The penultimate episode of House of the Dragon season 3 contained a stunning sequence that is destined to go down as one of the best for the entire show: the return of Sunfyre, Aegon Targaryen's dragon. As Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and his ally Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) were cornered by Mooton soldiers loyal to Rhaenyra, the haggard king drew his sword and let loose a fiery speech revealing his idenity. Drawn by his voice and his conviction, Sunfyre awakened after months in a near-death state of hibernation and unleashed fire on the king's enemies. It was a fist pump moment for Aegon, who finally stopped running and drew a line in the sand for what kind of man and ruler he wants to be.
Aegon's return stands to have major ramifications for the realm at large. Following the Fall of King's Landing, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) took the questionable advice from Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) to spread word that Aegon had been killed. But from the trailer for the season 3 finale, we know that news of Aegon's survival is going to spread like wildfire. Rhaenyra will find out in the upcoming episode, along with presumably everyone else, thanks in part no doubt to the work of Aegon's friend and confidante, Larys Strong (Matthew Needham), who pledged to sow stories and songs of Aegon's last stand far and wide — and that was before his dragon came back from the dead and torched an army of Mooton soldiers. The survivors of that horrific encounter will undoubtedly tell anyone who will listen about what they saw as well.
Considering that a large part of Rhaenyra's legitimacy rested on Aegon being dead, the Black Queen is now going to find her reign in the most precarious position it's been since she took the Iron Throne. Rhaenyra began season 3 rising into a place of power, with Aegon on the run, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) secluded and wounded at Harrenhal, and her foe Ormund Hightower (James Norton) boxed in at Tumbleton. Now, Aegon is back, Aemond is determined to raise his own seat in the Riverlands, and Ormund has won over a key defector from Rhaenyra's army.
But beyond all that, this news that Aegon lives will blow up in Rhaenyra's face in one specific way that may ultimately spell her doom. In season 3 episode 3, the queen told the High Septon (Simon Chandler) that Aegon was dead, insisting that he anoint her as the new queen. The High Septon refused, more than a little suspicious about whether Aegon was actually dead since the Silent Sisters were never summoned to tend to the king's corpse.
Now there's no way for Rhaenyra to hide the fact that she lied to the face of one of the most powerful people in the Faith of the Seven. And as we've seen time and again in the Game of Thrones franchise, the Faith makes a bad enemy for rulers in Westeros.
FULL SPOILERS ahead for George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, the book on which House of the Dragon is based.
How will the Faith of the Seven react to Rhaenyra's lie about Aegon?
One crucial aspect of legitimacy for most rulers of Westeros is being anointed by the Faith of the Seven. This tradition extends all the way back to Aegon the Conqueror, whose anointment was one of the lynchpins that cemented his ascension as the first king of the Seven Kingdoms. In House of the Dragon, Aegon II Targaryen was anointed by the High Septon during the penultimate episode of season 1, "The Green Council." That means that until it's one hundred percent certain he's dead, the Faith views Aegon as the one true king blessed by the gods.
While this seemed like it could end up being more of a minor inconvenience for Rhaenyra than a true sticking point, her own lie is now bound to worsen the situation dramatically. She told the High Septon that Aegon was dead, and went so far as to snap back at him when he insisted they couldn't risk any mistakes since no corpse was seen. That misstep is probably going to lead to Rhaenyra's downfall.
In Fire & Blood, Rhaenyra is eventually driven from King's Landing by a mob of angry smallfolk, who are whipped into a murderous frenzy by a religious figure known as the Shepherd. This character is described in a similar vein to the High Sparrow from Game of Thrones; a barefoot man whose religious zeal brings the common people together against the tyrannical yoke of those in power, particularly the Targaryens and their dragons.
The thing that's so terrifying about the Shepherd is that his efforts succeed. As Rhaenyra spirals into paranoia and alienates everyone around her, the people of King's Landing rise up in riots. The Gold Cloaks can't stop them, Rhaenyra's loyal knights can't stop them...and even her dragons can't stop them. The result is an event known to history as the Storming of the Dragonpit, where a mob of thousands raids the building where Targaryen dragons are kept and manage to kill every single one being housed there, including Rhaenyra's own mount, Syrax.
House of the Dragon has already laid the seeds for the Storming of the Dragonpit. We got a glimpse of it in one of Helaena Targaryen's dreams during episode 307, and Syrax was also injured in that same episode fighting Sheepstealer, which will make her more vulnerable when the riot breaks out. The show has made plenty of changes from the source material, but the writing is already on the wall for the Storming of the Dragonpit to happen, likely sometime in season 4.
While Rhaenyra lying about Aegon's death doesn't happen in the book, it would make complete sense for this lie to factor into the sermons that turn the people of King's Landing against the Black Queen. Some of the smallfolk surely have opinions about whether Aegon or Rhaenyra is the better choice for a ruler, but the queen being at odds with the Faith of the Seven is guaranteed to turn large swathes of the populace against her — especially if the church is actively stoking that resentment.
Dark days lie ahead for Rhaenyra Targaryen. The next part of her descent begins this Sunday, August 9 when the House of the Dragon season 3 finale premieres on HBO and HBO Max.
Add us as a preferred source on Google