Warning: spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon episode 1 and book spoilers that could unfold in the series.
We might only be one episode into Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, but it might have already teased the fate that awaits King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) before King’s Landing erupts in chaos.
In the premiere, viewers watched as Viserys hosted a tournament in honour of his baby, who he believed would be his new heir after his wife Queen Aemma (Sian Brooke) went into labour.
As Viserys dashes to be at Aemma’s side when he learns that she’s experiencing childbirth complications, the tournament descends into bedlam as the knights taking part start fighting in a brutal manner, with some participants even being killed.
A Reddit user who goes by the handle @BalerionBlackfyre1 put forward the theory that the mayhem sparked at the tourney in Viserys’ absence could foreshadow future events as depicted in George RR Martin’s book Fire & Blood, when ‘all hell to break loose’ in the kingdom.
How could the bloody tournament have symbolised Viserys’ fate? *Book spoilers ahead*
‘A lot of the viewers are surprised and confused because of the tourney sequence. Bashing heads and people killing each other is not what one would expect to see at a tourney. But I think it is a great piece of foreshadowing from the showrunners as to what happens later in the story,’ the fan wrote.
‘As soon as Viserys leaves the tourney, all hell breaks loose. Similarly later on in the story, when Viserys dies, all hell breaks loose, war breaks out, dragons dance and blood is spilled. I found it very interesting and extremely well done.’
Several people agreed with this idea, with one explaining just how bloody the dance with dragons – the name given for the upcoming Targaryen civil war – will become.
‘Since the Dance is the bloodiest war the continent of Westeros has ever seen, the tourney is meant to show all the pent-up bloodlust the lords of the Seven Kingdoms have to show partly why it gets as bad as it does.’
What happens when Viserys dies in the Fire & Blood book?
In the book, Viserys dies while having a nap in the Red Keep, which his wife Alicent Hightower initially keeps as a secret from the public and the king’s daughter, Rhaenyra Targaryen, so that she can ensure her son Aegon II Targaryen will ascend to the Iron Throne.
The two factions of the Targaryen clan end up going head to head, as Rhaenyra refuses to accept Aegon as the new monarch, when she has her own claim to the throne – having been named the heir by her father.
How else has House of the Dragon teased what the future holds for the king?
A very important element of House of the Dragon episode one that fans should keep an eye on is Viserys sustaining a bloody cut while sitting on the Iron Throne.
While one might expect to suffer the occasional scratch while sitting on a throne made from literal swords, there could be more to it than meets the eye.
When Aegon I Targaryen first conquered the Seven Kingdoms, he had the Iron Throne made from the weapons of enemies his forces had beaten in battle, making the seat purposely uncomfortable.
In the conqueror’s opinion, a king should ‘never sit easy’… so when a monarch who sits on the throne is cut by the weapons it’s made of, this is supposed to indicate that they may be unfit to rule.
Considering the first episode of House of the Dragon showing Viserys’ wound on his back not healing, perhaps this could be a clue as to how he will eventually meet his demise.
However, how closely the show is adapted from the original source material for the rest of the season remains to be seen.
House of the Dragon next airs on Monday at 2am on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
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