HBO is filming the third season of House of the Dragon as we speak. The second season ended on a number of cliffhangers. Alicent Hightower planned to betray her children and help Rhaenyra Targaryen take King's Landing, Corlys Velaryon's fleet was about to engage a pirate fleet led by Sharako Lohar, Aemond Targaryen was setting out for Harrenhal hoping to take on his uncle Daemon, and more.
And then there was Rhaena Targaryen, Daemon's daughter played by Phoebe Campbell. She was sent to the Vale to watch over her younger half-brothers, but left them in the season 2 finale to chase a wild dragon living in the area. We left her just as she found it.
Now, we're getting reports about the next leg of Rhaena's journey. According to House the Dragons, Phoebe Campbell was filming recently in Capel Curig, Wales alongside Emma D'Arcy (Rhaenyra Targaryen) and Clinton Liberty (Addam of Hull). Rhaenyra and Addam are wearing riding gear, but Rhaena is wearing a dirty dress covered in sheepskin, and her hair is cut (or maybe burned) very short.
My guess is that Rhaena spends some time roughing it in the Vale, bonding with the dragon and learning how to ride, something she's always wanted. Eventually, she'll link up with her step-mother Rhaenyra and Addam, one of the peasants who's been drafted into Rhaenyra's dragon air force; they're known as dragonseeds. From there, Rhaena can join the fleet.
How House of the Dragon is changing the book
In George R.R. Martin Fire & Blood, Rhaena remains in the Vale for the bulk of the Dance of the Dragons civil war. Another character named Nettles, a peasant girl, tames a wild dragon named Sheepstealer and is drafted into Rhaenyra's air force. The show seems to be cutting Nettles and giving her role to Rhaena.
I think this is a loss, since Nettles was one of my favorite characters from Fire & Blood, but it's in keeping with House of the Dragon's MO; the show has already changed a great many things about the book and will very likely keep that up in season 3. It's also unclear who, if anybody, will fill Rhaena's role. She may not ride a dragon in the book, but she does play an important part later on in the story, something I'm not sure she'll be able to do if she's out there taking over Nettles' plotline.
Hopefully it all comes together when the third season of House of the Dragon airs on HBO and HBO Max sometime next year. In the meantime, we're getting lots of reports from set, including this glimpse of Bethany Antonia (Baela Targaryen), Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon) and Abubakar Salim (Alyn of Hull) filming on a beach on the island of Ynys Llanddwyn, Wales:
Novas imagens dos bastidores das filmagens da 3ª temporada de HOTD hoje em Ynys Llanddwyn, Anglesey!
— House the Dragons (@housethedragons) June 24, 2025
Ontem, Bethany Antonia (Baela), Steve Toussaint (Corlys) e Abubakar Salim foram vistos filmando no local. As gravações seguem a todo vapor na praia. pic.twitter.com/isV7of3KBs
PÓS-BATALHA DA GOELA 🚨
— House the Dragons (@housethedragons) June 24, 2025
Recebemos imagens das filmagens de hoje da 3ª temporada de House of the Dragon, incluindo a primeira aparição de Bethany Antonia (Baela) no set! As cenas mostram cadáveres, soldados Velaryon e piratas da Triarquia espalhados pela praia.
(📸 L T Jones) pic.twitter.com/bn4mD1daA7
I'm guessing these three characters are filming something related to the Battle of the Gullet, a major action set piece we'll get early in the season. There's a lot coming our way.
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