Will the real Daeron Targaryen please stand up?
The third episode of “House of the Dragon” Season 3 found Ormund Hightower (James Newton) pulling a fast one on Daemon (Matt Smith) and Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy). Daemon shows up to treat with Ormund after Team Black takes the Iron Throne. They want the Hightower army to return to Oldtown and for Ormund to return Alicent’s youngest son Daeron – who has been living with the Hightowers for years at this point.
Ormund agrees and hands over a silver-haired boy. Rhaenyra tries to use Daeron’s return to earn some goodwill toward Alicent after she beheaded Otto Hightower in Episode 2. Daemon is worried about the line of succession and thinks Daeron should be killed to strengthen Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne further.
When the decision is meant to be made “Daeron” makes his own reveal – he’s not actually Alicent’s son. Ormund ordered him to dye his hair and go with Daemon while the real Daeron stayed with him and his army, also not ready to head home and concede to Team Black.
The real Daeron Targaryen has been MIA from the series from the jump – to the point that fans assumed he had been written out of the story altogether – but now that he’s arrived on the scene there is a lot to catch up on with the latest Targaryen. Here is everything you need to know about Daeron Targaryen and why he is important to what comes next.
Daeron’s Life Before The Dance of the Dragons
Daeron was born in 114 AC and was the fourth child to Viserys and Alicent – following Aegon, Aemond and Helaena. He was born shortly after Jace and in an effort to heal the growing rift between Alicent and Rhaenyra, Viserys ordered the two spend a lot of their youngest years together in hopes they’d grow close.
That didn’t happen – especially in the show where Daeron’s budding rivalry with Jace as they aged was not shown – and he was sent off to Oldtown to be the cupbearer for Ormund Hightower, Alicent’s cousin. Daeron was sent at 12 and spent his most formative years being raised and taught by Ormund meaning that of all Alicent’s children it’s the son she’s spent the least time with that was raised as much a Hightower as a Targaryen.
What Is His Dragon?
Like many of the other Targaryens at the time, Daeron is a dragon rider himself. He flies on a blue dragon named Tessarion. It was first seen in the Season 2 finale when the Hightower forces were seen marching toward King’s Landing to support Aegon as Rhaenyra mustered her own forces to attack.
In Season 3, Tessarion has been seen waiting among Ormund’s other forces but has not yet been shown in battle. The dragon is fight-ready but serves as the youngest dragon utilized by Team Green during the war.
Why Is Daeron Important?
There are a number of reasons that Daeron remains an important element of the war. Because Rhaenyra beheaded Otto Hightower right in front of Alicent after they brokered a pseudo-peace to end the Dance once and for all, securing the former Queen’s youngest son might be the first step toward healing some of the new rifts between the two.
Perhaps the most important reason to locate Daeron is once again due to that pesky line of succession issue. With Aegon on the lam (and presumed dead), Aemond focusing on his own sidequesting in Harrenhal, Daeron went from being shoved aside to live and squire in Oldtown to being the next in line for the Iron Throne. If Rhaenyra wants to keep her claim, it’s important she finds Daeron and deals with him in one way or another.
