In Game of Thrones. It takes the explicit command of his brother, King Viserys I (Paddy Considine), for Daemon to leave King’s Landing, though whether he will return to his wife as ordered remains to be seen.
House of the Dragon introduces Daemon as someone not to be trifled with. He’s a skilled and ruthless knight, Commander of the City Watch of King’s Landing, and rider of the fearsome red dragon Caraxes. Daemon’s Dark Sister Sword has already taken heads and will surely take more before the show ends, but he’s not all bitter steel and sharp edges. He shows a certain tenderness with his niece Rhaenyra Targaryen, as well as his paramour, the prostitute Mysaria, whom he brings along on Caraxes as he leaves King’s Landing.
Daemon’s wife is Lady Rhea Royce, the heir to Runestone and House Royce in the Vale. In the book Fire & Blood, it’s revealed that Daemon found the Vale unlikeable and boring, and his distaste for Rhea was thoroughly mutual. Daemon refers to Rhea as his “bronze b***h,” which is meant to mock the Royce family’s ancient bronze armor, and he even asked his brother King Viserys I to dismiss the marriage but was denied.
What Happens To Daemon Targaryen’s Wife
Ultimately, Rhea Royce does not contribute to the Targaryen family tree. Her marriage to Daemon is both barren and loveless, and she dies estranged from her husband. Lady Rhea’s death is accidental: she falls from her horse while hawking and her head smashes into a rock. She attempts to recover over several days, but after rising from her bed for the first time, she collapses and succumbs to her injury. Her ing leaves Daemon with a shaky claim to House Royce, and the freedom he so desires to pursue a marriage of his own design.
Daemon’s marriage to Lady Rhea and her eventual death will surely play a massive role in his arc as House of the Dragon continues. While there’s a huge difference between House of the Dragon’s Targaryens and those in Game of Thrones’ one thing that feels quite familiar is their family’s propensity for precarious marital arrangements. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, is changed in Daemon and Rhea’s story, or if she will play a larger part of HBO’s prequel series than she does in Fire & Blood.