Maybe I just am very sensitive on the topic, but I sincerely do not like to see how people weaponise Rhaegal burning Quentyn as proof of dragons being nothing more than a dangerous weapon.
Let’s analyse Daenerys’ ADWD chapters were Rhaegal is mentioned after he has been chained:
“Rhaegal had been harder. Perhaps he could hear his brother raging in the pit, despite the walls of brick and stone between them. In the end, they had to cover him with a net of heavy iron chain as he basked on her terrace, and he fought so fiercely that it had taken three days to carry him down the servants' steps, twisting and snapping. Six men had been burned in the struggle.” — Daenerys II, ADWD
From the beginning of Daenerys chaining her two dragons (as Drogon managed to fly away), Rhaegal becomes restless the moment he hears Viserion suffer— to the point where they have to cover him so that he cannot hear Viserion struggling any longer. And even when restrained, he still very much gives the servants an hard time locking him up.
I’m not going to go into depths of this; but let’s just point out that Rhaegal is already in a situation of heavy stress: his mother is turning her back on him (not blaming Daenerys for this, obviously— but I do think the dragons might have felt abandoned in some kind of way), he is being restrained (by being covered with a nest) and he is being forced into a dark and almost empty cell by men he has never been close with.
Then, Daenerys gives up updates on the dragons’ behaviour when locked:
“Rhaegal roared in answer, and fire filled the pit, a spear of red and yellow. […] "They frighten me as well. There is no shame in that. My children have grown wild and angry in the dark." — Daenerys VIII, ADWD
Rhaegal is the first one who answers (with a roar, and then fire) when he hears Dany’s voice. Then she proceeds to point how her children have grown wild and angry— especially, as we can see, Rhaegal. All in front of Quentyn, mind you.
“Down in the pit, Viserion had snapped one of his chains; he and Rhaegal grew more savage every day.”
Rhaegal is, again, put in a situation of heavy stress: being restrained, not able to haunt as he probably wishes to; not seeing the light AND overall not being free as he has been ever since his egg hatched.
Now, Quentyn comes into the picture.
For context: he, a man who has been in front of dragons only once, is convinced that he could claim one; despite hearing their mother herself say that she is frightened by their wild behaviour.
It’s in his chapter that we learn something very important:
“But Viserion had dug himself a hole in them with flame and claw, a hole big enough to sleep.” —> Viserion is most likely nesting. This, obviously, triggers something inside of Rhaegal; who just has to protect his brother (sister?) when a man they DO NOT KNOW and only saw once is stepping closer to them.
Which is normal behaviour for any animal there is; fantasy or not. Rhaegal wasn’t being evil— as unfortunately some fans want him to be in order to put Daenerys into a bad light. He was being protective— because I deeply believe that dragons themselves know where danger is near or when a person’s intentions are not as pure as they want to make it out to be.
“Behind you, behind you, behind you!"
Quentyn turned and threw his left arm across his face to shield his eyes from the furnace wind. Rhaegal, he reminded himself, the green one is Rhaegal.
When he raised his whip, he saw that the lash was burning. His hand as well. All of him, all of him was burning.” — The Dragontamer, ADWD
Did Quentyn deserve this because he is a bad person? No! He isn’t. He was being clueless; although he shouldn’t have been after every little warning Daenerys has given him.
Was Rhaegal right for burning him? Might be a sticky situation; but yes. Him & Viserion had suffered enough from being chained and restrained and pretty much kept as prisoners. Why would he let anyone who isn’t Daenerys near Viserion? Especially when his brother (again, sister?) is showing nesting behaviours?
