Did not see that coming this early on…

Sunfyre cares for Aegon more than his entire family😢

To answer your question why Rhaenys stayed, it’s because the goal wasn’t to injure the dragons, it was to defend Rooks Rest (the castle). What message would she be telling Rhaenyra’s supporters if she went and fled the battle? That’s why she stayed. She only thought of injuring Vhagar as an added bonus, but the main goal was to defend the castle.

Yeah that little scene between Sunfyre and Aegon in the dragon pit was adorable 🥲

"He's a dickhead, but he's in his element here." The realest breakdown of that ass Criston I've heard 🤣🤣🤣.

I love how you guys are like peeking over from your seats towards the screen as if you could see over Sunfyre's tail that coiled around Aegon. xD

Vhagar doesn’t view those other dragons as family. lol, she has zero issue killing them.

I genuinely feel for Aegon, no one loves him and people shit on him for putting him in a position he never wanted

Sunfyre the golden, the most beautiful dragon in history, you did well my boy.

Aegon doesn't need enemies when he has family like alicent and aemond

People wondering why Rhaenys didn't leave like she was there to secure the rocks nest and if she fled it would spred that the ppl serving under Rhaneryra left and she tried to harm Vhagar the most she could thus neutralising the biggest threat. Aemond is twice a kinslayer now. Cursed!

Aegon and Sunfyre are literally one soul in 2 bodies.

Was Rhaenys there to injure or take out the dragons? No. She was there to DEFEND THE CASTLE. Her queen sent her to defend the fort of a close ally who sits on Rhaenyra's council. Fighting the Green dragons is just the way to save the castle. Hence why she stayed. Also people are not giving her enough credit, in a straight up 1v1 fight, Meleys managed to push down Vhagar on the ground because of its agility. It wouldnt be wrong if she felt in the moment that she could finish off Vhagar.

When Meley look back at Rhaeny, my heart start aching 😭😭😭 Rhaenys Targaryen (the Queen Who Never Was) and Meley R.I.P., including Sunfyre😢

Rhaenys, the queen who never was, the queen who should have been, went out like a true targaryen queen

The way Sunfyre shielded Aegon to protect him from the fall 💔

Sunfyre the golden, the most beautiful dragon in history, you did well my boy😭

For me Aegon's Character is the best in the story so far. I feel bad for him tbh all he's trying to do is get approval from his mother and prove himself... I know he can be sh*tty but still i see him as a tragic character. And the actor's performance is top🤌🏻

In the book, it was a 2v1 fight. Meleys the swiftest dragon against Sunfyre & Vhagar the largest. And Rhaenys refused to surrender or flee. It was kill or be killed. But if we take the show's reasoning, i think Rhaenys went back the second time around because she already injured Vhagar and was going to finish the job. Vhagar/Aemond was the biggest threat from the side of the Green.

Rhaenys could've escaped but it would be equivalent to abandoning Rhaenyra's supporters and she had already brought down Aegon and had an opportunity to finish Vhagar who fell from quite a height.

If rhaenys left then she knew that she would lose the castle and rhaenryas supporters to Aemond. She had to stay and fight

Aemond really tried to commit regicide with all the subtlety of a lead pipe.

I think princess rhaenys was looking for vhagar flying too low thinking she injured the dragon already, and she was too low passing through the castle it was a blind spot 😭

Achilles: Imagine a king who fights his own battles. Wouldn't that be a sight. Honestly, big respect for Aegon for being a king and going into the literal front lines. He's being mocked by most as stupid, and sure, it may have been stupid. But the soldiers still saw their king fight and risk his life with them.

The death of the dragons is horrible :( I feel so sad for them

Ewan Mitchell needs an award for his performance as Aemond

fleeing the battle is bad rep for team black, imagine how hard team green would've milked it twisting it and spreading bad word among people

To appreciate Rhaenys staying we must remember the situation Rhaenyra is in. The little support she has needs her dragons to defend them. Which is why Rhaenys, smart as she is, knows she can't flee. She represents the queen as one of her dragonriders. "If the Queen flees at the first sign of trouble, why should we support her against these overwhelming odds?" Also, as Aemond explained, Rook's Rest is important because the Blacks losing it cuts Dragonstone off from Westeros. The blacks must defend it at all costs. Lastly, Meleys is the Blacks best dragon. She's the most capable of harming Vhagar. Aegon & Aemond falling would be a huge victory despite the risk. Rhaenys knew this and bravely fought.

And the fact that her daughter dragon was the one killing and on top of that on her birthday date it's horrible, I knew what was coming but I Still cried

RIP to the Queen Rhaenys and Warrior Meleys! ❤️

"The woman who could reign lived without knowing fear and died between blood and fire." Today we love you more than ever ❤️‍🔥 Fly high Rhaenys Targaryen 🕊️ #HouseOfTheDragon #Rhaenys

Thank you, for mentioning about how good the soundtrack is. I have seen the last part atleast 20 times just for the soundtrack alone. It’s mind blowing how it builds up.

Aemond is so cool, it's sad to see a lot of poeple not enjoying his character, taking a side and hating everyone from the other side is not a great idea if you want to enjoy this show.

I really feel sorry for Aegon this episode. Sunfyre was the only one who seems to really like and care for him :( ♥

9:33 Despite my love for Rhaenyra's character... Her caution was a weakness and a detriment to her own cause.

Aegon having a hard time speaking high valyrian was hilarious 😂

The way I was biting my nails, shaking, crying and screaming during this episode was crazy RIP Meleys and Rhaenys, Goated 😭😭 And Aemond is the king now?! Crazy! Nah this episode was too hype

“When dragons flew to war, everything burned ”

To answer your question why Rhaenys stayed; Rhaenys death has a quote with it "Rhaenys made no attempt to flee. with a glad cry and crack of her whip, she turned Meleys toward the foe. The Queen who never was lived fearlessly and died amidst blood and fire" - in truth in the books, the plan was for both Aemond and Aegon to be there, and Rhaenys chose to stay and fight purely to do as much damaged and do whatever she could to help Rhaenyra's side, she gave everything. In the show her reasoning is much the same, the moment she turned Meleys around with the command to attack, she knew she would not survive, but if she could even harm Vhagar, or give the castle more time to fight back, that would be valued more than anything, she was a martyr, and sacrificed herself to save others

In the books they made it very clear that she made no attempt to flee despite having a brief chance. Also the odds in the book were worse since she was facing Vhagar and Sunfyre at the same time

Rhaenys didn’t go there to run she went there to fight! She went out like a G with her Dragon. A true Targaryen !

Rhaenys didn't leave because she isn't a coward. People of westeros already think that the blacks are weak because they don't use dragons,that means rhaenys fleeing and abondoning the castle and its people who are loyal to rhaenyra would prove that they are indeed weak. But rhaenys didn't flee because her mission was to destroy cole's army,and vhagar is part of that army,so knowing that she might have a chance of at least injuring vhagar (like she did with sunfyre) was enough for her to keep fighting. This is my perspective.

I think Rhaenys and Meleys attempted one of the few risky tactics that could work against Aemond and Vhagar. It's a "the bigger they are, the harder they fall" tactic, attempting to use Vhagar's size against her as they crashed to the ground. Meleys forced Vhagar into a chaotic rapid descent. Aemond and Vhagar got lucky; Vhagar could easily have fallen on Aemond, or fallen on a wing, crippling her. Riderless or crippled, she would not be capable of defending King's Landing. With Aegon and Synfyre already out of commission at that point, likely dead, the Greens would only possess Helaena's Dreamfyre (large, but inexperienced, with an inexperienced rider) and Daeron's Tessarion (no bigger than Jacaerys' Vermax); while the Blacks would have Caraxes, Syrax, Vermax and Moondancer, perhaps even Meleys had she survived it. The Blacks might have been able to just swoop in for the win. Rhaenys went back to see the result of the crash, or make another attempt, because she knows killing or injuring Vhagar or Aemond could win the war.

aegon and sunfyre were said to have one of the strongest bonds if not the strongest during this period. aegon's actor said in an interview that he was hoping to be told to look "heroic" on dragonback because their strong bond made him a very effective dragonrider. it's a shame the show didn't show that so i'm trying to be happy with the crumbs that are the cute boop and sunfyre's protective curl around aegon's burnt body.

Another reason for Rhaenys to turn back besides Rhaenys' responsibility of defending Rooks Rest, revenging Luke, and protecting her grandchildren, is that high rewards come with high risk/ high price. Seeing the first fight between Rhaenys and Aemond, we know that Meleys actually stands a chance with Vhagar in a one-on-one battle (this is even stated in the book). If Meleys manages to seriously injure Vhagar to the point that it can't join future battles, even if the cost is Meleys's and Rhaenys's lives, it would have been worth it. Cause with Sunfyre and Vhagar down, the Greens would only have one young dragon left that can fight - Tessarion - a small blue dragon (Helaena is not a warrior and her dragon Dreamfyre won't be a threat based on the book). And Tessarion being the only dragon left would have to stay and defend Kingslanding. So army of the Greens would have to march without dragon protection, while the Blacks' dragons can all fly freely now without fearing Vhagar anymore, even the small dragons like Vermax and Moondancer. This would basically mean victory for the Black. So yes, the risk/price is high but so does the rewards. This is the fastest way for the Blacks to win the war thus preventing more deaths of common people, dragons, and Rhaenys' families.

It's simple why Rhaenys stayed to fight : she was reproached by Daemon that she could have ended the war in the dragon pit for aegon's coronation. She wanted to make up for it, defend the castle and make the most damage she could

The Queen ordered Raenys to defend and hold Rooks Rest. Fleeing the field would label her a coward and she is anything but that. She fought to the death as the warrior she is.

Cole's plan was to bait Rhaenyra into sending a dragon thinking it was just to fight an army of soldiers only to have Vhagar come in and clean up. It worked, but no one anticipated Aegon to show up as well.

That guitar piece was brilliant

SUNFYRE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DRAGON AND AEGONS BOND WITH HIS DRAGON IS ADORABLE IDC

GRUDGES!...Aemond holds grudges. Lucerys took an eye, and Aemond didn't let him forget it, lucerys eventually dies. Aegon embarrassed him at the brothel and well, he' dead too.

IMO. Rhaenys’ mission was to protect the castle. And the job wasn’t done. Even though she was outmatched once she got there, it would be the Coward’s way to retreat to fight another day. And Rhaenys is no coward. She’s as much Targaryen as anyone else and has pride in battle but also, those loyal to Rhaenyra would never forgive being abandoned by a dragon rider when they were needed most! 🔥

Vhagar cheated in both Books- Vhagas literally had to fall on Meleys when the later had her jaws locked around Sunfyre. Show- Vhagar got slammed, ran, hid behind the castle and sneak attacked. Meleys could've have beaten Vhagar but Rhaeneys' hesitation to be a kin slayer and urge to die (caz of her childrens death & husband's infidelity) brought her death.Still Rhaeneys fought valiantly 2v1, killed hundreds of soldiers, crippled Aegon and died a dragonrider's death.

Vhaegar is so "RAMBLING RAMGLING" (aot vibes) against the Cole's Army lol

20:04 I laughed so hard when both Carlie & Ange leans closer and higher to the screen as if they could peak at Aegon better. 😂

always love yalls reactions thanks guys!~

Explaining why she went back the last time; if you knock down a superior opponent, you finish it. It's like a boxer seeing the Heavyweight Champion's knees buckle after an uppercut. You don't stop and step back, you charge in and exploit their momentary weakness.

This was heartbreaking. I read Fire and Blood, I know what happens, it doesn't soften the blow. When we FINALLY saw the bond between Aegon and Sunfyre, Sunfyre's screeches, and when Meleys kept looking back at Rhaenys, and then, it that final moment with Vhagar's jaws clamped around her throat, the look she gave Rhaenys... and then when they fell. It broke my heart.

15:43 Agreed to an extent, but Daemon would never hurt viserys. Daemon was raised with good family morals, while Aemond didn't.

Poor Aegon and Sunfyre

Reasons I believe why Rhaenys didn't run: -She wanted to end the war in one swoop by killing Vhagar/Aegon -She knew it's a trap (and that she might die) because of Cole's strange decision to attack Rook's Rest instead of Harrenhal, the greens had no choice but to send a dragon to help their supporter this close to dragonstone or they risk losing support -She would not be able to face the council if she ran and she wanted a dragonrider's death

Was kinda silly the way she died. A dragon as big as Aemonds doesn't just disappear and there was literally one giant obstacle on the landscape where he could be hiding behind. What a waste of a dragonrider.

I think she knew she was on a kamikaze mission. She was the one til now saying never send in the dragons because it’s a nuclear option. She decided that’s the only option left and took it upon herself to do this showing Rhaenyra this is what they have to do. I love the exchanged look of Meleys and her knowing it was the end and thanks for all the memories type of look. I guess Aegon shouldn’t have humiliated Aemond last episode. I feel that he’s still alive but in bad shape because they would’ve shown him dead. Sad to see her and her dragon go. It was truly heartbreaking,,,,

Rhaenys probably viewed herself as more expendable then her Queen, heir, or granddaughter who are the dragon riders currently on dragonstone.

Meleys was in her prime, she's in her 70s.That's a good age where a dragon has both size and power while still maintaining its speed. Vhagar is past her prime, she's around 180. Older dragons are bigger and stronger, but slower with less energy, so they tire out faster. This is why you see Vhagar using ambush tactics to kill both Arrax and Meleys.

So the Sea Snake has two bastard sons? That's crazy but very on brand, shout out to Rhaneys for being a WARRIOR strapped in ready to fight to the death! Love and much respect my QUEEN ...

i love all of angelo'a reactions 😂😂❤

Great reaction guys! And to everyone here in the comments, please remember these are fictional characters, there's not an actual political battle to be fought so please don't get so heated and just enjoy the show

Rhaenys couldn't just escape, because she had orders from her Queen to take back the castle. She had to keep returning until either accomplishing her goal or dying. Adding to this, is the fact that as was stated earlier in the season, all of this could have been avoided if she had ended the greens when she had the chance so it would have been a great dishonor for her to come back without fulfilling her mission. Ultimately, she did do great damage to their armies and she either killed or seriously wounded Aegon and his dragon.

"Princess Rhaenys made no attempt to flee. With a glad cry and a crack of her whip, she turned Meleys to her enemies." 💔 - Fire & Blood (Im fuckin cryin bros) RIP to the Red Queen, and The Queen Who SHOULD’VE Been.

I think the biggest mistake is sending their dragons to battle one by one. Cole's plan inevitably got an awful lot of his men killed.

A very interesting take I saw why Rhaenys went to battle in the manner that she did and didn’t flee: “Eve Best on why Rhaenys didn't command Meleys to breathe flame by saying "Dracarys" as Aegon and Aemond did: #HouseOfTheDragon "They're just like boys with guns; they want to maximize the amount of carnage. And there's something very ... I don't want to generalize, but, you know, it's very male. Whereas she's very specifically going for the dragon: Let's take out the weaponry, and don't burn everybody else randomly. There's a gritted-teeth-ness about it, because these guys are her nephews, however appallingly badly they've behaved and are behaving and however dangerous they are. Aemond is responsible for Lucerys's death. At the same time, they're her family, too. There was a lot of reluctance and the knowledge that they're effectively pushing the red button. The responsibility of that is so huge that it has to be a kamikaze mission, because how can one live with it? And that sort of samurai thing of when she comes back in - she could have escaped, and she turns around. To me, that's pure whatever she is - Arthurian knight, Lancelot, samurai. It's the noble warrior thinking, No, I'm not just going to save myself. I'm going to finish this."

Notice how RHAENYS never uttered "DRACARYS" to other dragons and riders... while these noobs wouldn't hesitate. WHAT A QUEEN!

I’ve been waiting all day for your reaction to this ep. This ep was just chaos 🔥🥲RIP to the red queen meyles and the queen who should have been rhaenys Targaryen

But it seems Rheanys was going back to Dragonstone since it's across the Bay, not towards the forest. She came from the Bay so it looks like she had to go back that way..

This episode are insaneeee! Hugs from Brazil 🇧🇷

If only Rhaenys and Team Black had listened to Daemon. They always think he's insane, but his warnings always come true. if she went with daemon, they could’ve easily killed vhagar

Any fight that Team Black goes into they know that Vhagar is a PROBABLE threat. That is why they knew not to send Rhaenyra. Rhaenys knew going into that fight that there was a possibility that she would die and she still went to defend the castle. The castle is not just a structure or building there are people there and that is who she went back for. She knew that if she fled, not only would it send the message that Team Black is scared of Team Green but it would also send the message that they don’t really have the backs of the people that declared for them. Princess Rhaenys dying for their cause, dying to defend their home against Vhaegar and Aemond will inspire loyalty in all of the people that have honor and we know that that is a big part of the show when it comes to the different Houses. When the ultimatum “bend the knee or lose your head” is given to those people a larger number of them will be willing to lose their lives. Which is better for Team Black than them bending the knee to Aegon and adding to his army.

it's not a huge win for the greens, their king is literally ruined

She had to give the black the best chance to do some damage, plus if she bailed on the castle the greens would’ve said she abandoned rhaenyras cause

What I wanna know is how , twice now , this big ass dragon keeps sneaking up on people and surprise attacking them hahah

I think Rhaenys didn’t anticipate the trap they made with Vhaegar. Aegon came in to the surprise of both sides. Rhaenys saw the chance to end this battle and the war by taking out Aegon. But when she realized Aemon tried to take out Aegon, she knew the war wasn’t gonna end there and they would lose that castle. So rather than flee, she chose to stay and try her best. Maybe she thought her experience could make up for the size difference between dragons. But she also knows that Meleys wasn’t gonna make it after this battle. So she elected to die fighting with her dragon and try to take Aegon with her. I think she felt she had a chance after she made Aemon crash. But Aemond outmaneuvered her in the last round.

Tbh the way i see it, Rhaenys was both making amends in a way because she didn’t burn them when she had the chance and she kinda said i'll die trying to take at least one dragon but also Meleys is the strongest dragon the blacks have “so far” so i think she thought she could take on Vhagar and she could’ve tbh if Meleys wasn’t injured or at least injure Vhagar. Because i think Rhaenys knew if it’s not her someone else will have to fight Vhagar later so getting Vhagar injured can make a difference. But also even in the book despite the changes Rhaenys didn’t flee even when she has the chance, and I genuinely think Rhaenys was tired and she lost both of her children and i think she knew she wasn’t going back as soon Vhagar entered the fight because Meleys was messed up so who knows if she would get back safely with Vhagar following her. I think it can be explained in a lot of ways and that’s how i see it.

Cole sending former rahnerya loyalists into battle first was such a shitty Cole move

Vhagar did screech when she got her belly scrapped. It's not clear how damaged Vhagar was from that fight but I agree it didn't seem too bad. I think Rhaenys going back to fight and injure Vhagar the first time made sense. Meleys was agile enough to make Vhagar take the fall and she flew away. The second turn around was more questionable. I think Vhagar was likely injured to some extent, which is why it made sense for her to do the tried-and-true sneak attack again. The best reasoning I can think of, was that Meleys was heavily injured from altercation, possibly unable to fight for the rest of the war if she returned. But Vhagar was also injured and possibly winded from the fall, she might have had the immediate advantage but worse long term consequences/injuries. The sneak attack negated that advantage, and thus she lost. Also interesting note - After the first altercation, Rhaenys looks back and tells Meleys to attack. The second time, it's actually Meleys looking back before they turned around. I took it to mean Meleys was telling Rhaenys they needed to finish the fight and she was prepared. Breaks my heart. This is just my speculation, haven't read the books and from what I heard, the books say Meleys may have stood a chance against Vhagar but had to fight Sunfyre and Vhagar at the same time. Which is different from what we see here anyway. I think Rhaenys might suffer from too much honor, like Ned. She didn't kill the Greens because it wasn't her war to start, and she kept going back to the battle because that was her charge. RIP Rhaenys and Meleys 😭 She was a boss, especially from the S2 I grew to love her. Sad she couldn't be Rhaenyra's Hand.

Honestly after this episode I'm so excited for the climax of this story. I don't want to spoil anything but if it looks as good as this does, it's going to be some of the best TV we ever get. It was one of the coolest things ever when I read it. Can't wait to see it and see your guys' reaction.

Possible reasons why Rhaenys stayed: 1) She hoped to end the war quickly 2) She wasn’t convinced she could outrun Vhagar to Dragonstone 3) She didn’t want to make herself and Rhaenyra look weak by fleeing 4) She’s a Targaryen dragon rider 5) She’s depressed 6) She felt bad about not roasting the Greens back in season 1 ep 9

She had a small chance to end the war now and spare more senseless death and she risked her life for it

what makes the fight between vhagar and meleys even sadder are multiple things first vhagar is rhaenys old dragon so when rhaenys looks at vhagar she thinks of laena and also vhagar used to also be baelons dragon (aka daemon and viserys father) and meleys was alissants dragon (baelons wife aka daemon & viserys mom)

Ange I know you want team green shown in a nicer light but they actually have been compared to their book counterparts 💀

Maelys was in its prime thats why it did so well. Sunfyre is inexpirienced as is Aegon. Vhegar is just to damn big

“Beloved daughter of Lady Jocelyn Baratheon and Prince Aemon Targaryen, faithful wife to Lord Corlys Velaryon, mother and grandmother, the Queen Who Never Was lived fearlessly, and died amidst blood and fire. She was fifty-five years old.” - Fire & Blood

Bro your guitar is on 🔥 that was such a dope intro!

Yes rhaenys leaving would have been a beneficial thing for rhaenyra personally for many reasons, her support/advice, her expertise and her dragon as well; but she was sent there to meet cole for rooks rest and to defend rhaenyras supporters. Rhaenyra needs an army as well, if rhaenys had abandoned them, what reason would those left who still support them have for holding out against aegons men? Why not just surrender if rhaenyra isn't willing to protect and support them as well? Also on top of that meleys having the best chance of taking vhagar over anyone else in that crucial moment, she has an opportunity to cripple the greens by taking aegon, and possibly wounding vhagar? She had too many reasons to stay and fight and all her reasons to leave would be putting personal feelings over duty, unfortunately.

Rhaenys is a bad ass dragonrider with a badass dragon! She was never going to run from the battle. Dragons don't run! Acting like she should have ran away is an insult to her as a person and an insult to Meleys. The Red Queen put up a hell of a fight by destroying Sunfyre, torching half of Cole's forces and getting a few licks in on Vhagar.

To sum it up sadly, Rhaenys had to protect the castle. That is what she was sent for

R.I.P. Princess Rhaenys. A queen in all, but name.

Great reaction video

She didn't leave because her job there was to save that castle if she leaves while veaghal is still there she giving them the win so she fight him with all she can but veaghal is one of the dragons in the history of westeros

Running away, from the Castle they (team black) supposed to defend would make them lose the war out of cowardice. No one would support them. Also in this universe Dragons loves to kill other Dragons.