When Daemon Targaryen had a certain interaction with someone infected with Greyscale, fans of House of the Dragon began asking questions.

House of the Dragon Episode 3 SPOILERS ahead

In the latest episode of House of the Dragon, Episode 3, Prince Daemon Targaryen finally manages to kill Prince Drahar, or the Crabfeeder, in single combat. This was the culmination of a multi-year war for the Stepstones between the Triarchy of Free Cities and the alliance between Daemon Targaryen and Corlys Velaryon.

When Daemon emerged from the cave in which he slew Drahar, he was holding the remains of the Crabfeeder’s body by his wrist. This prompted many to begin speculating, as the showrunners recently confirmed that Drahar was afflicted by Greyscale. When the two made contact, it wasn’t clear if Drahar’s wrist was affected by the disease, which is infamous for spreading by contact.

Fans now think it is a possibility that Daemon contracted the deadly disease at that moment but we have yet to see the outcome. Greyscale is seemingly random with how fast it spreads, which serves nicely as a plot point that the storytellers can bend however they like to fit their needs.

One aspect that may come into play is the Targaryen’s belief that some among their ranks hold a special property in their blood that makes them immune to disease. Whether Daemon inherited this ability remains to be seen, though he is a fiery one.

“The Crabfeeder is confirmed to be wearing a Sons of the Harpy mask in #HouseOfTheDragon

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He also had greyscale

(via @EW)”

“”We spoke about the idea of him being a prince … so he came from some sort of higher House. We spoke about that and the gradual decline to where he is, how the greyscale might affect him physically, even mentally””

One Redditor had this to say on what they thought the possible outcomes could be:

But Daemon drags his body out of the cave, with bare hands, by the wrist. He definitely made skin-to-skin contact – the real question is whether greyscale is contiguous even after death. If not, then I guess that would be an explanation for him not to have it, but given the way that greyscale has been portrayed (especially in the tv series) I imagine they intend to expand on this plot point going forward. Either way, I think there is an equally good chance that either:

A) He doesn’t contract greyscale and it is never discussed. I would personally be unsatisfied with this answer since the showrunners added the greyscale detail as a HOTD exclusive.

D) He contracts greyscale, which contributes to aspects of his character growth just like in option C, but he is cured, whether during the early or advanced stages. I suppose the technique Samwell discovered in an old book had to come from somewhere, and this honestly seems like the exact “tie-in” (to GOT) type material that garners a lot of ‘fan service (like the weirwood tree at King’s Landing) in the eyes of the showrunners. If I were a gambler, I would my money on option D.

C) He contracts greyscale which contributes to his descent into madness. As another commenter mentioned, how fast Greyscale takes over is quite random from what we know – so it isn’t unreasonable to believe this may be a long-term plot point given that the showrunners went out of their way to add the ‘greyscale question’.

D) He contracts greyscale, it contributes to aspects of his character growth just like in option C, but he is cured, whether during the early or advanced stages. I suppose the technique Samwell discovered in an old book had to come from somewhere, and this honestly seems like the exact “tie-in” (to GOT) type material that garners a lot of ‘fan service (like the weirwood tree at King’s Landing) in the eyes of the showrunners. If I were a gambler, I would my money on option D.

“Disappointed with how they handled him, just hoping for a flashback scene. I want to know who this guy is, how and why he had so many men and why he was attacking the Westeros shipping lanes and torturing sailors and feeding them to crabs. Most interesting character after Daemon”

“Most people are saying that the Crab man wasn’t important. But forget that Daemon has been fighting this guy for two years and it seems he was a tough one. The writers should have excluded Rhaenyra from this episode and dedicated all of it to Daemon.”

“I think it’s great that they parallel Daemon and Rhaenyra’s stories in this episode. They are both failing Viserys in some way, and come out the other side victorious, proving themselves with fire and blood”

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