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“the tradition and honour of house targaryen dies…with them”
Daemon / Caraxes and Rhaenys / Meleys are, to me at least, the last of the great Targaryen Dragon Riders. Aegon doesn’t have the same bond with Vhagar, Rhaenyra is queen first and dragon rider second, Aegon doesn’t speak Valyrian, and all the other kids die too young to really grow into their heritage. Even Danaerys is never really able to bring that tradition and honour back, as she has to try to figure the dragons out on her own. With Rhaenys dead, Daemon is the last true dragon rider.
RIP to the Queen Who Never Was, unequivocally my favorite HOTD character.
episode 4 of house of the dragon… oh I’m in TEARS
meleys was a dragon with some of the most loyal riders out there. alyssa brought viserys and daemon on her back as newborns. rhaenys refused to leave dangerous spaces without her. and when rhaenys told meleys to attack, meleys complies knowing full well it was a death sentence because she loves and trusts rhaenys that much.
and here’s the thing: you see aegon and sunfyre have somewhat of a sweet moment before battle. there’s a relationship there that honestly could have been nearly as loyal as that of meleys and rhaenys. but aegon is so hypersensitive and relentless that after this he will go on to push sunfyre into things before either of them have healed and things which defy the very magic dragons were born from (kinslaying). that paired with aegon’s lack of high valyrian fluency makes for a complete lack of understanding of why targaryens have dragons and of the bonds which have made their house so worthy for so many years. it just spits in the face of their house, as does the moment immediatelt after where aemond nearly commits his second act of kinslaying in less than a couple months. again, it’s a complete carnal sin and fails to present a united front which feels disgraceful to the targaryen name.
and so part of why it’s so heartbreaking to watch meleys and rhaenys die is because those two just get it and losing them feels like the tradition and honour of house targaryen dies a little bit with them in that moment.
I hope eve best knows we love her to bits and she just delivered such a powerful, magical, and dignified performance 🥹✊🏻