House of The Dragon season 1 was a massive success for HBO, and after years of waiting for a Game of Thrones prequel, the fans’ wishes about getting more prequels might be coming true. After a blockbusting opening with the premiere episode, House of The Dragon showed much promise, as George R. R. Martin predicted. Dark, powerful, visceral, disturbing, and stunning to look at, just as the author said. Along with the immersive storyline, gore, majestic dragons, and emotional churning, there was an important revelation at the end of the premiere that surprised a great number of viewers.
Talking to his daughter, Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock), in front of Balerion’s skull, King Viserys (Paddy Considine) shared an ancient Targaryen secret while showing off the hilt of a familiar dagger. He said this about the prophecy, which he described as “Aegon Targaryen’s dream”:
“Aegon foresaw the end of the world of men. It’s to begin with a terrible winter, gusting out of the distant North. Aegon saw absolute darkness riding on those winds, and whatever dwells within will destroy the world of the living. When this great winter comes, Rhaenyra, all of Westeros must stand against it. And if the world of men is to survive, a Targaryen must be seated on the Iron Throne. A King or Queen, strong enough to unite the realm against the cold and the dark. Aegon called his dream ‘The Song of Ice and Fire.’”
This quote binds the Targaryen bloodline to a future event in Westeros, that comes to pass in the final season of Game of Thrones. However, have you ever wondered, if Aegon II is allowed to rule, won’t he still fulfill the prophecy? The new king also has Targaryen blood in his veins and is also a dragonrider. Do you think if Rhaenyra had simply passed on the secret to Aegon II, and accepted him as the true heir, would the situation in Westeros and the fight against the impending doom have been different?
In a recent interview with Deadline, showrunner Ryan Condal explains if that scenario would have been even possible, “It’s not as easy and clear cut as that. I think what Rhaenyra is struggling with is this idea that her father has entrusted this charge with her, and that she is the named heir, and the other side has seized the throne. She’s been told that Viserys changed his mind on his death bed but I don’t think Rhaenyra believes any of that for a minute, because he backed her.”
“We saw him in episode eight climb the throne in that beautiful scene and essentially back her claim. So she’s dealing with the fact that she is the named heir and also that she thinks she is uniquely qualified to be somebody who keeps the realm at peace and to unite everybody. She does not think that Aegon is the guy to carry on the charge, nor does she believed that Viserys ever entrusted the secret with him. So she’s wrestling with the idea that she’s been asked to keep the realm of peace, but also she’s the rightful heir. That’s the thing that she’s really struggling with over the course of episode 10, when all the men around the table just want to charge off for war.”
In Martin’s books, the Targaryens had the ability to foresee the future, though only in bits and pieces. Also, Viserys hinting Rhaenyra about the importance of the Catspaw dagger, might have been a foreshadowing of Arya using the weapon to kill the Night King in Game of Thrones. Since it is clear that these foreshadowings are not so clear in terms of really predicting the future, do you think the fight against the White Walkers would have been any different if Aegon II had the support of Rhaenyra?
What do you think of Aegon’s dream? Tell us in the comments below!
Read next: Viserys hinted at Aegon’s Prophecy to Daemon in a deleted scene from House of the Dragon
