WARNING! This post contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 1, episode 1!House of the Dragon episode 1 ends with a surprising Targaryen twist that connects the story to the White Walkers, which George R.R. Martin had already discussed as a potential back in 2018. Martin is the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire book series, which served as the basis for Game of Thrones. He also wrote Fire & Blood, which is a historical look at House Targaryen in Westeros, including the devastating Dance of the Dragons – a story he championed to be told through HBO’s House of the Dragon series.
While it was expected that House of the Dragon would have no connection to the White Walkers that Game of Thrones’ characters battle nearly 200 years later, the premiere ended with the reveal of Aegon the Conqueror’s prophetic Song of Ice and Fire dream. This twist wasn’t included in the book, which is presumably due to the fact that only Targaryen kings and their named heirs knew the secret prophecy. In the dream, Aegon I Targaryen saw a terrible winter that would threaten the existence of life, but could be defeated with a Targaryen king or queen on the Iron Throne to unite the living against the army of the dead. Following Aegon Targaryen's dream, which connects to the Prince That Was Promised prophecy, he and his sisters conquered Westeros with their dragons.
Considering this Targaryen dream wasn’t included in the A Song of Ice and Fire or Fire & Blood books (so far), it initially seems that the twist was concocted exclusively for House of the Dragon to better connect to Game of Thrones’ story. While this may partially be true, George R.R. Martin had supported the notion of Aegon’s dream back in 2018. In an interview promoting Fire & Blood (via YouTube), Martin discussed that there was speculation around Aegon the Conqueror foreseeing “what was to come years later,” and wanting to unify the Seven Kingdoms and prepare for the “threat” from the North. He didn’t confirm whether Aegon’s White Walker dream had actually occurred – or that it was passed down through Targaryen kings and queens – at this time, but House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal later revealed that Martin had provided them the basis for the Targaryen twist regarding the White Walker prophecy early on in the writer’s room.
Will George R.R. Martin Make Aegon's Dream Book Canon?
Since Condal explained that Aegon’s White Walker dream was already in GRRM’s mind by the time House of the Dragon was being developed, it seems he always intended for the Targaryen twist to become canon in his stories. While the dream was never included in Game of Thrones’ TV show, Martin has yet to conclude his own A Song of Ice and Fire book series. With two more books remaining in the main story, Martin may finally include Aegon’s dream in the upcoming Winds of Winter or, more likely, the concluding novel A Dream of Spring. Since George R.R. Martin was hardly involved in the last few seasons of Game of Thrones, it’s possible he had originally intended for the series to include Aegon Targaryen’s prophetic dream, especially since it has such a clear connection to Jon Snow, whose true name is Aegon Targaryen.
Perhaps Bran Stark will be able to discover the truth of the Targaryen prophecy through his visions as the Three-Eyed Raven (crow in the books), especially since his predecessor is implied to be Brynden Rivers, the legitimized bastard son of King Aegon IV Targaryen and wielder of the Targaryens' Dark Sister sword. The books already teased the Targaryens’ knowledge of Aegon’s dream through Daenerys Targaryen’s visions in the House of the Undying. While this isn’t depicted in the Game of Thrones show, she heard Rhaegar Targaryen saying “Aegon. What better name for a king… He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire.” Considering Jon Snow is revealed to be Rhaegar’s son in Game of Thrones (though this hasn’t been established in the books), the House of the Dragon Targaryen twist fits well with the books’ version of the story so far.
New episodes of House of the Dragon release Sundays on HBO/HBO Max.