In 'House of the Dragon' episode 2, Aemond discovers a coin that confirmed Daemon was behind the hit intended for him.
House of the Dragon season 2, episode 2 picked up right where episode 1 left off on Sunday night -- with the Red Keep in utter chaos after the horrific beheading of Jaehaerys Targaryen. Spoilers ahead for episode 2.
As everyone from the Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) to alleged King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) grapple with the killing of the young boy at the hands of hired murderers Blood and Cheese, Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) makes a discovery of his own in the form of a gold coin that sends him into a spiral. But what does the gold coin mean?
At the beginning of the latest episode, viewers are treated to a shot of an eagle-eyed Aemond coming to terms with the events of the evening and somehow spotting a shiny coin underneath a table in his bedroom. While it wouldn't mean much to any other person or servant, to Aemond, it's a clear indication that he was the initial intended target of the hit.
In episode 1, Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) and Aemond used a handful of shiny gold coins to surreptitiously plot out their plans for war with the Blacks -- led by Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) -- and place them strategically where they believed they would be able to rally support for Aegon over Rhaenya.
In discovering the single gold coin under the table -- as well as the lack of other coins on top of the map -- Aemond's suspicions that he was the target are all but confirmed. The finding indicates to the one-eyed prince that the murderers in the castle had been in his room, most likely to look for him and avenge Prince Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault).
Fans of the show will remember that Lucerys "Luke" Velaryon died at the hands of Aemond and Vhagar in the last episode of season 1. At the time, Luke was flying on Arrax away from Storm's End when Vhagar took a bite out of the smaller dragon and devoured the young prince whole.
While it's not spelled out for Aemond clearly in episode 2, he's able to make the reasonable leap and deduce that Blood and Cheese were really there for him as he is the person responsible for the death of Prince Lucerys and the hit was a way for the Blacks -- namely the similarly short-tempered and vindictive Daemon -- to get back at the Greens.
He later confirms his findings while visiting a brothel and unraveling his hunch to a woman who attempts to comfort him.
"Daemon sent them to kill me -- I was out," Aemond says, explaining how he evaded his own murder. "In truth, I am proud that he considers me such a foe and that he seeks to murder me in my bed. He's afraid of me."
Uncharacteristically, Aemond does take the blame and own up to his responsibility in Luke's death, telling the woman, "I do regret that business with Luke. I lost my temper that day and I am sorry for it," adding, "They used to tease me, you know, because I was different."
In a moment of perfect clarity, the woman -- speaking directly to Aemond but whose words also apply to Daemon -- tells the younger of Alicent's sons, "I would remind you that when princes lose their temper, it is others who suffer."
This, of course, echoes Rhaenyra's scolding of Daemon earlier in the episode after discovering that he was responsible for ordering Blood and Cheese to exact revenge. At the time, he told the mercenaries that should they be unable to locate Aemond, "a son for a son." It's yet another sign that these two blood-thirsty (and power-hungry) spare sons have more in common than they might hope.
"Daemon and Aemond, two sides of the same coin. #HouseofThedragon," one X user wrote in a tweet.
New episodes of House of the Dragon stream Sunday evenings on MAX. For more on the Targaryen-Velaryon war, check out the links below.
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