The ending of House of the Dragon episode 9 was fairly abrupt and dramatic, with the focus since understandably resting on Rhaenys’ dramatic dragon-assisted escape from King’s Landing.
But really, it shouldn’t have come as that much of a shock, because we were told it was going to happen. The problem was, the words were spoken by a character nobody listens to.
OK, let’s back up for a moment. Earlier in the episode, after King Viserys has (finally) been confirmed dead, Queen Alicent goes looking for her son Aegon to tell him that he’s going to be the new king. Her first stop is her daughter and Aegon’s sister/wife (yep), Princess Helaena Targaryen.
Princess Helaena, you may remember, is a bit odd. She plays with insects, she doesn’t say much, and when she does it often sounds like random nonsense.
Or at least it did until she perfectly predicted the episode 9 ending.
In the scene in question, Alicent visits Helaena and is about to tell her of her father’s death when Helaena suddenly interrupts, whispering, « There is a beast beneath the boards. »
At the time, Alicent takes no notice. As viewers we barely take any notice either.
But cut to the end of the episode, and Helaena’s words take on a whole new meaning. There was a beast beneath the boards: Princess Rhaenys’ dragon Meleys, on the back of which she bursts up through the floor to completely derail King Aemon’s coronation before flying off to tell Rhaenyra about what the Hightowers are planning.
Turns out we should have been listening to Helaena this whole time. Going back to her previous scenes, Helaena predicts her brother being blinded in one eye in episode 6 — « He’ll have to close an eye, » she whispers when her mother tells Aemond he’ll have a dragon one day — and in episode 7 she mutters a seemingly nonsensical poem that may hold even greater significance.
« Hand turns loom, spool of green, spool of black, dragons of flesh weaving dragons of thread, » sings Helaena under her breath at the funeral of Laena Velayron.
What if « Hand turns loom » refers to the Hand, Otto Hightower, plotting for his daughter to marry King Viserys? The spools of green and black could represent the different factions about to go to war (Alicent vs Rhaenyra), and the dragons could represent something that’s going to happen during that fight. Does dragons of thread mean banners, for instance? Or could it mean fake Targaryens, referring to Rhaenyra’s sons?
Difficult to say, but based on Helaena’s track record it seems like we’ll find out soon enough.
New House of the Dragon episodes are available every Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.
