WARNING! Massive SPOILERS for House of the Dragon ahead.
Rhaenyra’s fate is one of the biggest questions for House of the Dragon, but those who were paying attention in Game of Thrones already know what will happen to her. The HBO prequel series is based on the book Fire & Blood, a companion book to George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice & Fire series. While the book has only been out since 2018, Martin has been alluding to key events from the Dance of the Dragons in his novels for decades, expanding on his world with frequent nuggets of history.
Game of Thrones followed this aspect of Martin’s books as much as possible, finding ways to mention snippets of the world’s history. The outcome of the Dance of the Dragons was among these snippets, spoiling one of the most significant moments in the TV prequel’s future seasons. House of the Dragon is currently planned to run for four seasons, meaning the Targaryen civil war’s climax is drawing closer. Given the many book changes, Rhaenyra’s fate may deviate slightly in the show, but the gist of it has already been frequently foreshadowed.
Joffrey Spoiled Rhaenyra’s Fate In Game Of Thrones Season 3
Joffrey Mentions Rhaenyra’s Death To Margaery
Joffrey Baratheon is rarely a source of information in Game of Thrones, but a scene in season 3 where he’s showing Margaery Tyrell around the Reed Keep has him provide some exposition for the Dance of the Dragons. It’s one of the few moments where he expresses genuine excitement about something that isn’t his own doing as he speaks about Aegon II murdering his sister, Rhaenyra. He’s thrilled by the idea that Aegon’s dragon eats Rhaenyra as her son, Aegon III, is forced to watch, giggling to himself as he explains it to Margaery.
Given the constant comparisons between Joffrey and Aegon, it’s no wonder the Targaryen monarch is one of his favorites in history. Of course, there’s so much more to the story of the Dance of the Dragons that will lead to this moment. House of the Dragon’s season 2 ending saw Aegon forced to flee King’s Landing as Rhaenyra primed her dragonriders to take the capital. Therefore, it may come as a shock that they’ll eventually find themselves with the power dynamic reversed again to see Aegon in control.
Game Of Thrones Also Referenced Rhaenyra In One Of Its Saddest Moments
Shireen Baratheon Tells Stannis About The Dance Of The Dragons
Joffrey mentioning Rhaenyra’s death is a massive spoiler for House of the Dragon, but there’s another spoiler-free scene where she’s mentioned again. In Game of Thrones season 5, episode 9, Stannis Baratheon decides to burn his daughter, Shireen, alive. Before he retrieves her to be executed, he visits her and asks her what she’s reading. She tells him about the Dance and the conflict between Aegon and Rhaenyra for the throne, and the two briefly discuss the history with parallels to his arc in the original show. Shireen also mentions “brothers fighting brothers,” referring to the Cargyll duel.
The duel between Arryk and Erryk Cargyll is one of the first elements of the Dance of the Dragons mentioned by George R.R. Martin in
A Game of Thrones
(1996)
Stannis asks Shireen who she would choose between Rhaenyra and Aegon, to which she responds by saying neither and that choosing sides is what led to bloodshed in the first place. With House of the Dragon in mind, it’s easy to see parallels between Stannis and Rhaenyra, as both of them had their rightful throne usurped. They didn’t have to fight a war to get it back, but the choice to remain by their principles led them to do so, and both characters ultimately suffered enormous losses before their time ended.
When Will Rhaenyra’s Death Happen In House Of The Dragon?
Rhaenyra’s Death Should Be Toward The End Of Season 4
If House of the Dragon is meant to run for four seasons, Rhaenyra dying sometime in season 4 seems the most likely. There are still so many events for House of the Dragon to get through before her fated return to Dragonstone. Specifically regarding Rhaenyra, she needs to capture King’s Landing, eventually be betrayed by Ulf and Hugh, lose Daemon, and suffer the loss of her dragon during the Storming of the Dragonpit. All of these are drastic, episode-defining events, and it will take at least an entire season to cover them.
Returning to Dragonstone, Rhaenyra finds that Alfred Broome has betrayed her and sold her out to Aegon II. The execution happens then, as Joffrey described in Game of Thrones. The biggest question mark, however, is that Aegon declared Sunfyre dead in the season 2 finale. With his dragon gone, Rhaenyra won’t be able to die in the way she does in the book. This could make sense if it’s just a historical inaccuracy, but it’s weird how much House of the Dragon has foreshadowed her death by dragonfire if they intend to change it.
