House of the Dragon, like Game of Thrones before it, is not afraid to kill off a number of characters, and episode 6 proved to be pretty brutal.
The episode, which was the first to star Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke in the roles of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, featured the death of several characters, including Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell).
But it is how Laena dies that is of note because it is through her dragon Vhagar that the act takes place.
'House of the Dragon': Why Laena's Death By Vhagar is Not to Be Overlooked
In the episode, Laena is preparing to give birth to her third child by Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) after having two daughters: Baela and Rhaena.
Her third pregnancy does not go smoothly, though, and when she is unable to give birth to her child, Laena chooses to walk to her dragon, Vhagar, and demand that the creature kill her.
At first, the beast does not want to obey her command of "Dracarys," but the dragon appears to understand the pain that Laena is going through with her birth, and it realizes that she is asking for a quick death rather than a slow, painful one.
After some initial resistance, the dragon does grant her command and kills her by fire, with Daemon arriving too late to stop his second wife from dying.
The death takes place differently in George R. R. Martin's book Fire and Blood, which tells the history of the Targaryen dynasty. In it, Laena gives birth to her and Daemon's son, but the child was said to be "twisted and malformed," and he died shortly afterwards.
Laena was weak following her grueling labour, and she spent three days in a delirious state. She tried to go to Vhagar to fly with the creature one last time, only to collapse and die while walking towards the dragon.
Daemon finds Laena and brings her to bed, where he watches vigil over her dead body alongside Princess Rhaenyra.
Although there are differences between Laena's death in the book and show, the way in which she passes in the show should not be overlooked.
In Martin's world, the dragons follow their Targaryen masters' orders, and they are also fiercely protective of them. That Vhagar at first did not want to kill Laena is proof of that because he showed how much he cared for her, and the dragon's decision to concede and give Laena the death she sought appears to be a way he felt he could help her.
In Martin's books, Vhagar does not remain masterless for long following Laena's death, as it is Alicent's son Aemond who manages to win him.
House of the Dragon airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
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