What precisely is Aegon’s destiny within the new Home of the Dragon?

[Ed. note: Spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2 episode 4 follow. There are also possible spoilers and speculation for the rest of the season, but they’re not informed by the Fire & Blood source material.]

Home of the Dragon hasn’t had many true cliffhangers in its temporary season and a half on tv to date, nevertheless it made up for misplaced time in its newest episode. Right here’s our greatest guess at what comes subsequent for Aegon II Targaryen after his very fiery crash in Home of the Dragon season 2 episode 4.

Photograph: Ollie Upton/HBO

What if he’s lifeless?

This one is sort of actually the better of the 2 choices for poor King Aegon. Taking place within the first main battle of a civil struggle is humiliation sufficient for a king, however taking place on dragonback provides insult to harm — none of which he’ll should take care of if he’s already kicked the bucket.

As for the remainder of the realm, Aegon’s demise actually wouldn’t imply the top of the struggle. With no son due to Blood and Cheese, and a really important-to-keep precedent establishing patrilineal succession, Aegon’s crown would most certainly move to his brother Aemond upon his loss of life. As we noticed on this very battle — and his potential inclination to complete his brother off — Aemond is much more hawkish than his older brother and could be all in for persevering with the struggle.

What if he’s not?

This might go one in every of two methods. The primary is that Aegon might come up from Sunfyre’s fiery crash like a phoenix, someway completely unscathed, in all probability satisfied he’s immortal, and able to lead his civil struggle with renewed vigor. The one draw back is that, given how unhealthy Sunfyre appeared to return out within the combat, Aegon in all probability wouldn’t have a dragon, which would depart him within the debt of his little brother Aemond, rider of the large dragon Vhagar. However not less than Aegon would nonetheless be capable of put on his crown and lead his kingdom.

The opposite risk is that Aegon might survive, however in fairly terrible form. He virtually actually bought burned within the preventing, possible by his personal brother’s dragon, and there’s no method most of his bones survived a fall from that top. On this case, Aegon would possible be out of fee for a substantial time period, leaving Aemond to as soon as once more tackle the tasks of the crown, simply not because the topped king however quite the prince regent — although he’d nonetheless be named Protector of the Realm by some means.

Picture: HBO

It doesn’t matter what occurs to Aegon himself, it does look like Sunfyre might be out of fee for good. This isn’t essentially a loss of life knell of Aegon’s struggle, nevertheless it does actually damage his probabilities in it. There’s no useful resource within the Dance of Dragons higher than the dragons themselves, and having one much less — notably when that one was large enough to be ridden — is actually a large drawback.

Any method you slice it, and it doesn’t matter what occurs, Aegon’s determination to trip out into battle searching for honor and a strategy to upstage his brother couldn’t probably have gone worse. He’s down one dragon, a very powerful useful resource of the struggle, and that could be the least of his issues. Nevertheless, regardless of the destiny of Aegon is, we’ll have to attend till subsequent week to get the decision to Home of the Dragon’s largest cliffhanger but.