This article contains potential spoilers for House of the Dragon Episode 5 and Fire & Blood.
Summary
Aegon the Second of His Name claimed Sunfyre as a young Prince and rides him in the Dance of the Dragons. Sunfyre was hatched on Dragonstone and described by Archmaester Gyldayn as the most beautiful dragon in the known world. ByHouse of the Dragonseason 1, episode 6 “The Princess and the Queen,” Prince Aegon has already mastered Sunfyre, and in so doing, gained an upper hand over the other princes, including his nephews -“the Strong boys"as well as his brother, Aemond.
Prince Aegon is King Aegon II now, and he sits the Iron Throne in the capital. He may not be the Greens' most prized asset, but he is the head of the council nonetheless. His golden dragon, Sunfyre, is no longer the most beautiful dragon ever seen because he was blasted by Vhagarat Rook’s Restpreviously inHouse of the Dragon.As one of Sunfyre’s wings burned, and he crashed into a nearby forest, the question remains of whether he will live to fight another day inHouse of the Dragon.
What Went Down At Rook’s Rest InHouse of the DragonSeason 1, Episode 4 “The Red Dragon and the Gold”
Princess Rhaenys and Meleys flew to Rook’s Restalone, to bring order to the seaside keep whose head, Lord Staunton of the Blacks, counted on Queen Rhaenyra’s help. Rhaenys volunteered whenRhaenyra and Jacaerys both expressed a desire to flyto the stronghold to thwart the Greens' invasion. Unbeknownst to Rhaenys, the Greens planned to attack via the land and the skies. As Lord Staunton and his men tried to withstand the first phase of the siege, it appeared that Rhaenys and Meleys' arrival turned the tide in the battle. Meleys' burned Cole’s soldiers, while he commanded his archers to"make the signal!”
All is going to plan.
The plan was to lure whichever rider(s) and dragon(s) the Blacks would send from across the bay and have Aemond and Vhagar to ambush them. While it would have been wiser to send more than one dragon and Dragonrider, the fact remains that neither Rhaenyra and Syrax nor her heir, Jacaerys and Vermax, or their combined strength would have been able to defeat Aemond and Vhagar. And then, on top of everything,Rhaenyra didn’t have an armyactively fighting for her, whileCole had levied soldiersfrom Darklyn, Rosby, and Stokeworth.
Princess Rhaenys, expectedly, burned down Cole’s men-at-arms while the rest fled the battlefield to take cover. But this hardly alarmed Cole as two of his men deployed near a tree line fired signal arrows, and another one behind them sounded a trumpet.Aemond awaited this signal in a nearby forestand hoped to fly to the battlefield sooner, but was indignant at Aegon II’s sudden arrival. The King risked his life, distracted Cole and forced Aemond to go on standby.
Sunfyre The Golden Burned And Crashed Into A Forest
Meleys almost had Sunfyre, but Vhagar joined the battle. He charged in Aegonand Rhaenys' direction, and yelled"Dracarys!“when a giggling Aegon thanked the gods for his brother’s arrival. Vhagar looked in Meleys and Sunfyre’s direction and breathed fire at them, much to Aegon’s horror. The swift dragon, Meleys, flew away, butSunfyre’s wing caught fire, and they plummeted down the canopy of a nearby forest. The grievously wounded Sunfyre coiled around Aegon. Cole’s worst fears had come true, and he’d indeed risked the King’s life by havingthe petulant Aemonddo his dirty work.
Are Sunfyre And Aegon II Dead?
Will Sunfyre Fly Again?
Though Sunfyre’s story is far from over inFire & Bloodlore, he will bear the scars of this battle until his death. After the epic battle at Rook’s Rest, Cole arranges for Sunfyre’s stay near the stronghold to let him heal. With guards all over him, and burned carcasses to feed on,Sunfyre takes his sweet time at Rook’s Rest.
Sunfyre leaves Rook’s Rest when the Lord of Maidenpool, Walys Mooton, retakes the seaside keepfrom the Greens. Rioters under him try in vain to kill the dragon, but he fends them off. He kills scores of attackers, including the Lord himself. A fortnight later, he takes flight and leaves Rook’s Rest for good.
Aegon, meanwhile, recuperates in King’s Landing, that is until Rhaenyra captures it. He and Princess Jaehaera are taken out of the city secretly by Lord Larys Strong, and he ends up at Dragonstone. Aegon II’s biggest achievement in the Dance isthe Fall of Dragonstone. Disguised as a commoner,Aegon arrives at Dragonstone on a fishing boat, and takes the island with the help of Ser Alfred Broome. Sunfyre, meanwhile, flies off from the lair of Crackclaw Point to Dragonstone, where he reunites with his rider Aegon. Mushroom calls him"a great golden fire-breathing chicken"because of his maimed wing. He faces difficulty flying but wins his last battle with Daemon’s daughter - Princess Baela Targaryen. Sunfyre is rendered flightless in the process and Aegon is further incapacitated and loses the ability to walk.
Sunfyre and Aegon are the last of House Targaryen. The battle with Baela worsens Sunfyre’s state, and he gains notoriety for devouring Queen Rhaenyra when she fleesthe riotous King’s Landingand reaches her stronghold of Dragonstone. Unaware the island has fallen to Aegon, Rhaenyra is said to have laughed at the site of the crippled Sunfyre in lore.
Wounded, unable to fly, and unwilling to eat, Sunfyre breathes his last at Dragonstone. Aegon demands his prisoner Baela’s head for his mount, and mourns his loss.
