u/Ok-Exchange2711

It may sound weird, but I actually think the loss of Silverwing and Vermithor is one of the strongest symbols of the decline of Targaryen power. Their loss feels far more catastrophic than that of most other dragons.

Jaehaerys and Alysanne represented the dynasty at its absolute peak. They reunited and stabilized the realm after Maegor's reign, and their dragons came to embody that golden age. Vermithor and Silverwing weren't just powerful dragons.They were symbols of prosperity, stability, and a united House Targaryen.

By the time of the Dance, those same dragons end up being claimed by bastards. I don't think that as a coincidence. It feels like George is showing that the legacy of Jaehaerys and Alysanne had already slipped beyond the control of the royal family. The dragons that once represented the height of Targaryen rule ultimately became tools in the civil war that destroyed it.

Their deaths don't just represent the loss of two big dragons ,they mark the symbolic end of the golden age that Jaehaerys and Alysanne built.