Game of Thrones is most famous for its very many deaths and leaving fans wondering if their favourite character is going to be the one to go in the next episode. The House of the Dragon hasn’t been any different, but no deaths have been quite as grotesque as that of Princess Aerea Targaryen, the daughter of Prince Aegon Targaryen (the brother of Maegor the Cruel) and Princess Rhaena Targaryen, who tried to claim Balerion and died because of it.
How Did Princess Aerea Die?
There were only two witnesses to the princess’s death, Grand Maester Benifer and Septon Barth, and neither had left any official report of Princess Aerea Targaryen’s true passing, instead telling everyone that she had died of a fever. That was not entirely false. Ser Lucamore Strong, who had carried the young princess to Benifer’s chambers, had said that he could feel her fever through his armour and that it had felt like something was moving within her. He had no idea how right he was.
While there had been no public account given of the princess’ passing, there was one found in Septon Barth’s private papers. According to him, the starved princess seemed to be boiling from the inside out, and it looked like something was attempting to escape from her, causing her such great pain that not even milk of the poppy could help her.
After her eyes burst from her “fever”, Benifer and Barth submerged Princess Aerea Targaryen in a tub of ice, and she immediately died upon contact. As she died, slimy “creatures of heat and fire” burst from her skin (he described one to be as long as his arm) and died in the cold of the water.
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How Did Princess Aerea Get Sick?
Not much is known about what happened for the year that Princess Aerea Targaryen disappeared on Balerion’s back, but it is assumed that the dragon had flown them back to Valyria (Balerion’s birthplace, which had been destroyed during the Doom of Valyria).
Some speculate that because of the intense heat caused by the doom accursed creatures, such as the ones found in Aerea, were able to thrive and had taken to the princess when they’d been unable to enter the dragon.
What Happened After Her Death?
When Queen Rhaena arrived home, her daughter had already been cremated. Rather than burying her with the other Targaryens, she took to the skies upon her dragon Dreamfyre and scattered her ashes to the wind, refusing to let her remain in a place that she hated and honouring her wish to fly.
After this, King Jaehaerys would go on to forbid any ships that were suspected of sailing from the Valyrian islands or through the Smoking Sea from landing in Westeros, threatening them with execution. It is likely that he did this after discussing the details of Princess Aerea Targaryen’s death with Barth.
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What do you think about Princess Aerea’s death?
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: HBO Max |
