Why Did Helaena Let Jaehaerys Die in the House of the Dragon Blood and Cheese Scene? Answered

House of the Dragon season 2 kicked off with a rather powerful and dark premiere episode, and yes, the body count has already started. If you’re wondering why Helaena let Jaehaerys die in the Blood and Cheese scene in House of the Dragon, here’s what you need to know.

Why Helaena Picked Jaehaerys to Die in House of the Dragon

Helaena Targaryen is a woman of very few words in House of the Dragon, but there are three very likely reasons for why she let Jaehaerys die in the Blood and Cheese scene. The first is that she didn’t want Jaehaerys to become the next King and put him through the exhausting Game of Thrones that she’s seeing Aegon go through now. The second is that she simply despises Aegon and holds him in low regard, and does not have any qualms about taking his heir away from him. The final reason is that it simply would be easier for her to escape Blood and Cheese with a daughter, rather than a son.

Let’s go over each of these reasons one by one.

Even in season 1 of House of the Dragon, it’s been clear that Helaena has little to no interest in the political game that everyone in Westeros seems to love playing. She wants no part in the bloodshed that comes with being royalty, and it’s possible that she wanted to save Jaehaerys from that fate as well, once it became clear that she had to give up one of her kids to Blood and Cheese.

With that in mind, it’s not inconceivable to think that she may have seen an early death as a better fate for Jaehaerys, rather than letting him take the throne one day and have other people come for him in so many other ways.

Secondly, it’s also been clear that neither Aegon nor Helaena have much love for each other. We know that Jaehaerys is the favored child of Aegon, and it’s possible that Helaena simply wanted to deprive Aegon of his favorite child and heir to the throne. This is a little less likely than the first reason, as Helaena has always been portrayed as a kinder and more gentle character on the show, but it’s still something to consider.

Finally, the last reason is one of practicality. If Blood and Cheese were to find out that Helaena lied and took Jaehaerys with her, they would waste no time in chasing her down and kill her and both kids. From a survival perspective, it made more sense for Helaena to give up her son, so that she could escape with her own life and her daughter’s.

And that’s why Helaena decided to let Jaehaerys die in the Blood and Cheese murder in House of the Dragon. Be sure to search up The Escapist for more news and information on the show, including who Alyrie Florent is, and how many episodes there are in season 2.