Ewan Mitchell remains tight-lipped on Aemond and Alys' relationship in House of the Dragon

Our time in Westeros has come to an end for the time being, with the sophomore season of House of the Dragon concluding on August 4. Though many criticized the season for being too slow (myself included), those who have read Fire & Blood still have faith that future seasons will be absolutely epic. Looking at the source material, we have so many major moments ahead of us — unless the writers change that, that is — not just including big battles. Yes, don't worry, there are more battles to come, but there are also interesting dynamics that'll form along with new alliances and betrayals.

WARNING: Minor spoilers for Fire & Blood are below.

It's not surprising that book fans have tried to ask the cast about pivotal future moments for their characters; how could you not? When speaking with Ewan Mitchell, who portrays Aemond Targaryen, Decider tried to get some insight into a relationship on the way between Aemond and Alys Rivers. We won't get into major spoilers here, but just know that's something from the book that many have been looking forward to.

Aemond is still looking for a mother figure in House of the Dragon

While Mitchell did his best to avoid any specific plot points coming up, he was able to share some insight into Aemond's headspace when it comes to getting close to others.

Decider did not mention Alys by name at first, choosing to simply reference a relationship that Aemond forms in Harrenhal. To this, Mitchell explained why his character might choose to be vulnerable when he is so purposefully careful to shield his emotions:

"He always kind of looked for surrogates for his mother. He found it in Vhagar, so to speak. An old she-dragon parallel. And he found it in the madame. But is that enough? So he’s always looking for his match, so to speak. Whether or not he finds it is another thing. Maybe there’s no one good enough for Aemond. Maybe he’s not good enough for anyone either."

- Ewan Mitchell

Elsewhere in the interview, Decider did explicitly mention Aemond and Alys' relationship, but Mitchell wouldn't bite. "No comment," he said. When asked if he's met the actress who portrays Alys, Gayle Rivers, the actor seemed hesitant to answer, commending her performance while saying he thinks he's met her during a table read briefly. That's all he was willing to share, understandably.

Aemond fans will no doubt be excited to see another side to the character, whether they've read the book or not, and it seems like Mitchell is looking forward to this as well. I'm very eager, though admittedly a little nervous, to see how his relationship with Alys is depicted in the show. I was a fan of Alys in the book, but because the Harrenhal scenes in the show got so tedious, I honestly dreaded seeing her on my screen, which isn't great. Hopefully that changes in the third season.

House of the Dragon will return with a third season, likely not until 2026, and showrunner Ryan Condal has confirmed the show will end with four seasons. If you still have to catch up or just want to rewatch like I do, the first two seasons are available to stream on Max.

Ewan Mitchell assures fans that the wait for House of the Dragon season 3 "will be worth it"

Mitchell also talked to NME about the show, where he fielded questions about fan concerns over season 2 being too slow. “The wait will be worth it!” he assured us.

That said, he sounds like he would have liked it had season 2 had a couple more episodes, which we've heard was the original plan before they were cut. “I just think the more House Of The Dragon the better, you know? I just love exploring Aemond and I can’t wait to explore even more so in the next season.”

"They’ve always said that Targaryens are closer to Gods than men… but after episode seven with The Red Sowing, that kind of put that belief into question. The divide between the common folk and Dragonlords isn’t as big as what it was thought to be. And so it kind of puts all Targaryens… we’re just like common folk. And I think Aemond, he retaliates in such a way (that you see in episode eight) that’s quite desperate. He literally begs his sister, Helaena, to join him on dragonback to take out Daemon. Going into season three, there’s certainly a blockade that needs to be broken."

Finally, he agreed that season 3 will likely be the darkest yet. "They say that when a Targaryen is born, they get to toss a coin. One side is greatness and the other side is madness. And we’ve got a whole family of these guys. So you could argue this is probably the craziest we’ve ever seen Westeros. And next season, they’re going to be at each other’s throats."

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