Who is Alicent’s unseen 4th child in ‘House of the Dragon’ and what’s in store for him in season 3?

Content advisory: This article may contain spoilers for a forthcoming season 3, particularly if you haven’t read the books. You’ve been warned!

The season 2 finale of House of the Dragon set up a war that had been decades in the making. Finally, when season 3 begins, Team Black will strike in earnest against Team Green.

But the Hightowers shouldn’t be dismissed so quickly, either. Though it will be exciting to finally see a closer interpretation of “Rhaenyra the Cruel” depicted in George R.R. Martin’s tome Fire & Blood, more players are about to enter the fray. With all the excessively Targaryen names and a multitude of time jumps, it can be hard to keep track of all the characters. The House of the Dragon season 2 finale reminded audiences that there is yet another Hightower descendent who will be a marked boon for Alicent’s (Olivia Cooke) faction. Briefly mentioned in passing, her youngest son Daeron Targaryen has not had any screentime, but will be making moves in season 3.

Who is Daeron Targaryen?

In between all the infighting and power struggles with Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), Alicent gave King Viserys (Paddy Considine) a third son, Daeron. In Westeros, third sons are even less significant than second sons, which explains why references to the youngest Hightower-Targaryen are so few and far between. As is typical with many noble houses, Daeron was sent to be raised as a ward in a different home. In the second season of House of the Dragon, Alicent’s brother Gwayne (Freddie Fox) humors the Queen Dowager’s request to hear about the son who was raised in Oldtown. Only a teenager at the time of the Dance of the Dragons, there isn’t much to tell. But that will all change in the upcoming season.

Like his siblings before him, Daeron bonded with a dragon that recently took flight. Tessarion, the Blue Queen, is young like her master, but will be greatly needed in the episodes to come. Only recently did the Hightowers come to realize Rhaenyra expanded her dragon host significantly. Though they still have Vhagar, the oldest living dragon in Westeros, she is only one they’ve got. They need to increase their numbers if they are to succeed in war. In the finale, Team Green calls Oldtown to their aid, which includes a brief shot of Tessarion flying through the sky. This move may seem like a last-ditch effort to save the usurpers, but Daeron will prove his worth if Fire & Blood has anything to say about it. In the pages of the historical text, Daeron becomes a hero to the Hightower side.

When the faction marches from Oldtown to aid in the war, they are close to defeat and would have lost had it not been for the youngest Targaryen. On Tesssarion’s back, Daeron saves the campaign and the life of his cousin, Ormund Hightower. He is then known as “Daeron the Daring,” and becomes more formidable in battle than his brothers. Both Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) have their missteps, which result in their defeat. Daeron is more cunning than Aegon and not as impulsive as Aemond, making him a true force to be reckoned with. His temperament and battle acumen make him a real threat to Rhaenyra, more than his siblings ever had been before. His arrival in the third season of House of the Dragon will mean dark times ahead for our rightful queen.