Whether you lean towards Team Black or Team Green, you have to admit that ’s episode 2 of House of The Dragon Season 2 has proven to be one of the best episodes so far. Despite us going back and forth between the Targaryens and the Hightowers, each team that we’ve seen has had audience members second-guessing their loyalties, preparing for the worst to come after the latest episode. As we see Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) inch closer to starting a war between houses and dragons, we’re also one step closer to learning more about a key character in the HOTD universe.
Not only did episode 2 show the realities that are happening behind the castle walls, but we were also able to see the betrayals and heartbreak as we began to lose some of the pivotal characters throughout the show. But it seems we will soon be introduced to a new HOTD character, which was hinted at in episode 2, but has yet to be seen. Spoiler warning: Spoilers for House of The Dragon Season 2 and Fire & Blood follow.
In Season 1, Alicent is shown to have 3 kids.
Throughout Season 1 of House of The Dragon, Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Viserys (Paddy Constantine) were shown to have 3 children who live in the castle. We’re first introduced to Aegon, Helaena (Phia Saban), and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) throughout the second half of Season 1, which left many confused. In George R.R. Martin’s book, Fire & Blood, Alicent and Viserys had 4 children, including one child named Daeron. Daeron is the youngest son of Alicent and Viserys in the books, and plays a large part in Fire & Blood. There were no signs of Daeron in Season 1, and even after Viserys’ death, there hadn’t been any mention of him throughout the series.
We finally know Daeron’s whereabouts in Season 2.
In episode 2 of Season 2, tension between the Targaryen family is steadily rising as a result of the deaths of Lucerys and Jaehaerys. As we go back and forth between Rhaenyra trying to process her grief and attempting to deny the accusations that she killed Jaehaerys, Aegon goes on a hunt to find out who killed his son and if Rhaenyra was a part of it. We know that Daemon (Matt Smith) originally sent for Aemond to be killed, not realizing that it would be Jaehaerys who would be the victim of the crime. Throughout the episode, Alicent and Haelena struggle to process the death of Jaehaerys, and it’s ultimately decided that they must have the city see what has happened.
As word among the castles begins to arise, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) and Aegon argue about how Aegon has ruined the castle’s reputation due to his impulsive actions. Otto is ultimately replaced by Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), leaving him feeling defeated. As Otto is preparing to leave, he confides in Alicent about going to Oldtown to help oversee and watch Daeron, foreshadowing the arrival of Daeron in the near future.
What has Daeron been doing in Oldtown?
It’s unclear how long Daeron has been in Oldtown since the show has not mentioned him since Season 1, and we only have one hint that indicates where he’s been throughout the show. What we do know from the book is that Daeron has been on the seat of House Hightower over these last few years, and has not been with the rest of Alicent’s kids in a long time. The book also explains that Daeron was sent to be a squire and a cupbearer for Hobert Hightower, and hasn’t been seen in a very long time.
We’re not entirely sure if we’ll be seeing or hearing more of Daeron throughout Season 2, but showrunner Ryan Condal confirmed that he will be a major character throughout the series.
We’re already anticipating Daeron’s arrival on the show, and what kinds of trouble we’ll be seeing the Targaryens and the Hightowers get into throughout the rest of the series.