This list contains spoilers for Fire & Blood and potential future plotlines for House of the Dragon.

Season 2 of House of the Dragon received mixed reviews, and even George R. R. Martin voiced his opinions in a blog post that was quickly removed, likely under pressure from CEO Zaslav. HBO MAX, part of Warner Bros. Discovery for two years, seems to influence the show’s trajectory significantly.

Originally planned as a 10-episode season, Season 2 was cut down to 8 episodes just before filming began, leading to concerns that Seasons 3 and 4 might face similar reductions. Given these uncertainties, predicting the exact storylines is challenging, but the characters featured in this list will play pivotal roles.

10Lord Ormund Hightower Is Leading His Forces Into War

Debut: Season 2, Episode 1 — “A Son for a Son”

Ormund Hightower, Lord of the Hightower’s seat in Oldtown, is the nephew of Otto Hightower. He owns the Valyrian steel sword “Vigilance.” Ormund partook in quite a few battles during the Dance of the Dragons. He won the Battle of Honeywine with the help of his nephew Daeron and his dragon Tessarion.

After the victory, he knighted his nephew and coined the nickname “Daeron the Daring.” After that, they laid siege to Longtable and Bitterbridge. In the book, Ormund dies at the hands of Lord Rokerick Duston in the First Battle of Tumbleton.

9The Wolf of the North Will Play a Large Part in Future Events

Debut: Season 2, Episode 1 — “A Son for a Son”

Cregan Stark, known as the “Wolf of the North”, was the Lord of Winterfell during the Dance of the Dragons. In Season 2, Episode 1, he receives Jacaerys Targaryen in Winterfell and the duo visit the Wall together. Cregan promised Rhaenyra’s son to send the Greybeards south to fight Rhaenyra and in the final scene of Season 2, they arrive at the crossing. However, Cregan was not part of that scene. In a leaked image from the set, Cregan appeared to have filmed the scene, yet the shot was cut. Since House of the Dragon’s Season 2 was cut short by two episodes a month before shooting, it seems likely that Cregan was in one of those originally planned episodes.

As for Season 3, it is yet to be seen if the CEO of HBO MAX will grant the production 10 or only 8 episodes as well. Depending on the outcome, the audience might not see as much of Cregan in Season 3 as they should, but hopefully, he will get more screentime. Unlike most characters who lived during the Dance of the Dragons, Cregan lived to an old age. He actually became Hand of the King to Aegon the Younger, Rhaenyra’s son, when he took the throne after the Dance of the Dragons had ended. But soon after, he returned to the North. The exact year of his death is unknown.

8Viserys and Aegon the Younger Might Become Hostages

Debut: Season 1, Episode 8 — “Lord of the Tides”

Rhaenyra Targaryen’s children by Daemon will play a larger role in Season 3. At the end of Season 2, the two boys are shipped off to go to Essos to take shelter. In Episode 8, Tyland Lannister goes to the Free Cities to make a deal with the pirates and successfully recruits them to fight Lord Corlys’s fleet. In the final montage scene, Tyland sets sail with Admiral Lohar.

In Season 3, the pirates should encounter the Gay Abandon, the ship with Rhaenyra’s sons, and if they do, they will capture them. In Fire & Blood, Aegon the Younger escapes on his dragon Stormcloud and leaves his brother behind.

Aegon makes it back to Dragonstone but never recovers from this trauma. Later on, he becomes the 7th King of Westeros. However, the TV show adaptation aged Rhaenyra’s children down, therefore it’s unlikely that Condal and his writing team will follow the storyline from the book. Instead of fleeing on his tiny baby dragon, it seems more likely that both boys will be captured and held hostage by the pirates.

7Daemon’s Daughter Baela Targaryen Will Fight for Her Queen

Debut: Season 1, Episode 6 — “The Princess and the Queen”

While Baela’s role had expanded in Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Baela had little to do except counsel Lord Corlys and Prince Jacaerys and one scene in which she chased Cole into the woods. In Season 3, her role should expand quite a bit. In the book, Baela’s dragon is too small to participate in any of the earlier battles during the Dance of the Dragons.

However, showrunner Condal changed this plot point. Baela’s storyline should include some battle scenes in Season 3. Perhaps she will be involved in the highly anticipated Battle of the Gullet to support her betrothed and Grandfather Corlys.

In Fire & Blood, Baela becomes a central figure after the ascension of her half-brother Aegon III (Aegon the Younger) and spends much of her life in King’s Landing. Baela ends up marrying Alyn Velaryon, Corlys’s son and Lord of the Tides.

6Helaena Targaryen’s Fate Could Find a Tragic End

Debut: Season 1, Episode 8 — “Lord of the Tides”

Helaena, sister-wife to King Aegon II, is alone in King’s Landing at the end of Season 2, because Aegon left with Larys Strong. In the book, Helaena is not a prominent character. She is mentioned in the event of Blood & Cheese and later on, she commits suicide, after her third child, Maelor (who is not in the show), dies tragically at the hands of a mob at Bitterbridge.

However, Helaena’s story in House of the Dragon has been significantly altered. Helaena is most definitely a Dragon Dreamer and possibly a Greenseer. Throughout the first two seasons, Helaena prophesies the fate of her family, but her comments are often dismissed or ignored. In the Season finale of Season 2, she takes on a much larger role. She appears in Daemon’s final vision at the Weirwood tree and tells Aemond that he will die at the Gods Eye. It seems likely that Helaena’s role will be further expanded in Season 3.

5The Turncloak Alfred Ginster Might Try His Luck With Aemond

Debut: Season 2, Episode 1 — “A Son for a Son”

Alfred Ginster, a Black Council Member, seems to get more screen time in Season 3. In Season 2, he repeatedly opposes Rhaenyra and questions her choices, and when she sends him to Harrenhal to treat with Daemon, he turns on her and encourages the King Consort to claim the throne for himself. When Rhaenyra arrives in Harrenhal and Daemon declares his allegiance to her, Alfred sneaks out through the back.

It seems plausible that Ser Alfred might head to King’s Landing to support the Greens after all, as Daemon would undoubtedly execute him for treason. Since he has nowhere else to go, King’s Landing might be the best option. Aemond would welcome the Turncloak with open arms as he has intel on the Blacks and their plans.

4Rhaena Targaryen Will Have Friction With Rhaenyra

Debut: Season 1, Episode 6 — “The Princess and the Queen”

Baela’s younger twin sister has little to do during the Dance of Dragons in Fire & Blood. She is sent off to the Vale and later returned to King’s Landing after the end of the war. In the TV show, Rhaena’s story has been changed in one significant way. When the queen requests her to take her younger children to the Vale and the two youngest to Essos, she is visibly frustrated. She obliges to Rhaenyra’s wishes but abandons Aegon the Younger and Viserys when the young boys board a ship to Pentos. Rhaena wants to find the wild dragon sighted in the Vale. In the finale of Season 2, Rhaena finally comes face to face with Sheepstealer.

Showrunner Condal has purposely left out the claiming of Sheepstealer. He might still attempt to get Nettles into the show, who claimed Sheepstealer in the book, or he will save Rhaena’s success as a surprise for the opening of Season 3. Either way, Rhaena will get in trouble with Rhaenyra for abandoning her young sons, and therefore, her storyline should be much larger than in the previous two seasons.

3The Dragonseeds Will Be Crucial for the War Efforts

Debut: Season 2, Multiple Episodes

Some of the most intriguing new characters of Season 2 were the Dragonseeds — those who survived Vermithor’s Jurassic Park-style attack. Ulf the White, Hugh Hammer, and Addam of Hull (Corlys’s bastard) all claimed a dragon, and their personalities couldn’t be more different. Addam is likable and humble and seems eager to serve his queen, while Ulf is a drunken jokester with no regard for etiquette, whereas Hugh Hammer seems serious and committed to the cause.

All three will undoubtedly have significant roles in the upcoming Season 3, as they all participate in several battles. However, if the TV adaptation follows Fire & Blood in any form, Rhaenyra is bound for some major headaches. In the book, Hugh and Ulf turn on Rhaenyra when she refuses to grant them a castle and the desired wife. The twosome ends up in the history book as the Two Betrayers who switched to Team Green. Poor Addam is subjected to Rhaenyra’s paranoia after Ulf and Hugh betray her, and he dies in the Battle of Tumbleton, eager to prove his loyalty to his queen.

2The Mysterious Shepherd Will Ignite a Rebellion

Debut: N/A

The character Shepherd hasn’t yet appeared in House of the Dragon, but he will in Season 3. The Shepherd, whose real name is unknown, is a significant figure in King’s Landing during the Dance of the Dragons. He leads an uprising in the capital known as Shepherd’s Rebellion. Shepherd, a follower of the Faith of the Seven, believes that the dragons are demons.

When Rhaenyra sits on the throne in King’s Landing, the Shepherd starts a riot and leads a mob into the Dragonpit, and several dragons are slaughtered. According to rumors, the Shepherd was responsible for Syrax’s death. Furthermore, Grand Maester Munkun believes that the Shepherd spread the rumors that Rhaenyra killed Queen Helaena, who was beloved by the Smallfolk.

1Daeron “The Daring” Targaryen Will Be a Big Asset for the Greens

Debut: Season 2, Episode 8 — “The Queen Who Ever Was”

Daeron’s name has been mentioned several times in Season 2. He is the youngest son of Alicent Hightower and the late King Viserys and grew up in Oldtown as a ward of Ormund Hightower. The audience gets a glimpse of his dragon Tessarion, known as the Blue Queen, in the finale of season 2.

According to Fire & Blood, Daeron will play a large role in the Dance of the Dragons. First, he will support his family in their upcoming Battle of Honeywine. After the fall of King’s Landing, Aemond’s death, and with his older brother Aegon II still missing, Daeron becomes the biggest threat to Rhaenyra. He dies later in the Second Battle of Tumbleton.