House of the Dragon Season 3: Where Is Daeron Targaryen?

There’s a Targaryen prince hiding in plain sight, and House of the Dragon Season 3 still hasn’t formally introduced him. Daeron Targaryen is Alicent Hightower’s youngest son, a dragonrider with a major role in the Dance of the Dragons. Yet, after two seasons, he remains the biggest missing piece in the Green storyline.

Just when fans thought Episode 3 finally unveiled the character after Ormund Hightower surrendered the prince to Daemon, it turned out to be a ruse to trick Rhaenyra and buy the Hightower host some time. Now, if the young boy with platinum blonde hair wasn’t Daeron, where is the real one? Also, why is House of the Dragon still keeping Daeron in the shadows?

The Real Daeron May Have Already Appeared in House of the Dragon

For all the mystery surrounding Daeron’s arrival, the show may have already introduced him without telling us. In House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 1, when Ormund appears on screen, there is a quiet moment where a young squire stands behind him—played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth—and fans quickly noticed that this unnamed character could be the missing Targaryen prince.

At first glance, the scene seems insignificant. The young man doesn’t speak, he isn’t announced, and the episode gives viewers no obvious confirmation that he is anyone important. But that is exactly what makes the theory so interesting.

In George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, Daeron is sent to Oldtown at a young age, where he serves as a squire and cupbearer to Ormund—the same role this mysterious young man appears to have when we meet the Lord of Oldtown.

The biggest giveaway may be what surrounds him. The same storyline introduces the appearance of Tessarion—the blue dragon connected to Daeron—which hints that the missing prince is nearby. A character this important is unlikely to be standing silently in the background by accident.

But there is one major problem: the hair. In the book, Daeron is known to have the classic silver-gold hair. The squire does not look like a typical Targaryen prince—he appears to have reddish or auburn hair instead. For some fans, that seemed like proof that this could not be Daeron. But what if that difference is actually the clue?

Besides, the fake Daeron plot already revealed that Ormund blenched the other boy’s hair, so why would he not do the same and dye real Daeron’s hair to hide his identity?

If this theory is correct, House of the Dragon has pulled off one of its most subtle reveals yet: we’ve already seen Daeron, and he was there the entire time.

Why House of the Dragon Season 3 Is Holding Back Daeron’s Debut

Charlie Gordon in House of the Dragon / Credits: HBO

At this point, one can argue that there’s so much theatrics happening around Daeron’s storyline. The character plays an important role in the story, and it’s obvious that he’s now the biggest threat to Rhaenyra’s reign. So, why does the show keep delaying his introduction?

One plausible reason is that they are doing this to build more tension and suspense, not only for the character but for Rhaenyra’s arc as well. She has just begun her rule, and she’s already burdened with problems; it would be too overwhelming for the plot to suddenly throw Daeron into the mix without first establishing the full weight of Rhaenyra’s struggles as queen.

Another possibility is that they’re simply saving Daeron for a spectacular entrance—one that makes his debut feel like an event. The First Battle of Tumbleton may be the stage for this since he’s expected to join the fight with his dragon.

Do you believe the young squire is Daeron Targaryen? Let us know in the comments!

House of the Dragon Season 3 is now streaming on HBO Max.