In just one season,The House of the Dragonincludes many unfortunate pairings. Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) and Laenor’s (John MacMillan) marriage was a sham. Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Helaena (Phia Saban) are a married set of siblings who don’t seem to like each other. Then, there is Daemon (Matt Smith) and Rhea Royce (Rachel Redford), who don’t appear together until he kills her. Rhaenyra and Daemon have a considerable age gap and have the typical Targaryen incest problem. And, of course, Viserys (Paddy Considine) is old enough to be Alicent’s (Olivia Cooke) father, not to mention the marital rape andneglect she suffers. But out of all the couples on the show, only one is nothing but wholesome. Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and Rhaenys (Eve Best) make the perfect pair and seem to really love each other and their two children. Love isn’t the norm for Westerosi marriages, as they are more often used as political alliances than a source of companionship. ButCorlys and Rhaenys have a healthy relationship, at least in the show.
While they seem to be a perfect match in the series, they are not so lucky in the book. InGeorge R.R. Martin’sFire & Blood,Corlys and Rhaenys' marriage looks very different. Though there’s little reason to believe they didn’t have a pleasant relationship (which is a success for their culture), they have a much larger age gap, making them fit in with the rest of the problematic couples.
Rhaenys and Corlys Have the Best Relationship in ‘House of the Dragon’
Considering those around them, it’s not a fierce competition. However, Rhaenys and Corlys are a functional pair. They seem to enjoy each other’s company and are one of the few who share any amount of love. Years afterRhaenys was passed over for the Iron Throne, Corlys still supports her claim, longing to set things right and get her bloodline back to the crown. While this is somewhat self-serving, he does want to do right by Rhaenys. He also gives her more power than other wives. She is present in the discussions of their children’s marriages, and Corlys listens to her doubts about Laenor being ready, even if it doesn’t change his plans. He also leaves her in charge when he leaves to fight in the Stepstones when he could have entrusted the task to his brother Vaemond (Wil Johnson) instead.
Rhaenys and Corlys have a marriage similar to that ofthe StarksinGame of Thrones. Ned (Sean Bean) and Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) originally were a political match, but love grew. This pair is undoubtedly the best marriage in that series, without a concerning age gap and only one secret between them. AlbeitJon Snow’s (Kit Harington) parentageis an important secret. They also communicate while they are in the same place, which is rare. Likewise, Rhaenys and Corlys were a good match. The Targaryens andVelaryonshave a history of intermarrying, and both have Valyrian blood, though the Velaryons are not dragonriders. Marrying a Velaryon strengthened Rhaenys' claim to the Throne, especially once they had dragonrider children. Played by actors with only six years between them, they appear to be an age-appropriate and stable couple, unlikeHouse of the Dragon’s other examples. But this isn’t exactly how they appear inFire & Blood.
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‘House of the Dragon’ Majorly Edited Rhaenys and Corlys
While the show has Rhaenys and Corlys as an ideal pairing with a surprisingly healthy marriage for Westeros, they are more problematic inFire & Blood.In the original version of the story, Corlys is 37 when he marries the 16-year-old princess Rhaenys. With roughly twenty years between them, their relationship looks much more flawed. The young princess was the only child ofKing Jaehaerys' oldest son and was set to inherit from her father. Meanwhile, Corlys was the richest man in Westeros after his many voyages, and he held a position on the King’s small council.
While perhaps Rhaenys' cousin, who was only a few years younger than her, would have made a more traditional Targaryen marriage, Corlys was a strong choice, which Jaehaerys approved of greatly, though it was not his idea. Rhaenys asked for the match herself and was met with no objections. There is no indication that they were not happy together inFire & Blood,but a twenty-year age gap is enough for it to be suspicious. However, it does fit with Corlys trying to marry 12-year-old Laena (Nova Foueillis-Mosé) to considerably older Viserys despite the drastic age difference. In the book, Rhaenys and Corlys' own marriage looked similar. Clearly, this element of Rhaenys and Corlys' relationship was changed for the show, though not all the marriages were cleaned up for modern audiences.
The ‘Fire & Blood’ Version Is More Like Other ‘House of the Dragon’ Relationships
While Rhaenys and Corlys' age gap was shortened, others were made more concerning.House of the Dragondidn’t shy away from marriages that shocked the audience. Laena may not marry Viserys, but she does wed Daemon, who is still much older. Later, Daemon and Rhaenyra display a similar age gap. And, of course, the worst age difference is Alicent and Viserys' marriage, at roughly thirty years. Clearly,House of the Dragondidn’t feel the need to eliminate large age gaps. The age changes had less to do with making Corlys and Rhaenys' marriage more palatable for the audience than it was aboutmaking Rhaenyra and Alicent childhood friends. To age up Rhaenyra, Viserys' age had to be changed as well. And for the show to maintain Rhaenys' claim to the throne, she needed to be older than Viserys. Rhaenys ending up close in age to her husband was a happy accident, but it provided at least one functional marriage for the series.
Ironically, while Rhaenys and Corlys are drastically different ages, the original version of the show’s most concerning age difference isn’t nearly as bad. Alicent Hightower is only about ten years younger than Viserys inFire & Blood,while, in the series, there is a much larger age gap. Both Rhaenys and Viserys are aged up for the show, so while it fixes Corlys and Rhaenys' age disparity, it exaggerates Viserys and Alicent’s. With the book’s twenty-year age gap, Corlys and Rhaenys look more like Viserys and Alicent’s marriage than the book version of those same characters.
