Will Corlys Velaryon Survive His Wounds in House of the Dragon?

One of the things we learned early in episode 8 of House of the Dragon was that Corlys Velaryon was fighting in the Stepstones and was severely injured. That was what forced the Velaryons to talk about the succession of Driftmark, which is the ancestral seat of the Velaryons. But because there were issues regarding the succession, they asked the crown to intervene in the matter, all while they were waiting for news regarding Corlys’s condition. So, will Corlys Velaryon survive his wounds in House of the Dragon?

It is likely that Corlys Velaryon will survive his wounds. That’s because, according to the book, Corlys will live through the Dance of the Dragons and will become one of the most important figures for both the Greens and the Blacks. As such, it is possible that he will return sometime in the future.

The fact that Corlys is an important part of the entire Dance of the Dragons storyline is the reason why we believe that he will actually survive his wounds and will return to his seat as lord of Driftmark during the Targaryen civil war. As such, there is little to no doubt that he will survive unless the showrunners decide to change the story of the source material.

What Happened To Corlys Velaryon In House Of The Dragon?

Ever since the very beginning of House of the Dragon, the one thing that was already clear was that Lord Corlys Velaryon was an incredibly important character in the storyline, and that’s because, as a Velaryon, he is one of the most powerful men in the Seven Kingdoms and is actually the one who allowed House Velaryon to reach the peak of the family’s power.

We have seen Corlys’s power in play throughout the entire storyline, as he was able to pressure King Viserys several times, as the king himself often realized how important it was for him to maintain good relations with the man called the Sea Snake. And we can only imagine what would happen to House Velaryon if Corlys were to die.

In that regard, episode 8 of House of the Dragon opened up with Vaemond Velaryon telling Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, who was sitting on the seat of Driftmark, that Corlys Velaryon suffered severe injuries in the war against the Triarchy in the Stepstones. It was then mentioned by Rhaenys that it had been six years since Laenor “died,” and that means that, after the events of Laena’s funeral, Corlys returned to the Stepstones to wage war on the Triarchy.

It was the fact that Corlys Velaryon was severely injured in the war against the Triarchy that made House Velaryon want to decide the succession of Driftmark, as this was a matter that was incredibly important to the realm because the Velaryons were probably second only to the Targaryens in terms of power.

However, Rhaenys, who had been sitting on Driftmark’s throne for the last six years, believed that she was the only rightful heir to the Velaryon’s ancestral seat. There was also the fact that Lucerys Velaryon was still regarded as the “legitimate” son of Laenor Velaryon. And there was Vaemond, who believed himself to be the only one who had the right to inherit Driftmark because he was a true-blooded Velaryon.

Whatever the case may be, the Velaryons required the intervention of the crown in this matter, and that was the reason why the entire episode focused on the Targaryens and the Velaryons in a reunion in King’s Landing. And while the episode focused on those two families, Corlys’s survival still loomed in the background as we are headed toward the early part of the Dance of the Dragons.

Will Corlys Survive His Wounds?

As mentioned, the entire issue that arose in episode 8 of House of the Dragon focused on the fact that Corlys Velaryon survived grave injuries that made House Velaryon wonder if he would actually survive his wounds while he was at war in the Stepstones. So, will Corlys survive his wounds?

If House of the Dragon was faithful to the Fire & Blood storyline, then that would mean that there is a good chance that Corlys Velaryon would survive his wounds. That’s because, despite the fact that he is one of the older characters in the series and is not even a dragonrider, he is still one of the most important figures in the Dance of the Dragons.

In the storyline of the book, Corlys became one of the most important allies of the Blacks, as more than half of Rhaenyra’s forces were made up of those who were loyal to Corlys Velaryon and House Velaryon. As such, if Corlys were to die due to his wounds, that would mean that the Blacks would be weakened in the upcoming Dance of the Dragons because House Velaryon would be weakened without the greatest leader the family has ever seen.

There is also the fact that House Velaryon’s strength would also be diminished if Lucerys Velaryon were to be the one to lead the family as its new lord if Corlys were to die. This would be a good storyline to follow, especially because Luke is still seen by much of the entire realm as a bastard that doesn’t have a drop of Velaryon blood in him. But, then again, Corlys still has a lot of different parts to play in the storyline, especially in relation to the power balance of the Blacks against the Greens.

It was the fact that Corlys was the leader of House Velaryon that he was able to pressure King’s Landing and eventually allowed Princess Rhaenyra to take the capital and sit on the Iron Throne. But it was also Corlys’s “betrayal” that forced Rhaenyra’s paranoia to reach new heights, as that was one of the reasons why the people of King’s Landing rebelled and made her abandon the capital. Of course, it was the fact that Rhaenyra had to flee King’s Landing that eventually killed her.

Meanwhile, Corlys still continued to live through the events of King Aegon II’s reign, as he became one of the most powerful advisers of the king. And it was actually Corlys’s allegiance to Aegon II that allowed Aegon the Younger to live, despite the fact that the king wanted him dead.

As such, without Corlys, Aegon the Younger would have died and would not have been King Aegon III at the end of the Dance of the Dragons. This is why Corlys Velaryon is an incredibly important part of the Dance of the Dragons and why he will most likely survive his wounds.