The dragons are finally, *finally* out of their cages, starting with House of the Dragon season two episode four. 

As warned, it has been nothing short of bloody (with a side of charred human remains) and we have Ewan Mitchell’s Aemond to thank for that.

All his plotting with Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) behind Aegon’s back is what unwittingly led to the king almost being killed. 

Thankfully for the (false) king and his supporters, all was not lost.

In waging this tactical strike, Aemond and Cole manage to take out Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) largest dragon, 

Meleys, as well as her most valuable comrade, Rhaenys (Eve Best), whose death is certain.

Meanwhile, Aemond doesn’t appear to be losing any sleep, despite his brother’s precarious position being entirely his fault.

There’s no blaming an out-of-control Vhagar as he did with Lucerys’ death. This time, the prince gave the order for his beast of a dragon to dracarys his brother and his dragon Sunfyre as they fought tooth-and-claw with Rhaenys and her faithful Meleys.

To the average watcher, it would appear that Aemond’s betrayal of Aegon was merely a decision to get him out of the way. After all, like Daemon (Matt Smith), Aemond has struggled with his role as king-in-waiting and was no doubt peeved that his fool of a brother spoiled his battle plans by showing up at Rook’s Rest in the first place.

Aemond also didn’t do himself any favours when a panicked, battle-weary Cole asked him where Aegon was – the prince, seemingly unfeeling, pointed a dagger in the direction of his brother’s burned body before walking away without a second glance.

If the show continues to follow the narrative of the book Fire and Blood, Aemond’s actions will lead to him ruling in Aegon’s place, which may lead some to think that this could have impacted his decisions in battle.

However, Aemond is much more complicated than that, and despite his brother’s humiliation of him in the brothel last week, we would argue that his choice to set Aegon ablaze was not born of malice. At least, if we’re to believe Mitchell.

When asked about Aegon and Aemond’s relationship, Mitchell told Digital Spy that the friction between the two was to come to a head this season.

“I think [that] was something that was planted in series one for sure, that kind of rivalry that they have. You’ll definitely see hints of it, for sure.”

While he acknowledged the conflict between the brothers, however, he also shared Aemond’s deeper feelings.

“Aemond is the second son,” Mitchell told Digital Spy. “It’s the duty of the spare to go out and fight the war, so whether or not Aemond likes it, it’s his job to fight the war on behalf of his brother and to be very loyal. I think that’s one of the redeeming qualities of Aemond – he’s tremendously loyal.”

Aemond’s inherent loyalty means that his decision to order Vhagar to fire was less likely born out of coldheartedness and more cold calculation.

He knew Rhaenys was a threat to their cause, that her dragon was the largest in Rhaenyra’s arsenal and that knocking her off the board would be a great advantage to the Greens. Aegon was just collateral damage.

He perhaps hoped his brother would survive, but his true aim was to see Rhaenyra weakened and eventually eradicate her claim to the throne.

That doesn’t undermine Aemond’s desire to rule, and he certainly thinks he is better placed to lead than Aegon, a fact that Mitchell acknowledged.

“Aemond sees Aegon as someone who is inferior to him,” Mitchell said to Digital Spy. “He feels like Aegon lacks the perseverance to be king.

“Whilst Aemond was in the Red Keep yard, training with Cristen Cole, whilst he was studying with the Maesters, Aegon was probably in some dark corner in Fleabottom, squandering his inheritance. So Aemond very much feels that he could do a better job of it.”

However, Mitchell also promised we’d see the “shadow side” to Aemond this season, “those greyer shades. He’s not that one-dimensional black-hat character, there’s something more,” he teased, which looks like what we’re seeing here.

His thirst for victory and need to be revered as fearsome and unchallengeable is now bucking up against his duties as a brother.

On top of that, Aemond still carries the weight of Lucerys’ death with him – something he admits to Madame Sylvie in episode three – and if he can feel that way about his half-nephew, surely his brother’s maiming will take a heavier toll on him.

One thing’s for sure: Aemond will chalk this up as a victory, giving him a dangerous air of invincibility. With that, he will be an almost unstoppable force who could see Rhaenyra out of the running.

Once again, Rhaenyra finds herself on the back foot against the Greens, just when she had begun to take control of her wayward council.

“There are those who have mistaken my caution for weakness. Let that be their undoing,” she tells them as she concedes to sending dragons.

It is a powerful line, only slightly undermined by the fact that it was a course of action already suggested in her absence. Nevertheless, it is one she shows full support for without even the slightest pause.

This is the Rhaenyra we’ve longed to see: a queen who finally takes decisive action. But let’s face it, Rhaenys has been her backbone so far.

Rhaenys has been the one bolstering her in the face of the men at her table who would sooner unseat her.

Now, without Rhaenys as her advisor, she has been severely weakened. Not only has her guidance and wisdom been invaluable to Rhaenyra, the Queen that never was protected Rhaenyra and her claim to the throne against a council full of men who, on occasion, doubted her ability to lead.

The true heir now faces battles from enemies who mean to see her dead and allies whose faith in her is lukewarm.

This is sink-or-swim time for the queen. Either she will fall at the hurdles in front of her or be emboldened by the mounting losses and turn them into victories. Hopefully, she’s garnered enough wisdom from Rhaenys thus far to do just that – otherwise, she may meet the same fate as the rat-catchers.

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Source: Tampa Bay Times