How Exactly Will Daemon Betray Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon Season 2
Is the corrupt prince poised to betray his wife in the near future?
George R. R. Martin's Westeros is an unforgiving realm, teeming with scheming lords, brutal warriors, and ruthless princes.
Unsurprisingly, Daemon Targaryen fits perfectly into Martin's pantheon of evil characters. This particular Targaryen has committed numerous heinous acts during the first season of HBO's House of the Dragon, leading most fans to distrust him.
Currently married to Rhaenyra, the queen to whom he has pledged his loyalty, fans are growing increasingly concerned about whether he will betray her in the upcoming season.
Despite Daemon's notorious reputation as a master of betrayal who has deceived his own brother Viserys Targaryen and both his previous wives, it does not mean that he has to betray Rhaenyra as well. In Martin's original book, Daemon remained faithful to his queen until the end, never questioning her claim to the Iron Throne.
Nevertheless, their relationship was far from stable.
While Rhaenyra and Daemon's marriage can't exactly be described as loving and passionate, they did care for each other, at least until Daemon became too close to the dragon seed (the Targaryen bastard) Nettles and seemingly fell in love with her. While some sources in the original book suggested that Daemon loved her as a daughter, Rhaenyra was deeply hurt by this new relationship in her husband's life and ordered Nettles to be executed.
Daemon succeeded in helping Nettles flee from captivity and subsequently threw himself into the Battle above the Gods Eye, where he met a heroic end.
Although Daemon was presumed dead, his body was never recovered, and many accounts in the original book indicated that both Daemon and Nettles were living peacefully incognito as commoners. It seems that the once-spoiled prince ultimately found happiness!
While some may interpret this storyline as a betrayal of Rhaenyra, fans are not entirely convinced, contending that Daemon's pursuit of happiness with the person he loves does not constitute disloyalty. After all, he continued to fight for his queen, never betraying her trust in him.