House of the Dragon is already shocking, and season 2 is not even over yet. But anyone who has read Fire & Blood shouldn't actually be surprised—every single twist and turn of this show has already been plotted out by the brilliant/nerdy mind of George R.R. Martin.
Meaning...we know who wins the original game of thrones, otherwise known as the Dance of the Dragons. (Otherwise-otherwise known as the battle for the Iron Throne between Rhaenyra Targaryen and her half brother Aegon II Targaryen.) And if you simply can't wait to find out what happens, here's what we know about whomst wins. Goes without saying but....
Aegon II Technically (But Barely) Wins
Neither Rhaenyra nor Aegon II exactly end up victorious, but Aegon has the edge due to straight-up killing his sister.
It's a whole long thing, but basically Rhaenyra flees King's Landing for Dragonstone, only to find her little bro waiting...with his pissed off dragon, Sunfyre, who promptly eats her in "six bites." Oh, and Rhaenyra's only remaining child, Prince Aegon the Younger, witnesses it. Here's how the moment goes down in Fire & Blood:
“Sunfyre, it is said, did not seem at first to take any interest in the offering, until Broome pricked the queen’s breast with his dagger. The smell of blood roused the dragon, who sniffed at Her Grace, then bathed her in a blast of flame, so suddenly that Ser Alfred’s cloak caught fire as he leapt away. Rhaenyra Targaryen had time to raise her head toward the sky and shriek out one last curse upon her half-brother before Sunfyre’s jaws closed round her, tearing off her arm and shoulder.”
While King Aegon II technically "wins" this particular bout of sibling rivalry, he ends up with two broken legs from a dragon fall and lives "the rest of his life in great pain." He isn't even able to sit on the Iron Throne because of his injuries and instead holds court on a wooden seat at its base. On top of that, rebellions and plots dominate King Aegon II's brief reign and he ends up being poisoned "at the behest of Larys Strong" just two years into ruling, dying at age 24. It's kinda like the characters were saying earlier this season. What even is victory if everyone dies in the process? That's war, I suppose!
Surprise! Prince Aegon Becomes King
Prince Aegon (who's been lurking around as a prisoner) levels up to King Aegon III after his uncle's poisoning, and—in a surprising twist—he marries Princess Jaehaera (aka King Aegon II's daughter) "thereby uniting the two rival branches of House Targaryen and ending two years of treachery and carnage." Buuuut Queen Jaehaera kills herself and/or is murdered, so King Aegon III remarries Lady Daenaera of the House Velaryon.
Other than that, Aegon III's reign is apparently pretty unmemorable. He dies of consumption after 26 years on the throne and is succeeded by his son, King Daeron I Targaryen.
Obviously, this is a LOT of information to process. And considering we haven't even gotten to Rhaenyra's death yet on House of the Dragon, it doesn't seem likely we'll reach King Aegon III's reign until well into season 3 or maybe even 4! On that note....
