House of the Dragon Season two has already seen more than its fair share of intense character deaths. But sometimes the threat of death is worse than an actual ending. In a show like House of the Dragonthere are moments when characters literally see their fate before them, but cannot escape their end. We have already experienced some horrific visions that have become reality. In House of the Dragon Season two, episode three, gave fans a chilling prophecy about the death of one of the show’s main characters. But who is receiving this whisper of doom, and what exactly does it mean? Here’s a spoiler-lite version of what to expect.
House of the Dragon Season 2 foretells the death of Daemon Targaryen
HBO
After Daemon’s rash and miscalculated attempts to kill Aemond Targaryen end in the death of Prince Jaehaerys, he and Rhaenyra exchange heated words. On the heels of their battle, Daemon angrily flies to Harrenhal, on a mission to recruit the Riverlands to the Black cause. Though he comes in Rhaenyra’s name, Dameon’s ambitions and bids for his own power remain very much in play.
While there, Daemon falls into a haunting dream that shows the return of the young Rhaenyra and features the dead Prince Jaehaerys. House of the Dragon dream can be seen as a manifestation of his guilt over the unnecessary deaths his actions caused, but it also feels deeply like a prophetic vision of sorts. When he wakes up, he finds himself standing next to Harrenhal’s weirwood tree. It’s a scene from a gothic horror. When a weirwood tree and its carved faces are nearby, Game of Thrones Fans know that supernatural experiences are close at hand. After all, the trees are sacred to those who follow the old gods, and always bring a sense of the uncanny.
Of course, it doesn’t help that there’s a mysterious new House of the Dragon The character appears out of the rain, looks Daemon straight in the eye, and predicts his death.
Who Told Daemon, “You’ll Die Here?” – Meet Alys Rivers
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But who exactly is it that gives Daemon this prophecy of death? House of the Dragon? Why, it’s Alys Rivers who told Daemon ominously, “You’re going to die here.” That sentiment of course begs the sequel to, Who Is Alys Rivers? Episode Three of House of the Dragon Season two gives her an ominous introduction and not much else. But Alys Rivers is a complicated character with an important role. We barely meet Alys in this episode, so we don’t want to give too much away, but here’s what we can share.
Alys Rivers’ last name tells us that she is a bastard born in the Riverlands. And in a broad sense, Alys Rivers could be considered a witch. She is a healer with, as we see, prophetic gifts. Rivers’ actress Gayle Rankin shared a bit more about Alys, noting, “On House of the DragonWe have dragons, of course, but she’s the first gateway into that world of magic… I’ve always been fascinated and drawn to female characters who are tossed around by society and culture. I really tried to make her my own personally and ground her in reality, because you can stereotype someone who’s a healer or a wizard or a witch or any of the above.”
HBO
Rankin adds: “This person can predict the future, basically… She’s someone with all this power, who’s been alive for 400 years, maybe. How do we make her a person with a beating heart and wants and desires?” Rankin hints that in addition to telling Daemon about his death, Alys Rivers will force him to look at his past and all of his demons. “She’s going to have a lot of power for the men in this story, especially Daemon, which I think is a really interesting slow burn… What’s interesting is what does Alys want from Daemon and vice versa?… What do they learn from each other? There’s clearly a matchup going on here.” Here’s hoping Daemon learns more than just that he’s destined to die. But we’ll have to wait and see.
Will Daemon surely die on House of the Dragon?
HBO
So now the big question. Just because Aly Rivers told Daemon he was going to die, that death is set in stone on House of the Dragon? House of the Dragon is of course based on George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones book, Fire & Blood. And so, those interested in a possible immediate answer can now read directly into the story of Daemon’s fate. That said, Fire & Blood is a history, an account of sources that were not present at the time. The fates of other characters, such as Laenor Velaryon, are altered from their previous canonical state.
That said, Alys Rivers and Daemon were standing next to a weirwood tree when Alys intoned that Daemon would die. It is believed that some can see through the eyes of a weirwood to see the past and future and that one cannot lie in the presence of the tree. Prophecies are funny things, of course. Even death can have many meanings in prophetic language.
While we should be concerned about Daemon’s death in House of the Dragon right now, the truth is that no character is ever truly safe. A prophecy of doom certainly doesn’t help, but it doesn’t mean he’ll fall over immediately either. And you never know, Daemon could die a normal death in “this place”… sure.
