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Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Helaena Targaryen is a constant witness to her family’s horrors. The soft-spoken queen consort, played by Phia Saban in House of the Dragon, is often relegated to the sidelines as her dragon-riding, bloodthirsty family vies for influence and power. To say Helaena was dealt a hard hand is an understatement. Her father died during her childhood after being manipulated by her mother, her family is torn apart by a seemingly pointless (and bloody) war, her infant son is murdered in his sleep, two of her brothers are psychopaths (one of whom is her husband), and her dreams are plagued by terrifying glimpses of the future. This is too much for even the strongest Targaryen.
The first two seasons show Helaena as an onlooker, passively engaging with her family or only occasionally offering prophetic visions (telling her brothers of their own demise). She is sequestered to the Red Keep in King’s Landing, only barely riding a dragon of her own. The third season continued this confined storyline, particularly as Queen Rhaenyra returned to reclaim the throne. This left Helaena and her mother, Alicent (Olivia Cooke), imprisoned within their own house. But the real prison is Helaena’s own mind, feeding her horrifying dreams and visions of pain and suffering. In season 3, episode 4, “Tumbleton,” her mother discovers she is pregnant—a large heir-related problem when the throne is actively in dispute.
Helaena is undoubtedly one of the most tragic characters in House of the Dragon’s source material, George R. R. Martin’s fantasy book Fire & Blood—arguably in the author’s entire extended universe. Read on for our explanation of the character and what we might expect for her in future episodes. But be warned if you haven’t yet seen up to season 3, episode 5: There are spoilers ahead.
Wait, Is Helaena Married to Her Brother?
The Targaryen incest never stops being shocking. We’ve seen almost every form of incestuous royal marriage, and still, an internal family marriage doesn’t get easier to stomach. So, yes, Helaena is married to her brother Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney). Aegon is the king of Westeros—at least, in the eyes of some. Some think he usurped the throne from his older half-sister Rhaenyra (which sparked the ongoing “Dance of the Dragons” and led to the killing of plenty of Targaryens and dragons).
Helaena married her brother under the instructions of her family to cement the claim to the throne. The unlikely couple had twins: Jaehaerys and Jaehaera Targaryen. Jaehaerys, however, was slain by assassins who made Helaena choose which of her kids would die. (This is truly among the most brutal Game of Thrones deaths.) In the book, she has a third son, Maelor, who is absent from the show. And Aegon, who’s been burned alive, is infertile.
So, Helaena Is Pregnant?
Yes. Alicent discovers this pregnancy during their house arrest, inciting (justified) panic about the safety of her daughter, knowing that Rhaenyra will be forced to kill her (to prevent any new heir from challenging her). This is the start of a very devastating storyline. In season 3, episode 5, “Unbowed and Unbent,” Alicent urges Helaena to drink a potion meant to induce a miscarriage, but Helaena refuses. This is no surprise, because we did already see Helaena lose a child in front of her eyes. But this pregnancy is likely going to play a significant role in Helaena’s fate (and likely Rhaenyra’s true descent into pure Targaryen madness).
Can Helaena See the Future?
Yes. This is a major change from the books but a welcome one. Helaena repeatedly sees into the future, foreseeing her brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) losing an eye before mounting his dragon. In the last episode, she sees Aemond again; this time, she says she sees him burning without fire. This is true, as he finds himself tortured and injured within the halls of Harrenhal. Her prophetic ability is only subtly mentioned throughout the show, though it’s obvious how much mental strain it places on her.
Can Helaena Ride Dragons?
Helaena bonded with Dreamfyre (appropriate, given her supernatural abilities). In the book, she loves to ride her dragon, but in the television adaptation, we’ve never seen her ride. In fact, the show has gone so far as to completely forgo the queen’s love of flying. We hope this will change (before disaster strikes).
What Is Going to Happen to Helaena?
The tragedy of Helaena Targaryen is among the most heartbreaking in Martin’s books. She suffers collateral damage at every stage of the war despite not playing an active part in her family’s dissolution. The television show portrays her as sympathetic to her cousins Lucerys and Jacaerys Velaryon (both of whom die in the war). She lives quietly with her mother, with no stomach for battle and a desire to be left alone.
Now, showrunners have introduced very complicated new elements into Helaena’s life. The pregnancy is obviously going to play a major role in her story, especially because she vehemently refused to take the potion. What can we expect from such a sinister setup? If we’ve watched any of these shows (or read any of these books) before, we can expect Helaena’s tragedy to be amplified in the days to come—meaning the fallout is surely to be doubly bloody.
Major spoiler: In the books, Halaena eventually commits suicide, throwing herself onto spikes outside of the castle after her son is killed as a result of the ongoing war. (In the books, she actually has two sons, both of whom are killed.) In Game of Thrones, we saw King Tommen receive a similar fate, thrusting himself from a castle window. So, that very well could be the devastating ending we get here as well.
