Warning: Spoilers ahead for “House of the Dragon” season two, episode two and for the book “Fire and Blood.”
On this week’s “House of the Dragon,” Alicent and Otto Hightower finally remember that there’s one more Targaryen/Hightower child floating around in Westeros.
That kid is Daeron, the youngest of Alicent and Viserys’ four children and their third son. In both “Fire and Blood” and “House of the Dragon,” Daeron was sent off as a ward to Oldtown, the seat of House Hightower. Now that Aegon II has removed Otto as his Hand (for those who are keeping score at home, this is the second time that’s happened), Otto suggests going back to Oldtown to mentor Daeron. Alicent sends him instead to Highgarden, to bring House Tyrell in line.
Hearing about Daeron is a bit abrupt, given that we never saw him in season one. And you shouldn’t expect to see him in season two: Showrunner Ryan Condal told Variety that Daeron hadn’t yet been cast, and that at this point in the show, the character hadn’t yet had his first dragon ride.
“He will come to the narrative and have a role to play, just as he does in the book — we’re just not there yet in the storytelling,” Condal said.
However, if you’re curious about what may be to come, here’s what happens to Daeron in “Fire and Blood.” That doesn’t necessarily mean these events will unfold in the same manner on “House of the Dragon,” which has tweaked things (and even made some big changes) in the past.
But if you’re concerned about major spoilers for either, it’s best not to read ahead.
Daeron is Alicent and Viserys’ youngest child
In “Fire and Blood,” Alicent gives birth to Daeron around the same time Rhaenyra gives birth to her first child, Jacaerys. While “House of the Dragon” doesn’t exactly follow the “Fire and Blood” timelines, Condal said that by season one, episode eight, all of the older Targaryen children are around the 17 to 21 age range. It’s probably safe to assume that Daeron is, at minimum, in his late teens on the show.
In the book, Daeron is also bonded to Tessarion, who’s described in the book as a “lovely blue she-dragon.” Daeron, George R. R. Martin writes in “Fire and Blood,” the most charming and well-liked of Alicent’s sons, and was sent to serve as a cupbearer and squire to Lord Ormund Hightower in Oldtown at age 12.
Daeron’s positioning in Oldtown came into play during the war, after Otto Hightower asked Ormund to quell several rebelling lords in the Reach. When Ormund was overwhelmed at the Battle of the Honeywine, Daeron saved him by entering the battle on Tessarion. After the battle, Ormund named Daeron a knight, bestowing upon him the title “Ser Daeron the Daring.”
Daeron continued fighting with Lord Hightower in the Reach, eventually advancing on King’s Landing after Rhaenyra claimed it during the war.
Daeron’s fate was tied to the town of Tumbleton
During the war, the town of Tumbleton was one of the last strongholds between Ormund Hightower’s march and King’s Landing. Two of Rhaenyra’s dragon riders, Hugh Hammer and Ulf White (bonded to Vermithor and Silverwing, respectively) were sent to defend it. However, after Daeron and Tessarion arrived, Hugh and Ulf switched sides and razed the town.
After the conquest, soldiers continued to menace the people of Tumbletown, though two historical accounts in “Fire and Blood” claim that Daeron attempted to stop the pillaging. The forces languished in the city rather than marching on King’s Landing, and Hugh and Ulf began to make demands — in Hugh’s case, to become a king himself.
Offput by Hugh and Ulf’s ambition, lords serving under Prince Daeron conspired to kill them, and Daeron co-signed the plan. But before they could carry it out, Addam Velaryon (previously Addam of Hull) attacked the city on his dragon Seasmoke, eager to reclaim it and prove his loyalty to Rhaenyra’s cause.
Addam’s attack kicked off the Second Battle of Tumbleton while Daeron was still sleeping in his tent. Though the historical records referenced in “Fire and Blood” don’t agree with the manner of his death, he was killed at some point during the subsequent battle.
Tessarion, Seasmoke, and eventually Vermithor fought, and all three dragons died as a result. Addam Velaryon also died during the battle.
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