‘House of the Dragon’ Ending Explained: Why Does Seasmoke Claim Addam of Hull as a Rider?

HBO ‘s House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 6 “Smallfolk” ends with the shocking news that Seasmoke has a rider again. Rhaenyra ( Emma D’Arcy ) immediately worries that someone from Team Green has claimed Laenor’s ( John Macmillan ) old dragon. However, the truth might just be more upsetting to the Targaryens, who pride themselves on having the pure blood of the dragon.

As it happens, Corlys Velaryon’s ( Steve Toussaint ) bastard son Addam of Hull ( Clinton Liberty ) is Seasmoke’s new rider. Not only that, but Addam had to do precious little to earn the dragon’s trust. Seasmoke chose Addam.

Which is all the more distressing considering the fact that in the very same episode, Rhaenyra convinces Kingsguard member Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan) to attempt to claim Seasmoke! You know, because he’s loyal to her and because his grandmother’s grandmother was Aeriana Targaryen. However, just when Ser Steffon believes he’s tamed Seasmoke, the dragon smothers him in a horrifying roar of fire.

So why would Seasmoke choose a random Velaryon bastard over the great-great-grandson of an actual Targaryen? Who is riding Seasmoke? And what does it mean for House of the Dragon moving forward?

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Too many dragons, too many names to keep track of, huh? So who rides Seasmoke in House of the Dragon?

As of House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 6 “Smallfolk,” Seasmoke has had two official riders. The first was his original rider, Laenor Velaryon. We watched in House of the Dragon Season 1 as a young Laenor (Theo Nate) rode Seasmoke during his father’s war against the Triarchy. That means that Seasmoke isn’t just another dragon; he’s one of the few dragons out there used to what battles are like.

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In House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 7 “Driftmark,” Rhaenyra concocts a rather insane plan to fake the murder of Laenor so he can move to exile with his lover, Ser Qarl Correy (Arty Froushan). The only hiccup to this plan? (Uh, besides the fact that a random person had to die and that everyone now thinks Rhaenyra murdered Laenor?) Laenor has to leave Seasmoke behind.

By House of the Dragon Season 2, it seems that Seasmoke misses having a rider. As war breaks out, he becomes more restless at Dragonstone. Unbeknownst to Rheanyra, Seasmoke often flies over Addam of Hull, the shipwright bastard son of Corlys. After Ser Steffon Darklyn’s attempt to tame Seasmoke goes awry, the dragon pursues Addam, chasing him around Driftmark until the two meet face to face.

Yes, Seasmoke chose Addam to be his new rider. That is, the bastard half-brother of his first rider. But what does this mean for Team Black? And why would Seasmoke choose Addam over Ser Steffon?

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The bond between dragons and riders is more complex than just a person managing to tame a wild beast. There is a symbiotic relationship between a dragon and its rider, ergo there needs to be some sort of affinity between the two. House of the Dragon star Ewan Mitchell has publicly discussed how Vhagar was attracted to young Aemond because she could relate to not fitting in anywhere. We learned last week that Meleys “The Red Queen” wouldn’t accept the impetuous Daemon (Matt Damon) as a rider after his mother’s death, but allowed Rhaenys (Eve Best) to take her reins. This week, Seasmoke gave the timid Ser Steffon Darklyn a hard, fiery no.

But why Addam of Hull? It could be that Seasmoke prefers a rider who is blood-related to Laenor. Or maybe the lonely dragon relates to Addam’s own feeling of being left behind by a Velaryon. (In this case, Corlys has spent decades ignoring his base-born children.)

The big hiccup here is that Addam of Hull is not a Targaryen. As the House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 7 preview teases, this reality may not sit well with the existing dragonlords.  Jace (Harry Collett) says, “House Targaryen is the blood of the dragon. If any may lay claim to it, what are we then?”

Addam is not a Targaryen, but he is a Velaryon, meaning he does have the blood of Old Valyria. (There’s also the lore that the Velaryons and Targaryens intermarried a lot before this time period, but maybe the show is leaning away from that.)

In any case, Seasmoke’s new rider is Addam of Hull. We’ll have to tune into House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 7 to find out what he wants to do with his new dragon. Will he fight for Rhaenyra, Team Green, or himself?

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