It's another blood-soaked wedding ceremony on "House of the Dragon,"
but this one was unlike any seen before in Westeros. Here's what made it so
unique – and how the show hinted at three potential future couples.
Episode 7 opens with Laena's funeral. She may have died a Targaryen death
in Pentos when she commanded Vhagar to incinerate her, but on Driftmark,
she's receiving a proper Velaryon sea burial.
Her uncle Vaemund delivers a eulogy at the end of which he says that Velaryon blood
must not thin. Daemon, who has just lost his wife, chuckles uncomfortably at this. Likely,
his outburst is at the farce that has become the question of Rhaenyra's children's parentage.
"Do keep trying, Ser Laenor. Sooner or later, you may get one who looks like you."
Moments later, Corlys — who is as committed to keeping up appearances as Viserys — tells
Rhaenyra's second-born son Lucerys that someday he'll inherit this castle. Little Luke is
distraught by the idea ... should he become Lord of Driftmark, it would mean that everyone else is
dead. And that, precisely, is the other hidden message in Daemon's inappropriate laughter.
Rhaenys, on the other hand, is a pragmatic player in the game of thrones and asks
Corlys to use the occasion of Laena's wake to name Baela princess of and heir to Driftmark
instead of Lucerys. She knows the three brunette princes aren't really their kin,
but Baela and Rhaena are, and she wants their domain to remain in the true family line.
"History does not remember blood. It remembers names."
By the end of the episode, as far as everyone is aware, the Velaryon family tree will have
been pruned even thinner. Laenor seems to have lost a duel with his lover Qarl and
has been disposed of in the fireplace — but that's all just a ruse (more on that later).
Baela and Rhaena remain, but as girls, they don't carry the Velaryon last name. Jacaerys,
Lucerys, and baby Joffrey have the name but not the blood, and Corlys' legacy is in jeopardy.
Episode 5 marked the first appearance of Alicent's green dress, which serves as a
call-to-arms. Rhaenyra even calls Alicent and her supporters "the greens" for the first time
this week as she discusses the precariousness of her current position with Daemon. That,
combined with the fact that we finally see the princess of Dragonstone in Black,
means this familial civil war — the Greens vs. the Blacks — has truly reached the point of no return.
Prior to Episode 7, Rhaenyra was usually costumed in some combination of creamy white, gold,
and red. These colors are meant to symbolize if not quite her innocence, then at least her youth
or perhaps her optimism. The Targaryen colors are red and black, but black is more prominent.
The fact that she's attending Laena's funeral gives her a reason to change into a darker color
scheme, but this is also the installment in which Rhaenyra and Alicent themselves come to blows.
It's also notable who else is wearing black: The King, Daemon, Corlys, Rhaenys, Laenor,
Jacaerys, and Lucerys. Alicent and her three children are still cloaked in a
darker shade of Hightower green, even at these somber proceedings.
Episode 7 begins with Laena's funeral and ends with Rhaenyra and Daemon's wedding, but three more
potential future betrothals are either referenced or subtly teased throughout the episode.
Aegon scoffs at having to marry his "idiot" sister, Helaena, who's muttering to herself
about black and green spools and "dragons of flesh weaving dragons of thread." If it wasn't clear
last week, it is this week — Helaena is a dreamer who appears to be able to foretell the future,
though we're not sure if she's aware of her own power yet. In the previous episode,
she said Aemond would have to "close an eye" to get a dragon, which comes to pass.
"You will have a dragon one day."
"He'll have to close an eye."
That Aegon and Helaena are to wed means Alicent got her way and refused Rhaenyra's proposed match
with Jacaerys, which had pleased the king. Viewers can probably guess based on Prince
Aegon's attitude toward his sister alone that theirs won't be a happy marriage.
This also means Jacaerys is free to marry someone else. His mother tells him to comfort his cousins,
Baela and Rhaena. He is mourning the loss of his own father, Harwin Strong,
so the best he can do is stand next to them. Baela grabs his hand in solidarity.
Later, when Aemond steals Vhagar, it's Lucerys who first defends Rhaena — whose
egg is yet to hatch, and who wanted to claim Vhagar — against his half-brother.
Weddings in the "Game of Thrones" universe are conducted in accordance with a variety of
religious and cultural traditions. One element of many ceremonies is the binding of hands.
We see a Septon wrap Joffrey and Margaery's hands in a strip of white fabric as they recite
the customary vows of the Faith of the Seven. Through Bran Stark, we witness Rhaegar Targaryen
and Lyanna Stark do the same before their much happier though equally short-lived marriage.
For their own wedding, Daemon and Rhaenyra have decided to blend the rites of Old Valyria with
the customs of modern-day Westeros. Most Targaryens aren't particularly
religious ... at least not when it comes to the new gods. George R. R. Martin doesn't
go into much detail about Targaryen weddings except that they are "wed by blood and fire."
While earlier in Episode 7, blood trickled from Rhaenyra's curled hand after Alicent
slashed her with the catspaw dagger, at her wedding to her uncle, she willingly slices
open her palm. Daemon does the same, and the brand-new husband and wife bind their
hands and press their cut lips together in what appears to be a Valyrian blood ritual.
We don't know what words Daemon and Laena exchanged, but Rhaenyra and Laenor's quick wedding
after Joffrey's murder was done in accordance with the Faith of the Seven. In contrast,
Daemon and Rhaenyra's ceremony is conducted in Valyrian. This creates yet another source
of tension between the Blacks and the Greens, who are practicing devotees of the Faith of the Seven.
Episode 7 ends with a shocking cliffhanger that's also a departure from the source
material. A clean-shaven Laenor jumps into a boat with his lover and would-be assassin,
Qarl. Minutes earlier in show time, Daemon and Rhaenyra were openly discussing the
need to kill off Laenor so that they could finally be together, which would both satisfy
their long-simmering desires and strengthen their bloodline and her claim to the throne.
During this conversation, Rhaenyra says that fire is a prison and that the sea is an escape,
and that she loves Laenor. Daemon replies:
"Then grant him this kindness. Set him free."
We see Daemon approach Qarl with an offer of gold and a better life across the Narrow Sea
in payment for a "quick death." Then, we see Daemon break the neck of an unknown man in
a stairwell just before Qarl publicly accosts Laenor in his father's hall.
When Rhaenys and Corlys find a charred body in the hearth,
they assume it's their son and last living child, and they grieve accordingly. But this body almost
certainly belongs to the man Daemon silenced on the stairs. Rhaenyra and Daemon's carefully
chosen turns of phrase strongly suggest that they aided Laenor and Qarl's escape via the
sea. But for their scheme to work, Corlys and Rhaenys will have to believe the horrific ruse.