The Tragic Reality of Rhaenyra's Struggle for Validation You Might Have Missed
It is so painfully ironic.
House of the Dragon is the kind of show that will take your heart and dracarys it out, but aside from moments that were obviously tragic, there are some details that fans start to unearth just now, several weeks after the first season came to a conclusion.
One such details is how everything changed for Rhaenyra Targaryen, who started off as an ambitious young woman striving for the throne, but discovered herself burdened by her royal duties after years passed.
In episode 8, we see Rhaenyra crying and saying something that is actually very important for her character: "I thought I wanted it", referring to the title of King Viserys' heiress.
"Her wanting to be an heir was a way to get her father's attention, she wanted that validation. The same as Daemon, to be honest. And by her mid-thirties she realized it was a burden she didn't need or crave anymore. But still held on it from some daughter's sense of duty," Redditor Kellin01 explained.
The fan went on to suggest that this was the reason Rhaenyra tried until the end to consider peace terms and resort to negotiations rather than a full-scale war with the Greens.
However, after Alicent's son Aemond basically killed Rhaenyra's son Lucerys, the war is imminent; even though fans believe that Rhaenyra's war will be driven by her desire to avenge her dead son and not actually rule the seven kingdoms. This is quite ironic on so many levels given the fact that the Green king, Aegon, does not really crave the throne, either.
With all that in mind, the Dance of the Dragon is still inevitable even though both sides are going to war because of their own motives and not royal ambitions. The details of the bloody Targaryen civil war are yet to be unveiled in the second season of the Game of Thrones prequel.
HBO is yet to announce the premiere date, but the shooting is set to begin in early 2023.