(Editorial note: Spoilers ahead House of the Dragon season 2 episode 4 to follow. There are also possible spoilers and speculations for the rest of the season, but they are not informed by the Fire & Blood source material.)
House of the Dragon hasn’t had many real cliffhangers in its short season and a half on television so far, but it made up for lost time in its final episode. Here’s our best guess at what’s going to happen to Aegon II Targaryen after his very fiery crash in House of the Dragon season 2 episode 4.
Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO
What if he’s dead?
This is almost certainly the easier of the two options for poor King Aegon. Falling in the first major battle of a civil war is humiliating enough for a king, but falling on dragonback adds insult to injury—one he won’t have to deal with once he’s already gone.
As for the rest of the realm, Aegon’s demise would certainly not mean the end of the war. With no son thanks to Blood and Cheese, and a very important precedent establishing patrilineal succession, Aegon’s crown would most likely pass to his brother Aemond upon his death. As we saw in this battle—and his possible inclination to finish off his brother—Aemond is even more aggressive than his older brother, and would do anything to continue the war.
And what if it isn’t?
This could go one of two ways. The first is that Aegon could rise from Sunfyre’s fiery crash like a phoenix, somehow completely unscathed, probably convinced he’s immortal, and ready to lead his civil war with renewed vigor. The only downside is that, given how poorly Sunfyre seemed to fare in the battle, Aegon would likely be without a dragon, leaving him indebted to his little brother Aemond, rider of the massive dragon Vhagar. But at least Aegon would still get to wear his crown and lead his kingdom.
The other possibility is that Aegon could survive, but in pretty bad shape. He was almost certainly burned in battle, probably by his own brother’s dragon, and there’s no way most of his bones could have survived a fall from that height. In this case, Aegon would likely be incapacitated for a significant period of time, leaving Aemond to assume the responsibilities of the crown once again, albeit not as the crowned king, but as the Prince Regent—though he would still be appointed Protector of the Realm in some form.
Image: HBO
Whatever happens to Aegon himself, it seems likely that Sunfyre is out of the picture for good. This isn’t necessarily a death knell for Aegon’s war, but it does hurt his chances in it. There is no resource in the Dance of Dragons greater than the dragons themselves, and having one less—especially one large enough to be ridden—is certainly a huge disadvantage.
No matter how you look at it, no matter what happens, Aegon’s decision to go to war in search of honor and a way to outdo his brother could not have ended worse. He has lost one dragon, the most important resource of the war, and that may be the least of his problems. But whatever Aegon’s fate is, we will have to wait until next week to get the answer House of the Dragon‘s biggest cliffhanger yet.