The following contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 1, Episode 10 "The Black Queen," which aired on Oct. 23, 2022 on HBO.
House of the Dragon has completed its inaugural season, and it ended with the first casualty of war. As Aegon II was crowned, Rhaenyra had her own coronation and became The Black Queen. She immediately set out to secure allies and shore up her defenses. She wasn't eager to launch into a full-scale war; she only wanted to secure the allies of House Baratheon, House Arryn, and the entire Riverlands. Rhaenyra sent her sons to deliver her messages, but Lucerys met a cruel and deadly fate.
Lucerys was Rhaenyra's second son "with" Laenor Velaryon, and he -- along with his brother Jacaerys -- has been dedicated to his mother. The brothers were also in combat with their young uncles from a young age, with Lucerys taking out Aemond Targaryen's eye right after he secured Vhagar. It is this childhood fight with Aemond that ultimately leads to Lucery's tragic death in Episode 10, "The Black Queen."
The Black Queen Fulfills an Eye For an Eye, a Son For a Son
In the episode, Lucerys and Arrax travels to Storms End to meet with House Baratheon, but Aemond and Vhagar them beat there, which spells doom for his peaceful mission. He promised her mother he wouldn't fight, but this promise leads to his obliteration. Aemond has been angry at Lucery's since the day he lost his eye, and he rides the biggest dragon in the world -- a detail he makes sure people are aware of.
Once Aemond places his sights on Lucerys at Storms End, he knows what he'll do. He demands an eye for an eye and chases Lucerys through the clouds. Both dragons also sense their riders' emotions: Arrax senses that Lucerys is scared and tries to protect him, and Vhagar senses Aemond's rage. When Vhagar is attacked, she ends the fight by tearing Arrax and Lucerys apart. Ironically, Aemond seems terrified and regretful of his actions, as he knows his pursuit of vengeance has started a massive conflict.
Rhaenyra had been exercising caution up to this point, but the death of her son will destroy her sense of justice and mercy. As such, Lucerys' death will galvanize Rhaenyra to war. Moving into Season 2, the famous Fire & Blood quote "an eye for an eye, a son for a son," will come into play. Daemon will seek blood for Lucerys and Rhaenyra will no longer hold him back. Daemon will strike at the Greens in the most underhanded and cruel ways possible, and Lucerys' death will be avenged by the death of a son of a Green. This back-and-forth conflict will continue to escalate the war to even larger heights.
The Black Queen vs The Green Council
Rhaenyra loves her sons, and Daemon loves them also. She fiercely protected her sons while at court and defended their heritage from the Greens. She also defended their lives from Vaemond and Aemond. With the love that Rhaenyra and Daemon had for the boys, Lucerys' death will crush them, and Rhaenyra will unleash Daemon. Despite wanting to keep the kingdoms together for the sake of Aegon's Dream, a Song of Ice and Fire, she will not be able to let this murder stand.
Both Arrax and Lucerys would have been valuable as the war went on; Arrax would have grown and become more powerful, and Lucerys could have grown in skill and confidence. Unfortunately for both, Aemond let his thirst for personal vengeance get in the way of defending the kingdom, and Lucerys is the first major death of the Dance of the Dragons. Aemond's actions will cause Rhaenyra and Daemon to strike out, and the kingdoms will be forced into a bloody civil war.
Stream the first season of House of the Dragon now on HBO Max.