I feel like ashara was the bride aerys should’ve given rhaegar. Why didn’t he? She, with her dark hair and purple eyes, would have complemented his beauty more than e/*a ever could hope to. And targaryens had previously married Daynes, so she had valyrian blood too, hence her eyes. She was also healthy, she would’ve been able to give rhaegar his dragon heads. I’m very interested to know why aerys apparently didn’t even consider ashara. Can you please tell a sensible reason for this? I’m puzzled.

Ashara would have been a good match, but not as good as Elia. There is a post out there that I remember reading (and reblogging) that made a case for Ashara, but I’m having trouble finding it now (help me pls).

Despite the Daynes having classic Valyrian features, they are not actually of Valyrian descent, as confirmed by GRRM himself:

I would have to consult my notes to tell you the Dayne arms. Offhand I don’t recall. As for the violet eyes …look, Elizabeth Taylor has violet eyes, and she’s not of Valyrian descent (that I know). Nor is she related to Aegon the Conquerer. Many Swedes have blue eyes, but not all those with blue eyes are Swedes, and not all Swedes have blue eyes. The same confusions exist in the 7 Kingdoms.

When Aerys looked abroad for a wife for Rhaegar, he was looking among ethnic groups that may have possessed Valyrian blood. They found such women, but they weren’t highborn enough, and thus Aerys abandoned the idea of an Essosi wife for his son.

House Martell, on the other hand, is an appropriately highborn house and have had previous Targaryen-Martell marriages, both of which have direct lines to the current generation of each house. in addition to being a wealthy, stable, and well-connected house, there really was few reasons to refuse such a match, even if Elia Martell was sickly.

Aerys was also a racist, and possessed anti-Dornish sentiments that he even reflected onto his own granddaughter. If Aerys has to choose between a non-Valyrian Dornishwomen of lower nobility and a Martell princess with Targaryen lineage, he is going to choose the latter, despite his own racism.

I’ve so far laid this out without addressing your own prejudices, which are obvious. Elia Martell was regarded as beautiful. Those who disagreed are people had reason to hate her, such as Jon Connington and Cersei Lannister. Beauty is subjective.

Secondly, it’s not Elia’s fault that she was too sick to give Rhaegar three kids. She gave him two. It wasn’t as if she was obligated to give him more; Rhaegar wanted more, and when he found that she was unlikely to give him more, he looked elsewhere. That’s Rhaegar’s problem, not Elia’s. Citing her health in this case is ableist and unnecessary.