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Daenerys Targaryen loved her three dragons like they were her children, and the creatures' young ages in Game of Thrones made the rampant death within House Targaryen even more tragic. Emilia Clarke played the self-proclaimed "Mother of Dragons" for all eight seasons of the HBO fantasy drama. Early in the series, Daenerys became the owner of three petrified dragon eggs. Upon hatching them in a funeral pyre, Daenerys welcomed three baby dragons she would go on to name Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion.

Daenerys' trio of dragons was a significant moment considering it was the first time the flying reptiles existed after generations of extinction. Until that moment in Game of Thrones season 1, dragons were just a legend to those living throughout Westeros. After their birth during the debut season, Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion grew rapidly. The creatures often followed Daenerys on her travels, assisting in her travels. When they learned to breathe fire with the "dracarys" command, the dragons emerged as useful assets in the hopeful queen's conquers. Aside from killing Pyat Pree, the dragon brothers assisted with the Sack of Astapor, the Second Siege of Meereen, and the Battle of Goldroad. When Daenerys got closer to claiming the Iron Throne, she lost two of her dragons before she also met her demise.

Game of Thrones rarely confirmed the ages of figures during the show's run. In fact, some of the intended ages were changed compared to George R.R. Martin's books in which the series was based. That said, there were still some provided details, indicating Game of Thrones took place over seven years. The timeline used a dating system connected to the War of Conquest, with season 1 taking place in 298 AC (After Conquest). Seeing as season 8 was set in 305 AC, the dragons would have been 7-years-old when Daenerys was killed by Jon Snow. Since Drogon was the only dragon left standing, he's the only one capable of reaching maturity.

The Dragons' Lifespan Explained In Game Of Thrones

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Viserion was the first dragon to get killed during the events of Game of Thrones. In season 7, Daenerys and her dragons attempted to rescue Jon and his crew during their wight hunt Beyond the Wall. The dragons eliminated much of the Army of the Dead, but the Night King managed to kill Viserion with a spear made of ice. The Night King then used the dragon's corpse to resurrect Viserion into an ice dragon. Viserion was killed at the age of six, but the creature returned during the Battle of Winterfell before dying a second time. Rhaegal was murdered a short time after the conflict of Winterfell when he was around the age of seven. The dragon named after Daenerys' eldest brother was killed from a bolt fired by a large crossbow used by Euron Greyjoy's fleet.

As Daenerys' personal mount, it was ironically fitting that Drogon was the only surviving dragon at the end of Game of Thrones. Following his owner's assassination, Drogon scooped up Daenerys' body and took her to an unknown location. It was unclear what happened to Drogon, but he presumably kept living after the events of the series. Based on the extensive lore in the franchise, dragons had the potential to live for centuries. Balerion, the largest dragon in Targaryen history, for example, was said to be nearly 200-years-old at the time of his death. As long as Drogon remained out of harm's way, he would have continued growing exponentially. Considering his young age and the lifespan of the flying reptiles, Drogon was technically still a baby when Game of Thrones ended.