[ad_1]
WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 1 and George R.R. Martin’s book, Fire & Blood!One major House of the Dragon theory claims that Aemond is the father of his sister Helaena’s children, not her brother-husband King Aegon II Targaryen. Despite teenage Alicent Hightower’s declaration that the Targaryens have “queer customs” when hearing the rumor that Rhaenyra slept with her uncle Daemon, Alicent would later force her own children into incestuous relationships. In order to increase the Greens’ legitimacy on the Iron Throne and avoid a betrothal with Rhaenyra’s son Jacaerys, Alicent and Viserys’ daughter Helaena Targaryen was married to her brother Aegon.
Following Aegon’s coronation, Helaena becomes Queen during the Targaryen civil war, with her twin children Jaehaerys and Jaehaera Targaryen being the heirs to the Iron Throne. But, an ironic House of the Dragon theory suggests that Aegon is not the father of Helaena’s children, although she does imply that he sexually assaults her when he’s drunk. While Aegon has bastards of his own in King’s Landing, certain details in House of the Dragon season 1 suggest that Aegon’s younger brother Aemond “One-Eye” Targaryen is the real father of Helaena’s son and daughter. Not only would this make King Aegon’s heirs bastards, but it would also change the circumstances of House of the Dragon’s most horrifying moment.
HOTD Subtly Hinted There’s More To Aemond & Helaena’s Relationship
House of the Dragon season 1 has surprisingly dropped subtle hints that Aemond and Helaena’s relationship is more than the typical brother-sister bond (for those outside of House Targaryen). While the pair aren’t often seen interacting, Aemond always defends or acts kind toward Helaena when they’re together, which Aemond doesn’t do for anyone else. In House of the Dragon episode 7, young Aemond even snapped at Aegon for calling Helaena weird, and went as far as to suggest that he wished Alicent had made her marry him instead of Aegon.
As adults, Aemond and Helaena continue to interact in ways that seem to be teasing a romantic subplot. Some evidence comes from House of the Dragon episode 8 when Jacaerys asks Helaena to dance at dinner. While Aegon couldn’t care less about Helaena dancing, Aemond situates his chair to directly face Jace and his sister, looking more angry and stern than usual. The next morning, Aemond suddenly arrives at Helaena’s chambers and is surprised to see their mother Alicent there talking to her. With Helaena’s children having just been taken out of the room, it’s left ambiguous why Aemond came to see his sister.
More hints about Aemond and Helaena’s possible relationship were dropped in House of the Dragon season 1, episode 9 as the Greens hurried to crown Aegon. When Aemond and Criston Cole walked through King’s Landing, the Prince said he was next in line to the Iron Throne, whereas Aegon’s son Jaehaerys is truly the heir. However, if Aemond is actually Jaehaerys’ father, then his statement is correct. Later on, Aemond steps in front of Helaena when Rhaenys and Meleys confront the Greens at Aegon’s coronation. Considering Aemond and Helaena don’t seem to have close relationships with any other characters, their interactions could be interpreted as more than just sibling affection.
HOTD Already Proved Aegon & Helaena Want Nothing To Do With Each Other
Beginning with House of the Dragon episode 7, Aegon Targaryen made his feelings about marrying Helaena known. Aside from the two not sharing anything in common, Aegon had his sights set on the women of King’s Landing and indulging in alcohol. Helaena, however, was more reserved and seemed to detest any notion of sleeping with Aegon. Outside of the dinner in which Helaena says Aegon completely ignores her unless he’s drunk and wants sex, House of the Dragon hardly reminds viewers that the siblings are married. Since the Green dragonriders Helaena and Aegon have been married for six years and have presumably only gotten pregnant once, it’s possible that the few times they slept together never truly yielded children.
Aemond Fathering Helaena’s Children Would Make Blood & Cheese More Fitting
The most agonizing scene to come in House of the Dragon is known as “Blood and Cheese,” which sees the eponymous assassins Blood, a butcher, and Cheese, a ratcatcher, brutally murder Helaena’s son Jaehaerys. Following the murder of Prince Lucerys Velaryon by Aemond Targaryen, which House of the Dragon‘s season 1 finale reveals was an accident, Daemon Targaryen declares that his stepson’s death will be avenged. Daemon promises Rhaenyra “a son for a son,” then has Mysaria hire Blood and Cheese to sneak through the Red Keep and kill Aegon and Helaena’s son.
While “a son for a son” was understood in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book as meaning Daemon would kill Aegon’s son for his allies killing Rhaenyra’s son, it would be far more fitting if Jaehaerys was actually Aemond’s child. Since it was Aemond who killed Lucerys, the revenge should have been on him, not Aegon, who had no knowledge of the event until after it occurred. As such, Blood and Cheese isn’t technically “a son for a son,” but rather “a nephew for a son” – unless Aemond is Jaehaerys’ father.
Aemond, Not Aegon, Being The Father Of Helaena’s Kids Would Be Brilliant Irony
If Aemond truly is the father of Helaena Targaryen’s children, this would be the icing on the cake for the irony of the civil war. One of the key reasons behind the Targaryen feud in House of the Dragon is that Rhaenyra’s three sons with Laenor Velaryon were actually fathered by Harwin Strong, with their bastardy potentially costing them their claims to the Iron Throne. Alicent Hightower continually spoke ill of Rhaenyra for her affair with Harwin and tried to use the illegitimacy of her sons to ruin her reputation. As such, it would align with Alicent’s demonstrated hypocrisy if her own children were subject to an even worse love triangle.
Considering Aemond continually taunted Lucerys and Jacaerys for being Strong bastards, the irony of his own children with Helaena being bastards would be a brilliant development for the story. Aemond being the father of Helaena’s kids would also be far more “depraved” than Harwin Strong fathering Rhaenyra’s eldest sons in House of the Dragon. Rhaenyra’s husband may have been her cousin, but her lover wasn’t related to her; meanwhile, Helaena’s husband is her brother, and her lover would also be their brother. Not to mention that Aegon’s children would have even less of a claim to the Iron Throne than Rhaenyra’s heirs, as Jacaerys is at least the true son of Queen Rhaenyra.
[ad_2]
Source link
