6 Biggest Events House Of The Dragon Season 4 Must Include To Follow A Book-Accurate Ending

Warning! This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 3, Fire & Blood, and, likely, House of the Dragon season 4.

House of the Dragon season 4 will conclude the HBO show, and several events need to take place to make its ending similar to that of Fire & Blood. House of the Dragon season 3’s book changes were numerous, with the show continuing to take liberties with the admittedly unreliable narration of the source material. For instance, the ending of House of the Dragon season 3 featured Rhaenyra sharing Aegon the Conqueror’s dream of ice and fire with the people of King’s Landing, something that did not happen in Fire & Blood.

Going into House of the Dragon season 4, many are wondering how similar or different it will be from George R. R. Martin’s original book. For the most part, despite some huge changes to individual character arcs or the overall timeline, House of the Dragon‘s main plot points align with those from Fire & Blood. Season 4 will likely continue this while still exploring some different outcomes based on previous changes. With that in mind, here are six big events from Fire & Blood that need to be in House of the Dragon season 4 to ensure the latter’s conclusion follows the former’s.

6

The Storming Of The Dragonpit

One of the biggest events that changes the tide of the Dance of the Dragons in both Fire & Blood and House of the Dragon season 3 is the death of Helaena Targaryen. Helaena takes her own life in both iterations of the story, and, in the book, this leads to the Storming of the Dragonpit, which must be included in House of the Dragon season 4. After a period of war and the hunger, strife, bloodshed, fear, and poverty that come with it, the beloved Helaena’s death becomes the breaking point for the people of King’s Landing.

This culminates in a smallfolk revolt against Rhaenyra, converging on the Dragonpit. The crazed citizens kill the dragons present, including Tyraxes, Joffrey’s dragon, Dreamfyre, who was rendered riderless after Helaena’s death, and Syrax, Rhaenyra’s dragon. In the chaos, Joffrey himself dies after falling from Syrax’s back. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra flees King’s Landing for Dragonstone, where she is captured by Aegon II, who recently seized the castle with Sunfyre. Be it the deaths of several dragons and Rhaenyra’s heir or the capture of her at Aegon’s hands, the Storming of the Dragonpit is integral to the overarching Dance of the Dragons.

Naturally, House of the Dragon season 4 must include these events lest it deviate too drastically from Fire & Blood. Of course, some elements may be changed along the way, but the Storming of the Dragonpit, the death of Joffrey and the dragons, and Rhaenyra’s escape must be part of House of the Dragon season 4’s early story. Given that season 3 ended with Aegon and Aemond at Harrenhal, season 4 will also likely include the former’s taking of Dragonstone.

5

The Battle Above The Gods Eye

Another turning point in the conclusion of the Dance of the Dragons was the Battle Above the Gods Eye. House of the Dragon has been building towards this for two seasons now, by teasing the showdown between Aemond atop Vhagar and Daemon aboard Caraxes. Towards the end of the conflict in Fire & Blood, the two riders and their beasts face each other in the skies above the Gods Eye, a notable lake in Westeros situated south of Harrenhal. According to the book, all four combatants die, but Daemon’s fate is more ambiguous.

The conflicting sources presented in Fire & Blood claim that Vhagar’s corpse, with Aemond’s armored skeleton skewered by Dark Sister, Daemon’s sword, still attached, was found years later. Conversely, Daemon’s corpse was never recovered. Caraxes, meanwhile, crawled from the lake after the battle and died near Harrenhal. Due to the death of two major combatants on both sides of the Dance, both of their dragons, including the feared Vhagar, the implications this has, the setup by House of the Dragon, and the sheer spectacle it promises, the Battle Above the Gods Eye must be part of House of the Dragon‘s ending.

4

The Second Battle Of Tumbleton

Image via HBO

Interestingly, the Battle of Tumbleton shown in House of the Dragon season 3’s finale was somewhat of an amalgamation of the two battles that take place in the town in Fire & Blood. During the first battle, Ulf White and Hugh Hammer turn against Rhaenyra and torch the town, leading to victory for the Green forces. House of the Dragon depicted Ulf’s betrayal, while taking a slightly different route for Hugh. In the Second Battle of Tumbleton, Addam Velaryon aboard Seasmoke and a Black army from the Riverlands try to retake the town from the previously victorious Greens.

In the sense that House of the Dragon season 3 showed Ulf burning Tumbleton and the Blacks subsequently trying to take the town back from the entrenched Greens, the show mashed together elements from both of Fire & Blood‘s battles. Still, some big aspects were missing, which means another Tumbleton clash will need to take place in House of the Dragon season 4 in order to follow the book properly.

The Second Battle of Tumbleton results in the deaths of Ulf the White, Hugh the Hammer, Daeron Targaryen, and Addam Velaryon, as well as the dragons Vermithor, Tessarion, and Seasmoke, while Silverwing is rendered riderless and wild. Much like the Battle Above the Gods Eye, the Second Battle of Tumbleton removes several key players and their dragons from both sides of the Dance of the Dragons from the board, changing the future of the war. House of the Dragon has yet to show these events and, after the focus it has placed on them since season 2, will have to do so in season 4.

3

The Fates Of Rhaenyra & Aegon

Image via HBO

After the Storming of the Dragonpit and Rhaenyra’s flight from King’s Landing, the Dance of the Dragons comes to a figurative head. Captured by Aegon, Rhaenyra dies an unceremonious death when Aegon II mercilessly feeds her to Sunfyre, as her son, Aegon the Younger, watches. Aegon II subsequently takes King’s Landing with little to no resistance thanks to the aid of the Baratheons. This leads to the Battle of the Kingsroad between the Baratheons and some of Rhaenyra’s lingering supporters, the Rivermen, which the latter force wins, leaving King’s Landing all but defenseless.

Aegon II is pushed to surrender given the combined strength of the Rivermen and Aegon the Younger’s other supporters, among them a host of Northmen, led by Cregan Stark. After refusing to surrender, Aegon II is found poisoned, though Fire & Blood fails to outline who committed this act of treason. Naturally, given that both figureheads of the Dance of the Dragons die, House of the Dragon season 4 has to include these events. The deaths of Rhaenyra and Aegon will be front and center, with the events surrounding them likely taking a back seat.

For instance, the Battle of the Kingsroad will likely take place off-screen, as no major characters from the conflict are part of House of the Dragon‘s central cast. The show is, instead, likely to focus on Aegon’s struggles to maintain his victory over Rhaenyra, resulting in his death, while providing more of an answer as to who poisoned him. Similarly, the show will surely place a bigger spotlight on Aegon the Younger than the likes of Borros Baratheon, Kermit Tully, Benjicott Blackwood, or Alysanne Blackwood from Fire & Blood, setting up his importance going forward.

2

The Hour Of The Wolf

A decision Aegon the Younger makes after Aegon II’s death is to appoint the vengeful Cregan Stark as Hand of the King. Cregan, demanding justice and revenge against the Greens who turned against Rhaenyra, sets out to punish them. However, Corlys Velaryon orchestrates peace between the remaining houses, leaving Cregan unsatisfied due to his expectation of war. As Hand of the King, Cregan vents his anger in other ways by arresting 21 men on suspicion of poisoning Aegon II. Of these men, 19 join the Night’s Watch, while the other two, Larys Strong among them, are beheaded by Cregan.

After dishing out his justice, Cregan resigns as Hand of the King and returns to the North. The Northmen have been involved in House of the Dragon season 3, with Cregan appearing early in season 2. As a result, the actions of Cregan must surely be included in House of the Dragon season 4. Not only does he secure King’s Landing for Aegon the Younger, but his executions and trials rid the political landscape of several potential schemers, impacting the youthful king’s reign.

1

The Regency Of Aegon III

HBO Max

The Hour of the Wolf leads into Aegon the Younger’s ascension as Aegon III Targaryen, solidified by his marriage to Jaehaera Targaryen, Aegon II’s daughter. As the two heirs of the feuding rulers of the Dance of the Dragons, this marriage somewhat unites the realm, ending the civil war. What follows is Aegon III’s attempts to restore order to Westeros, the death of the last dragon, and the lineage of Targaryen kings that leads to Aerys II, the Mad King, and the onset of both the A Song of Ice and Fire books and Game of Thrones​​​​​​.

Of course, it goes without saying that all of this should be included in House of the Dragon season 4. Aegon III’s ascension ends the Dance of the Dragons and leads into the next century and a half of Westerosi rule. Presumably, all of this will be the focus of the final episode of House of the Dragon, likely with a montage of sorts bridging the gap between it and Game of Thrones. After all, House of the Dragon has placed a heavy focus on the Song of Ice and Fire that Game of Thrones details, making these events essential viewing in the former’s final season.

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Network

HBO

Directors

Clare Kilner, Geeta Patel

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  Fabien Frankel

  Ser Criston Cole