As we get closer to the official release date for House of the Dragon season 3, more and more rumors come out from various sources, each sparking a new theory.
Last we knew, filming for the new season is done, and it is set to air in the summer of 2026. It will have eight episodes and take us right to the Targaryen civil war, better known as the Dance of the Dragons. The infamous Battle of the Gullet is rumored to feature at the start of the season.
A potential season 3 leak, recently shared by a fan account on social media, gave a better look at what to expect from the first episode. X user @housethedragons claimed they have learned from inside sources that Dylan Smith (Rings of Power, Maze Runner: The Death Cure), who plays a captain of House Staunton, the rulers of Rook’s Rest, will capture Aegon Targaryen II and his Master of Whisperers, Larys Strong.
🚨 EXCLUSIVO
— House the Dragons (@housethedragons) November 29, 2025
O ator Dylan Smith (Rings of Power) interpreta um capitão da Casa Stauton que captura Aegon e Larys no início da temporada.
No episódio 1, a carroça da dupla é inspecionada por soldados Stauton; Aegon tenta fugir, mas é agredido e levado para Rook Rest. pic.twitter.com/Zh7T5O4Seu
The photo shared by the user shows the two of them inside a cage-like wagon. A second photo shows Staunton soldiers arriving at Rook’s Rest, where Aegon, his brother Aemond, and Rhaenys Targaryen fought atop their dragons. The post claims that the soldiers thwart Aegon’s attempt at escape and take him to their fasthold.
When Aegon arrives at Rook’s Rest, he may be in for a cherished reunion amid all the horrors of battle and his own scarring experience.
Aegon believes that his dragon, Sunfyre, died after the Battle of Rook’s Rest in season 2, episode 4, “The Red Dragon and the Gold," but that may not be the case.
In that episode, we see Aemond’s Vhagar breathe fire directly at Aegon and Sunfyre, which leaves them both heavily injured. Aemond and Vhagar later kill Rhaenys and her dragon, Meleys. Aegon is brought back to King’s Landing to be nursed back to health. He tells Larys during the season 2 finale that his dragon is dead.
We later learn from Criston Cole, who also fought at Rook’s Rest, that Sunfyre is alive and being protected by his men, but is “long in the dying.” So, Cole seemingly left the golden dragon severely wounded and at the doors of death, but not yet perished.
Another report from @housethedragons in August 2025 claimed that Rook’s Rest scenes with Sunfyre were filmed at Hankley Common. The sequence allegedly involves a group of soldiers of House Mooten who “encounter a lair full of human and animal remains and are attacked by surprise by Sunfyre.”
If the reports are accurate and Sunfyre is really alive, we may get to see the dragon’s involvement in the Black Queen, Rhaenyra Targaryen’s death, as is the case in the source material. Joffrey Baratheon made a brief reference to the incident in Game of Thrones.
Stay tuned for more news about House of the Dragon season 3!