House of the Dragon May Have Introduced Another Character Who Wants the Throne

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of House of the Dragon… The hottest seat in House of the Dragon is going to be in flux for the foreseeable future. Following the death of King Viserys, Aegon II was crowned as the new King of Westeros, despite Rhaenyra being the chosen successor. War is about to break out to decide who actually gets control of the realm, but there might be more than just the two Targaryen siblings trying to sit on the Iron Throne. 

During one scene in Sunday’s episode of House of the Dragon, a young boy who looked to have the same white hair as the Targaryens was seen in a sketchy establishment in Flea Bottom. The kid was spotted behind bars in a place where children were fighting for money, and the camera lingered on that specific child for a while. While that may have just been a young boy in King’s Landing, it could also be a character known as Gaemon Palehair, a boy who grows up to be a pretender king in Westeros.

Who Is Gaemon Palehair?

George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood reveals that Gaemon Palehair is the son of a prostitute in King’s Landing. The boy’s mother, Essie, claims that he is actually the bastard son of Aegon II, who was just crowned King. 

During the Dance of the Dragons, the war that is breaking out between Rhaenyra and Aegon, Gaemon winds up making his supposed parentage publicly known. He tells people who he believes his father is, and some believe him because of his hair color. The Targaryens have a very unique hair color, so it made sense that he could be related to the famous house, especially considering the amount of time Aegon spent with prostitutes. 

Gaemon eventually ends up rallying thousands of followers at one point, convincing people that he actually should be the new King of the Realm. 

Was Gaemon Palehair in House of the Dragon?

There is no confirmation of the boy’s identity in the new episode of House of the Dragon. That said, the evidence seems to favor the idea that the boy seen in the episode is Gaemon.

Arryk and Erryk spot the boy in a place that they know Aegon frequents, linking him to the child’s location. There’s also the hair, which is hard to explain as anything other than Targaryen roots. Along with all that, the lingering of the camera seems to indicate that the child could be important, for one reason or another. 

Do you think House of the Dragon introduced Gaemon Palehair in the new episode? Let us know in the comments!