Did Balerion Have Any Dragon Riders After Aegon?

2026-04-30 09:17:47
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3 Answers

Joanna
Joanna
Plot Explainer Accountant
Balerion the Black Dread, Aegon the Conqueror’s infamous dragon, did have riders after him, but their stories are shrouded in tragedy and mystery. Maegor the Cruel, Aegon’s son, was one of them—fitting, given how much destruction they wrought together. Maegor used Balerion to terrorize the Faith Militant, burning their strongholds to ash. It’s almost poetic how a dragon named after a god of death ended up in the hands of someone so ruthless. After Maegor’s suspicious death, Balerion went riderless for a while until Princess Aerea claimed him. Her story is even darker; she vanished for a year and returned horrifically changed, dying soon after. The dragon outlived her but never took another rider, dying of old age during Viserys I’s reign. There’s something haunting about how Balerion’s later riders met such grim fates—like the dragon himself carried a curse.

I’ve always wondered if Balerion’s size and age made him harder to control, or if his bond with Aegon was just too unique to replicate. The fact that he didn’t accept another rider after Aerea suggests dragons might grieve their humans, too. Or maybe no one else was worthy. Either way, his legacy is a mix of awe and dread, perfect for the creature who helped forge the Iron Throne.
2026-05-02 00:55:37
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Yara
Yara
Favorite read: The Heir and the Dragon
Honest Reviewer Student
Only two people rode Balerion after Aegon: Maegor and Aerea. Maegor’s reign was basically a horror show, and Balerion was his weapon of choice—burning septs, castles, anyone who defied him. Then Aerea, a rebellious teenager, took him without permission and disappeared. When she returned, it was like something out of a nightmare. Balerion was wounded, and Aerea died in agony. After that, the dragon never bonded with anyone else. Viserys I was his last caretaker, but by then, Balerion was too old to ride. His death marked the end of an era, the last living relic of the Doom. It’s sad, in a way—this colossal beast, reduced to a shadow of himself, outliving everyone who ever mattered to him.
2026-05-05 14:49:38
34
Levi
Levi
Frequent Answerer Journalist
Balerion’s post-Aegon riders are a short but brutal list. Maegor the Cruel was the first, and honestly, it tracks—those two were a match made in hell. Maegor rode Balerion during his reign of terror, and the dragon became as much a symbol of tyranny as the Iron Throne itself. Then came Aerea Targaryen, a kid who stole Balerion on a dare and paid the ultimate price. Her fate is one of the most chilling things in 'Fire & Blood': a year missing, then returning with something inside her. Balerion himself was wounded when they came back, which makes you wonder where they even went. Valyria? Somewhere worse?

After that, no one rode him. Viserys I tried, but Balerion was ancient by then and died soon after. It’s wild to think that the last living creature to have seen Valyria just… faded away in the Dragonpit. No dramatic death, no epic battle—just time catching up to him. Makes you realize even dragons aren’t immortal.
2026-05-06 22:59:23
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3 Answers2026-05-03 14:36:08
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