House of the Dragon is now, after the overwhelming success of Game of Thrones, one of HBO Max’s most successful series. And two of the most beloved characters are Daemon and Rhaenyra. If you follow the series closely or have also read George R.R. Martin’s books, then you know there’s a lot more to that Targaryen couple than what we’ve seen so far in the adaptation. If you haven’t seen all the episodes of the series, what we’re going to talk about below counts as spoilers.
Daemon and Rhaenyra are uncle and niece. From the beginning of House of the Dragon, we observe an evident tension between the two, and, after a crazy night in which they are seen in public, King Viserys forces her to marry his cousin Laenor Velaryon to end the speculation and strengthen the alliance with the Sea Serpent. Daemon, on the other hand, then marries Laena Velaryon, and they have two daughters, Baela and Rhaena. When Laena passes, he is “free” to be with Rhaenyra.
Rhaenyra had three children by Ser Harwin Strong that they passed off as children of Laenor Velaryon. After the prince’s supposed passing (which, as we know, was faked to “free” him so he could be happy with his true love), she eventually marries Daemon, and they have more Targaryen offspring. That’s what we know from the House of the Dragon series, but here are five other things only those who read all of Fire and Blood know.
Where were Rhaenyra and Daemon when King Viserys passed?
Viserys’ last words, lead Alicent to believe that this is a cue to remove Rhaenyra’s status as heir to the throne and give it instead to his eldest son, sparking a civil war. While this is going on, Rhaenyra is at Dragonstone awaiting the birth of her third daughter with Daemon, but the terrible news causes her to go into premature labor. The daughter, whom they had named Visenya, is stillborn.
Daemon crowns Rhaenyra
When Rhaenyra is named queen of Dragonstone, it is Daemon himself who crowns her and proclaims himself Protector of the Kingdom.
The relationship between Daemon and Rhaenyra began much earlier
Rumors in the kingdom pointed to the two having an affair when she was younger. However, it was because she wanted to be with Criston Cole and would have asked her uncle for some tips. In the novel, there is an age difference between the two of 16 years, but in the series, we see that Rhaenyra is already a teenager, almost an adult, when that happens.
Rhaenyra was always in love with Daemon
In House of the Dragon, we see it is Daemon the one who approaches Rhaenyra and takes her to the city, where they have a brief rapprochement that unleashes the problems to come. However, it’s not because of love but because Daemon wants to use her to solidify his position and make sure no one else wants to marry her. In Fire and Blood, on the other hand, we learn that Rhaenyra was always in love with him until Criston Cole came along.
Rhaenyra and Daemon continued the Targaryen tradition
The Targaryens, being the most powerful of all and the only ones who owned dragons, could do whatever they wanted. In that family, marriage between brothers, cousins, uncles, aunts, and nephews was common… so Rhaenyra and Daemon simply did their own thing. Rhaenyra, on the other hand, is half Targaryen, but by marrying Daemon and having their children she continues the “pure” Targaryen family line (and the Targaryen madness that came after).
Daemon cheated on her
It is not known if Daemon really loved her, but it is known that he was unfaithful to her during their marriage. He had an affair with Mysaria, the White Worm, and with Ortigas, a warrior whom Rhaenyra took vengeance upon.
Let’s see if some of these things are tackled in the second season of the series!
Story originally published in Spanish in Cultura Colectiva
