WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 2 and George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood book, on which the show is based!
Summary
- Daeron Targaryen is finally mentioned in House of the Dragon, setting up the introduction of another dragon, Tessarion.
- Aegon has four dragons on his side in the Targaryen war, with Daeron playing a crucial role in the Dance of the Dragons.
- Tessarion's fate in the Dance of the Dragons is tragic, ultimately leading to the demise of multiple dragons in a battle for power.
By finally mentioning a character that has surprisingly yet to appear, House of the Dragon season 2 also teases another dragon that will soon be introduced. In House of the Dragon season 2, episode 2’s ending, Ser Otto Hightower refers to Alicent and Viserys’ fourth child, who has been living in Oldtown since at least before season 1, episode 6’s 10-year time jump. This marks the first time that House of the Dragon’s Prince Daeron Targaryen has been explicitly mentioned in the show, dispelling theories that he may have been cut from the story entirely.
Since Daeron Targaryen still hasn’t been cast in House of the Dragon season 2, Alicent’s missing youngest child won’t appear until at least season 3. However, he’ll end up playing an important role throughout the Dance of the Dragons and the war strategy of his brother, King Aegon II Targaryen. When Daeron finally appears in House of the Dragon, he won’t simply be another warrior and heir to Aegon, as he’ll also be a dragonrider who increases Team Green’s strength from three to four dragons of fighting size.
Aegon's Brother Daeron Targaryen Gives The Greens Another Dragon With Tessarion
Aegon has four dragons on his side in the Targaryen war
While Daeron Targaryen is officially mentioned in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 2, the show has still yet to mention his dragon, Tessarion. Like his siblings, Daeron Targaryen was bonded with a dragon as a child, which Fire & Blood reveals he accomplished before his older brother Aemond claimed the dragon Vhagar. So far, Aegon has primarily relied on his own dragon, Sunfyre, and Aemond’s dragon, Vhagar, for his strength, as the two are larger, older, and ferocious, but they aren’t his only sources of dragon power.
Still, it’s unclear if Helaena will ever ride Dreamfyre in House of the Dragon, with Daeron being too far away to be considered in the line of defense for King’s Landing. There’s also the question of whether Daeron and his dragon, Tessarion, will actually pose a major threat to the size and experience of Rhaenyra’s dragons on Team Black. According to Fire & Blood, Daeron wasn't a dragonrider before he went to Oldtown, so he may not actually learn to “control” Tessarion until the Dance of the Dragons’ battles have already begun.
Related
House of the Dragon's Queen Alicent Hightower, second wife to King Viserys, bears him children who are key players in the Dance of the Dragons.
While she won’t appear in House of the Dragon season 2’s episodes, Tessarion is one of the show’s most anticipated dragons. Described as having dark cobalt wings and copper claws and scales, Tessarion could parallel Sunfyre as one of House of the Dragon’s most beautiful dragons. However, Tessarion is much younger and smaller than Sunfyre, as the dragon known as the “Blue Queen” is said to be only one-third the size of Hugh Hammer’s dragon, Vermithor. Despite her smaller size and younger age, Tessarion still gives Aegon a massive boost in dragon power that the series had yet to even hint at before now.
How The Greens' Dragon Power Compares To The Blacks
Team Black has more dragons, but Team Green has more power
With Daeron Targaryen’s introduction officially being set up in House of the Dragon, Aegon’s Team Green is now confirmed to have four dragons of fighting size: Vhagar, Sunfyre, Dreamfyre, and Tessarion. Additionally, all such dragons technically have riders, unlike some of the dragons that Rhaenyra has access to on Dragonstone. But, Helaena never actually rides Dreamfyre in so her dragon may not actually contribute to Team Green’s battle strength in the show. Despite this, Team Green has Vhagar, the most powerful and largest dragon in Westeros, on their side, giving them a massive upper hand.
Team Green Dragon | Team Green Rider | Team Black Dragon | Team Black Rider |
---|---|---|---|
Sunfyre | Aegon | Syrax | Rhaenyra |
Vhagar | Aemond | Caraxes | Daemon |
Dreamfyre | Helaena | Meleys | Rhaenys |
Tessarion | Daeron | Vermax | Jacaerys |
Moondancer | Baela | ||
Vermithor | Hugh Hammer | ||
Silverwing | Ulf White | ||
Seasmoke | Addam of Hull | ||
Tyraxes | Joffrey |
Depending on how the events of Fire & Blood play out before the end of House of the Dragon season 2, Rhaenyra’s Team Black will have nine dragons on her side: Syrax, Caraxes, Meleys, Vermax, Moondancer, Seasmoke, Vermithor, Silverwing, and Tyraxes. While Rhaenyra has greater numbers, her dragons are generally smaller than those on Aegon’s side. Syrax, Caraxes, Meleys, Vermithor, and Silverwing are strong fighters for Rhaenyra’s side, whereas Moondancer and Vermax are still young and small. Meanwhile, Tyraxes isn’t even of fighting age yet. Furthermore, Rhaenyra will tragically lose many of these dragons before the end of the Dance, putting her at a disadvantage as the war progresses.
Related
Every Dragon In House Of The Dragon Explained
As war erupts in Westeros, dragons will be sent to battle. Here's a description of every dragon in HBO's House of the Dragon, heading into season 2.
What Happens To Tessarion In The Dance Of The Dragons
Tessarion and Daeron will fight in battle
Daeron’s dragon Tessarion doesn’t survive much longer after he is finally ridden into battles. During the Dance of the Dragons, Daeron flies Tessarion into the Battle on the Honeywine to save Lord Ormund Hightower, giving Team Green a massive victory in the Reach. Daeron and Tessarion largely remain with the Hightowers rather than convening with Aemond and Criston Cole before their deaths in the war, with the prince and his dragon’s exploits mainly occuring at Tumbleton. After Daeron and Tessarion help win the First Battle at Tumbleton, they remain in the area, which leads to their demises.
After Ulf White and Hugh Hammer betray Rhaenyra, the Second Battle of Tumbleton soon commences with Addam of Hull riding Seasmoke to attack the Greens. Prince Daeron Targaryen is killed at the beginning of the battle, leaving Tessarion riderless as he begins to attack Seasmoke. Fire & Blood explains that as Tessarion and Seasmoke fight in the skies, the riderless Vermithor also joins, with the struggle being fatal for all three dragons. The day after the upcoming House of the Dragon battle, Tessarion is found alive but in pain, so an archer shoots her three times in the eye to mercifully kill her.
New episodes of House of the Dragon season 2 release Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.
House of the Dragon
Drama
Action
Adventure
Taking place about 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alco*ck and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.
- Cast
- Jefferson Hall , Paddy Considine , Fabien Frankel , Ryan Corr , Eve Best , Gavin Spokes , Graham McTavish , Steve Toussaint , Olivia Cooke , Sonoya Mizuno , Bill Paterson , Matthew Needham , Emma D'Arcy , Matt Smith , Rhys Ifans , David Horovitch
- Release Date
- August 21, 2022
- Seasons
- 2
- Streaming Service(s)
- HBO Max
- Franchise(s)
- Game of Thrones
- Writers
- George R.R. Martin , Ryan Condal
- Directors
- Miguel Sapochnik , Clare Kilner , Alan Taylor , Greg Yaitanes , Geeta Vasant Patel , Andrij Parekh
- Showrunner
- Ryan Condal