House of the Dragon: King Viserys' Dark Prophecy About Rhaenyra and Aegon Explained

House of the Dragon Episode 3 "Second of His Name" does a masterful job of being intensely focused on a character that can barely act all in the series – literally and figuratively. A jump in time of a few years reveals that King Viserys I has been wed to Alicent Hightower and had one son (with another child on the way). That son is Aegon II, named after Aegon "The Conqueror" who first conquered the Seven Kingdoms and established House Targaryen's reign. With Aegon II come a big set of new problems – and one dark prophecy whose significance Game of Thrones fans may not yet fully realize... 

Dark Prophecy: Rhaenyra & Aegon II

The third episode is set against the backdrop of a major royal hunt, to celebrate both the second birthday of Prince Aegon II, as well as Queen Alicent's impending second child. However, King Viserys doesn't get any pleasure from the event and is seen getting deeper and deeper into his cups (read: drunk) as the festivities go on. By nightfall, a drunken Viserys is by a massive bonfire alone with Queen Alicent. It's the second time in the series we hear Viserys refer to his superstitious beliefs in visions and dreams that he's had – specifically the birth of his son. Here's the monologue: 

"I named her [Rhaenyra] to protect the realm from Daemon. She was my only child. "The Realm's Delight," I named her out of love. Because I no longer believed... 

Many in my line have been Dragonriders – very few among us have been dreamers. What is the power of a dragon next to the power of prophecy? When Rhaenyra was a child, I saw it in a dream – as vivid as these flames I saw it. A male babe born to me wearing The Conqueror's crown. And I so wanted it to be true, to be a dreamer myself. I sought that vision again, night after night, but it never came again. I poured all my thought and will into it. And my obsession killed Rhaenyra's mother. 

I thought Rhaenyra was the way out of my abyss of grief and regret. And naming her heir would begin to set things right. I never imagined I would remarry... that I would have a son. What if I was wrong?"

To give clear context here: Viserys I is indeed referring to the Targaryen family's power for precognitive vision – starting with Lady Daenys Targaryen (or "Daenys the Dreamer"). It was Lady Daenys' vision/prophecy of Old Valyria's Doom that led the Targaryens to flee Valyria with their dragons and settle on Dragonstone in Westeros, as the only surviving Dragonlords of the old world (hence their unrivaled power). 

Viserys I had a vision that he would give birth to the next Aegon The Conqueror (hence the "Conqueror's Crown" on the babe's head) and that vision became the obsession that kept Queen Aemma Arryn trying for a male heir until her death. 

Viserys thought that by naming Rhaenyra as the next ruler he was essentially righting a Karmic wrong he had done by causing her mother's death. However, with Aegon II's birth, Viserys now knows that he may not have done right by Rhaenyra at all – his final question, "What if I was wrong?" is in direct reference to his preceding statement that naming Rhaenyra heir was a way out of grief and regret, and a righting of things. 

And, unfortunately for Viserys I, his dread is not without merit... 

The Dance of Dragons 

SPOILERS: Game of Thrones made no secret of the pivotal Targaryen event known as "The Dance of Dragons" – indeed it's even the title of the fifth book in George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. The "Dance of Dragons" is the culmination of everything Viserys I is fearing in this foreshadowing monologue by the fire. 

In the history of Game of Thrones, King Viserys I finally dies when Aegon II has come of adult age. Despite all his worries and plans, Viserys never does manage to firmly solidify his line of succession: half the court sides with the oaths sworn to Rhaenyra and/or loyalty to her second husband Prince Daemon; the other half wants to follow the more traditional line of male heir succession through Prince Aegon II. 

The split eventually pits Rhaenyra against Aegon II and Viserys and Alicent's other sons, Aemon and Daeron. Aegon II's side would eventually capture and kill Rhaenyra, though her faction would also eventually kill Aemon, Daeron, and (at the end) Aegon II before the "Dance of Dragons" ended. 

So yeah... King Viserys I and his prophecies will basically lead to the end of most of his line – and the echoes of his tragic story would continue all the way down the Targaryen family line. 

NEXT: House of the Dragon to Game of Thrones – The Targaryen Family Timeline Explained

House of the Dragon airs on HBO and HBO Max.