House of the Dragon Episode 7: Driftmark

The episode opens at Laena Velaryon's funeral on Driftmark, where Targaryen and Velaryon families gather by the shore under a somber mood. Corlys Velaryon consoles his grandson Lucerys, who worries about inheriting Driftmark amid so much death, while young Helaena whispers cryptically nearby.

That night, Aemond Targaryen sneaks out and claims the dragon Vhagar, Laena's former mount, after negotiating with the reluctant beast. He boasts about it to his cousins—Jace, Luke, Baela, and Rhaena—taunting them that their mother is dead and Vhagar has a new rider, sparking a brutal fight. Aemond grabs a rock to strike Luke, who slashes Aemond's eye with a knife in response; the other children pin Aemond down before he breaks free, threatening to feed the "bastards" to his dragon.

The adults convene in Driftmark's throne room late at night. King Viserys, frail but energized, demands an end to infighting and insists Rhaenyra's sons are trueborn, defending family unity. Alicent demands justice for Aemond's eye, accusing Rhaenyra's children of violence and illegitimacy; tensions erupt as pretenses drop, with Corlys prioritizing names over blood in succession talk and Rhaenys urging him to favor Baela over Luke.

Rhaenyra and Daemon bond over grief on the beach, leading to them consummating their passion. Later, they orchestrate a scheme: Laenor's lover "kills" him in a staged stabbing, using a body double burned beyond recognition to fake his death, allowing Laenor to escape to Essos while Rhaenyra and Daemon wed in a hasty Valyrian ceremony. Corlys and Rhaenys grieve their son's apparent death, believing it real.