Every Major Character Who Lives Through the Dance of the Dragons in ‘House of the Dragon’

The Dance of the Dragons has always been described as the moment that broke House Targaryen, and ‘House of the Dragon’ has spent two seasons building toward that reckoning. The show’s high stakes and its cast being split down two sides means numerous character deaths are coming as the civil war plays out. Yet the Targaryen line has to continue for the story to eventually connect to ‘Game of Thrones’, which means a handful of familiar faces make it out alive, even if their endings are far from triumphant.

Alicent Hightower, Corlys Velaryon, Aegon III, Viserys II, Daemon’s daughters Baela and Rhaena, and Alyn Velaryon all survive the Dance of the Dragons, though Alicent and Corlys both die within two years of the war’s conclusion. That short list stands in contrast to just how many major players do not make it to the other side, and it says a great deal about what survival actually costs each of them.

Alicent Hightower Survives the Dance of the Dragons at a Terrible Price

Alicent Hightower is arguably the most important character in the series to survive the conflict, outliving most of her Hightower relatives, her husband, her lover, and all of her children. That level of loss leaves a permanent mark, and she is never really herself again once the fighting ends. She is confined to her chambers in the Red Keep for the remainder of her life.

She is seen as a traitor and confined in Maegor’s Holdfast by Ser Tyland Lannister, isolated and lonely as she slowly descends into madness. Even after Rhaenyra is killed and Aegon II reclaims the throne, Alicent remains public enemy number one to Rhaenyra’s supporting faction, who never forget her role in starting the war.

She passes away just a year after the Dance ends, due to sickness. Her survival is less a victory and more a prolonged punishment, watching everyone she loved disappear before her own quiet, isolated death.

Corlys Velaryon Outlasts the War Through Political Survival

Corlys Velaryon’s allegiances shift like the tides during the civil war, but always for honorable reasons tied to his love for Daemon’s daughters and Rhaenyra’s Velaryon sons. At one point that meant turning away from Rhaenyra entirely, and House Velaryon effectively swapped sides before returning to her cause once Aegon II retook the throne.

His path to the end of the war is not clean. His involvement in a plot with Larys Strong to poison Aegon II nearly gets him executed on Cregan Stark’s orders, and it is only through Baela and Rhaena defending him that he avoids that fate. That near miss makes his survival feel less like luck and more like a last minute rescue.

Corlys survives by adapting to the shifting tides of power after Rhaenyra’s fall, and after being pardoned by Aegon II he supports the king once a marriage alliance is secured between Aegon the Younger and Jaehaera, later helping peacefully transfer the throne to Aegon III. He eventually dies of old age and is buried at sea, survivor’s guilt shadowing him as he dedicates himself to protecting his family’s legacy. It is a fitting close for a man defined by the sea, though hardly a happy one.

Baela and Rhaena Targaryen Carry the Bloodline Forward

Baela’s survival is anything but guaranteed at points in the war. During the war’s closing stages she attacks Aegon II on her dragon Moondancer, and although Moondancer is smaller than the injured Sunfyre, Baela presses the attack until Moondancer is killed and she herself suffers multiple broken bones and severe burns, but lives. She later marries into House Velaryon and becomes an influential figure during her half brother’s reign.

Rhaena’s war looks very different from her twin sister’s, since she spends much of the Dance away from the front lines, safeguarding younger members of House Targaryen. She rides to the Vale with three dragon eggs, hatching one of them during the course of the war and naming the hatchling Morning. Though she never achieves the fame of other dragonriders, she survives the war and helps preserve the Targaryen bloodline before later marrying into House Hightower.

Together, the twins represent one of the few unbroken family units to emerge from the Dance. Their survival matters as much for what it preserves as for the fact that they simply live, since they become two of the only Targaryens left standing to steady the realm afterward.

Viserys II and Aegon III Inherit a Broken Throne

Viserys II and Aegon III are the only survivors of Rhaenyra’s direct bloodline, having lost their three half brothers Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey, as well as their youngest sister Visenya, who was born dead and deformed due to a stressful early labor. The two boys effectively represent the last flame of Rhaenyra’s legacy.

Viserys survives the Dance because he is spirited away in the middle of the war of succession, though in the ensuing chaos he is taken captive by a Tyroshi captain before eventually being brought home. Since Prince Viserys is presumed dead until a few years into Aegon’s regency, Baela and Rhaena are thought to be the only other living Targaryens in the immediate aftermath, and are given important roles as hosts in King’s Landing in Aegon III’s stead.

Aegon III has historically been called The Unlucky King, The Dragonbane, and The Broken King because of everything he goes through, ascending to the throne at just ten years old. He goes on to rule for over two decades, a reign during which the last dragon in Westeros dies, before he himself dies of consumption. His survival essentially defines the surviving Targaryen line for the next generation, even as it comes wrapped in tragedy.

Alyn Velaryon Rises From Sailor to Legend

Alyn does not die during the Dance of the Dragons, surviving the entire war unlike so many other characters caught up in the conflict between the Blacks and the Greens. He does get scarred while attempting to tame the wild dragon Sheepstealer, when the dragon sets his cloak on fire before his brother Addam beats out the flames.

At the end of the Dance of the Dragons, Alyn Velaryon helps reclaim Dragonstone from the traitors who had backstabbed Rhaenyra, then goes on to marry Baela. After succeeding Corlys as Lord of the Tides, he is eventually appointed Lord Admiral by the crown, just like his father before him.

The family’s fortunes stabilize under Alyn Velaryon, the legendary Oakenfist, who rebuilds House Velaryon’s reputation through naval victories rather than political dominance, with successful campaigns in the Stepstones and against Dalton Greyjoy. Alyn lives for decades after the Dance ends, dying at sea under unknown circumstances, having lived a fulfilling life. Of everyone who makes it through the war, his story ends up being one of the few that reads as something close to a happy ending.

The Dance of the Dragons leaves ‘House of the Dragon’ with a strikingly small circle of survivors, and each of their fates says something different about what it actually means to outlast a war like this one. Which of these endings do you think hits hardest once the show finally gets there, Alicent’s slow unraveling, Corlys’s guilt, or Alyn’s quiet legend built out at sea.