Fire & Blood readers will know that we are only just getting started. Don’t worry, the end of season 2, with armies and dragons gathering across Westeros, is no tease. Big things are coming, including Rhaenyra having to make some more difficult decisions, decisions that could align her too closely to Daenerys’ arc in GOT if the show isn’t careful.
Rhaenyra Will Be In A Dark Place In House Of The Dragon Season 3
At the end of season 2, Rhaenyra has the upper hand. She has three new dragon riders on her side, and possibly a fourth if Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) ends up claiming Sheepstealer, the rivermen and Starks are marching towards King’s Landing, and the Iron Throne is vacant after Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) flees.
The crown is hers for the taking, but as she tells Alicent (Olivia Cooke), the actions that have led to this moment now require bloodshed for her to not only ensure her rule, but the safety of her family. If Aegon II or any other pretenders live, her life and her children’s lives will always be in danger.
This will be a dark time for Rhaenyra. In the books, the deaths of those close to her drive Rhaenyra to behave even more erratically and vindictively. That same fire and insanity present in Daemon (Matt Smith) begins to appear in Rhaenyra’s actions, and threaten to break her rule, driving her further into fear and madness.
House Of The Dragon Is Hinting At Rhaenyra Being More Of A Warrior In Season 3
Some posters spotted at HBO Max’s Upfront in São Paulo allegedly showed Rhaenyra brandishing a sword, as if she were fighting someone, though the pictures have been taken down online. While Rhaenyra carrying a sword isn’t anything notable, her wielding one is a different story.
Rhaenyra is a lot of things, but one thing most people don’t accuse her of being is a warrior. Even on her dragon, Rhaenyra seems to prefer diplomacy to threats of violence. In fact, it’s one of the reasons her lords often dismiss her; they don’t think she’s capable of thinking like a battlefield commander.
It could be that House of the Dragon will push Rhaenyra into more of the warrior archetype, which isn’t the worst plan for her, considering how quickly her allies begin dying off. However, Condal will need to write this change carefully or risk making the same mistakes David Benioff and D.B. Weiss made with Daenerys Targaryen.
Rhaenyra’s “Evil Queen” Arc Must Be Handled Carefully To Avoid GOT’s Daenerys Problem
Game of Thrones fans will remember (even if they don’t want to) Daenerys’ “evil queen” arc and how poorly that was executed. There’s a distinct possibility that Rhaenyra will grow more, if not evil, at least more tyrannical, and Condal should look at Daenerys’ arc to avoid making the same mistakes.
In Game of Thrones, Daenerys’s evil turn wasn’t exactly out of nowhere, but there was not nearly enough buildup. At the beginning of the six-episode season 8, she was risking herself and her dragons, who she considers her children, by the way, to save Westeros and the people she had only just met.
She turns evil because people and dragons she loves die. That’s not really enough of an excuse in something like George R.R. Martin’s world, where beloved friends and family are dying left and right. Condal and House of the Dragon are going to need to do more if they’re going to make Rhaenyra break bad.
They’ve given themselves a good start, though. Rhaenyra truly seems to believe that it is best for Westeros and the future of its people that she rules. There are certainly elements of her wanting power, but the series has taken great strides to show she actually could be a great queen.
So if those around her begin to doubt or betray her, Rhaenyra could view that as tantamount to betraying Westeros. Her turn into something more dark and vicious in House of the Dragon could be Rhaenyra coming to view that as the only way to save her kingdom, which would offer more tragedy than what comes in GOT.
