House of the Dragon: TV Show vs. Book Differences
8 Ways "House of the Dragon" Puts a Spin on Plot Points From the Book
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Daemon Targaryen is married three times, each with its own set of complications. In both the book and the TV show, he's very unhappily married to his first wife, Rhea Royce, who likewise is not particularly thrilled with their marriage. The book depicts her sudden death as a riding accident, after which Daemon returns to the Vale to give her funeral rites and claim her inheritance as his own.
The TV version, however, adds a wrinkle to this. While Rhea's riding accident is still the story told publicly, we see the truth. Daemon encounters her while riding and frightens her horse, causing it to throw her off and fatally injuring her. Daemon ensures her quick death by bludgeoning her with a rock and then passing off her death as a terrible fall on the rocks while riding.