Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Ep 1-4 of House of the Dragon and Fire & Blood book.
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Weddings in Westeros are always a ‘bloody’ affair. A king is poisoned if a family isn’t being brutally murdered and ambushed. However, in the fifth episode of House of the Dragon, there was only one death, all because of Ser Cristen Cole’s inner turmoil. But Besides that, the other highlight will be Queen Alicent’s green dress, which many know is her declaration of war.
However, we also saw the introductions of new characters such as Daemon’s wife Rhea Royce, her cousin Gerold Royce, an older version of Laena Velaryon, and Mushroom, a court entertainer in Fire and Blood, who is the source of some of the more salacious stories in the book. There is always so much happening in House of the Dragon episodes, leaving us with many questions.
Was Rhea killed by Daemon?
In the fourth episode, when Daemon asks for Rhaenyra’s hand that he will “take her as she is,” Viserys, contemplates before he realises that his brother is married. He instead sends him to exile as he expected. This was a short stay for the Prince.
During his brief hiatus from King’s Landing, Daemon visits his wife, who isn’t happy to see him. In his monologue, he says she has not finished their marriage. This suggests that Daemon never was into her. According to legend, Rhae met Queen Alysanne through his grandmother. He was not allowed to vote on who his bride should be.
No matter what, I will stand by Daemon Targaryen.
He didn’t spook Rhea and was simply giving Rhea something to rest her head on.
There was no smashing.#HouseOftheDragon pic.twitter.com/znFNgnQoun— saenerys (@rhaenyrafilm) September 19, 2022
Now that he has newfound feelings for Rhaenyra, Rhea’s presence is nothing but an obstacle because divorce was never an option in those days. The uncertainty that accompanied him with the rock led to the belief that he killed her. This is the story as it appears in the book. George R. Martin wrote that Lady Rhea fell from her horse and fractured her skull on a rock. In Fire and Blood, however, she survives for nine days before succumbing to her injuries. Although it’s not stated specifically that Daemon killed her, everyone assumes that it was him.
What Happens between Rhaenyra, Daemon and the Wedding?
When Daemon makes a pageantry entry at the wedding announcement, it is clear that Viserys isn’t too happy to see him. As mentioned earlier, the exile lasted only a short time. But asking his brother to leave would have been more questionable than asking him to stay. Plus, his wife had just passed away, so it may seem that he is looking for his family’s support.
rhaenyra Targaryen Edit Daemon Targaryen daemon Smith Milly Alcock Hotd House of the Dragon Episode 5 Game of Thrones pic.twitter.com/rsSuPsh3oD
— ✧⋆⁎٭✩ mandy (@ivaragnars) September 19, 2022
But, Rhaenyra and Daemon meet during the dance at their wedding. The two speak to one another in High Valyrian so that nobody suspects that they are… well, an item. Daemon then tells her that she shouldn’t marry Laenor, and continues to question if this is what she wants. Rhaenyra says Rhaenyra’s opinions don’t matter to Daemon. This is a reference, I think, to the time he left her at the pleasure house in House of the Dragon episode 4.
However, since she’s technically not married yet, Rhaenyra says that if he wants her, he must cut down Viserys’ Kingsguard and take her to Dragonstone to be his wife. But before he could respond, a fight broke out between Joffery (Laenor’s lover) and Ser Cristen Cole (Rhaenyra’s lover). We never see Daemon again after the two of them are separated.
Where Did Daemon Go to?
We believe the proposition rattled him a bit and when the fight broke out, he could not have found a way to escape. Considering he was exiled, and Viserys saw the two in a heated moment, the latter could have asked the King’s Guard to harm Daemon. The best thing to do is to get away from the angry crowd.
if there’s one thing daemon targaryen is going to do it’s rock up to king’s landing in a fire outfit looking fine as fuck after being exiled for ten minutes #HouseOfTheDragon pic.twitter.com/rm9Spx3pPK
— d (@barnesxdarcy) September 19, 2022
We believe that the fight, and possibly the news that Rhaenyra was getting married that night played a part in his disappearance. It is possible that he was making his dragon, and Laena came out of the mix, as she wasn’t there to clear the space. Maybe the two of them met. Perhaps they didn’t. However, whatever happened that evening had an impact on him.
In the sixth episode’s teaser, Daemon and Laena are married. According to the books, he married Laena not because he was attracted to her but to find a place to call his own. For the moment, he wanted Runestone to be his home in Westeros. However, Jeyne Arryn rejected his appeal and he was forced to move to Driftmark with Laena.
As for Daemon not returning, it could be possible he is hurt at the prospect of Rhaenyra’s marriage and understands that his brother never believed that he was fit for her as a husband. He is also selfish and is well aware of the potential consequences of storming a Velaryon marriage. The stakes are too high, and even he doesn’t want to abandon the throne. There is another chance that he knows he isn’t as powerful as Laenor, in terms of wealth. If they ran away, where would they keep Rhaenyra safe?
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Coming to Rhaenyra’s wedding, which was supposed to take place over seven days, happened instantly because of Viserys. He may not have accepted the offer because he knows how reckless Rhaenyra or Daemon can be. Moreover, a lot could have happened in a week, which meant Viserys would lose a wealthy ally, which he did briefly in the past when he didn’t fight the Triarchy at the Stepstones. Both the niece and uncle are single and a threat to the Iron Throne and engagement. Therefore, Rhaenyra must marry Rhaenyra as soon as possible.
