“There is no war so hateful to the gods as a war between kin, and no war so bloody as a war between dragons.” Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) was mockingly styled ‘The Queen Who Never Was’ after she lost her contest for the Iron Throne to her first cousin, King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine). While Viserys turned out to be a relatively wise ruler, keeping the realm at peace, Rhaenys’ wisdom and wise counsel were one of the stumbling blocks to stopping the vicious war of succession waged after his death. The above quote was one of her finest pieces of counsel to Viserys’ daughter, Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and last week’s episode of House of the Dragon proves that Rhaenys was right after all.
In the skies above Rook’s Rest, Princess Rhaenys clashes, in epic fashion, first with King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), and then his brother, Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell). Despite a noteworthy effort, the fight with Aemond and Vhagar proved fatal for Rhaenys and her dragon, the Red Queen, Meleys. Now in newly released images ahead of Sunday’s episode, the aftermath of that heroic clash begins to play out. The first image captures the forlorn face of Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), happily married to Rhaenys, the Lord of Driftmark is most likely mourning his wife. Second image sees the return to King’s Landing of Aegon II’s victorious forces, parading the severed head of Meleys on the trot to the Red Keep. The other images show a determined Rhaenyra plotting her next move, and Aemond looking rather pleased with himself at a small council meeting.
If there is one thing we know about the Blacks, there will be a response for the death of Rhaenys. However, without the presence of Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) at Dragonstone, we suspect that it might not be so over the top. There is, however, the rage of Lord Corlys to factor in. He might be aged slightly, but he is the wealthiest man in Westeros, possessing its most powerful navy to boot.
Is Aemond The New Rogue Prince
Besides the thrilling dance of dragons over Rook’s Rest, the episode was also notable for Aemond’s decision to ultimately attempt fratricide. With Meleys and Sunfyre engaged in a bloody tussle, Aemond bellows “Dracarys” which sees Vhagar bathe Aegon and Sunfyre in fire, sending them plunging down to earth. Daemon has always been styled The Rogue Prince for his predisposition to doing whatever he wanted. However, with Aemond now personally responsible for the deaths of two dragons and two relatives since this conflict began, perhaps, Aemond Targaryen is the new Rogue Prince. Mitchell, who plays the One-Eyed Prince, has weighed in on whether Aemond intends to kill his elder brother and king in that moment above Rook’s Rest.