Laenor and Qarl fight with swords in House of the Dragon Episode 7.

‘House of the Dragon’ Episode 7 Ending, Explained

'House of the Dragon' Episode 7 was a turning point for Rhaenyra and her husband Laenor.

by Erica Scassellati

Published on October 3, 2022

2 min read

Laenor recommits to Rhaenyra after Laena’s death

House of the Dragon Episode 7 reunited Daemon and Rhaenyra under unfortunate circumstances. The pair come together for the funeral of Daemon’s wife, Laena.

Meanwhile, Laenor struggles with his sister’s death and his own feelings of failure, especially after his son’s fight with Aemond Targaryen. When Alicent wounds Rhaenyra, he visits her to reestablish his dedication.

“We made an arrangement all those years ago to do our duty and yet explore happiness. But there are times I think when these things cannot mutually exist,” Laenor tells his wife.

Laenor then tells Rhaenyra that his lover Ser Qarl will soon return to the fighting at the Stepstones. He promises to focus solely on his family and preparing Rhaenyra for her ascension to the throne.

“There is a shift that happens with the death of his sister,” John Macmillan, who plays Laenor, said in a featurette. “When someone you love dies, you start to think about your own life and what you want the rest of it to be, and I think he does have this moment of clarity where he goes, ‘I’m going to be the person that I thought I was going to be.'”

Daemon and Rhaenyra come up with a plan

While Laenor is prepared to put aside his own feelings in place of duty, Rhaenyra has other ideas. She knows that her power will increase if she marries Daemon, and of course, the pair have an undeniable attraction to each other. But as Daemon points out, they can only wed if Laenor is dead. The pair then devise a plan.

Daemon enlists Ser Qarl’s help in faking Laenor’s death. He begins a fight with Laenor, whose “body” is discovered in the fireplace, too charred to recognize. Daemon and Rhaenyra wed shortly after. The pair know that there will be whispers that they orchestrated Laenor’s death, and this serves to their advantage. “They will fear what else we might be capable of,” Rhaenyra tells Daemon.

Laenor fakes his death in ‘House of the Dragon’ Episode 7

Meanwhile, Laenor escapes with Ser Qarl on a small boat, having shaved his white Targaryen hair. Ultimately, he and Rhaenyra got what they wanted out of this deal.

“What Laenor really wanted was to be set free,” Ryan Condal said in a featurette. “And freedom to him is freedom from the bonds of his nobility. So if he was thought to be dead, that would mean he could go live a free life however he wanted.”