It’s hard being the younger brother of the heir in Westeros; just ask Daemon Targaryen or Tommen Baratheon. Unless you join the Night’s Watch or learn how to scheme, there’s not much for you to do except marry someone of strategic importance and stick around just in case your older brother bites it. It’s no wonder, then, that House of the Dragon seemingly cut one of the younger Targaryens out of the picture when it made a large time jump in Season 1.
However, that’s all changed with one line in Season 2, Episode 2. That younger Targaryen hasn’t been forgotten after all — instead, he’s waiting in the wings, and he could have a lot of important work to do soon.
In the books, Alicent and Viserys actually have four children, not three: Aegon, Helaena, Aemond, and the youngest, Daeron. But when we flashed forward to the birth of Rhaenyra’s son Joffrey, only three children were shown on their side of the family. In the books, Daeron was sent to be a cupbearer for his mother’s cousin Lord Ormund Hightower, but fans have wondered where he’s been on House of the Dragon. He’s another Targaryen with a dragon, a key asset in this conflict. Was he cut to simplify the story, or will he eventually join the fray?
We finally got a clue in Season 2, Episode 2, “Rhaenyra the Cruel,” when Otto Hightower, fresh from being fired by Aegon, regroups with Alicent to make new plans. He suggests traveling to Oldtown to see his side of the family, saying, “The Hightowers still have strength, and you have a son there who will take more kindly to instruction. Daeron may yet help us in weeks to come.”
That certainly implies we’ll see Daeron later this season. It wouldn’t be the first time a random member of Alicent’s family has shown up out of the blue, as Freddie Fox suddenly appeared as Ser Gwayne Hightower in Season 2, Episode 1 like an old acquaintance.
In the books, Daeron played a key role in multiple battles during the Dance of Dragons, even being hailed as a hero in one of them. His legacy was so potent that several people later claimed to be him to try nabbing a royal title. This mention presumably foreshadows a later appearance, but for now, we know that Alicent’s entire family is accounted for, and every Targaryen will play their part in the struggle to come.
