What happened to Rhaenys in ‘House of the Dragon’ episode 4?

After a season of build-up, the long-promised Dance of the Dragons has officially begun. And in true House of the Dragon fashion, it starts with a bang.

George R.R. Martin’s tome Fire & Blood describes within its pages the bloodiest civil war that Westeros has ever seen. The conflict follows heir apparent Rhaenyra Targaryen fighting her half-brother Aegon for the right to rule the Seven Kingdoms. But it has taken some time for this to come to fruition in the series. Even after the tragic death of Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) son at the end of season 1, episode 4 of season 2 is the first time fans have seen dragon-on-dragon action. And though long-awaited, it regrettably saw the demise of a fan-favorite character.

Does Rhaenys die in House of the Dragon?

Well into season 2, Rhaenyra still holds back on the biggest power at her disposal. Though her advisors urge her to release her dragon, the Black Queen knows there is no going back once dragon war is waged. But after meeting with the Dowager Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke), Rhaenyra knows there is no other recourse. She dispatches the most experienced dragonrider, The Queen Who Never Was, Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best).

Rhaenys and her husband Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) have been reserved with their allegiance in the past. But once they join Team Black, Rhaenys becomes a staunch defender of Rhaenyra in a room full of war-mongering men. She volunteers to ride her dragon, Meleys, The Red Queen, to defend Rook’s Rest from Crison Cole’s (Fabien Frankel) plague. Regrettably, it turns out to be a trap.

As Rhaenys rides Meleys into battle, Rhaenyra’s half-brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) lies in wait to attack on his gargantuan dragon, Vhagar. This plan is even further complicated when Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), Rhaenyra’s rival for the throne, enters the fray on the back of Sunfyre. Rhaenys casts Aegon from the sky, leaving his fate up with the gods, but she ultimately knows that this is her last battle.

Vhagar is the oldest dragon in living memory, the only one left who has seen Old Valyria. She has strength and size, and along with Aemond’s cunning, ends the first skirmish in the Dance of Dragons. But for her part, Rhaenys goes out like a true dragonrider. Though she knows there is no defeating Vhagar in the skies, she is still going to try. She turns Meleys back again and again to confront the insurmountable force and eventually, Vhagar grabs Meleys by the neck. Killed in midair, both Meleys and Rhaenys plummet to the ground. Though Aegon and Sunfyre may survive similar treatment, the same cannot be said for Rhaenys. This event is how she dies in Fire & Blood and Best confirmed it with Deadline. Going into season 2, she knew she was on borrowed time.

It was in my contract that I was only there for two seasons. So we always knew that it was going to be finite. It’s sort of the nature of the beast, really. If you sign up for this franchise, there is a very strong likelihood that you will come to a sick end at some point.

In the weeks to come, this will be a massive blow to Rhaenyra’s campaign. Meleys is a formidable dragon and the Blacks only have so many. To turn the tide of the war, they will have to get bloody and they have to do it fast. Now the only hope is for Daemon (Matt Smith) to get tricky in the Riverlands.