House of the Dragon: What happened to Aegon at the end of episode 4?

Warning, there are massive spoilers ahead for the outcome of the fourth episode of “House of the Dragon” season 2!

In the fourth episode of the second season of “House of the Dragon” the Battle of Crow’s Rest takes place. Three dragons fight in this battle: Meleys of Rhaenys (Eve Best) for the Black faction and Vhagar of Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and Sunfyre of Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) for the Green faction.

During the battle, Aegon fights Rhaenys. When Aemond finally comes to help, Aegon is in for a surprise. Instead of helping his brother, Aemond ensures that Aegon and Sunfyre support him. Only then does Aemond, together with Vhagar, turn his attention to Rhaenys and Meleys.

Aemond is the hero of the battle and defeats his opponent, and Rhaenys falls in battle. And it looks as if Aegon has fallen as well. He lies laid out like a corpse under Sunfire’s wings, and Aemond seems content.

Is Aegon really dead?

Anyone who has read the book “Fire and Blood” by George RR Martin may be surprised by the end of the episode. Aegon does not die in the book. We are therefore sure that “House of the Dragon” is also playing a dirty game with us. It is very likely that Aegon is not dead.

Sunfyre was badly mutilated by Rhaenys and Meleys, and Aegon suffered burns covering half his body, a broken hip, and numerous broken ribs. His armor was fused to his left arm, and it would take him a year to recover. His mind was clouded by the poppy milk that had […] He did not rise for the rest of the year, and some say he prayed for his death. Only his mother, Queen Alicent, and his Hand, Ser Kriston, were allowed to disturb his rest. Prince Aemond took his place as Prince Regent and Protector of the Realm. Aegon remained twisted and disfigured for the rest of his life, half his body covered with burn scars.

A Wiki of Ice and Fire [freie Übersetzung]

Why did Aemond attack his brother?

The fact that Aemond is responsible for Aegon’s burns and injuries is a clear departure from the books. There, Aemond and Aegon fight together against Rhaenys and are both wounded, although Aegon is much more severely wounded than Aemond.

The reason for the attack is Aegon’s condescending attitude towards his brother. In the most recent episode (Episode 3), Aegon meets Aemond in a brothel and teases him in front of his knights. Even as a young man, Aegon was always in the mood to humiliate Aemond.

The fact that Aegon is also a drunkard with no sense of politics or war may be even more of a nuisance to Aemond, who invests a lot of time and effort in becoming a good and experienced fighter and dragon rider. It is obvious that he sees himself as a better king.

The rivalry between the two brothers is somewhat comparable to that of Daemon (Matt Smith) and Viserys (Paddy Considine). Daemon also saw himself as a more suitable king than Viserys, but unlike Aemond, Daemon has great love for his brother.

What happens next with “House of the Dragon”?

As described above, in the series, just like in the book, Aemond will probably take over as the new regent while Aegon is in bed in hospital. The only people who might really care about Aegon are Kriston (Fabien Frankel) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke).

These two are probably the only ones who can stop Aemond from giving Aegon the coup de grace and freeing him from his suffering. While Alicent as a mother probably loves her son despite all his misdeeds, Kriston’s loyalty is probably more of a political nature.

Kriston is not stupid and is sure that Aegon will never be the successor chosen by Viserys. Nevertheless, he stood up for Aegon. Out of spite against Rhaenyra, but also for Alicent. If Aegon were to die, the cause that Kriston stands for would also be dead, because Aemond is not popular with the people and is also much more cruel than Aegon.

After Aegon’s death, backtracking and giving the crown to Rhaenyra is also no longer up for debate after the conflicts that have already been fought.

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Which novel series is the story of “House of the Dragon” based on?

SRHarry Potter SrThe Hobbit SRThe Song of Ice and Fire

The next episode awaits us next Monday on Sky and Wow. The new season consists of 8 episodes in total, and there is already a follow-up in the form of “House of the Dragon” Season 3.