Warning: This article contains massive spoilers for House of the Dragon
It’s not Game of Thrones without a bit of death here and there, and the same can be said for House of the Dragon, as fans were not ready for the emotional whiplash that was episode six. Fans had to say goodbye to multiple characters as they were killed in the show. And what made this upsetting is that they were all fan favorites, with fans hoping they’d still have more stories to tell. But just that’s just the nature of living in Kings Landing.
Over on the r/Houseofthedragon subreddit, fans had to say goodbye to Laena Velaryon, the wife of Prince Daemon Targaryen and the sister of Ser Laenor Velaryon. She died after she couldn’t give birth to Daemon’s child. So rather than dying a miserable death of a failed childbirth, she took matters into her own hands. She commanded her dragon, Vhagar, to kill her instead, fulfilling her wish to die a dragon rider.
Fans mourned as they were hoping for more stories with this fierce Velaryon as we barely got to know her except she was offered to be a new wife for King Viserys, and she and Daemon flirted back in episode five. Fans hoped the show would showcase her friendship with Rhaenyra or more adventures with Daemon, but sadly, that wasn’t the case.
But it’s not just Laena’s death that fans witnessed in the new episode. Both Lyonel and Ser Harwin Strong were killed when their place caught on fire, which led to their death. Of course, fans were not okay when this scene happened as they were well loved and respected the crown.
However, their death received mixed feelings among fans. They loved Lyonel but were mixed towards Harwin as he may or may not have had a secret affair with Princess Rhaenyra. But that didn’t stop fans from getting mad with Layrs, who confirmed that he killed his own family “under Alicent’s orders.”
Fans knew what they were getting themselves into when they watched this series. They knew that somewhere in the story, their favorite characters will die, especially now as we’re halfway through the season. And with previews for episode seven now released on YouTube, you can expect more drama and blood as this family conflict continues.
Episode six of House of the Dragon is now available to stream on HBO Max.