‘House of the Dragon’ Episode 9 Ending Explained: Who is Rhaenys’s Dragon, Why Doesn’t Rhaenys Kill Alicent, And More

House of the Dragon Episode 9 “The Green Council” showed us just how quickly things for House Targaryen are going off the rails following Viserys’s (Paddy Considine) death. This episode of the HBO hit show is named after the infamous Small Council meeting where Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and her supporters managed to hatch a plan to install her son Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) on the Iron Throne in lieu of Viserys’s chosen heir, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy). However, as it is with all of House of the Dragon, the show chooses to depict these treasonous events with far more nuance than we find in George R.R. Martin’s fictional history of this period, Fire & Blood.

Another huge difference between the book Fire & Blood and House of the Dragon Episode 9? The ending. Oh, no, the Greens do in fact managed to crown Aegon as King of the Seven Kingdoms. However, we never hear about Rhaenys (Eve Best) crashing the coronation by bursting up from the Dragonpit on her dragon Meleys. Rhaenys’s decision to face down Alicent and her family on dragon back — in full Targaryen warrior queen regalia — was an incredible moment that might have left some viewers confused.

Why did Rhaenys not kill Alicent and the rest of the Targaryen-Hightowers? Is Rhaenys going to throw her support behind Rhaenyra? Who is Rhaenys’s dragon? Is she the “Beast Beneath the Boards” Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) has been warning us about? And finally, did Larys “Foot Fetish” Strong (Matthew Needham) murder Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno)?

Here’s everything you need to know about the ending of House of the Dragon Episode 9 “The Green Council” on HBO…

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON EPISODE 9 ENDING EXPLAINED: WHY DIDN’T RHAENYS AND HER DRAGON KILL ALICENT AND THE HIGHTOWERS? WHERE IS RHAENYS GOING?

Confused by why Rhaenys would literally crash Aegon’s coronation, stare down the Hightowers, and just let Meleys roar fetid dragon breath at her new foes? Like, why didn’t Rhaenys just dracarys the bejesus out of these usurpers? Well, this moment could be construed as something of a final warning for Alicent and her brood.

Rhaenys has had an interesting couple of weeks on House of the Dragon. Last week, she affirmed her support for Rhaenyra and her kids only after Viserys rallied one last time to take his daughter’s side in court. Once Rhaenyra had Viserys’s support, Rhaenys not only sided with her husband’s plan to let Driftmark pass to Rhaenyra’s second son Lucerys (Elliot Grihault), but also accepted Rhaenyra’s offer to wed her eldest two kids to Rhaenys’s granddaughters.

But a lot can change overnight, especially when a king dies.

Alicent goes to Rhaenys the next day and begs her to join their side. While Alicent makes a compelling case for abandoning Rhaenyra — even going so far as to point out Rhaenys should have been queen — she fails to see the larger picture. Rhaenys realizes that Alicent’s ambitions are just to best serve the men in her life. Rhaenys respects Alicent but explains that she only wants to, at best, create a window for herself in the prison the patriarchy has put her in.

It is perhaps the respect Rhaenys has for Alicent that stays her hand in this moment. However, the roar of Meleys makes it clear that Rhaenys is not an ally of House Hightower. In the books, she is firmly on Rhaenyra’s side and will bring her dragon to the fight. So who is Rhaenys’s dragon?

WHO IS RHAENYS’S DRAGON? MEET MELEYS, THE RED QUEEN

While Ser Erryk (Luke Tittensor) attempts to spirit Rhaenys out of King’s Landing via boat, the Queen Who Never Was is adamant that they can’t leave her dragon Meleys behind. Ser Erryk tells her they can’t go to the Dragonpit as they’ll assume she’s headed there. Jokes on him, though, because Aegon’s coronation is happening in the sept above the Dragonpit. Rhaenys grins when she realizes the crowd is pulling her in that direction.

But who exactly is Meleys, Rhaenys’s dragon? Though not as old as Vhagar, Meleys is indeed older than many of the dragons soaring around Westeros at this time. Meleys was originally claimed by Alyssa Targaryen, i.e. Viserys and Daemon’s (Matt Smith) mother. A few years after Alyssa’s death, Rhaenys claimed Meleys.

Meleys is a crimson red dragon and is nicknamed “The Red Queen.” If you’re having trouble telling her apart from Daemon’s red dragon Caraxes, remember that Caraxes is called the “Blood Wyrm” on account that he has an elongated body and little back legs.

ARE RHAENYS AND HER DRAGON THE “BEAST BENEATH THE BOARDS” HELAENA HAS BEEN WARNING US ABOUT?

When Alicent comes to tell her daughter that Viserys is dead, Helaena blurts out, “There is a beast beneath the boards!” in a tone of warning. Interestingly this isn’t the first time Helaena has warned us about this. Right before her speech in House of the Dragon Episode 8, Helaena Targaryen mutters to herself, “Beware the beast beneath the boards.” Since it’s becoming more and more obvious that Helaena has the gift of prophecy, Game of Thrones nerds have been puzzling out what this specific prophecy meant for the last week. Now we seemingly know.

During Aegon’s coronation, while the smallfolks cheer and Alicent even allows herself a smile, Helaena looks away with tears flowing down her cheeks. Just when it seems Team Green has won, a rumble explodes from under the smallfolks’ feet. Rhaenys enters from below on dragonback. Clearly, Meleys is the beast that Helaena has been worried about for the last, uh, two days.

DID LARYS STRONG KILL MYSARIA FOR ALICENT IN HOUSE OF THE DRAGON EPISODE 9?

In between all the hubbub at the end of the episode, you might have missed a masked figure walking away from a building that looks quite a bit like Mysaria’s home base in the city. (Though it could have been the children’s fighting pits.)

Earlier in tonight’s episode, Larys revealed to Alicent that there is a spy network within the castle. He mentions that the only way to get rid of it would be to kill the “queen” at the center of it. When he asks Alicent if she would like this done, she answers by letting Larys pleasure himself at the sight of her bare feet. So, I’m going to assume that’s a yes.

We don’t know for sure who was in the building that burned or if they survived. All we do know is that Mysaria, who has worked before with Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), might have had a hit put out on her by his daughter Alicent. That certainly complicates loyalties…