A Guide To The New Generation Of Targaryens On House Of The Dragon
Don't let the face-bashing and window wanking fool you: "House of the Dragon" is a family show. Sure, the family in question is weird, murderous, incestuous, and on the verge of a civil war, but what else did you expect from the world of Westeros? Though Targaryens were a rarity in "Game of Thrones," those ill-tempered dragon-riding royals have taken center stage in the prequel series, and thanks to episode six hitting the fast-forward button, there's suddenly an abundance of Targaryen children running around.
For better or sometimes for worse, time jumps have been a critical part of the way that "House of the Dragon" is relaying the Targaryen history. Thanks to all the hopping around, we got to witness the early days of Rhaenyra and Alicent's childhood, giving us plenty of context before the former friends ended up on opposite ends of a bitter rivalry. Now, we've entered a new phase of their lives: motherhood. Midway through the season, we've left their youth behind for a 10-year time jump that sees the women mothering three children each. And they're not the only new parents in the world; in the intervening years, Daemon Targaryen married Laena Velaryon, and despite his previous performance issues, they have twin daughters.
All this to say that the Targaryen family has expanded significantly since we last caught up with them, which is great news for King Viserys, who was previously pretty concerned about his family line. Now all he has to do is keep them from fighting amongst themselves — a simple task that he is historically bad at! Before the infighting truly begins in earnest, it's important to sort through the eight new kids at the center of this story, so here's a breakdown of the next generation of Targaryens.
Aegon II Targaryen (Ty Tennant)
Parents: King Viserys I and Alicent Hightower
Dragonrider? Yes, he rides the golden dragon Sunfyre, who has yet to appear onscreen
The window wanker himself, we first met Aegon Targaryen when he turned two years old and spent the day shrieking in a playpen while the lords of Westeros enjoyed a hunt in his honor. Unbeknownst to literal infant Aegon, his birth was a dangerous disruption to the line of succession. As the king's firstborn son, there was an expectation that he'd be next in line to rule. Fortunately, budding feminist leader King Viserys had already named Rhaenyra his heir and despite some brief doubt, decided not to go back on that declaration.
Over a decade later, we meet teenage Aegon, who turns out to be a typical privileged jerk with a penchant for bullying. Aegon is in the midst of his horndog teen years and only stops taunting his brother and nephews long enough to gawk at maids and masturbate out of a Red Keep window. (Royal baby batter might not be the most disturbing thing that's fallen out of a Westerosi window, but it's pretty high on the list.)
At this point in time, Aegon shows no interest in the throne — but the same could be said of a teenage Rhaenyra, who was much more interested in dragons, cake, fun, and *checks notes* her uncle. But eventually, things change. The seeds of change are planted in the very same episode when Ageon's alone time is interrupted by his obsessive mother, who grabs him by the face to forecast a bleak death at the hands of his sister if he doesn't step up and prepare to rule Westeros. A very similar speech from Otto once took root in Alicent, transforming her from a sweet, passive girl into a powerful and bitter Queen. What will it do to Aegon, an entitled twerp who already has little interest in the feelings of others?
Helaena Targaryen (Evie Allen)
Parents: King Viserys I and Alicent Hightower
Dragonrider? Yes, she rides Dreamfyre
This one is for all the weird girls out there! We haven't learned much about Helaena Targaryen yet, but her teenage debut makes it clear that she's a big fan of bugs. Introduced episodes prior as Alicent's second kid (a huge baby that seemed to endlessly cry as the miserable teenager rocked her to no avail), Helaena continues to spend alone time with her mother, except now she can talk. And the only thing she wants to talk about is her bug collection.
While Alicent straddles the motherly line between boredom and fondness, Helaena goes on and on about how many legs her bug has, seemingly existing in a world of her own while the boys are off worrying about dragon commands. Though it goes unmentioned, Heleana is known to be a dragonrider herself. Other than her "weird girl" status, not much more is learned about Helaena — though we do get some hints that she may have inherited the Targaryen's ability to see the future. She makes a few vague and ominous comments that might make more sense as the season progresses.
Alicent is protective of all her children but makes particular mention of Helaena being her only daughter. She bristles when Rhaenyra suggests engaging Helaena to her son (and heir) Jacaerys and though Viserys loves this idea, the Queen refuses to give it her stamp of approval ("When I am cold in my grave"). As usual for Westeros, no one mentions this potential engagement to Helaena.
Aemond Targaryen (Leo Ashton)
Parents: King Viserys I and Alicent Hightower
Dragonrider? Although he has the right DNA to ride a dragon, his childhood egg never hatched.
The second son of Viserys and Alicent has a chip on his shoulder, as second sons often do. It certainly doesn't help that Aemond is the only one of the Kings Landing children without a dragon of his own. Since his childhood egg never hatched, poor Aemond has yet to bond with a dragon, and for obvious reasons, no amount of pigs in fake wings will satisfy him. It's gotten so bad that we learn Aemond has made a habit of venturing into the dragon pit, where both claimed and wild dragons coexist. Not for the first time, Aemond is almost injured in the process — which upsets his mother — but also tells us quite a bit about the fierce kid. There's a rashness to Aemond, who hates being lagged at so much that he'd rather let his frustration drive him into danger.
So far, he's not unlike another roguish prince that we know ...
Rhaena Targaryen (Eva Ossei-Gerning)
Parents: Daemon Targaryen and Laena Velaryon
Dragonrider? No. Like Aemond, her dragon egg never hatched.
Speaking of dragonless Targaryens, Rhaena Targaryen feels like an outsider amongst her dragon-riding family members and is seen holding her childhood egg by a fire, desperately hoping that it will finally hatch. It turns out that Daemon has a tendency to ignore her in favor of her dragon-riding twin sister. So while he fails as a parent, Laena steps in to offer comfort and guidance, reminding her daughter that there's more than one way to bond with a dragon. Unfortunately for poor Rhaena, by the time the episode comes to a close, her mother is no longer around to be in her corner — and Daemon is certainly not equipped to raise two children on his own.
Baela Targaryen (Shani Smethurst)
Parents: Daemon Targaryen and Laena Velaryon
Dragonrider? Yes, a dragon called Moondancer.
We don't get much from Baela in this episode, other than learning how she stands apart from her twin sister. Baela is a dragonrider and favored by her father, who spends extra time bonding with his favorite daughter by teaching her High Valyrian. What exactly should we expect from a child who gets extra attention and guidance from Daemon Targaryen? I'm guessing complete and utter chaos, but only time will tell if a rogue princess emerges.
Jacaerys Velaryon (Leo Hart)
Parents: Rhaenyra Targaryen and Laenor Velaryon (officially); it's an open secret that Harwin Strong is his true father.
Dragonrider? Yes, he rides Vermax.
Jacaerys Targaryen may be young, but he already has a lot of pressure on his shoulders and much like Aegon, he'll be coming to terms with that very soon. As the eldest of Rhaenyra's three sons, Jace is the Prince of Dragonstone, set to inherit the throne after his mother. Should anyone challenge her claim, then they also challenge his. But for him, all of that seems far off into the future. For now, Jace is still very much a kid — playing along with the prank on Aemond and protectively keeping his younger brother from touching fire. We also see Jace hold his own against the much older Aegon in swordplay ... at least until Ser Criston intervenes to teach the older prince some underhanded tactics.
Jacaerys' most important moment in the episode comes much later, when Rhaenyra and her children say goodbye to Harwin Strong. The emotional farewell and charged interaction between the two adults bring Jace to a silent realization, which he voices as Harwin departs — Harwin Strong is his father, making him a bastard in the eyes of the realm. While Rhaenyra doesn't deny the truth, she assures him that being a Targaryen is more important than the details of his parentage. While that may be true for her, what will this information mean to Jace going forward?
Lucerys Velaryon (Harvey Sadler)
Parents: Rhaenyra Targaryen and Laenor Velaryon (officially); it's an open secret that Harwin Strong is his true father.
Dragonrider? Yes, he rides a dragon called Arrax.
Like his other siblings, middle-child Lucerys Velaryon bears a striking resemblance to Ser Harwin Strong. But despite the wipers at court, Lucerys is much too young to know what any of that means so he simply goes about his childhood antics, making fun of his "uncle" Aemond with the others and practicing his swordplay in the yard. That being said, he does look pretty upset as Harwin prepares to leave — and though he may not connect the dots as Jacaerys does, Luc is pretty torn up to lose the father-figure in his life.
Joffrey Velaryon
Parents: Rhaenyra Targaryen and Laenor Velaryon (officially); it's an open secret that Harwin Strong is his true father.
Dragonrider? Not yet, but his brothers did pick out a dragon egg for him!
Thanks to the opening scene of "The Princess and the Queen," we'll always have an extra special relationship with Joffrey. Not only do we see him come into the world, but we watch everything that happens next — the special interest that the Queen takes in his hair color, the way Rhaenyra keeps him close, and the ensuing argument between her and Laenor over the name Joffrey. This infant now shares a name with one of Westeros' future kings (an absolute dips*** who everyone hates) and with the Knight of Kisses, his fake father's murdered boyfriend. So, uh, judging by the way they died, it might be best if young Joff Targaryen avoids weddings at all cost.
We'll learn more about Joffrey in the episodes to come but for now, let's just treasure the brief moment of happiness that came from his birth: the adoring look on Ser Harwin's face as he cradles his son for the first (and, unfortunately, last) time.