Westeros has been all about pairing young girls with older men. This was an efficient way to guarantee that powerful men had many children. We've seen it before in Game of Thrones and it is happening again in House of the Dragon. This time, people are disturbed by the idea that the 12-year-old Laena Velaryon is open to being married to the middle-aged Viserys I Targaryen.
In House of the Dragon Episode 2, King Viserys is persuaded to take another wife so he could have more heirs, specifically a male. Corlys and Rhaenys Velaryon immediately suggest that the king marries their daughter Laena since she has Targaryen blood and is considered a true Valyrian.
This leads to Viserys spending time with Laena, who might be a mere child but aware of her future duties if she is chosen as the new queen. When Viserys asks what her mother had told her, Laena casually confirms that she was told she wouldn't have to "bed" her much older husband until she turns 14.
Naturally, viewers were in an uproar over the scene which clearly shows a child potentially being married off to someone who could be her grandfather.
Luckily, we won't get to see Laena marrying an old man. Viserys ultimately chose Alicent Hightower as his new wife. Sure, she's older than Laena, but at 15, that doesn't really make much of a difference.
House of the Dragon Episode 2 followed the events directly after the premiere where Rhaenyra Targaryen was announced as King Viserys' heir. The princess immediately got to work as the heir apparent, choosing a leader of the Kingsguard and butting heads with Rhaenys Velaryon, the Queen Who Never Was.
In Dragonstone, Daemon Targaryen announces that he will marry Mysaria who is with child and takes a dragon egg to be placed in the baby's cradle. It is revealed that Daemon had taken the egg that Rhaenyra chose for her brother and she demands to take it back.
House of the Dragon Episode 3 will premiere on HBO on Sunday, September 4, 2022, at 9:00 PM EST.
Related: House of the Dragon Opening Sequence Recycles Game of Thrones But With Fire and Blood
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