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House of the Dragon has returned to our screens, and, naturally, it's brought with it a bloody battle and serious heartbreak.
Spoilers for House of the Dragon season 3, episode 1 follow. Turn back now if you're not up to date!
In the Battle of the Gullet, Rhaenyra's oldest son, Jacaerys Velaryon, is killed – along with his dragon, Vermax. While there are many changes from George R.R. Martin's Fire and Blood, the biggest is that Rhaenyra's two youngest sons, Aegon and Viserys, are absent from the battle.
In the book, Aegon and Viserys are on their way to being fostered in Pentos when the Triarchy takes their ship captive. Aegon escapes on his dragon – which dies soon after – while Viserys is kidnapped. Jacaerys and the dragonseeds then take to the skies, which results in the death of Jace and his dragon.
"Removing Aegon III & Viserys II was certainly… a choice," says one fan on Reddit.
"I'm confused as to who is looking after them here. Are they still in the Eyrie? Will someone lose their allowance for abandoning their siblings/cousins to chase Sheepstealer?" says someone else – Rhaena was meant to be watching over Aegon and Viserys, but she abandoned her charges to claim the wild dragon Sheepstealer, instead.
"Yeah I am sooo confused to wtf they are going to do now, like when reading the books Aegon & Viserys were the main thrust of this battle?? And who was watching them? Where are they now??? Unless they include that aspect later in the series but It just feels like a massive change for basically no reason? I did enjoy the episode but this was a weird change," says another fan.
"What are they gonna do with little Aegon and Viserys now" questions another fan, while another says: "Yeah I kept waiting for that to happen and it just never did???? Idk some parts of the episode I really loved and I think they nailed, others I'm disappointed by and this is one of them. I'm curious if they are going to try and fit that in somewhere else or if that plotline is completely being ignored.
"Idk I was looking forward to Rhaenyra believing that she had lost 2 children in one day and I wanted to see Aegon barely escape on his tiny dragon," they continue. "I understand not including all the dragons involved in the books due to the massive CGI cost but I think the situation with Aegon should have been included. Maybe that will happen in the beginning of episode 2?"
"So where the fuck is Aegon the Younger?" asks someone else, with another fan suggesting: "Probably safe on a boat to Essos. It was always obvious that the youngest wouldn't be included, they're too young. Works in the book but not a TV show"
What fate lies in store for Aegon and Viserys remains to be seen, though we'll likely find out more about the young princes as the season goes on.
House of the Dragon season 3 continues weekly on HBO in the US and HBO Max, Sky, and NOW in the UK. You can keep up to date with our House of the Dragon season 3 release schedule. For even more, read our House of the Dragon season 3 review.
