House of the Dragon episode 4 foreshadows the fate of major character Rhaenyra Targaryen

House of the Dragon episode 4 has foreshadowed the dark future of a major character. The episode saw the return of Daemon Targaryen to Westeros, the ongoing quest to find Rhaenyra Targaryen a husband, and, naturally, more plotting and planning from the main cast of characters – but one moment points towards a major event that's still to come.

Now, before we go any further, you should be warned that we'll be delving deep into both book and show spoilers, so turn back now if you don't want to know what's coming up in House of the Dragon!

Milly Alcock and Emily Carey in House of the Dragon — (Image credit: HBO)

If you're still reading, then you're ready for the spoilers. At some point in the future of the show, Rhaenyra Targaryen is set to meet a grisly end. She'll take the Iron Throne, but, eventually, the people of King's Landing will turn on her, which prompts her to flee to Dragonstone. There, she'll be betrayed, and her younger half-brother Aegon – son of Rhaenyra's father Viserys and her former best friend Alicent Hightower – will order her death by dragon.

In George R.R. Martin's Fire and Blood book, Aegon's dragon Sunfyre first breathes fire on Rhaenyra, then devours her… all while Rhaenyra's son is forced to watch. It's a bleak, gruesome fate, and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in House of the Dragon episode 4 teases what's to come.

In the episode, Daemon takes his niece Rhaenyra out to King's Landing at night, both of them disguised as commoners. Among the fantastical sights they see is an array of metal dragon heads, which periodically breathe a jet of fire. As the Targaryens explore, a woman asks Rhaenyra, "Do you wish to know your death, child?" Soon after she's finished speaking, we see one of those dragon heads breathing fire – and that's exactly how Rhaenyra meets her end in Fire and Blood.

This isn't the first time Rhaenyra's death has come up in the franchise, either. In Game of Thrones season 3, Joffrey Baratheon inadvertently spoils the prequel show by telling his betrothed Margaery Tyrell exactly how Rhaenyra dies. "Rhaenyra Targaryen was murdered by her brother, or rather his dragon," he says, disturbingly happy to be recounting the tale. "It ate her while her son watched. What's left of her is buried in the crypts right down there."

Of course, it's possible that the show will depict Rhaenyra's death slightly differently, but, judging by this quick moment in episode 4, it will undoubtedly include a dracarys. Fire and blood indeed.

Find out when the next episode drops in your time zone with our House of the Dragon release schedule, and in the meantime, read up on what episode 4 added to the mythology of the famous catspaw dagger.