The end of House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 4 was a devastating one. We saw the end of Rhaenys and Meleys, and there may have been the end of King Aegon and Sunfyre. However, it looks like Aegon survived, but Aemond wasn’t happy about that.
Aemond saw his brother fly in and decided not to join in the initial attack. In fact, Aemond knowingly told Vhagar to fire upon Rhaenys and Meleys knowing that Aegon and Sunfyre would also be hit. The fire even seemed to be directed at Aegon rather than anyone else.
Maybe it’s not that surprising when you consider the previous episode. Aegon taunted his brother in the brothel, so it’s clear that there is no love lost between them. Aemond also believes himself to be a better strategist and leader. The former sure, but he’s far too unpredictable for the latter.
Cole stopped Aemond killing Aegon in House of the Dragon
After the Battle at Rook’s Rest, Criston Cole stumbled to find the fallen Aegon and Sunfyre. Aemond was standing over his brother with his sword drawn. It’s clear that had Cole not stumbled upon Aemond at this moment, Aegon would have definitely died. And it would have been at his brother’s hand.
Instead, Aegon will likely live. It’s not going to be an easy life, though. Think about the burns he would have faced after Vhagar’s fire!
Some could say that Aemond would have been putting Aegon out of his misery, but that’s not the case at all. Aemond doesn’t care about his brother. He wants to keep the Iron Throne in the Greens’ hands, but that’s not necessarily out of loyalty for Aegon. It’s for himself. With Jaehaeyrs dead, Aemond is now the likely heir. It doesn’t seem like Maelor is part of House of the Dragon as he is in Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin.
Cole is the only reason Aegon is alive at this point. He surely knows what Aemond was about to do, and it could affect their relationship going forward.