That "House Of The Dragon" Scene From Last Night Was Even More Disturbing In The Books

Helaena continues to resist, so then Cheese warns that he's going to rape her daughter, Jaehaera (who, as a reminder, is somewhere around 6–10 years old) if she doesn't choose soon. So Helaena points at Maelor, the younger son. It's said that nobody knows why she chose Maelor — perhaps to protect Jaehaerys since he was the heir to the throne, or perhaps because he was younger and wouldn't understand what was happening. But Cheese, instead of killing Maelor, leaned in and whispered to the boy, "You hear that, little boy? Your momma wants you dead." Then, Blood kills Jaehaerys instead, leaving Helaena tortured. Not only did she have to watch her eldest son be decapitated in front of her, but she also has to live with knowing that her youngest son watched her choose him to die.