Why Aemond Targaryen Claimed Vhagar and What It Cost Him

Few moments in ‘House of the Dragon‘ hit as hard as the night young Aemond Targaryen walked onto the shores of Driftmark and bonded with the largest living dragon in Westeros. It was reckless, painful, and utterly transformative for a boy who had spent his whole life feeling overlooked by his own family.

The scene remains one of the most debated turning points in the show, not just for what it cost Aemond physically, but for what it revealed about his character and the war that would follow.

Vhagar’s History Before Aemond

Vhagar was already ancient and legendary long before Aemond ever laid eyes on her. She was originally ridden by Queen Visenya Targaryen during Aegon’s Conquest, flying alongside Aegon the Conqueror’s dragon Balerion and their sister Rhaenys’s dragon Meraxes.

Her list of riders after Visenya was short and exclusive. Other known riders of Vhagar included Prince Baelon Targaryen and Lady Laena Velaryon before Aemond ever came into the picture.

Dragons like Vhagar do not easily accept new riders, especially one who was nearly two hundred years old, had known several previous riders, and had spent long stretches of her life flying freely without anyone controlling her.

Laena Velaryon became Vhagar’s rider after proving herself a skilled dragonrider from a young age, and she and Vhagar were inseparable for years, including flights across the narrow sea with her husband Daemon Targaryen and his dragon Caraxes. When Laena died in 120 AC, Vhagar was left riderless for the first time in decades, setting the stage for what came next.

Why Aemond Targaryen Was Chosen

Following Laena’s funeral on Driftmark, the ten year old Prince Aemond Targaryen claimed Vhagar as his own dragon. The timing was no accident. The very same night as Laena’s funeral, Aemond conspired to claim her now riderless dragon, which meant getting Vhagar to obey him in High Valyrian, risking his own life in the process, and doing it all without being caught by the Velaryons.

Bloodline seemed to matter here. Aemond’s Valyrian blood certainly played a role in his ability to claim Vhagar, and it may have also connected to the blood he shared with Baelon, who was Vhagar’s rider before Laena ever bonded with her.

But bravery, or perhaps desperation, mattered just as much. Aemond proved his nerve by sneaking away from the castle alone, facing Vhagar by himself, continuing to speak High Valyrian commands even as she resisted, and standing firm when the dragon showed aggression like breathing fire in his direction. Vhagar, aging and no longer willing to let just anyone climb onto her back, ultimately let herself bond with Aemond because his boldness was enough to win her over.

The Price Aemond Paid to Bond With Vhagar

The claiming did not come without violence, and the fallout was immediate. Laena’s daughter Rhaena Targaryen had actually been meant to claim Vhagar, and when she and Aemond clashed over the dragon, the confrontation ended with Aemond losing an eye.

Aemond never seemed to regret the trade. He stated afterward that losing his eye was a fair price to pay for gaining the most powerful dragon in the known world, a bond that would go on to shape the entire civil war within House Targaryen.

Fans watching the episode had complicated feelings about how it all played out. One recap noted that Aemond punching and shoving Laena’s twin daughters while claiming the one living connection they had left to their mother felt like a genuinely upsetting moment rather than a triumphant one, since ‘House of the Dragon’ had built real sympathy for Rhaena’s loss just before it happened.

Vhagar and Aemond’s Bond in the Dance of the Dragons

Once bonded, Vhagar and Aemond became one of the most feared forces in the entire war. By 129 AC, Vhagar had grown nearly as large as Balerion once was during Aegon’s Conquest, making her the largest living dragon of her time, and Aemond flew her to Storm’s End to secure Lord Borros Baratheon’s support for King Aegon II.

That trip led to the infamous confrontation over Shipbreaker Bay. Aemond followed Lucerys Velaryon into the sky on his dragon Arrax during a violent storm, and Vhagar quickly overwhelmed the smaller dragon, with Arrax’s severed head washing ashore days later alongside the body of Lucerys.

The pairing proved just as devastating on the battlefield. At the Battle of Rook’s Rest, Vhagar and Aemond joined King Aegon and Sunfyre in ambushing the dragon Meleys and her rider Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, and although Meleys might have stood a chance against Vhagar alone, she died from the combined assault while Vhagar left the fight relatively unharmed.

Some critics have argued the show’s depiction of Aemond softened what was originally a colder, more calculated character in George R.R. Martin’s source material. One review pointed out that in the book, Aemond had known exactly what he was doing when he chased his nephew into the skies, still burning with resentment over the eye that was taken from him, whereas the show reframed the moment as a prank that spiraled tragically out of control.

Did Vhagar and Aemond deserve the reputation as the most feared pairing in the Dance of the Dragons, or does the show’s softer take on that infamous night at Storm’s End change how you see him?