The Blacks are in deep trouble after House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 4. The Greens may have seemingly lost their king during the Battle at Rook’s Rest, but the Blacks lost a formidable fighter and dragon: Rhaenys Targaryen and Meleys. Now that Rhaenyra Targaryen’s advisor and biggest dragon is down, the Blacks will have to reevaluate their strategy as the war for the throne continues.
Rhaenys has always been a solid supporter for Rhaenyra, ruling out that Rhaenys once suspected Rhaenyra killed her son, Laenor Velaryon. But Rhaenys and Rhaenyra are able to meet in the middle because of their shared experiences as women. Both were overlooked by men as the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. Rhaenys has advised Rhaenyra to avoid bloodshed when the rest of her council has urged it. Even with revenge on her mind, Rhaenyra has always acted on Rhaenys’ counsel. When the time came for battle, Rhaenyra trusted Rhaenys the most to take Rook’s Rest from the Greens. Only, Rhaenyra didn’t realize that Rhaenys was taking Ser Criston Cole and Aemond Targaryen’s bait.
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Rhaenys arrives on dragonback at Rook’s Rest, expecting Criston’s army as her sole enemy. An army of soldiers is nothing compared to a Targaryen on a dragon. But lurking in the shadows is Aemond on Vhagar, a ghastly beast that is the size of a castle herself. Arriving as well from King’s Landing is Aegon on Sunfyre. Compared to Meleys and Vhagar, Sunfyre is an easy enough target to take out. He’s smaller, less fierce and has no war experience. Rhaenys has Sunfyre in the palm of her hands until Aemond takes action.
Aemond attacks both Meleys and Sunfyre, killing two birds with one stone. He can take out one of Rhaenyra’s greatest weapons while making Aegon’s death look like an accident, allowing Aemond to inherit the throne. Sunfyre and Aegon are officially down, which could’ve been enough for Rhaenyra this early in the war. But Rhaenys has always counseled Rhaenyra to try to end the war before too much blood is shed. If there’s any chance to take Vhagar down, now is the time. The effort would certainly mean her death, but Rhaenys is willing to go down with the one-eyed prince.
Rhaenys manages to hold her own quite well against Vhagar, especially since the fight didn’t last long in the book due to Vhagar’s unstoppable size and strength. But Aemond being his stealthy self, he catches Rhaenys when she wasn’t looking from below. Vhagar kills Meleys by wrapping her jaw around Meleys’ neck, and Rhaenys crashes with her dead dragon on the castle in a fiery burst.
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Rhaenys’ death in Fire & Blood is nearly verbatim to House of the Dragon‘s version of her demise. She still burns and falls to her death after Vhagar’s attack. The major differences lie in the events leading up to her death. In the book, Aegon is completely in on Aemond and Criston’s plan to trap the Blacks at Rook’s Rest. In fact, he’s trusted enough to team up with Aemond to attack Meleys. The brothers work together to take down Rhaenys, who was similarly brave enough to not fly away from the sight of two dragons. All three fought in the sky until Vhagar fell on the both of them, leaving Rhaenys dead and Aegon incapacitated.
Rhaenys’ death in the show vs. book also reflects Aemond’s flexible code of honor. Every kill Aemond has made in the show has been a stealth attack when his opponent felt safe. In war time, this strategy is certainly smart, but there’s no honor in it. Aemond isn’t willing to face his enemies head-on and give them a chance to fight back. “To kill loudly or to kill quietly” is baked in House of the Dragon‘s second season as a prominent theme, especially in regard to Aemond’s character. When Lucerys Velaryon died in Season 1, Aemond looked horrified at his deed. After Rhaenys’ death, he looks proud. This is a turning point for Aemond that’s missing from Fire & Blood, and it works to House of the Dragon‘s advantage by crafting Aemond as this person that grows more crooked with every kill.
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When the Blacks learn of Rhaenys’ death in Fire & Blood, Corlys is rightfully furious. Rhaenyra didn’t volunteer to go to Rook’s Rest herself and also forbade her sons to go. Rhaenys was a sound adult who chose her own path, but Corlys had lost most of his family at that point. In response to Corlys’ outrage, Jacaerys Velaryon named him Hand of the Queen to prevent him from switching alliances. Even though Corlys accepted, his wife’s death kept him at arm’s length with Rhaenyra.
The show has already laid the groundwork for Corlys’ skepticism of Rhaenyra. Corlys has outwardly claimed that everything Rhaenyra touches is destroyed, and doesn’t hide his objection to Rhaenyra leaving her council high and dry. Corlys doesn’t share the same distate for Rhaenyra as the Greens do, but he has his suspicions of her. His main concern is the survival of his legacy and name, and that lies with Rhaenyra winning. If she won’t secure that for him, there’s no reason for him to stay.
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Corlys does have two reasons to stand behind Rhaenyra after Rhaenys’ death: Alyn and Addam of Hull. Both smallfolk men are highly insinuated to be his bastards, and he desires an heir to Driftmark. A simple transaction could secure Corlys’ support for Rhaenyra: remove the stain of bastardy from their names and legitimize them as Velaryons, so he can officially have a capable heir to Driftmark.
Rhaenyra may scoff at this request, given that her son Joffrey is technically the heir. But Rhaenyra desperately needs power and strength, and Corlys is the key. If she loses Corlys, she loses the fleet of ships that’s blocking off King’s Landing. He’s also her gateway to earning more fighting dragons if Addam ends up claiming Seasmoke. This opens up more opportunities for more dragonseeds to come forward, which Rhaenyra needs now that Meleys is dead.
Material power aside, Corlys is still an indispensable supporter for Rhaenyra, the latter of whom is being eaten alive by her own council of men. Every word she says, they dispute. Every action she takes, they scold her for. For a short time, Rhaenys was able to guide Rhaenyra beside her, but now Rhaenyra has to face her council alone. Now, Corlys is the only one who could command power in the room. Unfortunately, it’s because Corlys is a man. No matter how irritating it is, Rhaenyra needs to take advantage of Corlys’ status as a powerful man by buying his trust. Without Rhaenys and Corlys together, Rhaenyra has no direction, and the war ahead is far less certain for her.
New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday at 9 P.M. ET.
