Should Princess Rhaneyra Have Her Own Guardsman, Army and Lands By Now?

[Herbert Playz]

It occurs to me that the heir should be surrounded with their own protectors. I know tradition is that the kingsguard protects the king and the royal family. But their duty is first to their king. An heir apparent should be an extremely important position. Simply having one man as a bodyguard of sorts isn't enough. Rhaneyra should have men at arms that she supports, who she can rely on for protection and other duties as they come.

In fact this is part of what made Stannis so weak in a Game of thrones. Stannis the younger brother of king robert was given dragonstone and the even younger brother Renly was given Storms End. At the time king Robert had no children so Stannis was his heir and the heir always takes Dragonstone as their seat. So naturally Renly received the Baratheon ancestral castle Storms End.

The problem was that Storms End and its lands can support far more men and wealth than Dragonstone. So when their was a succession issue, Renly commanded far more respect and power than Stannis who had a far stronger claim based on laws of inheritance at the time.

In short, Rhaneyra needs the muscle to strengthen her claim. That is something she lacks right now. She also needs to breed and arrange betrothals, so she can develop allies with some of the great houses and solidify her position even more.