House Of the Dragon: Is Sunfyre Really Dead & Does That Change Rhaenyra's Fate From The Books? (2024)

In the history of Westeros, Aegon II served as the King (contested) before Aemond ascended as Prince Regent and Protector of the Realm. His only challenger was his older half-sister, Rhaenyra Targaryen. Aegon II's legitimacy rested on his dragon, Sunfyre, the Conqueror's Valyrian steel sword Blackfyre, the Valyrian steel dagger (which Aemond stole from him), and the Conqueror's crown. The second season of the Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon has infamously strayed away from the source material, with one such deviation being the apparent death of the dragon Sunfyre.

House of the Dragon Season 2 spoke in bits and pieces about Sunfyre's fate after the Battle at Rook's Rest. The dragon coiled around Aegon II after they crashed in a forest near the said seaside keep of Rook's Rest. The realm did not hear of Sunfyre's death, nor was his loss mourned. It raises the question if Sunfyre is dead after all, and if he is, how that will affect Rhaenyra Targaryen's death.

What Happened At Rook's Rest?

Aegon II mindlessly flies to battle at Rook's Rest and puts his life at stake, and with it, the security of the Greens. Lacking a military mind, he wears his armor and brings out his dragon, Sunfyre, because he's made aware that everyone thinks less of him. He is maimed beyond healing, not by the enemy, but by his younger brother, Aemond. At the battle's end, Vhagar has killed Meleys by grabbing her neck. Princess Rhaenys plunges to her death, and Sunfyre coils around Aegon II in a nearby forest.

Ser Criston Cole is horrified, seeing that his Grace the King has fallen. He rushes to the crash site, and Aemond quickly sheaths his sword. Aemond also steals Aegon's dagger, while Sunfyre lets out low-pitched painful screeches. In this scene, Aegon II lies comatose and Sunfyre is alive. Aemond leaves the site while Cole falls to his knees at the end of House of the Dragon season 2, episode 4 "The Red Dragon and the Gold."

Is Sunfyre Dead In House of the Dragon?

The next bits about Sunfyre come from Cole, who tells Alicent he left some of his garrison to guard Rook's Rest, which is also where Sunfyre is stationed:

I left a meager garrison behind to protect it [Rook's Rest] and the king's dragon.

This part is in accordance with the lore of the books, which sees Cole order a few of his soldiers to guard Sunfyre near Rook's Rest until the dragon heals his scars. The departure from the source material lies in the latter part of Cole's statement:

Sunfyre was long in the dying.

The words "long in the dying" mean that Sunfyre is still alive and breathing during the events of House of the Dragon season 2, episode 5 "Prince Regent." However, they also seem to imply that Sunfyre has since perished.

The Black Queen Rhaenyra adds fuel to the fire when she tells her heir, Jacaerys, that Meleys fought two dragons (Vhagar and Sunfyre) and one of them is dead. Was it that Rhaenyra was presumptuous while talking to Jace, thinking Meleys wiped Sunfyre off the board before she was slain? Or, is Sunfyre really dead? Jace's silence does not help either. Aegon's recovery at King's Landing raises the important question of Sunfyre's resilience. If Aegon II can survive the deadly fire blast, shouldn't Sunfyre be healing as well?

Aegon II's words, "My dragon is dead," have thrown the fandom into a spin. Larys Strong enters the King's chambers in the season finale to smuggle Aegon out of the Red Keep for his safety. He suggests waiting out the storm at Essos and returning to deal with the aftermath of Aemond and Rhaenyra's war. Aegon looks at him in disbelief, saying there's no point fleeing the Red Keep as his dragon is dead, and he's incapacitated.

How Might Sunfyre's Death Impact Rhaenyra's Death?

How Does Rhaenyra Targaryen Die?

According to what fans know, Rhaenyra, as confirmed by Joffrey Baratheon in the original Game of Thrones (and thus the TV continuity), was fed to Sunfyre by Aegon II:

Rhaenyra Targaryen was murdered by her brother, or rather his dragon… it ate her while her son watched.

Sunfyre's death in House of the Dragon creates a major plot hole that cannot be fixed. Rhaenyra's character is written to die after fleeing King's Landing to take cover at Dragonstone. She travels to her stronghold, unaware that the castle has fallen to Aegon II, thanks to Ser Alfred Broome's betrayal. By then, Aegon had seized Dragonstone from the Blacks, reunited with Sunfyre, and killed Baela Targaryen's Moondancer in combat. Aegon's forces capture Rhaenyra, and he signs her death by setting Sunfyre on her. Broome pricks Rhaenyra's breast, and the smell of her blood attracts the otherwise reluctant dragon to devour her. The dragon wraps his jaws around her arm and shoulder and leaves a part of her left leg.

If Sunfyre has bowed out of House of the Dragon, the writers have taken a major departure from the source material and invited questions about Rhaenyra's fate. Aegon II and Rhaenyra say that Sunfyre is dead, and Cole, who left a few men to protect the dragon, doesn't sound positive about his recovery. According to Wiki of Westeros, Sunfyre died in 132 AC at Rook's Rest. If Sunfyre is out, House of the Dragon will grapple to fix the Game of Thrones universe inconsistency.

Have showrunner Ryan Condal and the writers killed off Sunfyre? If so, Rhaenyra's future looks different from the one in Fire & Blood.

House of the Dragon

Action

Adventure

Drama

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Cast

Matt Smith , Emma D'Arcy , Olivia Cooke , Rhys Ifans

Main Genre

Action