Why Did Daemon Choke Rhaenyra in the House of the Dragon Finale?

The finale of House of the Dragon season 1 allowed us to see how Princess Rhaenyra and the Blacks reacted to what they just heard from Princess Rhaenys, who told them that the Greens had installed Aegon II on the Iron Throne. However, the problem was that Rhaenyra was reluctant to go to war with the Greens because she wanted to uphold her father’s wish to make sure that the realm was at peace. When she told Daemon about this wish and the Song of Ice and Fire, Daemon choked her. So, why did Daemon choke Rhaenyra?

Daemon choked Rhaenyra because he likely remembered some of the things that King Viserys said or did in the past when he and his brother didn’t seem to agree on how a king should act. In that regard, Daemon choked Rhaenyra because she was becoming more like her father instead of acting like her true self.

The problem with Daemon is that he didn’t know about the Song of Ice and Fire and was unaware of how important it was for the Targaryen dynasty to stay intact for generations to come so that the entire realm would be united against the threat from the north. As such, he never believed in the powers of dreams, and the fact that Viserys believed in dreams so much was one of the things that he hated about his brother. Now, that said, let’s look at this discussion in greater detail.

Why Did Daemon Choke Rhaenyra?

At the beginning of episode 10 of House of the Dragon, the side of Rhaenyra and Daemon found out from Princess Rhaenys that the Greens had taken the Iron Throne and had stolen Aegon II on it just after the passing of King Viserys. In that regard, this led Rhaenyra to go into labor early, as she gave birth to a stillborn child. And after the funeral of her stillborn child, she was crowned the queen of the Seven Kingdoms, as Daemon and the supporters of the other Blacks were quick to plan what they needed to do to defeat the Greens.

Rhaenyra, at the start, was quite sure that she was going to war with the Greens, especially after she had just lost her daughter and had just found out that her father had died. In that regard, she was quite sure that she was going to attack King’s Landing and take it from King Aegon II. However, things changed when Otto Hightower arrived on Dragonstone.

Otto Hightower bore a message that came from Queen Dowager Alicent Hightower, who wanted Rhaenyra to give up her claim to the throne peacefully and swear her allegiance to King Aegon II. She also made Rhaenyra remember one of the stories that they both loved when they were still young girls that were quite close to one another. Rhaenyra also remembered how important it was for her to make sure that the realm was intact, as going to war with the Greens would mean tearing the entire realm apart. That was the reason why she told Otto that she would have to think about her decision first

Daemon, of course, wasn’t happy that his wife wanted to think about her decision first before attacking the Greens. He never liked the Hightowers, as he has had a longstanding rivalry with Otto. Daemon didn’t want his wife to bow down to the Hightowers, as she was always the rightful heir to the Iron Throne.

That was when Rhaenyra said something about the Song of Ice and Fire and how the role of the Targaryen dynasty was to make sure that the realm was always going to be intact. Of course, we all know that this was something that King Viserys shared with her when he first named her the heir to the Iron Throne.

The Song of Ice and Fire talks about the dream that Aegon the Conqueror once had about the threat that was going to come from the north. We know that this threat is the Night King, but Viserys and the other kings don’t know anything about him. The role of the Targaryen dynasty was to make sure that a Targaryen kept the entire realm united so that the Seven Kingdoms would be prepared for the coming of this northern threat. And Viserys often reminded Rhaenyra about her duties as the one that should hold the realm together, as this was what the Targaryens were ultimately tasked to do.

Daemon looked confused when Rhaenyra told him this, and that was when she said something about the Conqueror’s dream. An angry Daemon choked Rhaenyra right then and there. In that regard, why did Daemon choke Rhaenyra?

As Daemon was choking Rhaenyra, he said something about the fact that Viserys was always a slave to dreams. Of course, we all know that Daemon and Viserys, although they loved one another, were not always on the same page.

Daemon was more of a man of action that relied on his strength and his ability to actually act on problems. Meanwhile, Viserys was a peaceful man that never liked engaging in wars and fights, as he would rather try to pacify both sides instead of going on the aggressive side. There was also the fact that Viserys was obsessed with being a dreamer, and this was probably something that Daemon was aware of and never liked.

As Daemon was choking Rhaenyra, he said, “Dreams didn’t make us kings; dragons did.” And he was probably talking about how important it was for the Targaryens to focus more on the strength of their dragons rather than on the power of prophecy and dreams.

Daemon most likely choked Rhaenyra because he never knew anything about the Song of Ice and Fire. He also most likely had disagreements with Viserys on how a kingdom should be ruled. But the one thing that he probably loved about Rhaenyra was the fact that her younger version was someone who would rather act than think.

But the fact that Rhaenyra was becoming more like her father when she talked about the Song of Ice and Fire was something that probably drew the ire of Daemon, who might have loved Viserys but didn’t like the way he ruled the Seven Kingdoms in a rather peaceful and passive manner. And the fact that he also didn’t know anything about the Conqueror’s dream added to his anger towards Rhaenyra, as he didn’t understand how important this dream was.

Why Doesn’t Daemon Know About The Song Of Ice And Fire?

When Daemon released Rhaenyra from his grasp, the queen understood that he didn’t know anything about the Conqueror’s dream. That was when Rhaenyra realized that Viserys didn’t know about the Song of Ice and Fire. So, why didn’t Daemon know anything about Aegon’s dream?

It is possible that the Song of Ice and Fire is something that is passed only by one king to his heir, as this was the true task that the Targaryen kings were supposed to do in relation to their rule as the Lords of the Seven Kingdoms. That was the reason why Viserys told Rhaenyra this story, as he chose her to be his heir. Likewise, King Jaehaerys probably shared this story with Viserys when he was chosen to be the next ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.

Of course, the reason why Viserys never told Daemon anything about the Song of Ice and Fire was the fact that he never wanted his brother to be his heir. This is similar to the fact that not even King Aegon II or Prince Aemond knows anything about the Conqueror’s prophecy. As such, it is clear that only the ones chosen to be the next ruler of the Seven Kingdoms know what Aegon’s dream is.

However, it is still unknown why the Song of Ice and Fire remains a secret only between a king and his chosen heir. It might be related to the possibility of a usurper trying to use this knowledge to their advantage. Nevertheless, the point here is that the true mark of the rightful ruler is their knowledge of the Song of Ice and Fire, which is passed down from one king to another due to how important it was to make sure that the Targaryen dynasty held the realm together.