House of the Dragon, HBO’s new successor present to Game of Thrones, is all in regards to the Targaryen household, so it’s no shock that it digs into their previous. But in its first episode, the sequence already jumps past its supply materials, Fire & Blood, to disclose beforehand unknown particulars about one in all A Song of Ice and Fire’s most essential characters. And in accordance with the showrunners, the reveal comes straight from George R.R. Martin himself.

[Ed. note: This story contains spoilers for all eight seasons of Game of Thrones and the first episode of House of the Dragon.]

House of the Dragon’s first episode revolves round King Viserys’ eventual selection to call his daughter Rhaenyra as his successor for the Iron Throne of Westeros. This goes in opposition to the precedents of the realm, particularly the Great Council of 101 AC’s determination that solidified within the minds of most that male heirs took precedence for the crown above feminine heirs. None of that is information to viewers aware of the prequel sequence’ story, however what King Viserys tells his teenage daughter ought to be a welcome shock to hardcore A Song of Ice and Fire followers.

Image: HBO

Inside the Red Keep, Viserys tells Rhaenyra just a little bit about Aegon the Conqueror, the primary Targaryen king in Westeros and the person that united the seven warring kingdoms of the continent into one which he may rule. Most importantly, Viserys reveals that Aegon first sought to beat Westeros as a result of he had a imaginative and prescient of the top of the world:

And simply as Daenys noticed the top of Valyria, Aegon foresaw the top of the world of males. It is to start with a horrible winter, gusting out of the distant north. Aegon noticed absolute darkness driving on these winds, and no matter dwells inside will destroy the world of the residing. When this nice winter comes, Rhaenyra, all of Westeros should stand in opposition to it. And if the world of males is to outlive then a Targaryen have to be seated on the Iron Throne. A king or queen, sturdy sufficient to unite the realm in opposition to the chilly and the darkish. Aegon known as his dream ‘A Song of Ice and Fire.’ This secret, it’s been handed from king to inheritor since Aegon’s time. And now you should promise to maintain it. And to hold it.

This prophecy is each distinctive and essential for its place within the sequence. While prophecies in trendy fantasy tales, particularly A Song of Ice and Fire, are sometimes used paradoxically or as a misdirect, this one is handed to us as nearly unambiguously true.

By being positioned subsequent to Daenys’ appropriate prophecy of the top of Valyria, which saved the Targaryen dynasty from the Doom that destroyed Valyria and first despatched them to Dragonstone and Westeros, Aegon’s dream is given a bit of additional credibility. We additionally know that it’s (largely) true as a result of… we’ve already seen the ending. We know {that a} Targaryen’s return to Westeros, and her dragons, are essential in the battle in opposition to the White Walkers and saving males from the Long Night. We even know that it’s a Targaryen named Aegon that does the saving — since that’s Jon Snow’s actual title. (As a enjoyable tidbit, this additionally provides us our second rationalization of the A Song of Ice and Fire sequence title, which most followers usually assume refers to Jon because the youngster of a Stark and Targaryen — representing ice and fireplace.)

While all of this sounds prefer it might be handy backfilling from showrunners Ryan J. Condal and Miguel Sapochnik, that isn’t the case. In an interview with Polygon forward of House of the Dragon’s premiere, Condal confirmed that this particular dream got here straight from Martin.

Image: HBO

“That actually came from [Martin], at least the origin of that point,” stated Condal. “He told us very early on in the room — just as he does, just casually mentioned the fact that Aegon the Conqueror was a dreamer who saw a vision of the White Walkers coming across the wall and sweeping over the land with cold and darkness. […] So with his permission, of course, we infused that into the story because it was such a great way to create resonance with the original show.”

This is already an enormous reveal about one of the crucial essential characters within the A Song of Ice and Fire universe, however with just a little hypothesis, it’s additionally simple to see how this might give us a clue about ways in which Martin’s guide ending for the sequence may deviate from the one we noticed in HBO’s Game of Thrones.

According to Viserys, to avoid wasting the world all of Westeros have to be united in opposition to the menace from the north and a Targaryen have to be seated on the Iron Throne. Both of these are kind of vaguely gestured at by the HBO sequence, however aren’t actually true. Neither Dany nor Jon is definitely on the throne by the point the Long Night arrives, and the ultimate battle at Winterfell actually solely entails a small power reasonably than all of Westeros.

Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

If Aegon’s prophecy is appropriate — and proves to be within the books — then it’s potential that we may see Jon or Dany (discover Viserys says king or queen) take King’s Landing and the Iron Throne lengthy earlier than the Long Night arrives. It additionally implies that we may see the military of the useless march a lot additional south, threatening way more of Westeros than they do within the sequence.

For now, although, like most A Song of Ice and Fire questions, we’ll simply have to attend for the books to seek out out if any of this pans out. But on the very least, this tiny little bit of dialogue proves that House of the Dragon has extra new data to share with viewers and hardcore followers than its standing as a prequel and a Fire & Blood adaptation may counsel.