Age gaps are rarely a topic of discussion in HBO’s House of the Dragon. Westeros sees dozens of unconventional (read: morally questionable if not downright illegal by our standards) marriages and couples within its borders; what’s a big age gap compared to getting it on with your literal twin?
Speaking of incest, Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen are hardly the first Westerosi couple to break that particular taboo. The Targaryens often wed their relatives to keep their bloodline pure and ensure their offspring retain their dragon-riding abilities.
It wasn’t just them — Jamie and Cersei Lannister remind us Game of Thrones fans that other houses could be just as incestuous — but no other house’s legacy is as intertwined with incest as the Targaryens. With all that going on, it’s no wonder no one makes a fuss about Daemon’s and Rhaenyra’s age gap.
Daemon is the younger brother of Rhaenyra’s father King Viserys (and yes, as we’ve established, this makes him her uncle but it’s Westeros am I right?) but he’s not that much younger. Viserys was 20 years old when Rhaenyra was born and Daemon is four years younger than his older brother; therefore, Daemon is 16 years older than Rhaenyra.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s not the worst age gap in the show. And, at the very least, Daemon and Rhaenyra didn’t kiss until she was 18 or 19 and they didn’t wed until she was 23 and he was 39 years old. Honestly, it’s probably easier for us viewers to throw real-life morality aside if we want to root for any of these characters. After all, what would an HBO drama be without a little mess?