Rhaenyra wears the crown, but Aegon is the true king

This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 7, “The Dragon in Winter.” 

As House of the Dragon heads into its season finale, the question is not who sits on the throne, but who actually understands what it means to rule. 

Rhaenyra is queen by birthright. Aemond has proven himself in battle. Daeron is a legitimate heir with an army backing his claim. 

But none of them are truly in command of themselves.

Aegon Targaryen is.

Queen Rhaenyra sits on the Iron Throne, commands an army of thousands and a fleet of dragons, but she is consumed with the idea that her reign is falling apart and she’s not entirely wrong. 

Her royal treasury is missing, the Gold Cloaks have largely disbanded, Lord Hightower kidnapped Corlys, her close ally, and her husband lies to her and ignores her orders.

She runs around the Red Keep and demands that Helaena share a prophetic vision foretelling that her reign will be long and glorious. She seeks assurance from Mysaria that she is a worthy Queen and even asks Daemon if he thinks she would have killed his daughter. 

Her kingdom is at war, and yet she spends almost the entire episode searching for validation from people beneath her. 

Even when she flies out on Syrax to confront Rhaena, she’s fulfilling a personal vendetta, not managing the problems afflicting her kingdom.

She’s won the throne, but she has no command of its powers 

Rhaenyra’s uncertainty would matter less if one of her rivals looked ready to replace her. 

Aemond has proven that he’s intelligent and courageous in battle. At the season’s beginning, he seemed worthy to be king, but he’s spent almost the entirety of season 3 under the spell of Alys Rivers, the Harrenhal Witch. 

He’s killed several men, but he’s deep in his delusions and has taken almost no action towards joining the war since he arrived at the castle. 

Next, consider Prince Daeron Targaryen, who is effectively Ormund Hightower’s hostage. 

He’s never expressed any interest in sitting on the Iron Throne, and he’s treated as more of a pawn on a chessboard, moved around by other players, rather than someone with a burning desire to rule Westeros. 

Rhaenyra is managed by her court and Mysaria. Aemond is under Alys’s spell. Daeron is controlled by Lord Hightower.

Only Aegon still acts entirely of his own will. 

It’s true that Aegon is a reprehensible monster, but winning the Game of Thrones isn’t about how good a person you are; it’s about how much of yourself you are willing to commit to winning, and no one has committed harder than Aegon. 

He was born into privilege, status and wealth, but he did not fall apart when he lost them.

Without his knights, he carries out his own violence. Without his lords, he creates his own strategies. Faced with certain death, he refuses to bend the knee.

While Rhaenyra frets around the Red Keep wondering if she is worthy to be queen, Aegon wanders the wilderness never doubting that he is the true heir.

When the Black army finds him, Aegon has only Ser Tyland Lannister at his side. He can run. Instead, he chooses to stay and die fighting. 

Then Sunfyre appears.

His dragon saves his life, but by making the choice to face his enemies before he knew his dragon was alive, he reveals a deeper commitment to being king than any of the other aspiring rulers. 

Two weeks ago, we discussed how the characters who lived outside the castle walls were challenged to find their true selves, while those confined within it didn’t have to change. 

This week’s episode was the payoff to that journey for Aegon. 

Stripped of his court, his army and even the dragon he believed was dead, he still chooses to be king. 

Rhaenyra keeps asking whether she is the rightful ruler. Aegon keeps proving that he is one.

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