House of The Dragon showrunner explains why Aegon II initially avoided the crown

House of the Dragon Episode 9 was the penultimate episode of the first season of the series and with that, the Game of Thrones prequel series reached the stage of the true conflict in its plot: The Dance of the Dragons. Following the death of King Viserys I Targaryen and his widow Queen Alicent Hightower‘s decision to place her son Prince Aegon Targaryen on the Iron Throne, bringing the series very close to the civil war.

However, as we had previously seen, Aegon II was less than interested in sitting on the Iron Throne. In fact, he was actually prepared to run away on the day of his coronation, and was practically dragged to the dragonpit to be crowned as Westeros’ new King. Showrunner Ryan Condal explains in the book “House of the Dragon: Inside the Creation of a Targaryen Dynasty” why he acted the way he did in the show.

He said, “Aegon is a great example of neglect and indulgence. This is the medieval version of the millionaire’s prodigal son. His mother was 15, and his father never paid any attention to him. His father deeply, deeply loved Aemma and Rhaenyra and was [only] having [more] kids to carry on the line. He really didn’t want Aegon — he wanted Baelon, the son that killed his first wife.”

Do you think Aegon II really is a prodigal son? Talk to us in the comments below!

Read next: Aegon II Targaryen will have a bigger role to play in House of The Dragon Season 2