The age differences are massive, so here’s how old House of the Dragon characters are in the book

If you’ve ever been confused about the ages in House of the Dragon, I am right there with you. George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood and the HBO show don’t always line up, with several major characters either aged up, aged down or completely reworked.

The biggest change is Rhaenyra and Alicent. In the show, they’re basically the same age and grow up as best friends. But in the books, there’s around a 10-year age gap between them.

So, here are the biggest differences between the House of the Dragon show and the Fire & Blood book.

Rhaenyra Targaryen

via HBO

In the show, Rhaenyra starts the story at around 15 or 16 and is now roughly 34 in season three.

In the Fire & Blood book, she’s much younger at the start. She’s only nine when Alicent marries Viserys, around 14 when the rumours about her and Daemon (and Criston Cole) begin, and 17 when she marries Laenor Velaryon.

Right now, during the Battle of the Gullet in 129 AC, Rhaenyra would be around 32 years old in the books.

Alicent Hightower

via HBO

Alicent has probably undergone one of the biggest age changes. In the show, she’s only slightly older than Rhaenyra and is now around 36.

In the books, however, Alicent is about 18 or 19 when she marries Viserys, while Rhaenyra is only nine. They were never childhood friends like they are in the HBO adaptation.

Right now in the Fire & Blood book, Alicent would be around 41 or 42, making her roughly 10 years older than Rhaenyra.

Daemon Targaryen

via HBO

Daemon is around 50 years old in season three.

According to the Fire & Blood book, he’s born in 81 AC, making him around 16 years older than Rhaenyra. At this point in the books, Daemon would be around 48, while Rhaenyra would be around 32.

Unlike Alicent and Rhaenyra, the age gap between Daemon and Rhaenyra stays almost exactly the same in both versions.

Criston Cole

via HBO

Criston Cole is around 44 in the show’s current timeline.

One of the biggest surprises from the books is that Criston and Daemon are actually almost exactly the same age. In the book, Criston is born around 82 AC, meaning both men are around 30 during the early years of the story.

Right now in the books, Criston would be around 47. The show makes Criston seem noticeably younger than Daemon, even though they are basically the same age in the book version.

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Aegon II Targaryen

via HBO

Aegon is around 19 in season three.

His age is fairly similar in both versions, although the show does make him younger. In the book, Aegon was born in 107 AC, meaning he would be around 22 years old during the Battle of the Gullet.

Helaena Targaryen

via HBO

Helaena is around 18 in season three.

At this point in the Fire & Blood book, Helaena would be around 20 years old.

Aemond Targaryen

via HBO

Aemond is around 17 in the current season.

Yes, really. Even though Ewan Mitchell could easily convince you he’s much older, Aemond is still technically a teenager during the Dance of the Dragons.

In the books, Aemond would actually be around 19 years old at this point.

Daeron Targaryen

via HBO

Daeron is around 16 in season three after finally making his proper debut.

He’s the youngest of Alicent and Viserys’ children in both the books and the show. Right now in Fire & Blood, Daeron would be around 14 or 15 years old.

Joffrey Velaryon

via HBO

Joffrey is around six years old in the show.

In Fire & Blood, Joffrey was born in 117 AC, meaning he would be around 12 years old during the Battle of the Gullet in 129 AC.

This is one of the biggest age changes in the adaptation because in the book Joffrey is already a young teenager during this part of the Dance. It also explains why Rhaenyra is so hesitant to see him after he returns from the Vale.

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