At its core, House of the Dragon tells the story of two contenders' quests for the Iron Throne: Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy), and her half-brother, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney). Ironically, the two have rarely shared any scenes throughout the series, with Aegon's mother, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), filling the role of Rhaenyra's main on-screen adversary.
However, Rhaenyra and Aegon have more in common than their lack of shared screentime would suggest. Although they have found themselves as bitter enemies, Aegon's big scene in the show's most recent episode, "Tumbleton," parallels a heartbreaking Rhaenyra moment from earlier on in the season.
Aegon finds Sunfyre
Back in House of the Dragon season 2, Aegon makes the (foolish) decision to join the Battle of Rook's Rest on dragon back, riding his beloved dragon Sunfyre. Aegon hopes seeing the king in battle will help inspire the troops, but in truth, it puts the Green faction's most valuable asset, Aegon himself, in grave danger.
In the sky, Aegon and Sunfyre engage in a draconic duel against his relative, Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), and her own dragon, Meleys. However, when Aegon's younger brother, Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) and his dragon Vhagar join the battle, the two other dragon riders find themselves caught in the crossfire. Rhaenys and Meleys are killed, Aegon is critically burned, and Sunfyre is lost amid the carnage below.
With Aegon recovering from his burns, Aemond assumes the title of Prince Regent, ruling in his brother's stead. Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) advises Aegon to flee King's Landing with him, fearing that Aemond will make sure his condition never improves so he can take the Iron Throne for good. Aegon takes Larys' advice and the two escape together, with the realm now believing Aegon to be dead.
During their travels, Aegon finds Sunfyre's corpse. What used to be his noble, majestic, fire-breathing companion is now a tourist attraction, with a man charging commoners to touch him. Aegon breaks down and weeps over his lost friend, expressing the paternal phrase "My boy" about the dragon. Larys, meanwhile, covers for Aegon, convincing the surrounding townsfolk that he's "simple," and not, in fact, the recently deposed former King of the Seven Kingdoms.
Aegon's tearful reunion with Sunfyre is one of few times the character expresses grief throughout the series. Even after the murder of his son, Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen (Jude Rock), Aegon defaults to anger, rather than sadness, and much of his previous melancholy throughout the show has been about his own suffering, rather than someone else's. In seeing him weep over Sunfyre's corpse, Aegon shows his humanity, however briefly.
Rhaenyra's similar sobbing scene
During the Battle of the Gullet, Rhaenyra's eldest son, Jacaerys "Jace" Velaryon (Harry Collett), was killed while joining the battle on his dragon, Vermax. Ironically, Jace's death played out similarly to Aegon's injury, with both combatants knowingly risking a great deal to join the fight, and both suffering grievous wounds on the back of their dragons from a family member — albiet in Jace's case, it was accidental friendly fire from Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell), unable to fully control her only partially tamed dragon, Sheepstealer.
When Rhaenyra sees Jace's corpse in season 3, episode 2, "Queen's Landing," she screams, cries, and sobs. Actor Emma D'Arcy has been praised for their emotional performance specifically during this scene. Sadly, this is not Rhaenyra's first time losing a child, as her second son, Lucerys "Luke" Velaryon (Elliot Grihault) perished in another dragon-back confrontation with Aemond and Vhagar in the season 1 finale, "The Black Queen." Having now lost multiple sons, Rhaenyra has felt the full blown consequences of the war on a personal level as well as a political one.
In placing Aegon's scene with Sunfyre so close to Rhaenyra's goodbye to Jace, House of the Dragon paints the two as foils for one another. While they have barely shared any screentime and ideologically oppose one another, with each claimant to the throne wanting the other dead, these two moments remind audiences that underneath the war and bloodshed, Aegon and Rhaenyra are normal people suffering from tremendous grief. Typically, House of the Dragon leans into Aegon's madness, portraying him in a somewhat similar light to Game of Thrones' own vicious young king, Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleason), but his expression of loss towards Sunfyre helps solidify his humanity, and painting him as a parallel to Rhaenyra further establishes their connection.
Make sure to keep tuning into House of the Dragon season 3, airing on Sundays on HBO Max.
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