Through two episodes of House of the Dragon Season 3, the landscape of Westeros has shifted quite a bit. Rhaenyra has lost an heir and a major stronghold, while Alicent just saw her former friend kill her father. Both the Blacks and Greens have taken major losses in the Targaryen civil war, and there is plenty more damage to be done before the fighting comes to an end.
Following last week’s successful coup in the capital, what is going to happen next on House of the Dragon? Let’s dive into a few predictions ahead of Episode 3.
House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 3 Predictions
Drama in Queen’s Landing
Just as King Viserys intended all along, Rhaenyra is sitting on the Iron Throne. Daemon got the City Watch to rally to her cause, securing King’s Landing in her name. Right after she executed Otto Hightower and Jasper Wylde for treason, though, an unexpected visitor arrived in the throne room. Rhaenyra’s men caught Alicent and Helaena before they were able to flee the city, which Alicent had bargained for with Rhaenyra from the end of Season 2. Alicent didn’t explicitly arrange for Rhaenyra to spare her father in those negotiations – only her daughter – but she probably isn’t too psyched to see the aftermath of Otto’s grizzly death.
With a pack of dragons patrolling the city, Rhaenyra should be able to hold onto King’s Landing as a stronghold for the Blacks. There is tension building with the dragon seeds, however, to the point that Ulf might considering switching colors. Alicent, who is always chock full of schemes and plots, is around to whisper in his ear, not to mention how likely she is to guilt-trip Rhaenyra and throw her off course. For the time being, there probably won’t be a ton of literal action in the capital. There will always be political dealings and secret pacts, though, so keep an eye out for someone on team Black to emerge as a turncloak.
New leadership at Harrenhal
The whole reason Rhaenyra and Daemon were able to take King’s Landing so easily was because Vhagar was gone. Aemond and his massive dragon left to storm Harrenhal in the Riverlands, burning their way through the castle before the prince regent killed Ser Simon Strong and his grandsons. Amid the scuffle, Aemond got a knife to the back, leaving him to bleed out and beg Alys Rivers for help. Such a major antagonist surely won’t die without any fanfare, so the witch will almost certainly nurse him back to health.
Earlier in the episode, Daemon laughed off Alys’ proposal for Rhaenyra to grant her Harrenhal. She also threatened him not to return, despite the fact that she committed some shady deeds in Season 2 to help him rally the Riverlands in Rhaenyra’s name. Now that Aemond is in charge, Alys is a prime candidate to switch sides. She is mysterious and manipulative, ready to work whoever is closest to her in order to get what she wants. Alys already toyed with Daemon in Season 2, and now she has another Oedipal prince at her disposal. Now it’s just a matter of how far she goes, as well as how severely Aemond gives himself over to the trap and what he gets out of the relationship.
The King’s Road
Aegon and Larys Strong weren’t captives for very long, thanks to the Triarchy remnants taking out Rhaenyra’s men who detained them. The pair of noblemen are now heading off to Rook’s Rest, where Daemon killed Aegon’s dragon and burned him to a crisp. Aegon chose that destination over Larys’ preferred option of Duskendale because he believes there will be men loyal to him there. He also never got to say goodbye to his dragon, Sunfyre, after his battle with Aemond’s Vhagar and Rhaenys’ Meleys. While Sunfyre has been presumed dead in the intervening weeks, perhaps Aegon can revive the beast and make a surprise play for the crown once again.
House of the Dragon FAQ
Where can I watch House of the Dragon?
House of the Dragon airs every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) on HBO, but it will be available to stream on HBO Max simultaneously.
How many episodes of House of the Dragon will there be this season?
There will be eight total episodes for Season 3 of House of the Dragon.
What is House of the Dragon based on?
House of the Dragon is based on George R. R. Martin’s 2018 book, Fire & Blood, which details the Dance of the Dragons, the brutal Targaryen civil war.
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