Why Larys Strong Is Really Helping King Aegon

Warning! This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2.

House of the Dragon season 2 has deepened the question of why Larys Strong is helping King Aegon recover from his wounds. In House of the Dragon season 2 episode 4’s ending, Aegon fell from his dragon during the Battle at Rook’s Rest. Since then, Aegon has been somewhat absent from House of the Dragon‘s cast as he slowly recovers from multiple broken bones, the armor that melted into his skin, and severe burns from dragon fire.

By the time of House of the Dragon season 2 episode 7’s ending, Aegon was shown attempting to walk in extreme pain. This was interrupted by the Master of Whisperers, Larys Strong, who insisted that the king must push himself to recover from his injuries as soon as possible, despite the pain it evidently causes. This scene, as well as a similar one earlier in the season, begs the question of why Larys is so committed to helping King Aegon, and what implications this could have on House of the Dragon season 3 and beyond.

Larys Strong Knows He Can Manipulate Aegon, But Can’t Trick Aemond

Larys’ Motives Stem From Manipulation & Trickery

As is often the case with characters in the Game of Thrones universe, Larys Strong is not helping Aegon completely out of benevolence. Instead, Larys is attempting to push Aegon into regaining his crown from his brother Aemond, the prince regent, as the Master of Whisperers knows he can manipulate one but not the other. Aegon has been somewhat well-meaning in House of the Dragon season 2, but he is noticeably less intelligent, less wise, and weaker in political situations than Aemond. Aegon is not an effective king, relying more on the council of others to help him govern.

As a member of the Small Council, this naturally gives Larys more agency. Conversely, Aemond is much more headstrong than his brother and will outright ignore counsel in favor of doing what he thinks is right, or simply what he wants to do. Larys discovered this in House of the Dragon season 2 when he tried to worm his way into the position of Hand of the King. Under Aegon, this might have worked. However, Aemond shot Larys down by calling him a toad and told him to send word to Otto Hightower as the Dance of Dragons continues.

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Does Larys Actually Care About Aegon At All?

Larys’ Actions May Have An Undertone Of Genuine Care

With the majority of Larys’ actions stemming from furthering his own gains, the question can still be raised whether Larys cares for Aegon on a deeper level. This may have been hinted at in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 6. In this episode, shortly after Aemond rebukes Larys for the role of Hand of the King, the former visits Aegon’s chambers. This is where Larys first starts pushing Aegon to recover and reclaim his throne, though the scene is imbued with an undercurrent of emotion that is rarely shown by Larys Strong.

Larys begins tearfully telling Aegon about his own disabilities, specifically how his family reacted to the birth defect that saw him born with a deformed foot. Larys explains how his disability has led people to underestimate him his entire life, and how Aegon will now be in a similar position. This is one of the few times in House of the Dragon that Larys has shown any semblance of emotion, potentially hinting that he does care for Aegon slightly more than he would others due to their now shared experiences with disability.

What Does Larys Strong Really Want From Aegon?

Despite Larys’ Emotion, He Still Only Wants One Thing

While Larys’ tearful breakdown with Aegon hinted at a heart beneath the conniving exterior, the former still only wants one thing from the latter when all is said and done: power. Even the touching scene between Larys and Aegon centered around the other ways people like them must grasp power when the opportunities present themselves, proving that Larys only concerns himself with upping his political standing like Littlefinger in Game of Thrones. This is obvious in Larys’ interactions with Aemond too.

It is likely that had Aemond agreed and given Larys Strong the role of Hand of the King, Larys would have been less inclined to help Aegon. It was only after Aemond diminished Larys’ power in the Small Council that the latter visited Aegon and began to push him to recovery. It remains the case that Larys would not care about Aegon if Aemond had proved more malleable concerning Larys’ increased power, proving that his dedication to helping King Aegon stems almost entirely from personal gain in House of the Dragon.

House of the Dragon

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Taking place about 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.

Cast

Jefferson Hall , Paddy Considine , Fabien Frankel , Ryan Corr , Eve Best , Gavin Spokes , Graham McTavish , Steve Toussaint , Olivia Cooke , Sonoya Mizuno , Bill Paterson , Matthew Needham , Emma D’Arcy , Matt Smith , Rhys Ifans , David Horovitch

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Seasons

2

Network

HBO Max

Directors

Miguel Sapochnik , Clare Kilner , Alan Taylor , Greg Yaitanes , Geeta Vasant Patel , Andrij Parekh

Showrunner

Ryan Condal

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