George R.R. Martin confirms a major character hasn't been cut from House of the Dragon

Aemond, Helaena, and Aegon in House of the Dragon
(Image credit: HBO)

Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has revealed that, yes, one major book character is in House of the Dragon – we just haven’t seen them yet.

On the topic of time jumps and what House of the Dragon has skipped over so far, Martin wrote on his personal blog that Alicent has four children in the show, not three. The youngest son, Daeron, is currently off-screen and away from King’s Landing.

"Alicent gave Viserys four children, three sons and a daughter," Martin wrote. "Their youngest son Daeron is down in Oldtown, we just did not have the time to work him in this season."

Martin also pointed to "the relationship between Rhaenyra and Ser Harwin, the marriage of Daemon and Laena and their time in Pentos, the birth of various and sundry children" as examples of plotlines that could have been explored in greater detail if the time was there.

A hint, then, that Daeron will be a factor in future seasons. That should be cause for concern given how Alicent’s current children have already stirred up enough trouble: House of the Dragon episode 8 saw Aemond and Aegon poke and prod at Lucerys and Jacerys, while Helaena’s powers of prophecy continue to intrigue viewers.

House of the Dragon has a second season in the works. Martin, however, thinks it’ll take another three seasons to wrap up the Dance of the Dragons story he told in Fire and Blood.

With both House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power coming to a close in the next week, you might need something fresh to watch. Here are all the new TV shows coming your way very soon.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.