What dragon is Daemon singing to in House of the Dragon episode 10?

There is war in the air House of the DragonEpisode 10, but dragons are the main weapon in this episode. Daemon has a lot to do with this. But, one scene in season 1’s finale may be too much for even the most dedicated viewer.

As the literal name of the game (or the show, as it were), it’s no surprise much of House of the Dragon’s season 1 finale is dedicated to taking inventory of how many dragons each side as in its command. The president is briefed in the warroom about the nuclear power of each side. This narrative would not be fantasy, and it’s a contemporary, real-life story. Here it’s just Daemon (Matt Smith) at the war table reminding Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) of the power at their disposal, and the firepower they could flex if possible allies need convincing to join their side in the brewing war. It all boils down to grabbing more dragons.

After the two eldest Velaryon boys take off to woo allies, “The Black Queen” follows Daemon into a cave, lit only by a torch (no doubt to some consternation by Thrones fans who haven’t already seen to their TV settings), singing a song in High Valyrian that is almost surely a show invention. The torch is placed on the ground and he slowly kneels. Then it’s revealed who he is serenading: a massive dragon, who lets loose a tremendous fire burst in response.

Who is this giant dragon Daemon gathered with?

Daemon took note of every Blacks-commanded dragon in the war council scene. By his count there are 13 dragons controlled (or accessible) by the Blacks — plus a “score of eggs incubating” — to the Greens’ three adults (plus a baby). Though Rhaenyra pushes back that none of their dragons have been to war, he insists it’s a numbers game they’ve already won, should they be able to find the riders.

After all, Rhaenyra’s children have dragons, as does Daemon’s daughter Baela (Bethany Antonia). When combined with Daemon’s, Rhaenyra’s, and Rhaenys’ dragons, they have 7 adults. Then he drops the interesting tidbit about the “neutral” dragons (dragons with no riders) at play: “Seasmoke still resides on Driftmark, Vermithor and Silverwing dwell on Dragonmont […] then there are the three wild dragons, all of whom nest here.”

It’s possible the dragon Daemon goes to see is one of the wild ones he references. But given the size of that dragon and the response to his song, it seems more likely this is Vermithor, who was King Jaehaerys’ dragon. (Silverwing, who Daemon mentions is coiled up with Vermithor, is Jaehaerys’ wife’s dragon — love is real.) He is described in the book as a bronze dragon with “great tan wings,” already large when Jaehaerys was accepted as his rider. By the time we meet him here at the start of the Dance of the Dragons, he’d be about 100 years old.

Still, as episode 10 makes clear, winning the war isn’t just a matter of quantity. Vhagar is the largest and oldest dragon in the universe, so Team Black has already lost one dragon and one rider by the time Daemon returns from Dragonmont. It’s a tough break, but hopefully Vermithor and the other dragons will be able to fill out the fleet in season 2 — or at least, if they hope to go toe to toe with the Greens’ chonky gal.