Updated

Updated · The Ringer · Jul 12

Daeron, Rhaena Emerge as Key Dragonriders as Westeros War Expands to 10 Battle-Ready Dragons

Updated

Updated · The Ringer · Jul 12

Daeron, Rhaena Emerge as Key Dragonriders as Westeros War Expands to 10 Battle-Ready Dragons

Q: With Daeron revealed as an impostor, is Ormund Hightower secretly plotting to seize the Iron Throne for himself?

No. The available evidence points to Ormund Hightower trying to put the real Daeron Targaryen on the Iron Throne, not to claim it personally. The show’s twist is that the Daeron presented to Rhaenyra is a decoy, while the real Daeron remains under Ormund’s control in Oldtown and with the southern host. That deception appears designed to preserve Ormund’s most valuable asset: a legitimate Targaryen prince with a dragon, Tessarion. What makes Ormund dangerous is not a direct personal claim, but his apparent plan to rule through Daeron. The reporting describes him as a fanatic and a calculating Hightower partisan who believes Daeron is “more Hightower than Targaryen.” His rhetoric about restoring an “ancient order,” along with his remark that “one king is as good as another,” suggests his loyalty is to Hightower power and influence rather than to Aegon II or Aemond specifically. That means Ormund’s likely endgame is a Daeron kingship shaped by Oldtown, effectively leapfrogging Daeron’s older brothers if events allow. In practical terms, that would give Ormund enormous influence without needing to sit the throne himself. So the answer is that Ormund is almost certainly plotting a palace coup of sorts, but by proxy. He looks less like a secret claimant and more like a kingmaker using Daeron as the vehicle for Hightower control.

Q: Will Rhaena's guilt over Jace's death lead her to hunt Aemond, or will it break her completely?

Rhaena’s guilt is more likely to drive her into action than destroy her completely. The strongest evidence is structural: the series has folded Nettles’ book role into Rhaena’s story by giving her Sheepstealer. In *Fire & Blood*, Nettles becomes central to Daemon’s campaign against Aemond and Vhagar. Showrunner comments and the season’s setup both point to Rhaena inheriting that function, which makes her guilt over Jace’s death a likely motive for joining the hunt rather than withdrawing from the war. The show has already framed Jace’s death as Rhaena’s defining trauma. Sheepstealer’s lack of control during the Battle of the Gullet helped create the conditions for Jace’s fall, and Rhaenyra’s anger leaves Rhaena isolated and fearful. But the same material also positions her for growth: she now has a dragon, a reason to prove herself, and a personal need for atonement. That is a stronger dramatic engine than a storyline of total collapse. There is still room for a temporary breaking point. Rhaena is in exile, burdened by blame, and caught between Daemon’s protection and Rhaenyra’s likely fury. That emotional damage matters, and it could shape her into a harsher, more unstable rider. But the available evidence suggests the series is using that pain to harden her, not remove her from the board. So the likelier outcome is a guilt-fueled transformation: Rhaena survives the trauma, aligns more closely with Daemon, and turns her grief into a campaign against Aemond and Vhagar.

3 articles · Updated · The Ringer · Jul 12

10 battle-ready dragons are now in play after Episode 4, with Daeron Targaryen finally appearing on screen and Rhaena Targaryen claiming Sheepstealer.
Daeron’s reveal centers on his auburn hair and Oldtown upbringing, a show change that helps explain why Alicent’s youngest son was hidden away from King’s Landing for years.
Ormund Hightower is shown grooming Daeron as a possible king, pressing the gentle prince toward violence while exploiting his status as the greens’ next major dragon asset after Aemond.
Rhaena’s bond with Sheepstealer sharply alters the book storyline, replacing Nettles and deepening a new rift inside Rhaenyra’s camp as Daemon lies to his wife to shield their daughter.
Both arcs push the war beyond dragon-versus-dragon combat into a struggle over who can control the riders themselves, not just the beasts they command.