House of the Dragon Season 2 Predictions!

Are you also mourning House of the Dragon season one (and the loss of *THAT* character)? With plenty of time to kill until the presumed 2024 release of next season, there’s much discussion to be had about the characters, the story, and how the show may continue to diverge or expand upon its source material. Here are some early predictions for season two!

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

House of the Dragon has just wrapped up its successful first season this week, yet there’s already lingerings of impatience from fans eager to see the story continue. Season two won’t begin filming until early 2023, which makes a release date for next year seem unlikely — though still not out of the question. So while production news is currently at a standstill, fans have plenty of time to discuss the direction the sophomore season will be headed towards. Among a few confirmations the show’s creators have already made, here are some predictions for the story’s future!

Daeron Targaryen

Show fans who aren’t familiar with the books may not even know Alicent and Viserys had a fourth child, their youngest son Daeron Targaryen. Any mention or sighting of the character has been eliminated from the first season, making it seem as though he won’t find a place in the TV version of events. However, the author of the Game of Thrones universe, books, and executive producer on both shows, George R.R. Martin made a blog post confirming he exists. About the same age as Rhaenyra’s eldest Jacaerys, Daeron has been squiring in Oldtown, his family seat of House Hightower. Nicknamed “Daeron the Daring,” he’s described to be a good kid, the gentlest of his brothers, and loyal to his family — called the Team Green version of Jon Snow if you will. In Dance of the Dragons, he takes part in a few notable battles and has some pretty big moments, eventually becoming one of the biggest threats to Rhaenyra’s rule. He’s also a dragonrider for the she-dragon Tessarion, which fans are excited to see be depicted. Book readers note that he’s one of the most heroic, courageous figures of the war, so he’s sure to be someone to watch out for once he finally is introduced.

Blood & Cheese

This event was in our finale predictions but didn’t make the cut in season one. Now, the “An eye for an eye, a son for a son” revenge plot is sure to air next season. The story would make for a great premiere episode, whether it be a cold opener or its last moments, it would be setting the precedent for the upcoming episodes. A quick rundown of what happens: in retribution for Aemond’s murder of Lucerys, Daemon contacts old flame Mysaria to setup a hitman execution of one of Aegon II and Helaena’s children, the assassins nicknamed Blood and Cheese. Fan theories have swirled all season long that Helaena’s kids are actually Aemond’s, with inklings of the two having a closer relationship than with older brother Aegon. If this turns out to be the case and revealed somehow when the murder happens, this would give a whole new meaning to the “A son for a son” saying. And now that Daemon has seemingly gone full evil and is on the brink of starting a fight, a few speculate that maybe he’ll do the deed himself. It’ll be a moment showing his character has been this “bad boy” type all along, even to his own family. Time will only tell, but fans can’t wait to see how this exactly plays out on screen, already gearing themselves for a similar heartbreak to the loss of Luke.

A Return to Winterfell

The finale saw Rhaenyra send her two eldest sons to negotiate with allies. While Luke met his untimely demise at Storm’s End, the seat of House Baratheon, Jace was sent to the North to barter with two other familiar names, House Arryn and House Stark. Surely saving that negotiation for the beginning of season two, the return of the Starks, and getting to see Winterfell on screen again will definitely be hyped up for marketing. Die-hard fans of the predecessor Game of Thrones will get to see a whole new era to the setting, fit with new characters that will forge their own memorable reputations in the House of the Dragon narrative. Cregan Stark is an important name to make note of, as he upholds his oath to Team Black after hitting it off with Jace and swearing a brotherhood pact. In one account of the book (from the perspective of Mushroom), it mentions the existence of Cregan’s bastard half-sister, Sara Snow, and rumors of Jace falling in love with her during his trip North. Initially, Cregan is mad that they sleep together, but calms down when Sara claims the pair had secretly wed. Another point of view the book is told in is from Archmaester Gyldayn, who questions Sara’s existence and Jace breaking his betrothal vow to Baela Targaryen. Whatever scenario the show goes along with in its telling of Winterfell, they certainly have leeway to play around with the source material. Fans are curious to see how Jace’s adventure to the North plays out, with some already fuming at the idea of him cheating on Baela.

Alys Rivers

People are already starting to fancast for the role of Alys Rivers, a bastard of House Strong whose origins are a mystery and who is said to have witch-like abilities, seeing visions in flames — gaining the nickname Witch Queen later on. Another note of hers’ worth mentioning is that she’s Aemond’s frequent bedmate who claims to be pregnant with his child, and after his death, she says she is his widow. Some have noted her similarities to Game of Thrones’ red priestess Melisandre, even considering her actress Carice van Houten to play Alys. The character is said to look younger than her age, but is still fairly older than Aemond — we’re talking in the essence of a MILF-like portrayal here. However, since the show has been making characters different ages than their book counterparts (for example, aging down Alicent), some are wondering if they’ll even go down this route, instead thinking they’ll have someone closer in age to Aemond (and by extension, his actor Ewan Mitchell). The introduction of Alys can perhaps show a more vulnerable side to Aemond, given the way the show has presented the death of Luke as ultimately an accident and that they love to have morally gray characters. It’s a question of when she’ll make her appearance — especially if the show goes with the rumored affair with Helaena — but Aemond fangirls are interested and jealous of Alys’ making her character debut at the same time.

The Dragonseeds & Nettles

Episode 10 showed Daemon singing a High Valyrian lullaby to try to tame a new dragon, presumably Vermithor. Nothing particularly came out of this scene yet, but with war preparations underway, it’s safe to say he’s gearing up to get more dragons on Team Black. This can be important for future seasons when they introduce the concept of dragonseeds — a term used for Targaryen and Velaryon bastards. Seeing this come about early, season two particularly is crucial to help set up new dragonriders for Rhaenyra’s efforts in the coming war. One very significant dragonseed is teenage Nettles, who was able to tame the wild dragon Sheepstealer on her own merits. Devoted to Rhaenyra’s cause, she becomes very close with Daemon while fighting during the Dance. With the trajectory of his unpredictable character seeming like he’ll be made into a bad guy, fans are wondering which book rumor of his and Nettles will come true. One says she looks to him like a father figure she never had, while another (once again from Mushroom’s perspective) claims the two became lovers. Either way, the rift that already started permeating between Rhaenyra and Daemon is bound to grow bigger with Nettles at play. It could contribute to Rhaenyra’s paranoia and rage as the war goes on, which has already been building up. Fans have pointed out it will parallel the relationship Daemon had with younger Rhaenyra, one that makes him look like a groomer. No matter if Nettles ends up in season two or later on, she’s a pretty big part of Daemon’s story, so it’ll be interesting to see how things will shake out, especially after the season-long build-up of Rhaenyra and Daemon’s relationship.

What are you hoping for House of the Dragon season 2?