Daemon shows his genuine care and attention to Rhaenyra several times before the two marry. This doesn't take away from the many destructive and inappropriate parts of their relationship, but the books imply that Daemon does love Rhaenyra.
They have a lot of love for each other and Daemon does still support Rhaenyra despite his temper in this episode. He still bends the knee to Rhaenyra and calls her his queen, and he's the one who delivers the news to her at the end that Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) is dead.
Like many other Targaryens, Daemon and Rhaenyra are both related by blood and (eventually) romantically involved. Rhaenyra is Daemon's niece, as the daughter of his older brother, King Viserys I. The two also are brother- and sister-in-law through their earlier marriages.
Yes, at the end of episode 7, Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen got married. The two House of the Dragon characters have enjoyed a flirtatious relationship for years now – please ignore the fact they're niece and uncle – but their passions bubbled over at Laena's funeral, and they finally slept together.
Despite that love and respect, Daemon has hurt both of them on several occasions and continued to have a rocky relationship with them. So for all the Daemon and Rhaenyra shippers, sorry to break it to you, but he is not going to be the perfect husband to her.
Laena and Daemon marry soon after. Laena and Daemon were a power couple, and their marriage was celebrated by nearly all of Westeros and Essos — except for King Viserys and his court, who considered it another sign of Daemon's disrespect.
— then Rhaenyra officially loses her virginity to Ser Criston Cole. After Daemon leaves Rhaenyra all horned up and alone, she sneaks back into the castle and lets Ser Criston see her in her page boy disguise.
After nearly seeing the two have sex in a brothel in Episode 4 and seeing their crackling chemistry in Episode 5, the fateful moment of Rhaenyra having sex with Daemon was both shorter than expected and literally too dark to see.
While House Of The Dragon episode 4 showed Daemon was able to seduce Rhaenyra by kissing and undressing her, he couldn't fulfill the act due to impotence.
While Daemon and Rhaenyra never actually slept together (though she did secretly lose her virginity to Ser Criston Cole that night), the now banished Daemon Targaryen refuses to disprove the accusation.
According to an HT report, Milly spoke about Rhaenyra's liking for her uncle and said, “I think Daemon is the man that Rhaenyra wishes she could have been had she been a boy.” Emphasizing on the making-out sequence between Rhaenyra and Daemon in the fourth episode of HotD, Milly said, “He's unpredictable, he doesn't ...
“Ultimately, his impotence in this scene is a reflection of the fact that he knows deep down what he's doing isn't right.” That's more or less what I thought when I watched the scene, although it didn't occur to me that Daemon had an attack of impotence; I just thought that he decided he probably shouldn't go through ...
So, let's agree that he is (give or take) 16 years older than Rhaenyra. This places him in his early 30s when we first see him meet his niece. Yes, his niece. His teenage niece who we immediately realise he has a bit of a thing for.
Daemon was a much more despicable character in George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood book, so a desperate, rage-filled situation leading him to choke someone wouldn't be surprising. However, Daemon was only violent to others in the books, not to Rhaenyra or their children.
A confused Daemon chokes Rhaenyra and says, “Dreams didn't make us kings. Dragons did,” with Rhaenyra now realizing that Viserys never told Daemon about the Targaryen prophecy. Not only does this prove Rhaenyra's legitimacy to herself, but it also reveals more about the nature of Daemon and Viserys' relationship.
Although Rhaenyra's mother's death initially made her fear the notion of bearing heirs, adult Rhaenyra Targaryen now has five sons in House of the Dragon – three healthy boys with Laenor Velaryon (fathered by Harwin Strong) and two silver-haired boys with her husband Daemon Targaryen.
Or, at least, his little dragon knows something his brain doesn't. According to co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik, in a featurette that aired after the episode: “Ultimately, his impotence in the scene is a reflection of the fact that he knows, deep down, that what he's doing isn't right.”
In "King of the Narrow Sea", Rhaenyra seduced Ser Criston after she herself was denied by her uncle Daemon (Matt Smith). She and her paramour spent the night together, and she was warm towards Ser Criston afterward.
Rhaenyra never regains power, and she is ultimately betrayed, turned over to Aegon, and killed by his dragon Sunfyre.
WARNING: HUGE HOUSE OF THE DRAGON BOOK SPOILERS BELOW
Viewers might be surprised to learn that Rhaenyra does actually follow through with her father's wishes and marries Laenor Velaryon.
8 Rhaenyra Loves Her Uncle
In Fire & Blood, however, Rhaenyra is in love with Daemon from a young age. Things change after she meets Criston Cole. Nevertheless, George R. R. Martin's books show that Rhaenyra's first love was Daemon, whereas House of the Dragon has a slower build-up between the two.
In "Fire & Blood," Rhaenyra's longest-lasting relationship is with her uncle, Prince Daemon Targaryen. In addition to the age gap and the incest, their relationship starts off on an especially controversial foot, with rumors that he either seduced her or taught her to seduce Ser Criston Cole, resulting in his exile.
Rhaenyra and Daemon's sons Aegon, Viserys, and Visenya Targaryen. Sorry for the spoiler, but we did watch Daemon and Rhaenyra get married in last week's episode, so you probably knew this was coming! We haven't seen them yet in the show, but Daemon and Rhaenyra have three sons together.