Rickard Stark and Robert Baratheon, arguing for the claim of Prince Daeron Targaryen, and seeking to ensure a swift transition to a fairly stable rule to be done in short order.
The discussions at Harrenhall in 283 A.C. were long and drawn out, and things were complicated when some, perhaps seeking to force a compromise among the rest, floated around the idea of Demetrios, the son of the late Maelys the Monstruous. However all they did was ensuring that they would not be taken seriously in further discussions. Some smaller Stormlander Lords also put forward the name of Robert Baratheon, but this claim was also widely ignored, and disavowed relatively soon by the Lord Baratheon himself.
After nearly a month of deadlock, Prince Daeron Targaryen arrived with his wife Theodora Komnene -in the confusion they had been married in Hagia Sophia by the Patriarch Leo, and in the Blue Sept at Constantinople- After another two weeks, a compromise was agreed, where Daeron Targaryen took upon the title of Lord Protector and became Regent for his nephew Aegon.
In order to further secure the situation, Prince Daeron, now acting as the eldest male Targaryen, confirmed his younger brother's betrothal to the lady Ellyn Baratheon, and soon enough the attention of the realm turned to the reconstruction of King's Landing.
[1] The events of the Year of the False Spring are moved up one year, however the Rebellion starts much sooner after that than in Canon, alongside a myriad of other changes.
[2] King Aerys granted the name Whitefyre (as opposed to "those traitorous Blackfyres") to the Lyseni Targaryens who were descended from Aerion Brightflame. However they would continue to use their maternal surname of Rogare instead.
[3] The full wrath of King Aerys fell upon the Darklyns and their cadet branches, the Hollards were left alone, save for a couple of hostages
[4] Up to that point work had not yet begun on the formal reconstruction of Duskendale. Some informal work existed but it was halted due to the war