This week’s episode of House of the Dragon truly was something. The aftermath of Blood and Cheese, Lucerys’s terrible death, wreaks havoc across House Targaryen—and it’s most felt, of course, on the Greens’ side, who are little Prince Jaehaerys’ closest relatives.
Spoilers ahead for the second episode of the second season of House of the Dragon, “Rhaenyra the Cruel,” as well as for future events described in Fire and Blood. Be warned.
With all the truly amazing, gut-wrenching moments we saw—from a grieving Helaena being forced to parade around the streets of King’s Landing to Aegon lashing out to not a single member of this family being able to comfort the others—it makes sense that all attention was focused on the pathos and the drama. But the ears of fans everywhere pricked up when they heard a certain name being mentioned for the very first time onscreen after it seemed like it was forgotten.
It’s official, finally: Daeron Targaryen is indeed real in the House of the Dragon narrative universe. Sure, no one has thought to mention him at all as they were plotting the crowning of Aegon or the war against the Blacks, which is weird, and true, the only times his name was spoken before were in interviews and featurettes, which made us all doubt we would ever see him, but he exists now, and that’s more than enough for me.
So who is Daeron Targaryen?
As Otto says to Alicent during their conversation after Aegon has dismissed him as Hand of the King—I know that man is regretting not crowning Rhaenyra and I love that anguish for him, Otto Hightower my beloathed—Prince Daeron Targaryen is the dowager queen’s youngest child with the departed King Viserys.
Seven years younger than his older brother Aegon, Daeron—who will be remembered as Daeron the Daring and is described as “the gentlest” of his brothers—is squiring in Oldtown with the Hightower side of his family, just as he is in Fire and Blood when the Dance of the Dragons starts. And he’s not alone, since like all the Targaryens we see in the show, he also has his own dragon: the she-dragon Tessarion, known as the Blue Queen from the striking color of her scales and her flames.
Since Daeron is still pretty young and has been living with the Hightowers for quite some time, Otto thinks he can be more easily swayed than Aegon and can become a powerful asset in the Dance. And he’s not wrong.
What happens to Daeron in the Dance of the Dragons?
In the source material, Daeron, of course, can’t help but join the war on the Greens’ side, marching up from Oldtown with the armies of the Reach together with his second cousin Ormund—the first cousin of his mother Alicent and his uncle Gwayne, who has been cast in the show and whom we’re bound to see soon.
Daeron—who will earn his knighthood during the war—and Tessarion will be instrumental in several battles on the Southern side of Westeros, including the infamous two Battles of Tumbleton. Still, those are likely to come in future seasons of House of the Dragon considering the pace they’re keeping and the fact that they only have eight episodes available for this season.
