Laenor Velaryon’s Death: Did Rhaenyra kill Laenor in House of the Dragon? Is Laenor Velaryon Still Alive?

Laenor Velaryon’s Death: Did Rhaenyra kill Laenor in House of the Dragon? Is Laenor Velaryon Still Alive?

In House of the Dragon Episode 7, one of the critical moments in episode 7 was Rhaenyra telling his uncle/lover Daemon that she needed him.

They needed to unite their blood just as Aegon, the conqueror, did with his sisters so that her succession could not be challenged so easily.

When Daemon replies to Rhaenyra that for him to marry her first Laenor needs to die, to that, Rhaenyra says she knows that, and after that, we see Daemon going to Laenor’s alleged lover Ser Qarl and asking him to kill Laenor and offers him an enormous amount of gold and the safe path.

So what happened afterwards? Did Qarl kill Laenor? Or Is Laenor Velaryon Still Alive? Well, let us find the answers below.

Did Rhaenyra kill Laenor in House of the Dragon? Is Laenor Velaryon Still Alive?

At the end of Episode 7, “Driftmark” of House of the Dragon, it is obvious that Laenor Velaryon didn’t die.

Instead, he was seen in the boat with his alleged lover Ser Qarl whom Daemon had ordered to kill Laenor.

They have changed the fate of Laenor in the series to what was in the books.

They are presumably to run off to the place across the narrow sea, where it doesn’t matter what a man’s name is but how much gold he possesses.

If you watch episode 7 again, you will see that Rhaenyra went to Daemon and asked him to bind their blood together, just as Aegon did during his conquests with his sisters.

With Daemon as her husband and Prince consort, her succession will not be challenged so easily.

“Valeryons are for the sea, but you and I are made of fire, and we are always meant to burn together,” says Rhaenyra.

In reply, when Daemon states that they could not marry each other unless Laenor is dead, to that Rhaenyra says she knows and maybe, later on, she had given the idea to Daemon to talk to Ser Qarl and offer him gold so that he can kill Laenor.

So Did Rhaenyra kill Laenor? The answer is no; Rhaenyra already discussed it with Laenor and Qarl beforehand as she was already aware of the relationship between them.

We know that Laenor wanted to run away with Qarl; therefore, she and her uncle Daemon had already discussed this with Laenor, and consequently, they staged the whole thing up so that it looks like Laenor died during the fight with Ser Qarl and Rhaenyra can marry her uncle Daemon.

In the meantime, Ser Qarl and Laenor can run away to live their own lives in peace in the place across the narrow sea with the gold and new identity.

Maybe Rhaenyra and Daemon are also aware that Laenor is alive and faked his death.

Rhaenyra did that so that she could be feared, and with Daemon as her husband and prince consort, her succession as the Queen of Seven Kingdoms will not be challenged, and Ser Qarl being the killer, nobody will going to question her either.

But in reality, Rhaenyra didn’t kill Laenor.

Instead, Ser Qarl had burned another body badly so that it could be showcased as Laenor’s body with a witness who would claim that Laenor and Ser Qarl were engaged in the sword fight.

Therefore Laenor Velaryon is still alive and is with his lover Ser Qarl.

What happens to Laenor Velaryon in the books?

Well, the series changed the fate of Laenor in The House of the Dragon Episode 7, but as per the books, Laenor was killed by Ser Qarl while attending a fair at spice town Driftmark where traders present saw both of them fighting.

As per the Septon, Eustace, Ser Qarl killed Laenor out of jealousy, believing Laenor was cheating on him with a younger male favourite.

But as per Mushroom the Dwarf, who served as a fool at the courts of Viserys I Targaryen, it was a plan by Daemon and Rhaenyra only to kill Laenor so that both of them could get married.

Later on, Laenor’s body was found by his father, Lord Corlys, who was taking his sons’ revenge and had offered ten thousand golden dragons to anyone who would bring Ser Qarl’s head to him or lead him to Ser Qarl.

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