Two weeks of conflict and the Targaryen Civil War have already cost the lives of two princes (Lucerys and Jaehaerys), soldiers, the guilty and the innocent. The worst is yet to come.

On Rhaenyra’s side, the deaths will seem more personal, not only will she lose crucial allies like Rhaenys Velaryon (Eve Best) but also her three children with her first husband, Laenor Velaryon (John McMillan), that is, with her lover Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr). Lucerys, her middle son and heir to the Velaryons, was the first victim of the conflict between Blacks and Greens, an (accidental) attack by Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) that paralyzed the Queen for weeks and made her overly protective of her other children. However, not all caution will prevent her from suffering greater losses, including, and relatively close to, her firstborn, Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett). This loss will be devastating for Rhaenyra.

The first and protective leader

Jacaerys Velaryon was born as the eldest son of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and her first husband, Ser Laenor Velaryon. At the time, the princess was still living in King’s Landing, and the birth of the former’s heir in the order of succession to Viserys I (Paddy Considine), which even more directly affected Otto Hightower’s (Rhys Iphans) plans to have his grandson Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carvey) on the Iron Throne.

The House of the Dragon series moves forward in time and we meet little Jace when Rhaenyra gives birth to her third child “with Laenor”, ​​Joffrey, but we soon realize that the elements described in the book are present. Mainly the confirmation that the real father of the princess’s children is her bodyguard, Ser Harvin Strong (Ryan Corr).

Although Laenor poses as a father and is affectionate with his “children”, Ser Harwin protects and trains them to be knights and know how to fight. The more public and brazen secret of her children’s paternity exposed and weakened Rhaenyra’s situation, even with her father’s unstinting support. This only contributed to the even greater envy of Alicent (Olivia Cooke), trapped in a political marriage and following the rules, only to witness her stepdaughter live with (im)moral freedom without apparent punishment.

Within this scenario, the fact that all of Rhaenyra’s children had dragons and knew how to ride them was vital to prove in some way the strength of the boys’ Valyrian blood. Jace’s dragon is Vermax.

Defining Jace as Prince: protective, bold and charismatic

Jace Velaryon can be defined as a brave, determined, and loyal prince. Extremely protective of his mother and brothers, he also supports Rhaenyra’s claims, leading forces on her behalf and establishing important alliances.

The age difference between him and his uncles was small, so the rivalry between him, Aegon and Aemond “comes from birth”, fueled by Alicent and above all Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). To make matters worse, Jace and his brothers have always faced distrust and hostility due to suspicions about their paternity and this distrust is fueled and exacerbated by their uncles, Aemond and Aegon, who frequently mock and challenge Jace and his brothers.

There was a consideration by Rhaenyra, to resolve the issue with the Hightowers, of marrying Jace to Helaena (Phia Saban), but Alicent was opposed and rushed her daughter’s marriage to her brother, Aegon II, condemning the sensitive princess to a union with an abuser and sexual predator instead of a possible loving and respectful relationship with Jace.

Instead of Helaena, Jace is betrothed to his cousin Baela Velaryon (Bethany Antonia) – daughter of Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and his second wife, Laena Velaryon – with whom he has always been close. By uniting the two, Rhaenyra “resolves” the issue of her son’s illegitimacy, as Baela is undoubtedly Velaryon and Targaryen, equally placating the ambitions of her father-in-law, Ser Corlys Velaryon (Steve Touissant).

Furthermore, Baela was directly involved in one of the traumatic moments of Jace’s childhood, when at his mother’s funeral Aemond claims Vhagar and the children are literally slapped for it. What would be a fight between cousins ​​takes a tragic turn when Aemond apparently goes to hurt Jace with a sword and Lucerys defends her brother, blinding her uncle forever. The event deepens the animosity between the two factions of the Targaryen family and the conflict is a prelude to the deeper divisions that will lead to the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.

In the face of all this, Jace became even more protective of his brother and his mother, who started to live with them in Dragonstone. He gained two more brothers, Aegon III and Viserys II, whom he cared for with the same affection he dedicated to Luce and Joffrey.

When the Green coup begins, it is Jacaerys who takes the lead and convinces his mother to have him and Luce as messengers, indirectly putting his brother on the path to his premature death. Jace won the most difficult mission of flying north, while in theory, his brother would be closer, going to Storm’s End.

Jace is successful in all negotiations, managing to convince Lady Jeyne Arryn to support Rhaenyra, as well as Cregan Stark. In the series, they eliminated gossip that he had been harassed by Jeyne or fallen in love with a “Sara Snow”. On the contrary, House of the Dragon shows us his love and complicity with Baela, a perfect couple if they weren’t in a Game of Thrones universe…

Jace’s legacy

Before we say goodbye to Jace, which I suspect they will save for the end of the season or the beginning of the next, he will be essential (once again) to his mother when she loses her main ally, Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best).

Due to Luce’s death, as already indicated in the second episode, Rhaenyra will refuse to expose her children at all costs, which increases the risk for everyone else. The duel between the Cargyll twins, in the book, could have been a new version of “son for son”, with one side arguing that the target was Jacaerys himself and not the Queen. In the series, instead of confronting each other in the hallway, the two kill each other in Rhaenyra’s room, which is undoubtedly the target of the attack. This makes little difference, after the new attack, she will try to protect Jace, Joffrey, Aegon, and Viserys at all costs.

When Rhaenys goes into battle from which she will never return, Jace is supposed to go with her. And if that had been the case, perhaps the result would have been different. Alone, as Daemon himself warned, there would be no way to face Vhagar and even less the duo of Vhagar and Sunfyre. In her grief, Ser Corlys will turn against her daughter-in-law and it will be Jacaerys who makes peace between the two, leaving her grandfather as the Hand of the Queen.

Furthermore, now at a disadvantage of dragon riders, it will be Jace who will suggest training other people to fly, the “dragon seeds”. Among them will be Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty), a bastard from Corlys that the prince helps to convince the mother to legitimize her as Velaryon. After all, it was Jace who proclaimed that any man or woman who managed to tame a dragon would receive noble status.

What will happen to Jacaerys Velaryon?

Even without being the Hand of the King, Otto Hightower wants the Greens to win and will arrange a connection with the bloodthirsty Triarchy to break the blockade of King’s Landing. Rhaenyra, increasingly concerned for her children’s safety, gives in to Jace’s request to take Aegon and Viserys out of Dragonstone and place them safely in Pentos. However, the Blacks are ambushed which results in the Battle of the Gullet.

In it, Rhaenyra’s youngest children are captured, but Aegon III escapes with his dragon Stormcloud, leaving Viserys III with an uncertain fate. Jacaerys immediately leaves with four knights to rescue his brother.

Everything seems to be going well for the Blacks, but Vermax, who was flying low near the waterline, is shot down by arrows and grappling hooks while flying over the Greens’ war fleet. He falls into the sea, near a burned galley. Jacaerys manages to free himself and floats in the water stunned, but is killed by several enemy arrows. To make matters worse, Driftmark is then set on fire.

Jacaerys’ death is a significant blow for the Black faction, but even more so for Rhaenyra who has her heart destroyed. She is already under enormous pressure and stress due to the war, and Jace’s death further worsens her emotional and psychological situation. According to reports, Rhaenyra becomes more ruthless and determined to defeat her enemies, but also more vulnerable and desperate.

Losing Jacaerys also means losing one of the Black’s strategists and commanders, weakening the morale of Rhaenyra’s forces because the prince was a prominent figure and his leadership was crucial to maintaining cohesion among her mother’s supporters. Her death creates an opportunity for some allies to reconsider their loyalty, further destabilizing Rhaenyra’s position. And of course, with each death, the violence escalates even further on both sides.

As expected, Jace Velaryon’s death will be a significant turning point in A Dance with Dragons, affecting both the course of the war and the dynamics between the main characters involved.

And Baela Velaryon?

With the death of Lucerys Velaryon, Baela Velaryon finds herself in a situation of great tension and sadness. As a member of the Blacks, she is directly involved in the war and the fight for the throne, and the loss of Lucerys deepens the Blacks’ hatred and determination to defeat the Greens, leading to more battles and tragedies. Baela, specifically, continues to support her family and the Blacks in the war, and her courage and determination are demonstrated on several occasions.

In the third episode of the second season, before becoming a widow, Baela has a direct confrontation with her cousin Aegon II and his dragon Sunfyre. Although Moondancer is killed and Baela suffers serious injuries, she survives the confrontation.

After the war and Jace’s death, Baela marries Alyn Velaryon, by this time a famous naval commander. They have a relatively quiet life and Baela continues to be a respected figure within House Velaryon and Targaryen.

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