The final episode of the first season of House of the Dragon just premiered, bursting the door to the Dance of the Dragons open à la Aragorn at Helm’s Deep. Its most shocking event — expected for those who know the source material but still brutal to witness — takes place in the Stormlands, the seat of House Baratheon, one of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms that both sides of the conflict were vying to have as a supporter.
Let’s do a bit of a deep dive into the state of the Baratheon stags at the beginning of the Dance of the Dragons, and particularly on their lord, Borros Baratheon.
Who Are The Baratheons?
House Baratheon has always had close ties to the ruling House Targaryen. It all started with Orys Baratheon, the founder of the line, who was probably the half-brother of Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters. This is added to the simple geographical fact of the Stormlands bordering the Crownlands, making the two Houses technically neighbors.
Several Targaryen princesses were wed to the Lord of Storm’s End throughout history — the last one will be Rhaelle Targaryen, mother to Steffon Baratheon and grandmother to Robert, Stannis, and Renly Baratheon. It’s through her that Game of Thrones’ Robert will be able to claim royal blood and climb the steps of the Iron Throne at the end of his rebellion.
While the opposite — a Baratheon lady marrying into the royal house — wasn’t as frequent, it still happened. One of these occasions is very relevant to the story we’re currently seeing. Lady Jocelyn Baratheon was wed to Prince Aemon Targaryen, then the Prince of Dragonstone, and we know the result of their union very well— Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, the Queen That Never Was.
It’s actually because of this family connection that Rhaenyra expects the current Lord of Storm’s End, Borros Baratheon, to declare for her side— Rhaenys is, after all, his first cousin, with Rhaenys’s mother Jocelyn and Borros’ father Boremund being siblings. Fun fact: the mother of Boremund and Jocelyn is also the mother of Old King Jaeherys and the Good Queen Alysanne, meaning she’s Viserys and Daemon’s grandmother. Gotta love the fact that the Targaryen family tree is basically a circle.
Who Is Borros Baratheon in ‘House of the Dragon’?
But back to Borros Baratheon. Unlike his father Boremund, known for being stoic and rational and an unflinching supporter of niece Rhaenys, Lord Borros is a very proud and temperamental man, always ready to fight and argue. As we saw in Episode 10, he feels that Rhaenyra has been taking the support of House Baratheon for granted— and while he’s flattered that both sides come asking for his aid, he’s more inclined to treat with the Greens, who sent Prince Aemond with a marriage offer for one of Borros’ four daughters.
We’ve seen what happens next. Lucerys Velaryon arrives to ask for Borros’s support for his mother’s cause when the pact between the Baratheons and Aemond has already been struck. Aemond demands one of Lucerys’ eyes since, if there’s one thing Aemond does extremely well, it’s holding a grudge. Lucerys understandably says no and the two are about to have it out right there in Storm’s End main hall before Lord Borros demands that nothing happens under his roofs.
So of course they take it to the skies, where Vhagar does what she’s been pretty much raised to do: war crimes. Whether it was intentional on Aemond’s part like in the book or an accident as it appears to be in the show, the end result is the same; the death of Lucerys is what sends the Dance of Dragons tumbling into actual bloodshed rather than a game of messengers and marriage pacts.
***From now on, the article will contain spoilers from Fire & Blood about the future seasons of House of the Dragon. Be warned. ***
Lord Borros will declare for the Greens, even though he will take some time to actually join the fighting. He will then be sent by King Aegon II to subdue both the Crownlands and the Riverlands, where he will clash with the host put together by the River Lords loyal to Rhaenyra. The battle, known as the Battle of the Kingsroad, is where Borros will finally meet his end at the end of Lord Kermit Tully’s sword.
(source: AWOIAF; image: HBO)
