‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Episode 4 Ending Explained: Did Aegon Die? Did Aemond Kill Aegon?

The last act of House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 4 is nothing short of explosive. HBO‘s depiction of the Battle of Rook’s Rest — the first real battle between the dragons of Team Black and Team Green in George R.R. Martin‘s book Fire & Blood — is full of blood, fire, and dramatic tweaks to the show’s source material. In Fire & Blood, we’re told that, yes, Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) purposely attacked the small, coastal castle of Rook’s Rest to lure Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) dragons into a trap. However, in the book, both one-eyed Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and his brother, Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), are in on the scheme. They ambush Rhaenys (Eve Best) and her dragon Meleys with their dragons, Vhagar and Sunfyre, in tandem.

However, that’s not exactly how it goes in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 4. In fact, you might be confused about which dragon was attacking which and if a brother turned on a brother…

**Spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 4, now streaming on Max**

In House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 4’s version of Rook’s Rest, Aegon has no idea what Ser Criston Cole and Aemond have planned for the battle. Drunk, ashamed, and eager to prove his worth as a Targaryen king, Aegon foolishly decides to join the battle on his own. He rides his small golden dragon Sunfyre to Rook’s Rest, almost putting the entire plan in jeopardy. Cole panics when Aegon enters battle with the older, larger, and more experienced Meleys, while Aemond holds Vhagar back, noting Aegon is an “idiot.”

However it’s what Aemond does next that might be the most shocking. When Aegon sees his brother arriving, he rejoices. He assumes that Vhagar is going to save him and Sunfyre from Rhaenys and Meleys. But Aegon’s joy soon transforms to horror when he realizes that’s actually not what Aemond is doing. Aemond orders Vhagar to “Dracarys” both dragons at the same time, sending an injured Aegon and Sunfyre to crash on the ground.

By the episode’s end, it’s clear that Aemond and Vhagar have killed Rhaenys and Meleys, but did they also kill Aegon and Sunfyre? Let’s break it down…

House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 4 Ending Explained: Is Aegon Dead? Did Aemond Kill Aegon?

First thing’s first: Aegon is not dead. That said, he might wish he was. As…the trailer for House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 5 seemingly confirms.

You see, when Aemond rained dragon fire on his brother, Aegon basically became cooked inside the Conqueror’s Valyrian Steel armor. Sunfyre is similarly in dire condition. So all in all, not great for Aegon, who probably should have done what his mom Alicent (Olivia Cooke) said, which was nothing. (Of course, Alicent’s comments probably provoked the hot-heated monarch to fly out in the first place!)

So did Aemond try to kill his brother? Well, he certainly didn’t do anything to help save his Aegon.

Instead of only targeting Rhaenys and Meleys, Aemond very clearly unleashes Vhagar’s dragon fire on both Team Black and Team Green’s dragons. It’s sort of not something you’d do if your goal was protecting your so-called king. It could be that Aemond felt drawn to do this because Aegon’s rash decision to fly to Rook’s Rest put the entire battle strategy in danger. After all, he calls his brother an “idiot” when he realizes what’s going on. But it really does seem that Aemond used Aegon’s own impulsively dumb actions to his own benefit.

Adding fuel to the (dragon) fire is the fact that when Cole finally gets to where Sunfyre has crashed, Aemond is there with his sword out. Cole’s arrival pauses Aemond’s blade. So it appears that Aemond was going to kill his brother, even if it was a mercy killing to put him out of his misery.

Anyway you slice it, though, Aemond is responsible for Aegon’s gruesome injuries and would stand to benefit the most if Aegon was out of the way. Aemond would be next in line. In fact, he could consider it a necessity for Team Green to get rid of the feckless monarch. After all, hasn’t he repeatedly shown in the Small Council that he knows much more about strategy? He definitely knows more High Valyrian.

In a nutshell, House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 4 ends with Rhaenys and Meleys dead, Aegon and Sunfyre nearly dead, and Aemond conveniently holding Aegon the Conqueror’s Valyrian steel dagger (which holds the secret of the Song of Ice and Fire!).