It’s common for TV shows and movies to alter events from books in their adaptations. In House of the Dragon, a historical account compiled by Maesters and the court jester Mushroom, various perspectives and potential biases from the Targaryen Civil War are considered. However, these changes may have been made primarily for narrative or character development purposes.
Spoilers Ahead
Differences in the Deaths of Haelena and Aegon Targaryen’s Sons
In the novel “Fire & Blood,” assassins Blood and Cheese are hired by Daemon to kill one of Aegon’s sons—Jaehaerys or Maelor. Late one night, they entered Queen Alicent Hightower’s chambers, where Helaena was expected to bring her children before bedtime. Alicent was gagged and forced to witness the murder of her grandson. When Helaena arrived with Jaehaerys, Jaehaera, and Maelor, she was given the choice of which son to sacrifice. She pleaded for them to kill her instead, but they refused and insisted on killing a son in retribution. She chose Maelor, possibly because he was the youngest and Jaehaerys was destined to be king. Despite her choice, they killed Jaehaerys instead and taunted Maelor about his mother’s supposed desire for his death.
What Happened to Haelena and Aegon Targaryen’s Children in the TV Show?
This scenario is markedly different in House of the Dragon. Daemon (Matt Smith) sought Aemond’s (Ewan Mitchell) demise, but when Blood and Cheese couldn’t find him, they stumbled upon the nursery where Helaena and Aegon’s two children, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, were asleep. Maelor had not yet been born. The assassins couldn’t distinguish between the nearly identical twins. Like in the book, Haelena (Phia Saban) pleaded for them to take her life instead, but they refused. They knew she was telling the truth when she pointed to one bed instead of assuming she was lying about which bed the child was in. Her motives were unclear, but earlier in the episode, she briefly argued with Aegon about Jaehaerys potentially not wanting to assume the throne. Hence, she might have chosen to spare her son from a throne that seemed to bring only strife and to protect him from future conflicts. While they decapitated Jaehaerys, Haelena fled with her daughter to Alicent’s (Olivia Cooke) chambers, where she was with Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel).
This alteration in Jaehaerys’ death portrays it as less evil. Daemon and Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) aimed to eliminate Aemond for his actions rather than targeting one of the children. However, due to circumstances, this plan couldn’t be executed. While Jaehaerys’ death garnered sympathy for the Greens, it didn’t lessen the significance of Lucerys’ death, as it was not the intention to harm the young boy.