‘House of the Dragon’: Who Rides Seasmoke in Season 2? New Rider Explained

We’re more than halfway through season 2 of ‘House of the Dragon’ and we’ve seen war effort slowly advancing on both sides. While the Greens are using open warfare and their vast armies to advance their cause, the Blacks are focusing on more subtle methods and are trying to find a way to utilize the Dragons they have living on Dragonstone – riderless dragons.

Back in episode 5, we saw Rhaenyra and Prince Jacaerys Velaryon developing a strategy to mount non-Targaryens. The main prerequisite is that the person attempting to mount a dragon has at least some Targaryen blood somewhere down the line. The first to undergo the attempt was Lord Darklyn and if you watched episode 6, you know that the attempt to ride Seasmoke ended poorly.

However, by the end of the episode, Seasmoke finds himself a rider in one of the dragonseeds of House Velaryon, Addam of Hull. This is accurate as far as the book goes, it was never exactly defined how much Valyrian blood a person needs to mount a dragon, but it seems that bastards are fair game, being the direct descendants of Targaryens and Velaryons.

In any case, Seasmoke has lacked bond ever since Laenor Velaryon decided to escape Westeros with his lover, but the fact that Seasmoke can now be ridden kind of means that Laenor is dead. Since the bond between a dragon and a rider can (as far as it was hinted in the books) be broken if either the dragon or rider dies. The fact that Addam of Hull could claim Seasmoke or rather Seasmoke claimed him means that Laenor is at this point in time most likely dead.

Addam of Hull was the bastard of Coryls Velaryon (although his mother claimed that he was Laenor’s bastard you know it’s highly unlikely) and in the previous episode, we’ve met Addam’s brother, Alyn of Hull.

While Alyn managed to distinguish himself and get noticed by Corlys by saving his life, Addam had no such luck and he was overshadowed by his brother. We also saw Alyn shaving his white hair, Addam had no such luck, he was as plain as they come with seemingly not a trace of Velaryon blood within him.

Once Addam claimed a dragon and proved himself to be a Velaryon, Corlys petitioned Rhaenyra to make them lawful Velaryons and she agreed. Addam fought for Rhaenyra for Blacks atop Seasmoke, and at some point, he resided in the dragonpit in King’s Landing as the tradition called for at least one dragonrider to reside there with dragons.

Following the first battle of Tumbleton during which other bastards Ulf the White and Hugh Hammer decided to defect to the Greens with their dragons, Rhenyra’s council questioned Addam’s loyalties. Since he was a bastard as well many believe that it was only a matter of time before he turned against her as well since bastards were treacherous by nature, merely due to the way they were brought to this world.

At some point, an arrest warrant was issued for Addam but Corlys managed to warn him in time and Addam managed to escape from King’s Landing with Corlys losing his title of the Hand of the Queen, and being beaten and imprisoned.

During the Second Battle of Tumbleton, Addam was determined to show that not all bastards are traitors. Addam attacked Tumbleton at night, catching the greens by surprise. He saw the battle turning in his favor. Unknown to him, enemy dragonriders Hugh Hammer and Prince Daeron were already dead. Addam engaged the riderless dragon Tessarion and Vermithor with his dragon Seasmoke.

Seasmoke attacked Vermithor, driving him into the mud, though Addam likely knew Seasmoke was outmatched. Tessarion joined the fray, and all three dragons fought to the death. After the battle, Lord Unwin Peake ordered a retreat, taking the remnants of the once-great host. Addam, who had been accused of being a turncloak, sacrificed his life to save King’s Landing from Rhaenyra’s enemies.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!