Who King Aegon II's Heir Is & How Many Kids He & Helaena Have In House Of The Dragon (2024)

After the Blood & Cheese incident, there are many questions surrounding King Aegon II's lineage in House of the Dragon season 2. The season 2 premiere saw Aegon settling into his position as Westeros' latest monarch, bringing his little son Jaehaerys to small council meetings. In classic Game of Thrones fashion, Jaehaerys was brutally murdered by the end of the episode, leaving Aegon with a similar issue to his late father in that he now lacks a son to be his heir. House of the Dragon book changes have made the situation even more complicated.

The Dance of the Dragons is built on a situation of questionable succession, as King Viserys I is initially forced to choose between his brother and his daughter after being unlucky and not having a male child. This is a constant issue throughout George R.R. Martin's book universe, as conflicts of noble succession constantly turn violent and lead to war. Now, Aegon II's lineage finds itself in a similar conflict that doesn't exist in the Fire & Blood source material text, which he'll have to see to at some point during the civil war if he wishes to continue his line.

Aegon & Helaena Have Two Children In House Of The Dragon (But Three In The Book)

Maelor Targaryen Doesn't Seem To Exist In House Of The Dragon

One of the main is that an entire child is taken out of the equation. In Fire & Blood, Aegon & Helaena have three children. In the show, they only have two, with the younger son, Maelor, seemingly omitted from the plot unless he's just in hiding and hasn't been mentioned. Therefore, with the assassins killing little Jaehaerys, Aegon II is left without a direct lineage, presenting him with a similar conflict to his father in the previous season, as his options become his brothers or his daughter.

Maelor Targaryen is Aegon's heir in the source material following Jaehaerys' death, meaning Aegon doesn't have to worry about having a new heir during the Dance of the Dragons. In the show, it's still not quite as urgent an issue for him as Helaena is still capable of giving birth, but wartime is an awful period to not have a secure line of succession. With the Dance proceeding, Aegon's life is at stake, and it's strange that episode 2 doesn't see him demonstrating any concern for the fact that, if he's killed, his male bloodline is over.

Aemond Targaryen Is Now Aegon's Heir After Jaehaerys' Death

Aegon's Brother, Aemond Targaryen, Is Next In The Line Of Succession

As would've been the case for Daemon with Viserys, Aemond Targaryen is now Aegon's rightful heir. This creates a fascinating parallel between the two sets of characters, furthering the comparisons between Aemond and Daemon. Aegon doesn't seem to have any love for his brother and likely wouldn't want to see him as king, while Aemond would surely love the opportunity to prove his worth, given his mission for validation. It will be riveting to see how the rivalry between Aegon and Aemond continues to heat up now that there's more at stake.

Following Aemond, the next in line of succession would be Alicent's fourth child, who hasn't appeared on the show yet: Daeron Targaryen. Daeron was actually mentioned at the end of season 2, episode 2, by Otto Hightower, and it's revealed that the prince has been at Oldtown. Daeron is another dragonrider and prominent character in Fire & Blood, but he hasn't been cast, and there's no news of him appearing in the season. He could become an important character in season 3 and beyond, but for now, Daeron is an off-screen heir behind Aemond.

Aegon Can't Name Jaehaera His Heir Without Undermining His Own Claim To The Iron Throne

If Jaehaera Becomes Aegon's Heir, That Would Imply Rhaenyra's Claim Is Justified

Viserys I's reign fell into controversy throughout the realm after naming Rhaenyra his heir, eventually leading to the Dance of the Dragons. As cruel and unfair as it is, Westeros isn't a society that's prepared to follow a female leader, giving Aegon the opportunity to ascend the throne in the first place. Now, if he hoped to avoid Aemond being next in the line of succession, Aegon would have to name his daughter Jaehaera as his heir, which would undermine his own claim over Rhaenyra.

Aegon's entire claim to the Iron Throne is that he's the eldest son of King Viserys, despite the late monarch already naming his daughter his heir. Aegon's rule relies on Westerosi laws and tradition and provides stability throughout the realm. This leaves him without the choice Viserys made, as even though he doesn't trust Aemond or want to see him rule, Jaehaera isn't an option for him. These complexities and changes to source material make House of the Dragon such an engaging show, and it'll be fun to see how it plays out.

House of the Dragon

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Taking place about 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alco*ck and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.

Cast

Jefferson Hall , Paddy Considine , Fabien Frankel , Ryan Corr , Eve Best , Gavin Spokes , Graham McTavish , Steve Toussaint , Olivia Cooke , Sonoya Mizuno , Bill Paterson , Matthew Needham , Emma D'Arcy , Matt Smith , Rhys Ifans , David Horovitch

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Seasons

2

Streaming Service(s)

HBO Max

Franchise(s)

Game of Thrones