Season 2, episode 4 of House of the Dragon, “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” delivered an epic air battle between three dragons, ending with severe injury and death.
What Happened In Episode 4 Of ‘House Of The Dragon’?
In the face of ever-escalating war, King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) is plagued by imposter syndrome, as his brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) is commandeering his battle strategy, making it clear that his brother has no idea how to rule.
Daemon (Matt Smith) is haunted by nightmares, or literal ghosts in Harrenhal; either way, he appears to be losing his mind, while Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) has been empowered by the revelation that her father wanted her to inherit the crown.
Alicent (Olivia Cooke) is struggling with her willful misinterpretation of the dying king’s last words, but as she said, it’s too late now — the bloodshed has turned to war. As Ser Criston Cole’s successful military campaign marches on, Rhaenyra vows to disrupt him with dragon fire, but Rhaenys (Eve Best) volunteers for the job.
Rook’s Rest has become the unlikely target of an unholy trinity of dragons, with Aegon, Aemond and Rhaenys riding Sunfyre, Vhagar and Meleys into battle, respectively.
Rhaenys and Meleys put up a good fight, but are killed by the mighty Vhagar, while Aegon and Sunfyre are terribly wounded, thanks to the sneaky tactics of Aemond, who waits before joining the battle.
What could have easily been a messy blur of CGI and shaky-cam plays out as a remarkably clear and compelling fight; here’s the backstory of the three dragons who just lit up the battlefield.
Meleys
Rhaenys Targaryen is bonded to Meleys, a distinctively spiky dragon known as the “Red Queen,” who boasts a reputation as one of the fastest dragons to fly over Westeros.
Previously owned by Alyssa Targaryen (who died in childbirth in the first episode of the series), both Viserys and Daemon have flown on her back as babies, while strapped to their mother’s chest.
During the coronation of Aegon II, Meleys was chained down in the Dragonpit, but was freed by the rebellious Rhaenys. The dragon and her rider appear to share a strong bond, and despite the creature’s fearsome appearance, the sight of the wounded dragon looking back at Rhaenys before the two plummet to their death is genuinely heartbreaking.
Having fought against two fearsome opponents, Meleys is clearly a formidable foe, while Rhaenys displayed great strategy and skill as her rider.
Sunfyre
Like Meleys, Sunfyre boasts a distinctive appearance, with glistening gold scales and pink-tinged wings. In the books, he is said to be the most beautiful dragon in recorded history, a mount fit for a king, dubbed “Sunfyre the Golden.”
Like his rider, King Aegon II, the dragon isn’t quite as impressive as he appears, having fallen to the fire of Meleys fairly quickly. However, it should be noted that Sunfyre is younger than Meleys and Vhagar, and isn’t as battle-hardened.
Sunfyre also appears intensely loyal; despite being severely injured, Sunfyre cradles the fallen king when Aemond approaches them in the forest.
Vhagar
Vhagar, named after one of the old gods of Valyria, is ancient and fearsome, one of the legendary three dragons who enabled Aegon’s conquest of Westeros.
Vhagar is gargantuan, the largest dragon of all; she appears weathered and her color is faded, but the beast is battle-hardened and very powerful.
Vhagar was originally flown by Aegon’s sister-wife Visenya, and has since had many riders; at one point, she chose to stay riderless, having outgrown the Dragonpit, and was even believed to be lonely.
In season one, she was flown by Daemon’s wife, Laena. Their bond ended in tragedy after Laena, facing an agonizing death, commanded Vhagar to incinerate her, and the dragon reluctantly obeyed.
Vhagar was then bonded to a young Aemond, who snuck off in the night to mount the old dragon, seemingly earning her respect. However, Aemond doesn’t seem to have much control over Vhagar, as she disobeyed his command in a fateful moment, killing Lucerys “Luke” Velaryon in the sky.
In the battle of Rook’s Rest, Vhagar was instructed by Aemond to stay put, despite watching Sunfyre being outmatched by Meleys — this time, the old dragon listened to her rider, but she seemed uncomfortable listening to Sunfyre’s cries.
Again, Vhagar played a vital part in the fate of the feuding Targaryens, with King Aegon II having fallen due to Aemond’s deliberate delay.
Read the full article here