It feels like only yesterday that House of the Dragon finally returned to our screens, and here we are now eight weeks later, and the show has wrapped up yet another dragon-fueled season of swords, treachery, and violence. HBO previously confirmed that the adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood would run for four seasons, with plans already in place for the next batch of episodes to arrive in 2028. Though we’re all still reeling from that last episode, all the deaths that occurred, and the status of the survivors, it’s worth noting that the series clearly just set up its own endgame.
Book readers may have a clear idea of what lies ahead as major events from Martin’s tome haven’t appeared on screen, but it’s worth noting that the series gave fans only watching the show a clear roadmap of what comes next too. As violent as the Battle of the Gullet, last week’s dragon fight, and this week’s Battle of Tumbleton were to see, some of House of the Dragon‘s most devastating fights and deaths are still ahead of it. That in mind, five major plot threads just got put on a tee for Season 4, but we’ll likely have to wait two years to see them on screen. Spoilers follow for House of the Dragon Season 3 and Fire & Blood.
A major thread that has been brewing in House of the Dragon Season 3 is Aemond Targaryean’s belief that the death of his brother makes him the rightful heir to the throne, delusions fueled by his paramour Alys Rivers. The arrival of Aegon and his dragon at Harrenhal not only forces Aemond to realize the truth of his ambitions, but to make it clear that the two brothers are stronger together and have a better potential future if they bury the hatchet.
Even without Vhagar at Aemond’s side, the one scene with Aegon in the Season 3 finale is clearly setting up these two characters for their next story in the final season. For Aegon, it’s about attempting to reclaim what he believes is his birthright and to finally defeat Rhaenyra. Having appeared to have conquered death, taken on a mythic status in Westeros, and making it clear to his kin that he’s the rightful King, Aegon will clearly be on the warpath.
For Aemond, there’s a major fight clearly being set up for Season 4. Book readers know “Battle Above the Gods Eye” well, as it was a long-brewing fight between Daemon and Aegon. What remains to be seen, though, is how the series will arrive at this moment. Aemond’s allegiance to Alys will no doubt play a part in him either staying at Harrenhal or defending it from his uncle; what is unclear is how he will reunite with Vhagar, though that’s a clear part of Aegon’s plan.
One of the most surprising moments in the House of the Dragon Season 3 finale is the dismisal of Mysaria from Rhaenyra’s court. Considering their moment at the close of last week’s episode that got rather…intimate, one would think that she might be eager to keep her around, but the pep talk that Rhaenyra gets from Daemon seems to serve as fuel to who she really wants by her side in the coming days.
Though promised a hefty chest of gold and an escort out of King’s Landing, Mysaria takes matters into her own hands and abandons the cart and riches as the smallfolk begin to crowd over it. It’s unclear if perhaps Rhaenyra was counting on them overwhelming her wagon and taking her off the board, but the queen wasn’t counting on Mysaria sticking around King’s Landing, especially long enough to personally witness her claims of legitimacy in front of the entire town (followed by killing the High Septon).
The pages of Fire & Blood reveal a grim fate for Mysaria, as the source material has her perish while taking part in the walk of atonement (something Game of Thrones fans will remember from Cersei Lannister). It’s unclear if this will be shown in House of the Dragon, but her staying in King’s Landing could very well be set up for that story beat in the next season.
The battle at Tumbleton may have claimed a few lives, including the devious Lord Ormund Hightower, but in the end Daemon Targaryen and the blacks are forced to retreat and leave the city behind (more on this next).
As a result of the blacks leaving Tumbleton. there are a few distinct plot threads created that the next season of House of the Dragon will have the opportunity to explore. The first is that Lord Corlys, now a prisoner of Daemon, will return to King’s Landing, where he will almost certainly have to confront Rhaenyra alongside his two sons, Alyn and Addam.
The second is how Daemon will react to retreating from the battle alive. It’s clear as he storms the city that the fully armored Daemon is looking to find a fight that could end his life; he’s not reacting as a man eager to keep going; he seems like a man who has come to the end of his rope. It stands in stark contrast to how he felt at the start of the season as a man going through the motions and winning battles without thought. Having told his wife to take a stand with a show of force, he realizes how unfulfilling that really is.
The third is, as book readers know well, that there will absolutely be a return to Tumbleton. The Second Battle of Tumbleton occurs under cover of night and, naturally, brings dragons into the fold, meaning that another major fight in this location is absolutely on the horizon for House of the Dragon Season 4.
As noted, Tumbleton doesn’t go the way that Daemon is expecting, and part of that has everything to do with two of the dragonseeds present, Hugh Hammer and Ulf White. Last week’s episode set the stage for a betrayal that book readers were waiting on with the reveal that Ormond Hightower had seemingly convinced Ulf to join the greens after promising him what Rhaenyra never would: A title and land.
What made this moment so funny in the Season 3 finale, though, is that both sides at Tumbleton were convinced that Ulf was still working for them. In fact, each army is spending a sizeable amount of time looking for Ulf, as they intend for his dragon to be a major part of either seizing the town or repelling the enemy. After Ormond finally locates Ulf, who has passed out drunk in an outhouse with his pants around his ankles, he gets the exact thing that made him turn. Ormond embarrasses him and chides him in public the same way Daemon did previously, making it clear that neither side respects him and only wants him for his dragon.
This revelation sends Ulf to his dragon, Silverwing, whom he mounts and uses to attack both armies. The result of this, along with Hugh Hammer abdicating his post at King’s Landing to come to Tumbleton and try to save his wife, will no doubt set the stage for these two dragonseeds being seen as the “Two Betrayers” in the fourth season of House of the Dragon, positioning them as a third faction in the larger conflict between the greens and blacks.
News that Aegon has been “resurrected” has left Rhaenyra, in a word, shook. As a result, she’s scrambling to try and further legitimize her own claim for the Iron Throne and to make it clear that she’s the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. She does this by taking a deadly path, revealing The Song of Ice and Fire to the public while also killing the High Septon when he refuses to crown her publicly. Though the former appears to be a big deal, the latter will almost certainly have the smallfolk turn on her.
The brewing resentment among the citizens of King’s Landing and Rhaenyra has been well documented all season, and the death of both the High Septon and even the suicide of Helaena will almost certainly drive the populace to turn on her. Book readers know that not only does Helaena’s death spawn a riot in the town, but that riot grows to become a major event in the text, the Storming of the Dragon Pit.
Fans of House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones are pretty attached to seeing the dragons realized on the show, meaning that this story beat that’s clearly being set up for Season 4 is poised to be one of the show’s most devastating. In the pages of Martin’s book, this is a violent coup resulting in the death of not only key characters but several dragons. Since we may be two years out from the final season of House of the Dragon, fans should start preparing themselves now.
