House of the Dragon Season 2: What We (Maybe) Will See in the Second Season
There is no doubt: the death of King Viserys has opened the doors to a conflict that will occupy the entire narrative of House of the Dragon, for at least the entire second season, expected for summer 2024 exclusively on Max. Having died due to the worsening of leprosy from which he was ill, the kingdom of King’s Landing is left, after his disappearance, in total disarray. On the one hand, his descendant Rhaenyra, his daughter in his first marriage, was born from Aemma Arryn, while on the other hand here is Aegon II Targaryen, born from his second marriage to Alicent Hightower.
Precisely from this dichotomy, we start again, where we left off because the new queen (Olivia Cooke) has decided to place her son Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) on the Iron Throne, usurping Rhaenyra, who as Viserys’ eldest daughter should have sat as queen on the throne. The two factions, thus, find themselves starting a bloody civil war in Westeros. This fight, known as the Dance of the Dragons, is only just beginning because now it will be up to the second season of House of the Dragon to tell us everything that will happen. The article will contain some spoilers (as well as assumptions) on the events that could be told in House of the Dragon Season 2, so we advise you to continue reading only if you are willing to discover some elements belonging to the events told in Fire & Blood by George RR Martin. With one certainty: the series is made up of 8 episodes, 2 less than the first season.
House of the Dragon Season 2? Tradition Versus Innovation?
Seeing Rhaenyra ascend the throne would have meant an epochal turning point: never before had a female queen appeared in the Seven Kingdoms; something that on the one hand would have satisfied all her supporters, eager for a change in making history, on the other hand, it would have created quite a few problems for those who, traditionalists, could not embrace such a change. The laws on the succession of the Andals, at this point, come to the aid of Aegon II, where a younger brother would have had precedence over a daughter: to win over the law, however, the oath of Viserys was in force, whose will, however, had not been appreciated by the followers of Aegon II. This dichotomy gave rise to two factions: the Blacks, who defend the cause of Princess Rhaenyra with their headquarters at Dragonstone, and the Greens, who in return support Aegon II from the Red Keep.
The battle, according to the novel, lasted exactly two years, during which numerous battles, huge losses, and events took place which, from our canton, we will not spoil too much. We don’t know, at the current state of things, how far the second season of House of the Dragon will go and whether it will be able to cover both years of the conflict. There is no doubt that we will start from the beginning of the entire story, namely the Dance on Harrenhal, an aerial duel involving the most powerful Targaryen dragons, namely Vhagar and Caraxes. This is one of the first major crossroads in the story, which further increases the pathos of the civil war: the narrative brings us an intense story, and we expect that HBO will be able to replicate with the magnificence it has always featured Game of Thrones first and now, House of the Dragon. On the other hand, we will have to see two dragons dancing in the sky, in a heart-pounding fight.
Winterfell and Cregan Stark
Another aspect of great importance is entrusted to the first great journey to Winterfell, the home of the Starks. The last episode of the first season left us with the death of Luke at the hands of Vhagar and Aemond Targaryen: the second son of Rhaenrya and Laenor Velaryon had been destroyed by the advent of his half-brother, who in one fell swoop had eliminated from also family Arrax, the dragon of Lucerys. Although the dragon’s head was found three days later, no remains of Luke’s body could be recovered. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra’s firstborn, Jacaerys, is sent to Winterfell to meet Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor): lord of Winterfell, Protector of the North, and head of House Stark, he is the son of Rickon Stark and will play a central role in the war civil – if we remain faithful to the novel -, introducing us to the story that will lead us to Jon Snow, many years later.
The Pain of Mothers?
Let’s now examine other elements of the House of the Dragon Season 2 trailer, so that we can continue to weave our web of assumptions about what will happen in a few months. The first shot takes us right to Storm’s End, where the tragedy occurred for the Targaryen family, fresh from the news of Lucerys’ death. That the first episode focuses on Rhaenyra’s attempt to find her son’s body could be a first clue, while Otto Hightower – who returned to Oldtown after being relieved of his duties as Hand of the King – states that in the following hours, Mistakes were made when Viserys died. Above all, Luke’s death at the hands of Aemond. Among the main suspects who are called to answer for what happened – apart from the prince himself – is Borros Baratheon, leader of Storm’s End and recipient of Lucerys’ visit. The Lord had explicitly rejected Luke’s visit, as well as his mother Rhaenyra’s proposal, preferring Aemond’s offer for an alliance that passed through a marriage agreement. Indirectly, his rejection caused Lucerys’ death in the eyes of a mother who solemnly reflects on the loss of one of her children.
Blood and Cheese
We now also come to another fundamental aspect that should take hold in the second season of House of the Dragon: the presence of Blood and Cheese. It is one of the most longed-for storylines by Fire & Blood readers, as well as by fans of the Westeros universe, and as a title it refers to two henchmen who are hired by Daemon Targaryen to kill one of Helaena Targaryen’s sons as revenge for Lucerys. Aegon’s sister-wife, became the mother of three children, giving rise to one of the proverbial incests that are part of family tradition: it is no coincidence that one of the twins, Jaehaerys, was born with six fingers on the left hand and six on each foot. In the trailer, Helaena, who is the most meek and serene of her lineage, finds herself being threatened with a knife to her throat by Cheese and then returns dressed in black, almost certainly to the funeral of one of her children. Helaena came from a very shadowy first season, with very little screen time; now her figure could become more central, precisely to find herself having to answer for the same suffering that Rhaenyra will soon feel.
Cheese – whose real name is never revealed – was a rat catcher of the Red Fortress, gifted with great knowledge of all the castle’s tunnels: used to chasing all the rats to kill him, he learned to be quick and ruthless, like a real killer. Together with Blood, he is hired by Mysaria, chief of Daemon’s spies, to go and fulfill the destiny of revenge for the Targaryen family. Blood, in turn, is a butcher, known by this name for being grim and aggressive, a brutal swordsman, and – it is hinted in Martin’s book – also a rapist. Member of the City Guard, he is expelled from the Golden Hoods for his fury towards a prostitute: both he and Cheese find themselves living in Flea Bottom before being called for a mission of great importance in the Tower of the First Knight.
The Presence of Baela Targaryen
Along with this hubbub of events, there is also another character who could gain more space and visibility, namely Baela Targaryen, one of Daemon and Laena’s daughters, who remained in the shadows in the first season. In her trailer, we see her angrily riding her dragon Moondancer, confirming herself as one of the fiercest and bravest warriors of Rhaenyra’s ranks alongside her faithful firebreather. His figure will become central in the fight against Aegon II and although the first images do not help us to perfectly understand where the battle takes place within the war, it leaves us clear that that great closeness to his father’s fighting spirit will be confirmed even in this situation. In short, the Dance of the Dragons is upon us.
