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During the House of the Dragon Season 1 finale, Rhaenyra told Luc that Rhaenys has Baratheon blood. Where in her line does she get it from?

Rhaenys Targaryen is a Baratheon. This is something Rhaenyra tells her son before he flies to Storm’s End to meet his fate. The question for many is how Princess Rhaenys is a Baratheon by blood.

This is all explained in Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin*. There are chances you’re reading that book now that the first season is over. You want to know what happens to the Greens and the Blacks after that shocking and devastating ending. If you’re not reading, we will get into some spoilers for just before Viserys takes the throne.

How Rhaenys is a Baratheon in House of the Dragon

In the book, Rhaenys actually has dark hair—the hair of the Baratheons. I’m surprised the TV series didn’t stick with this since it could have helped remind some people that while Viserys’s line doesn’t directly have Baratheon blood, there could be some sort of dark-haired blood. Instead, the show gave Rhaenys the white hair of the Targaryens.

Anyway, Rhaenys’s grandfather was a Baratheon. Her grandmother was King Jaehaerys’s mother, which is how the two are related. Jaehaerys’s son married Lady Jocelyn Baratheon and gave birth to Rhaenys. Rhaenys was then married off to Corlys Velayrion and that led to Laena and Laenor.

How is Rhaenys related to Borros Baratheon? That goes back to Rogar Baratheon, Rhaenys’s grandfather. Rhaenys’s grandparents had Boremund before Jocelyn. Boremund took over as Lord of Storm’s End after Rogar’s death, and then Boremund’s son, Borros, took over. That means Rhaenys and Borros are cousins, although Borros claims never to have met his Aunt Jocelyn and he certainly seems to have no loyalty to her.

MORE: Who was the dragon in the House of the Dragon Season 1 finale?

What did you think of the House of the Dragon finale? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

House of the Dragon is available to stream on HBO in the U.S. and on Crave in Canada.