OMG, House of the Dragons season 2 is finally here!
Like, after waiting for almost two years, it’s totally understandable if you’re having a hard time keeping track of all the characters and their complicated relationships, HeTexted.com reports.
I am and so is everyone else! If you want to grasp the drama, you better get a grip on the family dynamics. But seriously, all those blondes can be so indistinguishable.
The Targaryen family tree is like a tangled mess, thanks to their love for keeping it all in the family. It’s complicated, but hey, at least it’s compact!
The Targaryen Lineage
The Targaryen family in “House of the Dragon” is all about King Viserys I Targaryen, who took over the throne after his grandpa Jaehaerys I had a long run.
Viserys had a bunch of kids from two marriages. His first wife Aemma Arryn gave him Rhaenyra Targaryen, his fave heir.
Then he tied the knot with Alicent Hightower, and they popped out four kids: Aegon II, Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron.
This mix of heirs from different marriages set off a crazy rivalry that eventually led to the Dance of the Dragons civil war.
House Of The Dragon Cast
Rhaenyra and Her Line
Rhaenyra Targaryen, the oldest daughter of Viserys and the chosen heir, was like, a super important person during the Targaryen family drama.
She first got hitched to Laenor Velaryon and they had three sons together: Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey Velaryon.
After Laenor passed away, Rhaenyra decided to marry her uncle Daemon Targaryen and they had two more sons, Aegon III and Viserys II.
But here’s the tea, her claim to the throne was seriously challenged by her half-brother Aegon II, and that led to a crazy war that totally messed up the Targaryen family and the whole kingdom.
Rhaenyra and her sons
The Hightower Influence
Alicent Hightower, King Viserys I’s second wife, had a significant impact on the Targaryen succession struggle.
Her offspring with Viserys, such as Aegon II, were put forth as contenders for the throne, alongside his siblings Helaena and Aemond.
Alicent’s drive and backing of Aegon’s right to rule heightened tensions with Rhaenyra, sparking the Dance of the Dragons.
Through Alicent’s strategic moves and the resulting conflict, the unpredictable Targaryen lineage and succession were laid bare. This is a family tree breakdown!
6 Complicated Relationships on ‘House Of Dragon’ Show
Now back to the complicated relationships and romances!! Oh and just to make it clear this all is about the TV Show, not the books!!
Viserys and Rhaenyra
A father and daughter relationship that is too good to be true!!
Viserys totally loved Rhaenyra, but he totally missed the point of seeing her as her own person.
He never even tried to get where she was coming from, especially when it was about big stuff like her getting engaged to Alicent.
Instead of talking it out with her, he just assumed she’d be cool with it without thinking about how it would affect her.
And don’t even get me started on the whole “you can pick your own hubby” thing – like, that just made things worse for her.
He didn’t get how much pain she went through losing her mom during childbirth, and he never even comforted her or said things would be okay.
It’s obvious that Viserys saw Rhaenyra more as a fix to his own issues rather than his own flesh and blood.
Viserys and Rhaenyra
People mistakenly believe that allowing Rhaenyra to choose her own husband is a gift, but in reality, it lacks political guidance.
Viserys should have taken the opportunity to discuss potential suitors and the political implications of their marriages with her.
Simply throwing her into the mix without proper guidance is not effective, especially considering her traumatic past and young age.
Viserys’ half-hearted efforts to involve Rhaenyra politically show a lack of guidance and long-term planning.
Additionally, using Rhaenyra as a band-aid for his mistakes only further highlights his neglect in providing her with proper support and guidance.
The bond between them is like, super complicated, you get that right!!!
Rhaenyra and Daemon
Rhaenyra Targaryen and Daemon Targaryen have a super have a super complicated relationship that’s all mixed up with the family drama, emotional battles, and Targaryen traditions.
So, Daemon was basically raised by his older bro Viserys I Targaryen after their mom passed away.
He saw Viserys as a dad figure and someone he wanted to impress. But then, when Rhaenyra came into the picture, Daemon, who was a teenager at the time, had to compete for Viserys’s attention.
They ended up having this sibling-like bond instead of a regular uncle-niece thing. And because the Targaryens like to keep it all in the family, this bond got all tangled up with romantic feelings too.
As Rhaenyra grew up, her relationship with Daemon changed a lot because of all the political and emotional craziness in the Targaryen fam.
Daemon and Rhaenyra
When Viserys named Rhaenyra as his heir, Daemon got all jealous and resentful, especially since he felt like he was being ignored and not appreciated by Viserys.
He even tried to ruin Rhaenyra’s reputation by forcing a marriage between them, all because he wanted power and to protect her in his own way.
Even with all the drama, Daemon still loved Rhaenyra like crazy and did whatever it took to make sure they had a future together.
Finally, after years of being apart and going through a ton of drama, they actually got married and embraced their deep connection.
But, of course, that didn’t magically fix everything. Daemon still had this lifelong need for Viserys’s approval and struggled with authority, especially when Rhaenyra became queen.
So, their relationship stayed super complicated, with lots of intense fights and confrontations. But even through all the ups and downs, their bond was still super strong.
Rhaenyra, Harwin and Laenor
Harwin turned out to be Rhaenyra’s sweetheart and the proud dad of her three little ones.
Rhaenyra and Harwin conceived these three kids while the princess was still married to Laenor!
However, the thing is that Laenor was infertile and also gay so he could not give her any kids!
Rhaenyra and Laenor both had typical Valyrian characteristics, such as purple eyes and silver hair. It’s important to note that Laenor’s nose was specifically described as aquiline.
Apart from Rhaenyra’s Arryn mother, who had Targaryen blood, and Laenor’s half-Baratheon mother, whose own mother had Velaryon ancestry, there wasn’t much genetic influence from outside their families.
Laenor and Rhaenyra
This means that the chances of unusual traits appearing, especially in all three of their children, were very low.
Harwin Strong was Rhaenyra’s favorite and sworn sword!
Interestingly, all three of Rhaenyra’s eldest sons had brown hair, brown eyes, and pug noses, despite their legal parents having the typical Valyrian features and strong Valyrian lineage.
This was different from Cersei’s children, who took after their mother’s side. None of the three boys resembled their legal parents in any way.
However, once Rhaenyra was married to a man with whom she was more likely to have a physical relationship, she started having babies with silver hair and purple eyes.
By far we are into the fourth complicated relationship!!
Aegon and Rhaenyra
They are fighting for the throne, so that explains their relationship.
From the very beginning, Rhaenyra held a grudge against her brother, and the show makes it clear by portraying her referring to him solely as “Alicent Hightower’s son.”
Alicent and Rhaenyra
They used to be besties!!
However when Alicent married Rhaenyra’s father, ‘The King’ their relationship turned cold. Hightower became a stepmother to Rhaenyra and even made the princess a step-sister.
Young Rhaenyra and Alicent
