Lord Corlys Velaryon continues to fight for Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon Season 3. He has been one of her loyal supporters through thick and thin. In the process, he has lost more than most, from his castle to his ship. In the latest episode of Season 3, he tells Rhaenyra as much. During a chat on the Official Game of Thrones podcast, actor Steve Toussaint spoke about Corlys’ heartbreaking reason he continues to fight for Rhaenyra.
Quick read:
- Corlys Velaryon still fights on Rhaenyra’s side because his wife believed he should.
- The guilt of spending years at sea instead of being with his family is another reason.
- He believes Rhaenys would have made a better queen than Rhaenyra.
Steve Toussaint on why Corlys Velaryon still supports Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon
While speaking on the podcast, Steve Toussaint explained why Corlys continues to fight Rhaenyra’s battles in House of the Dragon. He referred to one of Corlys’ speeches from Season 2, saying, “One of the speeches that I thought was most telling about Corlys is what you referred to, is when he speaks to Rhaenyra and says, ‘My ship is no longer the Sea Snake.’ It is now called, you know, ‘The Queen Who Never Was.’ And everything that I do now, I do for her.’”
Simply put, Corlys still supports Rhaenyra because of his late wife, Rhaenys. In Season 1, he suggested that he and Rhaenys leave this realm and enjoy their time with their grandchildren, but she refused. She insisted that Rhaenyra needed their help.
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“He’s like, ‘Okay, my wife thinks that’s what I should do, and I’m gonna do it,’” Toussaint added. “Because, as she says in that same scene, ‘You keep running away. Whenever there’s problems, you disappear at sea for like, I don’t know how many years.’ And so I think there’s a feeling of guilt for him. And he’s like, ‘No, you know what? I’m gonna do this. I’m gonna– This is what my wife wants. I’m gonna do this.’ And then of course he loses her.”
So far, Corlys has done everything in his power to support Rhaenyra. However, whether or not that changes after their public confrontation in the new episode remains to be seen.
Corlys Velaryon believes Rhaenys would have made a better queen
When Otto Hightower had suggested Rhaenyra as the heir to the Iron Throne, Corlys Velaryon had offered an alternative: his wife and Rhaenyra’s cousin, Rhaenys. Unfortunately, it was to no avail. Reflecting on this, Toussaint said, “Of course, he has ambition for himself, but his ambition was also for her too. You know, ‘You should have been the queen. You would have made a better queen.’”
He explained that some might believe Corlys wanted Rhaenys to be the queen so that he could be the power behind her. To that end, Touissant said, “I don’t think if you look at their relationship and the woman that she was, I don’t think that would ever have been the case. I think he just thinks that she would have been a better ruler than her cousin.”
Now that Rhaenyra has become the queen, everyone finally gets to see how she is at being the ruler. So far, she has won over the Smallfolk but has frustrated noble families.
