Ever since George R. R. Martin teased The Dance of Dragons in A Song of Ice and Fire, I knew this was a story that warranted its own series. A Targaryen civil war has been fought between King Viserys anointed heir Princess Rhaenyra and her half-brother Aegon (II). This entire backstory alone is enough to fill the entire show. Sure enough, it was announced Last year HBO’s first formal spinoff will focus on this era.
For a long time, we were only given a rudimentary idea about what actually happened however thanks to the Fire and Blood series and its Rogue Prince and The Princess and the Queen sections we’ve been given a much greater understanding as to how this conflict started.
Essentially this war is divided between two camps: “The Blacks” led by the King’s eldest daughter Rhaenyra along with her ambitious uncle/husband Daemon Targaryen, and “The Greens” after the dresses worn by Queen Alicent and managed by her powerful father, the Hand of the King Ser Otto Hightower. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sir Otto arranged for his daughter to seduce and marry King Viserys to boost his own power.
Compared to the original ASOIAF books that were written as conventional novel stories, the Fire and Blood novelettes were written to be an anthology focusing on the chronicles of the Targaryen dynasty. As such it reads more like a history book than a fictional novel. It often is written with conflicting accounts described by different historians from that universe – what I believe is that HOTD is going to expand on, are the elements that were mentioned or glanced over in the book and become major plot points later. Such elements include Rhaenyra’s heartbreaking betrayal of Sir Criston Cole, or how Prince Aamon lost his eye.
Want to read Fire and Blood instead of having us spoil it for you? Buy it from Audible through us!
If you want a quick(ish) and pretty version of the whole story, here’s the official Game of Thrones animated special from their Blu-Ray release. (spoilers, duh).
How Many Seasons?
I can see HOTD lasting four [4] seasons at most. Far too often a show’s quality drains after a second or third season, especially when there is little source material. Unlike Game of Thrones, however, there is a clear and established end goal written out – what matters most is how long it takes us to get there. It is unclear exactly how long the Dance of Dragons lasted chronologically, but my best guess is a period of 2-3 years. That’s a relatively narrow time frame for this series to go on. Because of this, four seasons should be the maximum to accommodate the events played out in the books.
Our Proposed Season Storyboards
From what information uncovered so far, they seem to be adapting the events of the Rogue Prince novel into the first season. This was when Prince Damon had been a key figure as head of the city watch in King’s Landing before resigning and sought exile as a mercenary upon the stepstones. This season would likely focus on his return to court once again while eying on his niece Princess Rhaenyra.
Based on the current cast lineup it appears to focus on 2 time periods with different actors playing younger versions of our characters. The period before focusing on the formation of the rivalry between young Rhaenyra and Alicent then in the main timeline where we see Emma D’Arcy’s and Olivia Cooke’s respective characters.
Hears a comprehensive list of events that will likely happen in each season. It’s a skeleton list so I may be off on some details.
Possible… no definitely SPOILERS for the entire “Dance of Dragons” story down below
Season 1
We open on Rhenera’s husband Laenor Velaryion’s “untimely” death – possibly as the season opener.
Then, the Rouge Prince returns from his second exile; proposing marriage to Rhaenyra after Laenor’s funeral
Flashback exposition some years ago…
And now we see the Great Tourney at King’s Landing where we see the young prince’s princess Rhaenyra and the new Queen Alicent where their distinctive black and green dresses. The Tourney would also serve the grand entrance of Prince Damon who returned from Exile on his dragon and appeared to make peace with King Viserys.
Rhaenyra falls out with her bodyguard/lover, Ser Criston Cole
Flash forward to the present day, Rhaenyra’s son Prince Lucarus stab Alecent’s son prince Amons eye in a fight, earning his dreaded name
Present-day Alecents scene here could be a reaction to what happened to Amon
Then, for a classic Game of Thrones-esque episode 9 ending, we showcase a 14-year-old Aamon’s Taming of Vhagar, the last of Aegon the Conqueror’s original 3 dragons.
S1 Finale
Then, we set the stage for the next seasons (and the real plotline) with the passing of King Viserys I
While Queen Alicent assembles her Green council…
..and Cole murders The of Lord Beasbury after objecting to Aegon’s succession
Aegon II is crowned revealing a new Gold Dragon Banner
Closing on Rhaenyra, strategizing with her Black Council with what to do next.
Season 2
One-Eyed Prince Aamon astride Vhagar attack Lucarus
Blood and Cheese
(this series’s red wedding)
Battle of Rooks rest a three-way dragon fight, and the mangling of King Aegon
Season 3
Prince Damon’s Recruiting the Dragonseeds
Ambush of Ser Criston Cole in the Riverlands
Twin kings guard brothers Arryk and Erryk fight to the death
Rhaenyra flies into King’s Landing to find bedridden Aegon disappeared. Formally Proclaiming herself queen,
Rhaenyra sits on the iron thrones bleeding at the hands
Season 4
Alicent is imprisoned and Helana falls on a pit of spikes
The Storming of the Dragon pit causes Rhaenyra to flee King’s Landing.
Dameon vs Aamon over God’s eye. In the book, this happened before the dragon pit incident but I believe this would be a better climax if it were switched around.
Feeding of Rhenera to Sunfire
Summing Up
It is uncertain if these events covered in each season are exact. It is, however, the most likely point that can be covered season-wise without dragging the story out. Keep in mind these are the bare bones of what I have covered based on the book. It’s likely more events come up that I am not aware of, but those are the key plot points that HOTD will cover.
It is also entirely possible that the events would happen very differently from what is described. My hope then is that this series is followed faithfully and only runs for as long as it needs to. This is an opportunity for, HBO and the new writers will learn from the mistakes made in Game of Throne’s final season.
