House of the Dragon: Did Daemon love Laena? Series vs. book details explored

HBO is set to take us back to Westeros this weekend when House of the Dragon season 2 premieres on Max on June 16, 2024. The fight between the Blacks and the Greens is set to begin as the Dance of the Dragons commences, and within that we find the usurped queen Rhaenyra Targaryen making a play for the kingdom that was stolen from her.

However, Rhaenyra's relationship with her husband/uncle Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon is complicated. While many might believe that he does love her, some think that he is using her to get to the throne — and this wouldn't be the first time that Daemon might have treated his partner in a similar manner.

In the first season of the show, Daemon locked himself in a loveless marriage with Laena Velaryon. From the get-go, it was clear that Daemon didn't care much for her. Even though he fathered their children, he ultimately didn't care much about his wife and saw it as a way to return to Westeros after being exiled by his brother Viserys.

However, things weren't exactly the same in the book Fire & Blood, because the events of the book explicitly state that Daemon was indeed in love with Laena.

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Did Daemon love Laena in House of the Dragon?

Daemon didn't ultimately love Laena in House of the Dragon, as the show made it clear that he is still pining for Rhaenyra at the moment and has feelings for her. Daemon met Laena at Rhaenyra and Laenor's wedding, and the two began their relationship there. A few years later, they got married and resided in Pentos.

However, it was a loveless marriage despite having two children together. When Laena was set to have her third kid, she realized that childbirth would lead to her death. Daemon wanted to save the baby through a cesarean surgery, but Laena decided to go to Vhagar and ask her dragon to burn her to death, to which the dragon reluctantly agreed, and Daemon showed no remorse for her death.

However, in the books, things couldn't be more different as Daemon did fall in love with Laena. Similar to the show, he did meet her at Rhaenyra's wedding, but Laena was already engaged to someone else. Daemon challenged her fiance to a duel and swiftly killed him, asking her to marry him. The two then lived lovingly in Pentos and had two kids together as well.

While Laena still suffered complications during her third childbirth, with the baby dying just a few hours later, she still survived for three more days with her death playing out differently. Laena apparently climbed out of bed to have one final ride with her dragon, Vhagar, but she couldn't reach it and collapsed, passing away. Daemon carried her body back inside and mourned her passing.

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Does Daemon love Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon?

While his relationship with Laena in the show might have been loveless, Daemon does have feelings for Rhaenyra, even if they are in his own twisted way. While Daemon and Rhaenyra's relationship was born out of politics and a hint of love, over the second half of House of the Dragon season 1, their relationship continues to turn sour.

As seen in the finale of House of the Dragon season 1, Daemon chokes Rhaenyra when he challenges her authority during a meeting and implores her to take the Iron Throne. Rhaenyra says that she has further duties to look forward to and also mentions Aegon's dream. Daemon ends up choking her as he believes it wasn't Aegon's dream that made Targaryen's rulers, but rather dragons.

While Daemon is desperate to get to Westeros, his choking Rhaenyra further implies that he wants to rule over the kingdom, but not have the title of a king. However, going forward, their relationship will only deteriorate further as teasers for season 2 have hinted at this. Even if Daemon has love for Rhaenyra, it can be boiled down to him being jealous of her due to her having all the power. This was something that was set up at the start of season 1 as well.

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Why did Daemon leave Rhaenyra in the brothel?

In episode 4 of House of the Dragon season 1, Daemon leads a young Rhaenyra into a brothel where the two start getting intimate with each other. However, as soon as Rhaenyra starts enjoying her time with Daemon, he leaves her alone at the brothel, which leads to Rhaenyra eventually getting intimate with her bodyguard. The episode's director, Clare Kilner, explained in an insider video that Daemon left the scene as he didn't feel in control anymore.

“He thinks it’s shocking to her. But she doesn’t just get shocked, she gets excited by it. And when that happens, he has nothing. And he basically can’t handle not being in charge or in control," said Kilner.

While this effectively has set up Daemon and Rhaenyra's relationship going forward in House of the Dragon, we can expect the couple to continue to drift apart as the story continues.

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Fans can check out House of the Dragon season 2 episodes when it premieres on June 16, 2024, on Max.