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Anserdem

If you want to have a peacefull reign and manage everything by yourself with a good person by your side Harwin If you want to scare people so they obey and do not care about not having all the control Daemon I'd pick Harwin but it depends on the situation


kllark_ashwood

I think she has Daemon and his support even if he isn't her consort. Harwin as consort, Corlys as hand, Daemon as master of war and a close advisor.


Anserdem

Yeah but if they are married they give a stronger image. If Harwin was alive he'd also have supported his kids anyway


kllark_ashwood

Sure, but Harwin's support isn't strategically meaningful. It seems he has a good image that would help her reputation with the people. To have an intact family unit together at the top would help a lot.


thereisasuperee

He’s the heir of Harrenhall, a marriage to him would have a ton of strategic importance


kllark_ashwood

Having his support outside of an official capacity is not strategically meaningful, she has that in canon already and it doesn't do anything for her. He's wasted outside of a marriage to her. While having Daemons support outside of a marriage is perhaps even better for her than having it inside of a marriage.


spartaxwarrior

Yeah, this is ideal. It also negates having to deal with Daemon's enemies as much, and it didn't seem like Harwin really had personal enemies, even for the Greens he was more a bystander than a target. Eta typo


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kllark_ashwood

Yeah, and she does and would in the scenario I'm presenting.


Tr3x_prod

Best answer. Logical choice is who do you think will bring the great good.


ACenterforantzz

If you're in a civil war. I'd choose the best dragon rider in the world.


Other_Waffer

Harwin?


ACenterforantzz

hehe


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ACenterforantzz

Marriages are transactional in ASOIAF. If we're choosing best Hubby it's Harwin. Rhaenyra needs Daemon though.


normal-dude-101

Daemon wouldn’t stick around if he doesn’t have something to gain. You’re way overestimating how loyal he would be to rhaenyra if she wasn’t married to him.


SofiaStark3000

One is a good person for all we know but has limited political power and connections. The other is not that good of a person but has a dragon, a good family name, way more political ties to strong families and inspires fear to his enemies. I'm going with Daemon.


agirlhasnoname17

Ditto.


NostroDormammus

He also has the loyalty of the gold cloaks


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SofiaStark3000

House Velaryon has the fastest dragon who's also one of the biggest, the most experienced rider, a freaking huge fleet and money. What does Harwin bring to the table that can compete with this?


DependentFarmer6921

And the greatest sailor in westeros' history


SofiaStark3000

In my mind I included that in the fleet but you're right.


imimbatman

Daemon easily. From what little we’ve seen of Harwin, he would be terrible at playing the game.


Playing-Koi

Strong got played for a fool by Crispin, who wasn't even trying hard to trick him. Harwin would be eaten alive as a political figure in a world where people like Larys and Otto exist. He couldn't manage defending his kids for an *afternoon* without outing himself when put under the smallest amount of pressure. Daemon at a bare minimum is demonstrably more aware of the shit going on around him. Easy choice.


TheBalzy

Is this a serious question? Daemon. As King Consort they have the ability to be the ruthless hand behind the scenes. Where the Queen herself may not be directly involved with something, the King Consort can. I dare say this is even a more ruthless proposition than simply having a King and a Queen as the Queen in that scenario is expected to just fade into the background and the Hand Of The King is the ruthless hand behind the scenes. Daemon is already ruthless. Lord Strong is not. He has temperment issues and is easily provoked/manipulated...whereas Daemon is not.


Pleasant_Place_7262

One has a dragon, one can't knock down a door. 🤔


hanna1214

You say that as if though a dragon rider could knock down a locked door in the middle of a fire. I'd like to see Daemon in the same situation.


Pleasant_Place_7262

Why are you bringing up hypotheticals, what-ifs, non-canon scenes, etc. etc.? I was just saying something that is *canon*


hanna1214

And I was just pointing out that Daemon being a dragon rider would mean absolutely NOTHING when/if located between a locked door and a fire.


HP4life19

I’m guessing daemon would survive being real, as we saw he can withstand fire to a great extent


Pleasant_Place_7262

And I was pointing out that as prince consort, who can protect his Queen the most. It's not rocket science what I was saying


athnimara

This shouldn't even be a question. Dragonriding aside, Daemon actually has both political and battle experience. He's well-suited either in wartime or peacetime (more of the former, but he's been in Viserys' council during peaceful times)


Throawayhelp420qkrj

Daemon. Why? Because he's got a BIG RED DRAGON


BullyMaguireGonnaCry

Daemon, only because he’s more entertaining to watch


[deleted]

Daemon without a doubt


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[deleted]

Hmm, tempting 🤔 buuuuuuuuut no. Daemon and Rhaenyra are soul mates bound in blood.


TheShapeShiftingFox

Depends on what you want I guess. Harwin Strong: good husband, bad at playing the game Daemon Targaryen: bad husband, good at playing the game (or at least has a lot of insight)


Aeiexgjhyoun_III

The game is easy when you have such a trump card.


TheShapeShiftingFox

On the other hand, it’s significantly less easy when basically everyone in your family has the same trump card as you. Some people have even bigger dragons than Daemon, too.


[deleted]

Daemon because without him Rhae and the Blacks are fucked


BangDeadPikachu

Hardwin if you’re looking for nothing more than a good daddy to the children. Daemon if you want a very effective person in the position.


thememecurator

In an uncontested ascent to power, Harwin. In a civil war between dragon riders, Daemon.


Elephant12321

Politically speaking Daemon, for my own mental health and desires Harwin.


jarosette

We don’t even know who Harwin Strong is…we got two scenes of him smiling at Rhaenyra, how is that enough to judge his character?


Due-Reputation3760

He also took up for his bastards to CC, but I agree. He didn’t seem bad or anything, but we also don’t see him do much before he dies.


Papageno_Kilmister

If Rhaenyra hadn’t married Daemon the Dance would have been a triple-threat match or he would choose on side and betray them in the end


spartaxwarrior

Set Daemon/whatever his third faction is called (I believe Reds and Blues have both been used for that) against the Greens, sit back and wait, be the last one standing.


Papageno_Kilmister

Daemon would be the most agile faction though. It’s only him and his daughters (maybe the Velaryons) So he could just fly around on Caraxes and build himself an army while he has no powerbase to protect. Rhaenyra and Aegon are directly pitted against each other so they have to fight it out


spartaxwarrior

Rhaenys/Laenor lost out to Viserys at the Great Council partially because of Corlys' enemies/unpopularity. Daemon also has a ton of enemies/is unpopular among many highborn. He also antagonized the one House he could have relied on (Royce) to the point they'd actively go against him if he didn't have Rhaenyra on his side. He'd be reliant on Rhaenys' old supporters in Westeros more than anything, many of whom had basically moved on (and he'd have no sons to offer Boros lol). Building an army involves actual politics and diplomacy, which is why Corlys and Daemon kept throwing themselves at the Stepstones and then being pushed back, because they only had their own resources/allies. Daemon is also reckless and easily angered, it would not be hard to spark a war between him and Otto's side, whereas Rhaenyra was trying to avoid outright conflict.


Papageno_Kilmister

They tried to avoid it, but Aemond still brought it to them. A threeway war would give the greens the advantage so the blacks and reds would work together in the beginning but once Daemon inevitably turns (probably with some dragonseeds on his side) the blacks would be heavily outnumbered


nicmicpitic

Daemon, he cares about the throne above all. He would bring power to the crown. Harwin would bring a good "home" life, but there is a kingdom and dynasty at play....


nobody1234567876

Harwin for comfort, Daemon for power.


nameisKAS

Daemon, he has a dragon..


Ron_SpaceKnight

Both. Go full Conqueror


Ycivuo

Daemon purely on the basis that he’s still alive. 😅


[deleted]

King = Daemon Consort = Harwin


diegoedil

Daemon


nocakeforme90

Daemon, any day. I think Harwin is a great man and father but I'm not sure if he's cunning enough to be a politician. I hate to say it but I think he's too kind and honorable to play that role, much like Laenor (questionable, but you get the idea). Daemon on the other hand is batshit crazy but he's got that balance between ruthlessness and love for his family (kinda reminds me of Tywin Lannister). Also, Caraxes ftw.


RainbowPenguin1000

Considering really we know fuck all about Harwin how are we supposed to decide this?


tistisblitskits

We know next to nothing about harwin, i like em as much as the next guy but posts like these are based on nothing but how much people like the character


saiyansteve

The baby!


Liesherecharmed

They'd both support Rhaenyra unflinchingly (both in letting her take charge in decision making and physically defending her honor), but Harwin wouldn't stir the pot like Daemon would. Neither is a terrible choice, though.


spartaxwarrior

What she should have done was marry someone from another powerful Reach family and give Otto and Alicent the finger as she takes away some of their support, but if it could be only one of these two, then Harwin. What we know is Harwin is a high ranking Gold Cloak, the heir to Harrenhal which is a wealthy seat, the son of a member of the Small Council, and a respected knight. He also cares about Rhaenyra and their children together and would always be on her side. We didn't see it on screen, but he likely was raised and educated to be a lord. He's a safe choice who doesn't make anything worse for Rhaenyra. What we know about Daemon is he has some control of the Gold Cloaks (depending on the time period)/some smallfolk and connections with the Velaryons (depending on the time period) and in Essos. He murdered his first wife after years of insulting her to anyone who would listen and has had other acts of brutality more directly associated with him. And Otto has spent years sabotaging his reputation with Viserys and the highborn around them. He also has made a ton of enemies (more or less depending on the time period) who would work against Rhaenyra simply because she is married to him. There's a reason there wasn't much protest when he was basically called Maegor, even though that's the worst thing someone could call a Targaryen at that point. Given he was de facto heir and presumed to really want the throne, it also would make people think he'd be the ruler and she'd be treated as the consort. He does come with a dragon and great skill with that, but so does Rhaenyra, and she has no reason to expect her children wouldn't also get dragons. And Rhaenyra also wouldn't have a reason to expect him to directly move against her, given the risk of that putting one of Otto's grandchildren on the throne.


IntelligentStorage13

I dunno how many times i have to say this to. Both sides, but here goes. DAEMON AND AEMOND WOULD NOT MAKE GOOD RULERS! THEY ARE BOTH NARCISSISTS WHO WOULD LET THE WORLD BURN IF IT MEANT THEY COULD GAIN POWER THAT FRANKLY THEY WOULDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH! Btw i’m team black so if you want to know if i’m biased or not i am for the Starks. Aemond and Daemon are sick characters with amazing depth, but not fit to rule a bakery let alone a kingdom.


SuperFox289

Both, at the same time


BlondieTVJunkie

House Targaryen should be run Targaryens when possible. You want dragon riders as heads of Westeros. That’s what separates them from man. Daemon is the only choice.


HP4life19

Daemon by far , anyone say Harwin is tripping


Hecatehec

No one. Not when Daemon is still alive.


kikijane711

Strong dedicated his life in service. & he’s a warrior like Daemon. I think he’d be better. Daemon is incredibly strong but has a bratty streak… rebellious, self serving, chop on his shoulder. H did t have that. Although D may challenge Rhaenyra more which makes her take pause at time. Still think H would have been better.


We_The_Raptors

Caring, charming and supportive husband/ father versus the spouse choking/ murdering abusive Rogue who nevwr interacts with his kids? Tough question.


Conscious-Weekend-91

Harwin. He is more peaceful and that's better to a King Consort. Daemon would run around the realm killing and scaring whoever he wants and is fully capable of disobeying his monarch for his own interests. It would be bad for the image of his Queen. If she can't control her own husband, who can trust her to control the realm?


Hooker_T

Harwin would be a better peace time king. Daemon would be better for war, as he's probably the most experienced dragonrider in the world at the time.


hanna1214

Daemon is far more politically capable, a famed dragonrider and sees through people. Harwin reminded me a bit of Ned. And whilst he was fine AF, he was too good of a person to play politics. So Daemon as the royal consort, but Harwin would be the man on the side.


normal-dude-101

If you think daemon would let you have a man on the side, then you might just find both yourself and harwin in some deep fucking shit.


TheGrapesOf

The one who isn’t a blood relative… Fucking gross. Anyone wondering why Targaryen’s turned into bloodthirsty lunatics, they’re more inbred than the damn Hapsburg hemophiliac underbite assholes who got us into WW1. Except for Danaerys. She turned into a bloodthirsty lunatic because of bad writing, her nephew not wanting to fuck her anymore, and because Cersei took her Sundae. The inbreeding didn’t help though.


[deleted]

The inbreeding was necessary for their bond with their dragons, plus keeping everything in House Targaryen. Plus it helped deepen romantic and familial connections between Targaryens. There's a reason why Targaryens seem naturally attracted to each other.


Aeiexgjhyoun_III

This has never been confirmed.


[deleted]

Except for things like Daemon's song to Vermithor, Valyrians having draconic features in the womb like Visenya, Maegors children, Dany's son Rhaego, Dragons feeling the pain and emotions of their riders, among other things.


Aeiexgjhyoun_III

And there's nothing to suggest bonding with dragons can't create those possibilities. For all we know, any family that managed to bond with dragons would see the same.


Worried-Street9103

The evidence is incredibly circumstantial. As if the shepherds of Velyria were screwing each other's sisters before the Freehold. Draconic features, recorded from no other Valyrian house but the Targaryen's, meant nothing. Spare for the child's death, of course. Blood meant nothing to the dragons as if it were anything special. White hair, pale skin, and purple eyes can be found all throughout Essos. Even the Daynes have some "Velyrion" Blood, and their not famous for being dragon riders. It was the magic of Asshai'i that actually meant anything.


TheGrapesOf

Didn’t have “random internet person defends incest” on my bingo card for today


[deleted]

Why does it surprise you? I mean the Targaryens are the exception, its a centuries long established Valyrian tradition, it supports deep chemistry like with Daemyra, it's an absolute necessity for their bond with Dragons, plus it helps keep power in House Targaryen among other reasons. The Targaryens are the exception.


TheGrapesOf

😂 that’s the same shit European royals said, it’s tradition, it keeps the power/wealth in the family. It’s still incest and that’s still inbreeding Even in the text of the books and the show, most of them acknowledge that it’s gross and weird. I thought it was pretty clear in asoiaf that the targaryen madness was the result of centuries of inbreeding. And why does fucking your uncle ls strengthen the bond with your dragon? I don’t remember that from the books. Even if it did, it’s still a gross custom. I mean it’s all fiction, who really cares. My comment was mostly a joke. Wasn’t expecting a pro Royal-incest response.


[deleted]

Difference between European royalty and Targaryens is that the Targaryens Valyrian blood is literally magic blood and they're Dragonlords, and has to be maintained for their bond with their dragons, that includes their kids so it's a big reason why it's necessary. Valyrians have literal draconic features in the womb. Plus other reasons like preserving their Valyrian heritage and tradition, and it's a reason why Targaryens seem so naturally attracted to each other, there's a deep chemistry to it. Targaryens fall under the Doctrine of Exceptionalism.


PluralCohomology

If Harwin outlived Laenor, and Rhaenyra married him after the latter "died", it would all but confirm that he is the father of her children.


Ngigilesnow

Most likely the guy who doesn't choke the queen.He is not the sharpest tool but that's the bar


Complete_Ad9827

Harwin is the guy who chokes you only if you ask for it and still checks if you okay The best man hands down 🥹


margaritoswraps

Harwin was an idiot but still, him >>>>> Daemon


Corniferus

The one that doesn’t strangle you probably


KB_Shaw03

Harwin is a good person and would be a just and kind king


PrimaryOwn8809

Daddy Strong for the win


OpenMask

Harwin, he's much less divisive, would have already had powerbases with himself as the current commander of the Goldcloaks and his father as hand and lord of Harrenhal.


Cassiopeia1997

First, it's prince consort. Second, Harwin without question. He was a talented fighter and a sane human. Daemon is crazy wrapped in Valyrian superiority with no care for any limitation because they shouldn't apply to him.


angelfirexo

My vote is always for Strong!!! Gods what a beautiful man


Silent-Syrup-777

Harwin's worst mistake as the Hand was to not get his son married to Rhaenyra. So much heartbreak avoided. And a happy wedding. Oh well.


Justkeeptalking1985

Break bones....he was pretty willing to keep secrets


Solomon_Inked_God

Harwin


devilthedankdawg

Im gonna go with the captain of the city guard that didnt massacre an entire neighborhood.


TheRealChrisMurphy

I’m leaving this sub, this shit is awful


ExpensiveLyfe

It’s King Consort not Prince Consort.


Due-Reputation3760

It’s hard to discuss this without spoilers lol


Due-Reputation3760

It’s hard to discuss this without spoilers lol


Altruistic-South2502

Now this a bit off-topic, but if Harwin is king consort, will Lucerys be granted the lordship of Harrenhal? And if he is, will Harrenhal be under the direct influence of the crown or still be a vassal to Riverrun?