'House Of The Dragon': Why Vhagar Is A Big Loss For Rhaenyra And The Blacks

WARNING: SPOILERS for House of the Dragon 1x07, 'Driftmark'.

The simmering tension between Queen Alicent's Greens and Princess Rhaenyra's Blacks boils over in House of the Dragon's seventh episode. A disagreement over the ownership of the dragon Vhagar leads to a brawl, during which Rhaenyra's second son, Lucerys Velaryon, gouges out the eye of Alicent's own second son, Aemond Targaryen, when Aemond openly accuses Lucerys and his older brother, Jacaerys, of being the bastard children of the recently deceased heir to Harrenhal, Ser Harwin Strong.

While the maiming of her son drives Alicent to a shocking act of violence, injuring Rhaenyra when her former friend steps in to stop her from taking Lucerys's eye in revenge. Aemond, however, believes the loss of his eye is a fair exchange for gaining his dragon. Otto Hightower agrees with his sentiment, delighted at his grandson having won Vhagar for the Greens.

Let's take a look at why Aemond's claiming of Vhagar is such a big loss for Rhaenyra and Team Black.

A Dragon of Legend

Vhagar, named for a Valyrian God, hatched on Dragonstone in an era known as the Century of Blood, predating Aegon I's conquest of Westeros. Vhagar was claimed by Visenya Targaryen sometime before she and her younger sister, Rhaenys (rider of the dragon Meraxes), were wed to their brother, Aegon.

Ridden by Visenya, Vhagar was a part of many important battles during Aegon's conquest, including the Field of Fire, the only battle of the conquest to see all three dragons (Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes) take to the sky in a brutal show of force that wiped out House Gardener, the former Wardens of the South. Towards the end of the conquest, Vhagar helped Visenya secure the Vale, as she was able to use the dragon to bypass the Eyrie's defenses and land directly inside the castle, after which she easily convinced the underage Lord and his Regent Mother to surrender and swear fealty to Aegon.

Maegor the Cruel, and the Dornish Wars

When Rhaenys and Meraxes were killed early in the First Dornish War, Vhagar and Balerion were used by the grief-stricken Visenya and Aegon to repeatedly burn Dornish strongholds in a two year campaign dubbed the Dragon's Wroth. When Visenya's son, Maegor I, also known as Maegor the Cruel, Visenya and Vhagar took part in many of his rebellion-quelling campaigns.

Following Visenya's death, Vhagar remained riderless for twenty-nine years, dividing her time between Dragonstone and King's Landing's Dragonpit. She was eventually claimed by Prince Baelon the Brave, the second son of King Jahaerys I Targaryen. Baelon rode Vhagar during the Fourth Dornish War, and into battle against Myrish exiles to avenge the murder of his beloved older brother, Prince Aemon. When Balerion died of old age, Vhagar became the last surviving member of the Conqueror's dragons. Baelon died suddenly a few years after Balerion's death, leaving Vhagar alone and riderless once more.

The Largest Dragon in Westeros

In the years following Baelon's death, Vhagar outgrew the Dragonpit, and spends some time living away from humans. When the young Laena Velaryon questions Vhagar's whereabouts, King Viserys I Targaryen informs her that the dragon's last known nest is somewhere along the edge of the Narrow Sea, aka the border between Westeros and Essos.

As an adult, Laena finds Vhagar and claims her as her own dragon. Fire & Blood describes Laena as having a great love for flying on dragon-back, which is shown in the first, and sadly, only scene in which we see the two flying together in House of the Dragon.

After bonding to Laena, Vhagar accompanies her to Pentos, where Laena, her husband Prince Daemon Targaryen, and their daughters Baela and Rhaena live in self-imposed exile. Laena uses her bond with Vhagar, formed later in life, to comfort Raena regarding the failure of her Dragon Egg to hatch.

Sadly, Laena enters a difficult labour with her third child shortly afterwards. While the book's version of events has Laena deliver a stillborn son, before dying as she tried to reach Vhagar for a final flight, the series sees the weakened Laena order Vhagar to burn her, granting her the Dragonrider's death she had wished for.43

Vhagar accompanies Laena's family as they take her body back to her ancestral family home, Driftmark. As Vhagar was her Mother's dragon, Raena plans to claim her for herself when the time is right. Unfortunately, Prince Aemond Targaryen beats her to it when his family visits Driftmark for Laena's funeral, sneaking away to claim Vhagar while the castle sleeps. This upsets Raena, who informs her cousins Jacaerys and Lucerys of Aemond's nighttime flight, leading to the brawl mentioned earlier in the article.

Vhagar is destined to play a vital role in the Dance of Dragons

Had Raena claimed Vhagar as she'd hoped, then Vhagar would have remained aligned with the Blacks, and Raena's new Stepmother, Rhaenyra Targaryen. Now, with Vhagar having bonded with Aemond, the Dragon's allegiance shifts to the Greens. This is, as declared by Otto Hightower, a great gain for the Greens, and a big loss for the Blacks.

At the point in time House of the Dragon has currently reached, Vhagar is the oldest, largest, and most battle-experienced dragon in all of Westeros. When the Dance of Dragons truly begins, she and Aemond are destined to take part in many important battles, becoming the single greatest threat to Rhaenyra's supporters throughout the entire conflict. Vhagar is also the last surviving dragon to have taken part in Aegon I's conquest. Having her on the side of the Greens boosts House Hightower's narrative that Queen Alicent's firstborn, Prince Aegon Targaryen, is favoured by the Gods, and potentially the second coming of Aegon the Conqueror.

With a second major time jump about to bring the Dance of Dragons even closer, fans will have to keep watching to see how the conflict unfolds.