But the death of Rhaenyra's son Lucerys at the hands of Aegon's brother Aemond—mistake or not—enraged Rhaenyra and kicked off a civil war that will play out over several seasons. Rhaenyra and her husband Daemon are now scrabbling for allies.
In House of the Dragon's season 1 finale, Rhaenyra learns about the tragic death of her beloved son Lucerys Velaryon, after having sent the young boy to deliver a message to Lord Borros Baratheon.
Most of the time, characters are killed in battle or poisoned, but Lucerys was eaten by a dragon. It is not the first time dragons have killed humans, but Lucerys is the first unfortunate soul to have been seen eaten by one.
Lucerys' death makes Rhaenyra's family less secure. She still has four sons but also has both the Iron Throne and Dragonstone to pass down. With her family going to war, Rhaenyra wants as many children as possible to ensure somebody can inherit it all. Unfortunately, the odds have decreased with Luke's death.
Rhaenyra's three eldest sons all died fighting during the Dance of the Dragons, but her two youngest sons, the sons by her second husband, Prince Daemon, survived the civil war.
“When the babe at last came forth, she proved indeed a monster: a stillborn girl, twisted and malformed, with a hole in her chest where her heart should have been and a stubby, scaled tail. The dead girl had been named Visenya.
Viserys II Targaryen was the tenth Targaryen king to sit the Iron Throne as Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. He was the son of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Daemon Targaryen, the brother and Hand of King Aegon III Targaryen, and the father of King Aegon IV Targaryen, Queen Naerys Targaryen, and Prince Aemon "the Dragonknight".
Rhaenyra had been exercising caution up to this point, but the death of her son will destroy her sense of justice and mercy. As such, Lucerys' death will galvanize Rhaenyra to war. Moving into Season 2, the famous Fire & Blood quote "an eye for an eye, a son for a son," will come into play.
After Daemon's first wife dies, he gets together with Laena Velaryon—who was initially suggested as a bride for King Viserys. They have two daughters. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra marries Laena's brother, Laenor Velaryon, and they have several kids.
With both Rhaenyra and Aegon gone, there's one clear person to inherit the throne: Rhaenyra's son Aegon, known as “Aegon the younger” in the books (her older sons had all died by this point).
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Aemond killed Rhaenyra's son after a dragon chase through the rain, before which Aemond laughed and tried to cut out Luke's eye. The pursuit culminated in Aemond losing control of his dragon, which brutally chomped Luke and his dragon.
Jacaerys, Lucerys, & Joffrey Velaryon: Rhaenyra and Laenor's three sons (like to actually be the sons of Ser Harwin Strong) are all killed during the Dance of the Dragons. In the show, The death of Lucerys (a.k.a. Luke) occurs in the season one finale.
Although it was technically an accident, Aemond lost control of his dragon, causing the death of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen's son, Prince Lucerys Velaryon. Up until this point, Rhaenyra has made considerable efforts to remain peaceful, especially since the dying request of her father, King Viserys.
The HBO series' Season 1 finale on Sunday ended with Princess Queen Rhaenyra receiving the news that her second-born son, Lucerys “Luke” Velaryon, had been killed by a dragon ridden by Alicent's son, Aemond Targaryen.
Fatally attacked, Arrax fell into the sea, with Luce meeting the same fate. Their bodies were only found three days later, serving as a feast for crabs and seabirds. It is the news of her son's death that determines the desire for revenge and extermination of the Hightowers for Rhaenyra.
Lucerys Velaryon died after riding away from Storm's End when he was eaten mid-flight by Aemond Targaryen's dragon, Vhagar. Because of the sheer size of Vhagar, whose neck is rumored over a century later by Tyrion Lannister to be large enough for a horse to ride down her gullet, Lucerys' death wasn't necessarily quick.
While House Of The Dragon episode 4 showed Daemon was able to seduce Rhaenyra by kissing and undressing her, he couldn't fulfill the act due to impotence.
Turns out, Rhaenyra and Daemon are endgame, meaning they have a sexually tense relationship, eventually hook up, and get married—which is pretty significant from a power play perspective considering (1) they both want the throne and (2) their Targaryen union is almost sure to guarantee that happens—even though Alicent ...
Although Rhaenyra's mother's death initially made her fear the notion of bearing heirs, adult Rhaenyra Targaryen now has five sons in House of the Dragon – three healthy boys with Laenor Velaryon (fathered by Harwin Strong) and two silver-haired boys with her husband Daemon Targaryen.
Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) finally had sex on House of the Dragon. After teasing their deep connection for weeks, making out in a brothel, and flirting their way through King's Landing, uncle and niece at long last did the dirty.
Rhaenyra finds out Luke is dead (season 1 finale) || House of the Dragon 1x10.
With no one left to help her, Aegon II demanded his dragon Sunfyre to kill and then consume his older sister right in front of the eyes of her last remaining child and future king, Aegon The Younger.
Aegon III Targaryen (131 AC to 157 AC)
He succeeded his uncle, Aegon II Targaryen, at the conclusion of the Dance of the Dragons, which saw the victorious supporters of his late mother Rhaenyra Targaryen install him on the throne. When he was a child, his dragon was Stormcloud.
Aegon and Rhaenyra fought for the throne in the civil war the singers called the Dance of the Dragons. Aegon later died over Dragonstone in the final year of the war, cementing his half-sister's rule and ending the Dance.
The story of the princess and her valiant knight did not end as a fairy tale, though. A sordid and controversial story began to spread that Rhaenyra lost her virginity to her uncle Daemon at age 16. No one knows if that is true. But Targaryens had long married within the family to keep their bloodlines pure.