House of the Dragon season two, episode two spoilers follow.
House of the Dragon season two is off to a bloody, vengeful start.
The kingdom is up in arms following the murder of Prince Jaehaerys, Helaena (Phia Saban) and Aegon's (Tom Glynn-Carney) son, at the hands of Daemon's (Matt Smith) assassins.
The Greens have seized the opportunity to use Daemon's act of revenge to eclipse the fact that Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) recently killed Rhaenyra's (Emma D'Arcy) son and have in turn publicly brandished her 'the kingslayer'.
With all this battling between kin, the politics of war are already at play and so naturally we find Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) in the thick of things.
Episode two sees the oily Otto turn a simple heart-to-heart with his daughter Alicent (Olivia Cooke) into a meeting of scheming minds.
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The most keen-eared among us will have noticed that, in the midst of their conversation, the demoted hand of the king name-dropped one Targaryen we've yet to meet on screen: Prince Daeron, Alicent and Viserys' (Paddy Considine) third son.
The Targaryen family tree was already complicated (see our guide here). But who is this mysterious young royal, and where has he been all this time?
Who is Daeron Targaryen?
Prince Daeron Targaryen is the youngest child of Alicent and the late King Viserys.
In George RR Martin's book Fire and Blood (on which the show is based) it is stated that Daeron was born shortly after Jacaerys (Rhaenyra's eldest son), and yet we didn't see him in season one's cousin-nephew brawl which claimed Aemond's eye. Why wasn't he a part of the fisticuffs?
Fire and Blood by George R R Martin
Martin wrote that Viserys was eager for Jacaerys and Daeron not to be part of their mothers' feud. He even insisted that the boys share a wet nurse in hopes of cultivating a close bond.
However, despite his best efforts, Daeron was said to hold the same ill feeling towards the Velaryon boys (rumoured to actually be Harwin Strong's children, actually) as his elder brothers Aegon and Aemond.
How that bitter rivalry will play out on screen depends on whether we eventually get to see the secret prince. So where is Daeron (and his dragon Tessarion)?
Where is Daeron Targaryen in House of the Dragon?
We learn in episode two of the second season that Daeron is in Oldtown, the Hightowers' stronghold (and location of the Maesters' Citadel where Sam hung out for a while in Game of Thrones).
This tidbit of information is shared during Otto's talk with Alicent when he reminds her that Daeron "takes more kindly to instruction," than Aegon, before stating that he may be some help to the Greens in the weeks to come.
Sadly that is all that we learn of the forgotten son and so we turned to the pages of Fire and Blood to find out more.
Why haven't we seen Daeron Targaryen in House of the Dragon?
We can only go by what little we know from Fire and Blood, and it's worth noting that House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal may wish to adapt the story to fit the show's narrative.
In Martin's book, it's said that at 12 years old, Daeron went to serve as the cupbearer and squire to Alicent's cousin Lord Ormund Hightower.
It's possible that by the point of the 10-year time jump in season one's sixth episode, Daeron had already gone to live with Lord Ormund.
If this is true, it means that House of the Dragon has already begun to tweak the story in its transition from page to screen with Daeron being shipped off at a much younger age.
Daeron couldn't have been 12 years old at the time of season one, episode six. This is because it's confirmed in episode nine (post a six-year time jump) that Aegon is 20 years old.
Why does that matter? Well according to the text, Aegon – born 106 AC – is eight years older than Daeron, born 114 AC. This would have made him 12 by the end of season one, instead of immediately after the 10-year time jump when he presumably went to live on Hightower soil.
This is all speculation at this point but we look forward to House of the Dragon clearing things up as the season progresses.
House of the Dragon season 2 airs on Mondays on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK. In the US, it airs new episodes on Sundays on HBO and streams on Max.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
