Are you ready to meet even more Targaryens in House of the Dragon? Your answer had better be yes, because the show is about to introduce yet another member of Westeros' most messed-up family.
That extra Targaryen is Prince Daeron, the youngest son of Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine). He's been off in Oldtown for the entirety of the show so far, where he lives as the ward of House Hightower. However, as House Hightower's army marches towards King's Landing, House of the Dragon has been mentioning Daeron (along with his dragon, Tessarion) more and more. That can only mean one thing: His debut is imminent.
Or has it already arrived?
Is Daeron Targaryen in the Season 3 premiere of House of the Dragon?
In George R.R. Martin's Fire and Blood, Daeron serves as a squire to Alicent's cousin, Lord Ormund Hightower (James Norton). We meet Ormund for the very first time in House of the Dragon's Season 3 premiere, at the Hightower army's camp. There, he greets Alicent's messenger from King's Landing. He's joined by Ser Jon Roxton (Joplin Sibtain) and an unnamed boy (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) dressed in Hightower green.
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Ormund orders the boy to draw the messenger a bath and bring him to a tent. The command, as well as the boy's proximity to Ormund, suggest that he's his squire. That would make him none other than Daeron Targaryen, whom we already know is at camp thanks to Tessarion's presence.
Of course, there's one big sign that the boy isn't Daeron: He's missing the Targaryens' signature silver hair. However, his auburn hair does bear a striking resemblance to Alicent's. If this boy really is Daeron, does he simply take after his mother? Or did Ormund encourage him to dye his hair in order to hide in plain sight?
HBO has yet to confirm Daeron's casting, but showrunner Ryan Condal did confirm in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that Daeron would play a large role this season. Perhaps that role begins with the simple act of drawing a bath.