In this week’s new episode of House of the Dragon, called “Smallfolk,” Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and her team faced a big change. They lost their best dragon rider, Princess Rhaenys, and now they have lots of dragons but not enough people who can ride them. In the last episode, “Regent,” Rhaenyra and her son Jacaerys found out that some Targaryens married into other noble families. They thought their descendants might still have the special blood to control dragons.

In Episode 206, we saw what happened next. Rhaenyra asked her loyal Kingsguard commander, Ser Steffon Darklyn, to try taming a dragon. She revealed that he’s distantly related to House Targaryen. Even though it could mean certain death if he fails, Ser Steffon bravely accepted the challenge.

And he failed. Everything seemed fine at first, but then the dragon Seasmoke sensed that Ser Steffon wasn’t confident enough. Seasmoke decided the knight wasn’t good enough for him and breathed fire on him. It was one of the most surprising moments of the episode.

If you’re curious like Seasmoke, you might be asking: how is this guy related to House Targaryen? The dragon might not care, but we certainly do!

Does Ser Steffon Darklyn have a connection to House Targaryen in the book?

When Rhaenyra calls Ser Steffon to her council, she explains that his ancestor, Arianna, was a princess from House Targaryen. Arianna married into House Darklyn, and as time passed, their Targaryen blood became less and less as the Darklyns expanded their family. This shows us how Ser Steffon is connected to the Targaryens in House of the Dragon: six generations ago, a Targaryen princess married into the Darklyn family.

In the TV series “House of the Dragon,” HBO created the idea that Ser Steffon Darklyn and House Darklyn are connected to House Targaryen. However, this storyline isn’t found in George R.R. Martin’s original books. In the books, Ser Steffon does try to tame the dragon Seasmoke and meets his end in the attempt. He’s one of many knights loyal to Queen Rhaenyra who try to bond with dragons out of loyalty and determination, not because of any family ties to the Targaryens. Interestingly, during the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, not only Targaryen relatives but also other individuals, like Targaryen bastards called “Dragonseeds,” attempt to ride dragons.

If you look at “The World of Ice and Fire” book and the Targaryen family tree, there’s no mention of an “Arianna Targaryen” who married into House Darklyn. The idea that Arianna was Ser Steffon’s “grandmother’s grandmother” suggests she would have married into House Darklyn very early in Targaryen history, possibly even before Aegon’s Conquest when the Targaryens lived mainly on Dragonstone. Records from that time are sparse since detailed maester records began with Aegon’s arrival in Westeros. Arianna might have been a close relative of Aegon I Targaryen, especially in “House of the Dragon.”

Next week’s episode will introduce more dragonrider hopefuls during the “Sowing of the Seeds” event. Don’t miss it next Sunday on HBO and Max!