WiC Predicts: Exactly what happens in each episode of House of the Dragon season 2

House of the Dragon season 2, Episode 8: “Rhaenyra Triumphant”

Near Oldtown, Daeron Targaryen rides his dragon Tessarion to help out Lord Ormund Hightower, who is beset by an army of blacks. Daeron helps turn the tide of battle, notching another victory for the greens.

Meanwhile, in the Riverlands, an army of greens led by Jason Lannister defeats several Riverlords loyal to Rhaenyra. The green victories just keep coming, don’t they?

Feeling confident, Aemond Targaryen and Criston Cole march an army of greens from King’s Landing to Harrenhal, hoping to extricate Daemon Targaryen and take back the Riverlands. But they find that Daemon has already left the castle with his host. As they try and puzzle out what this means, Aemond catches the eye of the mysterious Alys Rivers, who will become more important in season 3.

Things start to turn for the greens. After defeating the Riverlords at the Red Fork, the Lannister forces run into an army of blacks that includes the Winter Wolves, a group of northmen led by Cregan Stark (in the book Cregan doesn’t personally come down from the North until later, but given that we introduced him earlier in the season I think it’d be fun to rope him in a little sooner). The Lannister host is slaughtered in the Fishfeed, the bloodiest battle of the war.

And it’s all a prelude to Rhaenyra Targaryen’s master plan: retaking King’s Landing. She mounts Syrax and her husband mounts Caraxes. They both circle the city while Queen Regent Alicent Hightower tries to get messages to Aemond and Criston at Harrenhal. But the men of the city watch, most of whom were given their jobs by Daemon Targaryen years ago, have turned. The gold cloaks are loyal to Daemon, who is loyal to Rhaenyra. No help is coming.

The gold cloaks open the gates of the city and allow in Velaryon forces loyal to Lord Corlys Velaryon. After she sees that resistance is futile, Alicent orders her forces to surrender. The city is Rhaenyra’s.

However, her victory isn’t complete. Although Alicent Hightower and her daughter Queen Helaena become Rhaenyra’s prisoners, King Aegon, his daughter Jaehaera and his young son Maegor manage to escape King’s Landing with the help of Larys Strong, who smuggles them out using secret ways. Still, it’s a good day for the blacks.

Final moment: Rhaenyra Targaryen sits the Iron Throne.