The dragon Seasmoke has a new rider: Addam of Hull, the shipwright we’ve caught glimpses of all season. How did this come about?

In the latest episode of House of the Dragon, “Smallfolk,” Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) is trying to find new people to ride the wild dragons living on her home base of Dragonstone. Her Kingsguard knigh Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan) steps up and tries to mount the dragon Seasmoke, previously ridden by Rhaenyra’s first husband Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan). But that doesn’t take. Seasmoke fries Steffon well-done, and it would appear that Rhaenyra’s attempts to expand her air force are over.

But later, Seasmoke takes it upon himself to fly to Driftmark, where he zeroes in on a young shipwright named Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty). He chases Addam around the island until cornering him against a rock. We don’t see what happens, but at episode’s end, we learn that Seasmoke has a new rider. Who else could it be but Addam? (Also, if you’ve read the book Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin, you know it’s Addam, so we can dispense with the ambiguity.)

But why did Seasmoke seek Addam out? Let’s get into it.

House of the Dragon season 2 Episode 6 / House of the Dragon season 2 Episode 6

Addam reminds Seasmoke of his last rider

As mentioned, Seasmoke’s previous rider was Laenor Velaryon, who faked his own death with Rhaenyra’s back in season 1 so he could run away and live with his lover Qarl Correy (Arty Froushan) on Essos. Laenor abandoned Seasmoke on Driftmark, which seems a little cruel, but I guess having a dragon in tow with him on Essos would have drawn attention.

Anyway, Seasmoke has grown lonely without a rider. It’s implied that Laenor may have even died offscreen, which could be why the dragon is feeling so moody lately. (For the record, in Fire & Blood, Laenor doesn’t fake his own death but dies for real, which makes this all much cleaner.)

Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO /

Laenor was the son of the uber-wealthy Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and the dragon-rider Rhaenys Targaryen, RIP (Eve Best). The other half of this equation is Addam. It’s been heavily implied throughout the season that Addam and his brother Alyn (Abubakar Salim) are actually the bastard sons of Corlys Velaryon, conceived out of wedlock. So Laenor and Addam are half-brothers, even if they never met each other.

I think Seasmoke sought out Addam because he reminds the dragon of Laenor, his former rider whom he still misses. Not only do Addam and Laenor share the same blood, but they even look a bit alike, except that Addam has black hair while Laenor has silver-white. While Seasmoke saw Steffon Darklyn as an interloper, he looks on Addam as someone familiar, which is how Addam was able to mount the great beast.

We didn’t actually see that happen, but I’m eager to learn more as House of the Dragon season 2 continues on HBO and Max on Sunday nights.