Aemond Targaryen has a brothel scene in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 2 that includes an apology for killing Luke, which is quite revealing for his character and the traumas that he carries with him. After Aemond lied about Luke’s death and suggested that he meant to kill him in House of the Dragon’s season 2 premiere, the second-eldest son of Alicent and Viserys shows remorse in the privacy of his episode 2 brothel session with Sylvi (Michelle Bonnard). While there’s seemingly no sex included in Aemon’s visit to the brothel, he finds intimacy of another kind as he confesses his actions and feelings.
Also answering where he was when Blood and Cheese couldn’t find him, Aemond visits Sylvi in the brothel and apologizes for his role in Lucerys Velaryon’s death. While the reaction on his face in House of the Dragon season 1’s ending already revealed that Aemond regretted fatally chasing Luke on Vhagar, this is the first time that Aemond has verbally owned up to it and said he was sorry. As Aemond lies with Sylvi in a fetal position and has her hold him, the brothel scene reveals harsh truths about Alicent and Viserys’ children and the privilege, insecurities, and familial traumas that underscore the Dance of the Dragons’ violence.
Who Is Sylvi In House Of The Dragon?
Sylvi has appeared before in House of the Dragon
The House of the Dragon season 2 character Sylvi was previously introduced toward the end of season 1. When Criston Cole and Aemond Targaryen went searching for Aegon on the Street of Silk during House of the Dragon season 1, episode 9, they searched the brothel and stopped and questioned Sylvi, who already knew Aemond. Sylvi was the brothel madam at an establishment catering to royals and noblemen, and it was implied that Aegon had previously hired her to take Aemond’s virginity when he was only 13 years old.
Sylvi was the brothel madam at an establishment catering to royals and noblemen, and it was implied that Aegon had previously hired her to take Aemond’s virginity when he was only 13 years old.
However, before Aemond and Sylvi’s scene in House of the Dragon season 1, episode 9, it was suggested that the two hadn’t seen each other since she took his virginity, as she remarks at “how [he’s] grown.” It seems that after Aegon ascended the Iron Throne, Aemond secretly returned to the Street of Silk and began seeing Sylvi far more often. Given the level of intimacy the two exhibit in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 2, it also appears that they do far more talking and embracing than actually having sex when he pays to visit her.
Why Aemond Still Sees Sylvi & Lies With Her Like That
Aemond’s lack of nurturing from his family leads him to seek it elsewhere
House of the Dragon isn’t clear about how often Aemond has sex with Sylvi when he sees her. The brothel scene shows a nude Aemond curled up in Sylvi’s arms, speaking softly and honestly about his feelings as she strokes his hair. When Sylvi tries to instigate sex with Aemond, he rebuffs her and says, “No. Not here.” Whether “here” means the brothel in general, or the specific room that they’re in, is ambiguous, but this interaction implies that Aemond seeks out Sylvi for different needs at different times in different locations, including emotional support, non-sexual affection, and sexual acts.
Aemond doesn’t have the same attitude toward sex as his brother “Aegon the Magnanimous,” and House of the Dragon season 1 suggests that his hesitant approach to it is rooted in his traumatic experience with Sylvi. Aegon forced Aemond to go to the brothel on his 13th birthday to lose his virginity, and his age reveals that it was a matter of sexual assault. While the laws regarding sex, age, and consent are abhorrently murkier in Westeros, a brothel madam having sexual relations with a 13-year-old is still assault.
Aemond saw the dynamic between himself and Sylvi as a replacement for the affection, intimacy, and nurturing that he never received from his own family.
There was certainly still a power imbalance between Aegon and Sylvi, as she wouldn’t be able to refuse the King’s son, but she still had some sort of power over Aemond after that traumatic experience. It seems that after that time, Aemond saw the dynamic between himself and Sylvi as a replacement for the affection, intimacy, and nurturing that he never received from his own family. Alicent and Viserys showed no nurturing love and familial support to Aemond growing up, and his trauma at the brothel led him to find it elsewhere with Sylvi, who he sees as both a motherly figure and a source of sexual intimacy.
The reminder of why Aemond had to seek out comfort and nurturing elsewhere is further highlighted in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 2’s ending. While Aemond is expressing his regrets and sorrows in a brothel as Sylvi comforted him, Aegon is sobbing alone in his chambers in the castle. Alicent even walks into Aegon’s room and sees him crying, but rather than comfort her son and be there for him after the death of his young son, Alicent leaves without saying anything. Instead, Alicent sleeps with Criston Cole again, emphasizing the family’s emotional unavailability, detached nature, and traumatic relationship with sex and intimacy.
Why Aemond Can Only Apologize For Luke’s Death To Sylvi
There’s only one person Aemond can be truly vulnerable with
For many of the same reasons why he still sees her and pays for intimate but ultimately non-sexual sessions, Aemond perceives Sylvi as the only person to whom he can be entirely vulnerable and honest. Seeing her a stand-in for any sort of loving familial confidante or sexual partner, Aemond can be honest with Sylvi and open up to her in ways that he can’t with anyone else. While it’s also true that Aemond has the power to silence her and retaliate if she told anyone, he doesn’t care if she sees him as “weak” or vulnerable, so he doesn’t have to hide his remorse for Luke’s death.