In 97 AC, Daemon married Lady Rhea Royce, the heir to Runestone, but he disliked both her and the Vale of Arryn; Daemon referred to his wife as his "bronze bitch". During the Great Council of 101 AC, Daemon supported the claim of Prince Viserys, as it would make Daemon the heir after his brother.
Daemon was at least loyal to Rhaenyra. Daemon took several mistresses, even though he had three wives in Rhea Royce, Laena Velaryon and Rhaenyra Targaryen.
After the beginning of Daemon and Rhaenyra's marriage played offscreen, viewers were able to return to the story to see the pair after they'd established their life together. It's obvious that in that time, the two gained an awareness of both themselves and each other.
Daemon's relationship with his first wife, Lady Rhea Royce, comes about as an arranged marriage at the behest of his grandmother Queen Alysanne when he is only 16 years old.
Daemon Targaryen, who once went on a suicidal mission against Craghas Drahar and the entire Triarchy, calmed himself down and became a loyal husband and father. He tried to be worthy of Laena and their children. It could only be because he loved her and them. Him loving another does not change that.
That's right, during the Oct. 2 episode of House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and Daemon (Matt Smith) stopped fighting their feelings for one another and finally got together. However, this was more than just an illicit liaison, as Rhaenyra and Daemon got married at the end of the episode.
Soon after being widowed, Daemon and Rhaenyra marry each other in secret when he is 39 years old, and she is 23. Their marriage causes a huge scandal at court and another rift between Daemon and Viserys, but it is eventually accepted. The couple has two sons together, Aegon and Viserys.
Rhea's father Lord Yorbert Royce had no natural-born sons (or at least that appears to be the case) to succeed him as Lord of Runestone, so that task would fall to Rhea. That's why in 97 AC, Queen Alysanne arranged for Rhea to marry her grandson Daemon Targaryen.
There are hints that Daemon actually fell in love with Laena, but also that he may have only wanted to claim her to further his ambition. Either way, he challenges Laena's fiancée to a duel and kills her betrothed. Laena and Daemon marry soon after.
Daemon, Rhaenyra and Alicent have 11 kids among them by the eighth episode, which is set about six years after the "Driftmark" episode.
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.
Rhaenyra had to marry Daemon for two reasons. The first is that she genuinely seems to love him, as weird as that is to write. The second more pressing reason is the growing threat of Alicent Hightower and her Greens. The Greens have been in the ascendancy recently.
Second marriage
Daemon's wife, Rhea Royce, died from falling from a horse in 115 AC. Daemon abandoned the Stepstones and flew to the Vale of Arryn to claim Runestone, which had been Rhea's seat, but he was refused by House Royce.
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 ...
In the real (Alicent) timeline, Laena married Viserys's brother Daemon after a brief flirtation at Westeros's third-bloodiest wedding.
Baela and Rhaena are the two daughters of Daemon and his second wife, Laena Velaryon (Daemon killed his first wife Lady Rhea Royce, and made it look like a hunting accident).
During the first few days of 120 AC, Laena went into labor. Following a day and night of labor, she gave birth to a twisted and malformed son, who died within an hour of birth.
He chokes Rhaenyra after she starts telling him The Song of Ice and Fire prophecy and learning that Viserys kept secrets from him.
Later on in the episode, Corlys and Rhaenys deliver the news to Viserys that Rhea is dead, explaining that her neck and skull were crushed after she fell off of her horse. So yes, unfortunately, Rhea dies in this episode. And though we don't see it on screen, we can assume that Daemon did kill her.
The leader of the Church and arguably the catalyst for everything that happens in this game, Rhea is an example of someone who can easily be seen as either the villain or the hero. While she's neither wholly good nor wholly evil, she definitely sits in a gray area.
The moment happens in season 3, episode 4, “And Now His Watch Is Ended,” when Joffrey Lannister is chilling with Margaery Tyrell and giddily explains, “Rhaenyra Targaryen was murdered by her brother, or rather, his dragon. It ate her while her son watched. What's left of her is buried in the crypts right down there.”
Why Daemon Cheats On Rhaenyra In HOTD's Future. The unpredictable Daemon has always been someone who seeks excitement, with the character quickly becoming bored in what he may perceive as monotony.
Marriage. When King Viserys I Targaryen and his small council sought a husband for Viserys's heir, Rhaenyra Targaryen, they eventually agreed on Laenor, as such a marriage would unite House Targaryen and House Velaryon once again.