Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 Episode 5 of House of the Dragon.
House of the Dragonhas long been building towards the inevitable war between the half-siblings Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) for control of the realm, and battle has finally broken out in the Riverlands and Crownlands, ensuring that the rest of Westeros will not be far behind. As the Dance of the Dragons commences, the lords of Westeros are forced to divide betweenthe Blacks and the Greens, swearing their allegiance to one claimant or the other. This has already begun, though some of thegreat housesremain undecided. The Baratheons and Lannisters side with Aegon and the Greens, while Rhaenyra earns a few allies of her own. Most notably, the Starks and the Arryns declare for the Blacks after Rhaenyra sends her son, Jacaerys (Harry Collett), to speak with them.
While Jace’s talks withCregan Stark (Tom Taylor)were shown at the beginning of Season 2, his negation with the Arryns of the Vale was not. However, that doesn’t stop Jeyne Arryn (Amanda Collin) from appearing in Season 2, Episode 5, with several members of Rhaenyra’s royal family now sheltering at her castle. Generations beforeGame of Thrones' Lysa Arryn (Kate Dickie) and her son Robin (Lino Facioli), the Erie is held by Lady Jeyne Arryn, who has received a few mentions ahead of her first appearance. If her position of power in the male-dominated Westeros isn’t intriguing enough, the character’s history explored inFire & Bloodand the role she has played off-screen set up Jeyne Arryn to be a memorable character.
House of the Dragon
The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO seriesGame of Thrones.Based on George R.R. Martin’sFire & Blood,House of the Dragonis set nearly 200 years beforeGame of Thrones, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.
Who Is Jeyne Arryn, the Maiden of the Vale?
Before her introduction, one thing is clear aboutJeyne Arryn: she holds power in the Vale.Jace negotiated with her for the region’s support, and she willingly offered 15,000 swords in return for a dragon to stay there and protect her castle. Jeyne Arryn appears in Season 2, Episode 5 as the host toRhaena (Phoebe Campbell)and Rhaenyra’s three youngest sons, who were sent away a few episodes prior. In fulfillment of the bargain, Rhaenyra sends Joffrey (Oscar Eskinazi) and hisdragon Tyraxes. But in addition to their agreement,Rhaenyra asks Jeyne to shelter Rhaena and the two youngest princeswhile they look for refuge in the Free Cities because of the danger at Dragonstone.
However,Jeyne’s appearance reveals that she does not see the deal as being met.Tyraxes is still young, making him meager protection for the Vale’s needs. The Vale is nearly impregnable, only in danger of a dragon attack. But Tyraxes is no help because, no matter the dragon and especially against the Green’s Vhagar, he stands no chance. Because of this,Jeyne’s support of Rhaenyra wavers. Rhaena attempts to discuss the matter, reminding Jeyne of Aegon the Younger’s dragon, Stormcloud, whose presence is in addition to Jeyne’s request as she didn’t specify a size. Yet Jeyne does not put up with the nonsense. She shuts down Rhaena’s attempts to convince her their arrangement was met due to a technicality of the phrasing, but doesn’t send the girl away. Instead,Jeyne and Rhaena briefly bond over a mutual hate for feeling helpless. While her armies are not on the march, she is sheltering four members of Rhaenyra’s family, at least for the time being, putting her firmly on Team Black.
Rhaenyra Is Losing the War in ‘House of the Dragon’ Because of One Big Mistake
Team Black is making some grievous errors in the Dance of Dragons.
What Does ‘Fire & Blood’ Reveal About Jeyne Arryn?
Jeyne is known as the Maiden of the Vale because, unlikeLysa Arryn in the future, she is not the regent for her son but leads the Vale in her own right.Fire & Bloodexplains the circumstances that allowed Jeyne to come to power at the age of three. Her father and brothers were killed by the Stone Crows, a mountain clan that live near the Vale but do not acknowledge the Arryn’s authority.As the last surviving child of the Lord, Jeyne inherited her father’s title, but her own family challenged her claim, which somewhat parallels Rhaenyra’s situation. Lord Yorbert Royce served as her regent until she came of age because she could not trust her family. In three separate instances, Jeyne faced the prospect of being replaced, but each time, she held on to her inheritance. Twice, her opponent was her cousin Ser Arnold Arryn, who Jeyne eventually had imprisoned in the sky cells and disinherited from the Arryn line.
House of the Dragongave little information about her besides her position. Though she didn’t appear in Season 1, she is mentioned twice, once when Daemon (Matt Smith) intends to petition her to become the heir of his late first wife,Rhea Royce (Rachel Redford), and again when Rhaenyra sends messages to her potential allies. Though the result of his petition is clear in the series, considering Daemon has no control in Runestone,Fire & Bloodincludes the detail that not only did Jeyne deny the claim, butshe ordered the Targaryen Prince out of the Vale. The novel also mentions the rumor that Jeyne preferred women to men but maintains that Jessamyn Redfort was nothing more than a “dear companion.” However, it’s easy to read between the lines. Jeyne never took a husband and was succeeded by her distant cousin, Joffrey Arryn, whom she chose to be her heir.
Jeyne Arryn Is a Natural Ally for Rhaenyra
As the Lady of the Eyrie and Warden of the East, Jeyne Arryn is a desirable ally for either side, but Rhaenyra sets her sights on Jeyne quickly, and there are a few reasons. Though the show has yet to explore this aspect, it’s worth noting that Jeyne is sympathetic to Rhaenyra asa woman in a position of power.Fire & Bloodquotes her saying to Jace, “In this world of men, we women must band together.” But beyond that,Jeyne and Rhaenyra are related. Rhaenyra’s mother, Aemma (Sian Brooke), was born an Arryn, the only child of Rodrik Arryn and his second wife, Daella Targaryen (the daughter ofKing Jaehaerys). Though Jenye’s exact relationship to Rodrik is unclear, the Lord had several children from his first wife, and, barring a significant family tragedy, his eldest son would have succeeded him. More than likely, that son was Jeyne’s father, making Jeyne and Rhaenyra first cousins through Aemma’s halfsibling. However, in Season 1,Rhaenyra refers to Jeyne as her mother’s cousin, potentially making the family tie more distant or simply ambiguously referring to their family relationship.
House of the Dragon is currentlystreaming on Max in the U.S. New episodes air every Sunday.
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