The season 1 finale of the “House of the Dragon” finally gives us a taste of what has been foreshadowed since the beginning: dragon-on-dragon action. (No, not the mating kind—that would be an entirely different kind of show, though given how sexualized Westeros can be, still a possibility.) In this case, we’re talking about dragon combat.
Once Aegon is declared king, usurping Rhaenyra’s throne, a civil war seems inevitable. The queens on both sides are models of restraint, but they are continually butting heads with their advisors — most of whom have sabers in hand. As Daemon (Matt Smith) points out, dragons make all the difference. “Dragonstone has 13 to their 4,” he says, claiming it’s a numbers game and they have a distinct advantage. However, not all dragons are created equal — especially not when Vhagar is the size of 3 of Rhaenyra’s dragons.
To reaffirm commitments made to her decades ago, Rhaenyra dispatches her eldest sons to supposed allies in the realm. Lucerys flies to Storm’s End to see Lord Baratheon. However, Aemond arrives there first. He casually calls Lucerys a bastard, demands his eye, and pursues him on dragonback. Arrax broadsides Vhagar with a burst of fire — against Lucerys wishes. Vhagar ignores Aemond’s attempts to calm the situation. Vhagar bites Arrax in half, killing Lucerys. At least, Aemond has the decency to look shocked. But that could be his realization that he jumpstarted a Medieval nuclear war.