When Prince Aemond mounts the great dragon Vhagar in House of the Dragon episode “Driftmark,” it’s an important moment not just for his character but also for the battle to come. In taking one of the most powerful dragons in Westeros as his own, he ensures that his side, and that of his brother and mother, will have a key advantage in any power struggle for the throne.
In fact, the entire Dance of the Dragons is, to a degree, influenced by the power of the dragons that various dragonriders are able to control. Each dragon holds a significant place in Westeros’ stories and with the Dance of the Dragons incoming, it looks like they’ve chosen their riders for the years and battles ahead.
Baela
Though she is a member of House Velaryon, one of the most powerful houses in Westeros, Baela also has Targaryen blood. As a result, she can ride a dragon, in this case, Moondancer.
Though she was a very beautiful dragon, and also very vast, there’s no question that Moondancer was one of the weaker dragons in Westeros during the Dance of the Dragons, particularly because of her youth. As will become clear in the Dance, however, she is still a very formidable opponent, particularly when under the control of her rider.
Lucerys
Lucerys, as the second son of Rhaenyra, has an important part to play in the conflict to come. Lucerys has already shown that he is a formidable personality, as he shows when he takes out Aemond’s eye with a knife.
Be that as it may, his dragon, Arrax, is hardly one of the most imposing ones to appear in this particular story. Though he could no doubt grow to be a formidable beast, he is still very young, and this puts both him and his rider at a disadvantage in comparison to many of the other dragonriders.
Laenor
Even though he has now fled to exile in Essos, Laenor is still a dragonrider. As he has already shown in this series, he is a formidable fighter in his own right, and his dragon, Seasmoke, though not one of the largest dragons, is still a redoubtable fighter.
In particular, he is known to be of a fierce temperament, and though Laenor will no longer ride him, there are others who will take up that position. He will also show that he is particularly agile, which somewhat makes up for his lack of imposing size.
Rhaenyra
Rhaenyra is, of course, one of the most fearsome members of House Targaryen. She is matched in this regard by her dragon, Syrax. She is, by the time that House of the Dragon takes place, a truly imposing beast, with a size that dwarfs many of the other dragons currently living in Westeros.
And, while she is often well-fed–spending most of her time in the Dragonpit–she can also be quite aggressive when she needs to be. This will certainly put Rhaenyra in a position of strength once the Dance of the Dragons begins in earnest.
Aegon
Westeros has been cursed with some very evil kings, and though he is still young, it seems that Aegon has something in him of the darker strain of his family. He was also fortunate, in that he was the rider of Sunfyre, who was often regarded as extremely beautiful (for a dragon).
What’s more, this beast was also extremely large (though young), which meant that he would be a valuable asset in a battle. And, combined with Aegon’s own ruthless nature, this means that the two of them make for a very powerful weapon.
Jacaerys
Jacaerys is another of those who has a particularly important role to play in the Dance of the Dragons. As Rhaenyra’s eldest son, he will one day sit on the Iron Throne (this, despite the ugly rumors about his true parentage). He is bonded to the dragon named Vermax.
This particular dragon is still quite young at the time that House of the Dragon takes place, but he is also quite strong and healthy. Combined with Jacaerys’ own very defensive nature, this dragon will be a force to be reckoned with.
Helaena
Helaena, the daughter of Alicent and King Viserys, is a dreamy and somewhat distant character, but she also seems to have a nice nature. She is also fortunate in that she is bonded with the dragon Dreamfyre (who had previously been bonded with Rhaena Targaryen).
The bond between the two was quite strong. And, as an older dragon, Dreamfyre is a valuable asset for the Queen’s party. She will show this strength during the siege of the Dragonpit, when she breaks free of her chains and wreaks absolute havoc on those who sought to destroy the dragons.
Daemon
As the first season of House of the Dragon has unfolded, Daemon has slowly come to be seen as one of Matt Smith’s best roles. He is quite cunning and subtle in his thoughts, and he also happens to be the ride of one of Westeros’ most fearsome dragons, Caraxes.
Though not as large as Vhagar, Caraxes has a great deal of battle experience and, just as importantly, is also very fast. These attributes make him quite a fearsome creature and, combined with Daemon’s own battle experience, he will be almost unstoppable once the Dance of the Dragons begins.
Rhaenys
Eve Best manages to capture so much of Rhaenys’ mannerisms, and that includes her formidable fighting skills. Her dragon, Meleys, is a truly valuable fighter, which is why she earned the name the Red Queen.
More to the point, she also had the valuable attribute of speed, which can sometimes mean more than simple brute strength when it comes to battles with dragons. She was also one of the dragons who had a great deal of battle experience and cunning, both of which can spell the difference between victory and defeat.
Aemond
Aemond has already shown that he has an edge to him. His claiming of Vhagar was a coup on his part, and it definitely put him ahead of the game when it came to dragons. Among other things, Vhagar was one of those who was actually part of Aegon’s Conquest.
Both extremely large and very ferocious, there are no dragons in Westeros at the time of the Dance who can truly compete with her. This puts Aemond right at the top of those who have power as dragonriders, and his bond with Vhagar will have tremendous consequences for the kingdom.
