Rhaenys has always been one of the most important characters in House of the Dragon
(Editor’s Note: This story contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2 episode 4.)
The Dance of Dragons just claimed its most influential Targaryen yet. And no, we’re not talking about Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) — we’re talking about Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best), who will be sorely missed after her harrowing, triumphant death in Episode 4. A key player in Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) council, Rhaenys went down with the same high level of grace, tenacity, and morality that she’s maintained throughout her time on the show. House of the Dragon.
And at least we get a hell of a dragon fight out of it. We open in the contested territory of Rook’s Rest, where Rhaenyra sends Rhaenys to destroy Criston Cole’s (Fabien Frankel) army. “We’re going to fight again, old girl,” Rhaenys says as she boards Meleys at Dragonstone, a real tug at the heartstrings as the pair embark on what we now know will be their final ride together.
Before she meets her own demise, Rhaenys gives one last hurrah, beating the living daylights out of the drunken, uninvited Aegon. But once Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) arrives aboard Vhagar, it’s all over for them. Aegon goes down first. Then Vhagar sinks its teeth into Meleys’ neck. Meleys turns to her rider, a warning that defeat is coming, and Rhaenys simply nods. Their journey together is over. But they’ve done a damn good job together, haven’t they? As the pair collapse to the ground together, the look on Rhaenys’ face is less one of fear and defeat and more one of peaceful resignation and understanding of what must be done.
While the loss of Rhaenys may be tragic, her death is magnificent and powerful. It may even be the best scene of Season 2 so far — at least the princess didn’t die in vain. As the episode draws to a close, a bruised Criston crawls through the nearby forest to find Aemond crouched over his brother and Sunfyre. Aegon is incapacitated. Both he and Sunfyre appear dead, dying, or injured beyond repair. In short, Rhaenys’ death led to the biggest victory for Team Black — or the war — this season.
But that’s not to say this isn’t a major setback for Rhaenyra and her council. Rhaenys famously (or, rather, infamously) never sat on the Iron Throne, known as the “Queen Who Never Was.” And yet, Rhaenys was always able to provide leadership from within the Targaryen dynasty, a quiet, humble voice of reason. She understood the value of peace, like when she dutifully passed the throne to her younger cousin, Viserys (Paddy Considine). But perhaps more importantly, Rhaenys also knew when to disrupt that peace—like when she fought tooth and nail midway through Season 1 to ensure that the Driftmark would be passed to her when Corlys (Steve Toussaint) passed away. It’s that same energy for keeping women in their rightful positions that has been such an asset to Rhaenyra in Season 2.
Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO
Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO
In other words, Rhaenys understood the importance of picking your battles. That’s an important skill in the middle of a war: knowing which battles to pursue and which to avoid at all costs. In her small council, Rhaenyra is surrounded by men who are eager to push buttons and attack Team Green at every opportunity. At every standoff, Rhaenyra would glance over at Rhaenys for some kind of nonverbal seal of disapproval or approval on how to proceed with the ongoing Targaryen feud. This silent communication has occurred in nearly every episode of Season 2 so far, including Rhaenys’ final council meeting, a silent confirmation that, yes, sending Meleys into battle is the best option, no matter how dangerous it may be.
Now, who will Rhaenyra look to when she needs a clear head? Daemon? As if. But Rhaenyra will surely need to find another guiding force in her life that doesn’t include Rhaenys. She may need to look to the next generation of women in her family—both for Team Black’s sake, and because House of the Dragon should continue to view the female characters from a feminist perspective, as the series did with Rhaenys.
Because while the show gained one killer dragon battle scene, it also lost a feminist icon. Rhaenys’ staunch support of Rhaenyra was monumental in the fight against Aegon — when the war began, Rhaenys could have, of course, sided with the same patriarchy that kept her from becoming queen over Viserys. If Rhaenys couldn’t be queen, why would she be so inclined to continue fighting against the men (and women — looking at you, Alicent!) who pushed the Targaryen women aside. But no — Rhaenys chose the side that felt right, ultimately stood up for her morals, and helped build the team that would provide the best future for her granddaughters, Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) and Baela (Bethany Antonia).
To be fair, anyone who defeated Aegon Targaryen would instantly become an icon – but it’s great that Rhaenys was the one to make the mark. She may never have been a queen in the literal sense of the word, but in the more symbolic sense, she will always be a queen in our hearts. She fought for the best of the realm and its women, becoming a true Targaryen legend.