A vital chapter from A Clash of Kings shows George R.R. Martin may have planned one of the biggest Game of Thrones TV franchise plot twists 26 years ago. Martin’s A Song of Ice & Fire book series is known as a prolific masterwork of the fantasy genre, but nearly three decades after the first novel, it still hasn’t been completed. Regardless, HBO continues to expand its Game of Thrones television franchise, adapting Martin’s material and expanding their version of the world beyond his book contents.
House of the Dragon is the first Game of Thrones prequel to air, and the premiere episode in 2022 shocked audiences with a major twist involving the Prince That Was Promised Prophecy. King Viserys I Targaryen reveals that Aegon the Conqueror foresaw the Long Night and conquered Westeros to unite its people and lead them against the White Walkers. This is a massive idea, and showrunner Ryan Condal revealed in a 2022 interview (via Business Insider)that it came straight from George R.R. Martin himself. If Aegon’s Dream also applies to the books, then the context of ASOIAF shifts.
A Daenerys POV Chapter In A Clash Of Kings Implies Rhaegar Knew About Aegon’s Dream
The Book Version Of The House Of The Undying Reveals Something Similar To Aegon’s Prophecy
Game of Thrones season 2 sees Daenerys adventure into the House of the Undying in Qarth, but this sequence plays out very differently. It’s actually one of Game of Thrones’ biggest missteps in retrospect, eliminating many of the show’s magical elements early on and primarily stripping the series of the Prince That Was Promised Prophecy. Regardless, in the book, Daenerys encounters several visions, one of which has massive implications for the series as a whole. Read the full text from “Daenerys IV” in A Clash of Kings below:
Viserys, was her first thought the next time she paused, but a second glance told her otherwise. The man had her brother’s hair, but he was taller, and his eyes were a dark indigo rather than lilac. “Aegon,” he said to a woman nursing a newborn babe in a great wooden bed. “What better name for a king?”
“Will you make a song for him?” the woman asked.
“He has a song,” the man replied. “He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire.” He looked up when he said it and his eyes met Dany’s, and it seemed as if he saw her standing there beyond the door. “There must be one more,” he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say. “The dragon has three heads.” He went to the window seat, picked up a harp, and ran his fingers lightly over its silvery strings. Sweet sadness filled the room as man and wife and babe faded like the morning mist, only the music lingering behind to speed her on her way.
In this vision, Daenerys sees her other older brother, Rhaegar Targaryen, the son of the Mad King. Rhaegar was known to be interested in prophecies, but this vision seems to imply more than just an interest. At the birthing of his son, Aegon, he’s directly thinking about the Prince That Was Promised. He even says, “There must be one more.” This isn’t just a passing thought; he’s birthing children for a purpose. Perhaps Rhaegar’s purpose is to fulfill Aegon’s Dream, which has been passed down to him through generations for nearly 300 years.
Does Aegon’s Dream Survive The Dance Of The Dragons?
Rhaenyra’s Son Wins The War, But The Dream Could Be Lost In The Shuffle
As of House of the Dragon season 2, Rhaenyra, Jacaerys, and Daemon Targaryen are the only people left alive who know of Aegon’s Dream. However, all of these characters will die before the outcome of the Dance of the Dragons, risking the possibility that the dream could die with them. For the prophecy to be passed down to Rhaegar, it will have to go through Rhaenyra and Daemon’s children, as the Targaryen line descends through their sons Aegon III and eventually Viserys II. Ultimately, it’s impossible to tell for sure until the TV series ends whether the dream survives.
Rhaenyra and Aegon III will see each other again, as her young son is present at the time of her death. While it’s possible that she communicated it to her son somehow, it doesn’t seem likely Aegon III would be old enough to grasp the weight of it and be prepared to carry the information on, and it’s too valuable to be placed in a letter. One possibility is the Valyrian steel dagger, which is passed down through Targaryen monarchs, and has part of the prophecy written on it.
Rhaegar may not have received the full prophecy, but he could have found the writing on the dagger. After all, he doesn’t mention the Long Night or the army of the dead, he only mentions the words that are on the dagger. If he was interested in prophecies and found this on a Targaryen relic, he could have taken it to have a grander meaning. The major flaw here is that the Valyrian steel dagger isn’t known to be a Targaryen relic in the books. Its usage in HOTD is entirely original to the TV series.
How Game Of Thrones’ Jon Snow Twist Changes Dany’s Vision
Jon Snow Could Be The Aegon Targaryen In This Scene
What this scene could directly represent is Rhaegar having his second child, Aegon, with Elia Martell. After their first daughter, Rhaenys, Aegon would be the second child, and he could be requesting to have a third child because “The dragon has three heads.” But this would be very neat and orderly, and aside from maybe Aegon (if that’s who Young Griff is), these characters have little relevance to the series. Using added context from the TV shows, it’s possible to rework this scene. Especially since the woman he’s with isn’t named or described in any way.
Instead of framing this vision as something that actually happened, examining it as something that could have happened is another possibility. Rhaegar and Elia gave birth to an Aegon, but as per Game of Thrones, Rhaegar also gave birth to an Aegon Targaryen with Lyanna Stark. That Aegon was Jon Snow. So if Daenerys, who’s having the vision, is implied to be the first head of the dragon, that makes Jon Snow the second, leaving room for one more. Dany isn’t Rhaegar and Lyanna’s daughter, but the three heads don’t all need to come from the same parentage.
Rhaegar Knowing Aegon’s Dream Changes Robert’s Rebellion
Rhaegar Could’ve Been Trying To Birth The Prince That Was Promised
Game of Thrones massively shifted the context of Robert’s Rebellion by revealing that Rhaegar didn’t kidnap Lyanna. Instead, she ran off with him and they married in secret. If Rhaegar knew about Aegon’s Dream in some capacity, it would make another drastic change to the meaning behind the war’s events. It’s implied in the ASOIAF novels that Rhaegar sought out Lyanna at the Tourney at Harrenhal, and he could have been directly searching for the other half of the prophecy.
This would mean Rhaegar sought after Lyanna to mix fire and ice and birth the Prince that was Promised. Or, at least, birth one-third of it. Jon Snow is commonly believed to be one of the heads of the dragon, along with Daenerys, and this theory still doesn’t ascertain who the third head would be. Even if Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon haven’t satisfied some book readers, it’s worth noting what changes might end up also being true to George R.R. Martin’s lore once The Winds of Winter comes around.