House of the Dragon delivers devastating blow in episode 4 leaving fans in tears

What did you miss?

House of the Dragon has left viewers in tears after the release of episode 4, which took a devastating turn that they were not expecting.

The episode, titled The Red Dragon and the Gold, saw fire and blood reign down on Westeros as the battle between the Blacks and the Greens went one step further. The events of the episode marks the true beginning of the Dance of the Dragons, but before we explore why be warned that this article contains major spoilers for episode 4.

What, how, and why?

The Red Dragon and the Gold comes to a dramatic conclusion when several characters clashed at Rook's Rest, a stronghold near Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen's (Emma D'Arcy) is based.

Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best) decides to defend her queen by taking her dragon Meleys into battle against Cristen Cole (Fabian Frankel) and his army, but it turns out the battle is a trap for something much worse. The plan is for Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) to launch a surprise attack on Rhaenys, but his brother King Aegon (Tom Glynne-Carney) gets there first.

Desperate to prove himself after being put down time and again by his councillors, his siblings, and even his own mother, King Aegon and his dragon Sunfyre charge into battle. The pair fight with Rhaenys and Meleys, and it looks as if the latter duo will win out — that is, until Aemond joins the battle.

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Rather than join forces with his brother, though, Aemond fights with both Rhaenys and Aegon, attacking Aegon and his dragon until they fall to the ground in a fiery inferno and launching several surprising blows to Rhaenys and Meleys. Rather than retreat, Rhaenys and her dragon fight tooth and nail to defeat Aemond and his dragon Vhagar, but it ends in devastation as both Rhaenys and Meleys meet their deaths at Aemond's hands.

Viewers were devastated by the events of the episode, particularly the lost of Rhaenys and her dragon, and they took to social media to share their thoughts with other fans.

One viewer shared a post with crying emojis as they wrote: "Rhaenys and Meleys my heart is broken"

Another viewer said of the character: "SHE HAD THE CHANCE TO ESCAPE BUT SHE DIDNT SHE CHOSE TO FIGHT FOR HER QUEEN UNTIL HER LAST BREATH. RHAENYS I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU."

While one person shared a clip of the two characters final moments, writing: "That last look Meleys gave to Rhaenys...I just felt like it was an apology and a goodbye wrapped up in one. 'I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry I failed. Goodbye.'"

Reflecting on Rhaenys and Aegon's demise one viewer wrote of their connections with their dragons before the battle, saying: "Aegon & Rhaenys w/ their dragons, Sunfyre & Meleys will always be special to me. The little nudge Sunfyre gives Aegon??? The way Rhaenys rests her forehead against Meleys??? Oh the f***ing pain. Two very different bonds that are so special in their own way".

What else happened on House of the Dragon?

Elsewhere in the episode, Daemon (Matt Smith) continued to be plagued by nightmarish visions in Harrenhal, where he has been staying since an argument with Rhaenyra. The character saw himself as Aemond, and also saw his late wife Laena in one instance.

Viewers shared their hopes for the character to return to the fray, with one person joking: "DAEMON STOP THE SIDE QUESTS AND GET ON WITH THE WAR CRIMES!!!"

Another viewer poked fun at the character's storyline, by writing: "everyone battling and Daemon is playing scooby doo"

House of the Dragon airs on Sky Atlantic at 2am and 9pm.