Laena has her dragon Vhagar kill her due to life-threatening complications during the birth of Daemon's would-be third child.
Laena's death prompts Daemon to take his niece Rhaenyra as his wife, as the Targaryen princess is set to inherit the Iron Throne once Viserys dies. The duo have had taboo experiences together in the past, when Daemon took her to a brothel in King's Landing, seducing her in the process. Their officiated relationship over a decade after the events in the brothel is a culmination of Daemon's early pursuits, as he has now made the young Princess his bride in hopes of acquiring more power across Westeros.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, House of the Dragon actor Matt Smith explained how he processes the unusual, taboo relationship between Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen. Smith praised director Clare Kilner and the show's intimacy coordinator for their mature handling of the show's brothel scene, while also explaining how he maneuvers around the topic while filming. Check out what Smith had to say below:
It’s hard. You’re constantly questioning it. But you have to take the modern-day morality away. It’s a different time. It’s a story, and the story requires that these two characters do that. So you do it. But I think we were lucky with Clare Kilner, the director [of “King of the Narrow Sea,” the episode in which Daemon attempts to seduce young Rhaenyra]. She handled the sex scenes as well as I’ve seen them handled. Some people, I imagine, would watch it and they want more. And some people think, 'This is too much.' But I don’t really get involved in all that. That’s up to the director to manage.
It’s a bit like a ballet. We have a really good intimacy coordinator. And me and [Milly Alcock, who played young Rhaenyra] got on fabulously well and just laughed our way through that scene. It looks really serious, but me and Milly are just pissing our pants the whole time, laughing, going, 'There’s all these naked people standing here. What are we doing?' You try and cut through the really weird tension of the room and make jokes.
Daemon's Role In House Of The Dragon's Finale
Smith's story of light-hearted banter with Rhaenyra actress Milly Alcock is a far cry from the dark, dingy brothel scene House of the Dragon presented to viewers. By processing the taboo nature of Daemon and Rhaenyra's incestuous relationship through humor, Smith does a good job of showing how he's able to play a plotting character like Daemon so well onscreen. Daemon's relationship with Rhaenyra will only continue to grow in importance during House of the Dragon's season finale, where the consequences of Alicent crowning her son Aegon Targaryen ruler of Westeros instead of Rhaenyra will come to fruition.
Given his constant bids for power across Westeros, Daemon is unlikely to remain dormant during Rhaenyra's ousting from the Iron Throne, as it puts him in a position of less power as well. Daemon's experience as a wartime strategist can help him act quickly against Alicent once Rhaenys Targaryen arrives at Dragonstone to inform him and Rhaenyra of Aegon's coronation. Previews for House of the Dragon's final episode show Daemon and Otto Hightower facing off in Dragonstone, an indication that the Dance of the Dragons is fast approaching. Daemon's presence in House of the Dragon is vital to the final episode, made more significant because of his taboo relationship with Rhaenyra.
Source: Los Angeles Times