House of the Dragon’s season 2 finale mentions Dreamfyre, raising questions about Helaena Targaryen’s dragon. Helaena is played terrifically by actress Phia Saban in the House of the Dragon cast, who had some moments to shine earlier in the season during the Blood & Cheese event and its aftermath when the character saw her own baby murdered in front of her. After the horrible tragedy, Helaena was relatively absent throughout the season until her brother, Prince Regent Aemond Targaryen, requested her aid in the season 2 finale, mentioning Dreamfyre for the first time.
The House of the Dragon season 2 ending sees the Greens reacting to the Sowing of the Seeds, an event where Rhaenyra Targaryen allowed commoners with Valyrian blood to bond with the unclaimed dragons on Dragonstone. Aemond Targaryen and the Greens quickly find themselves heavily outnumbered in dragon power, leading Aemond to demand his sister’s support. Helaena is bonded to a dragon named Dreamfyre, but Helaena isn’t a warrior. Season 3 should see this dynamic play out further.
Dreamfyre Is One Of The Oldest Dragons In Westeros
Dreamfyre Is Roughly 100 Years Old
Out of the many dragons in House of the Dragon, Dreamfyre is one of the oldest at the time of the Dance of the Dragons. Vhagar is the oldest and largest during this time period, while many dragons are only as young as their riders, like Vermax, Sunfyre, and Moondancer, all of whom were raised alongside their bonded Targaryen. Dreamfyre is one of the dragons who’s been around far longer than her rider, at nearly 100 years of age at the start of the Dance of the Dragons.
A crucial aspect of dragons in the Game of Thrones universe is that they continue to grow with age. This isn’t necessarily a linear process, as activity and flying are important to their growth, but generally speaking, older dragons mean larger dragons. Therefore, Dreamfyre is probably on the larger side of those alive. Her exact size in the show is undetermined, as the she-dragon has yet to appear on-screen in the TV series, at least in full scope.
Who Rode Dreamfyre Before Helaena Targaryen
Rhaena Targaryen, Daughter Of Aenys I, Was Dreamfyre’s First Rider
Many of the dragons in House of the Dragon have had previous riders. From Caraxes to Vhagar to Meleys, many of the most fearsome dragons alive at this time have been bonded with other humans before, and that doesn’t discredit the relationship they have with their current rider. As for Dreamfyre, her first rider was Rhaena Targaryen, one of the daughters of King Aenys I Targaryen, the second monarch of Westeros.
Aenys perished, and his reign was proceeded by the self-explanatory Maegor the Cruel, who was known for his many violent acts and transgressions, including killing his own nephew. Maegor forced his niece, Rhaena, to marry him, but she would eventually outlast him and live to be 50, dying in 73 AC. Dreamfyre then spent decades riderless before Helaena eventually bonded with her during the reign of King Viserys I Targaryen. This was probably around 120 AC, roughly a decade before the Dance.
How Big & Powerful Is Dreamfyre Compared To Other Dragons In HOTD?
As previously mentioned, Dreamfyre is a dragon of significant size by the time of the Dance of the Dragons. Before the Sowing, this would’ve made a much larger impact, as most of Rhaenyra’s riders had relatively small dragons like Syrax and Moondancer. With larger dragons like Vermithor and Silverwing entering the fold, Dreamfyre’s size is a bit less threatening. Like Helaena, Dreamfyre isn’t really known for being a fighting dragon, like Caraxes, Vhagar, or Seasmoke. She’s primarily been a breeder and has been sheltered in the Dragonpit for some time.
With that in mind, any dragon poses a threat at this point in time, and the existence of a dragon like Dreamfyre means the Blacks must act with some hesitance. Even if Dreamfyre isn’t the most formidable fighter, she’d be supported by Vhagar in a hypothetical battle, and Vhagar is a massive threat on its own, given its size and ferocity. Compared to the largest dragons in Game of Thrones history, Dreamfyre is in the middle of the pack but is likely on the larger end during the Dance.
Does Helaena Fly Dreamfyre In The Dance Of The Dragons?
Helaena Never Flies Dreamfyre In The Book, But This Could Change
House of the Dragon is based on the book Fire & Blood, which is an extension of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice & Fire series and details the reign of several Targaryen monarchs. It provides an overview of the Dance of the Dragons and, according to the book, Helaena never takes flight during the war. Aemond fails at pressuring her in the season 2 finale, and she could maintain her decision to not fly Dreamfyre into battle in the coming action. However, the show has already made several changes to the source material, so nothing is impossible.
In Fire & Blood, Baela doesn’t ride Moondancer for a significant portion of the war due to its young size. Not to mention, Rhaenyra practically never flies Syrax in the book, but the TV series has added several scenes of her being ridden. It’s doubtful that Helaena would fly Dreamfyre into battle, but it’s far from impossible that she’ll be ridden at some point in season 3, especially given that the season 2 finale utilized multiple scenes to tease her existence.
What Happens To Dreamfyre
Dreamfyre Is Killed In The Storming Of The Dragonpit
Very few dragons actually survive the Targaryen civil war, weakening the royal house forever. Tragically, Dreamfyre is one of the dragons to perish, and in one of the most heartbreaking ways possible. She doesn’t die in battle but instead is killed by a mob outrage in the Storming of the Dragonpit. The event essentially sees a mob of commoners grow outraged after Rhaenyra retakes King’s Landing. Following her capture of the Iron Throne, Helaena Targaryen commits suicide by jumping from a window in the Red Keep, leading to riots.
This sequence could play out differently in the show, but the core element of it is that the mob breaks into the Dragonpit and tries to kill the dragons that are chained up there. An innumerable amount of human lives are lost in the process, but they eventually overwhelm the dragons and manage to kill five of them, including Dreamfyre, Syrax, and three very young dragons. It will be one of the most horrifying House of the Dragon moments, so hopefully Dreamfyre has a chance to shine before it.