The finale of House of the Dragon season 3 has arrived, and it sets up what's sure to be an unimaginably bleak fourth and final season.
As Rhaenyra's grasp on power begins to slip, the gods throw a wrench in the works as Aegon and his dragon Sunfyre are indeed alive. The Dance of Dragons has reached a fever pitch, and it's not looking good for Team Black or Team Green. Now that Alicent has failed to kill Aemond and Ulf has turned heel... it can only spell horror for bloody Targaryen civil war.
After you watch the whopping 70-minute episode, you might have a question... or several. Below, we've rounded up all the burning questions you may have at the end of House of the Dragon season 3, including who dies, how many dragons are left, and how this all sets up House of the Dragon season 4. But be warned: there are massive spoilers for House of the Dragon season 3 episode 8 below. When you're done, but sure to check out our spoiler-filled House of the Dragon season 3 finale review.
House of the Dragon season 3 episode 8 ending recap
As Daemon prepares to invade Tumbleton, and with Caraxes in tow, things are momentarily halted by Gwayne and Daeron. The two attempt to use Lord Corlys to negotiate some kind of peace treaty ("I return your hand"), but this, unsurprisingly, doesn't work. He proposes that they divide the realm, with Corlys asking that Daemon let Daeron rule over Oldtown. Daemon informs them that none of this would work, not that he was considering it anyway, because Aegon and Sunfyre are still alive.
Meanwhile, Aemond seems to make a full recovery from being poisoned via nightshade by Alicent. He hears the sound of a dragon and leaves his bed, hopefully that Vhagar has returned. Instead, he's only greeted by a very much alive Sunfyre and Aegon – who slaps Aemond in the face. He remarks that he should have Sunfyre burn Aemond alive, as Aemond explains that he tried to kill his brother in order to take his place. Aegon raises his sword and says they're going to Tumbleton, but Alys appears and says that's not possible, as Vhagar has indeed abandoned him. This doesn't change Aegon's mind: his new proposal is that they find Vhagar, ride into Tumbleton, and kill Daeron and Ormund. Only when Rhaenyra's head is on a stick, he says, is when he'll forgive his brother for killing him.
Rhae and her consort storm the Faith of the Seven and demand that the High Septon annoints her "for all of King's Landing to see." He tells her that this is impossible, especially now that Aegon and his dragon have been resurrected. "There could be no clearer sign as to who the gods have chosen to rule, Princess." Rhaenyra declares him a traitor, and orders his death. Alyn draws his sword, but hesitates as the High Septon warns them that to harm him is to declare an all-out war upon the Starry Sept. Rhaenyra assures Alyn that he answers to higher gods than his, and that he has the blood of Old Valyria in him… so he, abandoning morals and following orders, stabs the High Septon in the chest.
Outside of the church, the smallfolk gather. Rhaenyra addresses them, explaining that her father named her his heir. As she proselytises to the crowd, Ormund and Daemon prepare for battle. "The Hightower line cannot fulfill this prophecy," she says. "I am the Prince that was Promised." The battle begins, with Daemon ordering his men to show no mercy against the Hightowers. Roderick Dustin charges up his men, and the gore begins. As the Targaryen forces storm each and every home, one of them bears an axe and seizes Kat (and she is presumably killed off-screen). Ormund learns that Daeron attempted to enact a peace agreement behind his back, and now knows that the worst is coming (with a look on his face that almost foreshadows his own death)... and Ulf the dragonrider is somehow nowhere to be found. Daemon rides Caraxes into battle, and burns the gates to Tumbleton.
Ormund locates Ulf and orders him to mount his Silverwing, though it seems a bit late for that. On the ground, Roderick goes after Ormund and stabs him to death, though Ormund gets to cut Roderick's arm off. The two are obliterated by Silverwing, who rains fire down from above. The city begins to crumble, with a bloodied and battered Daemon given pause by the carnage when he wakes up. He stands up, watching as women carrying their dead and usher their children out of the way. Corlys finds him and tells him that Ulf has betrayed Team Black in favor of the Hightowers, and that they must leave.
In the final moments of the show, Helaena, realizing that she will forever be Rhaenyra's prisoner, as Mysaria warned her, throws herself from the Red Keep and falls to her death. The episode ends with Rhaenyra looking at Helaena's tapestry, signifying that something even darker has changed within her.
Who dies in the House of the Dragon season 3 finale?
As you might expect from a House of the Dragon finale, there were some major casualties in episode 8. The Battle of Tumbleton saw scores of men, women and even children killed, whether by blade, arrow, boiling oil or dragonfire. As far as named characters go, these players were all taken out of the game:
- Lord Ormund Hightower – stabbed in a very sensitive spot by Roderick Dustin, and incinerated by Silverwing.
- Roderick Dustin – Gloriously incinerated by Silverwing after his arm is cut off.
- Helaena Targaryen – Kills herself by jumping from a window in the Red Keep.
- Kat – Killed off-camera during the Battle of Tumbleton as Targaryen forces raid homes in search of Hightower men.
- High Septon – Stabbed in the chest by Alyn on Rhaenyra's orders.
The fates of a handful of characters are left ambiguous, most notably Daeron Targaryen. Though as we all learnt earlier this season, if you don't see a body, they're probably still out there somewhere…
Why did Ulf the White betray Team Black?
This has been seeded (no pun intended) from the very start. Ulf has always been an unnatural fit as a dragonrider, and regularly reminds anyone who'll listen that he's more interested in the wealth, prestige and idea of glory that comes with being a dragonrider than he is in actually serving his Queen on dragonback.
Eventually, Rhaenyra and Daemon's strict and demeaning treatment of Ulf (chastising him in the street for all to see, forbidding him from drinking in his beloved taverns) caused him to turn traitor and team up with Ormund Hightower ahead of the Battle of Tumbleton. However, unreliable Ulf got drunk and showed up late to the battle, at which stage Targaryen forces had already breached Tumbleton's walls.
Ulf still took to the skies and took out plenty of Targaryen men, but Ulf ultimately had no loyalty to Ormund and burned him as well, alongside dozens of innocents inside Tumbleton's walls. The tragedy is that Rhaenyra only has herself to blame for allowing someone so unfit to take a dragon as his own, and will almost certainly be blamed across the seven kingdoms for the death and devastation Ulf has wrought.
Why did Helaena take her own life, and what does her tapestry mean?
Helaena Targaryen's story ended in absolute tragedy. Despite some liberties, Helaena was Rhaenyra's prisoner in the Red Keep. This status was solidified after it was revealed that Helaena is pregnant with Aegon's unborn son, and that Aegon is, in fact, alive, making Helaena and the child vitally important bargaining chips, should Aegon amass any support.
Helaena may have believed that her sister would one day free her, but Mysaria dissuades her of this idea when they cross paths as Mysaria is being exiled. Upon returning to the Red Keep, Helaena's hunger strike is broken by Rhaenyra, whose men force-feed her soup. These events combined appear to have been the final straw for Helaena, who jumps out of her bedroom window off-camera.
It's clear from the tapestry Rhaenyra finds hanging out of the window that Helaena had been planning this end for some time, as one tableau depicts Helaena falling to her death above King's Landing. Another, ominous image depicts Rhaenyra on the Iron Throne, blood dripping all around her, dragons dying in flames, which Rhaenyra likely assumes is a vision from one of Helaena's prophetic dreams. It's an image that will almost certainly go on to haunt her in season 4.
Why did Rhaenyra exile Mysaria?
It's not explicitly stated why Rhaenyra suddenly decides to give her Mistress of Whispers the boot, but we can infer relatively conclusively from recent events.
Rhaenrya almost certainly knows (or at least suspects) that Mysaria kept Helaena's pregnancy from her – strike one. After sleeping together in episode 7, Rhaenyra probably feels that she needs to remove any temptation like that from her life with her legitimacy as the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms on the line – strike two. And the 'resurrection' of Aegon was likely the final straw: what use is a Mistress of Whispers if they don't have the inside track on the return of Team Black's biggest threat?
Mysaria, of course, doesn't take her sudden dismissal well, and plants a seed that eventually leads to Helaena taking her own life. The fact she slips her escorts at the end and witnesses Rhaenyra's speech to the smallfolk doesn't bode well either; after all, Mysaria has proven adept at motivating the masses into rebellion…
What do Gwayne and Daeron offer Lord Corlys?
Gwayne and Daeron's plan to negotiate a peace agreement with Daemon via Lord Corlys doesn't exactly go to plan, as Daemon has no interest in conceding any ground to the upstart Targaryen, despite Corlys' reasonable proposal.
But it's not entirely clear why Corlys decides to advocate on behalf of Daeron in the first place. Initially, Gwayne offers the four-fingered lord of ruins riches, which Corlys rejects. Gwayne, instead, opts for "the hard road". This could simply mean, putting him on the spot in front of Daemon, but Gwayne has no guarantee that Corlys wouldn't simply throw him to the wolves.
It's possible that Gwayne and Daeron were able to offer Corlys what he actually wants – legitimacy for his bastard sons – but would they even know about Alyn and Addam to offer that? More likely is that Corlys, still resentful over Rhaenyra's rejection, sees a sharing of power as the quickest way to end the war and a way to limit Rhaenyra's power. His claim that some great houses believe "a woman cannot rule" feels pointed in this respect.
Is Alys Rivers immortal?
It sure seems like it! As Aemond recovers from being poisoned by his own mother (yikes!), Alys finally reveals her story to the one-eyed Targaryen. Alys claims that she was alive a hundred years ago, when Balerion, the Black Dread, burned Harrenhal. In the attack, Alys' son was burned, but didn't die, and Alys did all she could to save him, turning to "older cures", "incantations older than the land" and even "treating with things that lived in the forest" (the Children of the Forest, perhaps?)
Eventually the boy died, and Alys tried to take her own life. But found she couldn't, as she was cursed to live for "sharing in Harren's avarice," trapped within "the bounds of the river kings of old." Now, this could be a yarn to further ensnare Aemond. But Alys seems to believe what she's saying, and it would explain why Alys seems supernaturally tethered to Harrenhal. She wouldn't be the first Game of Thrones character to live an unnaturally long life either – Melisandre is thought to be 400 years old when she dies.
Where is Vhagar?
Aemond believes that his enormous dragon has finally returned in the season finale, only for his worst nightmare to arrive instead: Aegon, on the back of Sunfyre. Eventually, the two brothers form an uneasy alliance to take down Rhaenyra and reclaim the throne for Aegon. But the question still remains: where is Vhagar?
This is still unknown, though Alys claims that Aemond's dragon has abandoned him. Vhagar has been missing since Aemond's arrival at Harrenhal way back in episode 2. While it's possible the beast took wing after Aemond was nearly killed by a knife to the back, presuming his master dead, this seems quite unlikely given the unbreakable bond between dragon and dragonrider. It can't be easy for a dragon of that size to hide, particularly when many – including Addam and Baela – are out looking for the beast.
But Westeros is not small, and Sheepstealer went largely unnoticed for many years, so it's possible Vhagar is hiding out in the Vale, or somewhere similarly expansive and underpopulated. Either way, it's a question that will need to be answered next season.
How many dragons are left?
The dragon math changes significantly over the course of season 3 due to some major character deaths, shifting allegiances and surprise resurrections. Going into season 4, here's where the dragons stand.
Team Green:
- Vhagar - Aemond Targaryen
- Sunfyre - Aegon Targaryen
- Silverwing - Ulf the White
- Tessarion - Daeron Targaryen
It's debatable whether Ulf and Daeron are truly Team Green, but they're certainly not Team Black.
Team Black:
- Syrax - Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Caraxes - Daemon Targaryen
- Tyraxes - Joffrey Velaryon
- Moondancer - Baela Targaryen
- Seasmoke - Addam of Hull
- Vermithor - Hugh Hammer
Note: Tyraxes is too small to ride and isn't of use in battle.
No allegiance:
- Sheepstealer - Rheana Targaryen
- Dreamfyre - no rider
How does the House of the Dragon season 3 finale set up the final season?
The House of the Dragon season 3 finale puts Team Black and Team Green in a fascinating place heading into the final season. While Rhaenyra is, theoretically, on top – she has the throne and the statistical advantage when it comes to dragons – it would be unwise to rule Aegon and Aemond out.
Aemond, after all, still has the biggest living dragon in Vhagar, and there are clearly many who still believe that Aegon is the legitimate king. More and more of Aegon's believers will likely emerge from the woodwork following his miraculous resurrection.
Many of Rhaenyra's misguided decisions could come back to haunt her in season 4. Helaena's death will almost certainly lead to consternation among the smallfolk of King's Landing – it's not a good look when your beloved sister throws herself out of a window. It was plainly unwise to leave a schemer like Mysaria alive after kicking her to the curb, as she knows the underclass of King's Landing far better than its rulers. And she hasn't exactly endeared herself to 'allies' like Lord Corlys, Baela or even Addam of late, who may find their loyalty tested.
Ulf and Daeron are still in the game, and as dragonriders still have the power to move the needle when it comes to the Targaryen Civil War. Though neither appear to have particular loyalty to either side after the Battle of Tumbleton. And there's always the question of Alicent, who knows Rhaenyra better than anyone, and will likely be seeking vengeance following the death of her daughter.
For more on House of the Dragon, check out our full coverage below:
- House of the Dragon season 3 showrunner Ryan Condal on what keeps him up at night making the Game of Thrones prequel, and the spin-off he wants to see next: "I think there's a really fascinating story to be told"
- House of the Dragon showrunner teases "new dragons" in "a very worthy" final season of the hit HBO show
- House of the Dragon showrunner explains why season 3 didn't include the revenge killing viewers were expecting: "That would be no fun"
- The House of the Dragon dragons, listed and explained
- Greens vs. Blacks, explained
- The Targaryen family tree
- The House of the Dragon timeline
- Who wins the Dance of the Dragons?
- The Song of Ice and Fire prophecy
