King Viserys’ days are numbered.
Given that House of the Dragon‘s plot revolves around the question of his succession, it seems pretty clear that — at some point in the show – he’s going to die, especially given that his health has been bad since the first episode.
But what exactly is up with the troubled king’s health? Why did he have that sore on his back, and what made his finger turn black?
We think we may know the answer.
What health issues has King Viserys had so far?
First, let’s go back to the beginning. In House of the Dragon episode 1, we see the King Viserys (Paddy Considine) sitting on a chair with his shirt up, while confused maesters examine a growing sore on his back.
« It’s a wound that refuses to heal, grand maester, » says one of the younger maesters. « Might I suggest cauterisation? »
The wound isn’t mentioned in the show again, but in episode 2, the poor old king is back in the maester’s chair — this time with a little finger that’s looking horribly infected.
« This is our best chance to save the digit, your grace, » says the grand maester, casually plonking the king’s blackened pinkie into a bowel of wriggling grubs. « The maggots will remove the dead flesh and hopefully stop the advance of the rot. »
Clearly, the king’s health is not in the best place, and the maesters are a little clueless as to why. But the clues were there from the beginning.
What’s actually wrong with him?
If we rewind to that scene in episode 1, with the king sitting with his shirt up, he actually tells the maesters what he thinks might be going on.
« It’s a small cut from sitting the throne, » says King Viserys. « It’s nothing. »
He makes it sound casual when it’s clearly serious, and the maesters barely pay attention. As viewers we barely pay attention, either — it sounds like nothing more than a king attempting to brush off a perceived weakness. But then something else happens, later in the episode, that casts his comment in a new light.
After the king has dismissed his brother from the throne room, he lifts a hand to his head only to notice a drop of blood on his little finger — the same finger that, in episode 2, has turned black with rot.
In a nutshell, King Viserys was probably right after all — his injuries are from the Iron Throne. The jagged edges are likely causing cuts that are then becoming infected, possibly leading to a condition (at least in the case of his finger) called « necrotising fasciitis », which the NHS says can lead to black blotches and blisters on the skin and may require « surgery to remove the infected area. » It’s a condition that, if it isn’t treated properly, can turn fatal.
Metaphorically, sitting on the Iron Thrones is a nightmare filled with enemies and unforgiving decisions. But in this case, for King Viserys, it seems to be quite literally killing him one cut at a time.
