EntertainmentTVFantasy ShowsHouse of the DragonDaemon has a huge Game of Thrones moment in the House of the Dragon season 2 finale - here’s what it meansWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentTVFantasy ShowsHouse of the DragonDaemon has a huge Game of Thrones moment in the House of the Dragon season 2 finale - here’s what it meansWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: HBO)
So, it looks like Daemon Targaryen’s long holiday at Harrenhal did have meaning to it after all. In a showing twist in theHouse of the Dragon season 2finale, the King consort finally saw a Game of Thrones-related vision that made him realize what path he must take.
Warning, major spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2 episode 8 follow, so make sure you are all caught up before reading on.
Throughout pretty much the whole of season 2, Daemon has been absent from his wife and soon-to-be Queen Rhaenyra’s side and instead at Harrenhal chasing ghosts and causing havoc with the townspeople. But aside from making alliances and building an army, which, spoiler alert, he does manage to do, Daemon’s time at the spooky derelict castle also opened his eyes to his past ways and what party he must play to save The Realm from complete destruction.
Daemon’s vision ends with Rhaenyra sitting on The Iron Throne and Helaena telling him, “It’s all a story, and you’re but one part in it, you know your part in it. You know what you must do.” Daemon takes his hand off of the tree, and then the scene cuts to Helaena standing on her balcony at Kings Landing.
What does it all mean?
(Image credit: HBO)
Well, the short yet packed vision is a treat for avid Game of Thrones fans as it includes many Easter eggs to the main show, includingthe tree holding a strong resemblance to author George R.R. Martin. Basically, Daemon’s vision is The Song of Ice, a prophecy that comes from King Aegon Targaryen’s dream where he saw that a dark and long winter was coming from The North to end mankind. The King saw that a Targaryen he called ‘The Prince that was Promised’ must be crowned to unite The Realm and save it from evil external forces. King Viserys believed this too and told the story to his daughter Rhaenyra after he named her heir.
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As the spin-off show House of the Dragon is set well over 100 years before the events of GOT, we have always known that the story must feed into the main series in some way, but this is the most solid link we have had yet. Now we have confirmation that the wheels were put in motion long before the events of GOT as the defeat of The Ice King was almost 300 years after Aegon’s dream.
What does the prophecy mean for House of the Dragon?
(Image credit: HBO)
Because House of the Dragon is set 172 years before the birth of Daenerys, Rhaenyra and co don’t have to worry about the White Walkers at this point, but the prophecy will still affect them in some way.
First, the fact that Daemon now believes in Aegon’s dream will benefit Rhaenyra massively. In the finale, when Rhaenyra lands at Harrenhaal she questions her husband’s loyalties, fearing that he may go against her. But after his vision, Daemon warns her in High Valyrian, “The world is not what we thought it was. The war is just the beginning. Winter is coming, with darkness and doom.” She tells him he sounds like her father, but he assures her that he saw it and although they cannot withstand it they still must try. He then bends the knee to her as he knows now from the vision, that she is the one who must rule.
With Daemon now firmly on her side, Rhaenyra now has a better chance at winning the upcoming war. But, it may not even matter who wins as Daemon saw said war in his vision, a bloody mess with dead men and dragons as far as the eye can see. If all of the dragons die, we wonder what will that mean for the dragon riders? For that, we will just have to wait until House of the Dragon season 3.
Alternatively, if you don’t mind book spoilers, check out our piece onThe Song of Ice and Fire explained.
House of the Dragon seasons 1 and 2 are now avaliable to stream onHBOMax in the US and Sky NOW in the UK. For more on the show, check out our deep dives on:
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