Princess Gael Targaryen was the thirteenth child of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Queen Alysanne Targaryen. Born during winter, Gael was also called the Winter Child. She disappeared from court in 99 AC, and was said to have died from a summer fever, but in reality, she had committed suicide by drowning herself in the Blackwater. The reason for her suicide was that she had been seduced and abandoned by a traveling singer, who had left her pregnant. As a babe, Gael was small and pale. She grew to be a shy and sweet girl, although simple-minded and frail.
Gael was born in 80 AC, a winter year, giving her the sobriquet "the Winter Child". (According to some, the name was because Queen Alysanne was "in the winter of her childbearing years", 44 years old at the time of Gael's birth.) Gael was cared for by Grand Maester Elysar and Septa Lyra, who nursed her through her first year.
After her sisters Alyssa, Daella, and Viserra had died within the span of five years (82–87 AC), Gael became a comfort for her mother Queen Alysanne, along with her older sister Maegelle. Gael became Alysanne's constant shadow, and even slept with her in her bed.
In 99 AC, Gael disappeared from court. It was announced that she had died of a summer fever. After the deaths of King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne, it was revealed that Gael had been seduced and impregnated by a traveling singer. Gael had given birth to a stillborn son, and overwhelmed by her grief, she had walked into Blackwater Bay and drowned.
According to some, Queen Alysanne never recovered from losing Gael. Following Gael's death, Alysanne could no longer stand to be in King's Landing and at the Red Keep. Alysanne herself would die less than a year after Gael, in 100 AC.
thetudorslovers