Among the most devastating moments to come in House of the Dragon season 3 has already been undermined by a shortcoming with Helaena Targaryen’s story and her connection to her dragon, Dreamfyre. If the title of the show doesn’t hint as much, House of the Dragon dives deeper into the shared bonds between a dragon and its rider – some of whom aren’t Targaryens. However, while Rhaenyra and Syrax, Daemon and Caraxes, and Aemond and Vhagar have had their connections explored quite well, not all Targaryens and their dragons have received this treatment.
In fact, whereas the other Targaryens often mention their dragons, it might be easy to forget that Helaena Targaryen rides Dreamfyre, one of the largest and oldest dragons in the world. Helaena rode Dreamfyre to Driftmark and back for Laena Velaryon’s funeral as a child, but she hasn’t been seen interacting with her dragon and has hardly mentioned her in the time since. Considering an agonizing, emotionally charged dragon scene from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book is expected to be adapted in House of the Dragon season 3, the show overlooking Helaena and Dreamfyre’s bond becomes more disappointing.
Dreamfyre & Helaena’s Biggest HOTD Season 3 Scene Will Be When She Dies
Helaena’s Biggest Moment With Dreamfyre Won’t Include Riding Her Into Battle
After Alicent forbids Helaena from riding Dreamfyre with Aemond in House of the Dragon’s season 2 finale, it’s unlikely that the show will ever see the Targaryen queen ride her dragon as an adult. Oddly, however, Fire & Blood revealed that Helaena enjoyed riding Dreamfyre prior to the events of the Targaryen Civil War. House of the Dragon hasn’t truly touched on Helaena’s bond with Dreamfyre as a child or an adult, even though her status as a dragon dreamer suggests her connection to her dragon could manifest even stronger than other Targaryen dragon bonds.
Sadly, rather than a scene of Helaena and Dreamfyre taking to the skies for one last time, it’s possible that the only big moment between the two characters in House of the Dragon season 3 won’t even feature them in the same room. Dreamfyre is held in the Dragonpits at King’s Landing throughout the war, with Helaena being confined to her chambers in the Red Keep during the time that Rhaenyra holds the Iron Throne. Even if Helaena goes to visit Dreamfyre at the Dragonpit in House of the Dragon season 3, it’s apt to only be a brief reunion before tragedy strikes them both.
At the moment of Helaena’s death, Dreamfyre senses her rider’s fate, lets out a Dragonpit-shaking roar, and becomes so restless and angry that she breaks two chains holding her down.
The biggest scene between Dreamfyre and her rider to come in House of the Dragon arrives when Helaena Targaryen dies by suicide. In Fire & Blood, Helaena takes her own life approximately six months after Rhaenyra takes King’s Landing, as Alicent’s daughter leaps from her window in Maegor’s Holdfast and is fatally impaled by the spikes below. At the moment of Helaena’s death, Dreamfyre senses her rider’s fate, lets out a Dragonpit-shaking roar, and becomes so restless and angry that she breaks two chains holding her down.
To make matters worse, Dreamfyre dies very shortly after Helaena in the Dance of the Dragons. In response to Helaena’s death, the people of King’s Landing revolt and engage in the devastating Storming of the Dragonpit. The smallfolk enter the Dragonpit and attack the four dragons being held there, killing all of them. While Dreamfyre is able to briefly escape her chains and kill many of her attackers, she soon crashes into the dome above, causes it to fall down, and fatally crushes herself and numerous others in the Dragonpit.
Helaena & Dreamfyre’s Death Scene Will Repeat A Tragic HOTD Season 1 Rhaenyra Moment
House Of The Dragon May Reuse The Quick Cuts Between Rhaenyra & Syrax
In order to effectively portray Dreamfyre’s agonizing response to Helaena’s death, House of the Dragon season 3 will likely repeat an editing trick that made a season 1 Rhaenyra Targaryen scene all the more emotionally poignant. When Rhaenyra went into labor early and bore her stillborn daughter, Visenya, House of the Dragon’s season 1 finale cut between shots of Rhaenyra and Syrax pained and yelling. As Rhaenyra screamed while giving birth to Visenya, Syrax was chained up in the pits at Dragonstone and still let out screeches that proved she could feel the pain and distress of her rider.
While Dreamfyre already experienced the death of her first rider when Queen Alysanne Targaryen died from illness, it presumably wasn’t as excruciating of an experience as having to sense her second rider brutally taking her own life.
House of the Dragon may reuse this technique for Helaena’s upcoming death. As the Queen walks toward the window and falls, House of the Dragon will likely cut between shots of Helaena and Dreamfyre, with the dragon presumably becoming more anxious with each second. While Dreamfyre already experienced the death of her first rider when Queen Alysanne Targaryen died from illness, it presumably wasn’t as excruciating of an experience as having to sense her second rider brutally taking her own life.
For the most part, the dragons will die before their Targaryen riders in House of the Dragon, or the rider and dragon will die simultaneously. Syrax perishes after the chaos of King’s Landing riots before Rhaenyra is killed by Aegon, Vermax is killed in the Battle of the Gullet moments before Jacaerys dies in the combat, Moondancer dies in battle with Sunfyre while Baela and Aegon are only injured, Sunfyre dies from his wounds before Aegon is poisoned, and Vhagar and Aemond as well as Daemon and Caraxes all die together in the Battle Above the Gods Eye.
House Of The Dragon Made A Mistake By Ignoring Dreamfyre & Helaena’s Bond
Dreamfyre’s Response To Helaena’s Death May Not Have As Great Of An Emotional Payoff
Since Dreamfyre’s response to Helaena’s death is seen as one of the biggest emotional responses to a dragon losing its rider in Fire & Blood, it’s a shame that House of the Dragon didn’t spend more time on their bond. Showing young Rhaenyra’s love for Syrax and connection to her dragon helped emphasize the importance of their emotional connection during the season 1 finale’s birth scene, but House of the Dragon hasn’t put the same time into highlighting the strong bond between Helaena and Dreamfyre.
Helaena jumping into Daemon’s vision in House of the Dragon’s season 2 finale also begs the question of whether she has a skinchanging ability, which could have opened up an unexpected storyline to explore with Helaena and Dreamfyre. Like Bran warging into Summer, House of the Dragon could have used Helaena’s bond with Dreamfyre to emphasize the strength of her powers and psychic connections with her family’s bonded animal. However, it’s a bit too late to begin this journey given Helaena’s death arrives soon in House of the Dragon’s timeline.
Consequently, the true toll of Helaena’s death on Dreamfyre may not be as apparent or effective without that backstory. House of the Dragon suggests that Helaena hardly sees Dreamfyre despite being just a short distance from the Dragonpit, so it may feel a touch out of place to see such a strong reaction elicited from her dragon. Even if there’s the possibility that she’s been communicating with Dreamfyre in other ways, failing to significantly address Helaena’s bond with her dragon may hurt the emotional payoff of her death scene in the show.