Warning: This article contains spoilers from the book Fire And Blood by George RR Martin.
House of the Dragon season 1 is over, but fans are still finding subtle clues and omens littered throughout the series. Rewatching the show, we discovered that the Game of Thrones prequel had already foreshadowed the deaths of three main characters: Rhaenyra, Aegon II, and Helaena Targaryen. Let us explain everything to you below.
House Of The Dragon Foreshadows Rhaenyra Targaryen’s Death
Young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen
Readers of George RR Martin’s book Fire And Blood already know how Rhaenyra Targaryen will meet her end. The semiannual queen will be burned by Aegon II’s dragon Sunfyre and eaten by him as well.
In Episode 4, we see Daemon take Rhaenyra through the streets of Kings Landing at night. The two Targaryens are disguised as common people and there they see dragon metal heads and mounted high. These heads periodically spit fire. While walking through the narrow streets, the two Targaryens encounter a woman who asks Rhaenyra in passing, “Do you want to know your dead, my child?”
As soon as she finishes speaking and Rhaenyra walks away, we see one of the dragon heads spit fire. And that’s exactly how she dies – burned to death by a dragon. But that’s not all. In Episode 6, when Laena Velaryon dies after ordering her dragon Vhagar to burn her, the scene immediately switches to Rhaenyra. Thus, meaning she suffers the same fate.
Helaena Targaryen’s death is also announced
Helaena Targaryen
In the House of the Dragon, Helaena Targaryen is kind of a background character in Season 1. We don’t see much of her or know much about her except that she’s quite naive and talks about prophecies in riddles. But if the show follows the books, it will have some impactful scenes in Season 2.
After all, in GRR Martin’s books, Helaena is targeted after the death of Rhaenyra’s son, Lucerys. Daemon swears revenge by killing a son of the Greens. He hires two assassins, Blood and Cheese, to assassinate one of Helaena’s sons along with her brother (and husband) Aegon II- Jaehaerys or Maelor.
When the assassins confront Helaena, they give her a choice. She can decide which son will die. She chooses Maelor, her youngest. But Blood and Cheese ignores his wishes and kills his eldest, Jaehaerys. This incident drives Helaena into madness and depression.
She doesn’t even look at Maelor because she chose his death. And finally, she commits suicide by jumping out of the window. Helaena impales herself on spikes underneath and suffers a tragic death at just 21. In the show, when young Alicent holds baby Helaena in her arms, the photo is taken in front of a window. The tragic end of Helaena was thus announced from her very first appearance.
The death of Aegon II Targaryen was also announced
Aegon II Targaryen
Interestingly, just like Helaena, his death was announced in House of the Dragon when he was also a baby. In the books, Aegon II is thrust into war with the Blacks right after his coronation. He replaces Otto Hightower as hand with Ser Criston Cole because he thinks Otto is inactive and too cautious.
Cole, on the other hand, follows aggressive tactics that put Aegon and Aemond in a battle with Rhaenys Targaryen and her dragon Meleys. The brothers win, but Aegon is badly injured and burned. In another battle, Aegon is crippled and it is after this that he is poisoned while in the Royal Sept.
You never know who did it by Larys Strong and Corlys Velaryon are heavily involved. It’s good that Aegon was a callous king who learned nothing and prolonged the war unnecessarily even after killing Rhaenyra.
It is said that he spent his time worrying about his impending marriage to Cassandra Baratheon and even sent Corlys to cut off the ear of Aegon III (the son of Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen) as a warning to the blacks. But this order was never carried out because he was poisoned soon after.
In the show there is a scene where King Viserys feeds baby Aegon II of a cup. And this scene could be a direct foreshadowing of his death by poisoning.
Have you spotted any other foreshadowings in House of the Dragon? Let us know.
