What the “toxic” house of the Dragon Season 3 and 4 changes are warned of GRRM

Warning: Contains spoilers for Fire and Blood, the book on which House of the Dragon is based.George RR Martin mentions House of the Dragon Seasons 3 and 4 make changes to his book, Fire & BloodWhat would result in a “toxic” Butterfly effect on the narrative, but what is he referring to? Martin wrote a now deleted post on his Not a blog Page detailing several issues he had with HBO’s adaptation of his House Targaryen history book, centered around changes to Blood and Cheese and, specifically, the omission of Maelor, the third child of King Aegon II Targaryen and Queen Helena Targaryen.

Martin’s arguments not only spoke about the lack of impact that makes the blood and cheese killing Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen disappointing to book readers, but also the knock-on effect it would have. This includes Maelor’s own death, and then Helaena’s suicide that follows. However, he also teased even bigger changes, writing:

“And there are more and more toxic butterflies to come, if HOUSE OF THE DRAGON goes ahead with some of the changes being considered for Seasons 3 and 4…”

of course, House of the Dragon Season 3 is a long way off, with it not expected to be released until sometime in 2026. The changes Martin is referring to may or may not happen, but based on the direction of the show and how it’s already started things change, It is possible to make a few guesses as to who he is referring to, outside of Maelor and Helaena.

The Dragonseed has seemingly been removed from the show

One significant change that is all but confirmed now is House of the Dragon Cut nettles, a dragon’s seed of Fire & Blood. In the book, she is the one who claims the wild dragon Sheepstealer during the sowing of the dragonseeds. However, she never appeared at this point in the show’s story, and House of the Dragon Season 2’s ending seen Rhaena Targaryen meets what appears to be Sheepstealer, strongly suggesting that the characters will be merged going forward.

Since the change is more or less guaranteed – it would be quite a swerve to introduce Nettles in season 3, and make much less sense than that alongside the other Dragonseeds – it could be one of the changes Martin was referring to. Indeed, in a previous post on Not a blogHe made a reference that could be seen as a problem with the show’s sheepstealer story, writing:

“You won’t find dragons hunting the Riverlands or the Reach or the Valley…”

However, that’s exactly what the show revealed shortly after he revealed that. Combining that with comments about changes, Nettles would add up as one of the author’s problematics. Nettle is an important character in this bookBecause she is the only person who has claimed a wild snake, and she does it with her own cunning and terrible nature. Her lineage is also unconfirmed, meaning she challenges the idea of ​​whether Valyrian blood really is needed to bond with and ride a dragon.

Nettle’s importance grows from there. She not only fights in battles for Team Black, but forms a close alliance with Daemon Targaryen. Some sources describe it as being like father and daughter, others claim it’s romantic, but the bond is there regardless. Later, this inspires a great sense of jealousy in Rhaenyra Targaryen, and contributes to some of her own actions as she takes a darker turn. It also changes Rhaena’s story, as she eventually gets her own dragon, Tomorrow, which is an important part of her arc.

All of this would fit with the sort of butterfly effect that Martin writes about, where one change that, in isolation, may not be too significant, leads to bigger issues later on. However, this is not the only possibility.

The changes in the House of the Dragon Season 3 and 4 could be about Rhaenyra

Rhaenira is different in House of the Dragon compared to Fire and Blood

House of the Dragon Season 3 is also set to make changes in how Rhaenyra takes on King’s LandingAfter Alicent Hightower’s decision to let her take control of the city, willing to open the gates and even allow Aegon to be killed (although, unbeknownst to them, he escaped with Laris Strong). This, and what follows, may also be part of what Martin is referring to.

The author specifically refers to Rhaenyra as a more cruel character in the book, talking about how she is not “sweet and gentle” Like Helena, and how the last death helps to bring unrest in the city. This could still happen in the show, though Emma D’Arcy’s Rhaenyra is a much more sympathetic version of the character than the one in the book. Although there are signs of something changing, as she is more willing to take what she wants with force, it may still try to keep her as the hero, which would have an impact on her future.

The little ones must return to Raenira. She needs to be driven out of King’s Landing, and lose everything. When Rhenira dies in House of the DragonShe should have almost nothing. If the show tries to keep her as the ultimate hero and the one on the side of “good,” it’s going to be hard to get to that point, which would be a massive change.

Alternatively, it may refer to her relationship with Alicent. Little is written about Alicent after Rhaenyra takes King’s Landing, but the pair are certainly not on good terms. The show has made their relationship central to the story, and will want to explore that further if both are in King’s Landing. Whether it’s a romance between Rhaenyra and Alicent, as has been theorized, or just keeping both characters on the right side, this could have a trickle-down effect. It might even allow Alicent to leave King’s Landing with Rhaenyra later, once again changing the latter’s future.

House of the Dragon Season 3 May Change the Story of Aegon the Younger

Is House of the Dragon changing the Battle of the Gullet?

House of the Dragon Season 2 sets up the Battle of the Gullet, which will see the Velaryon fleet face off against the Triarchy, but there could be some substantial changes to the prelude to the battle. Before the fighting begins, the Triarchy encounters the Gay Abandon, the ship taking Princess Aegon and Viserys Targaryen (Rhaenyra’s youngest children) to Pentos. In the book, Viserys is captured, while Aegon escapes on his dragon, Stormcloud, flying back to Dragonstone to warn of what happens, though the dragon dies from the effort.

In the show, the same setup exists – Aegon and Viserys are sent off on the ship – but Stormcloud, based on one brief appearance, is absolutely tiny and looks too small to be flown. Unless it rapidly sizes the dragon, it will be difficult to start the battle in the same way. This could mean that Aegon and Viserys both end up in Essos, which would have major ramifications for the future of the Dance of the Dragons.

Aegon stays with Rhaenyra for most of the civil war, and she especially keeps him close once her other children have all died (it is believed that Viserys was killed at this point, although this is not the case). Thus, Aegon was there when Rhaenyra was killed. It’s a moment that gives him not only deep-rooted trauma, but also a hatred of dragons, and the creatures eventually die out under his rule once he takes the Iron Throne. If House of the Dragon messes with this, it could radically change the history of House Targaryen.

I think it’s also possible, if it goes down that route, that Alicent will be there when Rhaenyra dies. The show took so long to keep them together, that her being there at the end feels like the kind of thing they could do to try to extend their story to the final moment, especially since Alicent doesn’t have much of a role otherwise. It’s a lot of ifs to get to this stage, and requires multiple major changes, but it wouldn’t absolutely hurt me to see it.

What else could the changes in GRRM’s teased House of the Dragon be about?

There are many possibilities

Beyond the above, there are an almost endless amount of options for what Martin could have been referring to. There are dozens of characters and storylines in the game, and they are all connected in some way. It has to be someone or something pretty significant, but outside of the above, it could be changing character deaths, killing people who are still alive in the book, or having people who die stay alive.

Alternatively, it may refer to events that have been cut down. Based on the story of the book, there are a huge amount of battles to come, and House of the Dragon Probably can not show them all. Some of these could be cut down, which could change fates, allegations and storylines. The show is already different, and the gaps may widen further, but it remains to be seen how far the butterfly effect goes.