Heartwarming / House of the Dragon

"I will speak of my brother as I wish. You will not."

For Game of Thrones, see here.

Season 1

1 - The Heirs of the Dragon

• Rhaenyra fussing over her mother Aemma Targaryen, née Arryn, and grumpily considering that her attendants care more about the babe in her belly than the queen's own comfort and that she'll attend to her needs in their stead.
• Daemon Targaryen's Establishing Character Moment is his electric affection for his niece Rhaenyra, bringing her a Valyrian steel necklace and verbally sparring with her on court politics.
• The bond between Rhaenyra and Alicent. The former even admits that having her company brings her greater joy than being her father's sole child. And that for his sake she hopes he gets the son he's long-awaited, also mentioning that her worrying is only for her mother and not for her position.
• During the Heir's Tourney, Rhaenyra grips the necklace Daemon gifted her during his tilts; frazzled and concerned when he's on the back foot and the first to beam and cheer at his success. She even pouts when he asks for Alicent's favour and not her own.
• Viserys and Aemma clearly love each other, and he doesn't hold it against her that she's had trouble bearing his children despite the fact she clearly wanted to. It makes it all the more heartbreaking when he has to make a Sadistic Choice to save their baby, and it's clear he has no real desire to take a new wife.
• Daemon proving more of his Hidden Depths at the funeral for his cousin Aemma and his short-lived nephew as well as showing his empathy for the king. Aside from showing genuine anguish himself when no one is looking, he manages to refocus Rhaenyra away from misplaced blame and anger at her father by pointing out that Viserys needs her to finish the funeral ceremony due to his own all-consuming grief. It shows that regardless of his draconic flaws of avarice, pride, and wrath, Daemon is capable of being a loving family member willing to share the burden of mourning at a public funeral in a sincere, devoted, and caring way. While Aemma's and Baelon's funeral is certainly a Tear Jerker, the true compassion Daemon shows for his niece and brother comes through, as he offers comforting words to the former.
  • Syrax also shows a degree of sympathy for her rider (as much as a dragon can show at least) as she looks at Rhaenyra with a degree of concern before somberly lighting the funeral pyre.
• Alicent, despite knowing fully well what her father had in mind when he sent her to Viserys's chambers, becomes one of the few people to offer him actual sympathy. One can see the relief and content in Viserys's face as Alicent tells him how sorry she is for him.
• The great symbolism of how Otto driving a wedge between Viserys and Daemon will have everlasting negative consequences for the realm since the king cuts his hand badly on the Iron Throne just after banishing who he didn't realise was, in fact, his greatest ally under uncertain accusations.
  Prince Daemon: He doesn't protect you! I would!
• Daemon inviting Mysaria to touch his dragon Caraxes and taking her on a ride on him. In fact, within the few moments they're together on-screen, it's clear he values her as more than just some foreign bed-warmer.
• Viserys recognizing that Rhaenyra can be his uncontested heir to the throne and honestly discussing all of what it entails with her. While he always desired a son, let it be known that Viserys I loves his daughter no less.

2 - The Rogue Prince

• Viserys referring to Rhaenys as his favorite cousin, earning an apparently legitimate smile from her.
• Alicent makes the effort to bring Rhaenyra to the Sept of King's Landing, ostensibly in an effort to get her to open up about her true feelings about being heir and her straining relationship with King Viserys. Alicent even teaches her to pray to the Seven and be honest with her feelings. Rhaenyra, clearly appreciating it, chooses this moment to show vulnerability in front of her best friend. Unfortunately, Alicent's budding relationship with King Viserys (which she has kept secret from Rhaenyra) is going to get between their erstwhile friendship in the worst possible way.
• Even though he was challenged by the one thing that stands in his way of inheriting the Iron Throne, Daemon cannot bring himself to harm his niece and relinquishes Dreamfyre's egg willingly. He never even really gets angry at her, at worst mildly annoyed that she's ruining his intimidation game against Otto. Despite all the political drama around succession, Daemon doesn't blame Rhaenyra for any of it.
• Daemon has taken Mysaria as his new wife and seems to genuinely value her, even if it's clear he intends to use their marriage as a large part of his claim to the throne. When Otto indirectly threatens Mysaria by asking if Daemon is still willing to defy the crown even if it leads to her death, Daemon draws his sword on him. Later, when Mysaria tells Daemon all she ever wanted from him was a life free from fear, Daemon sincerely assures her that she is safe with him.
• Lady Laena's and Viserys's walk in the garden in King's Landing proves she's a sweet young girl who understands her position, even if it's clear she doesn't actually like it. Viserys himself treats her with kindness and acknowledges she is far too young and innocent to take as a wife, even asking if what she's saying is her own doing or that of her parents.
  • The conversation starts off pretty pleasant on its own, with Laena asking about how Viserys was Balerion's last rider, to which the King responds with an air of fond nostalgia at the memory of his brief time as the Black Dread's rider.
• When discussing Viserys's possible remarriage, Otto notes that he loved his own late wife dearly and that he does not envy Viserys for having to make such a hard decision. Even if he is a scheming Manipulative Bastard most of the time, Otto still has some empathy in him.
• Viserys and Alicent's friendship has grown considerably. He confides in her his worries over Rhaenyra, and she advises him to talk to her openly. She even later gifts him with a mended dragon figurine that he had broken earlier. It's clear that Viserys greatly values her and the conversations that they share.
• In the immediate aftermath of Rhaenyra's success in making Daemon stand down, she willingly reports to her father and expects a dressing down. Viserys, quite understandably, scolds her for insubordination—but more importantly insists that his main fear was she could have been killed should a skirmish have broken out.
  • This leads to Sincerity Mode for both of them—with Viserys finally admitting he has been very emotionally stilted in dealing with Rhaenyra's own feelings about everything happening. Rhaenyra, for her part, shows appreciation for her father's honesty and practically gives him free rein to look for a new queen. It's a shame she had to know who this new queen (and stepmother) would be later on... all because Viserys didn't disclose it at this very moment.
• Daemon may have a very poor relationship with his brother King Viserys due to being disinherited, but that does not mean he will suffer others openly badmouthing the King.
  Corlys Velaryon: I will not have Driftmark beggared while our king idles himself with feasts and balls and tourneys!
  Daemon Targaryen: I will speak of my brother as I wish. You will not.

3 - The Second of His Name

• Despite not-so-subtle hints from other lords about the prospect of putting Aegon ahead of Rhaenyra, Viserys will hear none of it and firmly puts down anyone who suggests such a thing. If nothing else, the man is loyal to his daughter and will defend her rights fiercely.
  • And Rhaenyra, in turn, rips a snooty lady a new one for criticising Viserys's policies. Even when those two are pissed off at each other, they still have each other's backs.
• Despite becoming queen and having a strained relationship with her former best friend, Alicent remains dutifully loyal to Rhaenyra, backing her claim and refusing to raise her son with the expectation of stealing Rhaenyra's birthright, defying even her father, Otto. Underneath her The High Queen exterior, she is a loyal and kind woman who just wants to do what's right by her loved ones.
• There is definitely some fuzzy feeling when Rhaenyra encounters the White Hart. It's the one thing the entire royal hunting party is tracking to kill to satisfy the symbolic ascent of Prince Aegon (with them failing)—and here it is presenting itself to her. Yet she eventually decides just to let it go. While it is not entirely accurate to say Rhaenyra is a Friend to All Living Things (she did just kill a boar with Criston out of self-defense), it does show that Rhaenyra is still someone who will not actively be aggressive or imperious unless provoked.
• Rhaenyra and Criston end up spending a day out in the woods and enjoying each other's company. With her growing increasingly distant from Viserys and Alicent and Daemon being away in the Stepstones, Criston is the only person she can really be herself around.

4 - King of the Narrow Sea

• Rhaenyra wearing and toying with the Valyrian steel jeweled pendant Daemon gifted her while enduring countless suitors. Coupled with the reaction to his return.
• Daemon avowing that there is only one king of the Sunset Lands, giving up his driftwood crown and humbling himself in front of his brother, who forgives him and pulls him into a brotherly hug. Whatever his reasons, it's clear that Daemon (by his own admission no less) missed his family and returned because he yearned to see them again.
• Viserys fondly reminiscing on his and Daemon's youth and their night and day differences.
  "This was our childhood! Daemon would venture off, abroad, winning tournaments! - I would be at home - No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! I will not revisit this debate. You were always mother's favorite!"
• Alicent and Rhaenyra sit down together at the welcome home party for Daemon. They have a genuinely civil discussion about Rhaenyra's courtship misadventures. It's a very sweet scene after how distant they were in the previous episode.
  Alicent: I'm glad you are home. I find I have... few friends lately. I like to still believe I'm the Lady Alicent but... all anyone sees when they look at me now is "the Queen".
  Rhaenyra: ...I've missed you too.
  (She clasps their hands together)
• Rhaenyra's and Daemon's proper reunion. Even though much time has passed since he's seen her face to face, their bond is as strong as ever and Daemon is chuffed to see she still wears the necklace he gave her. He's also the only one that tries to ameliorate her concerns about marriage.
  Rhaenyra: So... what do you want?
  Daemon: Only the comforts of home.
• All of Rhaenyra and Daemon's Valyrian banter, but especially when he commiserates with her again over Aemma's death and shares some hard-earned wisdom on how to thrive.
  Rhaenyra: My mother was made to produce heirs until it killed her. I won't subject myself to the same fate.
  Daemon: What happened to your mother was a tragedy. But this is a tragic world. You cannot live your life in fear. Or you will forsake... the best parts of it.
  Rhaenyra: I have no desire to live in fear. Only solitude.
  Daemon: (smiling indulgently) Such a lonely prospect.
• While the night does end very sourly, Daemon treating Rhaenyra to a night out on the town of King's Landing, showing her people from all walks of life and the more deviant side of humanity, does seem to be the break she needed from all the political headaches she's endured. She's even shown laughing and grinning endlessly as she's allowed to just be herself for one night.
• The very noticeable Holding Hands that goes on between the blood of the dragon, during the night's revelry.
• Daemon giving his niece some boots on the ground perspective far better than Tyrion ever did for Cersei when they profess similarly snooty opinions for the plebs.
  Daemon: Jest if you will, but many of the smallfolk are like to believe that, as a male, Aegon should be the heir.
  Rhaenyra: Hm. Their wants are of no consequence.
  Daemon: (chuckles) They're of great consequence if you expect to rule them one day.
• While a disguised Rhaenyra is collared by a gold cloak after creating a public disturbance, said captain of the watch turns out to be Ser Harwin Strong, who recognises her, doesn't raise the alarm, and lets her go, with a warning to be more careful.
• Even though Daemon and Rhaenyra ended up crossing a line, Daemon did not take her maidenhood, even though she clearly wanted him to. It goes to show that while he's got a shit ton of issues and personal ambitions, he loves his niece very much. He even takes the brunt of the responsibility when word reaches an extremely pissed Viserys so Rhaenyra won't suffer.
  • Just how tender Daemon is with Rhaenyra during their altercation, caressing her lips and hair as if she's the most precious person in the world to him. In his own inimitable way trying to alleviate her fears of sex and childbirth. And when he realizes that she is having just as much of a powerful effect on him as he is on her despite all his experience; he's left spiraling and remorseful. Abruptly breaking off the dalliance with her in shame, for trying to use a niece who trusts and adores him, along with how weak she makes him feel when she turns around to look up at him, outright smitten.
    • Adding to that, it's more than likely this was not merely Rhaenyra's first experience with anything sexual but also her First Kiss. While it comes with serious consequences even in-universe, who better for the experience than the one man she has admired, loved, and respected her whole life? Daemon has always been the one person she could truly be herself with and never had to hide anything from. It's clear (even from the first episode) how close they are, so it's quite possible they've yearned for each other for longer than either would care to admit. In a very unique way, she is Daemon's first real experience with love as he is Rhaenyra's.
  • When Rhaenrya makes a final attempt to fan the flames in their shared blood again; Daemon looks as if he is resisting her touches to his jaw with superhuman effort. His reasserting control dangling from a fraying thread.
  • Her uncle's successful "courtship" compared to all of Rhaenyra's other suits is not only because of sheer magnetism between the pair but also because in contrast to the bubble a princess of the blood is kept in all her life, Daemon shows her that a dragonlord or lady should be as free as any lowborn.
• Rhaenyra's earnest, nay somehow innocent, infatuation with Daemon, what with her engineering on the fly for him to chase her down the alley-ways by pelting him with a bit of candy, warn Ser Harwin that he'll have her uncle to contend with by uttering a simple "Don't." And even when they enter the pleasure den, she practically fits under his chin and her eyes flit to his lips repeatedly.
• Her playful teasing of Criston Cole until she tempts him into her bed. "Taking what [she] want(s)" as her uncle taught her. For all the disparity in power since she is his patroness, it's quite clear that the son of a steward has been bottling up his own feelings for the princess and he doesn't take much convincing to soil his white cloak.
  • The human desire for connection, or as Otto famously calls it "coupling", encapsulated perfectly in Nyra's little giggle at seeing Criston's nakedness.
• Viserys throwing Otto's accusations of Rhaenyra's impropriety back in his face and defending his daughter like a true dragon, spitting fire and brimstone in his rage; along with heart-shot hard truths about his right-hand man's self-serving nature.
• Alicent is furious and upset at the allegations about Daemon and Rhaenyra because it could destroy Rhaenyra's reputation and position, and result in her being disinherited as heir to the Seven Kingdoms. She tearfully admits she is only trying to help. Ultimately, she chooses to believe and side with Rhaenyra.
• Rather than getting upset at Alicent for the allegations, Rhaenyra pleads with Alicent to trust and believe her. After rebuilding their relationship, Rhaenyra does not want to lose her again so quickly.
• Daemon has nearly killed himself from alcohol poisoning, yet he declares plainly to Viserys: "Wed her to me. When I offered up my crown, you said I could have anything. I want Rhaenyra. I will take her as she is, and wed her in the tradition of our house. / Give me Rhaenyra to take to wife and we will return the house of the dragon to its proper glory." He's clearly wavering between his ambitions and his genuine affection for her, his voice overcome with wonder at the revelation.
  • It's important to note that Daemon only asks for Rhaenyra's hand when Viserys spits that he should disinherit her. That goes against all the interpretations that he plotted to cause this scandal in order to get closer to power. Rather, his sole interest is in Rhaenyra for her own person.
• Viserys, although he has his political reasons for what he did top - is still a devastated father who insists she's "just a girl." Furious at Daemon's seeming power-play over his daughter and the potential ruining of her prospects in the eyes of Westeros from a place of fatherly protectiveness as well.
• Alicent defends Rhaenyra to Viserys, saying that she trusts Rhaenyra's denials about "coupling" with Daemon. Despite the distance that has grown between the friends, the political pressure from her father, and the obvious benefit to her son Aegon, Alicent still wants what's best for Rhaenyra.

5 - We Light The Way

• Before he leaves King's Landing, Otto gives Alicent a tight hug and bears her farewell. Even though he was pretty harsh to her beforehand and made her cry, he does love his daughter in his own way. Rhys Ifans points out in the "Inside the Episode" short that this is as close someone like Otto will be able to say "I love you" to someone, especially his daughter.
• Rhaenys warmly greets Viserys upon meeting him at Driftmark and becomes concerned when she realizes he's lost some fingers since she last saw him. Despite him being granted the throne over her, he's still her cousin and she does care about him.
• Rhaenyra and Laenor get a chance to talk before the wedding, where Rhaenyra makes it clear that she has no problem whatsoever with their marriage being open so that Laenor can continue to have Joffrey as a lover, and is committed to making their married life as happy and fulfilling as possible.
• Rhaenys and Corlys continue to be the most stable romance in the show. It's made clear in their private conversations that getting a Velaryon on the Iron Throne isn't just plain ambition for Corlys, it's his way of making up for the wrongs that were done to his wife. Rhaenys, for her part, is way more mature about the whole thing, worrying that Corlys is probably going overboard all for her.
  Rhaenys: To what end, Corlys? Wealth? Power? Pride?
  Corlys: Justice. By all rights, you should be Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. You were robbed of the crown by—
  Rhaenys: I never wore the crown because the realm would not have it so.
  Corlys: And I would remedy that small-minded error by any means necessar—
  Rhaenys: I myself have put the business behind me, Corlys.
• Laenor's and Joffrey's relationship is shown to be very loving, with Joffrey fully understanding that Laenor's upcoming marriage to Rhaenyra is purely political. It makes it all the more heartbreaking that the episode ends with Joffrey's tragic death.
• Alicent decides to spare Criston Cole despite breaking his vows and sleeping with Rhaenyra. It's clear she only intended to ask him about her escapades with Daemon and is rightly shocked to find out that Rhaenyra seduced him. Then, Criston asks that he be granted mercy... a quick death. Alicent, realizing that Criston is a victim in this situation, tells him he can go.
• Viserys, accepting that he is slowly dying, confides in Lyonel about his legacy, wondering if he will be remembered as a good king and if he would be a better king if he had faced some catastrophic challenge. Lyonel responds with his typical honesty, and Viserys warmly appreciates Lyonel's sincerity.
• It's clear from their Held Gaze that Rhaenyra and Daemon still pine heavily for each other. She even admits that she wants him to take her to Dragonstone and make her his wife. Daemon for his part ensures to set her aside during the feast and asks her if the wedding is what she truly wants.
  • It's also notable that Daemon, despite his evident displeasure at Rhaenyra's marriage to Laenor, does not hold Laenor responsible for it, merely saying he is a good knight and warrior whose only flaw is that he is boring. Considering this is the same guy who killed his own wife, it's nice to see him not take his anger out on someone who took away the woman he wanted to wed.
• When chaos breaks out at the banquet, Laenor is notably the person who Rhaenyra calls out for. She later gives him a kiss on the cheek at their Shotgun Wedding in an attempt to comfort Laenor, who's distraught over the death of his lover.
  • When the fight breaks out, Corlys, Rhaenys, and Laena all check to make sure Laenor is okay. Viserys and Alicent do the same for Rhaenyra, even with the latter growing cold towards her stepdaughter for her lies and deceit.

6 - The Princess and the Queen

• Rhaenyra clearly overcome with love for her son after the birth. And refusing to part with him to the point she'll stand up and walk over a hundred meters, up a staircase if she has to rather than let Alicent get her clutches on him without her presence. Praise the Mother!
• Laenor joyfully meeting Rhaenyra outside her room moments after giving birth, congratulating her and showing both concern and comfort when he sees she means to go up to see the Queen. He tries to discourage her but to no avail, he offers her his arm and is seen holding her dress as they move through the castle under the court's eye together.
• Viserys, although looking like he's been wearing the One Ring for a couple of centuries, wouldn't dream of letting illness or death claim him before he becomes a proud grandsire, several times over! He even indulges in, (for the time) what could be cradle cooing.
  King Viserys I Targaryen: What happy news this morning!
  Prince Consort Laenor Velaryon: Indeed, Your Grace.
  Viserys: Where is he? Where is my grandson? (Laenor gently deposits the babe in the crook of his only remaining arm) There... There he is... (he sighs contentedly, while Rhaenyra beams) A fine prince. Sturdy. You will make a fearsome knight.
• Ten years may have passed since the last episode, but it's clear from their interactions that Rhaenyra is still the Daddy's Girl she's always been. In fact, throughout the whole scene with her dragging herself to the keep to present her (literally) newborn son, King Viserys is the only one she shows genuine delight at seeing again and treats him with the warmth and love the two have always shared.
  "Well done, my girl. I do hope the labor was easy."
• There's a great little visual Easter egg of Luke almost touching Joff's prospective dragon egg in its bed of coals and Jace quickly saving his younger sibling from burning himself by pulling his hand back.
• Ser Harwin being an absolute stud-muffin as he gently bounces Joffrey in his arms with a twinkle in his eye towards Rhaenyra. Harwin's love for his sons is apparent, and it's clear that despite their paternity being a secret, he is as active a father to his boys as he can be.
  Ser Harwin Strong: You're asleep in front of the commander of the City Watch. Terrible lack of respect.
  Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen: A certain insolence does run in the family, I'm afraid.
  Harwin: (gives her the smuggest, warmest, pleased expression ever, cradling Joff in delight)
• Even though it's to mock Aemond for not having a dragon yet which is a dick move, there's something oddly heartwarming about seeing Aegon, Jacaerys, and Lucerys working together like brothers to razz Aemond. Despite the hostility between their parents, they still manage to be brotherly assholes to each other.
  • Before that, Jace looks to Aegon before he gives Vermax the go ahead. And his uncle looks really endearingly invested; nodding to his nephew in encouragement, on tenterhooks to see him succeed.
• Although Daemon has regrets simmering beneath the surface, his marriage to Laena has been far happier than his niece's into the Velaryon family. To leave the dangers of court intrigue behind and stay in Pentos with his wife, his daughters, and his books is a life he seriously considers.
• It turns ugly in the end, but Aegon initially taps Jace on the shoulder, comradely, before Cole starts using him as a weapon by proxy against his nephew.
• Rhaenyra still using the passageway Daemon showed her to navigate the Red Keep.
• It's said the Strongs are a lost cadet branch of the Starks, and it shows in the honour (some) of the family strive to uphold. "You have your honour. And I have mine." Harwin reminds his father that he could never endure Cole's cruelty to his sons and not intervene. No matter how ruinous the implications.
• Laena more or less giving Daemon her blessing to reconnect with his family in Westeros, playing rather effective armchair therapist to her husband and urging him to rediscover his inner fire.
  Lady Laena Velaryon: Life has, I know, disappointed you. Perhaps, I too, am not the wife you would have wished for yourself.
  Prince Daemon Targaryen: (reproachful) Laena...
  Laena: It does not pain me. I have made my peace. But you are more than this, Daemon. The man I married was more than this.
• Cut to Rhaenyra quite literally holding her heart and being wistfully distracted during a small council meeting. She even uses Daemon's obsidian marble, which was his token of office in the pilot.
• Blink and you miss it but Daemon actually shakes his head when the physician cites the possibility of performing a C-section on Laena. Ruthless he might be, but he still loves his wife and values her autonomy far more than a slim chance to save the unborn baby.
  Daemon Targaryen: Ah, my brave girl...
  Physician: I'm sorry, my prince. We could lay open the womb... Try to remove the infant by way of the blade. But I cannot say for surety whether it lives.
  Daemon: Would the mother survive it?
  • Bonus points if Daemon heard what happens when such a choice was made in Episode 1. He didn't want to repeat the same horrors that Viserys was forced to.
• Laena's death scene gives one heartwarming moment to Vhagar. She hears the command but she does not obey at the beginning. The great dragon is not a mindless animal and it shows that she loves her rider. Only when Laena gets desperate does she finally obey, putting her rider out of her misery.
  • Vhagar's facial expressions clearly express her reluctance and distress at the prospect of carrying out her rider's final command.
• When Harwin is forced to leave King's Landing, he says goodbye to Jacaerys and Lucerys. As he leaves, Jace asks his mother if Harwin is his true father and whether he's a bastard or not. Rhaenyra reminds him that, whoever his sire is, he's her flesh and blood and as true a Targaryen as any other - and that's what truly matters.
• For that matter, the very fact that Harwin and Rhaenyra were together for ten years and still clearly feel very strongly about each other with every look they give. Rhaenyra even saying to Jace (with all the risks of rumours running high) how wouldn’t it be fun that they could send ravens to Harwin as she tries to hold in her emotions. Sadly, it was not to be.
• Despite becoming resentful towards Laenor for his diminishing role in not only their marriage but the politics thereof (which also adds fuel to the fire about the paternity of the children), Rhaenyra still allows Laenor to take his most recent lover with them when they embark to Dragonstone, which Laenor is clearly grateful for.

7 - Driftmark

• The first act Daemon commits in the episode is a great bookend, with him diverting the funeral party's attention from Vaemond's barbs at the Strong Boys by mocking his speech, protecting them and their mother. They are the blood of the dragon and for a seahorse to claim some kind of superiority of lineage over even dragonling bastards is priceless to the rogue prince. And, of course, he does this immediately after his first Held Gaze with Rhaenyra after ten years of absence.
• Despite barely knowing each other, Jace bonds with his cousins Rhaena and Baela over their shared grief for Laena and Harwin. Later on, when they wake him up in the middle of the night, he instantly agrees to help them confront whoever stole Vhagar.
• Luke being a sweetheart and more or less summing up dynastic inheritance as the simultaneous loss of everyone he loves when the time comes to become lord of his high seat; stunning Corlys quiet.
• Corlys knows about Rhaenyra and Laenor's arrangement and yet he still warmly embraces their children as his grandchildren and heirs, even when pressed. Rhaenys doesn't share this attitude, and Corlys puts his foot down saying he will not disinherit Luke under any circumstances; citing that the name is what matters, not the blood.
  "You would have me cast an even darker shadow over those little boys than already exists?"
• Daemon's and Rhaenyra's decade-long reunion. They both admit that despite all the time that's passed and the partners that they took, they've never stopped loving each other. Now, instead of Daemon being the instigator and dangerous object of desire leading her into temptation; Rhaneyra makes the first move and claims him as her mate, tentatively, as if he might bolt again but with strength and surety. And the way he whispers her name reverently at her touch...
  • Cue beach sex, and unlike how Rhaenyra described the awkward and passionless attempts to copulate with Laenor, the two are thrust into the deepest sensual passion, their years of hungering for each other are finally fulfilled as they partake of each other intimately (yet ravenously) under the stars.
  • Daemon also admits during this scene that yes, he didn't take Rhaenyra's maidenhood all those years ago because she was still so young and he didn't want to ruin that for her.
  Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen: I have been alone. You abandoned me.
  Prince Daemon Targaryen: I spared you. You were a child.
  Rhaenyra: Yes! Yes, I was a child. And look at what my life became without you... Droll tragedy.
• Rhaenyra telling Daemon, what he's probably wanted to hear his whole life and never truly received from his family. "I need you". The end of her promise to him is pure love poetry.
  "The Velaryons are of the sea. But you and I... We are made of fire. We have always been meant to burn together."
  • The man is clutching at his chest, overwhelmed. "And on that moment, Daemon's heart grew six sizes that day!"
  • Daemon's and Rhaenyra's traditional Valyrian wedding, with their children watching from nearby. Both are clearly delighted and triumphant to finally be bound for life.
    • The High Valyrian wedding vows translated...
  "Blood of two
  Joined as one
  Ghostly flame
  And song of shadows
  Two hearts as embers
  Forged in fourteen fires
  A future promised in glass
  The stars stand witness
  The vow spoken through time
  Of darkness and light"
• Aemond's sheer joy and exultation when he begins to master Vhagar and actively steer her to his will. He's backed by the whole Targaryen Family music suite leitmotif and for just those few glorious seconds, it seems like he'd lead the dynasty into an unstoppable rise.
• When Aemond threatens to feed Baela and Rhaena to Vhagar if they attack him again, Jace and Luke become true knights and step up to defend the ladies' honour, a favour Daemon's girls quickly return when the boys start getting their asses whipped by their uncle.
• During the arguments of the children about what happened, Lucerys can be heard yelling that "he" (meaning Aemond) was going to kill Jace - confirming beyond all doubt that his strike was not out of anything else but trying to protect his big brother.
  • Rhaenys can be seen in the background hugging her granddaughters close, and Corlys doing much of the same with the boys.
  • Jace, older brother that he is, hugging Luke amongst all the screaming, wordlessly protecting his brother the way he did moments earlier.
  • Rhaenyra coming into the room and immediately heading for her sons, fussing over their wounds and comforting them. It is a long way from the Rebellious Princess who never wanted children.
• It is very subtle, but when their father ferociously questions them about the origin of the rumors on the illegitimacy of Rhaenyra's sons, Aemond lies by saying that he heard it from Aegon and the latter says their parentage is plainly apparent. What the direction communicates is that it was Alicent who made it known to her children and both Aegon and Aemond, knowing full well that their mother could suffer more serious consequences than theirs, are protecting her.
• Viserys unquestioningly defending Rhaenyra as the only part of Aemma that's left to him in this world, strenuously denying the allegations against her and of the parentage of his grandsons.
• Daemon checking Criston, who is trying to help his aggressor queen, from interfering between Rhaenyra and Alicent, while the rogue prince has faith that she can contend with her stepmother alone.
  • He's also the first to staunch the bleeding from his niece's cut forearm if you look carefully in the overhead crane shot, then he stares down at Alicent and Aemond as only a true Papa Wolf can.
  • Similarly, when Rhaenyra gets cut, Corlys immediately supports her.
  • Last but not least, Lucerys rushes to Rhaenyra's side once the fighting is subdued to see to his mother's wound, uncaring of his own bleeding.
  • While Rhaenys knows Jace and Luke are not her grandkids, she is shown pulling them close to her when Alicent tries to attack Luke with a knife, showing that she wants them to be safe even if they aren't her son's children.
• Aemond comforting his mother's anguish, the only one to have done so, and assuring her his gain is more significant than his loss before gently hugging her.
• As twisted as it is, Otto's pride for Alicent's maternal outburst and Aemond's claiming of Vhagar is quite notable, as it is possibly the first time he's shown any open positive reinforcement for his daughter and grandson. For someone as "sick with ambition" as Otto, this is as close as he can make a So Proud of You (especially as Alicent was beating herself up for behaving in a manner "unbefitting [her] station"). For all of Tywin Lannister's charisma and excellence as seen in Game of Thrones, Otto has him beat in actually trying to mold his scions as capable parts of his House, not children to browbeat into submission.
  (to Alicent) I’ve never seen that side of you, my daughter. I even doubted its existence. ... And now, for the first time, I see that you have the determination to win it.
  (about Aemond) What that rogue Aemond has done in winning Vhagar to our side. The boy was right. It’s worth a thousand times the price he paid.
• Laenor clearly affirms his love for the boys to Rhaenyra, and when he curses the gods for making him as they have, Rhaenyra comforts him saying that for all his faults, he's an honourable and decent man. A rarity in their world.
  • Furthermore, Laenor re-establishes that their arrangement was supposed to sail smoothly and provide them with both security and happiness. Rhaenyra can only laugh brilliantly like Mushroom told her the greatest of japes. The execution of their plan left a lot to be desired.
  • Laenor gets some much-needed perspective with his sister's death and chooses duty over love.
  "Ser Qarl will return soon, to the fighting in the Stepstones. But I recommit myself to you. And to strengthening our house as we prepare for your ascension. I will raise our sons to be princes of the realm. / You deserve better than what I have been. You deserve a husband."
  • Mitigated somewhat, as Nyra really wants another man to be that husband pillar of support, and she's through with waiting for him to get his act together.
• Crossed with tearjerker, but the moments of grief Rhaenyra gets to have for Harwin as a further display of how she felt for him. Even speaking of how fire took someone she loved from her, just as it took Laena from Daemon.
• In the end, Daemon and Rhaenyra allow Laenor to fake his death and live a life across the Narrow Sea with his lover, where he will no longer be burdened by the pressure of his nobility and be allowed to experience the freedom he's always wanted.

8 - The Lord of the Tides

• Daemon is shown risking life and limb to personally retrieve dragon eggs for both his current children and the new baby he is having with Rhaenyra. He is ecstatic when he returns triumphantly to the dragonkeepers with three fresh eggs. He seems to have happily stepped up in his role as a father in the past 6 years, and now more actively contributes to the upbringing of his children in the most Targaryen way possible.
• Our reintroduction to Jacaerys is him hard at work, studying Aegon's Conquest in his family's mother tongue—with Rhaenyra being the one who is actively asking him to slow down (instead of going all Education Mama the way Alicent was with her whole brood). It's quite comforting to see Rhaenyra's willingness to let her children discover themselves as they see fit. (It's also funny how Jacaerys is a very straightforward Prince Charming coming from Rhaenyra "fuck the Septa" Targaryen.)
  Rhaenyra: I don't expect you to learn High Valyrian in a day, Jace.
  Jacaerys: A king should honor the traditions of his forbears.
  Rhaenyra: Well... unless you're planning to depose your own mother, you have plenty of time to study.
• Rhaenyra and Daemon share many tender moments throughout the episode that exemplify they are truly a happily married couple (probably the healthiest in the setting if we don't count Robb and Talisa) that's in sync and supportive of each other through and through:
  • Daemon immediately caressing Rhaenyra's baby bump tenderly when they decide to return to King's Landing.
  • Alternatively giving each other both room and emotional support when meeting Viserys again for the first time.
  • Both of them holding and playing with each other's hands until Alicent finally greets them, alternatively soothing each other's wrath and also playing off each other's verbal jabs at Alicent.
  • At dinner, the ease and simple joy they have when next to each other, down to Daemon gently passing a tureen of buttered peas over to his wife as some sort of secret joke the couple shares, as it causes Rhaenyra to laugh heartily. It's so beautifully domestic that you forget you're watching a couple in the Game of Thrones universe for a moment.
  • The seating arrangements even have everyone at arm's length parallel to each other, but Daemon gradually moves his seat closer to his wife's side as the scene continues, until they're elbow to elbow by the end.
• When Alicent finds out that a serving girl has been raped by Aegon, she hugs the girl and reassures her that it wasn't her fault and that she believes her. She does do her best to cover it up, but reassuring the serving girl that she believes her over the Prince and given her money is huge in a society like Westeros - and she also has the decency to be enraged at Aegon for it and angrily disowns him. She also hugs Helaena after she asks what happened to the girl.
• Daemon can't bear to focus on the miserable, pathetic condition his brother's been reduced to and tries to get him to focus on the succession crisis; only for Rhaenyra to gently reprimand him with a touch and soften his approach.
• Viserys's ravaged face (the half that we can see anyway) actually lights up when Rhaenyra introduces her sons by Daemon to her father and especially her youngest son to his namesake, with Viserys joyously and jokingly declaring his grandson's name fit for a king. Becomes all the more heartwarming if you are already familiar with the lore, as Viserys II was considered to be one of the greatest rulers in Westeros's history, thereby proving Viserys I right.
  • Daemon strokes his second son's hair in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment while Rhaenyra is showing him off. Rhaenyra then kisses her son on the shoulder when he starts to cry and we can also just see Daemon, the ruthless Black Knight, hushing and soothing him over his wife's shoulder.
• Daemon examining his brother's "tea" by smell and finding out to his disgust that he's being heavily medicated. Alicent and Otto have clearly kept any correspondence that might have told them about the king's sorry state out of their hands as he declined. Thinking the Hightowers have basically kept him hostage and his condition secret (albeit incorrectly so with Rhaenyra later recanting the accusation after seeing more), Rhaenyra insists that the Dragonstone Maester, Gerardys, should see the king; a man they clearly trust.
• For all the advantage he's taken of Viserys's illness, the look on Otto's face when Viserys refuses to take his painkillers today makes it clear that, all ambition aside, Otto genuinely hates to see him suffer and it breaks his heart to see him in this condition.
• How Viserys's walk of grandeur is framed is that he's enduring the pure torture of his march, all for his firstborn child, and when he stops to give her a paternal: "Papa's got this" grimace of support, Emma just endows Rhaenyra with an overflowing sense of gratitude, love, and pride in her father by way of a single look.
• When Viserys's crown falls from his bowed head as he struggles to take the throne, we get a fantastic reveal shot of who immediately moves to pick it up despite the king's protestations that he doesn't need any aid... DAEMON. Who by his mere presence and gentle: "Come on. Steady...", infuses his monarch with The Power of Love and allows him to once again find the strength to climb the steps with only the slightest support from his little brother up onto the dais and settle on the throne itself.
  • The page image for a reason, the rogue prince then crowns his brother again tenderly. Despite their many differences over the years, the brothers' love for each other endures. It's heart-rending symbolism that with the siblings united and Daemon as Hand; so much could have been saved. He never wanted to take a crown, only help his brother keep his own and then Daemon's micro-nod to his king and brother... now admiring the resilience and bravery of who he once considered a weak man and an unfit king.
  • Throughout the episode, Daemon is generally quiet and looks uncomfortable whenever he's in the same room as his brother as though Viserys' dogged fight to preserve the realm once he's gone has finally humbled him.
• Viserys trusting his cousin Rhaenys with the final say on the matter of Driftmark's inheritance. And the queen who never was is so impressed by her cousin's fortitude and love for his daughter and his wisdom and magnanimity to her that she reaffirms Luke's position as Corlys desired and betroths her grandchildren as Rhaenyra suggested. Velaryon blood will continue through Rhaena.
• The four Velaryon-Targaryen children are clearly pleased with the union and by all appearances, their marriages will be happy ones, especially since they've grown ever closer in the six years since their incident with Aemond.
  • Aegon the Elder actually seems pleased for his half-sister and nephew upon their success; even if it comes from a selfish place of knowing the responsibility of the throne won't be his.
• Daemon brooking no further calumnies from Vaemond after he calls his stepsons bastards and his wife a whore by immediately "cutting" him off, clearly demonstrating how he will defend their honour to a deadly degree with no hesitation.
  • Just before that Helaena and even Alicent and Otto look offended on Rhaenyra's behalf after Vaemond's outburst.
  • When Viserys begins to relapse from opioid withdrawal and chronic pain after his exertion, Alicent immediately supports her husband and implores him to take some medical relief.
• It's subtle, but Rhaenys standing vigil over Vaemond's body while it's being prepared. She doesn't have to be there, it's not even expected of her, but she does it anyway out of respect for Vaemond. Even though he was her enemy, he was also family.
• Viserys gives an impassioned plea to his family to unite as he loves them all so much. It genuinely hits a note with the room. So despite all their dysfunction, House Targaryen is able to put their disagreements aside for the sake of making Viserys happy, even if it's for just a moment and things quickly go back to fighting shortly after he leaves. Viserys ultimately dies in peace, thinking that he was able to finally reunite his family after so many years.
  • Before the dinner actually begins, Aegon and Aemond can be seen off to the side and actually joking around about drinking. It's in murmurs and not the focus of the scene, but most of it can still be heard. Despite Aegon being a very sleazy hedonist and Aemond a borderline sociopath, essentially being total opposites personality-wise, the brothers do seem to appreciate the other's company.
    Aegon: You do not drink enough!
    Aemond: You drink more than a Braavosi seahorse—
    Aegon: I drink just the right amount.
  • Rhaenyra sincerely praises Alicent for taking care of her ailing father. A thankless, heartbreaking, emotionally, and physically exhausting task with unfailing fidelity. Even offering the olive branch of a blanket apology for the life her old friend has led, recognising that the marriage to Viserys was never something she wanted.
  • Alicent is touched to see Rhaenyra acknowledge her sacrifice and tells Rhaenyra she'll be a great Queen, showing a willingness to bury the hatchet she didn't have when Rhaenyra offered to betroth Jace and Helaena. Furthermore, Olivia Cooke claimed that Alicent is also bitterly envious of how much better a mother Rhaenyra is than she, and yet, it's that shared experience which she hopes to make common ground with her again.
  • Sweet Helaena's toast to Rhaena and Baela actually makes Daemon and from the sounds of it, Otto, laugh together. The girl is a miracle worker.
  • After said toast, Otto smiles and whispers: "good" fondly to his granddaughter, which is surprisingly warm for a man like him.
  • Aegon the Elder makes a faux pas towards Baela and Jace is rightly furious at his crude jests but swallows his anger and makes his own floundering but heartfelt toast to his creepy uncles; defusing the bad blood - for now... To which Viserys congratulates him proudly.
  • Jace's toast also serves as a great Hope Spot for the bad blood to end between uncles and nephews. It's very subtle, but thanks to the wonderful performances of the cast, you can clearly see their unspoken intentions. Aegon is forced to concede by returning the toast, but he still does so for his family's sake. Aemond in particular was more than ready for a fight with his nephew, but his shifting expressions after Jace's speech and that he ultimately sits and enjoys the festivities shows he took it on board, yet the fact he's discomforted at feeling this for his nephew is what really sells the moment. While things crumble quickly later on, Aemond acknowledges Jace's sincere attempt at making amends.
  • It's a small moment and overshadowed by Aegon being a total ass about it and the pass he made at Baela a minute or two later, but he asks Jace if he knows "how to do it" in a manner that sounds as if he's open to giving his nephew some tips on how to please his future wife. Perhaps it's Aegon trying to be nice and avuncular in his own way.
  • Even Aemond of all people, cold like a serpent, shows a kernel of warmth for Helaena as he turns his seat at the dinner table to watch her dance with Jace (almost a mirror of when Daemon did the same for Rhaenyra and Laenor).
• Helaena and Jace look thrilled to be dancing with each other and liven up the function, with Jace able to elicit a rare smile from her. One can clearly see that her marriage and the realm would have been far better off had Rhaenyra's earlier proposal been accepted.
• Viserys gets a final family dinner that was largely happy when he was there. A fond last memory before he passes.
• Alicent begging Aemond with her eyes to be the bigger man and not go for the low-hanging fruit of naming his nephews bastards as he raises his cup. Olivia really unites Emily's Alicent's disposition of compromise and goodwill in this family meal.
• After Daemon breaks up the fight between Aemond and Jace and Luke, he stares down Aemond with what seems to be a look of respect at his nephew's sheer nerve, almost as if he reminds him of Daemon himself when he was younger.
  • Daemon proceeds to give Nyra a dazzling grin when Aemond concedes and stalks off to the timeout corner, his uncle following after.
• Rhaenyra and Alicent almost seem to come back to an echo of their original friendship as they commiserate over their boys rough-housing and the queen is actually almost desperate to see her old friend stay with her in King's Landing, hoping to reconnect with her... Rhaenyra even promises that she'll soon fly back to try to continue mending what they had once her children are ensconced back at Dragonstone.
• In his delirium, Viserys believes he's talking to Rhaenyra and not Alicent, trying to finish the conversation from the day prior. And he proclaims that she and her son Aegon the Younger will bring the dawn against the Long Night. More or less proclaiming her as The Prince That Was Promised. She was always his Delight before the Realm's.

9 - The Green Council

• Alicent is genuinely upset to hear about Viserys's death. He may not have been the husband she may have wished for, and her marriage may not have been the happiest one - even aside from her being painfully aware that she was a distant third in Viserys's heart behind Aemma and Rhaenyra - but she did love him and is distraught by his passing.
• Lord Lyman Beesbury steadfastly standing by Rhaenyra and by extension Viserys's memory, refusing to have any part of treason, and he pays for it with his life.
• Ser Harrold Westerling showing where his true allegiance lies when he tears his white cloak asunder and denounces The Small Council for ordering the assassination of Rhaenyra and her family. The man has been by the princess's side since she was a girl, and he will not betray her to a den of vipers. Hopefully, the first place he'll go upon his forced retirement will be Dragonstone.
• Lord Allun Caswell, notable in his two other appearances for being one of Rhaenyra's closest supporters at court, lies to Otto's face and makes obeisance to the Greens... Then immediately tries to leave the Red Keep and warn his princess of the usurpation; he's apprehended before he can, though, and when Otto demands his reason for leaving aside from warning the Blacks - he gives no excuse. And dies for it.
• All the other Lords and Ladies who refuse to bend the knee and break the oaths they swore two decades ago. Especially Lord Merryweather and Lady Fell, who are both imprisoned for their fidelity even when warned they will be held hostage.
• The fact that, though resentful he may be towards his older brother, Aemond still volunteers to help Ser Criston find Aegon, if not for him, then for his mother.
  • Aegon in turn, wretched and unfit as he is to be king, recognises the fact and is willing to have Mysaria's network smuggle him out of King's Landing and live without his privileges for the rest of his days as long as he could live his own life, begging Aemond to take from him the power and duty he so craves for.
  Prince Aegon Targaryen: (cradles his younger but far more formidable brother's jaw in his hands) You let me go, I will find a ship and sail away, never to be found.
• When Alicent tries to win Rhaenys over to her faction, she unwisely lists all the misfortune that the Lady of Driftmark has endured and the princess's eyes widen in absolute draconic fury at the low blow to her family and that could very well include her second cousin Rhaenyra and her first cousin Daemon.
  "The word of my House is not fickle." (The Old, The True, The Brave)
• Despite the bad blood between them, Alicent stubbornly refuses to play along with Otto and eliminate Rhaenyra just because she poses a challenge to her son's claim to rule. Indeed, much of the episode's conflict is actually an infighting between the Greens as Alicent competes with her own father to find and return Aegon back to the Red Keep so she could make him king on her own terms, and that means leaving her childhood friend and Aegon's older sister unharmed. Even Otto is mildly impressed by his daughter's defiance and the strong bond she has with Rhaenyra despite everything.
• The relationship between Alicent and Aegon is showcased more through this episode.
  • The first thing a disoriented Aegon does, after he is found, is asking for his mother.
  • On their way to the coronation, aware of the fact that Viserys loved Rhaenyra far more than him (if at all), he asks his mother if she loves him. She gives him a back-handed of course I do in the form of "you imbecile".
  • While Aegon doesn’t believe the claim, Alicent stresses to him how Viserys (seemingly, as she misunderstood the prophecy) named him heir with his final breath as clear proof that his father did love him.
  • Biggest among them, though, is that Alicent is ready to die with him (when Rhaenys arrives on Meleys). Facing the angry Targaryen princess and her dragon, she stands in front of her firstborn, trying to protect him with her own body. While Alicent doesn't like the person Aegon became, no matter what she said to him in the previous episode, he is still her son, and she loves all of her children.
• Helaena turns away from the noise and sight of Aegon's crowning to Aemond, almost hiding behind him. When Rhaenys appears, the normally Hates Being Touched Helaena has her hands lightly holding onto his arm while behind him for protection. At least the two of them out of Alicent's kids seem to get along.
• When helpless in the face of Rhaenys's sudden appearance with her dragon, Otto's first order to the guards? Open the gates and allow the smallfolk to flee. Throughout the whole season, there has always been the question of how sincere Otto's "good of the realm" rhetoric actually is, so it's very telling that when he's taken totally by surprise and facing certain death, his instinct is to minimise collateral damage. It would appear that when the chips are down, he does practise what he preaches.

10 - The Black Queen

• Rhaenyra finds Lucerys in the main hall of Dragonstone angsting over being an Inadequate Inheritor to Driftmark. She responds by telling him about how she had the same worries at his age when Viserys declared her to be his heir, and just as her father prepared her to rule, she would prepare Luke to rule. She then hugs him and plants kisses on his forehead. This act of love and devotion only makes what happens near the end of the episode all the more heartbreaking.
  • Lucerys absolutely idolizes his mother, if his calling her "perfect" is anything to go by. The look on Rhaenyra's face when he says this basically screams, "I would die for this boy".
  • Rhaenyra's more positive outlook on how her father was trying to prepare her for the throne, and telling Lucerys that she will help him in the same way. She clearly regrets her Rebellious Princess attitude and impulsiveness in her youth and now sees that Viserys really was just trying to do right by Rhaenyra even though he made mistakes with her.
• The devotion of Rhaenyra’s midwives and lady attendants to her, who have helped time and again before and have expressions of anguish for her - pleading to be allowed to help.
• The jossing of speculation that Daemon would wish to bypass his stepsons to make his birth sons heir, with his specifically having the Kingsguard on Dragonstone swear to Jacaerys as heir (when he could have only had them swear to Rhaenyra and omitted anything about her heir).
  • There is also another unspoken reason. His daughter Baela and Jacaerys are engaged. Through her husband, Baela shall be the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Daemon is fighting for his wife's, his stepson (and future son-in-law)'s, and also his daughter's rights. Just like his brother before him, Daemon put his daughter's claim first.
• The man to crown her and the first to kneel before Rhaenyra as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms is, of course, her husband, Prince Daemon.
• When Rhaenyra enters the council room for her first meeting as Queen, her cupbearer (and stepdaughter) Rhaena offers her a cup of wine, which she gratefully accepts. She then invites her and her sister Baela to attend the council. Having served as her own father's cupbearer serving wine to ungrateful lords who had no use for her opinions, Rhaenyra values the service and opinions of the ladies in her household as well as the lords and princes.
• Rhaenyra being her father's daughter and trying to uphold his policy of peace and conciliation first, even if war is already a reality.
• While Alternative Character Interpretation is definitely at play (especially with the bout of Domestic Abuse in the middle of the episode), it is clear Daemon's at his wit's end trying to make sure the whole of the Black court is safe at Dragonstone. The death of his beloved brother, his stillborn daughter Visenya, and the fact that Rhaenyra could well have died in the birthing bed the same as Laena did. The man throws himself into what he can change and does everything in his power to reinforce their cause and push for his wife's (and even Jace's) claim to the throne.
• Daemon smirking proudly when Rhaenyra makes her entrance, crowned atop Syrax. He also never disobeys her orders to remain cordial and not draw first blood despite chomping at the bit to put Otto down.
• Alicent has kept the page of the book that Rhaenyra ripped out way back in the pilot as a reminder of their friendship when they were still children. While it very well may be a way of manipulating Rhaenyra, when Otto shows it to her, she seems genuinely touched by it and agrees to think over House Hightower's terms.
• Rhaenys, after spending an entire season having a complicated relationship with Rhaenyra, stands by her cousin and convinces Corlys to support her claim, pointing out that Rhaenyra is the only person keeping the realm with whatever stability it has left. She also at last accepts Jace, Luke, and Joff as her grandchildren and is determined to protect them from Aegon.
• Corlys's near-death experience has humbled him, and he apologizes to Rhaenys for blindly following his own ambition without any concern for her or their grandchildren. He also agrees to ally with Rhaenyra on account that her sons—whom he knows are not biologically related to him but still genuinely considered as amongst his grandchildren—will suffer if she loses the impending war.
• There is something sweet as well in the Sea Snake himself caring for and wanting to get to sit back and be a loving grandfather to his grandchildren, happy to be content with that.
• Rhaenyra is so proud of Jacaerys for volunteering himself and Luke to act as emissaries that she accepts his plan in spite of what we know must be motherly feelings to keep her eldest sons close after her loss of Visenya. She also makes them swear an oath on the Seven-Pointed Star, the Andal equivalent of the Bible, to not take part in any fighting as her only way to protect them from a distance.
• There's something oddly endearing about how Daemon sings a soft lullaby to Vermithor, the Bronze Fury, the second-largest living dragon next only to Vhagar herself. Even mighty Vermithor seems comforted by the song, lowering his head close to Daemon and gazing into his eyes, as if feeling kinship to someone with the soul of a dragon.

• In a twisted sense, Aemond's declaration that he intends to gift Luke's eye to Alicent. He may have become a ruthless Blood Knight, but he still adores the mother who stood by him when no one else did.
• Aemond's desperate attempts to calm Vhagar after Arrax breathes fire at her face against Luke's will. It's clear he knows that Luke's dragon is panicking and starts to panic himself when Vhagar goes after Arrax against his orders. It's clear at this moment that Aemond did not want it to go this far and is genuinely worried for the life of his nephew. His horrified reaction to Luke's death implies that he really didn't hate his nephew as much as he thought and maybe even still felt some minor affection for him from their childhood together. Also, he technically only demanded Luke's eye earlier (and specifically said he was only claiming one eye and did not want to blind him) rather than his life.
• Daemon gently taking Rhaenyra aside and breaking the news of Lucerys's death to her. The Papa Wolf is still there, even if his grief, rage, Blood Knight, and Byronic Hero tendencies temporarily get the better of him.

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