(Warning: the below includes spoilers from House of the Dragon.)
Daenerys Targaryen would’ve loved Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.
We kept thinking that while tuning into House of the Dragon‘s second episode on Aug. 28. The young Targaryen, portrayed by Milly Alcock in the Game of Thrones spin-off, displayed some character traits that were similar to her dragon-riding descendant. Much like Daenerys (Emilia Clarke on GoT), Rhaenyra is routinely underestimated for one reason: she’s a girl.
However, rather than crumble beneath the disdain the lords of the realm have for her sex, she chooses to rise above it and prove that she’s been named King Viserys’ heir for a reason. For instance, as her father Viserys (Paddy Considine) is pressured to remarry (a literal child!) in order to secure his bloodline, Rhaenyra doesn’t have a temper tantrum, a favorite past time of her uncle’s, Prince Daemon (Matt Smith). Instead, she gives her father her blessing to remarry, proving she can put the realm before herself. The ultimate sign of a true ruler.
Nonetheless, Rhaenyra shows that she still has her sights set on the Iron Throne. Case in point: After cousin Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), who was slighted when Viserys was named king, informs Rhaenyra that a woman would never rule Westeros since “that is the order of things,” Rhaenyra hits back, “When I am queen, I will create a new order.”
