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House of the Dragon theory: Lucerys survives

Elliot Grihault stars as Lucerys Velaryon in Episode 10 of HBO's House of the Dragon Season 1
Elliot Grihault stars as Lucerys Velaryon in Episode 10 of House of the Dragon Season 1. Pic credit: HBO/Ollie Upton

The Season 1 finale of HBO’s House of the Dragon featured a devastating loss for the Blacks.

After Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) found out about her father’s death and Aegon’s crowning (Tom Glynn-Carney), which usurped her position, she sent two of her sons off to negotiate with houses that had previously sworn allegiance to her.

Jacaerys (Harry Collett) was sent to Winterfell to speak to Cregan Stark, while Lucerys (Elliot Grihault), who was only 14, was sent on dragonback to Storm’s End.

Here, he was supposed to remind Lord Borros Baratheon (Roger Evans) that his father had once sworn his allegiance to Rhaenyra Targaryen.

However, things did not go according to plan as his uncle, Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), was already there and things got heated as Aemond demanded an eye for an eye in retaliation for Lucerys’ hand in the loss of his own eye many years earlier.

A resultant scuffle on dragonback then led to the death of Lucerys, who was attacked by Aemond’s dragon and appeared to be eaten by the enormous beast.

Or was he?

Lucerys' dragon Arrax featured in the Season 1 finale of HBO's House of the Dragon
Lucerys’ dragon Arrax featured in the Season 1 finale of House of the Dragon. Pic credit: HBO

The book suggests Lucerys might have survived

As pointed out by Insider, most of what was shown in the Season 1 finale of House of the Dragon is how it was laid out in the book Fire and Blood by George R. R. Martin, on which the TV show is based.

However, there are various versions of what happened after the fateful meeting at Storm’s End.

This is a common occurrence in Fire and Blood, which is written as a faux historical document detailing several accounts of House Targaryen.

And it is among these versions that exist the possibility of Lucerys surviving the attack by Aemond’s dragon, Vhagar.

“It has even been claimed that the prince survived his fall,” it states in Fire and Blood.

“Swam to safety, but lost all memory of who he was, spending the rest of his days as a simpleminded fisherman.”

With this written in the text, it is entirely possible that the writers for House of the Dragon might also choose this option for the TV version of Lucerys.

Elliot Grihault as Lucerys Velaryon and Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, as seen in the Season 1 finale of HBO's House of the Dragon
Elliot Grihault as Lucerys Velaryon and Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, as seen in the Season 1 finale of House of the Dragon. Pic credit: HBO/Ollie Upton

What is the likelihood that Lucerys lives?

While it is possible that HBO might decide to have Lucerys live after his catastrophic attack, it does seem more likely that he died.

In Episode 10 of House of the Dragon, it looked like a definitive attack of Arrax and Lucerys by Vhagar.

Lunging directly at the boy and his dragon, Vhagar bit the dragon in half and while it is very hard to make out with complete certainty, it looks as if he bit Arrax at the point on his body where Lucerys sat.

In addition to this, the fall was quite substantial.

Plus, with HBO already saving Laenor Velaryon (John MacMillian) from certain death, it seems unlikely they will try the same bait and switch again so soon.

Most likely, Lucerys was either eaten whole by Vhagar or fell to his death. However, viewers will just have to tune into Season 2 of House of the Dragon to find out for certain Lucerys’ true fate.

HBO has not yet set a release date for Season 2 of House of the Dragon.

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