The Black Queen

"The Black Queen" is the tenth and final episode of the first season of House of the Dragon. It is the tenth episode of the series overall. It premiered on October 23, 2022 on HBO and HBO Max. It was written by Ryan Condal and directed by Greg Yaitanes.
==Premise==
==Synopsis==
===Dark wings, dark words===
A pregnant Rhaenyra Targaryen finds her second son, Lucerys Velaryon studying the island of Driftmark on the Painted Table of Dragonstone; Lucerys insists that lordship should have passed to Vaemond Velaryon rather than himself, as he believes himself unfit for the role of Lord of the Tides. Rhaenyra assures her son that she felt the same way when her father Viserys named her as his heir, and promises that just as Viserys prepared her to play that part, she will do the same for him. The moment between mother and son is interrupted by Ser Lorent Marbrand of the Kingsguard, who informs Rhaenyra that Princess Rhaenys has arrived on dragonback and requests an audience with her and Prince Daemon.
Ser Lorent leads Rhaenys in; Rhaenyra asks if there is word of her husband Corlys's recovery, but Rhaenys interrupts to inform Rhaenyra that her father is dead and her half-brother Aegon has been crowned as his successor. A stunned Daemon asks how his brother died; when Rhaenys admits ignorance, Daemon accuses Alicent Hightower of having murdered him. Rhaenys explains that she was made a prisoner in her own chambers while the Greens made their preparations, and that she witnessed Aegon's coronation at the Dragonpit before escaping atop Meleys. Rhaenyra is appalled to learn the Greens crowned Aegon before the masses of King's Landing, knowing as Rhaenys reiterates the masses will now see Aegon as the rightful king. When Daemon angrily demands to know why Rhaenys didn't burn the Greens when she had them at her mercy, Rhaenys replies that while war will follow, it is not her place to declare war; she only brought the warning out of loyalty to her house and husband. Rhaenys advises Rhaenyra to leave Dragonstone with her family before the Greens come for her, when Rhaenyra doubles over in pain. She reaches beneath her dress, her fingers coming away bloody; the shock of the news has sent her into premature labor.
As Rhaenyra struggles with her labor pains, attended to Maester Gerardys and several midwives, fearful because Rhaenyra's pregnancy is far from full term, Daemon holds council with the lords of the Narrow Sea, the Kingsguard, and the captains in command of Dragonstone's garrison; he warns them to watch for any small ships trying to land on the island, fearing that the Greens may try a stealth attack against them, and tells his captains to conscript the Dragonkeepers if need be to bolster their numbers. Rhaenys finds Jace and Luke sparring under the watchful eye of Ser Steffon Darklyn and brings them to their mother's chamber, where Rhaenyra informs them of their grandfather's death and Aegon's usurpation of the Iron Throne, commanding that nothing is to be done without her leave.
Daemon is informed by Lord Bartimos Celtigar that Lord Corlys's fever has broken and he has departed Evenfall, though his destination is unclear. Daemon commands ravens be sent to rally their closest allies and declares his intention to fly to Riverrun to secure House Tully's allegiance and rally the riverlords when Jace enters and relays his mother's command. Daemon disregards Jace, commands Lord Celtigar to send the ravens, and instructs Jace and the Kingsguard to follow him to the Dragonmont. On the slopes, Daemon questions Lorent and Steffon as to where their allegiances lie, compelling them to swear oaths of loyalty to Rhaenyra as queen and Jace as her heir, having Caraxes loom over the two knights to warn them of the price of treason. 
In her chambers, a screaming Rhaenyra, ignoring the offers of the midwives to help her, gives birth to a stillborn daughter that she had planned to name Visenya; she later prepares the child for burial under the watchful eye of the Silent Sisters while Daemon goes out to the beach to grieve. A small funeral is held the next day, interrupted by the arrival of Ser Erryk Cargyll, who kneels before Rhaenyra, declares his loyalty to her, and offers her her father's crown, stolen from the Red Keep in the confusion of the Greens' coup. Daemon places the crown on Rhaenyra's head and declares her his queen. Her sons, stepdaughters, Kingsguard, and the congregation (save Rhaenys) kneel before Rhaenyra as the rightful queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
===The Black Council===
Rhaenyra and her attendant lords gather around the Painted Table; Rhaenyra accepts a cup of wine from her stepdaughter and cousin Rhaena Targaryen, serving as cupbearer in the same capacity Rhaenyra once did, before asking for a report. Daemon informs her that Dragonstone's garrison stands at 30 knights, 100 crossbowmen, and 300 men-at-arms; sufficient to defend the island, but not to conquer Westeros. Daemon adds that he has sent word to men in the City Watch whose loyalty he can count on, but he cannot say how many will answer, while Gerardys confirms that Houses Celtigar, Massey, Darklyn, Staunton, and Bar Emmon have affirmed their loyalty. Rhaenyra asserts that House Arryn and the Vale will support her on account of their kinship through her late mother Aemma Arryn. Gerardys adds that he has also sent a raven to Lord Grover Tully, an old friend of her father's, to sway his support, though Rhaenyra insists that the fickle Grover will need to be convinced of the blacks' strength and assurance of support should war break out; Daemon insists that he will treat with Grover personally. Ser Steffon mentions Storm's End and Winterfell; Lord Celtigar reminds them of House Stark's reputation as honorable oathkeepers and asserts that the other Northern houses will follow where the Starks lead, while Rhaenyra remarks that Lord Borros Baratheon will need to be reminded of his late father Boremund's oath. Rhaenyra then turns her attention to Rhaenys, asking for news from Driftmark; Rhaenys remarks that Corlys is sailing to Dragonstone, though she demurs when Daemon assumes that he intends to declare for Rhaenyra. Daemon asserts that House Lannister will back the Greens, as Tyland has been a loyal supporter of Otto's on the Small Council for years, and the Greens will need the Lannister fleet if the Velaryons choose to back Rhaenyra. Given that House Lannister's allegiance will ensure that the Westerlands support the Greens, Daemon asserts that the support of the Riverlands to the black cause will be essential.
Lord Celtigar interrupts, arguing that talk of fighting men is irrelevant when Rhaenyra's forces command dragons in numbers not wielded in war since the Valyrian Freehold. Rhaenyra points out that the Greens command dragons too, but Daemon adds that they only have three adult dragons (Vhagar, Sunfyre, and Dreamfyre), while in addition to Caraxes, Syrax, and Meleys, the blacks possess Vermax, Arrax, and Tyraxes with Rhaenyra's sons and Moondancer with Baela. He also notes there are several unclaimed dragons in need of riders; Seasmoke, Vermithor and Silverwing, as well as three feral dragons (Grey Ghost, Sheepstealer, and the Cannibal) living wild on Dragonstone. Daemon proposes seizing Harrenhal as a base of operations and using the dragons to lay waste to King's Landing, but before further discussion can be had, Ser Erryk interrupts to inform them a galleon is approaching the island, flying the banner of a three-headed green dragon. Daemon grabs Dark Sister and orders the garrison to battle positions.
===The Greens' terms===
On the bridge leading to Dragonstone, Daemon, the three Kingsguard knights, and a detachment of Dragonstone's garrison intercept the Greens' negotiation party, headed by Ser Otto Hightower, accompanied by Ser Arryk Cargyll, Grand Maester Orwyle, and several of his own guards. Otto declares that he has been instructed by the dowager queen Alicent to offer terms to Rhaenyra, who arrives atop Syrax. Otto greets her as "princess;" Rhaenyra icily retorts that she is Queen Rhaenyra, and Otto and his companions are all traitors. Otto presents the terms that King Aegon II is offering: in return for Rhaenyra publicly acknowledging him as king, she will keep Dragonstone, and the castle will pass to her son Jacaerys after her death; Lucerys will be confirmed as heir to Driftmark and the lands and holdings of House Velaryon; Rhaenyra's sons by Daemon will be given places of honor at court—Aegon the Younger as the king's squire and Viserys as his cupbearer; and King Aegon will pardon any knight or lord who conspired with Rhaenyra against his ascent to the throne.
Daemon hatefully declares that he would rather feed his sons to dragons than have them carry cups and shields for Aegon, venomously calling his nephew a "drunken, usurper cunt of a king." Otto retorts that Aegon was crowned by a septon of the Faith before the eyes of thousands, and his possession of Aegon the Conqueror's crown, sword, and name give him greater legitimacy, while adding that the Greens have also sent terms to Houses Stark, Tully and Baratheon to win their loyalty. Rhaenyra asserts those three houses all swore allegiance to her when Viserys named her his heir; Otto smugly replies that old oaths will not make Rhaenyra queen, asserting that the succession changed the day Aegon was born, even if Viserys and Rhaenyra refused to see it. Outraged, a furious Rhaenyra rips Otto's badge of office from his cloak, denouncing him as a "fucking traitor" and no more Hand than Aegon is King.
Orwyle hands Otto a sheaf of parchment that he presents to Rhaenyra. On closer inspection, she sees it is a page torn from Ten Thousand Ships, a book that she and Alicent read when they were girls in the Red Keep's godswood twenty years ago. Otto asserts that Alicent still fondly remembers her and Rhaenyra's girlhood friendship, and urges Rhaenyra to accept the terms for the sake of peace. Enraged by Otto's attempts to manipulate his wife, Daemon draws Dark Sister, declaring that Alicent can "have her answer now, stuffed in her father's mouth along with his withered cock," prompting both sides to draw their swords and Syrax to roar angrily at the threat to her rider, but Rhaenyra defuses the situation by telling Otto that King's Landing will have her answer on the morrow.
Around the Painted Table that evening, Rhaenyra and her advisors discuss the terms offered to them by the Greens. Daemon insists that while it is not easy for a man to kill a dragon, dragons can kill each other, and the fact that they have numerical superiority of dragons gives them an advantage over the Greens. Rhaenyra counters that she knows the histories of Valyria thanks to her father, and has no wish to rule over the wasteland of ash and bone that will be left at the end of a war between dragons. Lord Celtigar expresses incredulity that Rhaenyra is considering the terms offered by the Hightowers, but Rhaenyra asserts that her duty as her father's heir is to keep the realm stable and united rather than plunge it into war, even if it means that she does not sit on the Iron Throne. Daemon scoffs at this, protesting that the Greens have already declared war, and raises his voice at her inaction. Rhaenyra tells the other lords to clear the chamber, leaving only her and Daemon in the room.
Daemon insists that Rhaenyra cannot submit to the Hightowers, who have stolen her birthright, and urges that as queen, she is obligated to crush rebellion. Rhaenyra protests that they are bound by more than personal ambition, reminding Daemon of what her father told them about "The Song of Ice and Fire," Aegon the Conqueror's prophetic dream that a Targaryen must keep the realm united against the return of a great evil in the North, only for Daemon to seize her by the throat. Choking Rhaenyra, Daemon angrily hisses that Viserys was obsessed with omens and portents to give his feckless reign meaning, and asserts that dragons, not dreams, made House Targaryen kings. Daemon releases Rhaenyra, but though taken aback by his violence against her, Rhaenyra is stunned to realize that Viserys never told Daemon about the Conqueror's vision, indicating that he never in his life considered Daemon as his heir. Shaken at having raised a hand to his wife and the realization that Viserys never truly trusted him, Daemon withdraws.
===Calling the banners===
In a bedchamber in Dragonstone, Corlys Velaryon awakes to find his wife sitting beside his bed. Rhaenys accuses him of having abandoned her and their granddaughters to go adventuring in the Stepstones. Corlys admits his error, insisting that returning to the sea was his way of coping with the deaths of their children. Rhaenys also alerts him to Vaemond's death; saddened by what ambitious pursuits have cost his family, Corlys insists to Rhaenys that he will abandon his pursuit of the Iron Throne, abstain from choosing a side in the conflict, and retire to Driftmark to spend their remaining days with their grandchildren. Rhaenys argues against it, reminding him that Jace, Luke, and Joffrey are all claimants to the Iron Throne, and the boys will never be safe while Aegon II holds the Iron Throne. Corlys is dismissive of the idea of supporting Rhaenyra, reminding Rhaenys that she was complicit in Laenor's death, but Rhaenys insists that Rhaenyra is the only one exercising restraint to prevent Westeros from sliding into wholesale war.
The next morning, Corlys, accompanied by Rhaenys, Baela, and Rhaena, joins a congregation of the Black Council. Rhaenyra quickly expresses her relief to see him healthy again, while Corlys offers his condolences for Viserys's death. When Corlys makes note of Daemon's absence, Rhaenyra demurs that other matters require his attention. Corlys considers the gathered lords of the Narrow Sea and bluntly declares them too few to win a war for the Iron Throne, as well as dismissing Rhaenyra's hopes that Houses Arryn, Stark, and Baratheon will support her. Rhaenyra asserts that, aside from her blood ties with the Arryns and Baratheons, all of the Great Houses swore to support her claim when Viserys named her heir; when Corlys points out that this includes House Hightower, who have now forsworn that oath, Rhaenyra reminds him that House Velaryon also swore to support her. After a brief look from his wife and his granddaughters (who have moved to stand with Jace and Luke) Corlys notes that Rhaenyra's house and his are bound by blood and a common cause, and insists that the Hightowers cannot be allowed to get away with their treason, asserting that House Velaryon and its fleet will support Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra thanks him and Rhaenys for their support, but insists that she will not be the first to strike, and that she wishes to know who will support her.
Corlys adds that, despite his near-death in the Stepstones, House Velaryon now controls the islands, having driven the Triarchy's forces out of the region and properly garrisoned the islands against their return. Corlys states that his men will institute a blockade of the shipping lanes that pass through the Stepstones, if they haven't already, and his fleet will place a second blockade across the Gullet, reinforced by Rhaenys atop Meleys at her own suggestion, to cut off all sea trade and travel to and from King's Landing. Lord Celtigar insists that a sea blockade and a landward siege could starve the Greens into surrender, but Rhaenyra asserts that to have enough men to surround King's Landing, they will need the support of Arryn, Baratheon, and Stark. Jace speaks up, volunteering himself and Luke to carry Rhaenyra's demands for their support on dragonback, as the lords will find it more difficult to refuse dragonriders than ravens. Corlys agrees, and Rhaenyra decides that Jace will travel first to the Eyrie and then to Winterfell to win the allegiance of Lady Jeyne Arryn and Lord Cregan Stark, while Luke goes to Storm's End to ensure Lord Borros Baratheon's support.
That evening, on the bridge to Dragonstone, Rhaenyra speaks with Jace and Luke before they depart on their mission. Rhaenyra notes that the people of Westeros consider the Targaryens closer to gods than men, but if they aspire to rule Westeros, House Targaryen must answer to the gods of its people. To that end, she has Jace and Luke swear on The Seven-Pointed Star that they will be only messengers, not warriors, and take part in no fighting. Rhaenyra tells Jace that Cregan Stark is closer to his age than hers, hoping that they can find some common ground as young men, while assuring Lucerys that the eternally proud Borros Baratheon will be honored to host a prince of the realm. With that, three dragons depart Dragonstone: Jace atop Vermax, bound for the Eyrie and Winterfell, Rhaenys on Meleys to the Gullet, and Luke on Arrax headed for Storm's End.
Concurrently, Daemon heads into the caverns beneath the Dragonmont, singing the High Valyrian song "Hāros Bartossi." He enters the pitch darkness of a large cavern, from within which a dragon growls, before with a gout of fire, the beast reveals itself: Vermithor, the dragon once ridden by King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, unclaimed since the Old King's death. Angered by the intruder in his lair, Vermithor snarls and advances on Daemon, but as the latter locks eyes with the dragon and holds his ground, Vermithor becomes more subdued.
===Storm's End===
Prince Lucerys flies over Shipbreaker Bay and lands at Storm's End in the midst of a severe thunderstorm. A detachment of Baratheon guardsmen are waiting for him, as is Vhagar to his horror. Despite knowing what her presence means, Lucerys tells the Baratheon guards his purpose as Rhaenyra's emissary and is escorted to Lord Borros. In the great hall of Storm's End, Lucerys finds himself confronted with Lord Borros, his four daughters, and Prince Aemond Targaryen, who glares at his nephew silently. When Lucerys tells Borros he has brought a message from the Queen, Borros scoffs that King Aegon did the same, and asks if it is a king or queen who rules the House of the Dragon. Lucerys hands his message to one of the Baratheon guards who presents it to the illiterate Lord Borros, who is forced to call his maester to read it. Borros takes offense when the maester tells him that Rhaenyra means to remind him of his father's oath to support her, pointing out that the Greens at least offered him a marriage pact, betrothing Aemond to his daughter Floris in return for House Baratheon's support. Borros asks which of his daughters Lucerys will wed if he supports Rhaenyra, to which Lucerys admits that he is already betrothed to Rhaena.
Borros scornfully dismisses Lucerys for coming empty-handed, but before he can leave, Aemond, mocking Luke as "Lord Strong," demands Lucerys put out his own eye, as payment for the eye that Luke took from Aemond six years prior, claiming he intends to gift it to his mother. When Lucerys refuses, Aemond hisses that Luke is "craven as well as a traitor", draws a blade and charges at Lucerys, intending to take it. Borros intervenes, telling Aemond that Lucerys is an envoy and he will not have bloodshed underneath his roof, ordering his guards to escort Luke back to his dragon. By the time Lucerys returns to Arrax, the storm is in full force, howling wind and heavy rain battering the pair as they take off, unaware that Aemond is following them on Vhagar. Aemond suddenly attacks out of the clouds, using Vhagar to terrorize them, all the while cursing Luke in High Valyrian, but as the confrontation continues, Luke loses control of Arrax, who spits fire at Vhagar. The older dragon is enraged and disobeys Aemond's commands to stop, killing Arrax and Luke in one bite. A horrified Aemond watches as Arrax's mangled remains fall from the sky, aware that his impulsiveness, rage, and lack of control have not only now made him a kinslayer, but ensured that Rhaenyra will never accept a peaceful resolution to the conflict, and guaranteed war will ensue.
As Rhaenyra holds another council with her lords on Dragonstone, Daemon approaches and whispers in her ear the news of Lucerys's death. Rhaenyra briefly staggers from grief, before turning to face her council with an expression of vengeful fury.
==Appearances==
===Firsts===
*Lord Bartimos Celtigar
*Lord Simon Staunton
*Princess Visenya Targaryen
*Arrax
*Vermithor
*Floris Baratheon
*Cassandra Baratheon
*Maris Baratheon
*Ellyn Baratheon
===Deaths===
*Visenya Targaryen
*Lucerys Velaryon
*Arrax
==Cast==
===Starring===
*Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen
*Emma D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen
*and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower
*Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon
*Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen
*Harry Collett as Prince Jacaerys Velaryon
*Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen
*Bethany Antonia as Lady Baela Targaryen
*Phoebe Campbell as Lady Rhaena Targaryen
===Co-starring===
*Anthony Flanagan as Ser Steffon Darklyn
*Elliot Grihault as Prince Lucerys Velaryon
*Phil Daniels as Maester Gerardys
*Roger Evans as Lord Borros Baratheon
*Kurt Egyiawan as Grand Maester Orwyle
*Luke Tittensor as Ser Arryk Cargyll
*Elliott Tittensor as Ser Erryk Cargyll
*Jordon Stevens as Elinda Massey
*Rosie Ede as an older midwife
*Max Wrottesley as Ser Lorent Marbrand
*Nicholas Jones as Lord Bartimos Celtigar
*Bijan Daneshmand as the High Priest
*Michael Elwyn as Lord Simon Staunton
===Uncredited===
*Megan Barter as Floris Baratheon
*Laura Lake as Ellyn Baratheon
*Emma O'Hara as Cassandra Baratheon
*Ant Wright as a Dragonstone noble
===Notes===
*9 of 17 starring cast members appear in this episode.
*Starring cast members Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower), Fabien Frankel (Criston Cole), Sonoya Mizuno (Mysaria), Graham McTavish (Harrold Westerling), Matthew Needham (Larys Strong), Jefferson Hall (Tyland Lannister), Tom Glynn-Carney (Aegon II Targaryen), and Phia Saban (Helaena Targaryen) are not credited and do not appear in this episode.
*David Cronnelly, Matt Crook, Eduardo Gago, Richard Hansen, Rowley Irlam, Leigh Maddern, Leona McCarron, Nikita Mitchell, Elliot Murray, Paul Shapcott, Sam Stefan, Harvey Taylor, Josh Wheeldon, Richard Wheeldon, Will Willoughby and Rob Bowen were stunt performers in this episode.
==Behind the scenes==
===General===
*This is the first episode in which Alicent Hightower, Criston Cole, and Harrold Westerling do not appear.
*The show follows the tradition of Game of Thrones, in which at least one king was killed off per season (except season 7). In this season, one king died: Viserys I.
===On Dragonstone===
*Daemon claims that Alicent murdered Viserys. According to Fire & Blood, no one ever claimed that Viserys was murdered, whether by Alicent or anyone else. Mushroom writes this, but since he is a very unreliable historian in general (according to the book, many of his fables partake more of a fool's fevered imaginings than of historical truth), this statement is questionable; he was not even in King's Landing when Viserys died.
*Daemon (in the book - Rhaenys) lists the seventeen dragons that they and their enemies have at disposal, dragons who used to have riders in the past, and wild dragons (he does not mention some of the dragons' names, which can be completed according to the book):
**The Greens: Dreamfyre, Vhagar, Sunfyre (the adult ones), and Tessarion.
**The Blacks: Syrax, Caraxes, Meleys, Vermax, Arrax, Tyraxes, and Moondancer.
**Unclaimed: Seasmoke, Vermithor, and Silverwing.
***Laenor Velaryon, King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, and Queen Alysanne Targaryen were the riders of these dragons respectively; after their deaths, no one replaced them till the beginning of the war.
**Wild dragons: Cannibal, Sheepstealer, and Grey Ghost.
***In the book, Rhaenys mentioned one more dragon - Stormcloud. However, Stormcloud's status is unclear. Given how Aegon the Younger is far younger at the outbreak of the Dance than his book counterpart, it's possible that Stormcloud is either a hatchling far too small to be ridden, or hasn't hatched yet. 
***In addition to the aforementioned eighteen dragons, the book mentions two more (Morghul and Shrykos) that were alive at the beginning of the war, thus the total number of dragons at that point was twenty. A few more dragons were hatched during the war, but they were too young to be ridden and did not participate in the war; only one of those is mentioned by name - Morning.
***In the book, Rhaenyra pointed out that they actually had only five dragons against the Greens' four dragons, since: she was not strong enough to fly; the six riderless dragons were not claimed yet; Moondancer and Stormcloud were claimed but not ridden yet.
*Rhaenyra acts similarly to Daenerys in "Stormborn": she rejects the suggestions to send the dragons immediately to attack King's Landing, since she does not wish to kill innocent people, and states "I do not wish to rule over a kingdom of ash and bone" - similarly to Daenerys's words: "I am not here to be queen of the ashes." 
**In the book, Rhaenyra never said those words; it was Lord Celtigar who urged her to fly against King's Landing at once, and reduce it to ash and bone. Corlys, Rhaenyra, and Daemon rejected his suggestion.
*It is the fourth time that "The Song of Ice and Fire" is mentioned in the show, following "The Heirs of the Dragon", "King of the Narrow Sea", and "The Lord of the Tides".
*It seems Corlys does not resent Daemon for killing Vaemond ("The Lord of the Tides"); maybe he recognizes that Viserys could not dismiss Vaemond's obnoxious behavior unpunished, or because Vaemond was in haste to bury Corlys and claim his seat, as Rhaenys says.
*Rhaenyra receives from Alicent the page Rhaenyra tore from Ten Thousand Ships in "The Heirs of the Dragon". Maybe Alicent meant to remind Rhaenyra of the time they were friends, thus persuade her to resolve the conflict without bloodshed.
**If this was indeed Alicent's intention, she must have missed the irony: the passage in the torn page was about Nymeria, a formidable warrior, who consistently defied the patriarchal rules and customs of the world: she took over Dorne, survived invasions, uprisings, and assassination attempts, and was succeeded by her daughter - in contrast to the inheritance laws of other regions of Westeros, according to male heirs are ahead of female heirs. Thus the passage would encourage Rhaenyra to fight for the Iron Throne, rather than submit to her half-brother.
*The encounter at Dragonstone greatly resembles the encounter from "The Rogue Prince": the same place; the same leaders; Rhaenyra arrives riding Syrax; the event is resolved non-violently. The difference is that this time Rhaenyra sides with Daemon, and her impressive arrival is meant to discourage Otto and his retinue rather than discourage Daemon.
*Daemon acts in this episode consistently with his conduct in the previous episodes, quarrelsome and rash as ever. In the parallel book scene, however, he acted in a surprisingly restrained and staid manner, out of character for him: he agreed with his wife that they should try resolving the conflict with words before they went to battle, and first of all rally supporters. He rejected Lord Celtigar's suggestion to send the dragons to destroy King's Landing immediately, pointing out that their enemies had fearsome dragons which could kill their dragons, and he would not sacrifice them needlessly unless there was no alternative.
*At the Black Council congregation after Rhaenyra's coronation, Bartimos Celtigar and Simon Staunton are arguing about warfare. The latter retorts that the former is a "lord who commands from the safety of his castle," possibly suggesting that whereas Lord Staunton personally took part in the War for the Stepstones, Lord Celtigar just sent soldiers while staying at Claw Isle.
===At Storm's End===
*The deadly encounter between Aemond and Luke confirms what Viserys said in "The Heirs of the Dragon": "The idea that we control the dragons... is an illusion. They're a power man should never have trifled with." The Valyrian dragonlords could control their dragons by using binding spells and magical horns, but the Targaryens who migrated to Westeros had neither. 
**Daenerys realizes that in A Dance with Dragons (chapter 71, Daenerys X): Drogon allows her to ride on his back, but she cannot make him fly back to Meereen (also in the parallel scene of "Mother's Mercy").
**In "Two Swords": Drogon snaps at Daenerys when she tries to keep him from bullying a lamb off of his brothers. Jorah Mormont states "They're dragons, Khaleesi. They can never be tamed. Not even by their mother." 
***The conclusion is that dragons are first and foremost wild animals that cannot be fully tamed, which is true for many animals in real life as well. Dragons are intelligent rather than mindless beasts and can form bonds with people enough to trust them and let them ride on their back, but even dragons bonded to and reared from birth are not 100% loyal or domesticated and are capable of ignoring or disobeying outright commands. Arrax and Vhagar both gave into their baser instincts when attacked or threatened, which even real-life domesticated animals will do, and the bonds their riders had with them were either insufficient to stop them or outright ignored.
*The scene at Storm's End resembles a scene from A Dance with Dragons (Chapter 19, Davos III): Davos arrives at the White Harbor, to persuade Lord Wyman Manderly to support Stannis; to his dismay, he finds out that envoys of House Frey are already there, and that Lord Manderly agreed to wed his granddaughters to Freys; Lord Manderly treats him with open hostility; the attending people taunt him; he reluctantly admits that Stannis has nothing to offer Lord Manderly, except avenging his son Wendel (who was murdered at the Red Wedding); one of the Freys threaten Davos and draws his sword, but Lord Manderly forbids him to spill blood at his court.
**In the following Davos's POV chapter, it is revealed Lord Manderly's hostility toward Davos was a pretence, to make the Freys and the spies in his court believe he is loyal to the Crown, but he actually wants to settle the score with those who are responsible for Wendel's death, and agrees to support Stannis (on condition that Davos finds Rickon Stark). It is unclear whether Lord Borros Baratheon acted genuinely, or he secretly supports the blacks.
*The confrontation between Lucerys and Aemond resembles that between Willem Blackwood and Jerrel Bracken in "King of the Narrow Sea": both confrontations take place at Storm's End, involve an older youth taunting the younger with insults such as "craven," involve the drawing of weapons (a sword for the younger and a dagger for the older), and result in death. However, the confrontation between Lucerys and Aemond never comes to blows inside Storm's End, and it's the younger boy that dies.
*By killing Luke, Aemond has become a kinslayer. Even if he did not intend to (in the book he did, and was proud of the killing) and lost control over his dragon - he initiated the encounter, thus it was his responsibility. 
*Aemond's rash behavior in this episode slightly resembles Joffrey Baratheon's foolish decision to execute Eddard Stark: both ruined any chance to resolve the conflicts peacefully, and ignited extremely destructive wars which cost the lives of countless innocent people.
===Altered and deleted scenes===
*The following are three versions of a line written for an unused voice-over by Rhaenyra. David J. Peterson was commissioned to translate them into High Valyrian:https://archiveofourown.org/works/41199249/chapters/106992879#workskin
**"Visenya. My only daughter, born an abomination. Mayhaps she is a warning from the gods."
**"She is an augury. Born on the day my father died and my crown was stolen."
**"I would have called her 'Visenya.' But she was not meant to be."
*A scene between Baela and Rhaenys in which the former insists on fighting for Rhaenyra. When Baela proclaims herself a dragonrider and says that the Greens must be answered with fire and blood, Rhaenys muses that she just saw her daughter Laena for the first time in years.https://www.insider.com/house-of-the-dragon-deleted-baela-and-rhaenys-scene-2022-12
*In the original storyboard, the final scene takes place in Dragonstone's throne room, with Rhaenyra sitting on the throne and Daemon approaching her to deliver the news of Luke's death. Rhaenyra then screams before looking into the camera, and Syrax emerges.https://twitter.com/oochotd/status/1587115598928089088
**In the version that was filmed, another minute in which Daemon receives the news of Luke's death was cut.Greg Yaitanes, Empire, October 2022
OT Syrax.png|This shot of Syrax was originally intended as the final shot of the episode. In the final version, it is entirely unused.
==In the books==
This episode is adapted from the chapters "The Dying of the Dragons — The Blacks and the Greens" and "The Dying of the Dragons — A Son for a Son" from Fire & Blood.
==Gallery==
===Videos===
Season 1 Episode 10 Preview / House of the Dragon (HBO)
House of the Dragon / S1 EP10: Inside the Episode (HBO)
Aemond Targaryen & Lucerys Velaryon Battle In The Sky / House of the Dragon / HBO
===Images===
====Promotional stills====
TBQ Baela Jace Luke and Rhaena Still.jpg
TBQ Erryk Cargyll Still.jpg
TBQ Lucerys Velaryon Still.jpg
TBQ Luke and Rhaenyra Still.jpg
TBQ Rhaenyra Targaryen Still 1.jpg
TBQ Rhaenyra Targaryen Still 2.jpg
TBQ Rhaenys Targaryen Still.jpg
TBQ Lorent Gerardys and Bartimos Still.jpg
TBQ Daemon and Dragon Still.jpg
TBQ Daemon and Jace Still.jpg
TBQ Daemon and Rhaenyra Still.jpg
TBQ Painted Table Still.jpg
TBQ Aemond Targaryen Still.jpg
TBQ Baela Targaryen Still.jpg
TBQ Bartimos Celtigar Still 1.jpg
TBQ Bartimos Celtigar Still 2.jpg
TBQ Black Council Still 1.jpg
TBQ Black Council Still 2.jpg
TBQ Borros Baratheon Still.jpg
TBQ Daemon and Queensguard Still.jpg
TBQ Daemon and Rhaenyra Still 2.jpg
TBQ Daemon and Rhaenyra Still 3.jpg
TBQ Daemon and Rhaenyra Still 4.jpg
TBQ Daemon and Rhaenyra Still 5.jpg
TBQ Daemon and Rhaenyra Still 6.jpg
TBQ Daemon Rhaenyra and Rhaenys Still.jpg
TBQ Daemon Targaryen Still 1.jpg
TBQ Daemon Targaryen Still 2.jpg
TBQ Daemon Targaryen Still 3.jpg
TBQ Erryk Cargyll Still 2.jpg
TBQ Gerardys Still.jpg
TBQ Jace and Luke Still.jpg
TBQ Lorent Marbrand Still 1.jpg
TBQ Lorent Marbrand Still 2.jpg
TBQ Lucerys Velaryon Still 2.jpg
TBQ Otto Arryk and Orwyle Still.jpg
TBQ Otto Hightower Still.jpg
TBQ Rhaena and Baela Still.jpg
TBQ Rhaena Baela and Rhaenys Still.jpg
TBQ Rhaenyra and Luke Still 2.jpg
TBQ Rhaenyra and Luke Still 3.jpg
TBQ Rhaenyra and Luke Still 4.jpg
TBQ Rhaenyra Targaryen Still 3.jpg
TBQ Rhaenyra Targaryen Still 4.jpg
TBQ Rhaenyra Targaryen Still 5.jpg
TBQ Rhaenyra Targaryen Still 6.jpg
TBQ Rhaenyra Targaryen Still 7.jpg
TBQ Rhaenyra Targaryen Still 8.jpg
TBQ Rhaenyra Targaryen Still 9.jpg
TBQ Rhaenys Targaryen Still 2.jpg
TBQ Rhaenys Targaryen Still 3.jpg
TBQ Rhaenys Targaryen Still 4.jpg
TBQ Staunton Luke Jace and Erryk Still.jpg
TBQ Aemond and Borros Still.jpg
TBQ Arrax Storm's End Promo.jpg
TBQ Borros Baratheon Still 2.jpg
TBQ Corlys and Rhaenys Still.jpg
TBQ Corlys Velaryon Still.jpg
TBQ Daemon and Caraxes Promo.jpg
TBQ Daemon and Rhaenyra Still 7.jpg
TBQ Daemon and Rhaenyra Still 8.jpg
TBQ Daemon Rhaenyra and Otto Still.jpg
TBQ Lucerys Velaryon Still 3.jpg
TBQ Rhaenyra and Otto Still.jpg
TBQ Rhaenyra Targaryen Still 10.jpg
====Screenshots====
TBQ Aemond.png
TBQ Arrax & Lucerys.png
TBQ Arrax & Lucerys 2.png
TBQ Arrax & Lucerys 3.png
TBQ Baela, Jacaerys, Lucerys & Rhaena.png
TBQ Baela, Jacaerys, Lucerys & Rhaena 2.png
TBQ Daemon.png
TBQ Daemon & Steffon.png
TBQ Daemon & Vermithor.png
TBQ Daemon & Vermithor 2.png
TBQ Daemon, Rhaenyra & Rhaenys.png
TBQ Dark Sister.png
TBQ Dragons.png
TBQ Dragonstone.png
TBQ Erryk.png
TBQ Lucerys.png
TBQ Lucerys, Jacaerys & Rhaenyra.png
TBQ Lucerys, Jacaerys, Steffon, Rhaenyra & Daemon.png
TBQ Map marker.png
TBQ Painted Table.png
TBQ Rhaenyra.png
TBQ Rhaenyra 2.png
TBQ Rhaenyra & Daemon.png
TBQ Rhaenyra & Daemon 2.png
TBQ Rhaenys.png
TBQ Rhaenys, Gerardys, Steffon & Rhaenyra.png
TBQ Steffon, Daemon, Rhaenyra, Otto, Orwyle & Arryk.png
TBQ Swords.png
TBQ Vermithor.png
TBQ Vhagar.png
TBQ Vhagar 2.png
Aemond Sapphire.jpg
==References==
===Notes===
==External links==
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Category:Episodes directed by Greg Yaitanes
 10
A.23
Category:Episodes written by Ryan Condal
de:Die Schwarze Königin (Episode)
es:La Reina Negra
fr:La Reine Noire
pl:Czarna królowa
pt-br:The Black Queen
ru:Чёрная королева