This is the House of the Dragon episode 10 ending explained. Well, what a finale that was, titled The Black Queen. In contrast to last week, we saw the entirety of the episode basically set on Dragonstone, focusing on Rhaenyra finding out that her father, King Viserys, had died and that King Aegon had ascended the throne.
With some phenomenal Dragon scenes, and heartbreaking emotional moments paired with inspiring and poignant deliveries, this finale was everything that it promised to be and more. So with that, I thought I’d recap, break down, and explain the entire episode and its ending.
We are going through all the questions that the finale episode has put in front of us. So let’s get into House of the Dragon Season 1 Ending Explained. Just to let you know, this article will contain spoilers.
House Of The Dragon Episode 10 Ending Explained
In House Of The Dragon Episode 10, we focused most of our time over on Dragonstone, where we saw a plan being laid down in order to find the best way possible to keep the Seven Kingdoms in a state that was worthy of the ruling, rather than burning it to the ground in order to sit upon the Iron Throne.
Something that King Viserys always stood by and believed in. And we see that behavior mirrored in Rhaenyra. It’s extremely poignant that Rhaenyra would be wearing his crown upon her head whilst Aegon wore the Conquerors.
With many standing with Queen Rhaenyra as the true Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, we saw the entirety of the Episode looking as though it could have taken a more peaceful diplomatic approach. That was until we saw the Lucerys and Arrax being killed by Aemond and Vhagar as he was riding home after pleading with Borros Baratheon at Storm’s End to stand by Rhaenyra.
All hell is set to break loose now as the greens had taken something so precious away from Rhaenyra. It was on the verge of being personal before, but now with Aemond essentially claiming Lucerys life and him knowing what’s now going to occur, the Dance of the Dragons is well and truly going to begin. I’m going to break this article down by the main things to take away from House Of The Dragon Episode 10.
Did Aemond Mean To Kill Lucerys?
When Lucerys went to Storm’s End, we saw that Aemond had beaten him in the race in order to fight for the alliance from Borros Baratheon. Throughout the entirety of the episode, Lucerys’ death is hinted at to us. With Jacaerys beating him in a duel, Lucerys has to swear that he wouldn’t fight Rhaenyra, and him calling Rhaenyra’s mother before correcting it to My Queen.
His lack of experience and readiness to carry out such a task was something that was deliberately positioned all throughout the episode, and it was clear to see that his fate was doomed from the earth.
Whilst Aemond, well more specifically Vhagar, tore through Arrax and sent Lucerys down to the sea in what was left of him. We saw a look on Aemond’s face of regret and a lack of control. Whilst Aemond was chasing after Lucerys. I believe it was more for a taunt and maybe with the intention of taking his eye still. But he never meant for Vhagar to attack.
We saw Arrax initiate a defensive response by releasing dragon breath onto Vhagar, which was always going to be a bad move due to the sheer size difference between them. This then led Vhagar to also go on the attack in terms of a defense from the initial hit from Lucerys. One thing we saw in this scene was from the show’s lore, which was that a dragon could never truly be Tamed. And we saw this as something that was clear to see between the pair.
Whilst both the relatively inexperienced in Dragon riding, when it came down to it, both dragons went against what their Riders said due to the beasts wanting to protect themselves. “No, Arrax, serve me,” Lucerys and “No, Vhagar, no, no, no,” exclaimed Aemond, were ignored. Showing that a dragon’s unpredictable nature is still there even when a rider is upon its back.
I don’t believe Aemond wanted to kill Lucerys because he knows the repercussions of what’s to come. He’s plunged the realm into war due to a feud that had been there since they were younger. The hatred between Lucerys and Aeamon was always there, but the killing in the way that it was, I don’t think that was ever the intention.
What Is The Painted Table?
Within House Of The Dragon Season Finale, we got to see the painted table for the first time in all of its glory. Housed in Dragonstone, the paint table is something that Aegon the Conqueror had built when he returned from King’s Landing for one of the first times.
He requested that it be built with all of the lands within the Seven Kingdoms. So he’d be able to devise a strategy and plan on how best he could take the Seven Kingdoms, which is what he eventually did.
Despite the crown being upon Aegon’s head as he sat on the Iron Throne, we’re seeing Rhaenyra adopt the strategy and canvas Aegon the Conqueror used in order to secure the throne a couple of hundred years ago. So it’s really interesting to see it being painted out this way.
Rhaenyra is using it to see where her allies are, where they will be, and who will likely stand against her. And with the flame being placed beneath it, there’s nothing more symbolic than fire being used to light it.
What Was The Dragon That Daemon Was Trying To Claim?
In House Of The Dragon Episode 10, the pain and hatred that Daemon felt for the Hightowers for several different reasons, such as him believing Alicent killed Viserys, along with them taking Rhaenyra’s birthright and title as ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. We saw him being one of the individuals around the painted table that wanted to retaliate with violence, which was met by Rhaenyra’s level head and want for peace like Lucerys.
One thing that we saw Daemon do was head to Dragon Mound, which is a volcanic mountain, and he was speaking in High Valerian. Earlier on, we heard him compare the dragons that the blacks had when compared to the greens and also the unbonded dragons that were riderless. Amongst these were Vermithor and Silverwing, which were at Dragon Mount.
The Dragon that we saw Daemon speaking to was Vermithor, who was formally ridden by King Jaehaerys The First, whom we saw at the very start of the show. He was the ruler prior to Viserys. So this Dragon remained without a rider for all of King Viserys’ reign.
Vermithor is a dragon that Daemon would be looking to claim and get on his side because in the entirety of Westeros, there is only one Dragon that is larger and older, and that is Vhagar. So in, having a dragon that could compete with Vhagar was a must.
His fire has been said to melt through steel and stone, and despite not being as fast or agile as the other dragons, his sheer power and flame are something to be feared. I’m hoping we’re going to see this go on the side of the blacks.
With Damon being at dragon mount, it leads me to believe that he’ll most likely look to claim Silverwing whilst he’s there, too, as if he doesn’t. We know the greens are already preparing for war in the sense that they were at Storm’s end. So there’s nothing to say that they wouldn’t go to dragon mount to bond with the unbonded.
How Many Dragons Do The Greens And The Blacks Have?
When discussing the power that comes with being a descendant of old Valeria, we heard that multiple dragons are going to be participating in the Dance of the Dragons, excluding Arrax, whom we know was taken out by Vhagar in the House of the Dragon Episode 10 Ending. It looks as though the blacks outnumbered the green significantly, which could be beneficial.
This means that the blacks hold Syrax, who is Rhaenyra’s, Caraxes who his Daemon, Meleys who is Rhaenys’, Vermax who is Jace’s, Moondancer who is Baela’s, Tyraxes who is Joffrey’s, and three wild dragons. Once, they were also unclaimed dragons such as Seasmoke, who was Laenor’s whom we know can battle, Vermithor, whom we saw Daemon going to claim, and also Silverwing, whom I feel Daemon will try to claim too. This leaves the greens with Vhagar, who’s ridden by Aemond, Sunfyre by Aegon, and Dreamfyre by Helaena.
Why Corlys Velaryon Taking The Stepstones Is A Positive For The Blacks?
When Corlys Velaryon arrived back at Dragonstone following the news that he’d recovered from the injuries that he took on in the Battle for the Stepstones 2.0, he swore his loyalty to Queen Rhaenyra along with the full support of his Fleet, and at this moment he confirmed that he’d been successful in the taking of the Stepstones and the defeat in the Triarchian Army.
This was of great importance for a couple of different reasons. The narrow sea with the Island surrounding it essentially acts as a passageway into King’s Landing, and it’s the main place where trade passes through.
With the control of the passageway, whoever’s in control can essentially stop all trade from passing through, meaning they’ll be cut off. This was something that they originally wanted to prevent the Crabfeeder from carrying out earlier on in the season.
If the control of the narrow sea falls into the wrong hands, they’re essentially in control of what comes in and out. Meaning they can charge an extortionate fee for allowing ships to pass through, or they can even prevent them from passing through at all.
This is the potential to ultimately lead the people of Westeros and King’s Landing specifically to not side with King Aegon due to the fact that the people will be starving. Famine could hit the land, and the city would perish and run out of goods.
Plus, the extortionate fee that Corlys Velaryon could charge would cause disruption amongst anybody wanting to pass through and thus provide another reason to side with the Queen. They could also prevent any forces that were siding with King Aegon from passing through, meaning that it would leave King’s Landing in a vulnerable position. So it’s a powerful thing to have in their pocket.
Rhaenyra Is Now Up For War
In the closing scene of House of the Dragon episode 10, Rhaenyra is told by Daemon that her son, Lucerys, has been killed, causing the new Queen to go toward the fire, clutching her stomach, almost drop to her knees, and look at the camera with tears and rage in her eyes.
Rhaenyra’s restraint had been driving Daemon crazy, but Lucerys’ death set off a firestorm of rage inside her that no amount of peace agreements could quench. Alicent’s letter about recalling the love they once chose to share now means nothing because now her son has killed Luke.
Rhaenyra’s final shot only conveys one message: “War it is.” There won’t be peace accepted in House of the Dragon season 2; instead, the battle to retake the Iron Throne will take place.
What House Of The Dragon Season 1 Ending Truly Means
The multiple time jumps in Season 1 of House of the Dragon have drawn criticism, but the show’s central theme was an observation of how a family might be gradually driven apart by irreparable rifts. Viserys could have stopped King Aegon II Targaryen’s takeover of the Iron Throne if he had been more protective of Rhaenyra. King Aegon II Targaryen’s takeover of the throne was not a sudden power grab.
In House of the Dragon episode 8, he succeeded in doing so, but one last effort was insufficient to undo the harm done by his passivity for two decades. Rhaenyra tried to fulfill her father’s requests for peace, but King Viserys’ illness left her in this situation.
The declaration of war in the House of the Dragon season 1 finale resulted from misunderstandings, anger, and generational pain, and disaster was, by this point, unavoidable. War was inevitable, regardless of Rhaenyra’s efforts to stop it; Lucerys’ death just removed any doubts she had previously had.
The first season conclusion of House of the Dragon showed that House Targaryen’s complaints affected the entire realm, leaving neither the greens nor the blacks with a point of return. This final episode provided emotion with moments such as calling this swearing to stand alongside Rhaenyra, the death of Lucerys, and the scene of the birth that Rhaenyra had at the start.
It provided humor in the insults that Daemon was giving to Ser Otto and King Aegon, and it also set up what looks as though it’s going to be an immense House of the Dragon Season 2. It’s a shame we have to wait so long, but I’m sure it will most certainly be worth the wait.
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