House of the Dragon episode 9 was all about Aegon II Targaryen’s ascension to the Iron Throne. Queen Alicent and Ser Otto Hightower with the rest of the Green Council made their plans to help Aegon sit on the Iron Throne. However, as we have covered once before, Aegon II Targaryen is simply not fit to be King of the Seven Kingdoms. Wearing a crown and waving a sword does not make one King. In fact, Aegon does not understand the responsibilities that come with such a position. Instead, we see his irresponsible side throughout the last few House of the Dragon episodes. It introduced to us a bastard son of Aegon II Targaryen. Gaemon Palehair will go on to play quite a role during the Dance of the Dragons. In fact, in many ways he proves himself to be much more than his father Aegon.
House of the Dragon episode 9 introduces Aegon II Targaryen’s bastard son
While the Green Council was preparing for Aegon’s coronation and dealing with Rhaenyra’s supporters in court, Aegon was missing from the Red Keep. The entire castle and premises were searched. Yet Aegon was not found. Eventually, Otto Hightower sent the twins Erryk and Arryk Cargyll from the Kingsguard to find Aegon. On the other hand, Queen Alicent ordered Ser Criston Cole and Aemond to search for Aegon. Ser Criston and Aemond went to the Street of Silk in search of Aegon. However it was to no avail. Aegon had apparently stopped going there a long time back.
Meanwhile, Ser Erryk who was also the Sworn Protector of Aegon II went to Flea Bottom with his brother Ser Arryk. Apparently, Aegon often visits Flea Bottom to drink the night away. He even slept around with women here and watched feral children fight each other as a part of a vicious fighting ring. Here Ser Erryk introduces the audience to Aegon II Targaryen’s bastard son. Now we theorize that this bastard son, who is one of many, is actually Gaemon Palehair.
Who is Gaemon Palehair
Gaemon Palehair was raised by his mother Essie and the other prostitutes at the Street of Silk. These women claimed that Gaemon was the bastard son of Aegon and thus a rightful heir to the Iron Throne. In fact, they offered up their services for free to all the men who would swear their allegiance to Gaemon Palehair. Gaemon was raised as a King and even amassed a ton of followers throughout his life. Consequently, he established his own court on top of Visenya’s Hill and even issued edicts.
His edicts showed how how he was so much more than his father Aegon II Targaryen. We saw how Mysaria too was against the poor treatment of children in Flea Bottom. In a similar manner, Gaemon issued edicts that put girls and boys on the same pedestal especially in cases of inheritance, another edict said that men who physically abused their wives would also get beaten up as punishment. His edicts emphasized on the well being of the poor as he claimed that the poor should be given food and wine in times of famine and those who lose their limbs in war should be taken care of by the Lords that they worked for.
Eventually after the death of Aegon II and Rhaenyra and the end of the Dance of the Dragons, Gaemon becomes great friends with Aegon the Younger. Aegon III Targaryen, who was Rhaenyra and Daemon’s first born son, even made Gaemon his cupbearer and considered him as his preferred heir. They became fast friends and Aegon fiercely protected him from others in the Red Keep.
