Almost 200 years before the events on Game of Thrones, House Targaryen stood at the height of its strength. House of the Dragon tells the story of the Dance of the Dragons, which is a famous tale in Westeros about the civil war for royal succession following King Viserys I‘s death.
The conflict pits Rhaenyra and Aegon, both children of King Viserys, against each other. Despite Rhaenyra being proclaimed the rightful heir to the Seven Kingdoms by her father, the queen regent manipulates circumstances to favor her son, portraying him as the chosen successor to the Iron Throne
As the final of The Dance of the Dragons was told in Game of Thrones, we all know there will be no happy ending in this story, and we can expect a brutal war. After all, the only thing that can tear down House of the Dragon is itself.
Our purpose with this article is to remember some of our favorite moments from season 1, so I’ve separated a couple of moments and aspects from the series that are iconic!
Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower
One thing we can agree on is that the female characters in The House of the Dragon are very strong figures, such as Rhaenyra and Alicent. Both of them would do anything to protect their children, having experienced serious situations that made them powerful, and the series wouldn’t be the same without them.
What’s curious about their relationship is that they grew up together as best friends, but power and their interests have since changed, turning them into mortal enemies.
An Eye For An Eye’ scene
In this scene, Alicent’s younger son has lost an eye because of a fight with Rhaenyra’s children. Rhaenyra’s children are not her husband’s, which makes them bastards. Because of this, they face a lot of reprisals from their uncles (Alicent and Viserys’ children).
This scene shows that these women defend their children no matter what; they would go to great lengths for them, to the extent that it’s not just about assigning blame, their conflict runs much deeper than that. Alicent demands revenge for her son who lost an eye; she believes it’s fair for one of Rhaenyra’s children to suffer the same fate.
When the queen’s demand isn’t met, she takes the king’s knife and tries to seek revenge with her own hands. With the help of her uncle, Daemon Targaryen steps forward to defend Rhaenyra and her children.
The Complex Relationship of Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen
It is known that the Targaryens don’t follow the boundaries of blood, and commonly, members of the Targaryen family marry each other. From cousins to brothers, it’s a tradition of this house.
Daemon is Rhaenyra’s uncle, the younger and rebellious brother of the king. Since the first episode, he has shown a different kind of affection for his niece. Initially, Viserys thought that Daemon was only interested in Rhaenyra because of her titles, but years later it’s proven that he truly cares for her. When Rhaenyra is still a girl, he doesn’t act on his feelings. However, after his wife dies and Rhaenyra’s husband is ‘killed’, they get married and have children.
Even though it’s completely wrong, we cannot deny that they are a very interesting couple. Daemon and Rhaenyra are definitely going to burn a couple of cities together in the next season!
The battle in the sky
When King Viserys dies, a war begins, and with it, both sides seek potential allies. Rhaenyra sends her younger son, Lucerys, to the Vale with his dragon to try to form an alliance, but unfortunately, they are not the only ones with this idea. Alicent also sends her younger son, Aemon, to ally with the Vale, and he succeeds in the end.
When Lucerys is flying back home on his dragon, Aemon follows behind on his dragon, which is twice the size of the other boy’s dragon, and they start arguing, which quickly escalates into a battle. This happens in the last episode of the first season; because of this battle, the war has become even more serious.
This is the turning point at which Rhaenyra realizes that she can’t show mercy to her own blood.
The second season of House of The Dragon will premiere on June 16th. We can’t wait to see who will succeed in this plot. We hope for the best, but any ending is possible for the dragon family!
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The article above was edited by Brisa Kunichiro. Liked this type of content? Check out Her Campus Cásper LĂbero for more!