Game Of Thrones: 11 Most Unforgivable Cuts From The Books

7. Rhaenys And Aegon Targaryen

By the beginning of A Game of Thrones, Rhaenys and Aegon Targaryen were long dead, and Rhaegar's two innocent children were basically devices used to explain conflicts between certain characters. Still, they were always more than just two names on the long list of deceased. Princess Rhaenys was dragged out from where she hid beneath her father's bed and stabbed to death in her nightdress. The babe-in-arms Prince Aegon - or, at least, a babe-in-arms - had his head smashed against a wall. The story of their murders was as resonant as that of King Aerys, and characters ranging from Ned Stark to Beric Dondarrion to Ser Jorah Mormont have told the tale with nothing but distaste. Tywin Lannister's character was tarnished before he even appeared, and Robert's approval of the slaughter provided a depth beyond drunkenness and lechery. Yet in the show, neither Rhaenys nor Aegon have even been mentioned by name. And then there are the events of A Dance with Dragons. Many readers were irritated by the sudden introduction of a young man claiming to be the long-lost son of Rhaegar, smuggled out of King's Landing by Varys and replaced before the Lannisters could sack the capital. Since then, many elaborate explanations as to how and why he must be a false Targaryen rather than the true Aegon have been formulated. Is it possible that he is indeed the son of Rhaegar and therefore before Daenerys in the Targaryen line of succession? Absolutely. But Aegon's - or 'Aegon's' - belated entrance into the game of thrones presented a new complication to the series that cannot be written out for the show, and his lack of real mention in earlier seasons will almost certainly cheapen his later arrival.