Only 1 Unclaimed Dragon in HotD Can Bring Rhaenyra the Biggest Advantage Against the Greens

House of the Dragon season 2 is finally getting closer to the long-promised war between the Blacks and the Greens, and it may be time for several forgotten dragons to be brought into action.

The second installment’s episode 5 captures Rhaenyra and Jacaerys planning a search for Dragonseeds across Westeros and thus expecting at least some of them to be able to eventually claim a dragon that doesn’t have a rider yet.

Rhaenyra’s decision to provide her forces with such a big update comes in handy for the Blacks after them losing Rhaenys in a fight with Aemond’s dragon Vhagar, but there’s so far only one unclaimed dragon that Team Black might successfully pit against the Greens’ fire-spitting creatures.

Though it’s pretty common for George R.R. Martin’s fictional beasts to have their own masters who they’ve spent years protecting and bringing to places all across Westeros, some of them remain unclaimed after their previous rider’s death.

So far Martin’s novel Fire & Blood counts 5 dragons that haven’t found their new master yet, and Vermithor is one of them.

Confined in Dragonstone for around 30 years by the time House of the Dragon season 2 picks the story up, Vermithor has long been ridden by King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, with whom he had a tight bond for more than 60 years, ever since Vermithor’s egg hatched in young Prince Jaehaerys’ cradle.

With all other dragons’ physical advantages and skills kept in mind, Vermithor can only be compared to Vhagar, a 180-year-old giant ridden by Aemond Targaryen.

Being around 100 years old at the moment, Vermithor comes as one of the oldest and strongest dragons in Westeros, though he does have one downside when it comes to his potential fight with Vhagar.

Since Jaehaerys I’s reign is often believed to be a time of unprecedented peace all across Westeros, Vermithor can’t boast of that much experience of flying into battles and even wars, yet he still was a key player in the Third and Fourth Dornish Wars.

However, this doesn’t give Vermithor any benefit since Vhagar surely has a whole set of trump cards like her vast experience in major battles or even her size alone.

The Blacks are likely to secure Vermithor’s participation in the upcoming war, and while he may not be able to beat Vhagar on his own, there’s still a chance for Vermithor to bring his team a major victory foreshadowed by the original novel.