WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Fire & Blood and House of the Dragon season 1, episode 8!King Viserys Targaryen unintentionally predicts the huge endings for Rhaenyra and Daemon’s sons Aegon and Viserys in House of the Dragon. Despite refusing to marry Rhaenyra to Daemon back in House of the Dragon episode 4, it's the union between his daughter and brother that will bring forth two incredibly important figures in Targaryen lore. When the dying King Viserys Targaryen meets his new grandsons Aegon (named after the Conqueror, whose prophecy Viserys holds high) and Viserys (named after the King himself), the loving grandfather is truly looking at his legacy. With prophecy being such an important motif in House of the Dragon, it can’t be a coincidence that when he meets the young Viserys, he says, “That is a name fit for a king.”
George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book reveals that both of Rhaenyra and Daemon’s sons will eventually become King of Westeros. Viserys I Targaryen’s grandson will become King Viserys II Targaryen approximately 40 years later, with Rhaenyra and Daemon’s elder son Aegon III Targaryen preceding him as King in House of the Dragon’s ending. Considering it’s through Rhaenyra and Daemon’s son Viserys that the Targaryen line continues and produces the Prince That Was Promised, it’s fitting that House of the Dragon’s King Viserys looked at him and saw a grand future. While the elder Viserys was speaking to his grandson of the same name when declaring his moniker was fit for a king, the House of the Dragon line also applies to Aegon by referencing a memorable Rhaegar Targaryen quote from the A Song of Ice and Fire books. In one of Daenerys’ dreams, she sees Rhaegar Targaryen holding his son, at which time he says, “Aegon. What better name for a king.”
What Happens To Rhaenyra & Daemon’s Sons In HOTD
Like the majority of the characters in House of the Dragon, Viserys and Aegon will experience innumerable tragedies during the Dance of the Dragons. When the Targaryen civil war kicks off, Aegon and Viserys’ eldest brother Jacaerys Velaryon sends them to Essos for their safety until Rhaenyra secures the Iron Throne. However, their ship is intercepted by the Triarchy, who were on their way to attack Corlys Velaryon’s fleets. Aegon is able to escape to Dragonstone on his dragon Stormcloud (whom he had never ridden before), but the dragon-less Viserys is taken captive by the Triarchy’s admiral Sharako Lohar. Aegon is then plagued with guilt over abandoning his brother, whose fate is left unknown throughout the Dance of the Dragons.
When Rhaenyra Targaryen takes King’s Landing in House of the Dragon, the quiet and sullen Aegon accompanies her and serves as her cupbearer. However, Rhaenyra eventually flees King’s Landing during a rioting outbreak, with the Queen being confronted by her missing rival half-brother King Aegon II Targaryen back on Dragonstone. Aegon the Elder then makes Aegon the Younger watch as Rhaenyra is burned alive and eaten by the dragon Sunfyre, which leaves the boy scarred, broken, and terrified of dragons. Following King Aegon II Targaryen’s death by poison, the Dance of the Dragons concludes and Aegon the Younger is crowned King. A few years later, Aegon’s younger brother Viserys returns to Westeros, revealing he had been in the custody of the wealthy Rogare family in Lys.
How Aegon & Viserys Targaryen Both Become King
Similar to how King Viserys I Targaryen only inherited the Iron Throne after a series of unexpected tragedies, King Viserys II Targaryen will ascend the Iron Throne due to the deaths of his brother Aegon’s sons. Aegon III Targaryen will reign as King of Westeros for over 25 years following House of the Dragon’s tragic ending, after which time he’s succeeded by his son King Daeron I Targaryen. The young Daeron is killed before producing any heirs, so he’s succeeded by Aegon’s second son Baelor. After reigning for a decade, King Baelor I Targaryen dies after fasting for 41 days, but some rumors suggest his uncle and Hand Viserys Targaryen poisoned him. Nonetheless, Rhaenyra and Daemon’s youngest son becomes King Viserys II Targaryen, with the crown passing through his line.
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