If there's one thing that would summarise Daemon's (Matt Smith) time in House of the Dragon season two, it's visions and freaky AF dreams. And while most of them have been down right trippy, full of incest and images of himself on the Iron Throne, thankfully his final vision in the series is actually helpful. He comes to his senses and realises Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) should be the one to lead the Seven Kingdoms. Yep, we really had to wait all series for that moment.
But what does he actually see in the final vision at Harrenhal? Why does it matter? And who has been responsible for all these visions in the end? Here's what you need to know about them.
What does Daemon see in his final vision?
Throughout much of his time in Harrenhal (which is said to be cursed FYI) Daemon is plagued by unsettling visions, which he finds difficult to distort from reality, but are all clearly just dreams of things that haven't happened and could never happen. While most of them happen while he's sleeping, in episode eight Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) leads Daemon to the God's Wood, where he places his hand on a Weirwood tree.
In the vision he sees a series of flashing scenes including the man who becomes the Three-Eyed Raven, the White Walkers leading the Army of the Dead, Caraxes dead and Daemon himself dead in a body of water, a red comet and Daenerys Targaryen holding her three dragon eggs, Rhaenyra sat on the iron throne and Helaena (Phia Saban) telling him it's all a story.
What does Daemon's vision mean?
Ok, there's a lot to unpack from that incredibly short but poignant vision. In the most immediate future, it allows Daemon to finally understand it should be Rhaenyra who sits upon the iron throne, in order to unite the Seven Kingdoms against their common enemy.
If you recall, from both House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, there's a common prophecy that runs through out both series. It's Aegon the Conqueror's dream, aka the Song of Ice and Fire, aka the Prince Who Was Promised prophecy.
The prophecy foretells it must be a Targaryen who sits upon the Iron Throne if the Seven Kingdoms are to win over against the Long Night (when the White Walkers will take over) and this person will be known as the prince who was promised.
It's long been debated if Daenerys or secret Targaryen, Jon Snow, was actually the prince who was promised, however this new vision seems to suggest it is Daenerys who is the person to fulfil the prophecy. And therefore Daemon must support Rhaenyra so that their descendants can get to this future saviour.
Who is the man at the beginning of Daemon's vision?
Before he sees the White Walkers and Daenerys, a Targaryen man is seen in Daemon's vision. The man is believed to be Brynden Rivers, aka Bloodraven, he is the bastard son of King Aegon IV, who was the grandson of Rhaenyra and Daemon through their son Viserys.
Brynden was legitimised by Aegon just before his death and was loyal to the crown, until he was sent to the wall and became Commander of the Night's Watch. However, at one point he went missing beyond the wall and at some point became the Three-Eyed Raven.
He can be identified as the Bloodraven because of the raven shaped birthmark on his face.
What's Helaena's connection to the vision?
At the end of Daemon's vision Helaena comes out of the shadows, telling him "it's all a story". Helaena's appearance is a little confusing as she doesn't seem to relate to the rest of the vision.
As we know throughout both seasons Helaena has had prophecies that have come true and generally just acted a bit *strange*. While in the book Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin the series is based on, Helaena has no special abilities, the series creators appear to have added another element to her character for the TV series.
So why was Helaena there? Well some fans have theorised Helaena was having a twin vision and foreseeing Aemond's death in the lake. As we saw later in the episode Helaena reveals to Aemond about his death and also tells him she knows he hurt Aegon as she had seen it.
We know Helaena wasn't physically at the battle in which Aegon nearly died, this then suggests she could have some sort of stronger powers at play.
House of the Dragon season two is available to stream on NOW
Lydia Venn is Cosmopolitan UK’s Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer. She covers everything from TV and film, to the latest celebrity news. She also writes across our work/life section regularly creating quizzes, covering exciting new food releases and sharing the latest interior must-haves. In her role she’s interviewed everyone from Margot Robbie to Niall Horan, and her work has appeared on an episode of The Kardashians. After completing a degree in English at the University of Exeter, Lydia moved into fashion journalism, writing for the Daily Express, before working as Features Editor at The Tab, where she spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Talk Radio. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of Gilmore Girls and 00s teen movies, and in her free time can be found with a margarita in hand watching the Real Housewives on repeat. Find her on LinkedIn.
