House of The Dragon Season 2 Episode 5 Ending Explained: The Aftermath of the Battle at Rook’s Nest

“They killed a Dragon! Mark my words, this is a bad omen.”

Episode 5 kicks off with screams by locals who are speechless when they hear about Sunfyre’s death.

In episode five, the conflicts among the House of the Dragon actors are comparatively distinct. Rhaenyra struggles without Daemon, and now that Rhaenys isn’t around, she feels like she’s lost two of her strongest allies. This causes her to look elsewhere for potential support. 

The Lord of the Seven Kingdoms is no longer presentable and has barely survived the conflict, which puts the Greens in a terrible predicament. Daemon’s journey continues to isolate him at Harrenhal, where he refers to himself as king and finds it difficult to form his allies.

1. Rhaenyra & Jace’s Plan For More Dragonriders: The Dragonseeds Explained

In the last scene of the episode, Rhaenyra Targaryen sees a ray of hope when her oldest son, Jacaerys Velaryon, devises a plan to resupply their army. Even though they lost one of their most skilled dragon riders, the Blacks still have plenty of dragons.

There are riderless dragons on Dragonstone and Driftmark, as the season 1 finale revealed, and Seasmoke has been spotted soaring aimlessly in season 2. Though there may not be any more Targaryens, Jace tells his mother that there are still people descended from the Valyrians.

As shown by members of House Velaryon riding dragons, it’s not a perk that comes specifically to Targaryens. It’s not even 100% clear in George R.R. Martin’s books whether one has to be Valyrian to ride a dragon, though the TV series seems to imply that the Targaryens believe that to be true.

The Doom may have destroyed Valyria, but many still carry Valyrian blood, including many of the new characters in House of the Dragon Season 2.

Jacaerys and Rhaenyra plan to comb through Dragonstone’s extensive library of books to trace their ancestry to figures such as Hugh, Ulf, and Alyn.

2. Who Are Vermithor & Silverwing, the Riderless Dragons?

Several dragons in House of the Dragon are completely wild or lack riders.

Since dragons with prior riders are easier to tame, the Blacks have prioritized Vermithor and Silverwing. In the Season 1 finale of House of The Dragon, Vermithor was shown as the dragon Daemon went underground to sing to.

Vermithor is a tremendous asset to any side because, aside from Vhagar, he is the largest dragon alive during the Dance.

Vermithor and Silverwing know each other well, as they were previously bonded to King Jaehaerys I and the beloved Queen Alyssane, who rode the dragons throughout Westeros, celebrating their reign of peace and prosperity.

Rhaenyra will have a greater chance of winning the Dance of the Dragons if she joins forces with the two dragons. Sheepstealer, Cannibal, and Seasmoke are some more dragons without wings.

3. What The Riverlords Turning Against Daemon Means?

“I need them alive. I came here to raise a sword, not corpses.”

Daemon fails miserably to find supporters in the Riverlands, undermining his hopes of staking a claim as a possible third party in the Dance. Since honor is highly valued in the Riverlands, like in the North, several lords come to Harrenhal to voice their disapproval of Daemon’s behavior.  

Daemon wins over House Blackwood following the Battle of the Burning Mill in episode 3, but in exchange, he has to deal some harm to House Bracken, a small Riverlands house that supported the Greens and the Blackwoods’ historical rival.

To force the Brackens to submit and give more soldiers to Daemon’s army, Daemon suggests to Willem Blackwood that he approve of employing dirty methods.

The other Riverlords strongly disapprove of the Blackwoods’ capture of women and children during their subsequent attacks on Riverlands districts.

They come to Harrenhal to criticize Daemon, which begs the question of how he would win them back to his and, ultimately, Rhaenyra’s side.

4. Does Helaena Know Aemond Tried To Kill Aegon?

Season 2, episode 5, sees the Greens reacting to Aegon’s injury. Alicent Hightower pieces together Prince Aemond’s involvement in the event, and Criston Cole covers for him, as he believes Aemond to be a better option for their leadership.

At the episode’s end, Helaena finds Aemond staring at the Iron Throne and asks him if it is worth the price. The implication is that she had one of her visions/dreams and saw glimpses of the events at Rook’s Rest, and she knows what Aemond has done to achieve his new promotion.

5. Does Aegon Ever Recover In House Of The Dragon?

In season 2, episode 5, Aegon II is in pretty bad shape, although he partially manages to recuperate from his wounds at Rook’s Rest.

After this, Aemond controls the kingdom in his place for a while, but finally, Aegon will be able to make his own decisions again.

He is, nevertheless, permanently damaged for the rest of his life. There will be enough for Tom Glynn-Carney to do once he recovers from his spectacular performance in season 2.

It’s possible that Aegon will remain dormant throughout the rest of season 2, but he’ll eventually return as a character in the show. Following Rhaenyra’s capture of King’s Landing, Aegon will be among those who escape the city, living to fight another day.

He’ll also end up being one of the last main characters to die in House of the Dragon, while many others have already perished.

6. About House Of The Dragon

House of the Dragon is the prequel series to HBO’s blockbuster Game of Thrones based on George R. R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood.

Set three hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon will show Westeros under the Targaryen family’s rule before the dragons went extinct. It will follow the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war between siblings Aegon II and Rhaenyra, who fought for the throne after the death of their father, Viserys I.

Directed by Ryan Condall and Miguel Sapochnik, the show stars Paddy Considine as Viserys I Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Craney as Aegon II Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Rhaenys Velaryon, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole, and Graham McTavish.