House of the Dragon is finally returning with its much-awaited second season. However, Season 2 of the popular TV series made us wait for almost two years, so it’s no wonder that fans hardly remember the events that occurred in the first season. Well, if you’re always having a hard time recalling the major events from Season 1, don’t fret. We have prepared a House of Dragon Season 1 recap so that you don’t find yourself out of the loop when Season 2 releases.
Rhaenyra and Alicent: From Friends to Enemies
The first season of House of the Dragon starts with King Viserys’s wife, Aemma, dying during childbirth. As with Aemma, the King’s son also meets a dreadful fate. Meanwhile, Daemon, King Viserys’ stepbrother wants to succeed as the ruler of the kingdom. However, his reckless behavior and advice from the small council force Viserys to choose Rhaenyra as the heir to the Iron Throne.
After the death of Queen Aemma, Visrys decides to marry Alicent Hightower, the daughter of Otto Hightower who serves as the hand of the king. Notably, Alicent Hightower and Princess Rhaenyra have been childhood friends until Alicent becomes Rhaenyra’s stepmother.
However, not everyone was happy with the king’s decision. Especially, Lord Corlys who rules Driftmark and has been an ally of the House Targaryen. He wanted the king to marry his 8-year-old daughter Princess Leanna to Viserys. This creates a brief rift between Driftmark and House Targaryen.
After Alicent gives birth to the King’s children, the distance between her and Rhaenyra increases. Furthermore, King Viserys’s health starts deteriorating, and everyone in the royal kingdom starts playing mind games to get Rhaenyra out of the game because the Seven Kingdoms have not seen a female ruler in its history.
Rhaenyra Gets Married Twice
Rhaenyra marries Laenor, the son of her aunt Rhaenys and Corlys Velaryon. However, Rhaenyra wasn’t interested in marrying anyone then, so she agreed to the marriage for political reasons. She and Laenor agreed to be friends and not a couple even after marriage.
Rhaenyra develops a close bond with Harwin Strong, the son of Lyonel Strong, the King’s Hand and she gives birth to three bastard children – Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey.
However, their lineage was frequently questioned, especially by Alicent Hightower in attempts to install her son Aegon on the throne.
When the members of the Targaryen dynasty attend the funeral ceremony of Lady Laena, Rhaenyra and Daemon plan to get Laenor out of the frame so they can get married. They ask Laenor’s lover, Ser Qarl, to kill him and leave the lifeless body behind. Everything goes as planned, but afterward, it is revealed that Laenor faked his own death so that he could elope with his lover and live the life he always wished for.
On the other hand, Rhaenyra and Daemon tie the knot, leaving everyone to speculate that they have murdered their partners. With Daemon, Rhaenyra gives birth to two children – Aegon Targaryen and Viserys Targaryen.
King Viserys’ Death and Aegon’s Installation on the Throne
One unfortunate day, King Viserys dies due to his prolonged illness. Before dying, he mentions Aegon’s (Rhaenyra and Daemon’s son) dream, and Alicent misunderstands him. The Queen starts believing that the king has finally changed his mind.
She starts thinking that Viserys doesn’t want Rhaenyra to take possession of the Iron Throne; instead, he wants Aegon (Alicent’s son) to be his heir. So, she, alongside her father, Otto Hightower, makes Aegon sit on the throne illegally. Even when the young King didn’t want to sit on the throne, he had to, with every supporter cheering for him at the Dragonpit.
On the other hand, a pregnant Rhaenyra went into labor after learning about the shocking news. However, as the infant couldn’t survive, Rhaenyra blames Alicent and his son, believing the ongoing stress had taken her child away.
Lucerys’ Death and the Beginning of the Civil War
Getting the final betrayal from Alicent and Otto Hightower, Rhaenyra prepares for the biggest Civil War, Dance of the Dragons. The teams get split as Greens and Blacks, several houses are looked forward to for alliances, and Daemon seeks potent dragon riders who could contribute greatly during the war.
Rhaenyra asks her son Lucerys to leave for Storm’s End to approach the Lord of House Baratheon while Jacaerys is sent to Winterfell and Vale of Arryn. Luke crosses paths with Aemond, the son of Alicent and Viserys who lost his eye in his childhood during a scuffle with Lucerys and Jacerys. Aemond had arrived at Storm’s End with a marriage proposal to seek an alliance with the influential house.
Realizing that he has nothing bigger to offer, Luke leaves, but on the way back, he again comes across Aemond and his dragon, Vhagar who is one of the largest dragons in HOTD. While Aemond only wanted to scare Luke, he couldn’t control his dragon from burning Rhaenyra’s son and his dragon, Arrax.
Before Luke’s death, there was a chance for the war to be prevented; however, the unfortunate death at the hands of Aemond made things worse. Now, Rhaenyra will do anything to avenge her son.
Events in House of the Dragon Season 2 episode 1 will take place after 10 days of the death of Lucerys.
