Sympathy for the Winged Devils
The dragons are living nukes. So why do I hate watching them die?
The Targeryen civil war is commonly known by the moniker “The Dance of the Dragons”, yet in Fire and Blood Archmaester Gyldayn1 instead dubs it “The Dying of the Dragons”. House of the Dragon is in yet the early stages of the war and already two dragons have been confirmed killed with a third currently severely maimed and clinging to life.
This weeks episode, entitled “The Red Dragon and the Gold” also showed the horrific devastation dragons are capable of unleashing on armies of men. Soldiers were charred by dragonfire, trampled to death and even scalded by boiling dragon blood on the fields outside Rook’s Rest.
The first time I read Fire and Blood, I was struck by my paradoxical emotional reaction every time a dragon met its end. Both on the page and now on the screen the dragons-as-WMDs analogy is blatantly obvious. The case that these beasts are bad for the people of the realm is exceedingly easy to make. The only counterpoints are the existence of the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy and the theoretical “nuclear deterrent” role they could serve in maintaining peace — the former of which is known only to the Targaryen ruler and their heir and the latter of which has already fallen by the wayside at this point in the show.
Yet the dragons are not merely kaiju intent on inflicting mass destruction as their default setting. Every instance of violence has been spurred by the rider of the dragon unleashing it. The bond between a dragon and its rider is left intentionally mysterious, yet in numerous instances we see an emotional connection that evokes the relationship between pet and owner. In this week’s episode alone, we glimpse Sunfyre nuzzle Aegon as he arrives to the Dragonpit. We similarly see affection between Meleys and Rhaenys both as they head to battle and then in the dragon’s final moments of life. Every dragon death consequently feels as much like witnessing a pet being killed as much as it does a monster thwarted.
In the case of some dragons, the historical alliances between their previous riders deepens the tragedy of their grusome battles. Meleys and Vhagar battle to the death above Rook’s Rest, but were once ridden by Baelon and Alyssa Targaryen, who were the parents of Viserys and Daemon2. Later Meleys was ridden by Rhaenys with her daughter Laena claiming Vhagar before her passing. When viewed in the context of this history, Vhagar chomping the life from Meleys becomes that much more horrific. It also leads one to deduce that if dragons who flew alongside each other for decades could so fiercely unleash claws, teeth and flames upon each other then the reason for such an abrupt turn would be the nature of the rider rather than his or her mount.
When I read Fire and Blood, each dragon duel was preceded by a rush of adrenaline imagining the fantastical action unfolding in the skies above Westeros. Yet upon the conclusion of each “dance” a profound sense of sadness and pointlessness grew. I couldn’t help feel these deadly yet amazing beasts were being betrayed by their riders. I was left with the same emotions upon the conclusion of “The Red Dragon and the Gold”.
Dragon of the Week: Sunfyre
While briefly glimpsed from afar in the first season’s “Driftmark”, this week we get our first good look at Sunfyre. Sunfyre’s golden scales earned Aegon II’s mount the reputation as “the most beautiful dragon ever seen upon the earth.” House of the Dragon’s first extended look at the king’s dragon did justice to both Sunfyre’s majestic appearance and his close bond with Aegon.
Sunfyre also is central in what I view as two of House of the Dragon’s missteps. The first was Sunfyre’s abscense from Aegon’s coronation. Rhaenys’ explosive interruption of the ceremony and subsequent decision not to incinerate the Greens has met it share of criticism. While Meleys was not present at the coronation in Fire and Blood, Sunfyre was — Aegon flew three times around King’s Landing atop his golden mount before landing at the ceremony. Even allowing for the show addition of Meleys’ intrusion, the presence of Sunfyre at the coronation would have given more credibility to Rhaenys hesitating in that moment and would have made this week the fulfillment of their prior standoff.
The second instance is Aemond’s intentional friendly fire during the battle of Rook’s Rest. While the account of Fire and Blood is vague and brief enough to leave room for interpretation3, I personally was not a fan of Aemond betraying his brother. As I watched, I was hoping that Aemond and Vhagar would engage Rhaenys and Meleys first and struggle to handle the Red Queen’s unparalleled speed before Aegon and Sunfyre arrived to turn the tide.
Certainly the abuse Aemond has endured at the hands of his older brother lends plausibility to his actions in the show but I personally was hoping more for a moment of reconciliation between the brothers. The dynamic between Aemond and his greviously injured older brother going forward in House of the Dragon is yet to be determined. Mayhaps Aemond will claim it was merely an instance of bad aim and deny culpability while eyeing the Iron Throne for himself. Or conversely one eyed prince might feel a new sense of loyalty to his brother borne out of guilt upon witnessing his grievous injuries. I would prefer the latter, as Aemond is more interesting as a rogue prince analogous to his uncle Daemon than as an aspiring king.
Martin’s fictional historian transcribing the rise and fall of House Targaryen.
And also siblings because of course they were. #Targaryens.
In the book Sunfyre and Vhagar attack Meleys together, implying both Aegon and Aemond were both part of Criston Cole’s trap. The three dragons end up in a deadly spiral to the ground that leaves Meleys dead and Sunfyre gravely wounded.