Warning: The following contains House spoilers
Sunday’s episode nine of “House of the Dragon” concluded with Rhaenys shocking everyone by breaking through the floor of the dragonpit on Meleys’ back (her dragon). Rhaenys chose not to execute the newly elected King Aegon II and practically every Hightower follower in a position of authority, despite executing hundreds of random King’s Landing civilians who were forcibly herded there.
According to certain interpretations, Rhaenys could have prevented the conflict before it began.
However, there is a technique at play that may not be immediately apparent if you are unfamiliar with “Fire and Blood,” the book on which the series is based. This entire Rhaenys sequence was produced for the show’s omniscient retelling of House Targaryen’s fictional history.
“Fire and Blood” provides greater character development and subtlety to the aftermath of King Viserys’ death.
Ollie Upton / HBO
In “Fire and Blood” by George R.R. Martin, the narrative is derived from a variety of biased or untrustworthy witnesses. “House of the Dragon” introduces a new, more subtle sequence of tragic events and decisions. Anyone who has seen “Game of Thrones” knows that House Targaryen began to decline after their dragons died out — that is the entire enchantment and marvel of Daenerys Targaryen’s feat of hatching not one but three dragons and resurrecting House Targaryen’s dominance in the earlier HBO series.
Consequently, what does this have to do with Rhaenys?
Throughout the entirety of “The Green Council,” both Otto Hightower and Queen Alicent vie for control of the situation. Otto desires Rhaenyra, Daemon, and all of their children to be executed immediately, before the citizens of King’s Landing are even aware that King Viserys has died.
Alicent desires to send terms to Rhaenyra and crown Aegon as soon as possible (mistakenly assuming that this was Viserys’ dying request), hoping for a bloodless truce between their families.
Given Rhaenyra and Daemon’s defenses at Dragonstone and Rhaenyra’s legal claim to the Iron Throne based on the late king’s public proclamation, both of these ideas are quite audacious.
Rhaenys is the only one who knows what is happening and can inform Rhaenyra, Daemon, and their children of the actual sequence of events (who are also meant to be in the true line of succession).
Rhaenys was imprisoned in the Red Keep while Otto had nobles such as Lord Caswell executed for attempting to inform Rhaenyra about the death of her father. Rhaenys’ life was in grave danger if she refuses to kneel before Aegon. She needed an escape route, which she found in her dragon.
But guess who has no knowledge of this? The actual inhabitants of the Seven Kingdoms.
Scene from the ninth episode of the first season of “House of the Dragon.”
HBO
On the first full day following Viserys’s passing, very few individuals were aware of his passing.
The lords and ladies of the court have either remained loyal to the oath they took to Viserys nearly 21 years ago, or have determined that a son should inherit the throne over a daughter because they have only only known male kings.
There is no reason for the people of the Seven Kingdoms to dispute Hand of the King’s claim that Viserys changed his mind and desired Aegon to rule instead of Rhaenyra.
Rhaenys is the one who casts doubt on Aegon’s coronation, reminding the populace that dragons are the true source of power. The beasts are mass-murdering weapons, and when joined with a Targaryen, the dragons will obey their demands.
By crashing into the dragonpit in such a manner and then sparing the lives of the newly crowned king and his family, Rhaenys brought the story of the family’s division to the attention of the public. Rhaenys was, in her own way, setting the tone for the inhabitants of the Seven Kingdoms: submit to Rhaenyra, the legitimate queen, or suffer the fate of our dragons.
Rhaenys also makes the strategic decision not to kill the newly crowned King Aegon II, Alicent, Helaena, and the rest of her blood and marriage relatives.
Rhaenys does not want the public narrative to be, “Rhaenys is a kinslayer, while Rhaenyra sought power at all costs.” Rhaenys intends to demonstrate her strength, give Alicent one last chance to do the right thing, and then leave King’s Landing without incident.
How “Fire and Blood” passages also provide context for Aegon’s coronation tactics at the dragonpit.
Scene from the ninth episode of the first season of “House of the Dragon.”
HBO
We are aware that public perception plays a role in war and political strategy. Once the Hightowers decided it was time to make Viserys’ death public, Martin writes in “Fire and Blood” that “riders on pale horses conveyed the news to the citizens of King’s Landing, proclaiming ‘King Viserys is dead, long live King Aegon’”
The text adds, “Upon hearing the cries, Munkun says that some grieved while others celebrated.” The majority of the commoners, though, looked in quiet, perplexed and cautious, and sometimes a voice screamed out “Long live our queen!”
Martin also claims in this fictional history book that the dragonpit sat 80,000 people (about four times as many as the actual Madison Square Garden in New York City) and that the Hightowers believed the construction would shield them from “spies” from the outside world.
According to the book, the pit’s massive walls, sturdy roof, and towering bronze doors made it defendable should traitors attempt to disturb the event.
The dramatic sequence in “House of the Dragon” in which Rhaenys bursts out of the floor, sending the Greens on their heels and giving Team Rhaenyra another victory, punctures this rationale.
Additionally, the episode goes out of its way to demonstrate that Aegon is an unfit candidate for the position of king. He is less interested in ruling than he is in watching youngsters battle to the death, siring scumbags, and getting drunk.
Rhaenyra is a conventional Targaryen queen who served in Small Council sessions at an early age and was chosen heir at the age of 14, allowing her more than 20 years to prepare for rule.
Rhaenyra holding newborn Viserys II.
HBO
Rhaenyra has done much to sway public sentiment against her, including siring bastards and passing them off as trueborn in a much more prominent manner than Aegon (with the consent of her whole immediate family and husband). She is also said to have slain her husband in order to marry her uncle in accordance with the tradition of incest, which the majority of Faith adherents consider immoral.
Therefore, if Rhaenys had murdered her own family members and shed the first royal blood in the struggle for the throne, public opinion would shift against Team Rhaenyra. Kinslaying is a unique form of immorality in Westeros.
And certainly, so is the slaughter of hundreds of innocent city residents. This has been a huge sticking point for many individuals who did not find the episode’s conclusion satisfying.
Without giving away any “Fire and Blood” spoilers, I will only say that the deaths of all those characters will not go unnoticed by the story’s conclusion.
The season one finale of “House of the Dragon” airs on HBO on Sunday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Read on for a dissection of the best details from last week’s episode that you may have missed.