Editor's Note: The following article contains spoilers for Episodes 1-3 of House of the Dragon as well as the Fire and Blood book.Game of Thrones is a franchise that's quite fond of unwinnable scenarios. Outnumbered heroes facing an implacable enemy, saved at the last second by a dragon, turning the tide and scoring an impossible win in a blaze of glory. It's almost a franchise staple by now, and House of the Dragon has already delivered one of these scenes in the closing sequence of its latest episode, "Second of His Name". Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) turned the tide in the war for the Stepstones, and the win was heightened when a dragon blazed under the shouts of "dracarys" by Laenor Velaryon (John MacMillan).

Wait, what? Laenor Velaryon? But aren't dragons a House Targaryen thing? Well, yes. But it's not exclusive. In fact, it makes a lot of sense for a Velaryon to be riding a dragon, too. Especially Laenor. And spoiler alert: he is not the only one.

Dragonriders Come to be Known as Dragonseeds

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Image via HBO

As it turns out, young Laenor is a dragonseed - a term which, in the mythology of A Song of Ice and Fire, is used to refer to someone who has the potential of riding a dragon. The term will eventually be coined by Prince Jacaerys Velaryon (who's yet to show up in House of the Dragon) when he discovered that his mother's (Rhaenyra Targaryen, currently played by Milly Alcock) faction in the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons had too many dragons, but no Dragonriders.

Jacaerys' idea was to search Dragonstone – which was the base of operations for Rhaenyra and her supporters, known as the Blacks – for dragonseeds. His idea came from the fact that, in the past, Targaryens held the custom of the First Night, in which they reserved the right to spend the first night with newlywed brides who lived in their lands. This custom was banned by King Jaehaerys (Michael Carter), but some Targaryens still defied this and did it anyway. As a result, Jacaerys concluded that there were bound to be many people with at least some Targaryen blood living in Dragonstone. People who could well try and possibly tame and bond with a dragon.

RELATED: 'House of the Dragon': What Happened to Aegon the Conqueror's Dragons?

The Velaryons Are Dragonriders Thanks to Rhaenys Targaryen

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Image via HBO

So far in the show, Laenor Velaryon, who rides Seasmoke, was already mentioned by Lord Lyonel Strong (Gavin Spokes) to be of pure Valyrian descent, but he is also a dragonseed. He is the son of Lord Corlys and Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), so he has a lot of Targaryen blood. His mother is also a dragonrider, bonded with a dragon called Meleys.

As mentioned before the series' debut by producer Miguel Sapochnik, House of the Dragon will display seventeen different dragons, which is clearly a bigger number of dragons than Targaryens, so the concept of dragonseeds is important to figure out who may have a shot at claiming their own mount. Besides Laenor, his own sister is fated to be a dragonrider, too, as Lady Laena (Nova Foueillis-Mosé), who now is only twelve years old, will eventually bond with legendary beast Vhagar, one of Aegon the Conqueror's original dragons and the current largest dragon in the world. Rhaenyra's own children with Laenor will also have their own mounts, Jacaerys with Vermax and Lucerys Velaryon with Arrax.

But there are still plenty of dragons to go around. Based on the concept of dragonseed, there are still other dragonriders in A Song of Ice and Fire lore. When Jacaerys sent the call looking for people willing to try and bond with the mounts available, many people - mostly men - stepped forward, wanting a chance to bond with and claim their very own dragon. Who wouldn't, right?

Which Non-Targaryens Eventually Ride Dragons?

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Image via HBO

The most famous or important one is Addam of Hull. He was a bastard from Driftmark, claimed by his mother Marilda to be the son of Laenor Velaryon - and, therefore, having a little Targaryen blood in his veins. To improve on such a claim, Addam even bonded with Laenor's former mount, Seasmoke. Eventually, during the Dance of the Dragons, he was legitimized and made heir to House Velaryon. His brother, Alyn of Hull, was also legitimized as a Velaryon and named a dragonseed, but was rejected by all the dragons he tried to bond with.

Another interesting case is one of the Two Betrayers, Hugh Hammer and Ulf White. Both of them were dragonseeds from Dragonstone, and claimed their dragons when Jacaerys sent his call. Hugh claimed Vermithor, the dragon that once belonged to King Jaehaerys, and Ulf claimed Silverwing, which belonged to former Queen Alysanne Targaryen. But when they were sent to defend the town of Tumbleton, both defected to the Blacks' rival faction, the Greens. Both were simple men who could neither read nor write, but had delusions of grandeur to the point of thinking they had a claim to the Iron Throne itself. Unfortunately (or fortunately), they died in later battles during the Dance.

Caraxes, Daemon's dragon, from House of the Dragon
Image via HBO

The last known dragonseed of that period was a girl called Nettles. She answered the call sent out by Jacaerys and managed to do something most considered impossible: she tamed and claimed a wild dragon named Sheepstealer. The name is pretty self-explanatory, as the dragon had a taste for eating sheep and spent nearly seven decades living by himself on Dragonstone. To conquer him, Nettles started feeding him sheep every morning, which made the beast grow accustomed to the girl's presence. She would go on to become Daemon Targaryen's (Matt Smith) favorite lieutenant among the Blacks, starting the rumor that the two had an affair. Rhaenyra, who eventually married her uncle Daemon, sent out word for Nettles' head. Upon hearing this, Daemon let the girl escape, and she fled with Sheepstealer towards the Bay of Crabs. She would be seen with the dragon again in the Vale, but that would be the last time.

The great mystery now is whether or not all those people will make it to the screen in House of the Dragon. With seventeen anticipated dragons, that number is higher than the known dragonseeds from the time in A Song of Ice and Fire lore. Could George R. R. Martin create new dragonseeds for the series? Perhaps we'll see original dragonriders for the show. One thing is for sure, though: the Targaryen are not alone in the skies.

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