Fans weren’t expecting a plot twist involving Rhaenyra Targaryen’s love life. Or were they?

In this week’s new episode of House of the Dragon, “Smallfolk,” we witnessed a passionate kiss between Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and her unofficial Mistress of Whisperers, Lady Mysaria. This is the first time the show has ever, explicitly, shown us that Rhaenyra might be interested in women. While it’s important to point out that it’s useless to attach our modern-day labels and conceptions of gender and sexuality to people in Westeros, the show writing a canonically queer Targaryen is cause for analysis from your resident queer ASOIAF expert.

If you ask me, Rhaenyra Targaryen is a character who was always conceived of as queer, starting in the source material for the show: George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood. It’s something that many fans hoped would be shown in House of the Dragon from the start. Rhaenyra’s is a story that is inherently about gender — had she be born a man, the Dance of Dragons would not have happened — and sexuality; had she not been sexually liberated both prior to and during her marriage, history may have gone very differently. Denying that there is a place for queerness in her story only takes nuance away.

One thing we know about Rhaenyra is that she will take what she wants and be unapologetic about it. She does it with her male lovers, so why should it be any different when she’s attracted to a woman? And why should it come as a surprise that a woman so sexually liberated should deny herself anything on the basis that it may be unseemly? This woman married her uncle that she grew up adoring; her liking women should certainly not be an issue for anyone watching. What’s Alicent’s unfortunate line from season 1? “You Targaryens have queer customs.” Indeed. “[Daemon] was everything I wanted to be,” Rhaenyra tells Mysaria in this episode. “Carefree, dangerous… a man.” It’s that potential she longs for; the ability to do whatever she wants and suffer no repercussions, as a man could.

Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) in House of the Dragon season 2. /

So what’s between Rhaenyra and Mysaria? A lot of chemistry, for sure, and trust. Rhaenyra turns to Mysaria when nobody else on her council will give her credit, displaying their ingrained misogyny even as they support a female ruler. Mysaria listens and answers in kind, offering Rhaenyra an important perspective that no one on her council can provide, that of the smallfolk. Because Mysaria is not a nobleman on her council, Rhaenyra allows herself to be vulnerable with Mysaria, to air her frustrations; this creates an interesting dynamic where Rhaenyra needs Mysaria more than Mysaria needs her; Mysaria grounds the queen and acts as a sounding board for her plans and ideas.

Most importantly, they do not limit themselves to matters of state and war; at this point, Mysaria is Rhaenyra’s most trusted advisor (much to Jace’s frustration) but also her only confidante. They discuss personal matters, those Rhaenyra cannot share with anyone else. Perhaps because Mysaria has proven herself loyal when she didn’t have to, perhaps because she has also been a lover of the Rogue Prince, Rhaenyra finds herself talking to Mysaria about Daemon, after incinirating with her eyes anyone who dared to speak her husband’s name in her presence after their quarrel. When Mysaria shares her own tragic backstory, one of unspeakable abuse, Rhaenyra cannot help but embrace her to bring her some comfort and a sense of safety. And it’s there, after much poking and quiet provoking, that Mysaria makes her move, when it’s clear that Rhaenyra finds the embrace comfortable, necessary, and has no intention of letting go. Their kiss doesn’t stem from mere passion, but from understanding and from a necessity that’s been growing with each passing episode.

Will this be a one-time thing, or will Mysaria become Rhaenyra’s lover on the show? I think the latter. In the book, we are told twice that Mysaria continues to be Daemon’s mistress throughout the Dance of Dragons, with Rhaenyra’s apparent blessing. What if this was flipped around? Or what if Mysaria is simultaneously Rhaenyra’s and Daemon’s lover: “Let Daemon slake his hungers where he will,” Rhaenyra is reported to have said in Fire & Blood, “and we shall do the same.” There is also the viable option of polyamory, which is not to be excluded. This is how many book readers had interpreted Rhaenyra and Daemon’s relationship in Fire & Blood, after all.

Further along in the book, Mysaria is extremely close to Rhaenyra in her lowest moments, just like they are now on the show. As a close confidante, Mysaria is able to feed Rhaenyra information that leads her to massive decisions that change the course of history. Some say that from her place at her side whispering conspiracies in her ear, Mysaria effectively manipulates Rhaenyra, to drastic consequences.

House of the Dragon season 2 Episode 5 /

Is Rhaenyra Targaryen queer in Fire & Blood?

Sensibly, the question many ask is, what does Fire & Blood actually say about Rhaenyra’s sexuality? Is Rhaenyra queer? And the answer is: the book provides yes as an answer to those who are looking for it, while never explicitly stating that Rhaenyra ever had a romantic relationship with a woman. To me, and thousands of others, the answer is yes. The book alludes many times to Rhaenyra enjoying the company of women as well as men, but does so subtly, so that it can easily be dismissed by those who are not interested in hearing it. Remember: the book is written from the perspective of a maester stringing together a narrative long after the fact from primary sources, so he doesn’t have all the information and may miss or even exclude some.

Reading between the lines, Rhaenyra has many female favorites, chief among them her cousin Lady Laena Velaryon.

Gal pals#HouseOfTheDragon #RhaenyraTargaryen #LaenaVelaryon pic.twitter.com/8VLn4xBE5c

— Ria 🍋 (@var0ness) July 16, 2024

Fire & Blood states that Rhaenyra “became fond and more than fond of her good-sister Lady Laena.” That is an expression that the author deliberately uses throughout the book. Readers could interpret this as meaning that Rhaenyra and Laena were super extra best friends. Others find much more there.

Martin goes on to write that Rhaenyra and Laena spent a lot of time together despite residing in different places and that they often flew together on their dragons. Daemon, Rhaenyra’s uncle and Laena’s husband, would also join them. Mirroring her rider’s relationships, Rhaenyra’s dragon Syrax lays various clutches of eggs during this time. Rhaenyra and Laena betrothe their children to each other. Later, Rhaenyra is at Laena’s side during her difficult childbirth and she does not leave her side for three days after Laena passes. Sounds pretty lover-coded to me.

House of the Dragon. Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO /

The Hightower-shaped elephant in the room

Instead of Laena, the role of Rhaenyra’s dearest companion is given to Alicent on the show, and from this stem many differences between the source material and the TV adaptation. Many show fans have been saying that House of the Dragon is guilty of queer-baiting due to the somewhat ambiguous relationship between young Rhaenyra and Alicent Hightower. While I’m not personally aboard that ship, thousands of people have been frustrated at the show for writing a queer-coded Rhaenyra and Alicent from the start and denying the audience any payoff. Producers have been asked about the nature of the relationship between the two women, and different people have given different answers in the past three years. Was this kiss with Mysaria written into the show to appease and galvanize those who always wanted to see Rhaenyra with a woman? Or is it simply a part of Rhaenyra’s character that had been hiding under the surface with no opportunity to rise up until now?

House of the Dragon season 2 episode 6 /

 No double standards, please

Rhaenyra Targaryen is queer and she has always been, because she is a character who has always transcended the norm and the expectations that were placed upon her as a woman in the context she lives in. She is queer and in no way does this affects the other relationships she has, both in the book and on the show. If her husband sleeps with other women, why shouldn’t she?