Did Daemon & Rhaenyra Abuse Viserys’s Kindness?

Daemon and Rhaenyra have misused Viserys’ kindness on several occasions in House of the Dragon. Here’s how they took Viserys’ advantage.

By Pratyush Singh
December 11,2022
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Daemon Targaryen had always shown likeness for the iron throne and seeing his elder brother sitting on it made him only jealous. This jealousy is seen when Daemon asks Viserys to be his hand simply because he’s his brother. Also, he spies on King Viserys’ council meetings, meaning he’s committing treason. He does love his brother, but Daemon’s self motives get the best of him, making him slightly immature at times. He receives tough love from Viserys back, as Daemon was exiled to Dragonstone for his behaviour.

Rhaenyra on the other hand gets treated like a proper princess by her father and king. Rhaenyra, the pampered, yet understanding child of Viserys had the best intentions for her father since the beginning of the series, however, we see in House of the Dragon season 1, episode 8; Lord of the Tides, that Rhaenyra asks for Viserys’ help to secure the position of Lucerys Velaryon’s illegal seat at Driftmark, even though Luke did not have true Velaryon blood.

Let’s see how both Daemon and Rhaenyra, on different occasions and under certain circumstances, have taken advantage of Viserys Targaryen’s kindness.

 

Daemon’s Life Would Be Hell If Viserys Was A Tough King

Prince Daemon returns to King's Landing in House of the Dragon
Prince Daemon returns to King’s Landing

What is honour? If an honourable king’s brother commits treason, would putting the brother’s head on a spike be the honourable thing to do? That is what duty commands, and within the Game of Thrones universe, is justified.

Daemon Targaryen always said that Viserys was weak and not fit to be king. If Viserys truly was a strong ruler like Daemon had wished, Viserys would never have let bygones be bygones and dealt with Daemon in the first episode itself when he killed and violently punished many criminals publicly. Even after stealing dragon Dreamfyre’s egg and insulting the Targaryen House by claiming to have impregnated a foreign whore, Daemon was able to plot a war with the free cities without concerning Viserys.

All this indicates the disrespect with which Daemon has treated Viserys and how he has misused his brother’s kindness.

 

Rhaenyra’s Side of The Matter

Daemon and Rhaenyra roam King's Landing at night
Daemon and Rhaenyra roam King’s Landing at night

Rhaenyra has definitely not taken advantage of Viserys’s emotional weakness as Daemon did, but she did enjoy many freedoms that other ladies of Westeros didn’t have the privilege to. While growing up, it was because her father Viserys was kind and generous, Rhaenyra was allowed to choose her mate, run away on a horse in the jungle or whatnot. No princess in the Game of Thrones universe would dare do things that Rhaenyra did.

One major thing to note here is that if Viserys was the strong king that Daemon taunted him to be, he would have disowned his named heir and only daughter Rhaenyra after learning about her brothel scene with Daemon. Moreover, Rhaenyra even had the guts to have three bastard children, further disrespecting the Targaryen bloodline.

 

Daemon & Rhaenyra Teamed Up On Viserys

Rhaenyra and Daemon's son Aegon III Targaryen in House of the Dragon
Rhaenyra and Daemon’s son Aegon III Targaryen in House of the Dragon

Last, and yes, the least, Daemon and Rhaenyra, in season 1, episode 8 of House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra and daemon wanted the Driftmark succession to be handed over to Rhaenyra’s second son Lucerys, as her firstborn Jacaerys is next in line to the Iron Throne.

After not seeing her father for many years, and returning to him in his final days, Rhaenyra asks Viserys for a favour, knowing that her child is a bastard and Vaemond Velaryon should be the true heir of Driftmark.

Furthermore, Daemon and Rhaenyra also pull on Viserys’ emotional strings by presenting their two true children, Aegon III Targaryen and Viserys II Targaryen. All this points to Viserys’ weakness being abused by his closest loved ones.