Where are the Game Of Thrones families during House Of The Dragon?

Game of Thrones introduced fans to the Great Houses of the Westeros, from Stark to Lannister to Targaryen and beyond. But how much of these houses will they see in House of the Dragon, HBO’s new Game of Thrones prequel show that takes place around 200 years before the events of the original series? The Targaryens are at the center of the story, so we’ll see plenty of them, but about the rest?

So we’re a couple centuries before the events of Game of Thrones and about a century after Aegon the Conquerer beat the Great Houses of Westeros into submission with his sisters and became the first Targaryen king. Most of the powerful houses from Game of Thrones — the Starks, the Lannisters, the Baratheons, the Tullys, etc — are still powerful during the House of the Dragon era. So what are they up to during this time, and will we see them? Let’s take a closer look, starting with a house that didn’t get much attention on Game of Thrones:

Where is House Hightower during House of the Dragon?

Though not a prominent player in Game of Thrones, fans will see plenty of the Hightowers in House of the Dragon. Ser Otto Hightower serves as Hand of the King to multiple monarchs over the course of the story. His daughter is Queen Alicent Hightower, the second wife of Viserys and mother to Aegon II Targaryen, as well as to Helena, Aemond and Daeren, all of whom have parts to play in this drama.

The seat of the ancient House Hightower is the famous Hightower in Oldtown. Proud and powerful, the Hightowers prefer to avoid war if possible, though they are formidable if arguments come to blows. As one of Aegon the Conqueror’s preferred Houses (the Hightowers surrendered to him), the current Hightowers join the Greens, backing their kinswoman the dowager Queen Alicient and her son Aegon II during the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.

Where is House Tyrell during House of the Dragon?

Originally stewards of House Gardener of the Reach, the Tyrells surrendered the castle of Highgarden to Aegon the Conqueror after he had crushed the Gardener armies. Aegon rewarded Lord Harlen Tyrell with the castle and gave him control of the Reach as Lord Paramount of the Mander. The Tyrells hosted the magnificent Tourney of the Field of Roses during the reign of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen.

The Tyrells are expected to support Queen Alicent and the “Greens,” but their own domestic problems cause them to avoid backing any warring Targaryen faction. However, the Tyrell bannermen have no compunction with taking sides, so fighting breaks out across the Reach. With the Lord of Highgarden, Lionel Tyrell, an infant and his mother acting as Regent, her instinct is to stay out of the way, so the Tyrell family and its sizable army may not appear in House of the Dragon.