It’s easy to forget, but Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) actually has four children in House of the Dragon. Just take a look at the Targaryen family tree: We have Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and Helaena (Phia Saban), of course, but there’s also another son who’s never appeared in the show: Daeron.
You could be forgiven for thinking this spare kid was all but cut out, but after episode 6 it looks like he might finally be getting a look in.
So who exactly is Daeron, where is he, and how might he feature in the rest of Season 2?
Who is Daeron?
Alicent’s third son isn’t in the show because, unlike his brothers and sister, he doesn’t reside in the Red Keep. Daeron was sent to ward at Old Town when he was young, where he’s been raised with the rest of the Hightower clan.
He’s been mentioned in passing before – and he features in the book, Fire & Blood – but it’s not until episode 6 that we really learn all that much about him.
What do we learn about Daeron in episode 6?
When Alicent says goodbye to her brother, Ser Gwayne (Freddie Fox), she asks him about Daeron. We learn from Gwayne that he’s sixteen years old, before the knight gives Alicent’s third son the following, fairly glowing review.
« He’s stalwart, » Gwayne says. « Clever. As adept with his lute as he is with his sword. And a feature in the fancies of many a young lady, I’d wager. He’s kind. »
This final tidbit is the one Alicent latches onto. « That’s good, » she replies. « Kindness is a quality I’ve found lacking in his brothers. »
So could Daeron finally be about to make an actual, onscreen appearance?
Could Daeron be important later on in Season 2?
Judging by the trailer that’s just been released for episode 7, it seems the answer might be yes. He only gets a brief mention, but it’s a significant one.
« Prince Daeron’s dragon has taken to wing, » says a voice in the preview, while we see shots of Aemond looking concerned at a Small Council meeting. « The Hightower host will be unstoppable. »
So we know Daeron has a dragon, which already makes him kind of a big deal — but why does a mention of the Hightowers have the Small Council looking worried? They’re on the same side after all, aren’t they?
On paper, yes, but don’t forget Aegon II recently banished his grandfather and former Hand, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), from the Red Keep — and that Otto hasn’t been returning Alicent’s letters. Is it possible that he and his other grandson, Daeron, have been plotting something from Old Town?
We’ll have to wait for episode 7 to find out.
New episodes of House of the Dragon air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.
