How does Daemon Targaryen die in the book?

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 3 (and possibly major spoilers for future episodes).

The healer Alys Rivers of Harrenhal predicts the death of Prince Daemon Targaryen on the grounds of the castle. House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 3 – but will her prophecy come true? How does Daemon dies in George RR Martin’s original book, Fire & Blood?

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Daemon Targaryen’s death in fire and blood, explained

Alys Rivers’ prediction about Daemon Targaryen’s death actually comes true in Fire & Blood. Daemon meets his maker after an epic aerial duel with his arch-enemy (and nephew), Prince Aemond Targaryen, over the Eye of God, a lake near Harrenhal. The skies also claim the lives of Daemon and Aemond’s respective dragons, Caraxes and Vhagar. Still, Daemon technically won the battle—even if his victory was short-lived. As both combatants and their dragons raced toward the Eye of God, Daemon lunged at Vhagar and plunged his sword through Aemond’s false eye and into his skull, presumably killing him.

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And even if Aemond survived, the high-speed impact in the lake quickly finished him off. Both dragon riders and their mounts are said to have hit the Eye of God so hard that the waters were as high as Harrenhal’s tallest tower. In short, it’s not something you just let go of. Interestingly, however, only Aemond’s body was found; Daemon’s remains missing. This sparked rumors that the renegade prince escaped alive and met up with his lover Nettles elsewhere in Westeros. Fire & Blood makes it pretty clear that this is just a myth.

Will Daemon Targaryen die in House of the Dragon season 2?

Maybe, although we wouldn’t count on it. Yes, Martin and House of the Dragon Co-creator (and showrunner) Ryan Condal has clearly indicated a book-accurate date for Daemon’s death through Alys’ prophecy. However, the exact time of said demise is still uncertain. In the book, Daemon dies about a year after he claims Harrenhal for the Black Targaryen camp (as depicted in Season 2, Episode 3). A lot happens in that time, and it’s hard to imagine House of the Dragon squeeze everything into the remaining episodes of the second season.

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In particular, Daemon and Caraxes take part in one of the Fire & Bloodone of the major events: the fall of King’s Landing. Given what we know about the book’s timeline, this will almost certainly be seen as an important set piece in House of the Dragon Second half of season 2. The conclusion is that Daemon’s death will probably not occur until season 3 (at the earliest). This also gives Condal, Martin and the House of the Dragon Team more space to explore other aspects of Daemons Fire & Blood Arc, such as his relationship with the previously invisible Nettles.

Season 2 of House of the Dragon is currently airing on HBO and Max, with new episodes released on Sundays.