According to the creators of the series, episode 6 of ‘House Of The Dragon’ is something like the second pilot episode of the series – because after a time jump of ten years, many actors were replaced and many new characters were added: see Rhaenyra and Alicent From now on we have Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke instead of Milly Alcock and Emily Carey. But episode 6 mirrors the pilot episode in another aspect: just like in episode 1, Queen Aemma, this time Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell) is in labor – and has no chance of survival.
Laena’s husband Daemon (Matt Smith) even faces the same choice as King Viserys (Paddy Considine): since the child cannot be born naturally, it could be delivered via a kind of “caesarean section” – where the mother would doing. bleed to death. And whether the child would survive is also uncertain.
But Laena takes her fate into her own hands: instead of dying in bed, she lets her dragon Vhagar burn her. However, she must first give the dragon lady the fire-breathing command “Dracarys” several times before she obeys. The animal is at first visibly reluctant to harm its rider – but either the command is so compelling that Vhagar must obey, or she senses Laena’s impending, surely painful death and shows mercy.
“Dying Like a Dragon Rider”
Laena herself told Daemon earlier in the episode that she has very specific ideas about her death: “And when my end comes, I want to die as a dragon rider, not as a fat-chested peasant lord.” The question was whether she and Daemon should allow their hosts to continue to put up with them in Pentos. But the idea can also be transferred to the later situation: Laena would rather die in self-determination at the hands of her dragon than as a defenseless woman in childbirth whose body is determined by others.
Laena’s intentions were also confirmed by producer and writer Sara Hess in the “Inside The Episode” video for Episode 6. “We saw one person die during childbirth and I think that’s not the path Laena wants to go; she wants to die as a warrior.”
Aren’t Targaryens actually ‘fireproof’?
But a very small question remains unanswered – at least the author of these lines wondered: Was Laena perhaps hoping that her baby would be “fireproof” as a descendant of her ancient Valyrian bloodline and the Targaryen bloodline? And if she does have to die, it’s by choice, but would the baby survive?
We remember: Daenerys cannot be damaged by fire in “Game Of Thrones”. But even then, George RR Martin confirmed that this was more of a peculiarity: Targaryens can also die by fire.
Interestingly, at the beginning of episode 6, we saw how Vhagar breathed fire during Daemon and Laena’s dragon ride and Daemon flew unscathed onto Caraxes. But perhaps this just happened quickly enough so that Daemon didn’t burn himself, or Caraxes could protect his rider with his body. The fact is: Laena and Daemon’s third child did not survive. They already have daughters Baela (Bethany Antonia) and Rhaena (Eva Ossei-Gerning) together.
Modification of George RR Martin’s entry
By the way, Laena’s suicide by dragonfire is not taken from George RR Martin’s “Fire and Blood”: Laena gives birth to a son, but he dies immediately after birth. Laena contracts puerperal fever and dies a few days later.
While Daemon has lost the mother of his daughters, Rhaenyra must mourn the father of her sons Jacaerys (Leo Hart), Lucerys (Harvey Sadler) and baby Joffrey after episode 6: Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr) died in the fire on Harrenhal – that his brother Larys (Matthew Needham) had it installed.