Image Credit: HBO
After watching the official trailer for House of the Dragon 3, in this article we want to delve deeper into the plot of the next season of the beloved Game of Thrones prequel television series in order to try to predict what we will see in the new episodes based on the novel Fire and Blood.
In the trailer, Rhaenyra shares the news that Alicent has offered to open the gates of King’s Landing and surrender to her. However, Rhaenyra’s son, Jacaerys, advises her not to trust Alicent. We also see Jacaerys riding his dragon into battle—which readers of the book will recognize as the long-awaited Battle of the Reach—and we also glimpse James Norton on the battlefield as Ormund Hightower. Of course, there are many dragons, but also exciting previews with Rhaenyra crying, Alicent covering her mouth in shock, and even Aemond on the Iron Throne.
We can therefore expect a climate of great tension when the series returns next June, but what does the original book tell us?
The plot of season three picks up a few days after the season two finale, which saw the kingdom ready for war. This time around, expect even more fire and blood in the clash between the Blacks and the Greens, as Rhaenyra Targaryen claims the throne in the Dance of Dragons. Picking up where the story left off, Rhaenyra has a clear advantage thanks to her dragon seeds: after Daemon kneels, the queen has seven dragons (potentially eight if Rhaena manages to capture Sheepstealer) and her fighters are preparing to approach King’s Landing, where Alicent is waiting for them as a secret ally ready to let them into the city.
Among the main events fans should expect are:
- The Fall of King’s Landing: The posters and trailer show Rhaenyra Targaryen sitting on the Iron Throne. With the help of Alicent Hightower and the absence of Aemond, the Blacks will take control of King’s Landing.
- The Battle of the Narrow Sea: one of the most devastating naval battles in the history of Westeros, involving the Velaryon fleet, the Triarchy, and numerous dragons (including Jace on Vermax).
- The Battle of the Butchers: Showrunner Ryan Condal has confirmed that we will see this decisive moment for Ser Criston Cole, the target of a major ambush during this decisive battle for the Riverlands.
- Rhaena and Sheepstealer: the trailer suggests a change from the books, with Rhaena Targaryen managing to tame the wild dragon Sheepstealer in the Vale, thus replacing the character of Nettles.
- The Dragon Seeds in action: we will see the battle debut of the new riders Addam, Ulf, and Hugh, supporting the cause of the Blacks in the skies of Westeros.
- Aemond and Daemon: The conflict between uncle and nephew will intensify, as Aemond reigns from the throne in the absence of Aegon (who is on the run/in hiding) and Daemon continues to consolidate power in the Riverlands, setting the stage for their legendary final showdown.
- Aegon II in exile: we will see what becomes of Aegon II, seriously wounded and fleeing King’s Landing with the help of Larys Strong.
However, it is difficult to say which events from the book Fire and Blood will be faithfully reproduced in House of the Dragon 3: this is because Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has publicly stated that showrunner Ryan Condal ignored his suggestions and took a different path in this adaptation, which led Martin to leave the HBO series. “There are bigger and more toxic butterflies coming if House of the Dragon goes ahead with some of the changes planned for seasons 3 and 4…,” the author wrote in a now-deleted blog post.
Francesca Orsi, head of drama series and films at HBO, confirmed that House of the Dragon 3 will start with a bang with the Battle of the Drift: “I’m really excited. I think you’ll be very surprised by the start of the season, with this exciting battle,” Orsi told Deadline. Alicent actress Olivia Cooke also confirmed that the season will start strong: “Well, I think I can say… it starts with a bang,” the actress told Collider. “The first two episodes were supposed to be last year’s finale. So you can imagine what it means to dive into that kind of energy. It’s bigger and fiercer than ever.”
Showrunner Ryan Condal also teased a “conceptual” episode in the new season that will see the series take a slightly different direction: “We’ve had some fun this season, and there’s a conceptual episode that I’m really excited about, written by Sara Hess, and that’s all I’m going to say about it,” he said during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “It doesn’t fit into the traditional mold of what we’ve done. It’s very character-driven, I think it’s really fantastic, and I can’t wait to show it to the audience.”
Anyway, back to the events of the book, the Battle of the Driftmark is the bloodiest clash in the novel: the Triarchy, allied with the Greens, attacks the Velaryon blockade, and the Velaryon fleet suffers immense damage. There is also a very tragic death among Rhaenyra’s children, which will change her character forever. For this reason, after the Fall of King’s Landing, what the book calls the reign of “Rhaenyra the Cruel” will begin: to finance the war, the queen will impose heavy taxes, quickly losing the favor of the people, and at the same time she will be assailed by paranoia and begin to suspect her own “Dragon Seeds,” fearing their possible betrayal.
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