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.
So Rhaenyra bringing up a prophecy as the reason why she doesn't want to go to war, especially as we established that Daemon does not believe in them makes him so furious that he lashes out and chokes her.
Daemon marries twice and Rhaenyra once before the pair exchanged vows. Daemon first marries Rhea Royce and then Laena Velaryon, while Rhaenyra spends years wed to Laena's brother, Laenor Velaryon. After Laena and Laenor die, the uncle and niece commit themselves to one another in holy matrimony.
While this is a revelation in and of itself, this sequence also highlights the truth of Daemon and Rhaenyra - he is an abuser and she is his victim, albeit perhaps one who does not see herself as a victim.
Daemon chokes Rhaenyra because he's angry, because he feels she's making the wrong decision, and probably even because she reminds him of his late brother.
Daemon couldn't perform with Rhaenyra after she took control of the situation. “It's the idea that Daemon is using Rhaenyra as a way to get at her father,” showrunner Miguel Sapochnik said.
He doesn't only ignore Laena on the issue, though, he actively ignores his daughter Rhaena (Eva Ossei-Gerning) as well, perhaps because she doesn't own a dragon like her sister Baela (Shani Smethhurst) or her parents.
There are two elements that explain why Daemon doesn't sleep with Rhaenyra; that Daemon knew what he is doing is wrong, and that Daemon's affection for Rhaenyra kept him from taking it too far by sleeping with her - but he still takes advantage of the situation by trying to gain power and the Iron Throne through ...
We last saw her find out the truth in "We Light the Way" that Rhaenyra lost her virginity to Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel).
After Daemon's first wife dies, he gets together with Laena Velaryon—who was initially suggested as a bride for King Viserys. They have two daughters. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra marries Laena's brother, Laenor Velaryon, and they have several kids.
It is well known that Dameon is in love with Rhaenyra. But his love was not restricted to her. He was an ambitious man who thought of himself as more deserving of the throne; he wanted that as well, in the pursuit of which his feelings for his niece were just a means to an end.
Her next child whom she's now pregnant with, however, will be a different story. In House of the Dragon episode 8, Rhaenyra Targaryen is pregnant with her daughter Visenya. Despite Rhaenyra and Daemon's excitement over having another child, their daughter will tragically never take a breath of air.
When she brings up the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy, Daemon snaps and grabs her by the throat. “Dreams didn't make us kings,” he hisses as Rhaenyra struggles for breath. “Dragons did.”
It was clear that Leana and Laenor had a close relationship, and she likely would not appreciate her uncle choosing this moment to make a statement while her brother grieves. Daemon laughs at this moment because Vaemond is choosing this moment to guilt Rhaenyra for having children with Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr).
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 has been pregnant with her daughter Visenya since House of the Dragon's latest and last time jump, and it is heartbreaking to see her deal with this loss. The way in which the scene plays out makes it especially disturbing. RELATED: House of the Dragon: Which Dragon is Daemon Singing To?
Daemon stops himself from taking her virginity, though, fleeing the scene conflicted while leaving Rhaenyra to make her way home alone.
Prosthetic designer confirms: the baby was deformed
“When the babe at last came forth, she proved indeed a monster: a stillborn girl, twisted and malformed, with a hole in her chest where her heart should have been and a stubby, scaled tail.
While we conjectured that something inside forced Daemon to stop before he took Rhaenyra's virginity, a recent HBO-approved “Inside the Episode” installment revealed that something was literally impotence. He literally couldn't get it up.
Aegon III, aka Aegon the Younger: Rhaenyra and Daemon's first child together.
After berating Daemon for “abandoning” her to marry the now-deceased Laena Velaryon, Rhaenyra makes it clear that she has feelings for her uncle and wishes to strengthen her position in Westeros by marrying him. The pair then have sex.
Later, in episode seven, Daemon tells Rhaenyra that he and Laena were "happy enough" in their marriage. In that regard, there was far more love between Daemon and Laena than there ever was between him and Rhea, even if it wasn't entirely romantic.
Daemon and Rhaenyra share two children together: Aegon III and Viserys II.
Daemon is said to love his family by both the showrunners and fans but we're only shown his love for Viserys and Rhaenyra. Even Matt Smith has said that they're the only people Daemon cares about. Going by the actor's words and what we've seen on the show, Daemon doesn't seem to care about his daughters.
Daemon stumbles back to the Red Keep and is brought before the king, who confronts him with the White Worm's intel. Daemon, pointedly, doesn't deny that he and Rhaenyra had sex.