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Here’s what will happen to Daemon Targaryen on ‘House of the Dragon,’ if it follows his fate in the book
Warning: Major spoilers ahead for “House of the Dragon” season two and the book “Fire and Blood.”
The latest episode of “House of the Dragon” season two may have just teased the death of Daemon Targaryen.
Daemon, the king consort of one of the two people vying for the Iron throne, is one of the most popular characters from the hit “Game of Thrones” prequel series, inspiring multiple horny memes and an obsession for Matt Smith, the actor who plays him.
But in the first few episodes of season two, Daemon makes multiple reckless decisions, pushing the kingdom closer to civil war.
Daemon orders the assassination of his nephew/half-brother-in-law Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), gets child prince Jaehaerys Targaryen murdered instead, and then flies off to Harrenhal with his dragon Caraxes, leaving wife/niece/queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) to solve the mess he made.
In episode three, Daemon succeeds in capturing Harrenhal with his dragon. Later in the episode, Daemon has a strange hallucination where he sees a younger version of Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) stitching Jaehaery’s head back to his body.
When Daemon wakes up, he meets a woman in black (Gayle Rankin) outside the castle, who ominously says, “You will die in this place,” before walking away.
Fans of “Fire and Blood,” the source material for the TV series, may have figured out this woman is likely Alys Rivers. In the book, Alys lived in Harrenhal and was believed to be a witch who could see the future.
This prophecy does not bode well for Daemon since an army is on its way to take over Harrenhal and slay any of Rhaenyra’s allies.
Here’s how Daemon Targaryen dies in “Fire and Blood.”
Aemond and Daemon kill each other during a duel above the Gods Eye lake near Harrenhal
Since season one, “House of the Dragon” has foreshadowed a duel between Daemon and Aemond. They are the strongest warriors, Aemond idolizes Daemon, and Daemon wants to eliminate Aemond’s massive dragon, Vhagar.
When Aemond first comes to Harrenhall in “Fire and Blood,” Daemon flees to help Rhaenyra take over Westeros’ capital, King’s Landing. Daemon eventually goes to another castle, cheats on Rhaenyra and his lover, Nettles, is declared an enemy of the queen.
Instead of returning to his wife, Daemon flies back to Harrenhal to challenge Aemond and Vhagar to a duel. The battle above the Gods Eye lake near the castle is fierce, and eventually, the dragons crash into each other and descend toward the lake.
Daemon uses the opportunity to jump on Vhagar and stab Aemond through his fake eye, and then both men and the dragons crash into the lake.
“Fire and Blood” is written like a historical account, so Aemond, Vhagar, and Caraxes’ deaths are confirmed when their bodies are recovered. But Daemon’s body is never found, leading to theories he escaped to be with his mistress, Nettles.
Since “House of the Dragon” takes a more definitive approach, maybe we’ll learn if Daemon died in Gods Eye or escaped.