House of the Dragon Season 2: Why Jaehaerys becomes a casualty in the Dance of the Dragons

Nobody is safe in war, and that includes young, innocent children. In fact, they can end up becoming casualties for revenge and torture. House of the Dragon Season 2 is going to bring a child’s death, and we’re not all ready for it.

That death is the murder of Jaehaerys Targaryen. He is the six-year-old son of Aegon and Helaena. Of course, fans want to prepare for traumatic moments and get ready for deaths. They also want to understand why deaths happen.

Deaths in fiction often lead to something bigger. It’s actually another death that leads to this one.

Jaehaerys’s death is one of revenge in House of the Dragon

At the end of House of the Dragon Season 1, Rhaenyra’s eldest sons decided it was time to do their part to help her with the Dance of the Dragons. Lucerys rode out to Storm’s End to get the Baratheons on side. However, the Baratheons were already being courted by Team Green, and they were listening.

Aemond Targaryen was there, who already had a bone to pick with Lucerys. Lucerys was the reason Aemond had lost an eye as a boy, and he wanted revenge by taking Luc’s eye at Storm’s End. The Baratheons wouldn’t allow that since Luc was there as a messenger. However, that didn’t stop Aemond from following Luc out on their dragons, leading to Aemond losing control of Vhagar and Vhagar killing Luc and his dragon.

Rhaenyra wants revenge, and Daemon is the one who brings that revenge. He ends up hiring Blood and Cheese, two men who are willing to kill for money. They break into Maegor’s Holdfast and trap Helaena and her three children in a room. Helaena is given a choice of her two sons. It has to be a son because it was a son taken from Rhaenyra.

Jaehaerys being chosen is just a matter of sadism

Helaena actually chooses her younger son, Maelor, to die. I guess there is part of her that knows Maelor is a baby and won’t understand. He’s only two, whereas Jaehaerys is six. Plus, Jaehaerys is Aegon’s heir to the Iron Throne.

With this choice made, Blood ends up killing Jaehaerys instead. It’s clear the men wanted Helaena to choose, and whichever choice she made, they were going to kill the opposite. It was a matter of sadism for the two of them. It’s never told whether Daemon sends the order to kill the opposite one that she chooses—or even if he thinks that Helaena should be given a choice, since Rhaenyra never was.

While the initial decision is one of revenge, the choice to murder Jaehaerys is one of sadism, and it’s no wonder Helaena descends into madness in her grief.