'House of the Dragon' Fans Confused At Scene That Could Decide Jace's Fate

House of the Dragon fans were left scratching their heads in Episode 8 after a character struggled with a skill he should have aced.

The latest episode of the Game of Thrones spin-off starts with another time jump, showing Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (played by Emma D'Arcy) married to her uncle Prince Daemon (Matt Smith).

The couple are living in Dragonstone with the children from their first marriages and the offspring of their union.

In one scene a pregnant Rhaenyra walks into a room to observe her oldest son Jace (Harry Collett), the heir to the Iron Throne, struggling to learn High Valyrian.

The princess corrects her son on a phrase he "should know" and they share a loving exchange about the importance of the language to their ancestors—and to their own future as rulers of the Seven Kingdoms.

"I don't expect you to learn High Valyrian in a day, Jace," she says, indicating that he has just started studying the language.

"A king should honor the traditions of his forebears," he replies.

"Well … unless you're planning to depose your own mother, you have plenty of time to study," Rhaenyra tells her son.

The High Valyrian language was invented by George R.R. Martin for his A Song of Ice and Fire novels and the prequel Fire & Blood, on which the two HBO series are based.

In Martin's fictional continent of Westeros, many children from noble houses are taught High Valyrian, but the Targaryens have a special connection to the language.

They descend from Old Valyria in the continent of Essos and use the language to give commands to their dragons. Rhaenyra and Daemon speak it proficiently—and the princess was already fluent when she was the same age as her son.

House of the Dragon viewers were confused about why Jace was not more advanced in the language, since he would be 13 or 14 in Episode 8.

Twitter user veganasu wrote: "What i dont understand about jace learning high valyrian is that he always had two valyrian speaking parents (rhaenyra&leanor / rhaenyra&daemon but still struggles while his mother spoke completely fluent at this age."

Swordofbeserk posted: "Full offense but jace should have learned high valyrian when he was 3 not 18 like that's beyond ridiculous move from the writers."

Others thought it might have been a deliberate move by the writers, to set up later plot points.

"Is Jayce having a hard time learning High Valyrian because of his parentage?" asked brodymybrody.

JeremyMonjo pointed out: "I like how the Magic DNA gimmick in this franchise is just ambiguous enough if you wonder if the Blond Targ's have it easier learning High Valyrian than the lesser, dark-haired ones. You just start thinking, 'Maybe...'."

Jace's position as heir to the Iron Throne has been called into question many times.

Rhaenyra married her cousin Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan) and supposedly bore him three children before his staged death. Laenor is Black with white dreadlocked hair; Rhaenyra is pale and has the typical Targaryen platinum hair. But because their sons are fair skinned and have dark hair, many have questioned their parentage.

Some in the royal court, including Rhaenyra's stepmother Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke), claim the children are the product of an affair between the princess and Harwin Strong.

If this could be proven, Rhaenyra and Jace's ascendancy to the throne could be challenged by Alicent, who wants her children with King Viserys (Paddy Considine) to rule the Seven Kingdoms.

In Episode 8, the legitimacy of Jace's younger brother Luke is challenged too, by a rival for his position as heir to House Velaryon. So, fans have argued that Jace's trouble learning High Valyrian could be used as evidence by those looking to question his claim to the throne.

A House of the Dragons expert—Robert Oliver, who co-hosts The Longest Night podcast—said there might be something in the fan theories, but it's even more complicated than that.

Oliver told Newsweek there was evidence that boys in Martin's world tend to struggle more with their studies.

"Teenage boys often don't take as well to tutelage as they possibly should. I'm also reminded a little of Jaime Lannister from Game of Thrones—it was established that he was dyslexic and initially struggled to remember his father Tywin's teachings," he said.

The podcaster suggested that Rhaenyra was teaching Jace High Valyrian "to instill some family and cultural values" because, regardless of who his father was, Jace was still half Targaryen.

"One of the great tragedies that hangs over House Targaryen is that a lot of its ancient customs and traditions were lost in the Doom of Valyria," Oliver said.

"Rhaenyra teaching Jace High Valyrian is also a way for her to ensure that Valyrian culture survives, even amongst Targaryens born far away from their homeland."

But Oliver also conceded that the boy's struggles with the language were politically significant and could definitely be used "as evidence" against the family.

"I imagine the decision to teach Jace the language of High Valyrian was a decision made later into his life. As much as she's hiding it in public, Rhaenyra is privately feeling the pressure from the outside regarding Jace and Luke's legitimacy," he said.

"I imagine it's a decision she took when she realised she could no longer hide that he's a Strong."