Rhaenyra and Mysaria: Is Their House of the Dragon Season 3 Romance Headed for Disaster?
The rhaenyra and mysaria dynamic has always been layered with power, loyalty, and unspoken tension but Episode 7 of Season 3 strips away any lingering ambiguity. What began as a politically convenient alliance has evolved into something far more intimate, and far more dangerous. Their latest encounter doesn’t just deepen their romance; it exposes a troubling shift in who holds the real power between them.
Since arriving at Dragonstone as a prisoner, Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) has methodically embedded herself at the very center of Rhaenyra Targaryen’s (Emma D’Arcy) world. She is no longer just a Mistress of Whispers. She is, arguably, the most influential person in the queen’s life and Episode 7 makes clear that Mysaria is fully aware of that fact.
So is this a romance built on genuine feeling, or a long game being played by the most dangerous woman in Westeros? The answer may be more unsettling than fans want to admit.
House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7 Rhaenyra Mysaria: A Turning Point in Their Relationship
The rhaenyra and mysaria relationship didn’t arrive at this point overnight. Their bond developed gradually across two seasons from captive and queen, to trusted advisor, to something much closer. Their Season 2 kiss in Smallfolk shocked audiences precisely because it felt spontaneous, unguarded, and mutual. Two women finding warmth amid the cold machinery of war.
Season 3 has systematically dismantled that equilibrium.
As the Dance of the Dragons grinds on, Rhaenyra has grown increasingly cut off from every pillar of support in her life. Her relationship with Daemon (Matt Smith) has frayed under the weight of suspicion and competing ambitions. Her council has failed to deliver decisive victories. And her popularity among the smallfolk once a key source of moral legitimacy is collapsing, with the streets growing more dangerous under her watch.
Into that vacuum, Mysaria has stepped, quietly and deliberately. She has become the one constant in Rhaenyra’s orbit. The one voice the queen trusts. And Episode 7 shows just how far that trust has been stretched and what Mysaria is prepared to do with it.
Rhaenyra and Mysaria Kiss Season 3: Comfort or Control?
The rhaenyra and mysaria kiss in Season 3 is nothing like their first. Where the Season 2 encounter felt balanced two equals reaching toward each other Episode 7’s intimate scene is defined by a clear and deliberate asymmetry.
Rhaenyra arrives to it conflicted, exhausted, and emotionally exposed. She feels betrayed by Daemon, abandoned by her advisors, and powerless before her own people. She is, in every meaningful sense, vulnerable.
Mysaria meets that vulnerability with precision. She tells Rhaenyra exactly what she needs to hear: that her enemies will fall, that her reign will endure for generations, that her legacy is secure, and that she has never been more deserving of the crown. Every word is calibrated. Every reassurance lands on a specific wound.
Then, physically, Mysaria takes control. She calls Rhaenyra by her first name a subtle act of intimacy that strips away the armor of queenship. She strokes her hair. She initiates the kiss and pushes Rhaenyra onto her back, dominating the moment entirely.
The symbolism is hard to ignore. In Season 2, Rhaenyra was a queen in command of the interaction. Here, she is the one being held, reassured, and guided. The power has shifted and Mysaria is the one holding it.
Is Mysaria Manipulating Rhaenyra? Secrets, Lies, and Isolation
To answer the question directly: the evidence is mounting.
Mysaria’s most damaging act so far has been concealing Helaena’s (Phia Saban) pregnancy from Rhaenyra. Alicent (Olivia Cooke) asked her to keep the secret, and she did a stunning breach of loyalty that reveals exactly where Mysaria’s discretion ends. She lied to the queen she serves, and she did it at the request of the enemy.
Her behavior around Daemon is equally troubling. Their rivalry for Rhaenyra’s trust is nothing new, but Episode 7 pushes it into outright manipulation. Even after it becomes clear that Daemon was not attempting to deceive Rhaenyra over the identity of Sheepstealer’s rider, Mysaria still pushes her case.
“Is there anything Daemon could do you would truly not believe?” she asks a line so pointed, so deliberately destabilizing, that Rhaenyra herself calls it out. She accuses Mysaria of trying to turn her against her husband and speaking honeyed words to her. It’s a rare moment of lucidity from a queen increasingly surrounded by fog.
The concerning part? Rhaenyra identifies the manipulation clearly and then lets it go.
There’s also the matter of Sylvi (Michelle Bonnard), the brothel madame Mysaria meets in the throne room. She asks Sylvi to keep feeding her information about the smallfolk’s grievances, promising she’ll raise the issues with Rhaenyra when the queen is feeling “more accommodating.” That qualifier does a lot of work. It positions Mysaria as the gatekeeper between Rhaenyra and her subjectsdeciding what the queen hears, and when. Every message now passes through a filter, and that filter has already proven itself willing to withhold the truth.
Will Mysaria Betray Rhaenyra? The White Worm’s True Allegiance
The question of whether Mysaria will betray Rhaenyra is, at this stage, genuinely open and that alone is remarkable for a character who spent two seasons appearing completely loyal.
Some fans have drawn comparisons to Varys (Conleth Hill) in Game of Thrones, who famously justified his betrayal of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) on the grounds of the realm’s welfare. That parallel has real narrative logic. Mysaria, like Varys, built her entire identity around the protection of those at the bottom. The smallfolk are not a cause she supports. They are the thing she is.
The question, then, is not whether she would betray Rhaenyra but under what conditions. The Greens seem an unlikely destination. Mysaria’s alignment with Rhaenyra’s cause was partly personal, a way to strike back against the very faction that had mistreated her. She has no love for the Green Council.
But the smallfolk are different. If Rhaenyra’s rule begins to endanger ordinary people if the streets become more dangerous, if the war’s cost falls hardest on those least able to bear it Mysaria’s loyalty may redirect itself accordingly.
This is where the possibility of the Storming of the Dragonpit becomes relevant. The event, in which the smallfolk riot and slaughter five dragons in an act of catastrophic fury, looms over the show’s endgame. Mysaria, now positioned as the queen’s sole channel to the smallfolk, would be uniquely placed to either contain that rage or channel it.
Rhaenyra Targaryen and White Worm: Show Dynamics vs. Fire & Blood Book Lore
The Rhaenyra Targaryen and White Worm relationship as depicted on screen is almost entirely a creation of showrunner Ryan Condal and his writing team. In George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, Mysaria is Daemon’s mistress not Rhaenyra’s confidante, and certainly not her lover. The romantic dimension doesn’t exist in the source material. Neither does the complex psychological hold she appears to have over the queen.
What Fire & Blood does offer is a Mysaria who remains loyal to the Blacks until her death. She never switches sides. She never incites the smallfolk against the Targaryens. Her arc in the book is that of a survivor who, having chosen her side, sees it through.
The show has already diverged so significantly that book canon functions more as a general compass than a map. Condal has demonstrated a willingness to rewrite character relationships, motivations, and outcomes when the dramatic logic demands it. Mysaria’s story has been the most transformed of any major character across all three seasons.
That makes her the most genuinely unpredictable figure heading into the finale. The book can’t save her, and it can’t protect Rhaenyra either.
Rhaenyra and Mysaria Romance Explained: A Queen Without a Safety Net
The rhaenyra and mysaria romance explained is ultimately a story about what happens when a ruler loses every other anchor. Strip away Daemon, the council, and the smallfolk, and all Rhaenyra has left is the woman who has quietly maneuvered herself into that exact position.
That may not be a coincidence.
Rhaenyra is not naive she recognized the manipulation in Episode 7 and said so plainly. But recognition without action is its own kind of vulnerability. She knows what Mysaria is doing, and she allows it anyway, because the alternative is facing the full weight of her isolation alone.
That dynamic seeing the trap and walking into it regardless is what makes their relationship so compelling and so troubling. Heading into the Season 3 finale, Rhaenyra is arguably in the most precarious position of her reign. Her grip on power is weakening. Her relationships are fracturing. And the one person she trusts absolutely is the one with the most reasons, and now the most ability, to bring her down.
Whatever Mysaria’s true endgame turns out to be, one thing is already certain: Rhaenyra Targaryen has never been more exposed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who does Rhaenyra kiss in Season 3?
Rhaenyra kisses Mysaria, seeking honesty and finding comfort, trust, and release with someone who actually sees her.
Why did Mysaria and Rhaenyra kiss?
Queen Rhaenyra kissed Mysaria out of shared vulnerability, deep isolation, and a sudden spark of emotional intimacy.
Is Lady Mysaria loyal to Rhaenyra?
Lady Mysaria’s loyalty is deep but conditional, driven by shared trauma, a mutual hatred of the Hightowers, and a belief that Rhaenyra offers the best hope for the realm and the smallfolk, though fans remain divided on whether she is a true confidante or a self-serving wildcard.
