House of the Dragon Season 2 could change a dragonrider storyline (and not in a good way)

There are always changes to the source material when books are adapted into TV shows. It wasn’t surprising that House of the Dragon changed a few things here and there.

The thing with Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin is that it’s not written as a traditional story. It’s more like a historical textbook, bringing accounts from different people who were alive during the time of the Targaryen civil war. Not all stories from the three match, and it leaves a lot open to interpretation.

However, there are some elements of the story that should remain consistent with the source material. One of those elements that wasn’t up for debate was who rode a certain sheep-stealing dragon.

Where is the casting for Nettles in House of the Dragon Season 2?

In Fire & Blood, the dragonriders are mostly highborn. That is except for one, Nettles. While the highborn men have been cast for House of the Dragon Season 2, there has been no announcement for Nettles. I had hoped that this was to keep the casting and the storyline a surprise or to bring her in at a later date.

Instead, it looks like the series has opted to take her storyline out completely. This is going to be disappointing if it happens. Nettles’s story is one of the most interesting.

What’s the potential change from Fire & Blood?

In the book, Nettles manages to ride Sheepstealer, who gains their name from the thing they do the best. Nettles is able to tame the dragon and ride it. She is the only commoner to ride a dragon, bringing up the conversation of class and power.

Based on Wake the Dragon on Twitter/X, Rhaena will track a dragon while in the Vale and ride that dragon. The account even says that it’s a “sheep-stealing dragon.” Will there really be two of them? Not likely, which means Rhaena is taking over Nettles’s role.

This has a huge knock-on effect for Rheana’s story as well. Rheana doesn’t have a dragon of her own at first. Then Morning is a miraculous hatching, and Rhaena ends up riding that dragon. It brings the hope of a new dawn. And if I do remember the book correctly, Rhaena is the last Targaryen to ride a dragon until Daenerys comes along.

Could House of the Dragon switch storylines?

This doesn’t mean Nettles won’t come into the story at all. There is an opening for Rhaena and Nettles’s storylines to be switched around. Instead of Nettles taming Sheepstealer, she could be the one with the miraculous egg.

Rhaena then takes Nettles’s storyline in riding with her father Daemon. We could have some beautiful father-daughter moments between them, and I am there for that sort of storytelling.

Is it enough to take away the story of class and this young, underestimated girl’s ability to connect with a dragon, though? I don’t think so, and House of the Dragon may completely miss the mark with this change.

House of the Dragon Season 2 premieres on Sunday, June 16 on Max.