The biggest criticism of House of the Dragon Season 1 was that it got too confusing to follow all the exposition leading up to this civil war, so it may be surprising to hear that there's another Targaryen dragon-rider we haven't even met yet. Considering how well this setting has been fleshed out, it's surprising that the writers let such an important figure remain off-screen for this long, but they've been teasing his big debut throughout Season 2. Read on for an introduction to Prince Daeron Targaryen, but fair warning: there are mild spoilers ahead.
We first heard Daeron mentioned in Season 2, Episode 2, "Rhaenyra the Cruel." Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) reminded Alicent (Olivia Cooke) that Daeron was still secure in Oldtown, and even said that he "will take more kindly to instruction" than her other sons. "Daeron may yet hel up in the weeks to come," he added. Now we've seen how both Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) handled the power of a monarch, but their younger brother Daeron hasn't even shown up on screen yet. As he has been mentioned more and more, it's clear that he will join the fray soon.
In George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood , the historians of Westeros say that King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) and Alicent had four children together - Aegon, Helaena (Phia Saban), Aemond and Daeron. Last season, we met three of those children all at once during one of the show's many time skips, so the absence of Daeron seemed to indicate he did not exist in this adaptation. That was significant, since the book tells us Daeron is a dragon-rider bonded to the dragon Tessarion. Now, dialogue has confirmed that both Daeron and Tessarion do exist in the show.
Daeron is described as a handsome, likable boy, and while he was "the gentlest" of his brothers, he did share Aegon and Aemond's enmity towards Rhaenyra's sons. Daeron bonded Tessarion at the age of six, and at the age of 12 he was sent off to live in Oldtown with Alicent's family, House Hightower. He was to be a cupbearer and squire to Lord Ormund Hightower, Alicent's cousin and the current ruler of the city.
This seems to match what we've heard about Daeron in the show. Last week, Alicent asked her brother Gwayne (Freddie Fox) about Daeron, and Gwayne describes him as kind, likable and talented. He confirms that Daeron is 16 years old in the show. Gwayne believes that Daeron benefited from growing up away from the cutthroat court of King's Landing, but Alicent worries that it was her own influence that made Aegon and Aemond more cruel and violent.
We've seen the younger sons of lords live in "wardships" like this throughout Game of Thrones and its spinoffs - think Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon living in the Vale of Arryn in the main series. In Daeron's case, many readers and viewers mistake this for Daeron studying at the Citadel. However, Daeron simply went to Oldtown to live at court in the Hightower, and he even took his dragon with him.
Daeron has some important moments coming up in this series, so fans are delighted to hear that he has not been left out. At the pace the show is going now, it's unlikely that we'll see him in Season 2 - especially since there was no casting announcement. On the other hand, fans are hoping that this show is keeping other casting secrets , so maybe this one can just be added to the list.
House of the Dragon Season 2 airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max. Martin's books are available now in print, digital and audiobook formats.
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