House of the Dragon: Why Did Vhagar Abandon Aemond?

Spoilers travel for some House of the Dragon and Fire & Blood.

A batch happened successful House of the Dragon: Season 3, Episode 5, from unseen assassins creating a gruesome tableaux of corpses worthy of a Thomas Harris serial slayer to Alicent and Helaena’s flight program ending successful a cliffhanger.

One of the astir funny events successful this occurrence is the disappearance of the dragon Vhagar, who seemingly abandoned her ailing rider Aemond astatine Harrenhal to spell connected a countryside spree portion helium recovers from his stab coiled successful the attraction of the enigmatic Alys Rivers. But arsenic Aemond, arsenic retired of it arsenic helium is, correctly noted, Vhagar would ne'er conscionable permission him.

Remember, young Aemond bonded with Vhagar — the oldest of each surviving dragons, the past of those who participated successful Aegon’s Conquest — aft his 2 older siblings had already claimed dragons of their own. As firmly established successful Game of Thrones lore, a dragon is bound to its rider until the latter’s death. Only past tin a dragon judge a caller rider. But Aemond isn’t dormant (well, not conscionable yet, according to what his prescient sister Helaena foretold successful the Season 2 finale and which he's inactive freaking retired about).

The Bond Between Dragons & Riders

I was incapable to find immoderate existing examples successful Game of Thrones lore wherever a dragon, nary substance however mercurial, conscionable ditched its rider erstwhile the going got tough. Arguably, the closest illustration is from House of the Dragon itself successful 1 of its much notable deviations from its literate root material, George R.R. Martin’s Targaryen past publication Fire & Blood. But that was a lawsuit of a quality abandoning their dragon.

House of the Dragon: Season 1 saw dragonrider Laenor Velaryon fake his decease and fly with his lover. In the book, Laenor was truly killed, which meant his dragon Seasmoke was capable to yet enslaved with different rider, Addam of Hull. But by having Laenor unrecorded and Seasmoke inactive enslaved with Addam, House of the Dragon wrote their mode astir Martin’s rules of dragonriding. Since dragons and riders stock a heavy bond, wouldn’t Seasmoke person sensed that Laenor is inactive alive? Does abandonment adjacent decease to a dragon? The amusement has near each that unanswered (unless Laenor died disconnected screen, arsenic immoderate person speculated successful bid to explicate this away).

Perhaps it’s a fool’s errand to effort to discern the motivations of a dragon. As historiographer Archmaester Gyldayn observed (in George R. R. Martin's novella The Princess and the Queen):

“We shall not unreal to immoderate knowing of the enslaved betwixt dragon and dragonrider; wiser heads person pondered that enigma for centuries. We bash know, however, that dragons are not horses, to beryllium ridden by immoderate antheral who throws a saddle connected their back.”

But still, wherefore did Vhagar permission Aemond? That abandonment has further shattered Aemond, whose psyche is present arsenic wounded arsenic his body. “Without her I’m nothing,” helium despairs to Alys aft seeing that his dragon is so gone, having fled successful the night.

We cognize Vhagar is inactive alive, arsenic she’s near a way of clues down her, truthful overmuch truthful that the Blacks and the Greens some judge Aemond is conscionable retired determination rampaging astir (while Criston Cole and Ormund Hightower are near wondering erstwhile he’s going to amusement up and assistance them similar helium was expected to do).

Fire & Blood saw Aemond and Vhagar attacking the riverlands together. As acold arsenic the amusement has frankincense acold revealed, Vhagar is doing this of her ain volition portion Aemond has been successful the throes of a fever astatine Harrenhal the full time. Aemond’s coiled and Alys nursing him backmost to wellness is an invention of the show.

Alys Rivers: The Witch Queen of Harrenhal

Gayle Rankin arsenic Alys Rivers. (Photo: Theo Whiteman/HBO)

The astir evident crushed wherefore Vhagar near Aemond is that Alys someway got the Targaryen prince to bid his dragon to permission him for a portion but helium can’t retrieve doing that due to the fact that of immoderate trickery by Alys. Notably, Alys didn’t truly reply Aemond erstwhile helium asks her if he’s her prisoner. We cognize from Daemon’s clip with Alys successful Season 2 that she tin manipulate adjacent the astir cunning of Targaryen men. Whether she’s a witch oregon simply knows however to instrumentality vantage of men successful a weakened authorities remains unclear. It’s astir apt to her vantage for superstitious radical to deliberation she’s a witch adjacent if she’s not.

However she does it, Alys is able, without an service oregon economical resources, to get what she wants from the astir fearsome Targaryens. And what she seemingly wants, arsenic she flat-out told Daemon, is the haunted castle Harrenhal itself. (We are besides reminded successful this occurrence that Rhaenyra has promised the castle to assorted different allies.)

By breaking Aemond psychologically — we spot him desperately clinging to her, adjacent calling her parent — Alys is capable to further manipulate him to get what she wants. Or possibly she truly is simply a witch, 1 almighty capable to conjure a spell that could disrupt the enslaved betwixt a rider and its dragon? However it happened, Alys has intelligibly been capable to override Vhagar’s clasp connected Aemond agelong capable for her to interruption him down to his astir susceptible authorities and marque him pliable successful immoderate her agelong crippled is.

While Fire & Blood readers cognize what’s successful store for Aemond and Alys, possibly House of the Dragon volition propulsion yet different curveball successful however it adapts Martin’s worldly for the screen. We volition hopefully cognize much earlier House of the Dragon’s penultimate play concludes successful August.