Who are the Sunborns?

• The Sunborns are an ancient bloodline descended from Old Valyria, but they are not a Dragonlord House like the Targaryens. Though they share the same Valyrian ancestry, they are believed to possess a far purer and more concentrated form of the legendary Blood of the Dragon, making them different from ordinary Valyrians.
• Among many Dragonlords, dragons were viewed as symbols of power, conquest, and nobility. To the Sunborns, however, dragons were never beasts to be owned or weapons to be wielded—they were family. This distinction shaped every aspect of the Sunborns.
• Because of their unique nature, dragons instinctively recognize a Sunborn as one of their own. Wild hatchlings calm in their presence, wounded dragons willingly accept their care, and even the fiercest dragons often bow their heads to a Sunborn without command. Unlike Dragonlords, who usually form a lifelong bond with a single dragon, a Sunborn is accepted by all dragons, as their relationship is based not on dominance but on mutual kinship and trust.
• The Sunborns devoted their lives to protecting dragons, studying their behavior, healing the injured, preserving wild nesting grounds, and ensuring that dragons remained free. They believed that imprisoning or breeding dragons for war violated the natural order, and for this reason they often found themselves at odds with the Dragonlords, particularly the Targaryens after the escape from the Doom.
• Despite possessing the ability to rival entire kingdoms through their close relationship with dragons, the Sunborns never sought crowns, lands, or political authority. They believed that ambition inevitably corrupted those who wielded power, and that dragons should never become instruments of human conquest. Instead, they lived as guardians of dragonkind, intervening only when dragons themselves were threatened.
• Among the Valyrians they were known by many names, but the most famous was "The Children of Flame," for they were believed to be the people closest in spirit to dragons. While Dragonlords ruled dragons, the Sunborns were said to belong beside them, existing as their companions, protectors, and kin rather than their masters. In Sunborn belief, the bond between a dragon and a Sunborn was not one of rider and mount, but deep trust.

What is the difference between Stormborn Targaryens and Sunborn Targaryens?

Although both the Stormborn Targaryens and the Sunborn Targaryens descend from the same Valyrian bloodline and belong to House Targaryen, they are very different.

The difference is not just political but is also spiritual, cultural, and deeply personal.

• Stormborn Targaryens

The Stormborn are the royal branch of House Targaryen. (Example - Daemon and Rhaenyra)

They believe dragons are companions in war, symbols of royal authority, and the foundation of Targaryen power.

To the Stormborn:

• A dragon is bonded to a single rider.
• Dragons serve the realm and the Crown.
• Dragons may be bred, trained, and ridden into battle.
• Dragon eggs are the property of House Targaryen.
• The Iron Throne comes before all else.

Stormborn Targaryens see no shame in using dragons to conquer kingdoms or defend their rule. They believe that ruling wisely with dragons is preferable to allowing chaos to spread across the world. Their loyalty is first to House Targaryen, then to their dragon.

Sunborn Targaryens

The Sunborn descend from the same ancient bloodline but rejected the ideals of the Dragonlords that involved dragons facing cruelty long before the Targaryens came to Westeros.

To them "Sunborn" is not a surname but an identity. It declares that they belong first to the ancient order of dragon guardians and only second to their noble house. Many refuse to their second name being "Targaryen" because that name has become associated with kingship, conquest, politics, and the ownership of dragons.

To a Sunborn:

• Dragons cannot be owned.
• Every dragon deserves freedom.
• No dragon exists to fight a human war.
• Every dragon is family, regardless of who rides it.
• No throne is worth a dragon's life.

Their loyalty is first to dragonkind.

Despite their differences, the Stormborn and the Sunborn are not separate houses. Both belong to House Targaryen.

History.

How did the Sunborns join House Targaryens?

• The Doom.
  When the Doom of Valyria came, the Sunborn did not remain in the Freehold.

For generations, the Sunborn had watched the Dragonlord families grow ever more consumed by pride, blood magic, and the pursuit of power. While many believed Valyria would endure forever, the Sunborn read the land differently. The volcanoes became restless, dragons grew increasingly agitated, and the oldest among them spoke of a coming fire unlike any seen before.

Whether through prophecy, the instincts of their dragons or simple wisdom, the Sunborn came to believe the warnings, who had already resolved to abandon Valyria for Dragonstone. They trusted them and left alongside the Stormborns to Dragonstone.

• On Dragonstone.
  Though they shared Valyrian blood and often worked beside the dragonkeepers, they did not consider themselves members of House Targaryen. They remained an independent people, bound by their own traditions and governed by their own elders.

The Targaryens respected this arrangement. The Sunborn had little interest in castles, titles or inheritance. While the Targaryens planned for the future of their house, the Sunborn spent their days caring for dragons, studying hatchlings, tending nesting grounds, and wandering the volcanic slopes of Dragonstone.

• The Conquest.
  Everything changed when Aegon Targaryen began his conquest of Westeros.

The Sunborn did not oppose him nor did they eagerly join his cause. They believed it was not their place to decide the fate of kingdoms. Their concern was the safety of the dragons that carried Aegon and his sisters into battle.

Then came the tragedy at Hellholt. Queen Rhaenys Targaryen and her dragon, Meraxes, were struck down during the First Dornish War. Meraxes, one of the last dragons to survive the Doom, fell from the sky, and Rhaenys perished with her.

Aegon after being crowned had turned to another mission, to include the Sunborns into House Targaryen formally.

He had witnessed the Sunborn calm dragons no one else could approach. He had seen them heal wounds that royal dragonkeepers believed fatal. He had watched dragons obey them without command, as though they recognized an ancient kinship.

He also understood another truth. If relations between the Crown and the Sunborn ever broke down, the Sunborn possessed the ability to influence dragons in ways no ordinary dragonrider could. Though they had never sought power, their gifts made them impossible to ignore.

So he offered them something that was impossible to ignore, a formal invitation to join House Targaryen and get supreme authority to decide on all matters that included dragons. And the Sunborns agreed, seeing that they get to have the final say on the creatures they understood so well.

• Tensions between Sunborns and Stormborns.

For many years, the agreement forged between Aegon and the Sunborn endured. The Iron Throne ruled the kingdoms of men while the Sunborn safeguarded the dragons. No dragon was bred, relocated, confined or put to war without the counsel of the Sunborn elders. Though disagreements arose from time to time, mutual respect preserved the peace between the two branches of House Targaryen.

But that peace would not survive for long.

When Maegor claimed the Iron Throne, the relationship between the Crown and the Sunborn changed dramatically. Where Aegon had seen dragons as partners in building a kingdom, Maegor saw them as the ultimate instruments of fear. To him, a greater number of dragons meant a stronger throne.

He ordered an unprecedented expansion of the royal dragon population. Dragon eggs were gathered under tighter royal control, breeding was encouraged on a scale never before attempted, and dragons were increasingly raised with warfare as their primary purpose.

The Sunborn fiercely opposed these policies.

They argued that dragons chose when to mate, where to nest, and how to live. To force breeding for the sake of military strength reduced dragons to livestock. Maegor dismissed their objections. To him, the survival of his reign outweighed the customs of dragon mystics.

Growing tired of constant resistance, Maegor made a decision that permanently divided the dragons of House Targaryen. By royal decree, every dragon under Targaryen care would belong to one of two orders, Stormborn dragons and Sunborn dragons.

• Stormborn Dragons

These dragons became property of the Crown. They were housed under royal authority, trained for warfare, assigned to riders chosen by the king, and bred to strengthen the military power of House Targaryen. They represented the might of the Iron Throne.

• Sunborn Dragons

These dragons were entrusted entirely to the Sunborn. No king could claim ownership over them. They would not be chained, confined, or bred by royal command. They remained free to hunt, migrate, and nest according to their own instincts. The Crown acknowledged them as being under the stewardship of the Sunborn alone.

To Maegor, the decree solved a political problem but to the Sunborns, it shattered the promise House Targaryen had given to them.

For the first time, dragons had been divided by law, as though they belonged to different peoples. The Sunborn mourned the decree, believing that no dragon should ever be categorized according to its usefulness to a king

Although they refused to abandon the dragons to royal control, the Sunborn also refused to continue living within the royal court.

They withdrew from courtly life and established themselves in a fortified sanctuary adjoining the Dragonpit called the Zaldrīzes Fort or commonly known as The dragon fort, to the ones who don't speak High Valryian. Built with broad open courtyards, volcanic stone, and unrestricted access to the skies, it served as both a refuge for the Sunborn and a sanctuary for the dragons under their care.

The fortress stood close enough to the Dragonpit that they could watch over every dragon housed there, yet remained independent of the king's household. From that day onward, few Sunborn attended court except when matters concerning dragons demanded their presence.

• Aftereffects.

The Sunborn dragons.

As the decades passed, clear differences began to appear between the two groups of dragons.

The dragons cared for by the Sunborn generally lived under conditions closer to those of their wild ancestors. They hunted for their own food, flew across great distances, selected their own nesting grounds, and rarely remained confined for long.

Because of this, many developed into remarkably large and powerful creatures. Their wings became broader from constant flight. Their muscles grew stronger through hunting rather than training. Their scales thickened from age and exposure to the elements. Many also lived longer, suffering fewer injuries from war and less stress from prolonged confinement. The Sunborn argued that these dragons reflected the natural potential of the species.

The Stormborn dragons.

The dragons kept under royal authority lived very different lives.

They were more frequently housed in the Dragonpit or other royal enclosures, carefully bred to ensure the continuation of the Targaryen line, and often ridden into battle when the Crown required their strength. Although many Stormborn dragons were magnificent creatures, generations of selective breeding, repeated warfare, and periods of confinement affected them in ways the Sunborn found troubling.

Some matured more slowly. Others suffered lingering wounds from battle. Several never reached the immense size achieved by the oldest free-ranging dragons.

The Sunborn did not blame the dragons nor did they always blame their riders. They believed these differences were simply the inevitable result of treating dragons as royal assets rather than allowing them to live according to their nature.

BUT.

Despite their reputation, not every Sunborn dragon grew to enormous size. Like all living creatures, dragons varied greatly. Some remained small throughout their lives. Others preferred secluded valleys and hunted only modest prey. Temperament, health, age, diet, and individual nature all influenced a dragon's growth.

Likewise, some Stormborn dragons became immense despite their more restricted lives. (Eg- Vhagar)

Reproduction.

Among all the descendants of Old Valyria, none are born in a stranger manner than the Sunborn. Unlike ordinary humans, the Sunborn do not believe life begins with a seed but with a heightened sense of trust and passion. This is known as The Kindling.

The Sunborn possess no understanding of it beyond saying that it is an ancient gift carried within the women of their bloodline since before the Doom.

• Conception!

Unlike ordinary women, a Sunborn woman cannot conceive through seed alone. No matter whether her companion is a man or a woman, conception only occurs when a bond of absolute trust, devotion, affection, and mutual love is formed. It is not desire alone that awakens life nor is it marriage.

Only when two hearts willingly give themselves to one another does conception happen.

Because of this, a Sunborn woman may conceive a child with another woman, just as she may with a man. The physical sex of her partner is considered irrelevant. The bond between them is what awakens the First Flame.

The First Flame exists only within Sunborn women. It cannot be inherited through a father.

A Sunborn man may love, marry, and have children, but his children will never be born Sunborn unless their mother is herself a Sunborn woman. Likewise, if a Stormborn Targaryen woman or any other woman forms a family with a Sunborn man, their children are born as ordinary humans with the blood of their mother.

Another peculiar feature is a woman can impregnate another. A Sunborn women getting a woman of Dornish pregnant is possible but the child will carry the blood of Dorne rather than of a Sunborn.

The ancient flame cannot pass into another womb. Only a womb that already carries the First Flame can awaken a new Sunborn.

• While carrying!

Within days of conception, a Sunborn woman's body begins producing an unusual warmth. Her skin never becomes feverish or uncomfortable, but she is noticeably warmer than any ordinary person.

During winter she requires little protection from the cold. Dragons often rest beside her, drawn to the comforting heat. The Sunborn believe this warmth comes not from the mother herself, but from the growing First Flame within the child.

Perhaps the most remarkable change is seen not in the mother, but in the dragons.

Wild dragons become unusually calm in her presence. Dragons that would ordinarily avoid settlements are sometimes seen circling overhead without aggression. If danger approaches, nearby dragons may become restless or protective long before the threat is visible to anyone else.

The oldest records tell of dragons refusing to leave the mother's home until the child has Hatched. Among the Sunborn, this is considered the greatest blessing a mother can receive.

It is also known as the First Stilness! The First Stillness The Sunborn believe that during this period the child's spirit wanders among dragons, learning their nature before entering the world of men.

• Birth!

Unlike ordinary humans, a Sunborn woman does not give birth directly to a human infant.

Instead, she delivers the child enclosed within the Sun-Egg.. a translucent, resilient membrane filled with warm, amber-colored fluid. Inside rests the sleeping dragonling in its First Stillness.

To outsiders, it resembles a hatchling rather than a newborn.

A Sunborn birth is long and physically exhausting. Why? The Sun-Egg is larger and firmer than the human body was ever naturally meant to deliver. The membrane must remain intact throughout the birth; if it tears too early, the unborn child is believed to be at great risk.

For this reason, Sunborn births may last many hours, sometimes even an entire day.

The mother experiences powerful contractions as her body carefully delivers the whole Sun-Egg without breaking it.

Despite the difficulty, Sunborn women are known for surviving childbirth remarkably well. Their bodies have adapted over countless generations to this unique process, and deaths during childbirth are uncommon compared with many human societies.

The pain, however, is said to be unlike anything else.

• The transformation of a Sun-egg to a living Sunborn baby.

When the Sun-Egg is finally delivered, it is never cut open. It is gently washed, wrapped in soft heated cloth and is waited upon. The child must emerge in its own time.

Perhaps the most unsettling moment for outsiders is what follows. There is no newborn's cry, no movement, no tiny hands reaching outward. Within the transparent Sun-Egg lies only a sleeping dragonling. Its heart beats so slowly that it can barely be detected, its tiny chest does not rise.
To those unfamiliar with Sunborn customs, the child appears to be a stillborn monster.

Only after weeks or months does the dragonling finally begin to change. Its scales soften into skin, its wings become arms, its tail disappears. Its body slowly reshapes into that of a human infant.

When the transformation is complete, the membrane of the Sun-Egg splits open on its own, just like a dragon hatching from it's egg. Only then does the child take its first breath and only then does it cry.

Only then is the child considered truly born.

Weaknesses!

• A Dying Bloodline

The greatest weakness of the Sunborn is their own rarity.

Because only a Sunborn woman can conceive another Sunborn through the awakening of the First Flame, their numbers have always remained incredibly small. Unlike noble houses that could recover after wars by producing many heirs, the Sunborn could lose an entire generation through a single tragedy. Every death was irreplaceable.

• Their Compassion

The Sunborn struggle to separate dragons from people. To them, the death of a dragon carries the same weight as the death of a family member. This compassion often clouds their judgement. There have been times when Sunborns choose Dragons over men. Many lords condemned them for this.

The Sunborn never apologized.

Why do truly the dragons trust Sunborns?

According to Sunborn tradition, every Sunborn carries the First Flame, an ancient essence shared with dragons. Although invisible to humans, dragons are believed to sense this flame instinctively. To them, a Sunborn does not smell like prey or rider. They smell like kin.

But a few Valyrian scholars proposed a simpler explanation. Unlike Dragonlords, the Sunborn have never bred dragons for war, chained them, or treated them as possessions.

For thousands of years dragons have learned that Sunborn mean safety. Generation after generation, dragons may simply have come to trust them. Whether this trust is instinct or learned behavior remains unknown.

YET.

Recognition is not the same as obedience. Dragons may lash out but never burn Sunborns. Afterall "The idea that we control the dragons is an illusion."