Summary
- Daemon questions Rhaenys’ decision not to kill the Green Team and questions the decision to end the war early.
- While Daemon had a valid point, wiping out the Greens could damage Rhaenyra’s reputation.
- House of the Dragon highlights the complexity and nuances of war and power dynamics.
Dragon House Season 2, Episode 1, Daemon Targaryen berates Rhaenys for what may be one of her biggest mistakes. The HBO prequel series is set in a brutal Dragon House As we finish Season 1, the events following King Viserys’ death are still fresh in our minds. The final two episodes of Season 1 show the differences between the Black and Green factions over the first steps they decide to take after the King’s death, with the Green faction holding the court hostage in the Red Keep until the situation is resolved.
In Season 1, Episode 9, Rhaenys Targaryen nearly escapes King’s Landing on dragonback, interrupting Aegon’s coronation. At one point, she sees the entire Green Faction, but decides not to kill them, and instead flies to Dragonstone. This is one of many events Dragon House The changes made in the books, and the audience’s disagreement over them, were made in the Season 2 premiere when Daemon complained to Rhaenys about them, suggesting that she should kill Aegon and end the war while she still had the chance.
Daemon is somewhat correct: Rhaenys could have killed the Green Team and prevented Lucerys’ death
Ending the war early could save thousands of lives
Image from Max
There is certainly some truth to what Daemon says, and this scene was likely inserted to showcase the opposing philosophy of Rhaenys’ actions. Much like Aegon and Aemond in the Greens, Daemon constantly urges Rhaenys’s side to take swift and violent action, and it would be easy for him to see the benefits of Rhaenys eliminating the Greens without considering the consequences. After all, if she had stopped the war before it started, she could theoretically have saved thousands of lives, and Lutherys would still be alive.
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Was Rhaenys still right in not killing Aegon, Alicent, and the rest of the Greens?
Rhaenys wiping out the entire green faction could damage Rhaenyra’s reputation
On a personal level, Daemon grieved for Lyserys to some degree, and most likely for his brother Viserys as well. Daemon’s insecurity and grief grew and turned into hatred for the Greens. It was easy for him to see the upside of the situation, as Lyserys was still alive and Daemon and Rhaenyra would rule King’s Landing. But things were not as simple as he thought. Dragon House Making it clear that wars can’t be won with dragons and raw strength alone, there’s a lot more nuance involved.
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Assuming Rhaenys were to wipe out the entire Green Faction, not only would her personal reputation be damaged and she would be branded a kinslayer, but everyone associated with her would be hated. Rhaenyra’s rule, already questioned because she was a woman, would be met with an uproar as people accused her of being a tyrant who stole the throne. The situation was unstable and the conflict was intensifying, and Rhaenys didn’t think it was a risk she should take. It was a complicated choice, and it was also what made her feel so. Dragon House It’s so fascinating.
Dragon House 
happened at game of Thrones, Dragon House The series follows the rise of House Targaryen, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff originally starred Millie Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, before being replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke as older versions of the characters. The series also stars Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.
Cast Jefferson Hall, Paddy Considine, Fabian Frankel, Ryan Cole, Eve Best, Gavin Spocks, 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
Season 2
expansion