HBO’s House of the Dragon pilot episode recently premiered, and fans were greeted with the series’ first death. This event parallels that of Game of Thrones first blood, which resulted in a major change in the political system of Westeros.
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
Episode one of House of the Dragon saw Queen Aemma Arryn, wife of King Viserys I Targaryen and mother of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, giving birth to a son. The labor was so intense that both the mother and the child could not be saved, and so King Viserys had to make a difficult choice. Finally, it was decided that it is necessary to cut the queen’s belly to deliver the baby, named Prince Baelon, who also died moments after he was born.
In Game of Thrones, Jon Arryn’s mysterious death, which was later on discovered he was poisoned, invited many changes. Lord Eddard Stark was named Hand of the King, which led to the discovery of the Baratheon children’s illegitimacy.
How Queen Aemma And Prince Baelon’s Deaths Push Conflict In House Of The Dragon
After the death of Prince Baelon, the ‘Heir for a Day’ as Prince Daemon Targaryen styled him, King Viserys named his firstborn daughter Rhaenyra as the new heir to the throne. There was no other way the king would have any more successors unless he remarries, and he already confided to his daughter the secret of Aegon, called the Song of Ice and Fire, a secret only revealed by the king to his heir.
The death of Queen Aemma already sets the forthcoming civil war called Dance of the Dragons and the murder of Jon Arryn led the story to the War of the Five Kings. Both incidents caused tragic events in Westeros and several deaths of the main characters.
Many secrets will unfold in the next episode of House of the Dragon as fans anticipate the consequences of Rhaenyra’s ascension to the throne. Her reign will be challenged by many, especially her uncle Daemon, who is quite determined to inherit the Iron Throne.
