Alysanne is one of the earliest queens in the history of the Targaryen reign, witnessing some of its best years, while Rhaella is the last before Robert’s Rebellion.

Both die on Dragonstone, Alysanne anticipating her son would go on to inherit a peaceful reign as a great king, Rhaella trying to safeguard her remaining children from a violent usurpation. 🎨Doug Wheatley

In their characters you can see how things have only gotten worse for Targaryen women as their house’s reign has stretched on, but they still use their power and agency to protect those they care about.

Alysanne is able to elope with her brother Jaehaerys against the wishes of the ruling council. When challenged on their union, Alysanne asserts that no matter what, her dragon Silverwing will always return her to the husband she chose. 🎨Doug Wheatley

Rhaella’s marriage to her brother Aerys is arranged completely against her will by the men in her family, her father and grandfather the king, purely in the attempt to bring about the prince that was promised.

The hypocrisy of it all is these men both got to choose their own spouses that they loved. Jaehaerys II even eloped with Rhaella’s mother Shaera against his elders’ wishes the way Jaehaerys I eloped w/ Alysanne. But Rhaella has no dragon to take her away from this unwanted match.

And when Alysanne eventually has disagreements with Jaehaerys over the treatment of the women in their family, both on a personal level and in regards to inheritance, it it with Silverwing that she leaves his side, retreating to Dragonstone as a sanctuary.

However, Alysanne does stand as the most empowered queen consort in Targaryen history, save for Visenya and Alysanne. She acts as councilor and confidante to her husband, and influences him to change laws to improve the lives of the smallfolk, including abolishing the first night

Jaehaerys largely respects Alysanne and her opinion, and remains devoted to her in their love, never taking a mistress, and together they oversee one of the most peaceful and successful reigns of House Targaryen.

Aerys has no such respect for Rhaella, taking many mistresses, and she is permitted no influence over his reign. He is suspicious and mistrustful of her, and regularly assaults her during their marriage.

On this note I will point out that despite their much more loving relationship, Jaehaerys also disregards Alysanne’s bodily autonomy, for when she says she’s done having children, he disagrees, and presumably takes no action to avoid a pregnancy.

And despite her limited power in comparison to Alysanne’s, Rhaella still works to protect the people she can, sending away her ladies in waiting to keep them safe from her husband’s predations.

Alysanne and Rhaella both experience the loss of multiple children: Alysanne’s children largely surviving past infancy but predeceasing her, and Rhaella suffering multiple miscarriages, stillbirths, and cradle deaths.

They both work in their own ways to protect their children from their fathers: Alysanne speaks in defense of her daughters as Jaehaerys tries to confine them to the rigid expectations women are confined to in Westeros, and Rhaella tries to shield viserys from aerys’s madness.

Their first pregnancies see them experiencing life threatening trauma: Alysanne is assaulted at Jonquil’s Pool, and blames the loss of her son on the attack, while Rhaella successfully gives birth to Rhaegar during the Tragedy of Summerhall. 🎨Doug Wheatley, Marc Simonetti

Alysanne and Rhaella’s firstborn sons are both largely well-regarded heirs bearing monikers in reference to their hair color. Their first grandchildren are daughters named Rhaenys that they warmly embrace, but who experience disregard from their grandfathers in different ways.

Alysanne’s first living child is a daughter she names Daenerys, whose right to inherit the throne and become queen she adamantly challenges Jaehaerys on, but who never gets the chance to inherit as she dies of the shivers as a young girl.