What Is Helaena Talking About With Aemond in ‘House of the Dragon’?

Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2 finale.

The Big Picture

• House of the Dragon
  ‘s Season 2 finale confirms that Helaena has visions of the future.
• Helaena predicts Aemond’s death and Aegon’s victory, tying Aemond to the Gods Eye and Aegon to a wooden throne.
• Helaena’s newest prophecy hints at major events from
  Fire & Blood
  that might happen in future seasons, but
  House of the Dragon
  has taken creative liberties before.

For the majority of its two-season run, House of the Dragon didn’t dive that deeply into Helaena Targaryen’s (Phia Saban) visions. Her cryptic phrases always come to pass: she predicts her brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) losing his eye in Season 1, and the dramatic way Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) and her dragon Meleys interrupt the coronation of Helaena’s brother-husband, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney). Yet Helaena’s statements, much like the queen herself, have flown under the radar. They’ve been an obfuscated puzzle for viewers to solve or theorize over, and for Helaena’s family to keep dismissing as odd ramblings. Season 2 immediately increases the blatancy and severity of Helaena’s prophecies: namely, the brutal murder of her young son Jaehaerys in Episode 1.

Six episodes later, the sophomore season bookends Helaena’s fearful declaration about “the rats” — one of King’s Landing’s ratcatchers helps kill her firstborn — with her calmly delivering another deadly prophecy. For the first time, she doesn’t speak in riddles. Helaena spells out both Aegon and Aemond’s fates to the latter’s face, and, in so doing, might have predicted how the entire Dance of the Dragons conflict resolves. But the details Helaena invokes could be puzzling for viewers unfamiliar with Fire & Blood, the George R. R. Martin tome that inspired House of the Dragon. Wooden thrones and the Gods Eye — just what is Helaena talking about?

What Does Helaena Tell Aemond in the ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Finale?

Without stating how or why, House of the Dragon Season 2 proves that Helaena has precognitive abilities. (Her book counterpart lacks these gifts, but Fire & Blood does explore how certain Targaryens, called “dragon dreamers ,” possess prophetic foresight.) Helaena knows that Aemond attacked Aegon during the Battle of Rook’s Rest, and plainly says as much when Aemond once again implores her to ride her dragon, Dreamfyre, into battle with him. Helaena refuses him for the second time. She isn’t interested in killing innocents, and even if she did share Aemond’s violent habits, she’s seen the future — and it’s unchangeable.

The siblings’ exchange culminates with Helaena proclaiming, “Aegon will be king again. He’s yet to see victory. He sits on a wooden throne, and you — you’ll be dead. You were swallowed up by the Gods Eye, and you were never seen again.” Aemond, shaken by her words, threatens his sister’s life, but an unfazed Helaena asserts that nothing Aemond does can prevent his destiny.

What Does Helaena’s ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Prophecy Mean?

Even though Helaena’s words are her most unambiguous prophecy to date, parsing out their meaning requires context. The easiest answer surrounds the Gods Eye, the thing Helaena claims will “swallow” Aemond. The Gods Eye is a body of water in the Riverlands and the largest lake in the Seven Kingdoms. Harrenhal’s castle was built along its northern shoreline, so viewers have already caught glimpses of the Gods Eye during Daemon Targaryen’s (Matt Smith) troubled stay. Our best look occurs directly after Helaena and Aemond’s confrontation, in case Helaena’s ominous declaration needs more dramatic weight. As Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and Syrax, accompanied by Addam (Clinton Liberty) and Seasmoke, fly toward Harrenhal to confront Daemon, they soar above the vast expanse of the Gods Eye.

If House of the Dragon follows Fire & Blood, then the Gods Eye houses two upcoming battles with major consequences for the Dance of the Dragons. Westerosi historians remember the Battle by the Lakeshore as a devastating land conflict between the armies sworn to Rhaenyra and those flying Aegon’s banner. The Battle Above the Gods Eye unfolds not long after, and it takes place precisely where it sounds: in the skies above the named lake.

It’s trickier to explain how Aegon winds up “sit[ting] a wooden throne” without entering heavy spoiler territory for Fire & Blood, and, presumably, House of the Dragon‘s third or fourth seasons. For now, Season 2 ends with Aegon, disguised in a cloak and accompanied by Larys Strong (Matthew Needham), fleeing King’s Landing in a wagon. With Aemond ruling as prince regent in Aegon’s stead and Aegon newly on the run from his renegade brother, that wagon could be Aegon’s metaphorical throne; a king in exile is still a king. Considering Helaena’s bluntness about Aemond and the Gods Eye, however, she’s likely referencing an explicit detail from Fire & Blood concerning Aegon’s future. The wooden throne and Aemond’s connection to the Gods Eye are detailed below, but be warned: both contain major potential spoilers for House of the Dragon.

SPOILER ALERT! The section below contains major spoilers for the end of the Dance of the Dragons, according to the book Fire & Blood.

What Happens to Aemond and Aegon in the ‘Fire & Blood’ Novel?

Helaena describes Aemond being “swallowed up by the Gods Eye,” and that’s precisely what happens in Fire & Blood. Daemon, trying to prevent the increasingly erratic and bloodthirsty prince regent from burning the Riverlands to ash, challenges Aemond to their inevitable and long-awaited duel. Aemond accepts, and the two clash on dragonback high above the Gods Eye. Unfortunately for Aemond, this moment of peak hubris becomes the younger Targaryen’s undoing. Daemon gains the upper hand and plunges his sword through Aemond’s sapphire eye, presumably killing him instantly.

If a Valyrian steel blade through Aemond’s skull somehow doesn’t do the trick, then the death of both their dragons — Vhagar and Caraxes, respectively — seals the deal. Both men plunge into the Gods Eye from a great height. Daemon’s body is lost in the water, while Aemond and Vhagar’s corpses are discovered sometime later. House of the Dragon‘s team has taken creative liberties with its source material, but Helaena doesn’t leave Aemond’s survival with any wiggle room. “You’ll be dead” is an unequivocal statement, and even if someone locates their corpses, “never seen again” can easily translate into “never seen alive again.”

As for Aegon’s wooden throne, Helaena’s prophecy cites Aegon as “yet to see victory.” In Fire & Blood, Aegon escapes King’s Landing before Rhaenyra claims the city. When a revolt drives her back to the safety of Dragonstone, it’s no haven; Aegon had infiltrated Dragonstone and staged a successful coup while she sat on the Iron Throne. After Aegon defeats Rhaenyra, he retakes King’s Landing. However, he can’t ascend the steps to the Iron Throne due to wounds both old and new. Instead, he rules from a more comfortable wooden throne constructed specifically for his needs and placed on the floor near the steps.

House Targaryen Can’t Escape Their Tragic Fate

Helaena might not outline Aegon’s victory and Aemond’s death beat-for-beat, but she isn’t concealing her visions in their usual metaphors. Nor has Helaena ever demonstrated such clear-eyed, resolute assurance; she holds the upper hand for once, even against an increasingly volatile Aemond. Given her earlier appearance in Daemon’s Weirwood tree-induced vision, it seems Helaena has gained a greater understanding of her abilities, and perhaps drawn strength from them. But if Helaena has accepted that everyone’s fates are sealed, including her own, that attitude could herald a more personal tragedy. Sadly, when it comes to the Dance of the Dragons and the Targaryen dynasty, Ramsey Bolton’s (Iwan Rheon) infamous quote applies: if you think this has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention.

House of the Dragon Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Max.

Watch on Max