House of the Dragon: Do Rhaenyra and [REDACTED] have a romance in the book?

The sixth episode of House of the Dragon season 2 is here, and it brought with it a number of intriguing developments for our cast of characters. From ill-fated attempts to ride dragons to food riots and secret schemes, there was a ton to digest. After the catastrophic Battle at Rook's Rest and the rise of Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) as regent, things are powering forward again on HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series.

That includes a new relationship for Rhaenyra Targaryen, played by Emma D'Arcy. We've seen Rhaenyra enter into a few relationships over the years, but this one was different for a number of reasons. If you're hot off the episode, you may have questions, not the least of which is if this relationship exists in George R.R. Martin's novel Fire & Blood. SPOILERS and answers after the break.

Do Rhaenyra and Mysaria have a romance in the book?

The romance I'm referring to above is between Rhaenyra and Mysaria, the information broker played by Sonoya Mizuno who once had a relationship with Rhaenyra's husband Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith). Episode 206 featured a moment where Rhaenyra hugs Mysaria after the latter gives her some honest, kind encouragement, and then the hug lingers long enough that it turns into something more. It was a beautiful, natural bit of romance that caught me totally by surprise in the best way.

Like in Fire & Blood, Mysaria is a fascinating character who rises from being a sex worker in King's Landing to one of Rhaenyra's closest advisors. However, her rise is a little different in the show, and that means her relationship with Rhaenyra is different as well. Mysaria helps Daemon with his Blood and Cheese plot in the book, but she's still in King's Landing at the time. Mysaria never goes to Dragonstone and becomes Rhaenyra's close ally during her time there in the book; instead, she helps Daemon in the early stages of the war, and once Rhaenyra takes King's Landing, Mysaria comes to court and becomes Rhaenyra's master of whispers in all but name.

It's strongly suggested that once Mysaria comes to court, Rhaenyra gives Daemon leave to sleep with her, continuing a relationship that Daemon and Mysaria had years earlier. It's never suggested that Rhaenyra herself enters into an intimate relationship with Mysaria, just that she approves of her and Daemon's affair and trusts Mysaria in her own way.

However, Rhaenyra Targaryen is alluded to having an intimate relationship with another woman in Fire & Blood which the show chose note to adapt: Laena Velaryon, Daemon's first wife. House of the Dragon only included one episode with Laena Velaryon as an adult, and she never shared any screentime with Rhaenyra. Presumably, that plotline got the axe because the show simply didn't have enough time to explore it in the overstuffed first season.

Even though Rhaenyra and Mysaria are never said explicitly to be together in the book, it is strongly implied that Rhaenyra is bisexual in book canon through her relationship with Laena. House of the Dragon changed the woman whom Rhaenyra grows attached to, but did so in a way that feels completely natural and still very much in line with what we know of Rhaenyra from the novel. And if the show chooses to adapt Daemon and Mysaria's eventual reunion as well, the fact that Mysaria and Rhaenyra already have their own chemistry could make that dynamic that even more interesting. Of all the changes House of the Dragon has made to the source material, this feels like one of the smartest to me.

We'll see what awaits Rhaenyra and Mysaria in the final two episodes of House of the Dragon season 2. They air Sunday nights on HBO and Max.

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