In House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 5, the ancient dragon Vhagar vanished from Harrenhal while her rider Aemond recovered from a stab wound. Evidence indicates Vhagar has been attacking settlements in the riverlands entirely on her own, leading both sides of the Targaryen civil war to suspect Aemond remains responsible. This contradicts fundamental established lore: dragons maintain supernatural bonds with their riders that persist until death, and no documented case exists of a dragon abandoning a living rider regardless of circumstances.

The show provides no clear explanation for Vhagar's behaviour, representing a significant departure from the source material Fire & Blood, where Aemond and Vhagar conducted these attacks together. The episode introduced both Aemond's wound and his caretaker Alys Rivers as television inventions, leaving viewers uncertain whether the writers are redefining dragon-rider bonds or building toward an unrevealed explanation. Aemond expresses profound psychological distress over the separation, stating he is worthless without his dragon.