Game of Thrones creator George R. R. Martin confirms one major spoiler for House of the Dragon season 3. House of the Dragon is based on Martin’s 2018 lore book titled Fire & Blood. House of the Dragon season 1 premiered to great reviews in 2022, and was followed up by House of the Dragon season 2 this past summer. House of the Dragon season 3 has been confirmed and is expected to arrive in 2026.
In a now-deleted post on Martin’s official website, the author confirms a spoiler for House of the Dragon season 3. Martin confirms that Helaena “still kills herself” in the outline for House of the Dragon season 3. Martin explained that in his book, it is the death of Helaena’s son, Prince Jaehaerys, that ends up pushing her “to suicide.” To make it worse, she had to choose which son of hers, Jaehaerys or Maelor, had to die in a Sophie’s Choice-esque moment. She chooses Maelor to die, but the assassins kill Jaehaerys instead, explains Martin, and tell Maelor his mother’s choice.
In Ryan’s outline for season 3, Helaena still kills herself… for no particular reason. There is no fresh horror, no triggering event to overwhelm the fragile young queen.
How House of the Dragon Changed Part Of Helaena’s Character
Helaena Had Another Son In The Books
As of yet, Maelor is not a character portrayed in House of the Dragon. In the book, he is the younger of the two sons, with the twins still existing in the book. Martin explained that this House of the Dragon bookchange came from creator Ryan Condal’s desire to keep things simpler. Martin admitted that he felt the absence of the “Helaena’s choice” element did weaken the plot, but still created a strong scene.
Even without the Sophie’s Choice-inspired moment driving Helaena to suicide, the outline does see Helaena die by her own hand. According to Martin, Helaena dies “for no particular reason.” While Martin praises the TV adaptation many times throughout his statement, there is an air of disapproval surrounding the change to Helaena’s story. Despite Martin’s misgivings about Helaena’s motivation, at this point, her death could be altered before season 3 begins filming as it is still in the early stages of production.
House of the Dragon season 2 still points to a tough road ahead for Helaena. The end of season 2 confirmed that Helaena was a dragon dreamer who was seeing real visions of the future. As the Targaryens prepare for a war at King’s Landing, it is conceivable that Helaena’s premonitions will become more and more violent. This kind of terror is hard for anyone to see, and combined with her personal tragedies, may very well plague Helaena enough to resort to taking her own life.