What to expect for Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon Season 3 based on the book

There is still a lot to come in the Dance of the Dragons in House of the Dragon Season 3. We still have a long wait on our hands for the new season, but we can look ahead at things to come.

House of the Dragon Season 3 is set to be the penultimate season. While HBO hasn’t officially ordered Season 4, there are plans for it and it will finish the story of the Dance of the Dragons. Will Rhaenyra make it to the end?

We can look at the source material to get an idea of what to expect. While the show has changed some of this source material, we’re expecting the bones of the story to play out. That includes what happens to Rhaenyra now that she is on her way to King’s Landing.

Yes, we’re looking at the book storyline for this. Expect spoilers!

Rhaenyra sits on the Iron Throne in House of the Dragon

At the end of House of the Dragon Season 2, we saw Alicent head to Dragonstone. She needs Rhaenyra on the throne, and she offers to open the gates to allow Rhaenyra to walk right in. Rhaenyra does make it to King’s Landing, and in the book she does sit on the Iron Throne.

However, her reign is short-lived. She only sits on the throne for six months, and the book tells us that the throne constantly cuts her, which is a bad omen. Of course, the book is written in a way to paint the Greens in a good light, so we have to take the bias with a grain of salt.

The smallfolk start to revolt, with a group of them following a man called The Shepherd. With the knowledge that the dragons can be killed, a group storm the Dragonpit, killing fix of the dragons. One of those to end up dying is Syrax, leaving Rhaenyra dragonless as she is forced to flee King’s Landing.

Will we get Rhaenyra’s return to Dragonstone in House of the Dragon Season 3?

From here, it all depends on how much of the story is used. The second season only told a small part of the Dance of the Dragons. There is still a lot to come in the six months that Rhaenyra sits on the Iron Throne, and it is possible that we will see only that small part in House of the Dragon Season 3.

If the show does bring us Rhaenyra’s return to Dragonstone in this upcoming season, then we will see her death. Rhaenyra doesn’t realize that Aegon has made it to Dragonstone as well. It’s there that Aegon orders Sunfyre—who is presumed dead in the show, so it will be interesting to see how this part plays out—to kill Rhaenyra. Sunfyre is allowed to eat her.

It’s not the end of the Dance of the Dragons, though. Not really. Not everyone wants Aegon on the throne, but who does he choose as his successor? We’ll go into what’s to come for each of the characters based on the book, and we’ll answer that question in that post. However, I expect that storyline to take place in House of the Dragon Season 4.