The closing moments of House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 6 alluded that Addam Hull bonded with the dragon Seasmoke, with the trailer for Episode 7 confirming it, so fans are now wondering if Laenor Velaryon is officially dead.
Dragons and their riders are a major part of House of the Dragon. As of Season 2, Episode 6, more than 10 characters have had their own unique dragon and have been featured at some point throughout the show.
Fans will remember that Rhaenyra Targaryen's first husband, Laenor Velaryon, had his own dragon, Seasmoke. However, after Laenor faked his own death in Season 1 and left Westeros, that left Seasmoke without a rider.
Is Laenor Velaryon Dead? It's Complicated...
Early on in Season 2, Seasmoke was seen flying above the waters around Dragonstone crying out in anguish.
Rhaenyra Targaryen mentioned that Seasmoke used to be bonded to her previous husband, Laenor Velaryon, which made it seem as though Seasmoke was acting that way because Laenor was gone.
However, this still didn't confirm or deny that Laenor was alive or dead, as Seasmoke hadn't bonded with anyone else.
All of that changed, though, when Seasmoke sought out Addam Hull in Season 2, Episode 6, and bonded with him.
It has never been explicitly confirmed on-screen in House of the Dragon or Game of Thrones whether a dragon can or cannot bond with another rider while their current rider is still living, but it has been implied.
For example, Daenerys Targaryen had three dragons in her possession but was only bonded with one of them, Drogon.
However, in Fire & Blood (the source material for House of the Dragon), it does say that, while the person a dragon is bonded to is still alive, no one else can mount it alone.
That means, according to the book, that Laenor Velaryon would have to be dead in order for Addam to ride Seasmoke, and Episode 6 confirmed that he did.
It is possible that Laenor could have died sometime extremely recently, but the show will almost definitely not explore that at all, and instead just leave it up to interpretation from the viewers as to how he met his end.
It is also possible that he could have died soon after he faked his death and sailed away from Westeros, which could explain why Seasmoke was seen mourning earlier in Season 2.
However, it is important to at least mention that there is a chance Laenor could be alive.
Fans must remember that Fire & Blood was written as a history book and (in-universe is a compilation of many different sources that together tell the history of the Targaryens. Therefore, in a sense, the book is told from the viewpoint of an unreliable narrator.
For instance, the three sources (Septon Eustace, Mushroom, and Grand Maester Munkun) that tell the Dance of the Dragons in Fire & Blood sometimes can't agree on what happened during certain events.
Therefore, it is possible that the sources in Fire & Blood don't know the full truth about dragons, especially since they are creatures of magic (particularly Blood magic) that were created in Old Valyria.
In most cases, it would be easy to say that a dragon would not bond with another rider while its current rider is still living, but Laenor, Addam, and Seasmoke aren't like most cases.
Why Would Seasmoke Bond With Addam Hull?
In House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 6, Rhaenyra asked Ser Steffon Darklyn if he would try bonding with Seasmoke. In short, this did not work at all, as Ser Steffon was burned alive by the dragon.
However, later in the episode, Seasmoke actually sought out Addam Hull, approached him, and then let Addam mount and ride him.
No matter the circumstance, this was extremely odd, since dragons are not known at all for being particularly friendly with people, especially if they are not bonded with them.
It is important to remember that Addam Hull was revealed to be a bastard son of Corlys Velaryon, which means that he is also the half-brother of Laenor Velaryon.
Therefore, Laenor and Addam share a lot of the same blood (while also looking fairly similar), so it would make perfect sense for Seasmoke to seek out Addam.
The most probable explanation is that Laenor did die, which caused Seasmoke to then go into a state of mourning. Then, when he finally saw Addam and recognized his lineage and likeness to Laenor, it made that pain that he felt go away, which is why the two bonded so easily.
House of the Dragon is available to stream on Max, and new episodes are released every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.
Read more about House of the Dragon:
Every Game of Thrones Universe Dragon Ranked From Largest to Smallest
Why Did Aegon Marry His Sister Helaena In 'House of the Dragon'?
Here's Why Daemon Sings to the Dragon In 'House of the Dragon'
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