Who Are Baelor, Maekar, and Aerion? Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms’ Targaryens Explained
The house of the Dragon has officially entered the tourney at Ashford Meadow.
The Targaryens have always been one of the most fascinating parts of the Game of Thrones universe. We only really saw one in Game of Thrones (not counting Jon Snow), but House of the Dragon more than made up for it with an entire show focused on Targaryens fighting Targaryens with a full fleet of dragons.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the latest Game of Thrones series, may have a much smaller scope, but we still see a number of Targaryens in Episode 2 — including some that have big effects on Westerosi history. Here’s everything you need to know about them.
Warning! Spoilers ahead for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 2.
Baelor Targaryen
Baelor Targaryen isn’t your typical Targaryen.
Baelor Targaryen (Bertie Carvel) is the current heir to the Iron Throne and Hand to the King when we see him in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. He’s the eldest son of the current king, Daeron II (often called Daeron the Good), and his wife Myriah Martell, a Dornish princess. It’s probably his Dornish heritage that gives him his dark hair that sets him apart from the other silver-haired Targaryens.
At this point in history, Baelor is married to Jena Dondarrion, and they have two sons: Valarr and Matarys. Valarr accompanies him to the tourney in Ashford, and we actually see him in this episode — he has dark hair like his father, but with a streak of silver. Baelor remembers Ser Arlan Pennytree fighting in a tourney and is therefore able to vouch for Ser Duncan the Tall.
Maekar Targaryen
Maekar Targaryen is dealing with his broher while worrying about his two missing sons.
Maekar Targaryen (Sam Spruell) is Baelor’s youngest brother. King Daeron actually had four sons, but only Baelor and Maekar traveled to the tourney. Aerys Targaryen, the second son, was far more interested in books than fighting, and Rhaegel Targaryen, the third son, was “touched with madness” and was mentally and physically unable to fight.
Maekar had six children with his wife Dyanna Dayne, including four sons: Aerion, Daeron, Aemon, and Aegon. While Aerion traveled to the tourney with Maekar, in Episode 2 Maekar is concerned abou the well-being of the other two sons expected to participate, Daeron and Aegon.
Despite being the fourth son, Maekar would eventually reign over Westeros as king, where he would establish Summerhall as the Targaryen pleasure palace.
Aerion Targaryen
Aerion Targaryen brings the evil Viserys energy to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett) has already established himself as a bit of a bully, mistaking Ser Duncan for a stable boy. Unfortunately, that’s what he’s most known for in Game of Thrones history. He was affected by the madness that often pops up in the Targaryen bloodline, but unlike Rhaegal who was merely gentle, Aerion was cruel and unfeeling.
There’s also one strange quirk to Aerion’s character in the books: he literally believed himself to be a dragon. Not in a metaphorical way, like how the Targaryens are often discussed. He believed that on all levels except physical, he was a dragon. In the books, it’s this belief that eventually causes his downfall when he drinks a cup of wildfyre, believing it would turn him into a dragon.
It doesn’t appear as though the show’s version of Aerion takes this part of his personality so seriously, but even though all the dragons have gone extinct by the time of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, at least Aerion is keeping the spirit alive, albeit in a ridiculous way.
