As anyone can attest, Westerosi weddings are no laughing matter. In both George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, anyone looking for matrimony will also find consequences.
And while Princess Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) wedding to her cousin Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan) wasn’t quite as fraught as the infamous Red Wedding, there was still some bloodshed which would portend a difficult marriage. While the couple had fraternal affection for each other, it was no secret that their specific needs lay elsewhere. Laenor was quite transparent about his relationships with men, while Rhaenyra was also free with her… heart.
For a time, the two tried conceiving heirs as was their duty, but their sexual appetites made it difficult. Ultimately, Rhaenyra chooses the Commander of the City Watch, Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr), as a lover, and he fathers her first 3 sons. Laenor loves them as his own, and they have quite a functional family for some time. But her children’s parentage is easy to cast doubt on, and eventually, their happy little family comes crumbling down.
What happens to Laenor in House of the Dragon?
The questions surrounding the birth of Rhaenya’s children all come to a head at the funeral of Laenor’s sister, Laena (Nanna Blondell). After dying in childbirth — with the help of some Dragonfire — Laena is laid to rest at Driftmark. Laenor is inconsolable and makes a spectacle of himself, while Rhaenyra is left to fend off the dogs by herself.
Her only solace is her uncle, Daemon (Matt Smith) — recently single. The two give into their torrid affections for each other preceding the Hightower announcement that Rhaenyra’s children are bastards. The writing is on the wall for the princess, and she knows she needs a strong alliance to keep her safe. The only problem is that Laenor is essentially useless in this. She needs the strength of her uncle and to unite with him in the old ways of Valyria. Both of them understand that to do this, they must get rid of Laenor. Laenor’s death will solve their marriage problem and send a message that this Targaryen lineage is not to be trifled with.
Daemon enlists Laenor’s lover, Qarl (Arty Froushan), in this endeavor, and, in the halls of Driftmark, there is a public altercation between the two. When Laenor’s parents, Rhaenys (Eve Best) and Corlys (Toussaint), arrive, their last remaining child is burnt to a crisp, ending the Verlaryon line. This tragic end allows Rhaenyra to marry Daemon and for the House of the Dragon to increase in strength. The histories in Martin’s book, Fire & Blood, view this time somewhat objectively, but there is more to see in the television adaptation.
In the final moments of the episode, it becomes clear that Laenor did not actually die. Daemon doesn’t enlist Qarl to kill Laenor but becomes a part of some clever subterfuge. The two men made sure that servants saw their public fight, so there was a supposed witness to Laenor’s death. They staged the burnt corpse so Laenor and Qarl could run away. This kills two birds with one stone. Laenor no longer has to be stifled by court life and can live as his authentic self across the Narrow Sea, while Rhaenyra can also follow her heart. This move also leaves further seasons open for a return from Laenor. Whether this comes to pass in season 2 of the series has yet to be seen. For now, we can hold fast to the fact that, at least for a time, Laenor found some happiness.