How Does Aemond Targaryen Die? Here’s What Will Happen to Him

We all met the children of both Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower in episode 6 of House of the Dragon. However, the one who would be the most important out of all of them in the upcoming Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. That’s because he rides the biggest and strongest dragon in the world in Vhagar and is a better fighter than his brother, Aegon II. Then again, his ultimate fate is to die during the war. But how does Aemond Targaryen die?

Aemond Targaryen dies in the Battle Above the Gods Eye when he and Daemon Targaryen were locked in a fierce aerial battle. Daemon, being the more experienced fighter and dragonrider, jumped off of his dragon while Caraxes and Vhagar were locked in, as he stabbed Aemond in his eye.

The Battle Above the Gods Eye was the highlight fight of the Dance of the Dragons, as it included the two most powerful fighters on either side. But it also ended in a loss to both sides as all four of those who were engaged in this battle died, and that included Aemond Targaryen. That said, let’s look at what Aemond did during the Dance of the Dragons and how he died.

What Did Aemond Do During The Dance Of The Dragons?

We first met Aemond Targaryen during the events of episode 6 when he was one of the children in the dragonpit scene that included Aegon, Jacaerys, and Lucerys. At that time, he became the butt of the jokes of his brother and nephews because he was the only one among them that didn’t have a dragon. And that only made him more determined to become a dragonrider.

Meanwhile, in episode 7, we saw the fact that Aemond was much more of a man compared to Aegon, who only cared about the pleasures in life. In fact, Aemond was a lot bolder, braver, and more responsible than his older brother, and this could be due to him being a second son that needed to work harder than the eldest son, who got everything handed to him. And that was one of the reasons why he was able to claim Vhagar in that episode, although he did lose his eye in the process.

However, during the Dance of the Dragons, Aemond became the most fearsome fighter and dragonrider on the side of the Greens because he was always the better swordsman and rider compared to his brother, who was only named king because he was the older of the two. Nevertheless, Aemond was their best asset in the war due to the prowess of Vhagar, who was the largest and strongest dragon in the known world at that time.

During the early part of the Dance of the Dragons, Aemond visited Lord Borros Baratheon to demand his allegiance but found Lucerys there instead. There was supposed to be a battle between the two, but Borros forbade them from fighting under his roof. As such, when Lucerys left on his dragon Arrax, Aemond followed him and killed him in a one-sided battle that allowed him to avenge his eye, which he lost to Lucerys many years ago.

After that, Aemond was instrumental in the battle that killed Princess Rhaenys and her dragon, Meleys, as Aemond was able to help weaken the side of the Blacks with the loss of one of their dragonriders and dragons. 

Due to the injuries that Aegon II suffered in the battle against Rhaenys, Prince Aemond became the regent of the Seven Kingdoms in place of his weakened brother, who could no longer fight due to his injuries and because Sunfyre, his dragon, was also severely weakened. He raised an army so that he could launch an attack on Harrenhal together with Ser Criston Cole. However, the Blacks were actually marching on King’s Landing, as the capital fell without Aemond there to defend it.

During that time, Aemond left Harrenhal so that he could terrorize the Riverlands on top of Vhagar, as they burned several towns and settlements that were aligned with the Blacks in an effort to weaken their opponents.

This led Rhaenyra Targaryen to order Daemon Targaryen and the dragonseed Nettles to go to Riverlands so that they could find and defeat Aemond. Nettles, however, had to leave because Rhaenyra wanted her dead for being the rumored lover of Daemon, who helped her escape. Knowing that death or severe punishment was coming to him if he were to return to King’s Landing, Daemon decided to go to Harrenhal, where he challenged Aemond and waited for 14 days for him to answer his call.

Eventually, Aemond decided to answer the challenge of his uncle as he arrived at Harrenhal on top of Vhagar together with his lover, Alys Rivers. He kissed Alys one last time before he headed out to fight Daemon in a battle between the two most skilled dragonriders and fighters of the Greens and the Blacks.

How Does Aemond Targaryen Die?

Aemond, on top of Vhagar, battled Daemon, who was mounted on Caraxes, the Blood Wyrm. This was the famed Battle Above the Gods Eye, which took place on the Gods Eye Lake, which is the largest landlocked body of water in the Seven Kingdoms. Of course, this was also the fiercest and most legendary battle that happened during the Dance of the Dragons, as it involved the two best fighters and dragonriders of each side, as well as arguably the two strongest dragons during the Targaryen Civil War.

During that battle, it was clear that Vhagar had the size advantage over Caraxes as she was twice as large as the Blood Wyrm. However, Daemon was already a veteran of countless battles and was a seasoned fighter and dragonrider. This allowed him to bridge the gap between him and Aemond, who may have been a skilled fighter and dragonrider but was not as experienced as his uncle.

In that fight, Caraxes was able to outmaneuver the bigger dragon and bite its neck as the two of them began crashing into the Gods Eye Lake. Daemon took this chance to jump off of Caraxes and plunge his Valyrian Steel sword, Dark Sister, into the missing eye of Aemond as all four of them crashed into the lake. Both Aemond and Vhagar did not survive the fall, as only Caraxes was left alive, as it had enough strength to crawl to the shore, where it died shortly after doing so.

Daemon’s body was never found, as it was believed that he died in the lake. There were rumors, however, that he survived the crash and was able to live the rest of his life with Nettles far away from the politics of King’s Landing. Meanwhile, years later, Aemond’s body was found still chained to Vhagar’s carcass, as Dark Sister was still plunged in the eye of the prince.