House of the Dragon season 2 just teased two huge betrayals Rhaenyra will suffer as the Targaryen civil war continues to escalate. Up until Rhaenys’ death, Rhaenyra was trying to keep the Targaryen dragons out of the battlefield because she knew mutual destruction would start happening as soon as those beasts were brought into the conflict. However, following the battle at Rook’s Rest, it is now clear that the Dance of the Dragons will be fought in the sky too. This makes the dragonriders even more important for teams Black and Green.
Rhaenyra rules from Dragonstone, meaning she has more dragons available than Team Green. That said, the Blacks simply do not have enough dragonriders for all the dragons that they have available, which is a problem. Team Green may only have one suitable dragonrider after what happened to Aegon, yet Vhagar happens to be the most powerful creature in the world right now. To defeat Aemond and his ancient dragon while also fighting the war on other fronts, Rhaenyra will need more dragonriders.
Rhaenyra & Jace Set Up Ulf White & Hugh Hammer Claiming Sliverwing & Vermithor
Ulf And Hugh Will Be Two Of Rhaenyra’s Dragonseeds
House of the Dragon season 2, episode 5 ends with Jacaerys and Rhaenyra talking about the necessity of having more dragonriders on their side. With Rhaenyrs dead, Rhaena failing to claim a dragon, and Daemon doing his own thing in Harrenhal, Team Black currently only has Rhaenyra, Jace, and Baela riding dragons. Considering that the queen and her heir should avoid the battlefield as much as possible, the numbers become even worse for Rhaenyra’s side. However, Jace proposed something that is both risky and smart – enlisting Targaryen bastards and descendants from other branches of the family.
Ulf and Hugh will claim Silverwing and Vermithor, respectively, and will fight for Rhaenyra at first.
Not every Targaryen and their sons sit on their Iron Throne, meaning that Valyrian blood has spread across Westeros through other houses. Additionally, there are countless Targaryen bastards and descendants of those bastards in the country. These will be known as “dragonseeds,” and Rhaenyra will allow them to claim dragons. Two of those dragonseeds are Ulf White and Hugh Hammer, both of whom have been introduced in House of the Dragon already. Ulf and Hugh will claim Silverwing and Vermithor, respectively, and will fight for Rhaenyra at first. However, they will eventually betray her.
Ulf & Hugh Betray Rhaenyra At The First Battle Of Tumbleton
Two Of Rhaenyra’s Dragonseeds Will Switch Sides During The War
Ulf was introduced in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 3 as a man from King’s Landing with silver hair who claims he is the grandson of Jaehaerys I Targaryen. While Ulf is not Jaehaerys’ grandson and is not part of the direct line of succession, he does have Targaryen blood. Likewise, Hugh, who is also a poor man from King’s Landing, has Targaryen blood and will be chosen as one of Rhaenyra’s dragonseeds. Initially, Rhaenyra and Jace’s plan works very well and allows the Blacks to bring Vermithor and Silverwing.
Ulf and Hugh prove themselves in the Battle in the Gullet, after which they would become essential members of Rhaenyra’s army. Still, the dragonseeds wanted more than just to be acknowledged as Targaryen descendants who could ride dragons. In exchange for their feats in the war, both Ulf and Hugh expected titles and glories. Offended by what Queen Rhaenyra had offered them – neither of them would become lords of a major castle – Ulf and Hugh ended up betraying Team Black at the first Battle of Tumbleton. They would become known as the “two Betrayers.”
How The Dragonseeds’ Betrayals Change The War For Both Rhaenyra & Aegon In House Of The Dragon
Ulf And Hugh Caused A Lot Of Turmoil For Teams Black And Green
The betrayals of Ulf and Hugh take a huge toll on Rhaenyra, particularly after she finds out that two of her dragons were used against her army. She immediately turns against the other dragonseeds, fearing that they will also betray her. Although Rhaenyra takes over King’s Landing and sits on the Iron Throne for a period, the Dance of the Dragons proves to be much more exhausting than either of the sides imagined. Rhaenyra grows paranoid and even threatens to kill the other dragonseeds. Ulf and Hugh cause a lot of turmoil for the Greens as well.
Hugh Hammer starts to say he should be king because of a prophecy he heard about a hammer bringing down a dragon. This raises the tension between him and Prince Daeron Targaryen, the youngest son of Alice Hightower in House of the Dragon, ahead of the Second Battle of Tumbleton. Hugh is killed by one of Team Green’s knights during the battle, after which Ulf White announces his plans to claim the Iron Throne. Ulf would then be poisoned by Hobert Hightower, who also had to drink a poisoned beverage so that Ulf would not suspect anything.