House of the Dragon fans in tears over heartbreaking major death in cliffhanger episode 4

*Warning - The following article contains spoilers from House of the Dragon season 2, episode 4.*

House of the Dragon fans have been left in total shock following the HBO show’s latest instalment, which featured a huge battle between House Black and House Green. In the battle at Rook’s Rest, things quickly escalate when several royals show up on their dragons unexpectedly, which causes nothing but violence and panic for the men fighting below.

Both sides attempt to enter the battle with the element of surprise, with Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) agreeing to send her aunt Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) in order to quickly put an end to the fight. Meanwhile, fans were stunned to learn that Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) and Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) also have the same idea, with the latter hiding in the trees with his gargantuan dragon Vhagar.

What no one accounts for, however, is that Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) also decides to join the fray after a conversion with his mother Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) leaves him feeling like a rather inadequate king. As the battle commences, armies of men look up in horror to see dragons raining fire down on them.

In a tragic twist, Rhaenys and Aegon’s dragons become tangled during the fight and - rather than swooping in to help his brother - Aemond rains fire down on the pair, causing Aegon and his dragon to fall to the ground. While Rhaenys is able to get away, she decides to heroically return and fight Aemond to the last, which eventually leads to her demise.

At the end of the episode, we know that Rhaenys and her dragon Meleys are dead, but a horrified Ser Criston finds Aegon and his dragon in the woods.

The episode ends on a cliffhanger, as we are unsure of whether the king survived the terrible fall caused by his brother.

While many viewers have been left curious about Aegon’s fate, others have expressed their devastation at seeing Rhaenys meet such a heartbreaking end.

Taking to Reddit, fans of the Game of Thrones spin-off shared their thoughts on the latest episode.

“I'm never gonna emotionally recover from this,” one fan wrote, as another added: “Being a book reader and knowing what was gonna happen and yet I still cried.” (sic)

Another agreed: “I cried reading the book. I knew it was coming, but d*** it still hurt! The queen who should have been. One of the best characters in the entire series!” (sic)

A fourth penned: “I literally teared up. When Rhaenys told Meleys to attack Vhagar. I couldn’t tell what was in Rhaenys’ expression. She looked sad and like she lost hope, even Meleys expressed some sort of sad emotion after her leg was hurt before they turned around. I almost ugly cried when Meleys was falling to the ground too.” (sic)

“I was just hoping she would land on Christian Cole. RIP the queen that never was,” another wrote with a sad emoji, as one more expressed: “My heart feels shattered. I hate how this Show can make me feel. Meleys didn’t deserve that death either. Poor dragon.

“Rhaenys of course obv didn’t deserve to go out that way. It’s an hour later and I’m still very much upset and want to cry some more. This episode has SERIOUSLY outdone itself. I hate you (love you) HOD.” (sic)

Another commented: “Heartbroken at this loss but so amazed at this astounding actress and the performance. Well done, ma'am. Brava indeed.” (sic)

Other fans took the time to applaud Eve, with another writing: “#1 in our hearts. Take a bow Eve Best.” (sic)

One more wrote: “In my opinion Eve Best is sure to be remembered as one of the best performances of the show. I miss you, Queen!” (sic)

Yet another commented: “Shout out to Eve Best who was absolutely brilliant as Rhaenys Targaryen tonight.” (sic)

House of the Dragon season 2 lands in the UK on Mondays at 2am BST (British Summer Time) on Sky Atlantic and NOW, with a repeat airing later on at 9pm.