How Does Daemon Know Lucerys Is Dead? Who Told Him?
We saw at the end of the season 1 finale of House of the Dragon that Rhaenyra Targaryen was about to go to war against the Greens after Daemon told her that her son, Lucerys Velaryon, was killed. In that regard, it was clear that Daemon knew that Lucerys had been killed by none other than a dragon that belonged to the Greens. So, if that is the case, how did Daemon find out about Lucerys’s death?
The likely case was that either or both Lucerys’s and Arrax’s bodies were found washed up on one of the shores close to Dragonstone after they had been killed by Aemond and Vhagar. One of the men working for the Blacks must’ve found the body of the boy and/or his dragon and told Daemon about it.
Lucerys’s death was one of the reasons that the Dance of the Dragons broke out, as it was no longer a matter of politics and diplomacy but was now a war of fire and blood. As such, this was the final dirt thrown at the coffin of diplomacy, as there was no chance for both sides to reconcile after Luke’s death. Now, with that said, let’s look at how Daemon found out about Lucerys’s death.
How Did Daemon Find Out About Lucerys’s Death?
At this point, it is safe to say that everyone knows that Prince Lucerys Velaryon is now dead after he and his dragon Arrax were accidentally killed by Prince Aemond Targaryen, who lost control of an angry Vhagar. It was the fact that Arrax attacked Vhagar that angered the old dragon, as she ended up killing the smaller flying beast with a single bite that tore its body into several pieces.
Meanwhile, in the final moments of season 1, Daemon was seen talking to Rhaenyra as she was discussing their plan of action together with the other supporters of the Blacks. That was when Rhaenyra was clearly in shock, as she turned around to face the audience with an angry but determined look on her face.
The ramifications of Prince Lucerys’s death cannot be overstated because of the fact that this was the final nail in the coffin of diplomacy. Before Luke’s death, Rhaenyra wanted to resolve matters without going to war because of the fact that she didn’t want to tear the realm apart. That was the reason why she was actually contemplating taking the offer of the Greens to peacefully resolve matters by giving up her claim to the Iron Throne. she even told Daemon and Corlys that she wasn’t going to war unless the Greens were to strike first.
However, considering that the Greens did indeed strike in what was an accidental death that occurred when Aemond was merely trying to intimidate Luke into giving up his eye, war is now about to come in season 2. But the most interesting thing to take note of was the fact that Daemon was the one who told Rhaenyra the news that her son had died. So, how did Daemon find out about Prince Lucerys’s death?
It is likely that Daemon found out about Lucerys’s death when either or both his body and the body of his dragon washed up on shore. After all, that was what happened in the book. But the thing is that, in Fire & Blood, Luke’s body was never found at all, as only Arrax’s head and neck were found.
As such, it is also likely that only Arrax’s body was found when it washed up on shore after the incident with Vhagar. So, when the dragon’s body was found, the logical conclusion was that Lucerys had also died together with the dragon. And, of course, the other conclusion that can be made from this is the fact that only a dragon as large as Vhagar could’ve killed Lucerys and Arrax.
That is why, during the final scene of season 1 of House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra was so sure that she was now going to war with the Greens as the only person with a dragon capable of killing Lucerys and Arrax in such a manner was Aemond, who had the largest dragon in the world in Vhagar.
Still, it is also possible that Lucerys’s body was found washed up on shore as well, depending on whether or not the series would want to explore this possibility or change a few things that happened in the book. As mentioned, the book states that only Arrax’s body was found. So, if Lucerys’s body was also found, this is a change in the events that occurred in the book, even though it is only minor.
But we would lean toward the possibility that only Arrax’s body was found, and this led Daemon to conclude that Lucerys had died. It is also possible that the body washed up on a shore close to Dragonstone, considering that Rhaenyra did say that Dragonstone was close to Storm’s End. Nevertheless, the way that Lucerys’s death was discovered is now moot and academic because it was used as a plot device to advance the inevitable war between the Blacks and the Greens in the Dance of the Dragons.
Did Vhagar Eat Lucerys?
Another thing to look at here is the fact that it was quite possible that Vhagar actually ate Lucerys in that attack that happened against the boy and his dragon. It was never made clear what happened to Lucerys’s body, as the attack only allowed us to see Arrax’s body getting ripped to pieces when Vhagar munched on it.
But the fact is that Vhagar opened her mouth and munched Arrax right at the spot where Lucerys was, and that’s why the prince braced at the very last second when he saw that the huge dragon was about to close its jaws on him and his dragon. As such, it is more than possible that Luke was not only killed but was eaten by Vhagar in that scene.
It is also interesting to point out that Fire & Blood wasn’t exactly vocal about how Luke died, as it only said that Aemond and Vhagar were responsible for his death. There were also accounts that suggest that Luke may have been swallowed whole by Vhagar because his body was never found. As such, it is more likely that Vhagar did indeed eat and swallow Lucerys in that attack, as his body was never found and that it wasn’t clear whether or not his body was also seen falling from the sky when Arrax’s body parts were falling into the sea.
