House of the Dragon season 3's fake Daeron Targaryen subplot, explained

House of the Dragon season 3 continues tonight, showing the aftermath of Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) taking the Iron Throne. Though she’s victorious in reclaiming her seat, it’s not the easiest road to get there. Not only does she lose another son in the season 3 premiere, but the second episode sees her having to take a life for the first time—and it doesn’t seem to feel good.

Now that Rhaenyra is officially Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, she has a lot to navigate. Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) are nowhere to be found, while she learns she’s got no money. In tonight’s episode, it’s revealed the crown’s gold is gone, and now Rhaenyra must figure out where to get more. Another major decision she has to make is what to do with Daeron Targaryen (this version played by Charlie Gordon), Alicent’s (Olivia Cooke) youngest child who’s been brought to King’s Landing as a prisoner.

But wait, is it really Alicent’s child? By the end of the episode, Rhaenyra—and us viewers—learn that it’s been a ploy from the Greens, and the white-haired boy is not a Targaryen at all. How did we get here, and why was this scheme carried out in the first place? We break it down right here.

Why Ormund gives Daemon a fake Daeron

It all begins with the opening scene of season 3 episode 3. Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith)—alongside Caraxes, Ulf (Tom Bennett) on Silverwing, and Hugh (Kieran Bew) on Vermithor—meets with Ormund Hightower (James Norton) and his army to attempt to strike a deal. The way Daemon proposes it, either Ormund bends the knee to Rhaenyra, or the war will continue—starting right then, with the dragons burning him and his men up.

Ormund lies and pretends to surrender, chalking his decision up to wanting to save his men, and bends the knee. He pledges his allegiance to Rhaenyra—a pretty wild move as a lie—and Daemon agrees to let him and his army go. But not without taking someone first. Daemon demands he bring Daeron back to King’s Landing, as he can’t have another Targaryen with a dragon not under his watch.

Perhaps surprisingly, Ormund easily agrees, and hands off Daeron—or who we know now to be a fake Daeron. Ormund must have known that the Blacks would want the boy, and planned a scheme to keep him safe from them. Of course, Daemon doesn’t know this, and he brings the child back with him to the city.

When Rhaenyra is presented with the fake Daeron, she seems a bit surprised. She tells Daemon he’s younger than she imagined, though she doesn’t seem to do the math. She wants information on the Greens from him, but the boy doesn’t budge. In fact, he doesn’t speak at all until later in the episode. In another scene, Rhaenyra walks into his room while he sleeps, and she notices a wooden bird. Studying it, this must somehow tip her off that something might be amiss. Perhaps a Targaryen would carve a dragon instead?

Alicent reveals the truth

Rhaenyra eventually tells Alicent she has her youngest son, and while Alicent is surprised, she still can’t help Rhaenyra get information out of him. As Alicent reminds Rhaenyra, Daeron was brought to Oldtown when he was young, and she barely knows him. But she provides the greatest information of all when she sees the boy, her face revealing the truth. Rhaenyra asks if she knows the boy, and Alicent confirms it’s not her son.

This is when the fake Daeron finally speaks, explaining that Ormund made him go along with the scheme or else his mother would be killed. His hair is not really white; it’s simply been dyed.

Although Daemon is adamant earlier on in the episode that Rhaenyra must have Daeron killed, Rhaenyra eventually decides to send him to the Night’s Watch instead. That’s, of course, before she realizes it’s not the real Daeron. As for the fake Daeron, we don’t see what happens to him next, but I hope he can reunite with his mom eventually!

And that’s not the end of Ormund’s scheming. With the Blacks believing he’s bent the knee to Rhaenyra, he’s able to sneakily lead his army to Tumbleton, which is located in the Reach, close by King’s Landing. Tonight’s episode ends with Rhaenyra learning this, giving us an awesome shot of her standing in front of the Green banners being burned, as she considers her next move.

It’s a very smart move on Ormund’s part, and, honestly, a very big oversight on Daemon and Rhaenyra’s. Though Rhaenyra sits the Iron Throne, she has no experience leading a kingdom or any army. She’ll need help from her (very small) Small Council, and as for the army, Daemon better get back to King’s Landing fast!

If you’ve been following along with the House of the Dragon rumors and leaks, you’ll know that the concept of there being a fake Daeron in season 3 has circulated the internet for a bit now. The X account @housethedragons shared the scoop in 2025, reporting that Charlie Gordon would be playing the fake Daeron featured in leaked videos.

Meanwhile, the real version would be played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth. Now that we’ve seen the first three episodes of season 3, we know this is all true.

We’ve actually already seen the real Daeron this season

Speaking of Ainsworth, that casting is officially confirmed in the season 3 premiere, when Daeron is (very quietly) introduced for the first time. Of course, the show has been trying to keep the fakeout storyline under wraps, so they don’t mention his name, but he is the auburn-haired boy who follows Ormund around in the first episode. Viewers not following the rumors would’ve likely had no idea that’s who it is.

Now that the cat’s out of the bag, we anticipate seeing more of the real Daeron—even by name—in future episodes. The story should shift to Tumbleton now that we know Ormund’s armies are there, and we’ll get to see how the war unfolds from there.

New episodes of House of the Dragon season 3 release every Sunday night on HBO and HBO Max.

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