Who Will Die First in House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra or Daemon?

Summary

• The events of House of the Dragon will lead to the deaths of Rhaenyra and Daemon.
• The time between their deaths will be only 5 months.
• This could happen either towards the end of season 2 or as early as season 3.

The second season of House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones prequel based on the book Fire & Blood, is in full swing, leading to increasingly bloody events throughout Westeros. The civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons has been remembered as a terrible tragedy since its mention in GoT, from which essentially no one emerged victorious. So brace yourselves, dear friends, because no matter which side you take in this war, we are all in for some bitter tears. This is good old George R.R. Martin, after all.

So it probably won't be a spoiler to anyone to say that in addition to the deaths of the heirs to the throne, each of the key Targaryens, Rhaenyra, Daemon, Rhaenys, Aegon, Aemond, and Daeron, will sadly fall victim to this twisted war of succession. In this context, the deaths of Daemon and Rhaenyra are particularly noteworthy, as the demise of one will lead to the demise of the other. But which of these two tragic deaths should we expect to see first on our small screens?

So Who Will Die First?

We are sorry to disappoint you, Matt Smith fans. Sadly, after the events described first in Martin's novella The Princess and the Queen and then in Fire & Blood itself, it is officially believed that Daemon died in 130 AC in an aerial duel over the Gods Eye, a lake near Harrenhal. One small consolation is that Daemon will not be the only casualty, as his nemesis, his nephew Aemond, will die with him.

In the course of events, Daemon challenged Aemond to a dragon duel at Harrenhal, ending their feud forever. While Aemond safely strapped himself into the saddle, the rogue prince deliberately failed to do so. As the two fought in the air, Daemon leapt from the saddle and plunged the Dark Sister's blade into Aemond's blind eye, while Caraxes and Vhagar fell into the water, clutching each other's throats. Thus ended the story of the quarrel between the two Targaryen princes.

Daemon's body was never found, however, and rumors began to circulate immediately after his death that he had survived and escaped the war with Nettles, a dragonrider we have yet to see in the series.

When Will the Second Demise Take Place?

As for Rhaenyra, her death will come about five months after the duel between Daemon and Aemond. While the former was still alive, the queen developed a paranoia that caused many civilians and even her companions to turn their backs on her. The Battle Above the Eye of the Gods was followed by the death of most of Darkseid's dragons and the escape of Rhaenyra from King's Landing to the island of Dragonstone.

With no dragons and no powerful allies, Aegon II took Dragonstone with his own forces and fed his sister to his own dragon, Sunfyre. But don't worry, followers of the black ones, Aegon won't live long either!

When Could It Be Shown on HOTD?

Unfortunately, it's hard to guess when any of these events will happen in the show, since the writers can always take creative liberties.

First, we have a major battle with the Triarchy forces coming up, as well as numerous conflicts in the Riverlands. Second, before killing Daemon, the writers should certainly introduce Nettles, as she will play a far more important role than even Rhaenyra in the last months of his life. All in all, we should expect these events to take place either near the end of Season 2 or in the next one.

The next episode of House of the Dragon Season 2 will be released on July 7, 2024.