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The Maidenpool Septa Conspiracy are minor characters in the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series. They are a group of holy women/septas from Maidenpool who sought to assassinate Queen Alysanne Targaryen to prevent her from "polluting" the healing waters of Jonquil's Pool, due to her incestous marriage to her brother King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, impregnating her with her firstborn child Aegon, which the conspiring assassins brand as an "abomination."
Their assassination on Alysanne failed due to the bravery of the queen's Wise Women and the intervention of the Kingsguard. In the end, two of the assassins were killed while the third one and six other septas were hanged for their conspiracy.
Biography[]
In 51 AC, King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and his sister and queen consort Alysanne visited the town of Maidenpool as part of their first royal progress. From their marriage, Queen Alysanne became pregnant with their firstborn son, Prince Aegon Targaryen, who was named after his mother's late brother Prince Aegon the Uncrowned and their grandfather King Aegon I Targaryen. Because of her pregnancy, the queen went to bathe in Jonquil's Pool, a famed sweetwater pool, which according to legend, is where a legendary figure called Jonquil once bathed in with her sisters until they were spied on by the hero known as Florian the Fool, a legendary court fool and knight.
Though Alysanne's marriage to King Jaehaerys is seen as incestous, however, the Faith did not opposed this, due to the Doctrine of Exceptionalism, which was formed through a collaboration by the king, his hand Septon Barth, and Septon Oswyck. However, some zealous septas of the Faith rejected the Doctrine, due to their devotion and loyalty to the Faith's teachings, and they believed that the healing waters of Jonquil's Pool will be forever "polluted" if Alysanne and her unborn son, whom they saw as an abomination, would bathe in the pool.
Attempted assassination[]
Unaware of the approaching danger, Queen Alysanne entered the pool while in the company of her ladies-in-waiting, maids, and septas while two of the Kingsguard, Ser Joffrey Doggett, a former member of the Faith Militant, and Ser Gyles Morrigen, the Lord Commander, waited outside. When Alysanne disrobed, three of the septas immediately attacked the queen with daggers only for her retinue known as the Wise Women to step in between Alysanne and the assassins, despite being naked and unarmed. Septa Edyth, the queen's religious tutor, and Lady Prudence Celtigar, were wounded while protecting the queen, with Edyth being slashed across the face while Prudence was stabbed through the shoulder. Rosamund Ball was stabbed in the belly three times, and she would die from her wound three days later.
During the ensuing struggle, the shouts and screams from Jonquil's pool alerted the Kingsguard, who immediately rushed in and killed two of the attackers while the third was spared for questioning (torture). During her interrogation, she revealed the names of six other septas who helped in planning the assault. Those found guilty were executed via hanging by Lord Mooton, who would have also hanged members who were found innocent only for Queen Alysanne to convince him to spare them.
Legacy[]
Because of the incident at Maidenpool, King Jaehaerys and his queen were forced to postpone their royal progress to the Vale of Arryn and return to King's Landing for their safety. As Queen Alysanne was attacked, it was decided that she would need a protector, who would accompany her to where men could not. Jonquil Darke, a bastard daughter of Lord Darklyn of Duskendale, was summoned to become the queen's sworn shield, which she gladly accepts. Sometime later, Alysanne gave birth to Prince Aegon, but because he was born too early, he only lived for three days before eventually dying.
The death of Prince Aegon would lead his mother to blame his passing on the women who attacked her at Jonquil's Pool, believing that if she had been allowed to bathe in the pool's healing waters, then her son would have lived.
