House of the Dragon: This Is The True Relationship Between Rhaenyra And Daemon Targaryen
This Sunday night a new chapter of the epic drama House of the Dragon was released, the story is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, with the particularity that it explored the controversial edge of the Targaryen tradition of relating lovingly among their relatives, except for few exceptions. Here we tell you: What is the relationship between Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen? SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t seen House of the Dragon chapter 4 and don’t want to know details of the future plot, stop reading this article here.
Undoubtedly, one of the moments that caught the most attention among the fans was the one in which Rhaenyra has a high-caliber encounter with her uncle in the middle of a brothel in the Bed of Fleas. Surrounded by women and men having sex, the bond between uncle and niece takes another step, when they kiss and try to have a sexual encounter that could not materialize because Daemon leaves frustrated at not being able to be prepared for the moment.
Rhaenyra escapes the place not understanding her uncle’s attitude and ends up returning to the Red Keep in a rage, only to meet Ser Criston Cole, whom she uses to satisfy previously interrupted needs. Milly Alcock, the 22-year-old actress who plays Rhaenyra, lowered the profile of any scandalous analysis that can be made about the particular moment of episode 4. Even so, doubts persist about the true bond that unites both characters.
House of the Dragon: What is the Relationship Between Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen?
As we have already mentioned before, the HBO series is inspired by the book Fire and Blood, whose reading is complemented by the material offered by The World of Ice and Fire; both texts authored by George RR Martin. These works describe in greater detail the events that take place in the television production, which in their jump to the screen have slight modifications for dramatic or time reasons. With this in mind, the events that were shown in the fourth episode of the adaptation can be better understood if the viewer turns to the texts.
Rhaenyra and Daemon’s bond occurs early in the young woman’s life. She took a fancy to her uncle, who traveled to the other side of the Narrow Sea and brought her exotic gifts. Of course, Ser Criston Cole was never off the radar. During the Maidenpool tournament held for the coronation of King Viserys I, Ser Criston Cole won hand-to-hand combat with Daemon. Cole then christened Rhaenyra the Queen of Love and Beauty, after which she asked for her favor to appear in the joust. Ser Criston was later made a sworn brother of the Kingsguard and Rhaenyra was even more enthusiastic about him, calling him “my white knight”. Thus he made his father turn him into his shield and protector.
Rhaenyra supposedly lost her virginity to Daemon, after he seduced her. The version of the jester Mushroom – another of the figures that tell the Fire and Blood story – is even more daring, since Daemon gave Rhaenyra lessons on how to seduce and please a man because she was in love with Criston Cole and wanted him to he saw her as a woman.
Unlike what happens in the series, by the age of sixteen, Rhaenyra takes possession of Dragonstone, after being officially named Princess of Dragonstone. That appointment was followed by multiple courtships from representatives of the most diverse houses of the Seven Kingdoms. But Viserys and her Privy Council agreed to the marriage with Laenor, as it would unite House Targaryens and House Velaryon once more.
Despite Laenor’s lack of interest in women, Rhaenyra had three children together, Princes Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey Velaryon. However, it was rumored that the three Velaryon princes were children of Rhaenyra’s supposed lover, Ser Harwin Strong, mainly because all three children had brown hair while Rhaenyra and Laenor possessed typical Valyrian hair.
Meanwhile, after triumphing at the Stone Steps and taking control of the Narrow Sea, Daemon learned of the death of his first wife, Lady Rhea Royce, who fell from a horse. Her ambition drove Daemon to leave the Steps and head to the Vale of Arryn to claim Runestone, yet he was unable to keep Rhea’s inheritance, after being rejected by his family.
The dragon prince then decided to marry Corlys’s daughter, Laena Velaryon, leaving his history with the Stepstones behind for good and attempting to smooth his descent down the line by the birth of his nephew Aegon II. Daemon had two daughters with Laena, Rhaena and Baela.
Ser Laenor was later killed by his friend, Ser Qarl Correy, supposedly out of jealousy, believing that Laenor had fallen in love with a new, younger male favourite. Thus, Rhaenyra became single again. While Laena passed away after labor in her last pregnancy gave birth and to a twisted and malformed son, who died at birth. Laena died three days later of puerperal fever, despite the efforts of her maesters to save her life.
Thus, the way was clear for Rhaenyra and Daemon to reunite. They secretly married to prevent Viserys I from forbidding the marriage, when he was 39 and she was 23.
The wedding caused a great scandal in King’s Landing, infuriating Viserys, whose relationship with his brother has broken again and cost much more to repair. Daemon and Rhaenyra had two sons, Aegon III and Viserys II. Since, who would be the third and only daughter, Vysenia, was stillborn. All this amid the civil war that broke out among the Targaryens, known as the Dance of Dragons, when Rhaenyra decides to dispute the throne with her half-brother Aegon II, after the death of Viserys.
