WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Fire & Blood and House of the Dragon season 1, episode 7!Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen make several shocking decisions in House of the Dragon episode 7, teasing the lengths they’ll go to win the Iron Throne in the civil war. Following the death of Laena Velaryon, the newly-single Daemon reunites with Rhaenyra for the first time in a decade. Their desires and connection haven’t waned over the years, but they must enact a clever murder plot and make significant political power plays before secretly marrying. In House of the Dragon episode 7’s ending, Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen have a Valyrian wedding ceremony while they wait for their enemies’ responses to their misdeeds.
The plan to fake Laenor Velaryon’s death isn’t a light decision, but was made in the interest of benefiting both Rhaenyra and her husband. Although Corlys and Rhaenys will be angry in their grief, Daemon and Rhaenyra’s marriage is still fundamentally advantageous for the Velaryons. With Laenor Velaryon living a happier, anonymous life in Essos with his lover Qarl Correy, Rhaenyra and Daemon are able to openly love one another and prepare for her rocky ascension of the Iron Throne. Rhaenyra and Daemon’s controversial marriage may anger Viserys, worry the greens, and exile Laenor for life, but will more importantly set up their strength in House of the Dragon’s Targaryen civil war.
Love, Lust, Or Politics: Why Rhaenyra Really Marries Daemon
House of the Dragon has been teasing Rhaenyra and Daemon’s marriage since episode 4. Growing up, Rhaenyra was always enamored with Daemon, who also shared a fondness for Rhaenyra. When she was 17, Daemon tried to seduce her in a brothel as a ploy to have her virtue questioned and make Viserys marry her to him. However, realizing Rhaenyra was actually excited by his sexual advances and that he actually had feelings for her, Daemon stopped and abandoned her. Viserys refused to marry Daemon to Rhaenyra despite the rumors of their tryst, but that didn’t stop Rhaenyra from daring Daemon to take her to Dragonstone and make her his wife while at her wedding to Laenor. Despite wanting to take one another, Daemon and Rhaenyra had to marry separate spouses first. But, the death of Laena Velaryon, the growing tensions within House Targaryen, substantial maturity over the past decade, and a long-awaited reunion in House of the Dragon episode 7 led Daemon and Rhaenyra to finally take what they want: Each other.
Ultimately, the reasons why Rhaenyra and Daemon marry involve a combination of political advantage, a decades’ worth of lust, and being in love with one another. House of the Dragon indicates that their marriage will make the black party stronger through the Queen and prince consort both being Targaryens, with the pair also keeping House Targaryen’s Valyrian bloodline pure should they have heirs. Rhaenyra and Daemon’s idea to marry also came shortly after they finally slept together, suggesting it was partially a result of the lust they still had for one another. Of course, Rhaenyra insinuates that she has only ever loved Daemon, with Daemon proving the same when he fled to Pentos in order to avoid seeing Rhaenyra have children with other men. By House of the Dragon episode 7, Rhaenyra and Daemon no longer fear the consequences of Viserys’ anger, with the only thing standing in the way of their marriage being Laenor.
Rhaenyra & Daemon’s Plan To Fake Laenor’s Death Explained
Rhaenyra and Daemon’s plan to fake the dragon-rider Laenor Velaryon’s death was arranged in a way that their enemies would believe they ordered his murder. House of the Dragon episode 7 sees Daemon proposition Laenor’s lover Qarl Correy to do something illegal for him, with Daemon giving him gold and passage to Essos in return. It turns out that Daemon is suggesting Qarl pretend to kill Laenor so that the two can escape together, but it means Qarl will never be able to return to Westeros. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra and Daemon say there will need to be a witness to Laenor and Qarl’s duel, as this will enhance the perception that Qarl kills him. Daemon will kill a servant of Driftmark beforehand, then when the witness leaves to find guards, they bring in the dead body and burn it in the room’s fireplace. Qarl and Laenor make a quick escape, so when Corlys and Rhaenys Velaryon arrive and see a body that looks like Laenor’s burned unrecognizably, they have no reason to doubt that their son is dead. Laenor shaves his head and flees the castle on a boat with Qarl, where a ship is waiting to take them far away.
The plan allows Laenor to be happy in his relationship with Qarl, while also letting Rhaenyra have the husband she wants and politically needs. However, House of the Dragon episode 7 makes a point that there will be whispers of Rhaenyra being responsible for Laenor’s death, as she marries Daemon the same night as the murder. But, after all that happened between Rhaenyra and Alicent the night before, Rhaenyra would rather have the advantage of letting her enemies think she was capable of such actions.
Why Rhaenyra Wants Everyone To Think She Had Laenor Killed
Rhaenyra refuses to rule as a tyrant, but Daemon tells her that a strong queen must also be feared. In order to instill this fear, Rhaenyra and Daemon have to take drastic measures – or at least make everything think they do. Perception is far more important than the truth in House of the Dragon; similar to how it didn’t matter whether Daemon and Rhaenyra had actually slept together in House of the Dragon episode 4, the truth of whether Rhaenyra really had Laenor killed is irrelevant. Daemon and Rhaenyra can avoid any cruelty in actually killing Laenor, but are able to reap the benefits of their enemies believing they’ll stop at nothing to get what they want. If Alicent and the greens fear Daemon and Rhaenyra, they would hopefully be less likely to challenge her claim due to worrying that they will be killed next.
What Was With All The Blood At Rhaenyra & Daemon’s Wedding Ceremony
House of the Dragon episode 7 is the first time that Game of Thrones’ universe has shown a Valyrian wedding ceremony. Daemon and Rhaenyra have been highly invested in their Valyrian ancestry throughout House of the Dragon, with Daemon spending 10 years in Pentos researching dragonlords while Rhaenyra has been prioritizing her role in fulfilling Aegon’s prophecy. As such, it’s not surprising that they would choose to have a Valyrian wedding ceremony rather than the typical Westerosi marriage performed with the blessings of the Seven. Daemon and Rhaenyra’s wedding involves cutting their lips with dragonglass, cutting their palms and tying them together, and placing a smear of blood on their foreheads (which still doesn’t have as much blood as Rhaenyra’s wedding to Laenor).
Considering the Valyrians are obsessed with their blood purity, it makes sense that this would be incorporated into their marriage rites. When Rhaenyra and Daemon press their bleeding palms together in House of the Dragon, they’re not necessarily mixing blood, but instead making their one bloodline stronger. Maegor the Cruel also had a Valyrian wedding ceremony on Dragonstone, which involved being wed by “blood and fire.” Blood purity for dragonriders of Old Valyria is taken seriously by House Targaryen, suggesting the wedding ceremony could end up being benefiting Daemon and Rhaenyra politically by proving their dedication to their coveted ancestry.
What Rhaenyra & Daemon’s Marriage Means For House Of The Dragon
Rhaenyra’s marriage to Daemon gives her claim to the Iron Throne a massive advantage, as it strengthens Targaryen representation on the throne, establishes her as ruling alongside the King’s original heir, and gives her the opportunity to produce full-blooded, trueborn Targaryen children. When Rhaenyra and Daemon have children of their own, their pure Valyrian blood could make their claims to the Iron Throne even stronger than Aegon and Aemond, who are half-Hightower. While Daemon already would have been on Rhaenyra’s side in the Dance of the Dragons, their marriage further solidifies the blacks’ dragon power since Rhaenyra’s sons and Daemon’s daughters will be dragonriders.
The lords of Westeros are already well-attuned to Daemon’s unpredictability, meaning they’ll be less likely to challenge Rhaenyra’s claim with Daemon (and Caraxes) as her fiercest defenders. On the other hand, some may be eager to keep Daemon from such power due to his unforgiving impulsiveness. Daemon also maintains the support of the Gold Cloaks and those that fought alongside him in the Stepstones, all of whom will be more likely to join Rhaenyra’s cause with Daemon as the prince consort in House of the Dragon. Additionally, Daemon already had a strong alliance with “second son” Corlys Velaryon before marrying Laena due to the War for the Stepstones, indicating the Sea Snake will be more eager to lead Rhaenyra’s armies and the Velaryon fleet into battle with Daemon at his side.
Unfortunately, Daemon and Rhaenyra’s marriage will further isolate them from King Viserys and the political mischief of the greens in King’s Landing. Viserys will be angry with Daemon and Rhaenyra for marrying without his consent, thus giving rise to another feud between the brothers after a decade of being apart. Their marriage is also apt to immediately anger Corlys and Rhaenys Velaryon, the parents of Daemon’s former wife Laena and Rhaenyra’s former husband Laenor. However, considering Rhaenyra and Daemon are the parents of Corlys and Rhaenys’ grandchildren and Velaryon heirs, House of the Dragon’s characters will remain loyal to the black party. Despite being disadvantaged due to their distance from King’s Landing before Viserys’ death, Daemon and Rhaenyra’s marriage ultimately sets them up as a formidable force in House of the Dragon’s impending civil war.
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