The final shot of House of the Dragon’s season finale made it abundantly clear: This is war. Queen Rhaenyra’s Blacks will battle the usurping King Aegon II’s Greens, but as Prince Daemon Targaryen pointed out, the Blacks have the advantage because they have more dragons. Let’s see how much firepower each faction has, shall we? Because dragons breathe fire? Firepower? Eh, you get it.
Rider: Rhaenyra Targaryen
This yellow dragon was named after a Valyrian goddess, although we don’t know what she was a goddess of, exactly. We know that Rhaenyra has been riding Syrax since she was young, having flown her in House of the Dragon’s first episode, and was last seen riding the dragon to intimidate Otto Hightower and his men in the show’s season one finale.
Rider: Daemon Targaryen
Large, imposing, and covered in red scales, Daemon’s mount Caraxes also has an intimidating nickname, Blood Wyrm. In the books, the dragon is considered among the “fiercest” of the second generation that followed the dragons who flew with Aegon the Conquerer, although Caraxes’ fire wasn’t much help when Daemon attempted to battle the Crabfeeder and his pirates while they were hiding in their caves.
Rider: Rhaenys Targaryen
It may be ironic that the Queen-That-Never-Was rides atop the crimson-covered dragon also called the “Red Queen.” But Meleys was undeniably large and powerful, as seen when she burst through the stone floor of the Dragonpit during Aegon II’s coronation ceremony before carrying Rhaenys to freedom in “The Green Council.”
Rider: Jacaerys Velaryon
Vermax doesn’t get much screentime in House of the Dragon, but then neither does Jacaerys. You can see the pair briefly when they fly off to visit House Arryn and House Stark in the season one finale, but there’s also a scene in episode six, “The Princess and the Queen,” shown here when a younger Jace teaches a younger Vermax to roast a goat.
Rider: Lucerys Velaryon
Rhaenyra’s second son by Laenor Velaryon (although we of course know like his other brothers, Harwin Strong was his real father), Lucerys was just old enough to ride a dragon when he got on the equally young, small Arrax in the season finale. Arrax has already met his fate after being menaced by Aemond Targaryen and his dragon Vhagar in the finale, alas.
Rider: Joffrey Velaryon
We only know Rhaenyra’s youngest son by Laenor, Joffrey (seen in the middle above), has a named dragon because Daemon lists off the Blacks’ draconic assets. In the books, Tyraxes hatched around the time of Joffrey’s birth or soon after, which will likely make him too young to ride when House of the Dragon returns.
Rider: Baela Targaryen
Belonging to the eldest daughter of Daemon Targaryen and Laena Velaryon, Moondancer has not been shown yet in the series. In the books, she is a pale green color, and while small compared to some dragons, makes up for it with speed. In this art from Rise of the Dragons: An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty, Vol. 1, Baela is seen to the right on Moondancer, while Aegon II battles her upon the much larger Sunfyre.
Former Rider: Laenor Velaryon
The son of Corlys “Sea Snake” Velayron and Rhaenys Targaryen, Laenor rode Seasmoke into battle to save Daemon when he staged his one-man assault on the Crabfeeder and his pirates in episode three. However, when Laenor staged his own death and fled with his lover in “Driftmark,” he left Seasmoke behind. The dragon is currently unclaimed and still at the ancestral home of the Velaryons.
Former Rider: Jaehaerys Targaryen
The second biggest and largest dragon in the world after Vhagar, the bronze-scaled Vermithor was ridden by King Jaehaerys, grandfather of Viserys. After Jaehaerys’ death, Vermithor remained riderless and in the Dragonmont. In the season finale, Daemon approached the dragon, but who will ride him remains unknown.
Former Rider: Alysanne Targaryen
The silver-scaled mount of Queen Alysanne, sister and wife to Jaeherys. likewise remained unclaimed after her death and resides in the Dragonmont, and has yet to be seen on the series.
Riders: None
When listing their assets, Daemon mentions three wild dragons that live in or around Dragonstone, the ancestral home of the Targaryens and Rhaenyra’s current base of power. Their memorable names are Cannibal, Grey Ghost, and Sheepstealer.
Rhaena Targaryen, the youngest daughter of Daemon and Laena Velaryon, has a dragon egg that has yet to hatch. Additionally, Daemon says he has a score (a.k.a. 20) of more eggs incubating at Dragonstone. But, as Rhaenyra points out, the Blacks now have more dragons than people who can ride them. Stay tuned for season two!
Riders: Aegon II and Helaena Targaryen
The newly crowned King of Westeros is much more interested in getting drunk and sexually assaulting women than riding Sunfyre the Golden, but he can be spotted far, far off in the distance, flying away from Driftmark after Laena Velaryon’s funeral, with his sister-wife flying on her dragon Dreamfyre beside him.
Rider: Aemond Targaryen
The largest dragon that exists in the world of House of the Dragon, and the only one who came with the original Aegon the Conquerer to Westeros hundreds of years ago. Vhagar was ridden by Laena Velaryon, who begs to be incinerated while suffering a difficult, painful birth. The young Aemond Targaryen, bitter at not having a dragon of his own, crept out of Driftmark’s castle and approached the massive beast, got on its back, survived (barely) the dragon’s throes, and eventually tamed it. Vhagar is said to be five times larger than Lucerys’ Arrax, something which is painfully obvious in the season finale.
“Dragonstone has 13 to their four,” Daemon says to Queen Rhaenyra in the season finale, referring to the draconic might of their Blacks to the Greens. He also specifies the Greens only have three adults, namely the mounts of Aegon II, Aemond, and Helaena, so who’s the fourth, young dragon? Chances are it’s Shrykos, the dragon of Aegon and Helaena’s son Jaehaerys II, briefly seen before playing with his twin sister Jaehaera in “The Green Council.”
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