Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2 as well as the book Fire & Blood.
House of the DragonSeason 2 ends with tensions high as the various armies start to come together. Despite now having two complete seasons, the war is still beginning, with only a handful of actual battles having occurred. Yet the Dance of the Dragons is as heated as ever as the respective sides fight for their cause. Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) has gained an advantage in the conflict by findingthree new dragonriders, giving even Vhagar reason to fear, but the Greens are not out of the game yet. The Season 2 finale teases important events for the next installment. While it may still be years away,Season 3 is already promising to be bloody, but George R.R. Martin’s bookFire & Bloodtells us how bloody. Based on where Season 2 concludes, the pieces are falling into place for several major confrontations.
House of the Dragon
The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO seriesGame of Thrones.Based on George R.R. Martin’sFire & Blood,House of the Dragonis set nearly 200 years beforeGame of Thrones, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.
‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Sets Up a Dramatic Return
One of the biggest turns in the war as depicted inFire & Bloodisthe Fall of King’s Landing, which is certain to take place early in Season 3, likely the premiere. The Season 2 finale sets up Rhaenyra’s plan to take the city from her injured half-brother, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), by making a secret arrangement withAlicent (Olivia Cooke). Learning that the Greens' biggest defense, Vhagar and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), will be gone in three days, Rhaenyra will have little time to waste before acting to her advantage. InFire & Blood, this is a quick battle, despite the Blacks having no prior deal with Alicent. Rhaenyra and Daemon (Matt Smith) take their dragons to the city, where the goldcloaks turn on the leaders appointed by the Greens at the sight of Daemon. Though a small group of Green loyalists protect a single gate, the battle lasts only a few hours before the Blacks take control. Unable to get messages out, Alicent surrenders, and Rhaenyra has the city under her control.
However, there are bound to be some differences. For one thing, the Fall of King’s Landing has been moved forward in the timeline. Season 2 implies that this will be the next thing the characters do, whileFire & Bloodputs several battles and one significant death betweenthe Red Sowingand the Fall of King’s Landing. Additionally, the deal between Rhaenyra and Alicent strikes is meant for Alicent, Helaena (Phia Saban), and Jaehaera’s freedom in exchange for Aegon’s execution. But with Aegon fleeing the city in Season 2,Rhaenyra is bound to feel betrayed and may refuse to hold up her end of the bargain— yet that will only set up more drama between the characters to unfold in Season 3.
‘House of the Dragon’ May Lose Another Important Character in Season 3
InFire & Blood, one major event occurs before the Fall of King’s Landing, which Season 2 has set up:The Battle of the Gullet. Though it is unclear if the precise order of events will stay the same, this battle is sure to be soon, as it involves two groups that have already set sail. As theTriarchyallies with the Greens, they head toward the Gullet to break the Blacks' blockade and engage Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) and his fleet. But in the process, they encounter the ship that carries Rhaenrya’s two youngest sons away from the war. With both parties on the water, this story is well on its way.
House of the Dragon’s version of the Battle of the Gullet will likely be changed slightly, as the young princes are setting sail from the Vale rather than Dragonstone. But inFire & Blood, Aegon the younger escapes by clinging to hisyoung dragon, Stormcloud, who dies from wounds suffered during the battle. Aegon’s escape leaves his little brother Viserys behind, but it allows him to warn Jacaerys (Harry Collett), who flies into battle withthe dragonseedsbehind him. The Triarchy divides the fleet, sending some to the Gullet and others to attack Dragonstone, though they decide to target the Velaryons' Driftmark instead. Jace and the other dragonriders attack the Triarchy, forcing them to abandon the war. However, they fail to save the young Viserys, and much of House Velaryon’s fleet and wealth are destroyed in the attack. Worse is the loss of Jace and his dragon Vermax, the latter of whom falls into the water blinded and caught. Jace frees himself from his dragon’s saddle but is shot by a crossbow in the water. The Battle of the Gullet is a win for the Greens, although it is the end of their alliance with the Triarchy. Meanwhile, the Blacks lose both their naval advantage and the Crown Prince.
‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Will Finally Give Us Daeron Targaryen
After finally bringing up the forgottenPrince Daeron, the last moments of Season 2 showed his dragon, Tessarion. Their addition to the war and the arrival of the Hightower army teasethe Battle of the Honeywine, where Daeron makes a name for himself. While the Hightowers have been fighting the Beesburys and other families in the Reach, Tessarion has only just grown large enough for a rider, andFire & Blooddescribes his first battle. Dubbed the Battle of the Honeywine because of the river that stops the Hightowers' progress, the conflict sees the Hightowers surrounded by enemies, with the Beesburys and Tarlys on one side and the Rowan and Caswell forces on the other. The Hightowers are outmatched until Daeron shows up, winning the battle. For his heroism, he is knighted and given the name Daeron the Daring.
ThoughFire & Bloodincludes this battle around the timeHouse of the Dragonleaves off, there is little information about howthe war is going in the Reach, so the exact point the story leaves off is unclear. Daeron is already riding with the army, and the Battle of the Honeywine isa fitting introduction to the Targaryen prince, making it likely that Season 3 will get to this moment early. Daeron plays an important role in the war, andHouse of the Dragonwill need to use him sooner rather than later.
‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Will Not Lack For Battles
Besides the Hightowers, three other armies are shown on the move in the Season 2 finale. The Northerners, the Lannister host, and Criston Cole’s (Fabien Frankel) army are all converging in the Riverlands, where Daemon has raised an army of Riverlords, meaning there are many different groups to fight. Asthe Lannister army travels to Harrenhal, they face not one but three battles:The Battle of the Red Fork, the Battle of Acorn Hall, and the Battle by the Lakeshore.At the Battle by the Lakeshore, also called the Fishfeed, the Riverlanders and Northerners finally break the Lannister army — but it’s remembered as the bloodiest battle in the Dance of the Dragons, and to earn that, it already has stiff competition.House of the Dragonmay not show all these battles, considering many do not include recognizable characters and the show has limited time. However, these events should at least get mentioned in Season 3 as they affect the numbers on either side.
After the Fishfeed, the Black armies turn their attention to Cole’s army, whichHouse of the Dragonhas also positioned in the Riverlands heading towardHarrenhal. Season 3 will have to show their progression, especially as they are joined by Aemond. InFire & Blood, the Greens' army arrives at a mostly empty Harrenhal, retaking the castle easily. However, they have a long way to go to claim the Riverlands. While Aemond and Vhagar burn through the Riverlands, Criston Cole is attacked in a battle known as the Butcher’s Ball, which is the next major event for the character.Depending on how far into the story Season 3 goes, it could even explore the Battle of Tumbleton, which would make a good wrapping point for the season as Rhaenyra’s dragonseeds change sides, giving the Greens an advantage over her. Whatever happens, there will be no shortage of fighting.
‘Fire & Blood’ Isn’t an Exact Map for ‘House of the Dragon’ to Follow
Though the two stories follow the same outline,there are significant differences between them, and Season 2 has already revealeda few intriguing changes to the source material. Besides playing with the timeline,House of the Dragonhas moved a few characters around. Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) is imprisoned somewhere unknown rather than in King’s Landing when Rhaenyra takes control. Likewise, his son,Gwayne (Freddie Fox), is a wild card, traveling with Cole rather than serving as an officer of the City Watch in King’s Landing.
Yet the biggest change implied by Season 2 is in Rhaena’s (Phoebe Campbell) story. The daughter of Daemon is in the Vale, where she stays throughout the war inFire & Blood.However, the finale shows her encountering a wild dragon, hinting that she will claim the beast. Sheepstealer is the only wild dragon claimed inFire & Blood,but the task is accomplished bya bastard girl named Nettlesrather than Rhaena. The rider’s identity changes the story, considering Rhaena is not an outsider like the dragonseed but a true Targaryen. Yet, the dragon does fight for the Blacks, so the change isn’t necessarily that drastic. Certainly, it won’t be the last adjustmentHouse of the Dragonmakes in its adaptation. Whatever happens next will not be revealed for a long time yet, but in the meantime,Fire & Bloodis already providing us with hints of where the story will go.
House of the Dragonis available for streaming exclusively on Max in the U.S.
