Is Laenor Velaryon Still Alive in House of the Dragon Season 2?

Summary

• The second episode of HOTD Season 2 introduced the new rider of Seasmoke, Addam of Hull.
• Addam is a Velaryon bastard and therefore a dragonseed.
• However, this could mean that Laenor is already dead.

The second season of House of the Dragon has plunged viewers into the heart of the civil war in Westeros. Only three episodes have been released, but we have already been overwhelmed by numerous intrigues and plot twists: the death of Prince Jaehaerys, the confrontation between the Cargyll twins, Aegon's dismissal of Otto Hightower as Hand of the King, the bloodshed between the Brackens and the Blackwoods.

Amid so many war-changing events, it was easy to overlook the moment with Ser Laenor Velaryon's former dragon, Seasmoke. The sequence was a harbinger of things to come, as the beautiful silver-gray dragon chose a new rider, Addam of Hull. But does that mean the previous dragonrider, Laenor, is dead at the time of Season 2?

Seasmoke Gets a New Dragon Rider

For centuries, House Velaryon fought side by side with their distant relatives of Valyrian descent, and while most of them had nothing to do with dragons, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen's (Emma D'Arcy) first husband, Ser Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan), proved a capable dragonrider who tamed Seasmoke.

As we know, in the TV show iteration, Laenor is gay and fled to Essos with his lover Ser Qarl Correy (Arty Froushan), faking his death so that Rhaenyra could find a new husband and conceive legitimate heirs. While there was undoubtedly a strong bond between Laenor and Seasmoke, a dragonseed and his dragon had to part ways.

As Season 2 began, we saw that despite Laenor's sexuality, House Velaryon still possessed heirs. We first learned of Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim) and then his brother, Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty). The book notes that both are officially considered bastards of Laenor, but are most likely his brothers, being the sons of Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint). This was the basis for their further legitimization as heirs to the House, and also allowed Addam to bond with Seasmoke.

Though it was a very brief moment, it set up some very important events that will play out over the course of this season and next. Addam would become a powerful dragon rider. Sadly, his fate would prove tragic due to Rhaenyra's growing paranoia. Young Velaryon, however, would remain loyal to the blacks to the end.

But Isn't Laenor Still Alive?

Viewers familiar with the source material know that Laenor Velaryon did not fake his death in Fire & Blood, but was killed by Qarl Correy, with whom he has no romantic relationship in the book. So Seasmoke's transition from Laenor to Addam was quite logical — the Sowing proved to be an important cultural and political event for the era, as the blacks had several new dragonriders who could tame the seedless dragons.

But if Laenor is still alive in the show, it begs the question of why Seasmoke would bond with Addam in the first place. If the show doesn't address the fate of Rhaenyra's first husband in any way, then there are only two explanations: either it's a plot hole that the writers overlooked, or he's sadly already dead by the time the events of Season 2 unfold. Though, who knows, maybe Seasmoke realized that his first master had left him forever, and the bond was broken.

Well, maybe that aspect will be revealed in the upcoming episodes. HOTD Season 2 airs on HBO and lands on Max Library on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET. Check out the upcoming episode schedule below:

• S2E4, TBA — July 7, 2024
• S2E5, TBA — July 14, 2024
• S2E6, TBA — July 21, 2024
• S2E7, TBA — July 28, 2024
• S2E8, TBA — August 4, 2024