House of the Dragon: How Does Aegon Die in the Book?

Aegon II faces an uncertain future on House of the Dragon.

By Charlie Ridgely

The health of King Aegon II has been up in the air over the past couple episodes of House of the Dragon. After being badly burned and suffering multiple broken bones in the Battle of Rook's Rest, Aegon has been laid up in King's Landing, with only a small hope of his eventual survival. While the show hasn't revealed anything concrete about his health just yet, fans can look to the road map laid out in Fire & Blood, George R.R. Martin's book that recounts the history of House Targaryen.

So how does Aegon die according to Fire & Blood? We'll break it down, but consider this a final spoiler warning. This isn't spoiling House of the Dragon just yet, but it will likely spoil events of the series down the line.

If you're wondering how Aegon fares against his current injuries on House of the Dragon, the young man on the Iron Throne is able to overcome the obstacles. Much to the disappointment of some, Aegon spends a year nursing his injuries and taking Milk of the Poppy before being able to take charge of King's Landing again.

His return isn't triumphant, though, with his injuries causing him permanent scarring and physical disabilities. He also comes back at a tumultuous time, following the eventual death of Rhaenyra.

After Rhaenyra dies, Aegon takes back his throne and is able to bring Corlys Velaryon into his council. But his forces are depleted and it's only a matter of time before Cregan Stark's army arrives from the North to dethrone him. Corlys tries to convince him to take the Black and join the Night's Watch, but Aegon refuses, leaving him in a tough spot.

It doesn't take long after that for Aegon to turn up dead, having been poisoned within King's Landing. Who exactly poisoned him was never confirmed, but that could change once House of the Dragon reaches that point in the story.

Related:

Based on George R.R. Martin's "Fire & Blood" book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D'Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower. House of the Dragon: How Does Aegon Die in the Book?

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