House of the Dragon appears to cut daring Targaryen book character

By Lewis Knight

Published: Monday, 10 October 2022 at 12:00 am

The number of Targaryens in the series House of the Dragon continues to climb with every time jump.

The Game of Thrones prequel series has focused on the direct blood relations of King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine), particularly his daughter Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith).

However, recent episodes have seen other children of the King come to the forefront of the show, including his sons by his second wife, Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke).

These boys are, of course, Prince Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell).

Yet, there is someone else from House Targaryen in the source material that has not appeared in the show…

**Mild spoiler warnings for the book Fire and Blood and series House of the Dragon**

Where is Prince Daeron Targaryen in House of the Dragon?

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Olivia Cooke as Queen Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon
HBO
In the book Fire and Blood, King Viserys I Targaryen has four children with his second wife Queen Alicent Hightower.
  • Prince Aegon Targaryen
  • Princess Helaena Targaryen
  • Prince Aemond Targaryen
  • Prince Daeron Targaryen
However, fans of the series will likely note that only the eldest three of these children have been depicted in House of the Dragon.
Prince Daeron Targaryen, despite being Viserys and Alicent’s third son, was their most popular in the book due to his intelligence and kindness.
Daeron was born shortly after Prince Jacaerys Velaryon in the book and should have been mentioned in the series after the time jump that began episode 6. However, Daeron has yet to appear or even be mentioned in the series.
In the book, due to the feuding within the family, Daeron ended up a rival to the sons of his half-sister Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.
Daeron was also a dragonrider with a mount in the dragon Tessarion.
At the age of 12, Daeron was sent to serve as a cupbearer and squire for House Hightower in Oldtown, leaving him firmly entrenched in Alicent’s faction known as the “Greens”.
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Tom Glynn-Carney as Prince Aegon Targaryen and Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen in House of the Dragon
HBO
When the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons breaks out, Daeron is still at Oldtown but eventually becomes a vital figure in the war despite only being aged 15.
Daeron is a popular figure who is well-liked in the fight for the succession rights of his older brother, Prince Aegon Targaryen.
In the book, the people of Westeros come to return to Daeron as “Daeron the Daring“.
Unless the character has been unmentioned while remaining in Oldtown throughout all of the events depicted in the series, it genuinely seems as though Prince Daeron has been cut from the show.
However, maybe he’ll get a last-minute reprieve down the road. Yet it would make even less sense to mention his existence at this late stage.
Book fans may have to rely on the source material for their Daeron fix.

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