House of the Dragon season 2 has established Daemon’s connection to the castle of Harrenhal, promising big developments in the coming civil war. After the dramatic, climactic ending of House of the Dragon season 2 episode 1, the second installment takes some downtime to focus on the aftermath of Blood and Cheese. This leads to massive developments in the brewing Dance of Dragons on both sides, with Aegon’s rage, Helaena’s trauma, Rhaenyra and Allicent’s remorse, Daemon’s conniving nature, and Otto’s downfall all being presented by the time of House of the Dragon season 2 episode 2’s ending.

On both sides, Jaehaerys’ death moves pieces about the board that threaten to explode into the all-out war depicted in George R. R. Martin’s Fire and Blood, the precursor to the A Song of Ice and Fire book series. One such piece takes the form of Daemon Targaryen, whose haste for revenge resulted in Jaehaerys’ death and saw his queen label him untrustworthy. In his rage, Daemon – played admirably by Matt Smith in House of the Dragon‘s ensemble cast – flies off to Harrenhal, raising the question of what importance the rogue prince and the castle have in the show’s future.

Why Taking Harrenhal Is So Important For Daemon & The Blacks

Harrenhal Is A Key Tactical Location In House Of The Dragon

Throughout House of the Dragon, Harrenhal has been mentioned on both sides of the Targaryen house. The reason for this stems from its tactical importance to warring factions, explaining why Daemon is so committed to capturing the castle. Harrenhal is the largest castle in the Game of Throne franchise’s Seven Kingdoms and lies at the heart of the Riverlands, not too far away from the Crownlands and King’s Landing. Due to Harrenhal’s size, status, and location, it is one of the more important castles in the Riverlands and thus, the key to claiming the kingdom for either side.

Daemon and the Blacks are shown to lack allies due to the fallout of Blood and Cheese, making Harrenhal even more important than it was before. With the aid of Cregan Stark also promised to Rhaenyra, control over the Riverlands is vital to her cause. The Riverlands will need to be under the control of the Blacks to allow the North’s support, which makes Harrenhal a key piece of the puzzle. If Daemon and the Blacks control Harrenhal, they control the Riverlands; if they control the Riverlands, they can more easily contact allies and wage war against the Greens.

How Daemon Targaryen Takes Control Of Harrenhal

Daemon’s Conquest Of Harrenhal Calls Back To Aegon The Conqueror

Given that Harrenhal is the biggest castle in Westeros, many will rightfully wonder how Daemon manages to take control of it by himself. Interestingly, Daemon puts aside his more bloodthirsty tendencies for subterfuge tactics and manages to take control of Harrenhal without armies or a great deal of bloodshed. Instead, Daemon utilizes fear to his advantage, more aptly the people of Westeros’ fear of dragons.

In Fire and Blood, it is explained that Daemon took his dragon Caraxes and landed it on the top of Harrenhal’s biggest spire. This struck fear into the hearts of those inhabiting Harrenhal as it was evocative of Aegon the Conqueror’s destruction of Harrenhal a century earlier. When Harrenhal was burned, Aegon used Balerion the Black Dread to burn the spires of the castle from its highest point. Daemon, through Caraxes, inflicts this fear on Simon Strong – the castellan of Harrenhal in Larys Strong’s absence – resulting in his stewardship of the castle.

Based on House of the Dragon season 2 episode 3’s trailer, it seems as though Daemon’s conquest of Harrenhal will be similar to how it was presented in Fire and Blood. A shot can be seen of Caraxes flying over Harrenhal and landing on the highest spire, while glimpses of Daemon entering the castle are shown. The trailer hints that Daemon will face some opposition, likely from guards within Harrenhal’s keep, before successfully gaining governance over the castle in Rhaenyra’s name.

What Happens To Daemon At Harrenhal & When He Leaves

Daemon’s Time At Harrenhal Is Both Lucrative & Short-Lived

As was to be expected, House of the Dragon‘s book changes from Fire and Blood have somewhat altered the timeline of events. In the latter, Daemon takes Harrenhal before the death of Lucerys Velaryon and orchestrates Blood and Cheese from within the castle. In House of the Dragon, Daemon has not yet taken Harrenhal despite Lucerys and Jaehaerys already being dead. Although these changes alter Fire and Blood‘s timeline, the other elements of Daemon’s story from after he takes Harrenhal will likely remain unaltered.

After Daemon takes Harrenhal in Fire and Blood, various houses located in the Riverlands begin outwardly pledging their support to Rhaenyra and the Blacks. This leads to two key conflicts in the Dance of Dragons, the Battle of the Burning Mill and the Taking of Stone Hedge. These two battles involve two ancient houses of Westeros: House Bracken and House Blackwood. The latter are sworn to Rhaenyra, while the former pledge their allegiance to Aegon.

This leads to a period of civil war in the Riverlands. House Bracken and House Blackwood first clash at a mill, the Battle of the Burning Mill, which forces the former to retreat to their seat at Stone Hedge. Unbeknownst to the Brackens, however, Daemon and a host of other Riverlands houses sworn to Rhaenyra laid siege to Stone Hedge in their absence. The hostages acquired by the Taking of Stone Hedge led House Bracken to withdraw their support for Aegon, ending any semblance of Green support in the Riverlands.

Daemon later leaves Harrenhal when Criston Cole and Aemond Targaryen march to take the castle back. Daemon seizes the opportunity and rides Caraxes to King’s Landing now that a great deal of the Greens’ strength is marching to Harrenhal. He and Rhaenyra succeed in taking King’s Landing from the Greens, though this happens after several other battles that will likely be depicted in House of the Dragon season 2.