Time jumps and actor adjustments weren’t the one jarring components of HBO’s Home of the Dragon, episode 6. Sunday’s episode of Recreation of Thrones prequel collection ended with a fiery bang for one character. It was surprising and never in a great way for some. Let’s focus on within the spoiler-filled part under.
Warning: Spoilers forward.
King Viserys was Laena’s first suitor.
HBO
What determination does Laena make?
Two massive decisions come up on the finish of episode 6.
Just like Aemma Targaryen, Laena Velaryon suffers a troublesome childbirth, unable to push the toddler out. The maester suggests to Laena’s husband Daemon Targaryen that he might “lay open the womb, attempt to take away the toddler by means of the blade.” However there aren’t any ensures the infant or the mom would survive.
In contrast to Aemma — who dies after King Viserys permits his surgeon to function on her — Laena realizes what is going on on early sufficient to take issues into her personal arms. Earlier than Daemon can have a say, Laena escapes the birthing room and limps outdoors, imploring her dragon Vhagar to breathe fireplace onto her. “Dracarys!” she instructions — the Excessive Valyrian (language of the previous Valyrian Freehold) phrase for “Dragonfire.” Vhagar hesitates, visibly confused by his rider’s surprising request. However ultimately he appears to grasp her ache and helps to finish it, incinerating her in a robust blaze.
Why does Laena kill herself?
Sadly, earlier than going into labor, Laena was already in a foul place.
We first meet Laena when she’s 12 years previous, having been carted as much as King’s Touchdown as a younger bride provided to King Viserys. Greater than three years after Viserys rejects her, Laena reunites with the King’s youthful brother Daemon. Daemon, childless, had simply murdered his spouse. He instantly takes a shine to Laena in episode 5.
Ten years later, the pair are married with two daughters. However as Home of the Dragon by no means fails to remind us, sons are what everyone seems to be after. In a scene earlier than Laena’s demise, she and Daemon discuss in regards to the struggles of their marriage. Daemon is stressed, unable to sleep. Additionally they focus on Rhaenyra, Daemon’s ex-lover, delivering one other son. Laena clearly laments she hasn’t produced one for Daemon.
“Maybe, I too, am not the spouse you’ll’ve wished for your self … It doesn’t ache me. I’ve made my peace.”
This scene seems to foreshadow what’s to return. Even the scene wherein Laena speaks to her youngest daughter Rhaena appears to offer a contact of essential exposition, making it clear Laena is certain to Vhagar, “the biggest [dragon] on the earth.”
Within the birthing room, Laena overhears the maester inform Daemon that she will not survive a cesarean part to take away the toddler. With out having the ability to see Daemon’s response or hear what determination he makes, Laena instantly flees. This implies she is aware of Daemon will undergo with the surgical procedure, sacrificing her for the smallest probability their youngster will survive. She thinks Daemon will make the identical alternative as his brother Viserys.
It seems Laena, caught in an sad marriage, thinks she’s going to die it doesn’t matter what. Fairly than undergo with the surgical procedure and bleed to demise, she has the company to decide on her ending, one which no prince or king decides for her. Albeit this implies she sacrifices any probability, even a small one, for her son to outlive.
Laena reunited with Daemon as a youngster.
HBO
One other studying: Daemon needed to avoid wasting Laena
Laena’s birthing scene mirrors the identical scenario King Viserys confronted with Queen Aemma. Nevertheless, on this case, the maester would not current Daemon with a powerful probability his son will survive a C-section. After Daemon discovers his spouse would die from such a surgical procedure, he seems to offer a tiny shake of his head, indicating he would not want to undergo with it. In contrast to Viserys, Daemon would not wish to danger his spouse’s life.
On listening to in regards to the birthing issues, Laena doubtlessly feels disgrace that, as soon as once more, she won’t be capable of produce Daemon a male inheritor. She decides to finish her life, after failing to fulfil the aim she was introduced up from a younger age to honor.
Laena additionally seems to need the most effective for Daemon. They focus on Daemon losing all his time studying accounts of “the identical useless dragonlords.” Laena says, “However you might be greater than this Daemon. The person I married was greater than this.” Laena seems to have accepted the concept that she has disenchanted Daemon. By taking herself out of the image, she permits Daemon to be free to discover a new spouse and have one other probability at producing the male inheritor he needs.
Within the ebook
In George R. R. Martin’s Fireplace & Blood, the ebook Home of the Dragon is predicated on, Daemon is not pressured to decide on whether or not to place Laena via a life-threatening C-section. As an alternative, Laena suffers a troublesome start and delivers a boy who, like Aemma’s son Baelon, dies after a short while. Laena turns into severely in poor health from grief and fever. Daemon orders a famend maester to avoid wasting her, however he arrives too late. Laena makes an attempt to fly Vhagar one final time earlier than she dies however, fatigued and in poor health, she passes away earlier than she will be able to attain the dragon.
