Is Aegon still alive in “House of the Dragon”? This is how he dies in the books

• Aegon takes a pretty nasty fall in the latest episode of House of the Dragon.
• It’s unclear whether Aegon is still alive at the end of Season 2, Episode 4, but the book gives some clues.
• Here you can find out what role Aegon plays in the series and what happens to him in “Fire in Blood” (without spoilers, of course).

Warning: Spoilers for season two, episode four of “House of the Dragon” and the book “Fire and Blood” follow.

In the fourth episode, House of the Dragon finally stops holding back and it’s time for all-out war.

That’s right: Dragons are finally involved in the war between Rhaenyra Targaryen and her half-brother Aegon II for the Iron Throne. The series reaches the Battle of Rook’s Rest, an event from the Fire and Blood original that takes a heavy toll. Rather than setting off to capture Harrenhal from Prince Daemon as was predictable, Ser Criston Cole instead leads his troops to Rook’s Rest. It appears to be a ploy to lure out one of Rhaenyra’s dragons, and it works: Rhaenyra sends Princess Rhaenys and her dragon Meleys, the “Red Queen.”

Unfortunately for Criston Cole and Aemond, his accomplice, Aegon chooses this moment to take the lead, flying into battle on his dragon Sunfyre. The episode leaves Aegon’s fate unclear – but we can look to “Fire and Blood” for clues. If you’re worried about book spoilers (and thus possible show spoilers), turn the page.

Aegon chooses the wrong moment to play the hero

All in all, Criston and Aemond had a pretty good plan: They were to attack Rook’s Rest, a castle near Dragonstone, lure out one of Rhaenyra’s dragons, and destroy it with Vhagar, Aemond’s gigantic mount.

But Aegon is far spurned and far more foolish than either of them had planned. And when he arrives on the battlefield with Sunfyre, it is immediately clear that Rhaenys and Meleys are superior to him. Meleys severely wounds Sunfyre before Vhagar even enters the battlefield.

But Aemond isn’t there to save his brother. In fact, this might even be an opportunity to take him out, along with one of Rhaenyra’s most powerful allies. While Meleys holds Sunfyre in the air, Aemond orders Vhagar to set them all on fire, and Sunfyre and Aegon rush into the forest.

After the grim end of the battle, Ser Criston seeks out Aegon. Aemond has arrived at the crash site before him, and what they find is not pretty: Aegon lies limp on the ground, surrounded by a smoking, moaning sunfire.

However, in episode three, Aegon dons a suit of Valyrian steel armor that he says belonged to Aegon the Conqueror. It seems as though he wears this armor in battle.

We know from Fire and Blood that “ordinary fire” cannot melt Valyrian steel. In the book, Vhagar lights Aegon the Conqueror’s funeral pyre, which burns his body but leaves his Valyrian steel blade, Blackfyre, intact. In return, we have to see how it holds up to a full dragon blast.

Aegon and Sunfyre survive in the book… but they are pretty battered

In “Fire and Blood”, Meleys, Vhagar, and Sunfyre meet during the Battle of Rook’s Rest. The dragon fight ends when Vhagar falls from above onto Meleys and Sunfyre, killing Meleys and Rhaenys. However, Sunfyre and Aegon survive.

They are not in the best shape, however. One of Sunfyre’s wings is half torn off his body, so he lands near the castle. According to the book, he stays there, eating the corpses from the battle and later the cattle that Ser Criston brought.

Aegon suffered a broken hip and broken ribs. He was severely burned and his armor melted into the skin of his left arm.

Martin writes in Fire and Blood that Aegon’s “burns caused him such pain that he reportedly prayed for his death.” His injuries force him to spend a year in bed, cared for by the maesters and sleeping despite the pain. This obviously means he is unfit to rule, and Aemond takes over his duties as Prince Regent.

However, Aegon and Sunfyre die at some point

Later in the war, a small force loyal to Rhaenyra recaptures Rook’s Rest and attempts to kill Sunfyre. They fail, but soon after, Sunfyre is nowhere to be found.

When Rhaenyra takes King’s Landing, Aegon is gone, as are his remaining children, Jaehara and Maelor. According to a historical record referenced in Fire and Blood, Larys Strong smuggled them out of the city and put Aegon aboard a fishing boat bound for Dragonstone.

Aegon hides there until Sunfyre comes to the island after six months of absence. His wing has healed so badly that he can barely fly anymore. The two begin to fly together again and eventually a force loyal to Aegon takes over the island. Aegon and Sunfyre are forced to fight Baela, Daemon and Laena’s daughter, and her dragon Moondancer. In the clash, Moondancer dies, Sunfyre can no longer fly, Aegon has two broken legs after jumping out of the saddle, and Baela is captured.

But this leaves Aegon in possession of Dragonstone. When Rhaenyra arrives, he immediately feeds her to his dragon Sunfyre. Sunfyre dies shortly afterwards.

Aegon returns to King’s Landing after his mother Alicent makes a deal with Lord Corlys Velaryon and lifts the Velaryon blockade that had prevented his return. There, he sits not on the Iron Throne, but on a seat at its steps due to his broken legs.

The king then seeks revenge on those who acted against him during the war and forces the lords of the surrounding crown lands to submit to him. But while Aegon’s council is racking its brains over how to quell the coming rebellion throughout Westeros, Aegon is preoccupied with succession issues: he wants to marry Lady Cassandra Baratheon and father new heirs. (In the book, Aegon’s sister and wife Helaena commits suicide after the death of her son Maelor.) He also wants to prevent the betrothal of his daughter Jaehaera to Rhaenyra’s son, Aegon the Younger, in order to end Rhaenyra’s bloodline.

Finally, as the armies invade King’s Landing, Aegon is poisoned with a cup of spiked wine in his palanquin on the way to the Sept.

The second season of “House of the Dragon” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and is streamed on Max.