House of The Dragon Episode 10 confirms why Rhaenys didn’t kill the Greens at the coronation ceremony

Game of Thrones prequel House of The Dragon is performing way better than most expected. Fans are loving the cast, the storyline, the scenery, and the dragons so far. However, just like its predecessor, House of The Dragon is not devoid of controversy. One of the most bone-chilling moments of the latest episode was also one of the most controversial choices the showrunners made. The moment when Princess Rhaenys breaks out of captivity along with her dragon, Meleys, and gives the Greens the death glare before flying to Rhaenyra caused a lot of fans to wonder, why not kill her enemies in the first place?

The final episode of the first season of House of The Dragon finally explained why Rhaenys chose not to kill the Greens in the penultimate episode. Just like every other character, Rhaenys harbors a lot of repressed emotions. She’s an honorable leader and a mother, who had her children taken from her by her own people. She resents both Daemon and Rhaenyra in equal measures, however, she is not cruel, knows the difference between right and wrong, and is extremely wise.

House of the Dragon
Season 1, Episode 9
Eve Best
Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO

She plotted her escape ever since she was in captivity, and calculated carefully her next move. Yes, she hates Rhaenyra for supposedly having Laenor killed, and hates Daemon for not saving Laena, but the Greens usurping the throne reminded her of how she was treated during her own younger years, when she was looked over and denied the right to sit on the Iron Throne. Also, she respects her cousin Viserys, who she knew to be a good person at heart, and respects her husband Corlys, despite his ambitions.

Arriving at Dragonstone, she announces to Rhaenyra, “A war is coming, but it is not mine to fight.” This lines up with the explanation we’ve heard before. She does what she does out of duty, and wants to stay neutral, at the beginning of the episode at least.

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