Spoilers ahead for Episode 6 of House of the Dragon Season 2, called "Smallfolk."
House of the Dragon is getting ever closer to the finale of the second season, which is shorter than the first by two episodes. Readers of George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood can probably guess where the remaining episodes are going to leave off, but the show has hardly been beholden to the events of the book when it comes to the Targaryen family tree in Season 2. In the latest episode, Aemond was making moves in King's Landing to secure his rule even as Aegon woke up and the smallfolk began to riot for resources, while Rhaenyra tried to make a knight with a few drops of Targaryen blood into a dragonrider.
But it was the events on Driftmark rather than Dragonstone or King's Landing that may have confirmed the death of somebody who was quite important in the first season, and it's all because of one of the dragons of theHouse of the Dragon: Seasmoke.
Did Seasmoke Confirm A Death?
Seasmoke's earliest role in House of the Dragon was fighting Daemon's war in the Stepstones last season, as he was the dragon of none other than Laenor Velaryon. All the dragonriders of the show seem closely connected with their mounts, but Laenor had to leave Seasmoke behind when he faked his death in the messy seventh episode of Season 1. A giant grey dragon would have been a bit of a giveaway that Laenor was alive, even if he did shave off his distinctive white hair!
But Laenor was still alive, which seemed like a surefire sign that Seasmoke was out of action for the Blacks or the Greens unless he came back. After all, there's no evidence that a dragon would bond to a different rider if their previous rider was still alive, which wasn't even contradicted by Game of Thrones' divisive final season, when Jon was able to ride Rhaegal, since Dany had only ridden Drogon of her three dragons. (R.I.P. Rhaegal after Dany famously forgot about the Iron Fleet.)
By the end of the hour of House of the Dragon's latest episode, Seasmoke had seemingly been claimed by none other than Addam of Hull... or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Addam was claimed by Seasmoke. If the dragon was able to seek out a new rider, does that mean that Laenor must be dead and his connection to Seasmoke – assuming it could endure despite their separation and great distance – completely severed?
If House of the Dragon was following the lore of George R.R. Martin's books to the letter, I'd say that Addam riding Seasmoke is proof of Laenor's faraway death. Then again, Laenor didn't fake his death in Fire & Blood, so it's all a bit of a mess at this point. It's also something that may never be definitively settled, if Laenor just remains off-screen and his story is never addressed again.
Who Is Addam Of Hull?
Technically, Episode 6 ended without definitively showing that Addam of Hull was riding Seasmoke, but it's hard to interpret Rhaenyra getting word that Seasmoke and a rider were flying over Spicetown after Seasmoke pursued Addam any other way. After all, Seasmoke didn't chomp Addam or roast him like he did poor Ser Steffon Darklyn, and Addam seemingly overcame his fear to stare down the dragon. Who else could it be?
And while House of the Dragon hasn't devoted nearly as much screentime to Addam as the Targaryens of Season 2, he's an interesting character. HBO's promotional material ahead of the second season described the character – played by Clinton Liberty – as "a shipwright for the Velaryon fleet and Alyn’s brother." It's clear enough as of the end of "Smallfolk" that both Addam and Alyn are the bastard sons of Corlys Velaryon, although only Alyn seems to have inherited the signature white hair of most Velaryons and Targaryens.
Based on the brothers' interactions, it seems likely that Addam would want to make the most of his bond with Seasmoke for the Blacks or the Greens, whereas Alyn doesn't want anything from Corlys. Book readers can guess what the aftermath of Addam claiming Seasmoke will be, but nothing is confirmed at this point, and Rhaenyra has some words for Addam in the promo for Episode 7. Take a look:
Interestingly, Jace seems to be against the idea of non-Targaryens riding dragons, when he himself had the idea to recruit people with only traces of Targaryen blood to join the Blacks on dragonback. It's worth noting that Velaryons and Targaryens were related by blood even before Daemon and Laena, so Addam and Alyn could qualify as dragonseeds even without being the children of Rhaenys like Laenor and Laenor.
All in all, Seasmoke's future on House of the Dragon seems tied to Addam of Hull, which may be all the confirmation we'll ever get about Laenor dying far, far away from his dragon. Of course, Season 2's run in the 2024 TV schedule isn't over just yet, and there are still a couple of episodes left to possibly get some answers about Laenor. I for one am not holding my breath, though.
Keep tuning in to HBO on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET for new episodes of House of the Dragon Season 2, and/or stream every episode so with a Max subscription.
