Filming on the second season of House of the Dragon is officially over! As things wind down, we’ve seen more and more actors say their goodbyes on social media. The most recent and biggest is Steve Toussaint, who plays Lord Corlys Velaryon.
“What a blast to work with such great people!” Toussaint wrote. “Now it’s in the hands of editors, SFX folk, and whoever else. Hope you like it when you eventually get to see it!”
There are also images floating around the internet of a message that producers sent to crew members to celebrate the end of shooting. But be warned: the message contains something of a SPOILER for season 2.
House of the Dragon producers thank crew members, drop important line from season 2
There are two parts to the wrap message. The first is a pretty standard “thanks for all your hard work” kind of thing:
"To the stellar crew of HOTD season 2: Thank you for taking this wild journey with us, from the fiery sets of Leavesden to the rain-soaked Welsh mountains and beyond. We are so proud of what we’ve made together and so grateful for all your hard work."
But they also include a quote that we’ll hear at some point in season 2, spoken by scheming foot fetishist Larys Strong. It reads thusly:
"You have already written yourself into legend. You survived dragonfire."
You can see how this would be an appropriate message to crew message who just spent months laboring on these new episodes. But it also refers to a specific plot beat from George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood that we will surely see in House of the Dragon season 2.
Aegon II Targaryen will go through it in House of the Dragon season 2
Okay, we’re gonna get into proper SPOILERS beyond this point. so be forewarned.
So at one point in Fire & Blood, Ser Criston Cole will march forth from King’s Landing with an army of soldiers. They head to Rook’s Rest, a castle to the northeast of the city. Criston is loyal to King Aegon II Targaryen, but the lord of Rook’s Rest, Lord Staunton, is loyal to Aegon’s half-sister Rhaenyra Targaryen, who is currently fighting him for the rulership of the Seven Kingdoms.
Lord Staunton calls upon Rhaenyra for help in defeating Criston’s army. Long story short: she sends help and there is a huge battle, called the Battle at Rook’s Rest, appropriately enough. We saw the cast and crew filming this battle for weeks. It will feature in the fourth episode of season 2, directed by Alan Taylor. All signs point to it being an absolute rager.
Without spoiling too much, King Aegon II Targaryen will be involved in the battle. He’ll ride his dragon Sunfyre, and things will not go well for him. He survives the fight, but he’s gravely injured and never fully recovers.
So Larys Strong’s line — “You have already written yourself into legend. You survived dragonfire.” — is probably said to King Aegon sometime after the Battle at Rook’s Rest. Perhaps Larys is trying to comfort the king while he’s in incredible pain trying to recover from his injuries. We imagine it’s cold comfort.
We’ll see all the particulars when House of the Dragon season 2 premieres on HBO and Max sometime in the summer of 2024.
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