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The Targaryen family is all over the shop right now. King Viserys rules the Seven Kingdoms, but is struggling to control his daughter Rhaenyra. Having tired of her bachelorette rebellions, he’s demanded she marry Lord Corlys Velaryon’s son, Ser Laenor. She’s not thrilled about it — and neither is Daemon, who in episode 4 let his desire to marry his niece be known.
Just Targaryen things.
Episode 5, titled We Light the Way, takes place shortly after the climax of the previous episode, meaning there’s no big time gap like the three years that passed between the second and third episodes. That won’t be the case with episode 6.
Tensions within House Targaryen escalate in We Light the Way. Queen Alicent is now dealing with the political implications of Rhaenyra scheming to get the queen’s dad Otto Hightower dismissed as the king’s hand and Daemon continues to cause a ruckus wherever he goes.
A full recap of House of the Dragon episode 5 is below. Caution: Spoilers ahead.
We’ve heard a few references to Daemon Targaryen’s wife — Rhea Royce, or „the bronze bitch“ as Daemon calls her — but we’ve never actually met her. That changes in the opening scene of House of the Dragon episode 5.
Lady Royce rides into the vale, only to find her path blocked by a cloaked Daemon. Dude couldn’t have looked more murdery if he tried.
„Husband,“ she says, „what brings you to the vale? Have you at last come to consummate our marriage? The vale sheep might be willing, even if I’m not.“
She taunts Daemon about King Viserys choosing a „little girl“ over Daemon, and wonders aloud whether Daemon will kill his own niece.
But as the ominously cloaked Daemon advances on her, she realizes he has other plans. Daemon doesn’t want to kill Rhaenyra, he wants to marry her. To do that, he’ll need to get rid of his wife.
And so he does. Daemon startles Lady Royce’s horse, causing her to fall back and injure her arm. He then picks up a nearby rock to finish the act. That’s a wrap for Lady Royce.
After being dismissed as Hand of the King in the final moments of episode 4, Otto Hightower is on the way out of King’s Landing. He’s met at the city gates by his daughter, Queen Alicent. With a backdrop of pouring rain, as with all good farewells, she tells her father she regrets the king’s decision to expel him.
Otto places the blame on Alicent herself for convincing King Viserys that the reports of Daemon’s brothel liaison with Rhaenyra were not to be trusted. Alicent fires back that Otto is at fault for being so relentless about positioning Aegon, her son and his grandson, as heir.
Otto isn’t having it.
„The king will die. It may be months or years, but he’ll not live to be an old man,“ he says. „And if Rhaenyra succeeds him, war will follow… the realm will not accept her, and to secure her claim she’ll have to put your children to the sword. She’ll have no choice.“
„The time is coming, Alicent. Either you prepare Aegon to rule or you plead to Rhaenyra and pray for her mercy.“
Damn. Some pretty full-on parting words there. No pressure.
Daemon isn’t the only Targaryen with marriage on his mind. King Viserys sails with his court, plus Rhaenyra, to Driftmark. He intends to wed Rhaenyra to Laenor Velaryon, the son of Lord Corlys Velaryon.
Lord Corlys and his wife, Princess Rhaenys, embrace the king and his court inside Driftmark castle’s Great Hall. Corlys congratulates Lord Lyonel Strong on his promotion to Hand of the King – you may remember Lord Strong as the Master of Laws who counseled Viserys a couple of times in earlier episodes – but sighs about the unfortunate circumstances in which they all meet. Viserys is confused – the circumstances seem perfectly fortunate to him.
„Daemon’s wife, the Lady Rhea Royce, has passed,“ Lord Corlys announces. Rhaenys explains that Lady Royce was killed in a „hunting mishap,“ that her neck and skull were crushed after being thrown from her horse.
„A most surprising end. Lady Rhea’s skill as a rider and hunter were well known,“ Corlys says.
Viserys and the new Hand of the King exchange concerned glances. The implication is obvious: Foul play is at work.
And by „foul play“ I mean Daemon. And by „at work“ I mean „killing his wife.“
„Mayhaps we can toward happier pursuits,“ a clearly annoyed Viserys says. He’s also got a conspicuous cough he can’t seem to shake. Viserys proposes wedding the two families in blood. Lord Corlys is honored, but wants to know how the succession will work.
They haggle and then strike the following bargain: When Rhaenyra and Laenor have children, they’ll inherit the paternal family name of Velaryon. But when any of those children become king or queen, they’ll rule under the name of Targaryen.
As King Viserys and Lord Corlys were bartering over marriage arrangements, both Rhaenyra and Laenor were conspicuous by their absence. In the next scene, we see them sharing a romantic walk by the beach – during which they agree to pretend to love each other in public.
„I know this union is not what you would choose,“ Rhaenyra says.
„I hold nothing against you, cousin,“ Laenor glumly replies – reminding us that, even if Daemon doesn’t get his way, Rhaenyra is still marrying within the family. (Rhaenys, Laenor’s mother, is Viserys‘ cousin.)
Rhaenyra clarifies that she knows there’s a difference in „taste.
