Eve Best says Rhaenys' destiny in 'House of the Dragon' was to make a sacrifice

In episode four, Ser Criston Cole marches on Lucrest, a modest castle near Dragonstone. It's a blatant provocation, but it works: Rhaenyra knows she will need to send dragons against Cole. Both Rhaenyra and her son Jacaerys volunteer to go, but it is Rhaenys who takes responsibility.

“Your Majesty, send me,” Rhaenys said, leaving little room for argument, and in that moment, even to those who did not yet know her fate, her departure felt final. Rhaenys would not return from this mission, and has not.

Best spoke to Business Insider about Rhaenys' decision, what it meant to unleash a dragon war on Westeros, and what it was really like filming such an emotional scene while riding the back of a mechanical dragon.

Rhaenys was the only option to fly to Rook's Rest.

In season one, Rhaenys escapes King's Landing with her dragon Meries and storms into King Aegon's coronation on dragon's back. In that moment, Rhaenys decides not to kill him and tells Daemon that it's not her who will start the war.

Best said showrunner Ryan Condal told him that in the world of “House of the Dragon,” dragons are like nuclear weapons.

“She deliberately chose not to start a nuclear war at the end of episode 9, and that was a very good decision,” Best told BI, “and she did everything she could throughout season two to guide everyone away from starting a nuclear war. She was the only person with sanity and reason and wisdom and experience, and that voice was her and Corliss, because they were the only two adults left in the room.”

By episode four, Rhaenyra has exhausted all other options to avert war, including going to King's Landing herself to plead with Alicent, and by the time Criston marches on Luke's Rest, Rhaenyra no longer hesitates about sending out her dragons.

Best told BI that on a practical level, Rhaenys was the right choice, and that in that moment she was able to fulfill one of her wishes for the character.

“She's Rhaenyra's equivalent of Lancelot,” Best said. “She's the best knight, and the honorable warrior choice. I said to Ryan at the end of season one, 'I want her to be a full-on samurai in season two,' because in season one she was totally ambiguous. She was keeping her cards close to her chest and playing politics.”

Best told BI that the scene in the Small Council where Rhaenys volunteers to fly into battle wasn't always so clear-cut. In the original draft of the scene, Rhaenys says to Rhaenyra, “Send me.” However, during reshoots, production revisited the scene, and producer Sarah Hess made a small but impactful adjustment to the line: ” Must send me.”

“That will be her instructions, her final instruction to Rhaenyra,” Best told BI. “What she's doing is teaching her how to be a good leader, how to rule, and that's what you'll be doing. Don't intervene yourself, because that's too risky in the grand scheme of things. Send in your best warriors.”

Still, Best said Reinis knows she's reached a point of no return, and while she feels confident that she and Maryse will continue volunteering, she doesn't plan on returning.

“Sacrifices have to be made, because I think Rhaenys has done everything to avoid a war,” Best told the business magazine. “Anyone who crosses that line can't continue living. They can't live after that. They have to make sacrifices and get the job done.”

Rhaenys shows restraint even in the final battle

Rhaenys' actual death comes during a three-way dragon battle between Mereith, Vhagar, and Sunfire, and the emotional impact of that battle hinges on Best's performance. Director Alan Taylor, who also directed the series premiere, doesn't hesitate to cut to Rhaenys' face as the ash steadily flows past her. Best effectively conveys Rhaenys's resolve and resignation to death in several stark close-up shots.

Even more remarkable were the circumstances in which Best enacted Rhaenys' final moments, which took two weeks to film, with Best working alone on a mechanized horse. Rhaenys' final moments were shot amid chaos, with the wind whipping in Best's face and Best screaming as he imitated the difficult movements of the dragon's back while “hanging on for dear life.”

“You have to think about the whole story in your head,” Best said. “Not just the combat, not just looking at everybody and reacting to the physical nature of the combat, but of course you have to take into account the emotional part that's going on in your mind. That's hard to do when you have nothing to empathize with.”

During the battle, Best remarks that Rhaenys is still reluctant – Aegon and Aemond are still part of her family, even though Rhaenys wants to kill her. In that scene, Rhaenys gives very specific orders to Merys – she only orders her dragons to attack Samfyre and Vhagar, despite her nephews' praise for her. Dracarys — Fire — with little discipline.

“Someone rides a dragon Dracarys“The people on board are at very high emotional levels, very chaotic, very vindictive, very angry and very little in control,” Best said.

“It was so important to me that she was different, that she was completely professional throughout, and that she had precision,” she continued. “That grace is what defines her.”