Daemon states that the problem with their marriage union is that he found the Vale of Arryn terribly dull. There might be some truth to that, as the region is naturally beautiful with numerous mountains surrounding the titular “valley”, but is sparsely populated. It’s certainly not a capital of culture like King’s Landing.
But… Daemon might as well have taken his new wife to King’s Landing with him. The real problem for Daemon just seems to be that someone told him that he has to marry Rhea and Daemon doesn’t respond well to orders, even if they come from his real grandmother. And as we see with his recent courtship with Rhaenyra, he too may be a true hardened Targaryen who can’t imagine diluting his own precious blood at a wedding.
What is House Royce and why are they important?
A lots of game of Thrones viewers are probably quite familiar with the Great Houses of Westeros. Families such as the Targaryens, the Starks, the Lannisters, the Greyjoys, and the Baratheons are all the ruling houses in their respective regions, and thus frequently influence the story at play. a thing that house of the dragon has stood out so far, though it is introducing its viewers to Westerosi houses on the second level of power and influence.
House Royce is one of those houses on the “B team” of Seven Kingdoms. House Royce is similar in size, properties and strength to the two houses featured last week, Bracken and Blackwood. They are not the guardians of their region – that distinction belongs to their overlords, House Arryn – but they remain an immense presence in the realm nonetheless.
Like many other old houses (including the aforementioned Brackens and Blackwoods), the Royces claim to have been kings in the past. In the prehistoric era of Westeros known as the Age of Heroes, the Royces styled themselves the “Bronze Kings” due to their distinctive attire and donned the Rune Crown to symbolize their authority. Because if there are two things that Royces loves, they are bronze things and runes.
Daemon disparagingly refers to his wife as his “bronze bitch” because noble Royces are usually clad in bronze armor. Not only is bronze the dominant color in his sigil, but ancient Royces worked extensively with bronze material. To this day, members of House Royce stand out on the battlefield with their bronze drip. Their bronze armor and clothing is often accompanied by numerous inscrutable runes. As an ancient house of the first men, the House of Royce claims to have the knowledge of creating magical runes. This claim is dubious at best, as Royce knights and blessed bannermen in protective rune armor die at the same rate as any other soldier.