Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) is plagued with prophetic visions in “House of the Dragon” season two, but his dream in the last episode possibly changes the ending of “Game of Thrones.”
In the finale, Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) takes Daemon to the weirwood tree in Harrenhal, where he has his final dream of the season. During the vision, he sees Brynden Rivers and a three-eyed raven — which is a nod to Bran Stark’s (Isaac Hempstead Wright) journey in “Game of Thrones.”
He also sees the terrifying White Walkers marching through the north, which sets up the end of the series when some of Westeros’ combined armies save the country from the undead horde.
The dream then shifts to three dragon eggs surrounded by fire, and we see a young woman with white hair sitting naked with her back to the camera as three baby dragons cling to her arms and legs.
Eagle-eyed fans will recognize that this is a recreation of the ending to “Game of Thrones” season one, in which Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) survives walking through a giant fire and hatches her dragon eggs.
The dream forces Daemon to put aside his bitterness that Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) is the heir to the throne, but it also potentially reframes the “Game of Thrones” ending.
Daemon’s dream suggests that Daenerys was the Prince That Was Promised, which changes the “Game of Thrones” ending.
The prophecy of “The Prince That Was Promised” says that a legendary hero will save the world from a growing darkness — the White Walkers. As detailed in “Game of Thrones,” the Prince’s birth would be signaled by “a bleeding star.”
In Daemon’s dream, he sees a burning meteorite in the sky, before it cuts to the shot of Daenerys and her dragons — implying that she is the Prince That Was Promised.
It’s also worth noting that the prophecy comes from Valyria, and the word for “Prince” in Valryian is gender-neutral.
The end of “Game of Thrones” suggests that both Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) are also potential candidates as the Prince That Was Promised, because they helped defeat the Night King and the White Walkers in the final season.
But “House of the Dragon” uses the imagery of the “bleeding star” next to the shot of Daenerys to give a solid answer to the prophecy.
It’s surprising because the “Game of Thrones” ending divided fans by turning Daenerys into the Mad Queen following the deaths of some of her closest friends. She then razes King’s Landing with her dragon, Drogon, killing thousands of innocent civilians in the process.
Many were disappointed by this sudden turn because “Game of Thrones” spent so long building Daenerys’ story so that she could rightfully retake the Iron Throne.
Essentially, “House of the Dragon” is attempting to repair Daenerys’ legacy with its subtle confirmation that she was the Prince That Was Promised all along.
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