5 Things You May Have Missed in ‘House of the Dragon’ Episode 2: The Anogrion, Dreamfyre, and Laena’s Love of Flying

Tensions run high this week when it’s revealed that the titular “Rogue Prince” stole a dragon egg right from the Dragon Pit in King’s Landing. Things only get spicier when it’s revealed which egg he specifically chose to run off with. We see one of the dragon attendants admit to Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) in subtitled Valyrian that “[t]he egg was Dreamfyre’s, princess.” That is, Daemon stole the egg meant to go in the Heir for a Day, Prince Baelon’s cradle. Rhaenyra picked it out and everything. This is worse than just some cheeky shenanigans. This is an outright insult to the family.

Of course, there’s even more to this throwaway line that you might imagine. Yes, Dreamfyre is literally the name of a dragon. Sound silly? Well, you were cool with Drogon, so calm down. Dreamfyre was originally ridden by old King Jaehaerys’s sister Rhaena, who was quite the character. She had the misfortune of first being wed to her brother to squash rumors of her homosexuality, and then becoming one of Maegor the Cruel’s wives. Eventually she would be married to Androw Farman, but she was, uh, more attached to Androw’s sister Elissa.

Elissa Farman had an adventurous spirit and longed to fund a voyage that would take her East to mythic places like Yi Ti, but Rhaena would not give her the gold. So Elissa stole three dragon eggs from the hatcheries and ran off like a literal thief in the night. It is unclear in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood if these three eggs were Dreamfyre’s, but considering Elissa would have easiest access t Dreamfyre…it sort of tracks?

The implication, however, is that Elissa sold the dragon eggs and they would eventually just change hands amongst rich folks in Essos who had no clue how to hatch them. You know, until a rich dude in Pentos gifted them to a young Khaleesi named Daenerys. That’s just a theory, mind. But it checks out.

As for Dreamfyre? She will be one of the many dragons we see later on in House of the Dragon. A character we haven’t met yet will be her next rider.

One of the most unsettling moments in House of the Dragon Episode 2 “The Rogue Prince” concerns the political machinations to marry the widowed Viserys to the twelve-year-old Laena Velaryon. On paper, it’s a match that makes sense as it will strengthen both the realm and the Targaryen line. In reality, it is creepy AF.

We get a scene where Viserys and Laena are strolling in a garden, attempting to find any sort of common ground. Laena only wants to know from Viserys what it was like riding Balerion the Black Dread. Viserys doesn’t have a dragon in this era because he bonded to the same dragon that Aegon the Conqueror rode a century before. Balerion died shortly after Viserys’s one and only ride.

Laena’s interest in Balerion is kind of an Easter egg because in Fire & Blood, it’s remarked that while everyone is furious that Viserys chose Alicent Hightower over her, Laena is cool with it. It’s specifically said that her maester writes, “Her ladyship shows far more interest in flying than boys.” So, good for her!

Laena will eventually mount Vhagar, the only surviving dragon from Aegon’s Conquest. Vhagar, who was ridden by Visenya, is the oldest and largest of dragons in this era. We won’t see her ride the dragon until later in the series.

Now if you’re confused about who played Laena, that’s okay. House of the Dragon has hired a few actors to play key roles as children, teens, and adults. You might already know that Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke will take over the roles of Rhaenyra and Alicent when the show jumps ahead ten years, but there will still be two more actresses playing Laena. Savannah Steyn will be a teenaged Laena before handing over the role to Nanna Blondell post-ten year time jump. That’s a lot of Laenas, but they all have the same curls and rebellious spirit.

The characters of Game of Thrones knew very little about how Targaryens bonded with their dragons and even less about the culture of Old Valyria. So it’s honestly super fun to have a history geek like Viserys explaining more Valyrian history to Alicent Hightower. (Less fun? Watching an awkward grown man flirt with his daughter’s underage bestie, but I digress.)

Viserys confirms that his big model city is the capital of Old Valyria and mentions that it was built into a volcano, like Dragonstone. He mentions that the dragonlords, the highest of the civilization’s nobility, lived in the volcanic face to be close to the source of their magic and power. This confirms much of what we’ve heard from scattered sources in the books, but then Viserys drops a new nugget for us.

“And this was the Anogrion, where the blood mages worked their craft,” he says holding some kind of pointer. (Though I believe he’s referencing part of the model city.)

Now, we knew that the Valyrians had blood mages and harnessed their power from, you guessed it, fire and blood, but the Anogrian appears to be a wholly new term within the lore and gosh darn it, I want to know more!

In a sort of darkly hilarious metaphoric moment, though, Alicent praises Viserys for what he’s built and he humbly has to admit he didn’t build the model city. He just did research and drew up plans. Stone masons did all the hard work. This jumped out for me because one thing we do know about the Valryians is that although they were magical, their empire was built on slave labor. Millions of humans toiled away in that volcano Viserys talks about and were used in blood magic rituals to solidify the Valyrians’ power. Viserys is once more a dragonlord whose vision of Old Valyria is only possible through outsourced labor.

P.S. It’s also interesting that Viserys says that dragonlords were the highest of nobility. Not all Valyrians could ride dragons…as the Sea Snake points out.

In the final scene of last night’s House of the Dragon, Corlys Velaryon admits to Daemon Targaryen that although House Velaryon can trace its roots back to Old Valyria, they weren’t dragonlords. Ergo, they might have Valyrian blood, but they never were treated with the same respect as those who could claim a dragon*. This means that the Sea Snake has had to build up his family’s wealth and power almost from scratch. This has left a chip on his shoulder with regard to his dealings with Viserys.

At one point, Corlys tells Daemon, “We are the realm’s second sons.” Now that’s an apt metaphor, sure, but hold on! Isn’t there a mercenary band in Game of Thrones called the Second Sons? Are we watching their origin story? Uh, nope.

This is going to be a bit confusing, but the Second Sons, the mercenary group, was founded in the aftermath of the Doom of Valyria. With the dragonlords gone, all heck broke loose. Dothraki hoards rose up to conquer cities that had once been under the Valyrians’ control and so mercenary groups and slave armies became in vogue. The Second Sons were one such group.

I honestly just think it’s a neat thematic nod to the situation that Corlys and Daemon find themselves in and just a coincidence the phrase has a second meaning within this world.

*It’s interesting to note that the Targaryens were also considered a poorer house amongst the dragonlords. It wasn’t until they left Valyria for Dragonstone that they became so mighty as they were the last remaining dragonlords around.

Someone else who has a lot to prove in this week’s episode? Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). We learned last week that the part-Dornish knight had the mettle to beat Prince Daemon in a tourney. This week, it’s his actual combat experience that gives him an edge.

Early on in House of the Dragon Episode 2 “The Rogue Prince,” we’re told that the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, the legendary Ser Ryam Redwyne has died of old age. This means Ser Harrold Westerling (Graham McTavish) is now Lord Commander and there’s a slot open on Team Whitecloak.

It’s suggested that Rhaenyra choose the new member of the Kingsguard and she is immediately put off by the wealthy, untested knights of the realm. Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) cautions that the knights she’s shunning are well-connected, but Rhaenyra argues that the job of the Kingsguard is to…literally guard the king. She’d rather the best man for the job than a political appointment.

Ser Criston’s low station is communicated in two visual ways in this scene. First, while all the other knights have these cool custom figurines to stand in for them, he has just a stick. Poor stick boy. Second, the other knights have retinues and flashy heraldry. Ser Criston has just himself.

(Of course it’s possible that Rhaenyra isn’t just thinking of hiring the best guy for the job, but maybe the hottest one? There was that flirtatious moment between princess and knight last week when she honored him with her favor.)

Anyway, there’s now a knight on the Kingsguard who knows a lot about war and, like Corlys and Daemon, has a lot to prove.