Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) finally had sex on House of the Dragon. After teasing their deep connection for weeks, making out in a brothel, and flirting their way through King's Landing, uncle and niece at long last did the dirty.
Daemon struggles with impotence. This may also be why he has fathered no children with his wife. When Rhaenyra was aggressive in their encounter, Daemon's loss of control changed his handle on things.
According to the accounts of Septon Eustace, prior to her turning sixteen, Rhaenyra lost her virginity to her uncle, Prince Daemon, after he seduced her.
He sobered up enough to lie to Viserys and let him think that he had indeed – as Viserys put it – “defiled” Rhaenyra. But why? Now, the easy argument is that Daemon thought Viserys would let him marry Rhaenyra if he believed that Daemon had ruined her, which would bring him one step closer to the throne.
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.
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.
The story of the princess and her valiant knight did not end as a fairy tale, though. A sordid and controversial story began to spread that Rhaenyra lost her virginity to her uncle Daemon at age 16. No one knows if that is true. But Targaryens had long married within the family to keep their bloodlines pure.
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.”
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.
By House of the Dragon's fourth episode, Rhaenyra is around 18 years old and Daemon is 34. "The idea that a teenage girl is in any way able to consent to that sexual interaction is a mess.
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.
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.
In George R.R. Martin's fictitious history of the Targaryen family, we learn that Rhaenyra does eventually have children with her uncle Daemon: two boys named Viserys II and Aegon III, both of whom eventually become king.
Rhaenyra's Relationship With Criston Soiled His White Cloak
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.
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.
Prince Daemon had twin girls, Baela Targaryen and Rhaena Targaryen, by his second wife, Laena Velaryon. He and his third wife, Princess Rhaenyra, had two sons together, the future Aegon III and Viserys II, and a stillborn daughter, Visenya.
Since Daemon Targaryen had touched the Crabfeeder's infected hand, it seems like he was infected with greyscale. On the other hand, since the disease can be a dormant variant, some argued that the Crab King's greyscale was dormant too.
Some dragon-like babies are born after incredibly complicated and anger-induced births, so it's possible that the fire of the dragon being released within both Rhaenyra and Syrax during the birth somehow impacted her daughter's physical characteristics.
Acording to "Fire & Blood"... "Childbirth exacted a toll on the princess; the weight that Rhaenyra gained during her pregnancies never entirely left her, and by the time her youngest boy was born, she had grown stout and thick of waist' the beauty of her girlhood a fading memory...." And this was before marrying Daemon ...
She Lost Her Virginity To Her Uncle
Sure to be one of Matt Smith's best characters, it was clear from early on that there was a remarkable bond between Daemon and his niece, Rhaenyra. Many of the chroniclers agree that he was, in fact, the one who took her virginity.
Turns out, Rhaenyra and Daemon are endgame, meaning they have a sexually tense relationship, eventually hook up, and get married—which is pretty significant from a power play perspective considering (1) they both want the throne and (2) their Targaryen union is almost sure to guarantee that happens—even though Alicent ...
Not understanding this, Daemon grabs her by the neck and tells her that Viserys was a man who was a slave to his prophecies. We know this to be true since he believed himself to be a Dreamer and thought that his son would sit on the Iron Throne.
All the way back in episode 1, King Viserys passes a family secret onto his daughter Princess Rhaenyra -- a doomsday prophecy telling of the end of men. Let's break down what Viserys says: "Our histories... they tell us that Aegon looked across the Blackwater from Dragonstone, and saw a rich land ripe for the capture.
Daemon is really angry because Rhaenyra is being passive. In his mind she wants to make peace with the greens when they possibly killed or poisoned Viserys (we see him checking for poison in ep 8 and he accuses Alicent of killing Viserys in ep 10) and they usurped the throne. Something that he very much wants.