"House of the Dragon" season two continues to explore the "Game of Thrones" timeline before the likes of Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) were even born.
The latest chapter of the HBO franchise will pick up after the events of the season one finale, which saw Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) distraught after the death of her son, Lucerys Velaryon, at the hands of her half-brother, Aemond Targaryen.
Although the ending of "Game of Thrones" divided audiences, the franchise is still a lucrative property for HBO and Warner Bros., so it's unsurprising that they've expanded the universe with "House of the Dragon." Several other projects are also in development, including the Princess Nymeria series — titled "Ten Thousand Ships," and "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
But until those prequel shows come to fruition, "House of the Dragon" season two (and the already-ordered season three) will continue to deliver all the political intrigue, raunchy romantic drama, and flame-spitting monsters that fans could wish for.
Here's a refresher on all the dragons in "House of the Dragon."
Vhagar is the largest dragon.
Vhagar is the largest dragon in the Targaryens' brood, and the show has made sure to show off how intimidating she is in the few aerial scenes she's had so far.
Vhagar is the oldest dragon of the ones owned by House Targaryen in "House of the Dragon," and was previously ridden by Visenya Targaryen during King Aegon I Targaryen's reign years before the series picks up.
Laena Velaryon rides Vhagar first.
While Visenya Targaryen rode Vhagar in the past, Princess Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell) was first to own her in the "House of the Dragon" timeline. We even see her flying alongside her husband, Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), as they head back to Pentos.
Unfortunately, Laena goes through a traumatic birth in episode six that puts both her and her child at risk, and she forces Vhagar to end her suffering by incinerating her with that all-important phrase: "Dracarys."
Aemond Targaryen rides Vhagar after Laena's death.
After Laena's tragic death at the end of episode six, a young Aemond Targaryen (Leo Ashton) sneaks out in the middle of the night to try to tame her dragon, Vhagar. Surprisingly, instead of being incinerated or being turned into a dragon snack, the young boy manages to take control of the largest dragon in Westeros.
Aemond taking Vhagar for himself is also the reason he ends up losing an eye, as a fight breaks out between the Targaryen and Velaryon children, and Lucerys slashes his uncle with a dagger.
An eye for a very powerful dragon? That's one hell of a trade. The pair have another face off at the end of season one, but we'll get to that later.
Caraxes has a neck like a snake.
Caraxes might not be the biggest dragon in the gang, but he's longer than most of the others thanks to his snakelike neck. He's also got bright red scales, which gives him a very distinct look.
He was originally owned by Aemon Targaryen, the son of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, before the prince's death at the hands of Myrish pirates.
Daemon Targaryen commands Caraxes.
Caraxes is owned by the infamous Prince Daemon Targaryen, who constantly rebels against his brother in the series. He even takes Dragonstone (and a dragon egg) for himself alongside his consort, Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), and uses Caraxes to intimidate Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) and his forces when they try to oust Daemon from the castle in episode two.
However, that doesn't go very well when another dragon shows up...
Syrax has yellow scales.
Thankfully, Otto and the soldiers get some dragon backup of their own with Syrax, a yellow dragon of a similar size to Caraxes. She's a much younger dragon compared to the likes of Vhagar and Caraxes, but she's no less vicious.
It's one of the reasons that Daemon backs down when he's confronted on the bridge to Dragonstone. Although that might also have to do with who was riding Syrax.
Rhaenyra Targaryen rides Syrax.
Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (played by Milly Alcock as a child) commands Syrax from the beginning. The series shows the formidable teenager riding the yellow dragon in the first two episodes.
Her willingness to face off against her uncle Daemon is probably one of the reasons he starts to be attracted to her in the first place.
The older Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) later gives one of Syrax's eggs to Aemond, the son of Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke).
Vermax is a small dragon in the pit.
Vermax is much younger than most of the other dragons in the series and doesn't tower over people like Vhagar, Caraxes, and Syrax. He first shows up in episode six, as the dragonkeepers lead him out to Rhaenyra and Alicent's children.
Vermax also has a distinct look, with green scales and a red spine, but he doesn't see any combat in season one.
Jacaerys Velaryon is learning how to control Vermax.
Vermax belongs to Jacaerys Velaryon (Leo Hart), and he's still learning to control the young dragon as he takes lessons from the dragon keepers about how to use the "dreary" command. They're clearly paying off because Vermax responds by roasting a goat on command.
Poor goat.
Seasmoke takes part in the Stepstones conflict.
Seasmoke is another of the Targaryens' dragons, but he's given to the Velaryon family because Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) married Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), aka the Sea Snake.
Seasmoke is a silver and gray dragon, who proves to be a pivotal weapon in the War for the Stepstones.
Seasmoke is ridden by Laenor Velaryon.
Seasmoke belongs to Rhaenys and Corlys' son, Laenor (Theo Nate), and he's the one who saves Daemon in the War for the Stepstones when he goes up against the Crabfeeder and his forces.
Laenor eventually marries Rhaenyra and they have children after the time jump in season one, though their children are actually fathered by Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr).
After Laenor's faked death, Seasmoke is currently riderless in Dragonstone. But according to the books, he'll eventually get an unexpected new rider.
Meleys is also called the "Red Queen."
Meleys is a very large red dragon and she's been seen a few times in "House of the Dragon," first showing up as she heads to King's Landing next to Seasmoke and Laenor Velaryon.
But Meleys is becoming a key weapon against Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney). And her explosive entrance in episode nine's Dragonpit coronation scene is one for the ages.
Rhaenys Targaryen still flies Meleys.
Meleys is ridden by Laenor's mother, Rhaenys, who is King Viserys I Targaryen's cousin. She and Corlys are quick to suggest that the king marries Laena when she's 12 years old. Thankfully, he declined and married Alicent instead.
It's worth remembering that Rhaenys is also the one who warns Rhaenyra that she is in a dangerous position as successor to the Iron Throne because most men don't want a woman ruling Westeros.
Rhaenys proves that she's just as dangerous as anyone else in House Targaryen when she crashes Aegon's coronation with Meleys in episode nine.
Dreamfyre was meant for Baelon Targaryen.
There's also Dreamfyre. Don't worry if this isn't instantly ringing any bells, because she's only mentioned briefly back in the small council meeting during episode two.
Dreamfyre gets name-dropped because Daemon steals one of her eggs that was intended for Rhaenyra's baby brother, Baelon Targaryen, who died briefly after Queen Aemma gave birth to him in episode one.
Princess Helaena will eventually ride Dreamfyre, according to the book.
Viserys and Alicent's daughter, Princess Helaena (played by Evie Allen), hasn't become a major part of "House of the Dragon" yet. But she will eventually be the one to ride Dreamfyre, as per the 2018 "Fire and Blood" book by "Game of Thrones" author George R.R. Martin.
No spoilers, but an older Helaena (played by Phia Saban later in season one and in season two) becomes a vital part of the civil war, dubbed the "Dance of Dragons" that tears apart House Targaryen.
Daemon finds Vermithor under Dragonstone.
The finale introduces Vermithor, who is one of the riderless dragons living on Dragonstone. It's definitely helpful for Rhaenyra and Daemon to have several dragons that could be tamed in time for a coming civil war. Although Vermithor isn't as big as Vhagar, he's still a towering beast.
The finale introduces him when Daemon goes wandering into the caves underneath Dragonstone.
Fans who have read "Fire & Blood" will know that Vermithor will remain riderless for a little longer. No spoilers, but the person who ends up flying the dragon into battle is from the unlikeliest background. Expect to see a lot more of Vermithor as the Dance of Dragons really kicks off in future seasons.
Arrax clashes with Vhagar.
The finale also gives audiences another new dragon, Arrax, a much smaller dragon than many of the others ridden by House Targaryen. He has pearlescent scales with red spines and is a nimble flier — as seen in the finale when he dives through rocky terrain to escape Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) and Vhagar.
Unfortunately, Arrax disobeys his rider by briefly attacking Vhagar, and the larger dragon also ignores Aemond and responds with brutal force. After chasing Arrax for a while, Vhagar kills the younger dragon and his rider with a single chomp with his massive jaws.
It's at that moment that Aemond knows he messed up because Vhagar's impulsive violence causes Rhaenyra to go to war.
Lucerys Velaryon rides Arrax.
Arrax belongs to Prince Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault), and he was given the dragon by King Viserys as a way of dispelling the rumors about him being the son of Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr). But the finale is the first time we see Lucerys and Arrax fly together because Rhaenyra sends them on a diplomatic mission to speak with Lord Borros Baratheon (Roger Evans).
Unfortunately, Aemond got there first, and he tried to get revenge on Lucerys for cutting his eye out when they were children. But Borros intervenes, which is why Aemond takes to the skies with Vhagar instead.
Their chase ultimately leads to Vhagar chomping Lucerys and Arrax, which was an accident. But obviously, Rhaenyra doesn't see it like that. Oh dear.
Sunfyre takes part in the fight above Rook's Rest.
In the fourth episode of season two, the battle between the Greens and Blacks escalated around Rook's Rest castle. As the armies clashed on the ground, the dragons took to the sky. While Aemond and Vhagar fought Rhaenys and Meleys, Sunfyre surprised everyone by joining the fight alongside Vhagar.
Sunfyre, as the name suggests, is brightly colored with golden scales and pink-tipped wings. But despite his impressive appearance, he's not a formidable opponent, especially against a ferocious beast like Meleys.
Sunfyre gets severely wounded because of this and crashes into the nearby woodland. It's not clear if he survived the fight.
King Aegon I Targaryen rides Sunfyre.
King Aegon I Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) rides Sunfyre in the series, but audiences don't see him take flight until season two, episode four.
Aemond and Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) had planned to ambush the Greens with Vhagar, but Aegon threw a spanner in the works when he appeared above the battlefield on Sunfyre in an attempt to show strength to his army.
As fans now know, that didn't go so well, as Aegon was severely burnt by Meleys in the fight before he and Sunfyre crashed to the ground. The dragon survived, according to "Fire and Blood."
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