King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) might have survived his wounds from the Battle of Rook’s Rest in House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 4. However, the fate of his dragon, Sunfyre, remains uncertain. In Episode 5, Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) vaguely says Sunfyre is “long in the dying.”
Later, in the Season 2 finale, Aegon tells Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) that Sunfyre has died from his injuries. This is a surprising twist for readers of Fire & Blood. In George R. R. Martin’s novel, Sunfyre has a significant and grim role in the end of the Dance of the Dragons.
If the show’s portrayal of Sunfyre’s death is not just a clever twist, it means the details of Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen’s (Emma D’Arcy) final encounter could be different from what is described in the book. House of the Dragon is known for making changes to the original story.
In Fire & Blood, Team Black takes over King’s Landing. However, Queen Rhaenyra’s rule does not bring peace. Civil unrest grows among the people during her time on the Iron Throne. Devastated and broke, Rhaenyra flees to Dragonstone.
Her situation worsens there: Ser Alfred Broome (Jamie Kenna), the knight who previously tried to persuade Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) to take his wife’s throne, leads a coup for Aegon.
How Does Rhaenyra Die in ‘Fire & Blood’?
Aegon, who had escaped King’s Landing with Larys, has been hiding on Dragonstone. After one last meeting with her brother, Sunfyre kills Rhaenyra at Aegon’s command.
This account matches what Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) tells Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer) in Game of Thrones Season 3, Episode 4. Joffrey says, “Rhaenyra Targaryen was murdered by her brother, or rather, his dragon. It ate her while her son watched.”
If House of the Dragon’s Aegon does not bond with or control another dragon, Rhaenyra’s fate might differ from what Fire & Blood describes.
The potential changes to Sunfyre’s story could impact the ending of House of the Dragon. Since Fire & Blood was written by Maesters who supported Team Green, they might have exaggerated Rhaenyra’s death to glorify Aegon. It is also possible they softened the truth to hide something worse.
Another possibility is that Sunfyre survived, and Aegon was misinformed or mistaken about Sunfyre’s fate. The show’s creators might be waiting for a dramatic moment to reveal that Sunfyre is still alive, which could lead to a dramatic encounter between Rhaenyra and her enemy with a dragon she thought was dead.
When asked about Sunfyre, showrunner Ryan Condal avoided giving away spoilers:
“We are not looking to do anything for shock value or to totally change the way the history was written. What I think we need to do as adapters and storytellers in television is to interpret things in new and unexpected ways that are given to you one way in the book […] that gives you a deeper understanding of why that thing was written down in the history, why it was accepted by the history.”
House of the Dragon has already added detail to events that Fire & Blood presents briefly, like Daemon killing his first wife, Rhea Royce (Rachel Redford). In the book, Lady Royce’s death is described as an accidental fall from her horse.
The show depicts Daemon hitting her with a rock while she is trapped under her horse. In Fire & Blood, Sunfyre’s injuries never fully heal, but he lives long enough to play a key role in ending Rhaenyra’s story—an event that is complex to show on screen, even for fans who think they know the outcome.
House of the Dragon Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Max.
