The realm is at war if the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale is (hopefully) anything to go by. Said finale finds both sides preparing for action, with certain factions marching off to fight on land and the others sailing toward the blockade in the Gullet.
With so much of the Dance of the Dragons remaining and only two seasons left of the show, the hope is that Season 3 will be wall-to-wall action. While we wait impatiently for the next chapter, I’ve compiled a list of my 12 predictions for House of the Dragon Season 3.
The night is dark and full of spoilers for Season 2 and Fire & Blood, so proceed at your peril.
The Battle of the Gullet
It’s finally happening, y’all. Brace yourselves for the Battle of the Gullet, which is easily one of my most anticipated battles in the Dance. The Season 2 finale, “The Queen Who Ever Was,” teases the Gullet, with each team preparing to face off. We see Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint) and Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim) on the water, boarding The Queen Who Never Was to sail toward the Gullet with the Velaryon fleet. Meanwhile, Tyland (Jefferson Hall) and Sharako Lohar (Abigail Thorn) are en route to the Gullet with the Triarchy forces.
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Elsewhere, Addam (Clinton Liberty), Hugh (Kieran Bew) and Ulf (Tom Bennett) don their armor, getting ready to mount their respective dragons. All signs point toward the Gullet, friends. I can envision this happening in the first or second episode of the season.
Additionally, the Gay Abandon, the vessel carrying Aegon the Younger and Viserys to Pentos, gets caught in the crossfire. While Viserys vanishes, Aegon the Younger mounts Stormcloud and returns to Dragonstone, where the poor dragon dies from his wounds. I can’t see this part happening as it does in the book. Stormcloud is much too small to carry a child.
Now, the Gullet is one of the bloodiest sea battles in Westerosi history. It culminates in the death of Jace (Harry Collett) and his dragon, Vermax, along with the sacking of Driftmark. According to Fire & Blood, it’s also the first and last time the Triarchy participates in the war.
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Rhaenyra Will Seize King’s Landing
In the book, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) seizes King’s Landing shortly after the Battle of the Gullet (although Season 3 could have these events happen concurrently). The Season 2 finale sees Alicent (Olivia Cooke) give Rhaenyra the idea to take the Iron Throne while Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) flies to Harrenhal. Fire & Blood tells us that Rhaenyra ruled the realm for only six months.
Like her father, the Iron Throne cuts Rhaenyra, portending a calamitous tenure as interpreted by the smallfolk. We’re already seeing her potential descent into madness with her development of a savior complex. Jace’s death will send her over the edge, along with having to rule Westeros with limited resources and angry smallfolk.
Alyn and Addam Will Be Legitimized
Rhaenyra will legitimize Alyn and Addam as official Velaryons following the Battle of the Gullet. Addam will prove himself a talented dragonrider, while Alyn will demonstrate his battle prowess on the water. This will spur Corlys to petition Rhaenyra to legitimize his bastard sons. However, instead of naming Addam his heir first, I believe Corlys will give that honor to Alyn right out of the gate.
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The Battle at the Red Fork
In the final moments of “The Queen Who Ever Was,” the Winter Wolves march across the Twins while the Lannister/Lefford forces make their way to Harrenhal. This indicates the Battle at the Red Fork is nigh. I can see this transpiring simultaneously with the Battle of the Honeywine. We probably won’t get too in-depth with the battle specifics like we will for the Gullet, which is an all-hands-on-deck kind of fight.
Jason Lannister (Hall) becomes a notable casualty, and his widow attempts to protect Lannisport from the Greyjoys in the aftermath.
The Battle of the Honeywine
The Battle of the Honeywine might take place at the same time as Red Fork, as I mentioned above. However, we might also get more focus on the former because of Daeron Targaryen. He makes his grand entrance during this battle and contributes significantly to a decisive victory for Team Green. His bravery in battle earns him the moniker “Daeron the Daring.”
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Remember when we saw Otto (Rhys Ifans) imprisoned in the Season 2 finale? My guess is that House Beesbury took him captive as revenge for the murder of Lord Lyman Beesbury (Bill Patterson) at the hands of Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel).
Honeywine is a river situated near Honeyholt, the seat of House Beesbury. We heard about Beesbury declaring for Rhaenyra and their quest for vengeance in Season 2. It makes sense that they’ve captured Otto while the latter was en route to Oldtown. This leaves an opening for Daeron to save Grampy Hightower.
In the book, Team Green takes Alan Beesbury captive, Lyman’s grandson and heir.
Aemond Will Seize Harrenhal
Aemond will seize Harrenhal after his uncle Daemon (Matt Smith) departs for King’s Landing. There, he’ll put all the Strongs to the sword, including (sob) Ser Simon (Simon Russell Beale). However, in Fire & Blood, Aemond spares Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) and takes her to bed as his paramour. I believe Season 3 will honor the book narrative regarding Aemond’s Harrenhal arc. Once he learns who Alys is, I can picture Aemond enlisting her aid to thwart his inevitable demise as dreamt by Helaena (Phia Saban).
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Rhaenyra Will Turn on Alicent
Rhaenyra will turn on Alicent when she arrives at King’s Landing and discovers that Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) is gone. She’ll accuse Alicent of lying to her to give her son a chance to flee. Then, Rhaenyra will take Alicent, Helaena and Jaehaera captive. Any former pangs of friendship will vanish (finally). I also feel this will mark a pivot for both characters — they’ll stop suing for peace and start adopting more ruthless tactics.
We’ll Meet New Characters Besides Daeron
Daeron won’t be the only new character we’ll meet in House of the Dragon Season 3. We’ll also meet Dalton Greyjoy, aka the Red Kraken, who was mentioned in Season 2. Johanna Lannister, Jason’s widow, will also come into the fold — if only temporarily — to see her bar the gates of Casterly Rock as the Red Kraken sacks Lannisport. I hope we see her don chainmail and lead House Lannister as they send the ironborn scattering from the western shores.
Another character we could meet is Unwin Peake, who declares for Team Green during the Dance of the Dragons. He plays a vital role in the war to come and its aftermath. Lastly, I could picture us meeting Roderick Dustin, aka Roddy the Ruin, who leads the Winter Wolves and supports Rhaenyra’s claim.
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Sunfyre Is Alive
Yes, we’ll learn in Season 3 — perhaps in the finale — that Sunfyre, everyone’s favorite golden retriever in dragon form, is alive. He’s simply been chilling in Rook’s Rest since Vhagar severely burned him at Aemond’s behest. In Fire & Blood, Criston stations guards near Sunfyre to watch over him. After the dragon finishes feasting on the corpses littering Rook’s Rest, Criston ensures Sunfyre gets a hearty diet of calves and mutton.
Now, whether Aegon discovers his dragon is alive is another story. After all, Aegon and Larys (Matthew Needham) are en route to Essos in the Season 2 finale. Aegon might not find this out until he returns to Westeros.
Aegon and Larys Will Plan Their Return While in Essos
Don’t call it a comeback…
It’s no secret that Aegon gets the short end of the stick in Season 2. He becomes king, loses his son, thinks his dragon is dead, is almost murdered by his brother (and permanently altered because of it) and his mother sacrifices him in a deal with his enemy (his half-sister). Thus, it makes sense he finds kinship with Larys Strong.
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I can envision them planning Aegon’s comeback while in Essos. Perhaps the pair will plant the seeds for Aegon’s inevitable takeover of Dragonstone. Maybe he’ll have his “Eat, Pray, Love” on the other side of the Narrow Sea, too. Like mother, like son.
Butcher’s Ball Will Take Place in the Penultimate Episode
Sorry, Criston Cole. Your demise might occur in the penultimate episode of Season 3. I predict the Butcher’s Ball will take place toward the end of the season, which will see Criston trying to surrender to Team Black’s Roddy the Ruin, Ser Pate of Longleaf and Ser Garibald Grey. He prepares to battle all three before Red Robb Rivers and two longbowmen strike him down with arrows. The Butcher’s Ball commences after this, wherein Team Black annihilates Team Green’s bare-bones forces. Naturally, it’s a grisly victory for TB.
Now, Battle by the Lakeshore, aka the Fishfeed, happens before Butcher’s Ball. I’ve omitted it from this list because there’s a good chance it transpires off-screen, like Battle of the Burning Mill.
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First Battle of Tumbleton Will Be in the Season Finale
The First Battle of Tumbleton will close out Season 3 (with the second one in Season 4). This is pivotal for Team Black because Hugh Hammer and Ulf White switch sides, forever branding them as “the Two Betrayers.” It culminates in a sweeping triumph for Team Green.
Season 3 can methodically build on Hugh and Ulf’s impending turn. The Season 2 finale plants the side-switching seeds for Ulf in the form of his conflict with Jace. As for Hugh, he seems honorable now, but something tells me there’s a reason his wife has mentioned Tumbleton. Perhaps Kat (Ellora Torchia) will perish during the First Tumbleton, sending Hugh into a rage and pushing him to become a turn cloak.
This betrayal will pour salt in Rhaenyra’s wound as she struggles to retain her power in King’s Landing and mourns the loss of Jace.
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What are your predictions for House of the Dragon Season 3? Sound off in the comments below.
House of the Dragon Seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Max. Season 3 will go into production in early 2025, with a premiere slated for sometime in 2026.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
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