These Memes About *That* HOTD Moment Will Help Ease The Pain
They say laughter is the best medicine — if only it could've saved Luke.
Warning: Spoilers for House of the Dragon’s Season 1 finale follow. After an entire season’s worth of buildup, it looks like the Dance of Dragons will finally begin in earnest. But it’s not because the Greens usurped the Blacks by putting Aegon II on the Iron Throne, nor due to Rhaenyra’s reaction to the betrayal. Based on the Season 1 finale’s cliffhanger ending, it looks like the flames of the great Targaryen war will actually be sparked by Aemond killing Lucerys. The memes about this pivotal House of the Dragon moment make it clear this scene will stick with fans for all the dark nights ahead.
It’s not like Aemond meant to kill his cousin. The Season 1 finale saw Aemond and Lucerys both turn up in Storm’s End to persuade Lord Borros Baratheon to swear loyalty to their respective parties (the Greens for Aemond; the Blacks for Lucerys). Unfortunately for the Blacks, Borros turned Lucerys away, but not before Aemond demanded his younger cousin gouge out his eye — vengeance, Aemond believed, for Lucerys causing him to lose an eye when they were kids.
Lucerys was able to flee on the back of his dragon, Arrax. But Aemond soon caught up with his much bigger, stronger dragon, Vhagar. The two cousins and dragons battled it out amid the storm clouds, Aemond chasing and taunting as Lucerys tried to escape. In one triumphant moment, Lucerys and Arrax surprised their bullies, attacking them with a little bit of dragon fire. For a moment, it looked like Lucerys and Arrax had escaped, breaking above the thunder and lightning to a peaceful sky. But then, out from the clouds came Vhagar, who wiped out both Lucerys and Arrax in one monstrous bite, even as her rider commanded her otherwise.
Sure, viewers should be used to this kind of loss after all the mess Game of Thrones subjected them to. (I mean, is anyone over the burning of Princess Shireen yet?) But still, this was the first real shock of the prequel, and fans immediately took to Twitter to mourn the loss of Lucerys — or Luke, as the kid was affectionately called.
Meanwhile, Vhagar got dragged for disobeying Aemond’s orders and just in general being a messy dragon who lives for drama.
Aemond looked totally lost at the end of the scene. After all, he just wanted his cousin’s eye, not his whole life. And now he has to decide what to do next. He’s supposed to be the responsible son — how is he going to explain this one to Alicent and Otto?
Throughout the episode, Rhaenyra was clear about her desire to take a peaceful approach against Alicent and the Greens. So will the death of Lucerys at the hand of Aemond change her mind? One only needs to see the look on her face at the end of the episode to get their answer. This means war.
House of the Dragon Season 1 is streaming on HBO Max. Season 2 is expected sometime in 2024.
