Now the war has truly begun. The latest episode of House of the Dragon finally delivers all the fire and blood that the show has been promising since its Season 2 premiere, and this first dance between the dragons is sure to anger the gods. With corpse-littered fields and plumes of dark smoke rising over a charred landscape, the first major battle of Ryan Condal‘s prequel series rivals the most visually stunning sequences from Game of Thrones and adds gritty detail to the broad strokes of author George R.R. Martin‘s source material. Once again, audiences get to witness soldiers dancing in dragon fire and the first real melee between adult dragons since the Night King’s attack on Winterfell, but the battle’s most consequential moment actually originates from a major change made to Aemond’s (Ewan Mitchell) character from Martin’s prequel novel, Fire and Blood.

This alteration occurs near the end of Season 2, Episode 4, “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” when the long-awaited battle of Rook’s Rest is well underway. Fresh off his sacking of Duskendale and the beheading of Lord Darklyn, Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) marches on the keep of Lord Staunton in order to undermine one of the most vocal members of Queen Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) small council. This insult prompts Rhaenyra to dispatch Rhaenys (Eve Best) and her dragon, Meleys, to repel the attackers, but the Queen Who Never Was is suddenly confronted by Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), the King Who Unfortunately Is. When Aemond joins the fray on Vhagar as previously planned, the three dragons and their riders battle in the skies above the Crownlands, with Aemond ultimately making a decision destined to alter the course of House of the Dragon for years to come.

The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO series Game of Thrones. Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon is set nearly 200 years before Game of Thrones, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.

Aemond’s Decision in ‘House of the Dragon’ Makes a Major Improvement to ‘Fire and Blood’

In George R.R. Martin’s prequel novel, the battle of Rook’s Rest is fairly brief, with Martin only describing the battle for about a page. As an expansive volume covering the first half of Targaryen family history, the book can’t afford to get bogged down in the specifics of every important battle in Westeros, so its description of Aemond and Aegon’s battle with Rhaenys is concise. Martin describes dragons flying a thousand feet in the air as fireballs explode like suns above Lord Staunton’s keep, and after Meleys manages to clasp Sunfyre in her jaws, Vhagar swoops down just in time to send all three hurtling towards the ground together. In Fire and Blood, Aemond is the only one who happens to rise from this impact unscathed, but House of the Dragon adds depth to Mitchell’s character by making him directly responsible for Aegon’s brutal fate.

After Aegon brashly rides Sunfyre to Rook’s Rest in order to prove his worth, Aemond actively sabotages his brother’s chances in House of the Dragon’s main battle, acting in stark contrast to his supporting role in the book. Aemond prevents Vhagar from immediately flying up to support Aegon against Rhaenys, and when Aemond does eventually join the fight, his brother’s relief is immediately replaced by a look of horror as Aemond unleashes a torrent of fire on both riders to blast both Aegon and Sunfyre out of the sky. The fact that Aemond does this despite Aegon’s frantic pleas emphasizes how this attack was a deliberate choice, recontextualizing Aemond’s survival at Rook’s Rest as a result of him deciding to finally pay Aegon back for all his brother’s bullying.

‘House of the Dragon’s Change Doubles Down on Aemond’s Kinslaying

The change from Aemond’s more passive role in Fire and Blood’s battle sequence allows the character to act directly on his anger, making Aemond feel more dynamic and compelling, but it also demonstrates Aemond’s character growth since Season 1. The shots of Aemond and Vhagar surveying their casualties throughout Rook’s Rest parallel the shots following Vhagar’s killing of Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault) and Arrax in House of the Dragon’s Season 1 finale. Yet, while Aemond never meant to kill his nephew, he makes a clear decision to unleash his wrath on Aegon at Rook’s Rest, demonstrating how Aemond has embraced his status as a kinslayer and become emboldened by his constant humiliation at the hands of his brother.

House of the Dragon Season 2 has certainly not shied away from illustrating the tension between the two brothers. Aegon’s drunken decision to embarrass Aemond in last week’s episode by exposing his relationship with a brothel keeper (Michelle Bonnard) in front of his friends demonstrates Aegon’s lack of respect for his younger sibling, and his dismissive comments about Aemond while sitting the throne further illustrate how the young king takes Aemond for granted. Therefore, Aemond’s decision to lash out at his brother feels like revenge for being forced to live in Aegon’s shadow, a justified act of aggression against someone who has been putting Aemond down since Season 1, as well as an attempt at retribution that could put Aemond that much closer to the power that he rightfully deserves.

Aemond’s Attack on His Brother Puts Him One Step Closer to the Iron Throne

While House of the Dragon’s main conflict pits Aegon and Rhaenyra’s claims against one another, it’s important to note that these claims don’t revolve solely around the successors themselves. Rhaenyra is also fighting for the future of her bloodline, for Jacaerys (Harry Collett) to one day assume the Iron Throne as her heir, and as Aegon’s oldest brother, Aemond also has a claim to his brother’s titles, especially since Blood and Cheese murdered Aegon’s own heir at the end of Season 2, Episode 1. As a result, Aemond’s attack against his brother didn’t just serve as an opportunity to express his contempt for his inconsiderate sibling. House of the Dragon’s latest attempt at kinslaying really demonstrates how Aemond is fighting for his own ascension.

While Aegon’s exact condition is left ambiguous in the episode’s final scene, it’s safe to assume that the young king will at least be incapacitated after Sunfyre’s crash landing, if not dead outright. Since Aemond is next in line to the throne, his influence will only grow in his brother’s absence, and he will be able to continue appropriating Aegon’s authority similarly to how he dominated the small council meeting at the beginning of this week’s episode. Moreover, House of the Dragon seems to be hinting at the Greens’ shifting power dynamic already, with Aemond picking up Aegon’s valyrian steel dagger at the end of Episode 4. One of the most iconic set pieces from the World of Ice and Fire, the dagger is a symbol of Targaryen rulers going back to Aegon the Conqueror, and Aemond’s possession of the blade implies his head could be next to wear Westeros’s bloody crown.

House of the Dragon’s latest shift from George R.R. Martin’s source material, therefore, serves to strengthen Aemond’s character by giving him a more active role to play in his brother’s demise. Taking advantage of the brothers’ tension to fuel Aemond’s renewed zeal for kinslaying, the series allows Aemond to act as the primary instrument for his own succession rather than relying solely upon Aegon’s own recklessness. This change not only continues House of the Dragon’s practice of subverting Fire and Blood’s most important moments, but it also makes Aemond a more well-rounded character by showcasing the prince’s strategic anger, demonstrating how Westeros’s sapphire-studded prince continues to be one of the show’s most compelling antagonists.

House of the Dragon is currently streaming on Max. New episodes drop every Sunday night.