When the Targaryen retinue did return to King's Landing, only some weeks after leaving Oldtown, the queen and princess spent many hours reviewing the trip and the suitors it presented with King Viserys and the Small Council. Though many of the councilors, Otto Hightower chief among them, presented lengthy arguments for their candidates, King Viserys' valued his daughter's opinion most and her mind had long been set on Ser Walter Tully. It was only Queen Alicent's private report of the brief estrangement between the young pair that made the King hesitate. Soon enough though, pressure from Alysanne and Rhaenyra, who supported her sister's choice and trusted her judgment, led the King to give his consent and have a raven sent to Riverrun.
Before the council could disperse, Princess Alysanne brought up the issue of her younger brother. Prince Aegon's affection for his sister had caused problems before and she did not want to put Ser Tully in Sunfyre's warpath without protection. Aegon would see him as nothing but an obstacle blocking him from being with his true love and it is a dangerous thing to be a dragonrider's object of ire.
It was Princess Rhaenyra who raised the obvious solution. Aegon needed to be married as well, to someone he couldn't simply kill. There would be no use in killing Ser Walter if Aegon himself wasn't free to marry Alysanne. So, the Princess Helaena was chosen to be his bride, much to the discomfort of all who loved her. Princess Alysanne protested against the idea, as she didn't want to condemn her sweet, simple sister to such an ill-suited match. To her father, however, it seemed a wise decision. Aegon would have to marry, at one point or another, and some lady would have to suffer that life. Better it be Helaena, whom they can protect, than a lady they do not know and whom Aegon doesn't value at all. Helaena, at least, was a princess and his sister. She was as near a match to Alysanne as he could get and they hoped he would simply find a way to be content.
Prince Aegon, unfortunately, did not see things the same way. He bore his younger sister no affection and thought her mentally deficient. He had spent much of their childhood taunting the girl for her fascination with bugs and plants. When news of the two betrothals reached him, they did not dampen his desire to marry Alysanne, but rather made it a race. Once they were married, there would be little Aegon could do to be with his preferred match, but they were not married yet.
The Princesses Rhaenyra and Alysanne were together when news came that Sunfyre had left the dragonpit and was flying north. Rhaenyra, the more experienced dragonrider among the two, instructed her guards to ready Syrax, but her sister stopped them. Rhaenyra was no friend of Aegon's and they had no guarantee that he would not attack her on sight, given his enraged state. Alysanne, however, was the object of his affection and he would never harm her. Even if he tried, Silverwing was much larger than both Syrax and Sunfyre and would be able to subdue him.
So, Alysanne Targaryen gave chase and flew towards Riverrun. She intercepted her brother near the Gods Eye and cut off Sunfyre's path forcing him to land. It is not known what the gentle princess said to her brother that day. It is, perhaps, hard to imagine one of her character making threats or showing aggression, but she managed to convince Aegon to turn around, something it is perhaps just as challenging to imagine one of his character consenting to do.
The princess trailed Sunfyre closely on their flight back to the dragonpit, ensuring that Prince Aegon didn't try to suddenly turn back towards Riverrun and the innocents in its halls.
When they arrived, Princess Rhaenyra was there to greet them and ordered that Aegon be confined to his chambers whilst she reported the incident to her father. Three days later, Prince Aegon Targaryen married his sister Princess Helaena in the Sept on Visenya's Hill in front of their family and what lords that had been able to make the journey with such little notice. The prince was 15 years old and the princess merely 13. It had not been the King's original intention to have their betrothal be so abbreviated, but Aegon's flight to Riverrun made the matter of their marriage an urgent one. In his attempt to free himself and his beloved from the bonds of marriage, Prince Aegon had only trapped himself further.
After witnessing the wedding of her siblings, Princess Alysanne flew to Riverrun, where she would reside until her own wedding, as a precaution. If Aegon did find a way to escape the Red Keep on dragonback, she and Silverwing would be an invaluable defense for the castle.
Reports say that during her time in the Riverlands, the princess was, again, notably happy. She spent her days chatting with her fiancé, visiting his beloved nephews, and making arrangements for their approaching wedding. It was decided it would be best to hold the ceremony in Riverrun, as Aegon had friends in King's Landing and would have an easier time finding an assassin there. The young prince was not invited to his sister's wedding under the pretense that at least one dragonrider should stay in the capital to watch over things.
For once, Septon Eustace and Mushroom both agree on a key detail of history, though no other source reports on the matter, Alysanne Targaryen was an honest woman who did not want to marry someone unprepared to face the consequences. In the weeks before her marriage, the princess told her betrothed the whole of Aegon's affection for her and the reckless actions he had already taken. Her father, King Viserys, had slowly grown ill over many years and was like to fall dead at any point. The throne was to pass to Rhaenyra, the King's named heir, but many in the realm supported the claim of Aegon, the King's firstborn son. War may come for House Targaryen, it seemed, and by marrying Alysanne, Ser Walter would be all but declaring House Tully for Rhaenyra's side and making himself Aegon's most hated enemy.
Ser Walter Tully was both a loyal and prudent man and, after hearing his betrothed speak, those two traits stood at odds within his own mind. His House had made a vow to Alysanne and the dangers that now faced him were no doing of hers. The princess had even protected them from Aegon in the skies above the Gods Eye. However, the threat Aegon posed would not endanger merely Ser Walter, but his entire household, including his young nephews. He had sworn to protect and foster his brother's sons. Would keeping his oath to Alysanne required him to break his oath to the two boys? Ser Walter did not break off the betrothal or confirm his intention to marry the princess, but rather requested time to think on the matter.
Mushroom and Septon Eustace again agree that Ser Walter did not state his intention until the night before the wedding. His hesitation, however, was a private one. The week leading up to the ceremony saw the largest and grandest celebrations Riverrun had ever put on. The Lords of every Great House and many of their bannerman arrived with their retinues. The whole of the Targaryen family, save Aegon who had remained in King's Landing under the watch of the Lord Hand, came to witness the ceremony. Princess Rhaenyra even called her sons from Dragonstone, where they had long resided with their father, Ser Laenor Velaryon. Alysanne had not seen the three boys since their respective infancies and spent what time she wasn't coordinating the ceremony or putting in appearances with the Great Houses getting to know the young princes and introducing them to Kermit and Oscar Tully. The boys got along splendidly and formed bonds that would last to their deaths.
There were great feasts every night leading up to the wedding that increased in splendor the closer they came to the ceremony. Lord Grover Tully enjoyed them perhaps the most, as having so many powerful men and women as guests of his House did much to stroke his ego. King Viserys Targaryen, though notably ill and requiring many breaks from the festivities, was perhaps nearly as happy. His joy, though, did not stem from pride but rather genuine delight at seeing his daughter so happy. He raised a toast the night before the wedding to Ser Walter. The King had always doubted that his second daughter would be able to find someone worthy of her hand. She was the very image of her great-grandmother whom the whole of Westeros loved and one of the most judicious, kind people he has ever had the privilege to know. In Ser Walter, she has finally found a match who would rival her in generosity, patience, and love for the people around them.
In Septon Eustace's version of events, it is the King's toast that brought Ser Walter to tell his betrothed that he stood firm in his intention to marry her. According to the Septon, the young knight had always been too humble to acknowledge his own worth but hearing the King's praise gave him the confidence necessary to marry a princess of the realm.
Mushroom, however, claims that Ser Walter was not persuaded by the events of the dinner feast but rather by those of the celebration after. This is one of the rare spots in the history of the Dance of Dragon in which I am inclined to favor Mushroom's interpretation. The great shift in the evening by all reports-save Eustace-came an hour after dinner when Prince Aegon arrived on dragonback.
When guards came running to warn of the prince's approach, Princess Alysanne stated her intention to face her brother once again. Her beloved cousin Laena Velaryon, rider of Vhagar, intervened. The celebrations were for the princess and she would not let Aegon ruin them for her. Lady Laena and her husband, Prince Daemon, would be more than capable of handling Aegon and Sunfyre. Prince Daemon was an experienced warrior and owner of Dark sister. Lady Laena rode the largest dragon in the realm. Aegon would be a fool to attack them and would have to listen to their orders. King Viserys gave his consent to the plan and it was done. Less than an hour later, Lady Laena and Prince Daemon returned with Aegon in hand and brought him before his father, the King.
It was decided that the prince would be allowed to stay, despite breaking his father's direct order, as it would be a terrible embarrassment to send him away in front of the lords of the realm and another dragonrider would be required to keep him company on the flight back to the Red Keep. It seemed unfair to King Viserys, a peaceful man, to punish another member of the family for Aegon's fault, though Prince Daemon volunteered himself for the duty many times over. This would likely be the last Targaryen wedding King Viserys would see before he passed and he wanted the whole of his family there to witness it with him.
Rather than take this showing as one of peace and compromise, many in the realm thought it a display of weakness and a hint at the continued lack of discipline in the royal household. Both Prince Aegon and, to some extent, Princess Rhaenyra had reputations for rebelling against their King and going unpunished. King Viserys, like his grandsire, held the realm together through strife but was not able to do the same for his own family.
Princess Rhaenyra was outraged that Aegon had been allowed to stay. Her uncle, Prince Daemon, who did not share his brother's hesitancy to action, was similarly disgusted. The two spent the rest of the night's celebration preventing Prince Aegon from Alysanne approaching and her betrothed.
Aegon was thus only able to confront Ser Walter after the celebration had adjourned. Though Septon Eustace uses gentler words to describe the Prince's behavior towards Ser Walter, both he and Mushroom agree that the young prince cornered and threatened Walter Tully in the halls of his own home. Prince Aegon insisted that Ser Walter call off the wedding or face Sunfyre's fury. Aegon believed that Alysanne was born to be his wife, a gift from the gods, and he would burn every man in the realm to be with her. This did not frighten Ser Walter, however. Princess Alysanne had prepared him to face her brother if need be and Ser Walter knew that the whole of the Targaryen House was like to come to Riverrun's aid if Prince Aegon attacked. Alysanne was the darling of the Seven Kingdoms and of her own family. They would not stand by while Aegon took action against her. That very evening Prince Daemon and Lady Laena had come to Riverrun's defense. Upon realizing Walter Tully did not fear him, Prince Aegon lashed out. Septon Eustace claims he merely shoved the man into a wall and attempted to punch him. Mushroom wrote that the prince went so far as to draw steel. Ser Walter Tully was not widely renowned for his skill in battle, but he had earned his knight's spurs at 16 and was competent enough to defend himself without injuring the prince. It was a dangerous thing to harm a Targaryen, even in self-defense. The fight only ended at the intervention of Laenor Velaryon, husband of Princess Rhaenyra, who had been wandering the halls of Riverrun with a drinking companion. Ser Laenor knocked Aegon from consciousness with a sharp hit to the head and called for guards to take the prince to his rooms. He then offered to escort Ser Walter Tully to a maester, as the young man had absorbed a few of Aegon's blows that he couldn't block. Ser Walter declined, but thanked him for the offer and his aid in dealing with Prince Aegon.
The next morning, before the wedding ceremony, Walter Tully went to see his fiancé in her chambers. Out of a sense of propriety, Ser Walter and the Princess allowed Alysanne's many handmaidens and guards to stay in the room while they spoke. Our account of their conversation, therefore, is one of the most reliable I have found in my research, as it has been corroborated by many sources.
Ser Walter Tully began by explaining the fight Aegon had started the previous night and the aid Ser Laenor had given him in dispelling it. This news made the princess worry both for her betrothed's health and for how her brother's actions would affect Ser Walter's decision that day. Walter Tully assured her that all was well on both matters. He was relatively uninjured and had come out of the fight more staunch in his resolve to marry her than ever before. Ever since he learned of her affection, he had wondered why she would settle for one such as him. Ser Walter did not clarify the ways in which he saw himself as lacking (we must again return to Mushroom and Eustace's respective theories for any hints at his reasoning), but insisted that, as a princess, Alysanne could've chosen someone better able to serve her as a husband or at least been more patient on the matter. There was no requirement that she pick a husband by the end of her tour and she was still quite young, only nearing her 18th nameday. He still didn't fully understand why the princess would choose him but, after meeting Aegon, he understood the urgency of the matter. Prince Aegon posed a threat to the health, safety, and happiness of the princess and marriage offered her a measure of protection. On the morning of their wedding, just as the sun began to wink its way into the sky, Ser Walter Tully promised Alysanne Targaryen that he would do everything in his power to protect her and provide her with a long, happy life ruling the Riverlands at his side. Even if he still did not see himself as her perfect match, he understood that there were worse options out there.
The young couple married that evening in sept of Riverrun surrounded by lovely, blooming gardens and a crowd of hundreds. The ceremony was followed by a feast and bedding. Prince Aegon attempted to join the crowd of men carrying the bride to the bedchamber but was held back by his uncle, Prince Daemon, who had not forgotten his wrongdoings.