With House of the Dragon’s second season concluded, fans have been left with the promise that total war is about to break out across Westeros. As with any season finale of this particular franchise, fans have certain questions that will need to be answered in the next season. Yet, with so many plots working alongside each other, it can be hard to determine which are the most important questions to answer. Some seem smaller when compared to another, but each plays a role in the stories to come.
What’s especially interesting is that not all the questions posed were ones the source material ever touched upon. There are certain elements from the finale alone that brought up moments Fire & Blood never recorded. This is to be expected. The Dance of the Dragons was a turbulent time and as such firsthand accounts of characters’ personal lives could not possibly cover everything. So, here are some of the biggest questions House of the Dragon’s audiences will need answered when its third season premieres.
10How Will Rhaena Claim Sheepstealer?
With the knowledge that Rhaena Targaryen’s story will be merged with that of the Dragonseed, Nettles, it was always an inevitability that she would one day claim the dragon, Sheepstealer. The second season finale ended with Rhaena locating the dragon in the mountains of the Vale, but fans got no further than seeing the dragon and Targaryen spot each other before cutting away to another scene. This brings up an interesting question: How will claim Sheepstealer?
The wild dragon is not inclined to allow anyone to ride him, Targaryen or not. Nettles’ story also states that she won Sheepstealer’s trust by bringing him sheep to devour everyday so that he could associate her presence with food and safety. This is a slow process though, one that Rhaena does not have time for. Every scene featuring her in the finale showcased how she was becoming increasingly exhausted by endless hiking, and having no food or water. If she wants to survive, she’ll have to claim Sheepstealer quickly. The way she accomplishes this though will have to be a creative solution for next season’s writers.
9What Will Helaena Do Next?
Helaena is revealed to be a more powerful seer than anyone previously expected.
She is aware of how the Dance of the Dragons will end.
How she leverages this power going forward remains to be seen.
In the books, Helaena’s role was written as that of a woman slowly losing her mind due to grief. She never really had a role beyond victim. House of the Dragon went another route by revealing Helaena to have inherited the Targaryen ability of dreaming the future. She is basically a modern Daenys the Dreamer, and proved her power by entering Daemon Targaryen’s visions of the White Walkers and Westeros’ future, revealing she has known all along how things will play out and that they are all destined to die one day.
Up until that point, it was assumed that Helaena was going to be a tragic oracle. Someone who could warn ehr family what was going to happen, but who was never heeded because of her eccentricity. Now though, Helaena has suddenly become a facilitator of events, foreseeing what is necessary for the world to survive the coming Long Night. How she moves forward though as she starts to assert herself more against her brother, Aemond, is yet to be seen. For the first time in her life, Helaena’s needs and words are being taken seriously and it is exciting to wonder how she’ll use that to her advantage in the future.
8Are the Dragonseeds Trustworthy?
Trusting the Dragonseeds is a major gamble.
Hugh and Ulf are recorded as later betraying Rhaenyra.
However, new information about Ulf and Hugh might later shine new light on the reason for their betrayal.
In the books, two of the Dragonseeds do end up betraying Rhaenyra, but with all the context House of the Dragon has given on them, it has suddenly become less clear if that’s how things are going to shape up. Ulf has quickly gotten on everyone’s nerves thanks to the bolstered confidence of riding a dragon, but Hugh, one of the two Dragonseeds also stated to betray Rhaenyra, seems to be a more sympathetic and kindhearted character. His path may go a different way than anyone expected.
House of the Dragon has never shied away from altering a character’s story, just look at how it merged Rhaena and Nettles into one character. Perhaps Ulf and Hugh’s betrayal is more complicated than anyone else realizes. Hugh’s wife actively stated that she has family in the city of Tumbleton, the site of the infamous betrayal. This could very well factor into the decisions that lead to their defection. To call them future traitors though might be jumping the gun given how nothing has been too clear cut in the series thus far.
7Where Are Aegon and Larys Going?
Aegon fled King’s Landing with Larys Strong.
It might explain how Aegon became so dangerous at the end of the Dance of the Dragons.
In the books, Aegon vanished before Rhaenyra took King’s Landing, and his disappearance was one of the big mysteries of the entire war. He didn’t reappear until the end of the war when he had his dragon kill Rhaenyra. According to the book, Aegon was smuggled to Dragonstone by Larys Strong, where he slowly turned the island’s inhabitants against Rhaenyra. The show seems to be taking a different route. Larys stated he moved Harrenhal’s gold reserves to the Iron Bank of Braavos, implying he wanted to keep Aegon safe in Essos where they could live well while the war raged in Westeros.
If so, then Aegon seems bound for the eastern continent instead of Dragonstone. This poses two questions really: Where in Essos are they going and what will they get up to? Braavos seems the likely destination. It is close to Larys’ wealth and they could afford to live luxuriously there, but this is merely speculation. As for what they will do, it seems that Larys has become something of a mentor to Aegon, training him to think strategically to get what he wants. It would certainly explain how Aegon became more dangerous by the time he returned to King’s Landing.
6How Will Alyn Become Corlys Velaryon’s Heir?
Alyn will eventually be named Corlys’ heir, but he is angry at Corlys for not being there for him,
How they resolve their issues is a big mystery for Season 3.
It was established pretty early on that Alyn and Addam of Hull were actually Corlys Velaryon’s illegitimate children. Despite their beginnings, the two young men have made something of themselves. Alyn has become Corlys’ first mate on his ship and Addam became a dragonrider. Yet, the underlying animosity Alyn has for his true father is undeniable. To him, Corlys is only giving him attention now because his family has no real heir anymore. It was as if Corlys only decided to acknowledge him because he had no other choice.
This creates a bit of a problem because Alyn does become the Lord of Driftmark. This is partially made possible because Corlys later requests that Rhaenyra legitimize Alyn and Addam. However, Alyn would need to accept this sudden elevation in status, and more than that accept Corlys as his father. Though he understands that he is Corlys’ son, Corlys never once acted as his father. Therefore to accept being a formal member of House Velaryon, Alyn and Corlys will need to bond and heal the wounds of the past. Given what is set to happen in the immediate future though, it is hard to imagine how they’ll find the time for this.
5Will the Green Men Make Further Appearances?
The Green Men made a brief appearance in the Season 2 finale.
They might appear again to further guide the Targaryen with their supernatural knowledge.
The second season finale of House of the Dragon featured something no one was expecting: a glimpse of a Green Man. This horned individual is a member of a secretive order known as the Green Men located on the Isle of Faces. The group itself was founded thousands of years ago after the First Men made a peace treaty with the Children of the Forest known as the Pact. The Green Men were founded to guard the weirwood trees that witnessed the Pact being made. Ever since then, the Green Men have resided on their island in total seclusion.
There is evidence from the books to suggest that the Green Men know how to utilize the magic of the Children and might even have some living with them on the island. What’s more interesting though, is that Addam of Hull was said to have taken counsel with them at some point during the Dance of the Dragons. This leads to the question of whether the Green Men and their brand of magic will make another appearance and influence the fate of a dragonrider.
4How Will Alys Rivers Guide Aemond Targaryen?
Alys Rivers has guided Daemon Targaryen to accept his role.
How she will guide Aemond when they meet is an even bigger mystery.
Alys Rivers spent most of her time in the second season functioning as something of a magical therapist for Daemon Targaryen. Through visions and conversations with him, she helped Daemon bring down the walls he kept around himself. In doing so she convinced Daemon not only of the supernatural threat that would one day come for Westeros, but also that Rhaenyra was meant to be queen. Given that the books go into far more detail regarding her relationship with Aemond Targaryen though, one can’t help be wonder what she’ll say to him when they inevitably cross paths.
Aemond is heading to Harrenhal to destroy Daemon and his army, unaware that neither will be in the castle once he arrives. In his fury, he will encounter Alys who is said to become his lover. Bear in mind, this is all from the perspective of a history book in which major moments of the story were not witnessed firsthand. Alys’ relationship with Aemond might be something else entirely, but it will be interesting to see how she guides Aemond towards his destiny.
3Will Alicent Actually Open King’s Landing for Rhaenyra?
Whether Alicent will open King’s Landing for Rhaenyra remains to be seen.
She might change ehr mind after Rhaenyra is enraged by the loss of two of her sons.
“The Queen Who Ever Was” ended with Alicent making a deal with Rhaenyra to leave King’s Landing vulnerable to her once Aemond flies the dragon, Vhagar, to the Riverlands. In exchange, she would take Helaena and her granddaughter far from the politics of Westeros and live out their lives in peace. Though Rhaenyra agreed to the deal, it obviously won’t go according to plan. Alicent is stated tobe held prisoner in King’s Landing once Rhaenyra takes over, suggesting that Rhaenyra is meant to go back on this deal.
This makes a little more sense when one remembers that Rhaenyra’s conquest of King’s Landing occurs after the Battle of the Gullet, in which she lost two more of her children. At this stage of her life, Rhaenyra might genuinely be motivated by spite and revenge. Perhaps then, Alicent might not honor her part of the deal, recognizing that now Rhaenyra was too dangerous to trust. Whatever the case, King’s Landing will fall, it’s just a question of who is truly responsible for weakening their defenses.
2How Will Daemon Targaryen Behave Going Forward?
Daemon Targaryen now believes in the supernatural and it has made him loyal to Rhaenyra.
How he chooses to prepare for the threat of the White Walkers is something to look forward to.
Daemon’s arc in this season was becoming the man depicted in the books. The literature version of Daemon was in full support of Rhaenyra. Everything he ever did was meant to serve her. Thus going to Harrenhal and working through his many issues through the visions he experienced was an excellent way for him to find the purpose he was lacking all his life. Daemon now believes that Rhaenyra is the key to ensuring the living will survive the coming White Walkers.
How he will behave going forward is an unknown though. It’s unlikely Daemon’s more dangerous ways will subside, but he might be open about his plans with Rhaenyra. More importantly, he genuinely believes in the supernatural now and might also spend his time trying to prepare for the White Walker threat in Season 3. It would be fascinating to finally see the Targaryens make active preparations for the coming war with the dead, but it remains to be seen how Daemon’s epiphany will affect his decisions beyond vowing to serve Rhaenyra.
1Who Has Taken Otto Hightower Prisoner?
Otto Hightower was taken prisoner at the end of Season 2.
Who took him hostage and why is going to be a much anticipated answer.
The reveal that Otto Hightower has been taken prisoner was a shock to many fans, even the ones who have read the books. It is unknown exactly what Otto got up to after Aegon dismissed him as Hand of the King, but in the show he left King’s Landing to try to find some way to be of use to his family. Clearly he was captured enroute, or perhaps even as he was attempting to leave King’s Landing. The mystery of who took him and why is going to be one of the biggest questions the show will need to answer, as it will likely be a way for Otto to be more productive in the next season, which will likely be his last.
A viable candidate for who took him prisoner is Larys Strong. He has eyes and ears everywhere, so perhaps he saw an opportunity to use Otto for some unknown end. It is also possible that during his journey through the Reach back to Oldtown he was taken captive by House Beesbury. As fans will recall, Lord Lyman Beesbury was the only one to stand up for Rhaenyra at the Small Council when Otto began planning to crown Rhaenyra. He was killed for this, and his family has since chosen to support Rhaenyra. Of course, all of this is just speculation. It is entirely possible that a third party, unknown to viewers at this time is responsible. Whatever the case, Otto now finds himself in the most vulnerable position he has ever been in, and it will take all his wit and determination to escape.
