The battles have begun on House of the Dragon . The Brackens and Blackwoods died off-screen in the melee that gave “The Burning Mill” its title, but it doesn’t seem like on-screen, dragon-filled conflict is far behind. For now, our weekly mailbag tackles questions about Alicent’s Aegon misunderstanding, travel times in Westeros, and more.
To appear in future editions, message me @zachkram on Twitter/X or at zach.kram@theringer.com each week after a new episode airs.
Sergy asks, “Has there been a more costly misunderstanding than this Aegon snafu?” As much as I loved the scene between Alicent and Rhaenyra that ended “The Burning Mill,” and as fascinated as I am by House of the Dragon ’s emphasis on how its war grew out of avoidable mistakes, I think the focus on the “too many Aegons” problem obfuscates an important reality: Even if Alicent hadn’t misinterpreted Viserys’s dying words, the coup to install Aegon II on the Iron Throne instead of Rhaenyra probably still would have happened. We know this because the Aegon snafu was invented for the show rather than initially appearing in the Fire & Blood source text—and yet the green council plotted to crown Aegon in the book anyway! Remember the show’s conversation that unfolded in the Small Council chamber after Viserys’s death (emphasis mine): Otto: We grieve for Viserys the Peaceful, our sovereign, our friend. But he has left us a gift.
With his last breath, he impressed upon the queen his final w.