WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon's season 1 finale!Rhaenyra Targaryen loses three family in just one episode of House of the Dragon season 1’s deaths were largely tragic occurrences, with the last few major fatalities having significant consequences for House Targaryen. In House of the Dragon episode 10 alone, Rhaenyra grieves the deaths of her father Viserys, stillborn daughter Visenya, and 14-year-old son Lucerys.
At the beginning of House of the Dragon's season 1 finale, Rhaenyra learns of her father’s death, with her grief and anger inducing the labor of her daughter Visenya. After a complicated birth, Rhaenyra cradles and grieves her stillborn daughter, with the baby’s funeral unexpectedly turning into Queen Rhaenyra’s coronation. After deliberating on the cost of going to war, Rhaenyra agrees to send her sons Jacaerys and Lucerys Velaryon to Storm’s End, the Vale, and Winterfell as messengers. Understanding the nervous nature of her son Lucerys, she sends him on the shorter journey to treat with House Baratheon, but tragedy strikes when Aemond’s dragon Vhagar kills Lucerys. All three of these deaths have various influences on Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon’s future, bringing out a different side of the Queen.
How Losing Viserys Changes Rhaenyra
Upon losing Viserys, Rhaenyra now understands that she is alone in carrying the heavy burden of Aegon’s prophecy. Rhaenyra has already lost a parent in House of the Dragon upon the death of her mother Aemma Arryn, but Viserys spent the past 20 years defending and entrusting her with the most dangerous seat and secret in the realm. The close bond that Rhaenyra and Viserys shared will further compel her to carry on his legacy and secure the Targaryen line for Aegon the Conqueror's dream, but she'll have to accomplish this through war.
Viserys was the peacekeeper between the Greens and Blacks, so losing him changes her perspective on Alicent’s family. Rhaenyra loved her father deeply, which is largely why she made so many efforts to make peace with Viserys’ other children. However, without Viserys, Rhaenyra won’t feel as obligated to take the higher road with her half-siblings who usurped the Iron Throne. Rhaenyra sees Aegon and Aemond as Hightowers more than Targaryens, especially now that their only influences are Otto and Alicent, so she likely won’t see going to war against them as betraying Viserys’ wishes. On the contrary, they’re the ones who betrayed Viserys’ memory by crowning Aegon.
How Losing Her Baby Will Change Rhaenyra
House of the Dragon’s season 1 finale already proved how much Visenya’s graphic birth scene changed Rhaenyra. Losing her only daughter to the grief of her father’s death and shock of Aegon’s coronation is arguably the first blood drawn in the Targaryen civil war, and hardens Rhaenyra as she prepares for the devastation still to come. An important change that comes from Visenya’s stillbirth is that Rhaenyra will be more adamant that she requires no assistance from others. Rhaenyra rejects help from her midwives during her miscarriage, instead tragically pulling the baby from herself despite the intense pain. Although the death of her baby is Rhaenyra’s first experience with the pain of losing a child, nothing could have prepared her for the grief of losing Lucerys.
How Lucerys' Death Will Change Rhaenyra
The death that will have the most significant impact on Rhaenyra at the beginning of House of the Dragon season 2 is that of her second-born son Prince Lucerys Velaryon. After taking great care to send Lucerys on what she perceived as the safer mission to Storm’s End, Rhaenyra will dually blame herself and the Hightowers for her son’s murder. Luke was her “sweet boy” who never wanted to fly to Storm’s End in the first place, so his death will hit particularly hard. Rhaenyra was delaying the Dance of the Dragons as long as she could in House of the Dragon’s season 1 finale, but the news of Lucerys’ death officially breaks her. Upon being informed of Lucerys’ death, war is in Rhaenyra’s eyes.
After grieving her father and stillborn baby, Rhaenyra wasn’t prepared for the grief of her 14-year-old son who she fiercely defended. The Hightowers weren’t directly responsible for taking her father and baby, but there’s no arguing against the fact that Aemond killed Lucerys. Luke’s death hardens Rhaenyra and puts her on a path of vengeance, which completely changes Rhaenyra’s mindset of prioritizing peace. Similar to how Daemon’s grief of Viserys’ death manifested in violence and led him to choke Rhaenyra, the Queen’s grief over losing Lucerys means she will no longer hesitate to take back what is rightfully hers. Following Lucerys’ death, Rhaenyra will blame the Greens for taking everything she holds dear and will make them pay.
Lucerys’ death will also change how Rhaenyra sees Alicent, Otto, Aemond, and Aegon. Any love Rhaenyra once had for Alicent is gone, as they’re now simply the murderers of her son. If the Greens have no reservations about killing the innocent Lucerys who swore not to fight back, Rhaenyra will have no reservations in return. If it was war that they wanted by killing Lucerys, it is war that Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen will give them in House of the Dragon season 2.