According to the House of the Dragon theory, the main character’s death was hinted at off-screen in episode 3
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The new episode of House of the Dragon contained a small line that might have just confirmed the death of a main character.
This potential development comes after readers of Fire & BloodThe game of Thrones The writers of the series, who created the template for the spin-off, were completely surprised by a change in the first season.
George RR Martin’s book, which traces the history of the Targaryens, is full of brutal twists and turns—and while the series largely sticks to that, one character’s life was spared despite their tragic fate on the page.
*Possible spoilers follow – you have been warned*
The moment in question revolved around Laenor (John Macmillan), who was killed so that his wife Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) could marry her uncle Daemon (Matt Smith) – a decision she believed would strengthen her claim to the throne.
In the first season, Rhaenyra conspired with Daemon to convince Laenor’s secret lover Ser Qarl Correy (Arty Froushan) to kill her husband Laenor in a duel.
Daemon hinted to Qarl that he should cross the Narrow Sea to live a life of luxury, away from the political intrigues and schemes of the Targaryens. However, Qarl engages Laenor in a duel and the scene cuts off. Later, viewers are shown Laenor’s charred corpse.
However, in the final moments of the episode, it is revealed that the corpse is actually a hoax and that Rhaenyra and Daemon helped Laenor fake his death in order to escape safely with Qarl.
This was a big change from the books, where Daemon successfully pays Qarl to kill Laenor. The change greatly altered the dynamic around Rhaenyra – and now makes her the most sympathetic character in Westeros.
But fans are now convinced that Laenor may be dead after all and that the writers are holding back this revelation for a future episode.
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The inspiration for this theory comes from a line at the beginning of the third episode of the second season, in which Rhaenyra and Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) hear Laenor’s dragon Seasmoke flying around and making hurt noises.
When Mysaria asks, “Are they always like this?” Rhaenyra replies, “Seasmoke – my late lord husband’s dragon. He has become restless lately. We do not know why.”
Mysaria replies cryptically, “Maybe he’s lonely,” and the camera lingers on Rhaenyra’s uncertain face.
“For me this confirmed that Laenor did indeed die in Essos and Seasmoke acting like this was damn painful,” wrote one viewer, with another adding: “The fact that she says Seasmoke has been getting restless /lately/, implying he hasn’t been like this since Laenor left, is a new thing, a new development… Shows me he died
Another fan theorized, “This implies Seasmoke is lonely because Laenor might be dead,” and another commented on X/Twitter, “I think Seasmoke senses Laenor is gone and he’s grieving and missing the connection to a rider.”
House of the Dragon continues in the US on Sundays on HBO and in the UK on Mondays on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
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