Ewan Mitchell explains why Aemond gives the stone to Aegon in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 6. Mitchell plays Aemond Targaryen, the second son of the late King Viserys Targaryen and Alicent Hightower. In House of the Dragon season 2, Aemond becomes a central character in the show’s high drama. In House of the Dragon season 2, episode 4, Aemond made a powerful move by flying into battle and attempting to kill his brother Aegon in a dragon fight, incapacitating him and allowing Aemond to take over as protector of the realm.
Speaking with Variety, Mitchell responds to the question of why Aemond gives Aegon the stone in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 6. Mitchell upheld a degree of mystery behind the House of the Dragon scene, explaining that “If [he] give[s] all the answers, people will stop asking the questions.” He still spoke to some of the character themes in the episode 6 moment, saying that it was “a new dynamic for Aemond” and comparing the character to “this spider leering over his prey in the web.” Check out the full quote from Mitchell below:
You’ll have to wait and see. I love that scene, because it’s almost like Stephen King’s “Misery.” It’s like this spider leering over his prey in the web. You’re right there in the palm of my hand. That’s certainly a new dynamic for Aemond, as well as his brother, who’s now physically inferior than him. I can’t wait to see where it goes. If I give all the answers, people will stop asking the questions. That’s a really cool way of looking at it. It’s the king’s marker. Maybe Aemond is giving it back to his brother, maybe he’s trying to reassure him that everything’s gonna be okay — “You’ll be king after you recover” — maybe lure him into that false sense of security.
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Mitchell went on to suppose potential meanings of the House of the Dragon scene, noting that this stone from the Small Council is “the king’s marker.” He posited that “maybe Aemond is giving it back to his brother” in an effort to “lure him into that false sense of security” that things are going to work out and that Aegon will “be king after [he] recover[s].” After all, Aemond was stated as the next in line to the throne in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 5, so he has a stake in whether Aegon lives or dies.
Episode 6 leaves Aegon’s fate once again hanging in the balance. Right now, the king’s health is in a precarious state, as the wound on his chest is rotting, and he is still sleeping for the majority of the hours in a day (9 hours for every 10, according to episode 6). In his lethargic state, Aegon can be likened to his predecessor, his father King Viserys, who spent House of the Dragon season 1 slowly withering away as he was afflicted with injuries that left him ever closer to death’s door.
While the parallels between Aegon and Viserys are interesting, the slow-death-by-injury arc has already been done for a House of the Dragon king, making it unlikely that the show will take the same path in season 2. Aegon’s fate could end at the hands of Aemond, who has already made an attempt at the king’s life once and may not be afraid to do so again. Each season 2 episode also brings the families closer to all-out-war with Rhaenyra’s group, the outcome of which will be explored in the last two episodes.