Unfortunately, this moment of peace was derailed after a deathbed confession by Viserys (Paddy Considine), as he told his wife about the "prince that was promised" prophecy. "You wanted to know, if I believed it to be true," the confused Viserys said as Alicent comforted him. "Don't you remember? Aegon.
Viserys told Rhaenyra: "'Tis to begin with a terrible winter gusting out of the distant north. Aegon saw absolute darkness riding on those winds.
In the trailer for episode 9, which confirms Viserys' death, Alicent says it out loud: "He told me he wished for Aegon to be king."
The episode ends with Alicent backing away, the camera lingering on the Catspaw Dagger that we saw Viserys wield earlier in the episode, and the king finally dying, reaching out one more time and seemingly speaking to his dead wife, Aemma, when he says, "My love."
Paddy Considine and Sian Brooke as King Viserys and Queen Aemma in 'House of the Dragon. ' During the deathbed scene, Considine said he improvised the line, "My love," which he mumbles to a vision of Aemma, while extending his hand out to her.
After she leaves him to his rest, we get one last lingering scene with Viserys lying in his bed. He moans, reaching feebly into the air as a tear trickles down his cheek. With his last breath, Viserys murmurs “my love,” and the screen cuts to black. Viserys is speaking here to his deceased wife Aemma Arryn.
In a romantic final bow, Viserys reaches out and whispers, “My love.” He's referring to his late wife, Queen Aemma Targaryen, who died in childbirth years ago, implying that he sees her and is reuniting with her in death.
The final seconds of the episode see the king gasping at the night, pawing at the air with his one remaining hand, calling out to his long lost love Aemma (Sian Brooke), whispering two potentially final words: “My love.” Is that the end of Viserys Targaryen, first of his name? It certainly looks that way.
It was obvious that Viserys thought he was talking to Rhaenyra about her son Aegon, wasn't it?
Previously, Paddy Considine, who played Viserys, spoke to EW on the nature of Viserys' condition, which he said is "...a form of leprosy." He continued, saying that his illness "... becomes a metaphor for being king, and the stress and strain that it puts on you."
The reality is that Viserys was simply attempting to reaffirm what he told Rhaenyra, what she believes, and what he continues to believe. But what happened is that Alicent now believes—and you can even understand where she's coming from—that Viserys' dying wish was for Aegon—their Aegon—to be king.
Daemon strangled Rhaenyra because he felt betrayed by Viserys. “It's a moment that I think is surprising and shocking for Daemon as a character, but I also think it's one of those things that's been set up over the course of the entire season.
Daemon Targaryen reveals that Viserys never told him about Aegon's dream in House of the Dragon, confirming Daemon was never going to be his heir.
At this point, Viserys, who is drugged on milk of the poppy only replies to Rhaenyra by calling her his only child. It's a tough look considering he has three other children with Alicent, but it's clear that, in many ways, Rhaenyra has always been his favorite child and the one he is closest with.
Rhaenyra and Daemon's Marriage
Soon after being widowed, Daemon and Rhaenyra marry each other in secret when he is 39 years old, and she is 23. Their marriage causes a huge scandal at court and another rift between Daemon and Viserys, but it is eventually accepted. The couple has two sons together, Aegon and Viserys.
Daenerys seemed more angry that Jon might be the true heir to the Iron Throne than worried about the fact that she had slept with her own nephew. But incest is nothing new to a Targaryen. Actor Emilia Clarke confirmed that Daenerys was not particularly perturbed by the fact that she was related to Jon.
In his last moments, Viserys is under the influence of the milk of the poppy, which causes him to hallucinate, and think Alicent is Rhaenyra. He is actually referring to Rhaenyra and her kids, as the heir to the Iron Throne, confessing his regrets as a father and his love for her.
Putting Rhaenyra as his heir is his penance for what happened. After the graphic House of the Dragon episode 1 birth scene, Hess' comments prove that Viserys is desperate to make up for his hand in his wife's demise, which may be a small comfort to viewers.
Viserys was betrayed by Daenerys. He loved her so dearly when they were children, he adored her and made sure she stayed safe. He starved so she could eat, he begged so she could be warm, he sold the last belonging of his mother, to keep her alive. And she showed him no gratitude.
The King never stopped loving his first wife after her brutal death in House of the Dragon episode 1, with a combination of his illness and continued devotion to her even causing Viserys to accidentally call Alicent “Aemma.” Viserys reaching out and saying “my love” is meant to convey that he has finally died and been ...
Viserys Targaryen: In the book, Viserys—born 77 AC—marries 18-year-old Alicent shortly before he turns 30. They are meant to be 11 years apart in age.
Succumbing to His Leprosy
In Episode Five, he was also shown vomiting, suffering from a nosebleed, and eventually passing out. He was being treated with leeches and other ointments, but the lesions were causing pain over nearly his entire body by the end.
He was fifty-two years old, and had reigned over most of Westeros for twenty-six years. The last people who Viserys spoke to, according to the history book, were his daughter Helaena and his grandchildren, and he died in his sleep rather than with one last vision of Aemma before breathing his last.
Viserys Targaryen, styling himself as King Viserys III Targaryen, also called the "Beggar King", is a major antagonist in the A Song of Ice and Fire novels and its TV adaptation Game of Thrones.