Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 1 of House of the Dragon and Major Spoilers for the book Fire & Blood.House of the Dragon Season 1 has just concluded with its finale episode "The Black Queen," where we saw Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) respond to the Green Council's opening salvo of the civil war. The men around her, including her husband Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) push her to dive head first into battle and war, but with the support of Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best), and Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint) Velaryon she remained focused on her duty to serve the realm and stay true to the needs Song of Ice and Fire Prophecy. Though, now that her second son Prince Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) has been killed by her foes, this will likely change. So what can we look forward to seeing in House of the Dragon Season 2?

According to author George R.R. Martin "It is going to take four full seasons of 10 episodes each to do justice to the Dance of the Dragons, from start to finish." The Dance of the Dragons that Martin is referring to is the war of succession between Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Rhaenyra Targaryen told in the six chapters named "The Dying of the Dragons" in his book Fire & Blood. Season 1 of House of the Dragon served mostly as an introduction to this by featuring the struggles that both King Jaehaerys I (Michael Carter) and Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) faced to choose their heirs within the previous chapter of Fire and Blood titled "Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession."

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The Finale of Season 1 of House of the Dragon Began the Dance of the Dragons

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House of the Dragon season 1 began its story in the year 105 AC (After Conquest) and concludes in the beginning of 129AC, meaning it covers approximately a quarter of a century of Targaryen history. This was achieved in only ten episodes primarily through the use of time jumps, including one that skipped ten years between episodes 5 and 6. If Season 1 did the work of introducing audiences to the world, the characters, and the issues that they face then that should allow Season 2 to tell a far more detailed and in-depth story. The civil war that begun with the Death of King Viserys on the "3rd day of the 3rd moon" of the year 129AC ends only two years later in 131AC. If we are to believe Martin, then Season 2 will cover approximately 6- 8 months of this war.

In the beginning, the war between the two sides of the Targaryen house was fought with coronations, ravens, and words. First, Aegon II is crowned in King's Landing, then Rhaenyra replies with a coronation of her own, held on Dragonstone. Both sides attempt to recruit allies by sending emissaries and sons out to secure them, and Although Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) fights for no harm to come to Rhaenyra and her children the others on the Green council disagree with her wishes. Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) and their chosen heir Aegon II would love nothing more than to see them all dead, especially if Rhaenyra refuses Aegon's peace terms, which she surely will now that Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) has killed Lucerys. The war is going to move from the shoring up of alliances to a ruthless bloodbath, and no one will come out of it unscathed.

The Civil War Will Plunge All the Houses of Westeros Into War

Bethany Antonia, Harry Collett, Elliot Grihault, Phoebe Campbell in House of the Dragon Season 1
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The other houses of the Seven Kingdoms will be forced to take sides in Season 2, and while House of the Dragon may alter who sides with whom, in the source material Fire and Blood some of the major families that side with the Greens are House Hightower of Old Town, House Baratheon of Storm's End, House Lannister of Casterly Rock, and what remains of House Strong. Siding with the Blacks are House Arryn of the Eyrie, House Frey of the Crossing, House Greyjoy of the Iron Islands, House Tarly of Horn Hill, House Stark of Winterfell, and House Velaryon of Driftmark - with Lord Corlys to be named Hand of the Queen. Battening down the hatches and trying to stay out of it is House Tully of Riverrun, and House Tyrell of Highgarden.

Rhaenyra's heir, Prince Jacaerys Targaryen (Harry Collett) will once again prove his worth as a future King of the Seven Kingdoms by flying to the Eyrie, and Winterfell (he also flies to Sisterton and White Harbor in the book) on his dragon Vermax and securing the loyalty of these houses for his mother. In Fire and Blood he manages to negotiate with Lady Jayne of the Vale by promising her a Dragon rider for the defense of her kingdom. Lord Cregan Stark's son Rickon Stark is promised Jace's own firstborn daughter to marry in order to reaffirm House Stark's loyalty. There is much debate among the unreliable narrators of Fire and Blood about what happened when Jacaerys stayed at Winterfell (including a version where Jace married Cregan's half-sister Sara Snow) and as we haven't seen any of the North or the Starks yet in House of the Dragon, hopefully we get to see the TV version of these events early in Season 2.

One issue that the Black's will face going forward is their poor strategic position on Dragonstone, which will make rallying their allies for war difficult. In Fire and Blood they make a big move to remedy this, and we should get to see this early in Season 2. Prince Daemon Targaryen, Rhaenyra's King-consort makes his way to the Riverlands on the back of his blood-red dragon Caraxes to claim Harrenhal castle in the name of his wife. Though with the tension between the two in Episode 10, it may not be with her permission. This is a genius strategic move, and Daemon (at least in the book) does it beautifully and without bloodshed. He wins an emotional victory for Rhaenyra by taking back the home of the late Ser Harwin Strong, that on his death was passed to his younger brother Larys Strong, and thus the Greens. It is also a tactical victory as Harrenhal is in the perfect position to be used as a rallying point for the supporters of the Black Queen of Westeros.

An Eye for an Eye Becomes the Theme of the War

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Revenge will no-doubt feature heavily in Season 2, with Daemon swearing in the books that the Greens will pay for "a son with a son." The death of Prince Lucerys and his dragon Arrax at the hands of Prince Aemond have started the domino effect and will lead to the deaths of so many beloved and not-so-beloved characters because as we know the revenge for one act of violence, in turn, creates the case for another to seek revenge themselves. As it was the loss of his own eye many years before that sent Aemond chasing after his nephew and unintentionally kicked off the deaths of so many.

The revenge that befalls Aegon's family at the hands of a former member of the City Watch and a rat-catcher from the Red Keep named Blood and Cheese is one of the more appalling occurrences we are destined to see in Season 2. The two hired hands enter the dowager Queen Alicent's chambers and restrain her, then force Princess Helaena (Phia Saban) to choose which of her and Aegon's sons will die. This in turn leads to an attempt for retaliation from the Greens which will lead to the duel between brothers and twins Ser Arryk and Ser Erryk Cargyll foreshadowed in Episodes 9 and 10 of Season 1.

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The Dance of the Dragons Will See Major Shifts in Power With the Greens

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Otto Hightower may find himself not as well respected by the heir he worked so hard to make King as he would have expected. He continues a similar strategy as Aegon's Hand he did as Viserys' with subtle plots and schemes; sending ravens to the houses of Westeros, hiring sell swords and mercenaries, and working on the defense of King's Landing. His grandson the King, a short-tempered boy who only respects violence does not appreciate his hard work, and when the Greens only chance of matching House Velaryons might on the sea, the Greyjoys, do not agree to an alliance he is replaced once again as Hand of the King. This time by a man far more suited to Aegon's bloodthirsty temperament - Ser Criston Cole.

We should get to see Princess Rhaenys ride Meleys once again perhaps in the finale of Season 2, when she goes to the aide of the Black's ally Lord Staunton of Rook's Rest when he is under siege by Ser Criston Cole. In Fire and Blood this is a deadly battle, where scorpions are deployed, and a trap is sprung. Rhaenys does battle with the brothers Aegon and Aemond on Vhagar and Sunfyre. This epic match-up leaves many dead, including Rhaenys, and King Aegon II and Sunfyre are severely injured and neither will ever fully recover. With Aegon being too subdued by Milk of the Poppy after this to rule, his brother Aegon takes up the mantle of Protector of the Realm, and rules in his stead.

The Future Seasons Promise More Dragons and Fewer Time Jumps

Daemon singing to Vermithor in House of the Dragon Season 1
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Based on the timeline we should not get to see the Sowing of the Seeds aka The Red Sowing next season. Though Daemon's actions in Episode 10 seem to suggest that we might see this sooner rather than later. Dragonseeds are the supposed bastard children of Targaryens that live on Dragonstone. In an attempt to make use of the wild and riderless dragons that reside on the island, the Blacks offer knighthoods, lands, and riches to any man or woman who can master a dragon. This bloody event will be quite the spectacle if we are lucky enough to see it sometime in Season 2.

Season 2 will have to move slower than its predecessor, to cover the content contained within the Dance of the Dragons with the complexity that the material, the characters, and the audience deserves. Most of the broad strokes of Season 1 have kept true to the source material, however many characters have had their motivations altered, or their actions reinterpreted which changes everything about the story we are seeing play out on the screen, and may still affect the outcome and how viewers will feel about what happens. All we know for certain about Season 2 is that there will be plenty of Fire, Blood, Dragons, and Death.