All the dragons in House of the Dragon, HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel

Sunfyre

The lives of Targaryen kings are often mirrored by the lives of their dragons. This is never more true than with Aegon II and his golden mount Sunfyre.

Sunfyre is a large, ferocious gold dragon often considered to be the most beautiful who ever lived. At the battle at Rook’s Rest, Aegon led his dragon into battle alongside his brother against Meleys the Red Queen. While Aegon won, both he and his dragon were severely injured. Sunfyre had his wing nearly torn from his body and Aegon suffered burns and broken bones that left him permanently disfigured and unable to walk without support.

While Sunfyre was recovering, Rook’s Rest was sacked by enemy forces, and Sunfyre slew thousands of soldiers before getting away. The crippled creature survived in hiding in a remote fishing village while the war continued. In one of the more inexplicable instances of a dragon-rider connection, Sunfyre returned to Dragonstone at the exact moment that Aegon needed him. Aegon had been hiding out on the island waiting for the right moment to strike a devastating blow to Rhaenyra’s cause. When Dragonstone easily fell, Aegon rode Sunfyre triumphantly above the Dragonmont.

But he wasn’t out of the woods yet. Baela Targaryen rises on Moondancer and nearly kills Sunfyre, but he was able to drag the faster dragon to the ground and devour them viciously. But the battle left Sunfyre even more debilitated. Along with scars along his back and neck and a missing right eye, he could no longer fly.

Sunfyre remained at the castle but never took to the skies again, becoming more of a terrifying giant lizard than a dragon. Before his death, Sunfyre ended the war by burning Rhaenyra alive and consuming her in six bites. He passed before Aegon could ascend to the throne, and his rider did not survive much longer. Both rider and dragon died from their injuries.

Vermax

Targaryen Kings and Queens are only as good as the dragons they ride. Jacaerys Velaryon was natural born son of Rhaenyra Targaryen and her first husband Laenor Velaryon, making him the heir to the Iron Throne (if his mother wins the war). Jacaerys, commonly known as Jace, was a natural born leader who played a key role in ensuring that the great houses of Westeros supported his mother. His dragon, Vermax, had been granted to him as an egg and grew larger and stronger each year. When King Viserys died, Jacaerys flew Vermax to every corner of the continent, consorting with lords and winning the favor of the most powerful strongholds in the country. The pair of them secured support from the Vale, the Riverlands and the Starks in the North.

Later, Jace and Vermax lead the charge during the Battle of the Gullet, but the conflict took both of their lives. Vermax flew too low and plunged to his death in the sea, leaving Rhaenyra with only one remaining son.