In the latest House of the Dragon episode, “The Dragon in Winter,” fans were given a shocking revelation: that Alys has hidden dragon eggs away at Harrenhal for years and that she’s finally revealed them to a current Targaryen—Aemond, who has pretty much taken up residency in the abandoned castle these days.
Daemon Targaryen was there for months on end in House of the Dragon season 2 when he originally flew to Harrenhal to collect allies for Rhaenyra’s battle against the throne (when in reality he had broken up with his wife during that time and was hurt), so why did Alys never mention the dragon eggs to him?
While there, he had plenty of dream sequences that were terrifying and had even run into Alys Rivers several times, where she even foretold his death. But despite months of staying there and growing a relatively interesting connection, Daemon was never told about the eggs.
In a recent interview with Variety, Alys Rivers’ actress, Gayle Rankin, revealed the real reason why Alys withheld this information, and it was because Alys knew Daemon wouldn’t ever “let his guard down.” At the same time, Aemond was a very “different story.”
“I don’t think Daemon ever really let his guard down with Alys. Really, really, really. And then he broke her heart. And she’s prophetic and she also can read people like a book. So she knew that Daemon was never going to get there with her, and Daemon was not her answer. I think Aemond is a different story, and I think she knows that instinctively.”
What Rankin means is that Alys tried to guide Daemon through his own turmoil and even tried to help him with the war, but he always kept his walls up and secure. Meanwhile, Aemond often listens to what she has to say, and, as we saw in “The Dragon in Winter,” there are some genuine (if not strange) feelings between them.
I mean, they're still a very strange couple, but that's a very mature reason. When you have a show like House of the Dragon, where many things feel emotionally charged half the time. It's nice to have a character really using their brain for once and making the right connections.
But with Alys knowing where actual real dragon eggs are, it might mean that she really is as old as she says she is. In fact, Rankin even said in the Variety article that she believes Rivers to be several centuries old to have those dragon eggs.
“I think she’s like 400 years old. I mean, give or take. I think we’re gonna like find out more soon, but she could be 400 years old. Like, I believe her, that’s the thing. I think there’s a lot of skepticism about, is she telling the truth? Is she manipulating? I’m like, believe the woman.”
Honestly, the relationship between Alys and Aemond was a given from the start, especially if you’ve read Fire & Blood. However, there’s still something so sketchy about the two of them—especially after that freaky intimate scene in the latest episode. Aemond takes the term “mommy issues” to a whole new level.
It does seem that Aemond shares a similar vision for the future as Alys does, and the dragon eggs being there is a huge step in that direction. But, as we see, Alicent leaves her son’s fate hanging by the end of this (thanks to good ol’ poison), and now Alys must clean up the pieces. I’m curious to see where this is going to go—and if those dragon eggs will mean anything going forward.
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