House of the Dragon Shows Gruesome Death That Will Rock House Targaryen

09/25/2022 10:05 pm EDT

Things are starting to heat up on House of the Dragon. HBO's acclaimed Game of Thrones prequel series has spent its first five episodes building the foundation of the conflict within House Targaryen, focusing on the relationships between several key characters and setting the stage for how they'll fall apart in the future. Now, with the sixth episode, that future has arrived. A 10-year time jump took place going into House of the Dragon's sixth episode and this new timeline has wasted no time killing off major characters. One death in particular will have some massive implications later in the story for House Targaryen.

WARNING: This article contains major spoilers from the latest episode of House of the Dragon! Continue reading at your own risk...

At the end of House of the Dragon's fifth episode, Rhaenyra Targaryen and Laenor Velaryon were married. Laenor's sister, Laena, went on to marry Daemon Targaryen, and episode six reveals they have two children together, with a third on the way. Their marriage doesn't last through the episode, however, as Laena dies in the final minutes.

Laena was having complications with the birth of her third child and, as we saw in the show's first episode, the chance of both mother and child surviving that kind of scenario are very slim. Laena opted to take things into her own hands and end her life on her terms, sitting down in front of her dragon and giving the "dracarys" command. After some hesitation, the dragon ultimately obeys and burns its master alive.

This death has major implications for the Targaryens, leaving Daemon without a wife. As those who have read George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood know, Daemon does ultimately remarry, and that union changes the course of history for the entire house.

Who Does Daemon Marry?

In Fire & Blood, which details the history of the Targaryens, Daemon ultimately marries his niece, Rhaenyra, the heir to the Iron Throne. House of the Dragon could obviously go a different route with the story, but the importance of that event and its implications make it seem like something that won't be changed. Besides, the seeds for that union have already been planted on the show, with Daemon previously trying to wed Rhaenyra.

That said, Laenor Velaryon is still alive on the show, so he would need to die before Rhaenyra and Daemon could find their way back to one another. Based on what we've seen so far, Daemon isn't above taking matters into his own hands.

What did you think of the latest episode of House of the Dragon? Let us know in the comments!

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.