Did ‘House of the Dragon’ Forget About Aemond’s Fiancee?

Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2.

It hasn’t been a bad time to be Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) in House of the Dragon Season 2. Aside from Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) stark warning to the prince in the final scene of last week’s Season 2, Episode 7, “The Red Sowing,” Aemond has managed to both banish his brother, Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), to a state of indefinite bedrest and secure his own regency in the latest outing of Ryan Condal‘s Westerosi spin-off. By fleshing out the character’s vulnerabilities with scene partners like brothel keeper Sylvi (Michelle Bonnard), the Game of Thrones prequel has spent much of Season 2 examining Aemond’s conflicted layers, inviting scrutiny on a more personal level for the character. Despite the regent’s recent ascension, Alicent’s second son has yet to embrace the full scope of his new role, begging the question: what happened to Aemond’s fiancée from House of the Dragon Season 1?

Fans with a good memory will remember that Aemond actually got betrothed to one of the daughters of Lord Borros Baratheon (Roger Evans) in one of the final scenes of House of the Dragon Season 1, Episode 10, “The Black Queen.” Securing the match in order to win Storm’s End to the Greens’ side and undermine his nephew, Prince Lucerys (Elliot Grihault), the marriage agreement seemed poised to introduce a fresh face to the Greens’ embattled Red Keep in House of the Dragon Season 2, but, despite a brief mention at the beginning of the season’s first episode, Lord Borros’s daughter has yet to make an appearance. Instead, Westeros’s most eligible usurper has sat the Iron Throne alone, making the state of the Greens’ arrangement unclear in House of the Dragon‘s most recent episodes.

House of the Dragon

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.

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Creator

Ryan J. Condal, George R.R. Martin

Main Genre

Drama

Seasons

4

Distributor

HBO

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Where Is Aemond’s Baratheon Fiancée in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2?

Ironically, even though she only appears onscreen once, House of the Dragon’s story has actually done more to characterize Aemond’s fiancée than author George R.R. Martin‘s source material, Fire and Blood, by giving her a name. The Season 2 premiere confirms Aemond is betrothed to the Lady Floris Baratheon (Megan-Rose Barter), a detail which is unaccounted for in the original novel and may also explain the lady’s absence from the Red Keep. Unlike Game of Thrones’ Sansa (Sophie Turner) or the marriage pacts arranged between Rhaenyra’s sons and Laena’s (Nanna Blondell) daughters, Floris’s pact to her royal prince is made during a time of war, meaning the pair don’t have time to get to know one another while the realm tears itself apart. As a result, it’s likely that Floris has remained at Storm’s End for her own safety throughout House of the Dragon Season 2.

While this exclusion does detract from the escalated stakes of House of the Dragon’s Season 1 finale, Floris’s absence from Season 2’s court drama makes sense throughout the first few episodes. As the betrothed to the Greens’ royal spare, Floris’s presence in King’s Landing wouldn’t be deemed essential, though House of the Dragon‘s Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) does also confirm that he awaits the Stormlands’ sworn declaration of their allegiance to King Aegon in the same small council meeting that confirms which Baratheon daughter Aemond is turning into a princess. This delay could signify some strain on the agreement or simply be a throwaway line hinting at the Baratheons’ later involvement in the war, but regardless, House of the Dragon glosses over the key relationship once Aemond assumes the title of regent.

Floris Baratheon’s Absence Is a Missed Opportunity for ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2

As Aemond has not yet been technically coronated as Westeros’s king, there’s no urgent need for him to present the realm with his queen, though Floris’s lack of character development is unusual for someone in such close proximity to him. While former fiancées to the series’ main royals, such as Helaena (Phia Saban) and Laena, have received more than their fair share of attention due to their Targaryen blood, Floris’s arrival at the Red Keep could have drawn an amusing contrast to these earlier engagements by showing how difficult it is for an outsider to adjust to the House of the Dragon’s chaotic family politics. Floris’s presence would also have given viewers insight into a very different side of Aemond, as Westeros’s rogue prince in training would have had to balance his personal desire for Sylvia with his political duty to the Baratheon princess.

Such a conflict between duty and desire would have offered a fresh parallel to the themes best expressed through Game of Thrones’ Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), while also testing Aemond’s assertion from House of the Dragon Season 1 that he would have no problem entering into a marriage as loveless as that between his brother and Helaena. Moreover, Floris’s greater presence in the series could have tested Aemond in even greater ways. While House of the Dragon also briefly showcases Lord Borros’s four daughters, Fire and Blood briefly delves into the basic traits of their personalities, with Aemond choosing Floris for her prettiness instead of her clever sister, Maris.

In the book, Maris actually helps to incite Aemond’s attack on Lucerys, mocking him for his lost eye and asking if Lucerys hadn’t taken his manhood instead. Therefore, if Floris brought Maris with her to the Red Keep, the series could have highlighted the childhood insecurities that Aemond alludes to with Sylvi, which cause him to torch Aegon during House of the Dragon’s battle of Rook’s Rest. The Dowager Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) herself acknowledges that Aemond’s cruel actions seem largely driven by a sense of retribution for the bullying he experienced as a boy, such as when his Targaryen playmates mocked him with a pig when he was one of the few Targaryen children without a dragon in House of the Dragon Season 1. Maris’s connection to Floris could have allowed Aemond to confront his trauma directly, though the Baratheon sisters’ absence still enables the series to showcase Westeros’s glaring sense of social inequality.

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Aemond’s Long Engagement Demonstrates the Greens’ Hypocrisy in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2

Outside of Floris’s significance to Aemond’s upbringing, the fact that Aemond is able to spend so much of House of the Dragon Season 2 ducking responsibility for his engagement emphasizes his privilege as the Greens’ male heir to the Iron Throne. While Lord Jasper Wylde (Paul Kennedy) goes so far as to suggest Alicent marry Dalton Greyjoy to secure the Iron Islands’ navy in Season 2, Episode 6, the small council puts no pressure on Aemond to rely upon his pre-existing marriage pact to hastily bolster the Greens’ military strength. Just as Daemon (Matt Smith) points out that he and Viserys were permitted frequent visits to King’s Landing’s Street of Silk without social repercussions as young men, Aemond is unfaithful to Floris due to his maternal reliance on Sylvi, yet the prince’s personal life never comes under invasive scrutiny by House of the Dragon‘s patriarchy.

The lack of attention given to the state of Aemond’s marriage in House of the Dragon Season 2 underscores the vastly different and unjust realities experienced by Westeros’s royal sons and daughters, especially with the current season’s renewed focus on Helaena. The last of Alicent’s children in the Red Keep not actively scorning or being scorned by House of the Dragon‘s tragic mother, the series’ latest episodes have gone to great lengths to demonstrate the toll that Helaena’s social position has taken on her mental health. Not only was Helaena forced to marry and give Aegon children as an early teenager in House of the Dragon Season 1, but personally witnessing the murder of her firstborn son at the hands of Blood and Cheese in Season 2 further punished Helaena for the status she never asked for. Yet, while the Greens’ small council enforces toxic traditions onto Westeros’s female leads, it is also willing to overlook Aemond’s own obligations and infidelities.

House of the Dragon has therefore not completely forgotten Floris Baratheon, but for all intents and purposes, the Greens have certainly made it easy for the audience to overlook the betrothed princess. A younger daughter of Lord Borros who plays a symbolic role in securing Aemond the Stormlands, Floris’s absence from House of the Dragon Season 2 glosses over one of Season 1’s most impactful introductions at a time when the show is dedicating more screentime to unlikely side characters like Dyana (Maddie Evans) and the short-lived leaders of House Darklyn. The lack of attention Floris has received in relation to Aemond emphasizes the double standard applied to the prince in comparison with his traumatized sister, and with his regency coming to a head in this weekend’s upcoming finale, it’s unlikely House of the Dragon fans will ever get to see what royal marriage looks like for the sapphire-studded prince.

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

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