Rhaenyra and Mysaria House of the Dragon Episode 7 gives real, unambiguous romantic weight to something the show has flirted with implying for seasons. It’s a small moment compared to Sunfyre’s return or Ulf White’s betrayal, but it lands with real significance given everything else happening around Rhaenyra at this exact point in the war.
“Sexytime, in the biblical sense: they kiss.” — the moment that finally makes explicit what the show has long hinted at between them.
What Happens Between Rhaenyra and Mysaria
Rhaenyra and Mysaria House of the Dragon reaches this moment through crisis rather than romance in the traditional sense. Mysaria, sensing that her position within Rhaenyra’s court is weakening — squeezed by Torrhen Manderly’s growing resentment and the general fraying of the queen’s council — seizes on an opportunity when Daemon is caught lying to Rhaenyra about Rhaena and Sheepstealer’s whereabouts. Rather than simply reporting the deception, Mysaria uses it deliberately to drive a wedge between Rhaenyra and Daemon. Rhaenyra’s response isn’t anger directed at Mysaria for the manipulation — it’s a kiss.
Read more: House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7 Recap: The Dragon in Winter
Why This Happens Now
Rhaenyra and Mysaria House of the Dragon arrives at a moment when Rhaenyra is about as isolated and exhausted as she’s been all season. Her marriage to Daemon is visibly fracturing over his decision to protect Rhaena rather than report her location honestly, her council is disintegrating around the Gold Cloaks crisis and Torrhen Manderly’s growing resentment, and Helaena has just refused to share the details of her prophetic visions despite Rhaenyra’s forceful pressing. Mysaria, by contrast, has been a consistent — if never fully trustworthy — presence throughout the season, someone who understands Rhaenyra’s position and speaks to her without the layers of political calculation everyone else brings to the conversation.
Read more: Mysaria House of the Dragon: Her Secret in Episode 6 Explained
Why This Complicates Mysaria’s Motives
Rhaenyra and Mysaria House of the Dragon raises real questions about how genuine this moment actually is on Mysaria’s side. This is, after all, the same episode in which Mysaria manipulates a marital conflict for her own political advantage, and the same character who lied directly to Rhaenyra’s face in Episode 6 about knowing Helaena’s pregnancy before having a maid killed to cover her tracks. Whether the kiss reflects real feeling, a further extension of Mysaria’s ongoing effort to secure her position by making herself indispensable to the queen personally as well as politically, or some combination of both, is left deliberately unclear.
Mysaria’s subsequent scene in the same episode — attempting to pass off an associate as the queen’s proxy, only to be warned that her own position is far less secure than she believes — makes this ambiguity even sharper. A woman actively worried about losing her influence has real incentive to deepen her personal connection to the one person whose favor could protect her, regardless of how genuine the underlying feeling actually is.
What This Means for Daemon and Rhaenyra’s Marriage
Rhaenyra and Mysaria House of the Dragon lands at the precise moment Rhaenyra and Daemon’s relationship is under its most direct strain of the season. Daemon’s choice to protect Rhaena rather than immediately report her to the queen echoes, in a substitute form, the exact kind of divided loyalty that fractures their relationship in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood. Rhaenyra turning to Mysaria in this moment isn’t just a romantic beat — it’s a direct consequence of that fracture, a queen finding comfort somewhere her husband has repeatedly failed to provide it.
Read more: Nettles House of the Dragon: How Episode 7 Resolves Her Storyline
Is This Relationship in the Books
Rhaenyra and Mysaria House of the Dragon takes real creative license here, since George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood doesn’t describe a romantic relationship between the two characters. Mysaria’s book role is considerably more limited than her extensive presence throughout the show, and the show has used her as a vehicle for original material across multiple seasons. A romantic dimension to her relationship with Rhaenyra continues that pattern, giving the show’s version of Mysaria stakes and complexity the source material simply doesn’t provide.
What Comes Next for This Relationship
Rhaenyra and Mysaria House of the Dragon leaves genuine uncertainty about where this goes from here, particularly given how precarious Mysaria’s political position has become. If Rhaenyra’s court continues to turn against her — as Torrhen Manderly’s resentment and her associate’s warning both suggest is happening — this new intimacy with the queen could become either Mysaria’s greatest source of protection or, if it’s ever perceived as manipulation, the thing that finally exposes how calculated her presence in Rhaenyra’s life has always been.
House of the Dragon | Episode 8 Preview | HBO Max
FAQ
Do Rhaenyra and Mysaria kiss in House of the Dragon Season 3? Yes. In Episode 7, after Mysaria exploits Daemon’s lie about Rhaena’s whereabouts, Rhaenyra responds by kissing her.
Is the relationship between Rhaenyra and Mysaria in the books? No. George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood doesn’t describe a romantic relationship between them; this is an original addition to the show.
Why does Mysaria manipulate the situation with Daemon and Rhaena? She’s trying to secure her weakening political position within Rhaenyra’s court by making herself more personally valuable to the queen.
Does this affect Rhaenyra and Daemon’s marriage? It reflects and deepens an existing fracture, stemming from Daemon’s choice to protect Rhaena rather than immediately report her location to Rhaenyra.
Is Mysaria’s affection for Rhaenyra genuine? It’s left deliberately ambiguous, especially given her demonstrated willingness to manipulate situations and conceal information for her own advantage throughout the season.
