Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon and George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood.
House of the Dragon season 3 episode 4, “Tumbleton,” took a slower pace and a more character-driven narration than the previous three episodes.
Although the episode earned the season's lowest IMDb score (7.6) so far, it touched on crucial developments across multiple subplots, including Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell) possibly assuming the identity of Nettles in the future.
We also saw Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim), who is yet to be officially recognized as a Velaryon by the crown, be sent by his father, Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), to attend Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen’s (Emma D’Arcy) Small Council in his stead before leaving to hunt down the Triarchy raiders.
While Alyn did not broach the topic of the Small Council with Rhaenyra, he did share a moment of camaraderie with her, bonding over “maddening” fathers and advising her on how to fix the Red Keep's rat infestation: with cats.
One major character missing from the collage of plots explored in episode 4 was Rhaena’s older sister, Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia). Last we knew of her, she was scouting the area near Harrenhal and the surrounding Riverlands, looking for any signs of Vhagar and Aemond.
If Rhaenyra continues to deny Alyn's legitimacy as Corlys’ son and heir to Driftmark, that would make Baela the oldest surviving descendant of the Sea Snake. Even though she has previously turned down the offer to inherit High Tide, the seat of House Velaryon, the situation brings us to the complicated romantic relationship that Alyn and Baela share in the book.
House of the Dragon has already hinted at the possible future of House Velaryon
In season 3 episode 2, “Queen’s Landing,” Alyn and Baela shared a scene for the first time.
Baela flew in on Moondancer as Alyn was searching for Corlys among a pile of corpses after the Battle of the Gullet. She offered him water and the two had a heart-to-heart about the Velaryon patriarch. Alyn asked her how Corlys had been as a grandfather when she was younger.
Later, after Alyn’s brother Addam (Clinton Liberty), flying on Seasmoke, found their father in the water, injured and unconscious, the four of them sat on the seashore, looking out at the bleak aftermath of the battle and a burning High Tide.
Baela helped Alyn stand up as Corlys offered to give him his name, now that he had nothing else left to give.
House of the Dragon has deviated in many ways from George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood — a move that many fans attribute to the book's status as an in-world, somewhat inaccurate historical record.
Although the episode 2 scenes between Alyn and Baela were few, they made the book-reading fans hope that the showrunners would bring them together, just like in the book, and give them a future together, no matter how tumultuous.
To add fuel to the speculation, Salim posted a hilarious text exchange with Harry Collett, the actor who plays Jacaerys Velaryon, Baela's betrothed up until his tragic death in the Battle of the Gullet.
— Abubakar Salim (@Abzybabzy) July 1, 2026
How Alyn and Baela's relationship plays out in Fire & Blood
In Fire & Blood, when Corlys Velaryon died a year after the Dance of the Dragons ended, the Council of Regents raised the possibility that Baela and Rhaena were the only two candidates to be the heir to the king, Aemon III Targaryen, son of Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith).
The council decided to wed Baela to Thaddeus Rowan, Lord of Goldengrove, after dismissing several suitors. Rowan was an old man and a two-time widower, and the match did not sit well with Baela.
Incensed, she escaped from the Red Keep and fled to Driftmark to seek help from Alyn.
Interestingly, in the book, Alyn and Addam were said to be fathered by Corlys’ son, Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan), although, like in the show, he was known to prefer men. Mushroom, the court fool whose accounts are also included in the book, claimed that they were actually Corlys’ sons.
Regardless of their parentage, Rhaenyra readily legitimized Alyn and Addam as Velaryons when Corlys asked, and Alyn inherited Driftmark after the Sea Snake’s passing. Upon hearing of Baela’s predicament, the new Lord of the Tides decided to help by marrying his cousin a fortnight later in a sept at Dragonstone.
Even though their marriage started off affectionate and the two had several children, it eventually became stormy. Alyn made frequent sea voyages, just like Corlys, and there were rumors that he had affairs with multiple women at his stops. Baela once quarreled with him after she heard whispers of his involvement with Aliandra Martell.
He was said to have loved King Aegon III’s daughter, Princess Elaena Targaryen, who was at least 35 years younger than him, and to have fathered two of her bastards, Jon and Jeyne Waters.
Despite the turbulence, the two were considered quite the power couple and prominent members of Aegon III’s court. During one of his voyages, Alyn brought back Aegon’s long-lost brother, Viserys II Targaryen, who earned his family an even more special place with the crown.
Of course, with only one season left to air, House of the Dragon will likely not focus on Alyn and Baela’s marriage or their collective contributions beyond the Targaryen civil war. But while it is nearly inconsequential in the grand scheme of the Dance of the Dragons, their marriage ensures the continuation of House Velaryon.
The Velaryons existed during the Game of Thrones timeline and were notable allies of the Targaryens during Robert’s Rebellion, although none of it is ever mentioned in the HBO show. It makes sense that House of the Dragon is setting up Baela and Alyn's eventual union, since without it that can never come to pass.
New episodes of House of the Dragon air Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.
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