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House of the Dragon: Here’s how long Aegon be king, according to the book

Tom Glynn-Carney stars as King Aegon II Targaryen, as seen in Episode 8 of HBO's House of the Dragon Season 1
Tom Glynn-Carney stars as King Aegon II Targaryen, as seen in Episode 8 of House of the Dragon Season 1. Pic credit: HBO/Ollie Upton

Even though King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) spent the last eight episodes declaring that he wanted his firstborn daughter, Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), to rule in his steed, that did not happen after he died.

Instead, thanks to a misunderstanding between him and his wife, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), his firstborn son, Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), is now the king of Westeros.

Even those who have not yet read the book by George R. R. Martin will know that this will cause a lot of conflict in the Season 1 finale.

Rhaenyra does not yet know of her father’s death and the subsequent usurping of her position. However, Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) managed to escape King’s Landing after being held hostage there by Alicent and is now on her way to Dragonstone, according to the trailer for Episode 10.

Once Rhaenyra is caught up to speed, a massive conflict will unfold, according to Fire and Blood, the book on which House of the Dragon is based. This is known as the Dance of the Dragons because it involves a massive civil war between members of House Targaryen.

Because of this, fans are wondering just how long Aegon will rule.

Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole and Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, as seen in Episode 9 of HBO's House of the Dragon Season 1
Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole and Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, as seen in Episode 9 of House of the Dragon Season 1. Pic credit: HBO/Ollie Upton

Aegon II Targaryen was crowned King of Westeros

According to Fire and Blood, Aegon was crowned pretty much the same way as what played out in Episode 9 of House of the Dragon.

And, as in the books, Aegon was already married to his sister, Helaena (portrayed by Phia Saban), and they also had several children.

Because of how he was crowned, war will quickly follow, and Aegon barely has time to adjust to being king before Rhaenyra, his half-sister, challenges his claim to the throne.

As pointed out by Screen Rant, the king will suffer greatly from injuries during his reign, thanks to the ongoing conflict, turning to the milk of the poppy and alcohol to cope. Already, Aegon has been shown to resort to drinking to numb his worries, which will continue well into adulthood.

But how long will Aegon remain the king of Westeros?

Tom Glynn-Carney stars as King Aegon II Targaryen in Episode 9 of HBO's House of the Dragon Season 1
Tom Glynn-Carney stars as King Aegon II Targaryen in Episode 9 of House of the Dragon Season 1. Pic credit: HBO/Ollie Upton

Here’s how long Aegon’s reign lasts in the book

As to be expected, more spoilers now follow. For those who do not want to discover what happens in the book, now is the time to look away. For everyone else, here’s what happens.

Aegon rules for only a few years but then falls because of the precarious nature of the Dance of the Dragons.

After defeating his sister, Rhaenyra, at Dragonstone (and you can learn more about her fate in this previous Monsters and Critics article), Aegon continued to rule. Still, those who supported Rhaenyra continued on their quest to have his title overruled.

This led to Lord Corlys Velaryon (as portrayed by Steve Toussaint in the TV series) counseling Aegon to surrender and join the Night’s Watch. However, the king would not do this.

Because of his previous injuries sustained, Aegon then retires to this litter, asking to be carried to the royal sept and taking a bottle of Arbor wine with him to dull the pain.

However, when he arrives, it is discovered that the king is dead, blood staining his lips, indicating that it was not a natural death.

Poison was later discovered, and there were several suspects in the king’s murder.

Lord Velaryon, Lord Larys Strong, and Ser Perkin the Flea were all considered, and it was believed that the king was killed in the hope that all the fighting over the Iron Throne would cease with his death.

House of the Dragon airs every Sunday night at 9/8c on HBO Max.

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