in classic game of Thrones Fashionthe Targaryen-Velaryon-Hightower-Strong family reunion in Episode 8 of house of the dragon it was full of bloodshed and jokes.

After several years apart, Princess Rhaenyra and her uncle and husband Daemon, along with their children, broke bread with Queen Alicent Hightower and her children, King Viserys I Targaryen and Princess Rhaenys Targaryen.

house of the dragon Spoilers for episode 8 below!

Despite the fact that Uncle Vaemond Velaryon’s (Wil Johnson) head rolled on the floor of the Red Keep that very night, the dinner is mostly a matter of celebration, beginning with half-brothers Lucerys and Jacaerys Velaryon’s engagement to Baela and Rhaena Targaryen. Arranged marriages are one of the last decrees proclaimed by King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) on the Iron Throne before you die that very night.

The boys seem happy to be marrying their stepbrothers and cousins, and the feeling seems mutual. They all seem to get along, and due to Lucerys and Jacaerys’s secret status as bastards, they are not as closely related as some might think.

Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Daemon (Matt Smith) are especially happy about the engagement, while Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and her faction are not so thrilled. These compromises not only strengthen Rhaenyra’s claim to the Iron Throne by unifying the names of Velaryon and Targaryen, but also strengthen the weaker claims of her descendants by pairing his children with those of Daemon.

But do marriages ever happen? the A song of ice and fire the prequel texts provide clues as to what will happen with this arrangement.

Targaryen and Velaryon Weddings

In the books, Baela and Rhaena end up marrying other men. Explaining why his nuptials to Lucerys and Jacaerys were broken off would spoil a lot of Season 2, but we get to know who they end up with.

Baela marries Alyn Velaryon, a bastard rumored to be the son of her uncle Laenor or, more likely, her grandfather Corlys. As a dragonrider, Alyn was rumored to have had many lovers before and during her marriage, including a Martell and Targaryen princess and a faith of the Seven Septs.

Rhaena marries a knight, Lord Corwyn Corbray of the Vale. Their happy time together lasts only a few years until Corwyn is killed. Later in her life, Rhaena marries Garmund Hightower and has six children with him.

Lucerys Velaryon never marries, nor is it rumored that she has lovers. Her brother Jacaerys, on the other hand, had a more enigmatic affair with a bastard Stark. It is said, though never confirmed, that Jacaerys fell in love with Sara Snow when she traveled to Winterfell to secure the support of the Northmen during the Dance with Dragons. Jacaerys and Sara supposedly secretly married, although accounts of the fictional story vary.

the Reverse Analysis- Though house of the dragon has remained relatively faithful to its source material, it has significantly altered the course of some events, as well as the ages of the characters during those events. In the books, Rhaenyra and Daemon’s children are engaged when they are young; on screen, they are engaged as teenagers.

As such, it’s hard to tell what relationships HBO will change. To keep the drama juicy and the narrative moving forward, the Targaryen-Strong, Targaryen-Velaryon, and Targaryen-Hightower sons and daughters get to live longer than they do in the books, giving them more opportunities during and after the Dance with Dragons to build relationships.

house of the dragon Episode 9 airs October 16 on HBO.