Prince Lucerys or Luke’s death marked a major turning point in the battle of fire and blood. As the prince fell into the river with his dragon, all the peace treaties and exchange of crows between the two houses came to an end. The tragedy incited a war like no other in the history of Westeros. The upcoming battle is certainly going to take millions of lives, and Luke’s death was just the beginning.
Spoiler Alert
As soon as Queen Rhaenyra heard about Lucerys’ death, the mother couldn’t hold herself back anymore and mounted the dragon’s back to find her son or at least collect what remained of him after Vhagar’s assault. In such a time, when war was brewing in the seven kingdoms, Daemon believed that his wife had exposed herself to the enemies. But Princess Rhaenys understood the mother’s pain better than Daemon ever could. She even spelled it out for the battle-hardened warrior that Rhaenyra wouldn’t be able to mourn her son’s death until she had seen his mortal remains, and that’s what her entire conflict was all about.
In the first episode of House of the Dragon season 2, some fishermen found a dragon’s wing near the shores of Storm’s End. Rhaenyra knew that the remains belonged to her son’s dragon, Arrax. It was quite tragic that while Rhaenyra grieved the loss of her son, her dragon Syrax mourned the loss of hers. Rhaenyra eagerly wanted to find Luke, or at least his corpse, but it seemed that the vast ocean didn’t want to soothe the mother’s pain that day. It hid the boy’s dead body along with his winged companion.
Rhaenyra returned to Dragonstone with whatever remains she could get hold of. She prepared a pyre for it and burned all the things that Luke once held dear. Maybe Rhaenyra believed that it would give comfort to Luke’s soul, wherever he was. Now, here comes the spoiler from the book, so you have been warned. As per “Fire & Blood,” the fishermen found Arrax’s head and neck that washed up on the shores of the Storm’s End. The remainder of his body was swallowed by the sea. And as far as his rider, Luke, is concerned, there are different versions of his fate. As per the gossipy narrator, Mushroom, Aemond finally found Luke’s corpse, and as the one-eyed tyrant wanted, he cut out an eye from the young prince’s head to present it to his future wife, who had made fun of him in the halls of Lord Borros. But that couldn’t be possible; otherwise, Rhaenyra or the fisherman would have found Luke’s amputated body on the seashore. Some even suggest that Vhagar, the old dragon who had lost its mind and temper, swallowed Luke whole, which is why his remains were never found by anyone. Those who wanted to comfort themselves with a happy ending suggested that Luke somehow survived the fall but lost his memory due to the impact. He spent the rest of his life as a simpleton and worked as a fisherman on the shores of the Storm’s end. In addition to all that, it wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that Luke met a similar fate as his father, Laenor Velaryon, who faked his own death so he could live the rest of his life as a knight and sailor and explore the unknown wonders of the sea.
So, to answer the question, no, the corpse of Lucerys Velaryon was never found. Not even in George R. R. Martin’s book. The lad was just 13 years old when he disappeared from the face of the earth without a trace. However, his absence did have an impact on Westeros’ violent history, as it marked the beginning of the infamous “Dance of the Dragons.” In a very brief scene, Alyn of Hull, one of Lord Corlys’ loyal sailors, presented Coryls with a dagger that the smith had delivered. Corlys had it specially forged for his future heir, Luke, who would have ascended to the throne of Driftmark after him. But what’s symbolic here is the fact that Corlys didn’t take the dagger from Alyn, and if I am not wrong, he would be the one using it in the future.
Book Spoilers Ahead
As per the history of Westeros, Alyn and his brother, often known as the bastards of Hull, are Laenor’s illegitimate sons from a woman named Marilda, also known as Mouse. Yes, we had a lot of cheese, rats, and mouse references in the first episode of House of the Dragon Season 2. Nevertheless, after Luke’s death, there seems to be a shortage of Dragonriders for Team Black, and that is when Mouse steps in to reveal the true lineage of her sons. But would Corlys believe the woman’s claim, especially when he knows all about his son’s interest in men? The first episode had already established the fact that Alyn saved Corlys’ life and pulled him out of the water after the battle at the Stepstones. It is one of the reasons why Corlys might want to put his trust in Alyn and his brother. However, the moment these two mount the dragon back, Corlys’ doubt will fade, and he will accept them as his grandsons. Therefore, even though Corlys lost an heir, he gained two trustworthy individuals who will hopefully carry on his legacy.
