Top 20 Game of Thrones Questions Answered in House of The Dragon

Given that they’re essentially living flamethrowers, it would make sense for dragons to be immune to fire. In “Game of Thrones,” many of us assumed that was the case. After all, Daenerys Targaryen asserts that fire cannot kill a dragon, and she herself is magically immune to fire. However, in “House of the Dragon,” we learn that dragons can be hurt by flames. At the Battle of Rook’s Rest, Vhagar uses her fire breath against Aegon, and his dragon Sunfyre, severely burning both of them. It could be that Vhagar’s fire is especially strong, or it was merely Sunfyre’s wings that were burned. And while Sunfyre’s death has yet to be confirmed, it’s safe to say that fire can, in fact, kill a dragon.

When the Andals invaded Westeros, they brought with them their religion, the Faith of the Seven. While many people in the North continued to worship the Old Gods, most of the weirwoods trees sacred to the Old Gods were cut down in the South. However, some of the trees remain, as do a few of their worshippers. House Blackwood follows the Old Gods - just one of many reasons they and the Brackens don’t get along. Their sigil even has a weirwood on it! Also, we wouldn’t be surprised if Alys Rivers followed the Old Gods too.

Given how much both “Game of Thrones” and “House of the Dragon” are focused on civil wars, audiences have probably wondered if the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros ever fight foes from other lands. And the answer is yes! “House of the Dragon” depicts a conflict between House Velaryon and the Triarchy, an alliance of three of the Free Cities of Essos. The Free Cities and Westeros are in conflict over the Stepstones, a series of islands that once formed a land bridge between the two continents. The Triarchy also get involved in the Dance of the Dragons, with the Greens seeking their aid in breaking the Blacks’ blockade of King’s Landing.

“Game of Thrones” features only a few dragons, so there isn’t a lot of dragon-versus-dragon combat. But “House of the Dragon” sees the Targaryen dynasty involved in an epic civil war with dragons on both sides. Each dragon is unique, and their sizes vary quite a bit. A smaller dragon might try to use aerial agility to its advantage against a bigger foe. In battles between large dragons however, they’ll lock claws and attempt to bite, burn, and tear at each other. This terrifying death spiral is a sight to behold from the ground and can’t be comfortable for the riders either!

Okay, look - we know this was answered in “Game of Thrones.” However, it’s a question that still seems to pop up, and “House of the Dragon” makes the answer even more definitive. Daenerys Targaryen IS fireproof … in the show. In the books, she only survives the birth of her dragons as a one-time thing. The show makes her permanently fireproof. In contrast, her brother Viserys and Jon Snow are both burned on screen. Somehow, some fans have remained convinced that fire is a non-issue for members of House Targaryen. Hopefully, Aegon’s armor getting turned into an oven by Vhagar gets the message across that Targaryens might be heat resistant, but not immune - just like dragons.

Daenerys Targaryen either cared for her dragons personally, locked them up, or just let them do their own thing. However, in “House of the Dragon,” we learn that there used to be a specialized order called dragonkeepers dedicated to keeping dragons happy and fed. Educated in High Valyrian, the dragonkeepers assist in training dragons and hatching eggs. Although we have to question how useful their staffs are in wrangling the fire-breathing beasts, there’s no questioning their devotion to their charges.

By the time of “Game of Thrones,” the Night’s Watch is a shadow of its former strength. Its few recruits are prisoners, debtors, and bastards, with barely enough strength to man a few castles, much less the whole Wall. In “House of the Dragon,” Cregan Stark explains that for thousands of years, doomed men were sent to the Wall. However, Cregan’s ancestor Torrhen, the last King of the North, started a new tradition. Each winter, he would send a tenth of his men to the Watch. Aegon the Conqueror united Westeros in Torrhen’s time, so perhaps in the peace that followed, there were fewer ‘doomed men’ to go around.

Given how much ground dragons can cover, viewers of “Game of Thrones” probably wondered about the Targaryens and their dragons exploring north of the Wall. However, in another revelation delivered by Cregan Stark, he recounts that when King Jaehaerys I and his wife Alysanne visited the Wall, their dragons refused to cross the massive fortification. Some of the most powerful things in the world of Westeros are frightened of what lies beyond the Wall. And maybe they were right to be scared. We all remember what happened when Daenerys’ dragons first fought the White Walkers …

“Game of Thrones” features only three dragons, and only two Targaryens ride them. But we still wondered (especially after the finale) - could a dragon whose rider died be ridden by someone else? In “House of the Dragon,” we learn that this is apparently all too common. Dragons have incredibly long lifespans, so they frequently outlive their riders. In fact, Vhagar, the oldest living dragon of the period, has had four riders. Bonding with a dragon that has lost its rider can be done, though the difficulty in doing so depends on the dragon and the rider.

Given that Daenerys’ three dragons seem to be the last in the world, “Game of Thrones” fans were naturally curious where their eggs came from. We find out in “House of the Dragon.” The three eggs were hatched by Syrax, Rhaenyra’s dragon. They’re then collected by Daemon from the nest. However, once the Dance of the Dragons heats up, Rhaenyra sends the eggs, along with her two youngest children, to the Vale of Arryn, with Pentos being their ultimate destination. That’s fitting, since it was in Pentos that Dany first received her dragon eggs.

We hear about the Doom of Valyria several times in “Game of Thrones.” 400 years before the show takes place, catastrophic volcanic eruptions destroyed Valyria. Most citizens and dragons perished, but the Targaryens knew to flee thanks to one of them having a prophetic dream. We assumed while watching the original series that they were the only house to do so, but that’s not the case. “House of the Dragon” features the Velaryons, another family of Old Valyria, who actually arrived in Westeros before the Targaryens. Although the Velaryons are mentioned in “A Song of Ice and Fire,” they only play a small role as a house that supports Stannis Baratheon. So they were left out of the adaptation.

Many decisions on “Game of Thrones” are made out of a desire for power. We’re told that Aegon Targaryen, who conquered Westeros and became the first ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, did so because he wanted to. Yeah, that tracks. However, while that’s what Westerosi history tells us, “House of the Dragon” provides a different answer. Aegon had a vision of the White Walkers and their Long Night. It made him believe that Targaryens and their dragons needed to be in power when the time came. He passed the prophecy down to his heir, a tradition that is still in place during “House of the Dragon.”

We’d like to go ahead and issue an extra spoiler warning for this one. Rhaenyra Targaryen and her family’s civil war are mentioned a couple of times in “Game of Thrones.” In a spoiler-filled scene in Season 3, Joffrey gives Margaery a history lesson on the family and discusses Rhaenyra’s fate. The Dance of the Dragons is mentioned again in Season 5 by Shireen Baratheon. However, we never got any information on the character herself or why she felt entitled to a throne that was traditionally held by men. “House of the Dragon” finally gives insight to their actions, showing that she had every right to the royal seat.

In “A Game of Thrones”, Daenerys has a series of visions in the House of the Undying. While magic is involved, Daenerys isn’t the only Targaryen to have experienced powerful visions. The Targaryens were known for ‘Dragon dreams’ that prophesied future events. Daenys Targaryen foresaw the Doom of Valyria, prompting the Targaryens to leave Essos for Dragonstone. Aegon I decided to conquer Westeros after dreaming ‘the Song of Ice and Fire’, in which the White Walkers returned. Viserys I foresaw his son being crowned as swords clashed and dragons roared - although this didn’t come to fruition in the way he thought. His daughter Helaena also possesses the gift of prophecy. And Viserys’s brother Daemon has visions at Harrenhal of both events past and future. But then, Daemon has always dreamed big.

And we thought three were plenty. Prior to the Dance of Dragons, it’s said the Targaryens were at the height of their power with the largest number of dragons Westeros had ever seen. For anyone curious as to how many dragons that was exactly, Daemon spells it out in the Season 1 finale. The Blacks hold thirteen, including some who are riderless, while the Greens only hold four. Unfortunately, these numbers have already begun to decrease. Arrax perishes at the end of the episode along with Lucerys when Vhagar chomps them out of the sky. Daemon also says they have twenty eggs incubating on Dragonstone, though it’s anyone’s guess as to when and if those will hatch.

Although the Doom and Aegon’s conquest are spoken of in “Game of Thrones,” there’s a period in-between that isn’t. The Targaryens didn’t simply go from fleeing the destruction of their home to conquering Westeros. Following the fall of Valyria, there was a period of strife in Essos known as the Century of Blood. It concerned the conflicts of Valyria’s former colonies, which would become the continent’s Free Cities as seen in “Game of Thrones.” As “House of the Dragon” tells us, Volantis attempted to become the ruling city. Before he’d earn the title of conqueror, Aegon flew Balerion the Black Dread to Essos to turn the tides against the Volantene.

In “Game of Thrones,” Drogon is shown to be a bit temperamental before Dany becomes his rider. Afterwards, the two act as one, perpetuating the belief that Targaryens were masters over the beasts. “House of the Dragon,” however, calls that into question. Viserys believes their sway over the dragons to only be an illusion. He’s proven right in the finale when neither Lucerys nor Aemond can gain control over their mounts. This could vary from rider to rider; dragons often sense what their rider is feeling. For example, Daemon seems to have an incredibly strong connection with Caraxes. But saying the Targaryens could outright control them simply isn’t true.

All Valyrian steel weapons are rare, but one in particular ended up playing a much bigger role than anyone could’ve guessed. First used in an assassination attempt on Bran Stark’s life, this dagger would go on to be used by his sister Arya to vanquish the Night King. Due to its role, and to it not being linked to any particular family, we wondered about the history of this dagger. It originally belonged to Aenar Targaryen, the dragonlord who fled Valyria with his family. More importantly, it passed to Aegon, who had it inscripted with his prophecy that would only show up in fire. In addition to the prophecy, the Targaryens passed the dagger down from heir to heir.

As we all know, the Targaryen Civil War, or Dance of Dragons, was a war of succession between Rhaenyra and her younger half-brother, Aegon II. Knowing it was a war of succession meant that King Viserys wouldn’t be making it out of the first season alive. But things weren’t that simple. In “House of the Dragon,” Rhaenyra is all set to inherit the throne until the misunderstanding between Viserys and Alicent. Even when the Greens lead a coup and crown Aegon, Rhaenyra wants to avoid war and bloodshed at all costs. Unfortunately, the death of her son Lucerys at the hands (or dragon) of Aemond seems like the catalyst for a lot more people dying.

The prophecy of the “Prince That Was Promised” was a major factor in “Game of Thrones.” First told to us by Melisandre, it told of a mythical warrior born to stop an impending threat to the living world. However, we now know that this prophecy was not just something born from Melisandre’s religion. Aegon had a similar vision and knew that the prince, or princess, would be born from his line. The prophecy survived by word of mouth. While the Targaryens passed it down from heir to heir, the Red Priests and Priestesses preached of it in Essos. While we don’t know how long it has been a part of Melisandre’s religion, Aegon’s own dream lends it more weight.

What questions are still waiting on answers for? Tell us in the comments.