House Of The Dragon Episode 7 Just Made A Staggering Change To A Character's Fate From The Novels
We've only a few visits left on our fast-track pass through Westeros, and so far, "Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon," as compelling as the series has been, the writers have not been afraid to make some interesting changes from the source material. "Fire and Blood" written by the creator of the Seven Kingdoms, George R. R. Martin, chronicles the era of Targaryen rule centuries before The Prince That Was Promised arrived. Still rife with as much scandal and backstabbing as a Red Wedding, it included another number of alliances and altercations as we've seen in the show. Still, some characters in Westerosi history have met very different outcomes from what we've seen so far.
One such adjustment happened in the latest episode of the series, which was already abundant with death and deception. After a funeral and a blade to the eye, things got considerably more heated between families, forcing certain players to make drastic moves that would test bonds bound in blood. Doing so meant sacrifices had to be completed, and high-up members of Velaryon had to be taken out of the picture. What was interesting about this specific family member was how they went; it could make a big change for the show's future.
Laenor met a far safer exit than his literary counterpart
This week Laenor Velaryon (John McMillan) bowed out of the brewing battle between families at the expense of Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) marrying Daemon (Matt Smith) and fortifying her place against her former friend and current Queen, Alicent (Olivia Cooke). Of course, a simple divorce couldn't happen. Instead, a scheme was hatched: Laenor faked his death and fled across the Narrow Sea to spend his days away from his family and their troubles. However, "Fire & Blood" saw the Prince meet a much more grisly end.
In the book, the battle between him and Ser Qarl Correy (Arty Froushan) ended with Laenor being killed rather than escaping victorious with a charred corpse in his place. The battle was still set up by Daemon, who was fuelled by a more malicious intent of getting rid of Rhaeneyra's husband to take his place instead. This alteration in outcomes changes many plot elements and character motives. Daemon setting Qarl up to take the fall shows that as much as a rogue as he may be, he is willing to let Laenor get out alive. It also means that there's every chance Laenor could return in the future seasons instead of being permanently out of the picture. Either way, we can only assume that another supposed death in the Velaryon family tree will cause issues as their numbers dwindle along with their dragons.