As the Dance of the Dragons heats on, we’ve yet to see some pivotal characters meet their demise. As long-time fans of George R.R. Martin know, this war claims more than one Targaryen dragon rider – and forever changes the face of Westeros in the process. However, some keen-eyed viewers noticed a revelation in last week’s episode, The Burning Mill – the death of Laenor Velaryon. While House of the Dragon has made some changes to the source material, some key aspects from the book have finally made it to the series, at least, according to fans.
A (Faked) Death in the Family
The series has been a pretty straightforward retelling of Fire & Blood, including the same characters and locations we saw in the book. That said, the show has taken some creative liberties to extend the 700-page book into a multi-season TV series. Other changes were made to tone down the violence and despair of Martin’s work a bit. And that’s where Laenor Velaryon’s story comes into play.
In the books, Laenor Velaryon’s death is as Game of Thrones as can be. The Velaryon royal was killed by his lover, Ser Qarl Correy, following Laenor’s infidelity. It’s a disappointing end for such a central character in the Velaryon bloodline, but it’s the kind of “mundane” ending we’ve come to expect from a fantasy series that prides itself in its crude portrayal of medieval brutality.
House of the Dragon, on the other hand, devised a more scheming finale for Laenor’s storyline so far. In the series, Daemon and Rhaenyra fake Laenor’s death to clear a path for their marriage and eventually solidify Rhaenyra’s claim to the Iron Throne.
It’s unclear whether or not that’s the last we’ll see of Laenor in House of the Dragon, but a scene in the latest episode might be a sign that not everything went well for the runaway Velaryon.
Seasmoke’s Lament
In The Burning Mill, Rhaenyra has a brief heart-to-heart with Mysaria, the “White Worm.” While they chat, a restless Seasmoke flies and shrieks in the background. Rhaenyra then explains that the dragon began wailing recently, to which Mysaria responds that maybe it’s “Lonely.“
The key aspect of this conversation is that Rhaneyra explicitly states that the dragon has “Grown restless of late.” That means Seasmoke wasn’t this anxious when Laenor faked his death, but now, something happened that shook the creature to the core.
Fans on X were quick to notice this brief chat might be the confirmation that Laenor is dead – for real, this time. Unfortunately, this also means Laenor Velaryon died off-screen in House of the Dragon – even if that’s something the franchise loves to do with some major players.
Still, it’s all just a theory for the moment. For all we know, Seasmoke is restless because he feels war is coming to Westeros. After all, that would align with the rest of the episode’s themes. We’ll have to wait and see if Laenor makes a much-awaited comeback to House of the Dragon or if he’ll beat Gendry’s record for the most time spent rowing in Westeros.
Tell us, do you think House of the Dragon was teasing Laenor Velaryon’s death? Also, do you think Jace Velaryon could be the son of Criston Cole and Rhaenyra Targaryen?
House of the Dragon |
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An internal succession war within House Targaryen at the height of its power, 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen. |
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| Creator: Ryan J. Condal, George R.R. Martin |
| Cast: Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Graham McTavish, Fabien Frankel, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Ewan Mitchell, Paddy Considine, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey |
| Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama |
| Number of Seasons: 2 |
| Streaming Service: Showmax |
