House of the Dragonhas already made several changes to the source material - for better and worse - and that’s going to continue in season 3. TheGame of Thronesprequel adapts George R.R. Martin’sFire & Bloodbut, since it is an in-universe history book with multiple sources, the HBO series has to invent a lot of new details and expand characters and storylines. That’s led to some greater depth, but also proved divisive too, with evenMartin himself criticizingHouse of the Dragon’s changes.
These included things likeBlood and Cheese killing Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen, cutting the third child of King Aegon II Targaryen and Queen Helaena Targaryen, and adding a sexual relationship between Alicent Hightower and Criston Cole. These are, of course, part and parcel of any adaptation, andHouse of the Dragonseason 3will continue some of these changes and likely make new ones. That won’t all be bad but, with some huge moments and deaths on the way, there’ll be a knock-on effect of one change that hurts part of the story even more.
House Of The Dragon Has Broken Helaena & Dreamfyre’s Bond
Helaena Targaryen Does Not Ride In House Of The Dragon
WithHelaena Targaryen having been given dragon dreams(and perhaps even greater powers, given she appeared in Daemon Targaryen’s vision), she represents one ofHouse of the Dragon’s more successful changes. In some ways,she’s more complicated, more tragic, and more interestingto watch because of that addition. But that itself comes at a cost, and it’s been the bond she has with her dragon, Dreamfyre.
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House of the Dragon season 2’s finale brings with it some major reveals and moments, and sets up even bigger things to come in season 3.
In the book, Helaena loves to fly, regularly taking trips on the back of her dragon. That doesn’t mean she’s a warrior or fights in theDance of the Dragons, but she absolutely has a close relationship with Dreamfyre. In contrast,she’s never been seen riding the dragon even once inHouse of the Dragon, and the season 2 finale had Alicent outright say that Helaena"does not ride.“This may have been done to streamline things and avoid more costly CGI when it wasn’t deemed necessary, but causes a few problems.
Dreamfyre’s Response To Helaena’s Death Will Be Worse Now
Removing the relationship betweenHelaena and Dreamfyreis a shame, and not just because bonds between dragons and their riders are vital to House Targaryen and a rich part of this world. In fact, with Helaena being turned into a dreamer, this could’ve actually enhanced that story: dragons amplify magic in Westeros, and so her having some kind of prophetic abilities, while being shown to be extremely close to her dragon (literally called Dreamfyre, no less), would’ve added to it.
House of the Dragonseason 3 is expected to release on HBO and Max sometime in 2026.
Looking ahead toHouse of the Dragonseason 3, though, and the impact becomes even greater. Unfortunately,this will likely be the season where Helaena takes her own life, which is the culmination of her mental and emotional state following on from Jaehaerys' death and many more devastating events that follow (including, in the book, the death of her other son, Maelor). That itself may be worse precisely because it removed Maelor, and Martin already warned about Helaena’s death and problems he had with it. Specifically looking at Dreamfyre, though, is a very impactful moment from the book that comes after Helaena’s death:
“At the moment of her death, across the city atop the Hill of Rhaenys, her dragon,Dreamfyre, rose suddenly with a roar that shook the Dragonpit, snapping two of the chains that bound her.”
Obviously, the impact on Helaena’s death is more important to the narrative, but I think this is a great moment and a crucial one forHouse of the Dragonto get right. Dragons are complex, intelligent, and emotional creatures, and we so rarely get to see that side of them.
It could help make up for some of the shortcomings in the story with Helaena already, but that won’t work if there’s no established connection.
When the series depicts Syrax experiencing Rhaenyra’s agony and grief, it’s incredibly powerful. Including this scene with Dreamfyre could and should be something similar because it highlights that these bonds are much stronger than we normally see or comprehend. It could help make up for some of the shortcomings in the story with Helaena already, but that won’t work if there’s no established connection, andthe moment risks being redundant (and even confusing to general audiences), if it actually happens at all.
Deamfyre’s Own Death May Not Have As Much Impact
The Moment Won’t Carry Much Meaning In House Of The Dragon
With Helaena’s death at risk of being divisive (to say the least), then Dreamfyre’s own demise is something that becomes much harder to pull off. In the book,Dreamfyre dies during the Storming of the Dragonpit, the culmination of unrest that sees the smallfolk attack the dragons within. It should be an epic scene, and the way it’s written has Dreamfyre in a key role that’s both brutal for her and brutal upon her, as she attacks countless smallfolk but is herself ravaged too, before eventually being killed.
How Every Main Character In House Of The Dragon Dies In The Books
Fire & Blood explores the rise and fall of the Targaryen. Here is how every main House of the Dragon character dies according to Westerosi history.
House of the Dragoncan still make that a very impressive action sequence, no doubt, but will it hold the same weight? That’s another area where the consequences of its changes could very well be felt and, again, it’s disappointing precisely because it could’ve been easily avoided, and because it’s not something we get to see as often with dragons. They’re a huge part of this show, and we should care about them like characters in their own right, but the deviations with Helaena and Dreamfyre have robbed them of that.
