Fan Predictions for the ‘House of the Dragon’ Finale!

Season one of House of the Dragon has had plenty of tense Targaryen family moments, building up toward civil war. With just about every scheme in place on the Green side, it falls into Rhaenyra’s lap for the finale, “The Black Queen.” As the episode trailer shows a peak of the expected thrills, here are some of the fan predictions people are eager to see play out!

**SPOILERS FOR FIRE & BLOOD AHEAD**

There’s one episode left of HBO’s House of the Dragon season one. It’s the last we’ll see of the characters fans have grown to quickly love (or, love to hate) for a while. After the penultimate episode’s focus on the Greens’ side of things following King Viserys’ death, the finale “The Black Queen” will shift toward the Blacks and how they will handle the news of Aegon’s coronation as king. The Dance of the Dragons awaits, and there are sure to be tense filled moments in the tenth episode that kicks off the war into high gear. With the Fire and Blood novel serving as a basic timeline of events for source material, as well as the trailer for the upcoming episode, people are already coming up with ideas of what they expect to see. Let’s take a look at fan predictions for the show’s first finale!

The Battle of Storm’s End

Described by fans as more of a murder than an actual level fight, the Battle over Storm’s End is really what sets Rhaenyra off for the civil war. The season has shown a build up of tons of other things that add up for each side’s reasons for the upcoming fight for the throne, like the obvious usurping of Aegon or the tense relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent. If the events go the way they do in the book, Aemond takes his dragon Vhagar — the biggest to currently exist in Westeros — to Storm’s End, his opposition is Rhaenyra’s second son Lucerys and his dragon Arrax, both younger and smaller than the enemy. The outcome of the war’s first fight (ultimately an act of revenge that is a long time coming on Aemond’s part) brings the tragic loss of Luke. Fans familiar with the book’s events have pointed out that Luke was never intending to fight and got the ultimate surprise attack while both sons were at Storm’s End trying to gain Baratheon support for their respective sides. An intense dragon fight fit with a raging thunderstorm, get ready to have the first casualty of the war next week and prepare your mournings.

Enter New Dragon, Vermithor

The season first started with a flashback to King Jaehaerys Targaryen choosing Viserys to succeed him. Now ending the season is a callback to him, only this time it’s his old dragon Vermithor, nicknamed the Bronze Fury. The episode trailer shows a sneak peek of Daemon finding him in a darkened cave, presumably on Dragonstone where many of the unclaimed dragons reside. Vermithor is the second biggest dragon after Vhagar and having him on the Blacks side can be a big gain. Dragonriders can bond with one dragon at a time, and since Daemon already has Caraxes, fans are pondering what he could be taming Vermithor for. Some are believing he’ll just take the dragon for himself, while others say Daemon is singing to him (seen in the trailer) to advance the possibility of another rider claiming him to add to the Blacks’ strength. Out of many voices online, some are hoping he’s taming the dragon for one of his children to claim. During the war, the books eventually have Vermithor ridden by Hugh Hammer, a dragonseed (a term used to describe bastards of Houses Targaryen and Velayron). As his name isn’t directly stated in previews, some are suspecting it’s another wild dragon named The Cannibal. If it’s two things fans go wild for about this show, it’s Daemon and dragons, so viewers are already sharing eager reactions to their few seconds of fame from the preview clip.

Blood & Cheese

Blood and Cheese, another event from the book, happens as a revenge plot set in motion by Daemon after Luke is killed. The basic premise: “An eye for an eye, a son for a son.” He reaches out to his ex-lover Mysaria (AKA the White Worm) who has connections across King’s Landing and can uncover any secret happenings. From there, two mercenaries — one, a former City Watch officer thrown out for violence, the other a rat catcher familiar with the Red Keep’s secret passageways, respectively nicknamed Blood and Cheese — are hired to capture Alicent, Helaena, and her children, then kill one of the kids. The assassination plot happens right after the Storm’s End fight, both events going hand in hand. This crucial plot point is sure to be seen in one way or another, but debates are happening online about whether it’ll be in the finale or used as season two’s premiere. The “battle” and hired hitmen can be a lot to cram into the final 60-minute episode, which is bound to have Rhaenyra and her supporters setting things in motion to fight for her rightful claim. Fans who have read the books know what’s coming, the question is when and how extreme the show’s version of events will be compared to the novel’s. This would officially put each faction on an equal footing for the eventful warfare that follows. Depending on what is chosen as the final scene of episode 10, Blood and Cheese could be a montage-esque scene like Laenor’s “death” in episode seven, or if it ends with the reveal of Luke’s death, the event can be the premiere opener of next season. Since they’re rapid in succession, it’s a toss-up, but fans have been name-dropping this event all season long. Maybe the epic closer of the season will be Daemon saying “An eye for an eye, a son for a son.”

Daemon & Rhaenyra’s Baby

The last time we saw Rhaenyra after the last six year time jump, she was pregnant with her and Daemon’s third baby, unclear how far along she is. When news about her dad’s death reaches her in the novel, she’s furious, causing her to go into early labor. The result is the death of her stillborn daughter, Visenya, which Rhaenyra blames on her enemies. The series seems on track to follow suit, as the stress of Aegon’s coronation and announcement of Viserys’ death is sure to take a toll on Rhaenyra (and Daemon). Whether Visenya’s stillbirth comes before or after Luke’s death, it’s sure to be a devastating chain reaction of events next week for Rhaenyra’s family. Fans are speculating the Visenya scene will come first, as much of the fandom has come to their own conclusion that the season will end with finding out Luke is dead. There have been behind-the-scenes photos gradually released as the season has progressed, with one showing Daemon on his knees in the water at the beach, which hasn’t happened yet. Some are saying his breakdown moment will be in the finale and will show him during or after Visenya’s funeral. It’s sure to be a heartbreaking scene for the audience and characters alike, as Rhaenyra and Daemon were consistently shown placing their hands on her pregnant belly during episode eight.

The Targaryen Prophecy

Daemon was in line to be Viserys’ heir for years before he officially announced the title be passed onto Rhaenyra. The Song of Fire and Ice prophecy, passed down from Aegon the Conqueror, has been mentioned numerous times throughout the season, showing that it’s very important. It’s about the Prince that was Promised (something that’s revisited in Game of Thrones) and how they will be born from the Targaryen bloodline to unite forces of the realm against the White Walkers and the Long Night. When Viserys mumbled “Aegon” on his deathbed, referring to this, Alicent mistook it to refer to his son, Aegon II, to claim the throne — a bad case of telephone and a jumbled mishap of constantly reusing Targaryen names. Fans are saying the aforementioned beach breakdown of Daemon may not only come from hearing of his brother and daughter’s deaths, but also from Rhaenyra telling him about the prophecy for the first time after being married for at least six years. In line with his character, he may end up feeling betrayed and become full of angst with everyone around him, even Rhaenyra. This could be the first glimpse into the strains of their relationship, and if this happened, fans wonder how this will affect them going forward. They think there could be problems that arise among the couple during the episode, but they will ultimately be brought back together and reconcile with the death of Luke. Either way, the realization of Viserys hiding the truth from him and just not knowing about the Targaryen legacy is sure to be an emotional moment for Daemon. This can be where Daemon says the line “Dreams didn’t make us kings — dragons did” in the show’s official teaser trailer.

What are you most excited to see come to fruition for House of the Dragon’s first finale? Tweet us @AfterBuzzTV!