Diksha Sundriyal
Rhaenyra finally takes King’s Landing in the third season of HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon.’ However, sitting on the throne comes with many more challenges. Now, she has to rule the kingdom she fought for, and in truth, the fight isn’t over even now. Aegon is nowhere to be found, Aemond hasn’t been seen since he took Harrenhal, and Alicent’s son, Daeron, is still well out of reach. Her claim will be threatened as long as someone can challenge it. As if the three sons of her father weren’t enough, another heir seems to be rearing its head. A subtle detail in the fourth episode reveals that Helaena is with child. BOOK SPOILERS AHEAD.
Helaena’s Pregnancy Puts Her and Alicent in Great Danger
When Rhaenyra took King’s Landing, Alicent had offered her Aegon’s head in return for a safe passage for her, Helaena, and Jaehaera to Essos. With all three of them being women, they would pose no threat to Rhaenyra, and no one would bother coming after them. However, they fail to escape as Rhaenyra comes to power and she decides to keep them in King’s Landing until Aemond is found and the true threat to her is completely vanquished. With Helaena turning out to be pregnant, this deal will most likely be out of the window, and both Helaena and Alicent know that. It is unclear how long she has been with the child, but it likely happened before Aegon fell at Rook’s Rest.
While there have been about two years between seasons, the actual timeline of events is much more compact. The entire Targaryen civil war takes place over two years, from Viserys’ death to the eventual winner’s crowning as ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. Considering that Helaena has not yet shown but is on the brink, it is reasonable to believe she is near the end of her first trimester, which would place her child’s conception right before the events of Rook’s Rest. Had it been someone else, it would have been fair to assume that the baby was someone else’s. But Helaena is too good for that storyline, which confirms that it is Aegon’s child after all, and that makes it a threat to Rhaenyra.
Since they are confined to their quarters and have no way of escaping King’s Landing, one can assume that the news of the pregnancy will reach Rhaenyra soon. It will put her in a bind, but considering that she has lost her own sons and has leaned towards mercy for Daeron, one can believe that she wouldn’t like to put Helaena through that pain. Especially after she has already lost her one son rather brutally, thanks to Daemon. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that if Helaena gives birth to a boy, Rhaenyra will face a threat to her claim, which puts her in a conundrum and sets up events that will eventually lead to another massive power shift in King’s Landing.
Helaena’s Third Child Becomes the Cause of Rhaenyra’s Downfall
In ‘Fire and Blood’ by George R.R. Martin, Aegon and Helaena have three children: the twins Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, and Maelor. In the book, Maelor is born two years before Viserys’ death, which means he is present during the events of Blood and Cheese. Much like in the show, two assassins are sent to the Red Keep in response to Luke’s death at Aemond’s hands. They end up in Helaena’s bedchamber, where she is with her three children. They force her to choose which son she wants to give up, and she chooses Maelor. It’s a “Sophie’s choice” moment for her, but she believes that the 2-year-old Maelor wouldn’t understand what’s happening and would be spared the pain.
The ratcatchers kill Jaehaerys instead, and it throws Helaena into a spiral of depression and heartbreak that she never makes it out of. Apart from losing her first son, she also feels guilty because she chose her other son to die. When Aegon flees with Larys Strong, he also takes his two children. Maelor is put under the protection of Ser Rickard Thorne, who is tasked with taking him to Oldtown. On his way, he stops at Bitterbridge, where his carelessness exposes his and Maelor’s identities. While the knight is killed, the mob that ascended on him is left with the question of what to do with Maelor. Some want to take him to Rhaenyra; others want to take him to Ormund; and one woman clings to him, claiming he is her son.
No one knows exactly how things went down from here, but poor Maelor is torn to pieces. His head is sent to King’s Landing, where Rhaenyra (whose reaction to seeing her nephew’s remains is contested) has him cremated according to Targaryen rituals. While she wasn’t directly responsible for the child’s death, rumors swirl about her cruelty and eventually turn the folks of King’s Landing against her. Clearly, the show is not going to go down that route, but with Helaena’s pregnancy, the path for Rhaenyra’s fall from public opinion has been set. No matter what choice she makes, things are not going to end well for anyone in this situation, including Helaena and her child.
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