House of the Dragon Episode 6 “The Princess and the Queen” jumps ahead ten years after the events of House of the Dragon Episode 5 “We Light The Way.” Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) gives birth to her third son in the episode’s open and Alicent (Olivia Cooke) has made a deal with the devil by episode’s end. The HBO show has always teased high stakes and horrific violence, but things get literally heated for this generation’s version of the Game of Thrones this week. But can the rumors be true? Is Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr) the secret father of Rhaenyra’s children? Did Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) really murder his own father and brother for Alicent’s cause? And why would Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell) ask her dragon Vhagar to Dracarys her?
In House of the Dragon Episode 6, Rhaenyra is dogged by accusations that her children Jacaerys (Leo Hart), Lucerys (Harvey Sadlery), and baby Joffrey aren’t the trueborn sons of Ser Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan). Everyone knows their father is gay and the kids bear a striking resemblance to Ser Harwin Strong.
Queen Alicent is particularly vexed by these rumors as she sees it as an affront to moral decency. Not to mention the fact that Rhaenyra is due to inherit the Iron Throne over Alicent’s clearly Targaryen son Aegon (Ty Tennant). If only King Viserys (Paddy Considine) had a Hand more invested in Alicent’s plight than protecting Rhaenyra’s secret! And Larys “The Clubfoot” Strong takes it upon himself to help out.
Finally, tragedy strikes Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) and his family across the narrow sea in Pentos. Daemon’s second wife Lady Laena has a stalled birth similar to poor Aemma Arryn (Sian Brooke) in Episode 1. However, unlike his brother, Daemon will not risk Laena by requesting a Cesarian section. This leaves Laena and her unborn infant to face likely death. So Laena does something brash…and asks her own dragon Vhagar to burn her alive.
So what’s going on in House of the Dragon Episode 6 on HBO and HBO Max? Is Ser Harwin the father of Rhaenyra’s children? Is Larys the villain of House of the Dragon? And why did Laena choose a fiery death? Here’s everything you need to know about the ending of House of the Dragon Episode 6…
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON EPISODE 6 ENDING EXPLAINED: IS SER HARWIN STRONG THE FATHER OF RHAENYRA’S SONS?
Get Maury Povitch to Westeros stat! We need to know who is the father of Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey Velaryon! Alicent and half the court believes that Rhaenyra has been having a decade-long affair with the Commander of the City Watch, Ser Harwin Strong. However, Viserys turns a blind eye to the accusations as it could mean disinheritance, if not death, for Rhaenyra. He even tells a story about how two awesome horses had a dull brown one.
However it seems clear that Ser Harwin is the father. First there’s the way he’s familiar with Rhaenyra and her sons in private. Then he erupts when Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) favors Alicent’s princes over Rhaenyra’s. Ser Criston makes a comment that only a close family member — or father — should care so much, and Ser Harwin explodes.
The melée in the yard convinces the honorable Lord Lyonel Strong (Gavin Spokes) that he must retire as King’s Hand since he is in a compromised situation. Lyonel clearly believes his son is the father, but dare not speak the truth to Viserys and Alicent. Therefore, Viserys continues to put his head in the sand, leaving Alicent to confide in Larys that her father, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) would take her side if he were Hand.
So, yeah, we can safely assume that Ser Harwin Strong is the father of Rhaenyra’s three sons. That said, we never saw if Rhaenyra drank the abortifacient moon tea given to her after her dalliance with Ser Criston Cole. So there is a crackpot theory to be had that Ser Criston is at least the father of Jacaerys or Jace. That said, Ser Harwin treats Jace as one of his own, so this seems unlikely.
Bottom line: those kids might be Targaryens, but they are not Velaryons.
DID LARYS “CLUBFOOT” STRONG MURDER HIS OWN FATHER AND BROTHER AT HARRENHAL FOR ALICENT HIGHTOWER?
Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Littlefinger of House of the Dragon: Larys Strong.
After dining with Alicent Hightower and hearing that she wishes her father were the King’s Hand again, Larys decides to do his queen a favor. He gathers three men condemned to die and offers them freedom in exchange for two dark favors. First, they must consent to having their tongues removed. This ensures they can never speak of the second task, which is they will burn Lord Lyonel Strong and Ser Harwin Strong alive in Harrenhal.
So did Larys literally murder his own family to impress Alicent? It’s perhaps even more complicated than that. He clearly wants to use this action to blackmail her later. Meaning, Alicent owes him a major favor in the future.
Also by killing his honorable father and brother, Larys is serving himself. He now is Lord of Harrenhal. Cursed it may be, but Larys seems unbothered by that.
It’s worth noting that in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, Lord Lyonel and Ser Harwin’s deaths are an unsolved mystery. While some thought it was a mere accident, others speculates that the Sea Snake (Steve Toussaint) or Prince Daemon were behind it. While there were whispers about Larys, Viserys was also rumored to have ordered it.
In House of the Dragon‘s version of events, though, Larys does it to hold it over Alicent and to bring Ser Otto back to court.
WHY DID LAENA VELARYON ASK HER DRAGON VHAGAR TO DRACARYS HER AT THE END OF HOUSE OF THE DRAGON EPISODE 6?
It’s possible that you were totally caught off guard by Laena Velaryon’s decision to die by suicide via dragonfire. However, Laena herself teased her preferred end in House of the Dragon Episode 6. When Daemon argues they should take up the offer to stay in Pentos in exchange for their dragons, Laena says they are the blood of the dragon. She wants her children to grow up on Driftmark and to die a dragonrider’s death.
So when it becomes clear that her childbirth is not going well, Laena is not having it. Daemon nobly declines to make the choice Viserys did, between wife and baby, calling Laena his “brave girl.” While it’s possible that some miracle could occur and Laena could survive, she decides this is her deathbed. And true to her word, she would rather die by fire than in a bed of blood.
Laena uses all her strength to sneak out to her dragon Vhagar and begs the dragon to bathe her in dragonfire. She keeps crying “Dracarys,” but the loyal Vhagar refuses to hurt her rider…until the two lock eyes. Daemon comes out just in time to watch his wife perish in her own dragon’s flames.
This is not quite how Laena dies in Fire & Blood. She goes into labor on Driftmark and gives birth to a malformed boy who dies shortly after his birth. Laena is left feverish and weakened with what sounds like puerperal fever. In her delirium, Laena attempts to ride Vhagar one last time, but collapses and dies before she can reach her dragon. I honestly don’t know which version is more tragic, though the show’s version gives Laena some last bit of agency in her death.