'House of the Dragon' Officially Confirms a Major 'Game of Thrones' Daenerys Theory

Kelcie Mattson is a Senior Features author at Collider. Based in the Midwest, she also contributes Lists, reviews, and television recaps. A lifelong fan of niche sci-fi, epic fantasy, Gothic horror, elaborate action, and witty detective fiction, becoming a pop culture devotee was inevitable once the Disney Renaissance, Turner Classic Movies, BBC period dramas, and her local library piqued her imagination. Rarely seen without a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, Kelcie explores media history (especially older, foreign, and independent films) as much as possible. In her spare time, she enjoys video games, amateur photography, geeking out over music, and attending fan conventions with her Trekkie family. Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7.Describing A Song of Ice and Fire as a series of unanswered questions wouldn't be incorrect. Combing through George R.R. Martin's novels and piecing together clues is either a source of fun or frustration, depending on who you ask. Understandably, a multitude of theories surround the origin of Daenerys Targaryen's (Emilia Clarke) dragon eggs. Early promotion for Fire & Blood claimed its pages held the long-awaited truth, but Martin clarified that his history of the Targaryen dynasty offers "possible answers" which aren't "meant to be definitive." House of the Dragon Season 3's sixth episode all but confirms the HBO adaptation's take on the subject, and their explanation arrives via an unlikely source. Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin), Harrenhal's enigmatic witch-in-residence, woos Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) to her side with the sight of five unhatched eggs laid by Dreamfyre, the dragon currently bonded to Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban). Alys' prized secret has been stashed away since the death of Queen Rhaena, Dreamfyre's first rider and Helaena's great-great-aunt. Just like that, a dragon audiences have yet to see onscreen becomes arguably the most important creature in the adaptation's canon. Fire & Blood's aforementioned implications positioned Dreamfyre as a likely source for Daenerys' draconic children, so the revelation isn't incongruous with Martin's lore — Harrenhal is the surprising part. Per usual, House of the Dragon is taking an unconventional route to a similar destination. Who Are Queen Rhaena Targaryen and Dreamfyre in 'Fire & Blood'? Rhaena was the eldest grandchild of Aegon the Conqueror and Queen Rhaenys. A frequent dragonrider since she claimed Dreamfyre at 12 years old, Rhaena swiftly evolved from a timid and bookish child into a fearsome adult — still withdrawn, but defiant, calculating, and fiercely protective. Her marriage to her brother, Prince Aegon, produced twin daughters, and positioned Rhaena as Westeros' future queen. However, her brother-husband never ascended the Iron Throne. Their usurper uncle, Maegor the Cruel, murdered Aegon and forced Rhaena to become one of his three brides. Her escape and reunion with Dreamfyre proved instrumental in securing the throne for her brother Jaehaerys (Michael Carter) — the same king who infamously selected Viserys (Paddy Considine) as his heir over Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best). COLLIDER Collider · Quiz Collider Exclusive · Game of Thrones Personality QuizWhich Game of Thrones House Do You Belong To?Stark · Lannister · Targaryen · Baratheon · Tyrell Five great houses. Five completely different answers to the same question: how do you hold power in a world that will take it from you the moment you stop paying attention? Eight questions will determine where your loyalties — and your nature — truly lie. 🐺Stark 🦁Lannister 🐉Targaryen 🦌Baratheon 🌹Tyrell QUESTION 1 / 8HONOUR 01 Someone powerful is acting dishonourably and everyone knows it. What do you do?In Westeros, the answer to this question has ended more than one great house. QUESTION 2 / 8STRENGTH 02 What is the source of your power?Every house endures because of something. What is it for yours? QUESTION 3 / 8LOYALTY 03 Who do you truly fight for?Strip away the banners and the words. The honest answer tells you everything. QUESTION 4 / 8ENEMIES 04 How do you deal with your enemies?A house's method reveals its character as clearly as its words ever could. QUESTION 5 / 8RULE 05 What kind of ruler do you believe in?Westeros is full of answers to this question. Most of them end badly. QUESTION 6 / 8LOSS 06 You suffer a devastating loss. How does your house respond?How a house handles defeat tells you more about it than how it handles victory. QUESTION 7 / 8WORDS 07 Which of these truths about Westeros do you most believe?Every house has a philosophy. This is yours. QUESTION 8 / 8THE THRONE 08 The Iron Throne is within reach. What do you do?The answer reveals not just your ambition — but your character. The Maester Has SpokenYour House Is… Your answers point to the great house whose words, values, and way of surviving in Westeros match your own. Bend the knee — or don't. That's very much up to you. Winterfell · The North 🐺 House Stark Winter is Coming — and you have always known it. You prepare not out of fear but out of duty, because the people who depend on you deserve someone who takes the long view. You lead with honour even when it costs you, because you understand that a reputation built on integrity is the only one worth having. Your loyalty to family and people runs deep — not as sentiment but as a code that doesn't bend when things get difficult. The North endures because Starks endure — not by being the cleverest players in the game, but by being the kind of people others are willing to follow into the cold. You are that kind of person. The pack survives. The lone wolf dies. You already know which one you are. Casterly Rock · The Westerlands 🦁 House Lannister You understand the game — its rules, its exceptions, and exactly when the rules become the exception. You play it without illusions and without apology. You are sharper than most people realise, and you have learned to use that gap to your advantage. A Lannister always pays their debts — and you always keep your word, because your word is an instrument of power, and instruments must be kept in working order. You love your family with a ferocity that sometimes blinds you, and you know it, and you do it anyway. The lion doesn't concern itself with the opinion of sheep. Neither, in the end, do you. Dragonstone · The Iron Throne 🐉 House Targaryen You carry a sense of destiny that is difficult to explain and impossible to ignore — the feeling that you are not simply participating in the world but meant to reshape it. You are capable of extraordinary things, and you know it, and that knowledge is both your greatest strength and your most dangerous quality. Fire and blood are not just words to you — they are a philosophy about what change requires and what it costs. The Targaryens at their best were transformative rulers who broke chains and defied the limits of what anyone thought possible. At your best, so are you. The dragon has three heads. You are one of them. Storm's End · The Stormlands 🦌 House Baratheon You are a force — direct, powerful, and difficult to ignore when you enter a room or a conflict. You do not negotiate with challenges. You meet them. Ours is the fury — and yours is a kind of intensity that commands attention, respect, and occasionally fear from those who underestimate what's behind it. You value strength and straight dealing. You'd rather know where you stand in a fight than navigate a web of courtly whispers. The Baratheons built their house on the back of one of the greatest military victories in Westerosi history — and then struggled with what came after. The lesson of your house is that winning is not the end of the story. Governing is. You are learning that too. Highgarden · The Reach 🌹 House Tyrell You understand that power does not always announce itself — that sometimes it arrives with flowers, good wine, and a smile that doesn't quite reach the eyes. Growing strong is your house's motto, and you live it: patiently, strategically, always investing in the relationships and resources that will matter most when it counts. You are charming by choice and calculating by nature — a combination that makes you one of the most effective players in any room you enter. The Tyrells fed King's Landing and shaped its politics without ever sitting on the Iron Throne — and they were arguably more powerful for it. You know that the person who controls the food controls the kingdom. And you always know where the food is. 'House of the Dragon' Season 3 Episode 6 Offers a Surprisingly Plausible Origin Story for Daenerys' Dragons Rhaena spent years roaming the realm, searching for a peaceful home where she and her daughters could live without being reduced to political pawns. Despite not owning a legitimate crown, her time ruling Dragonstone and her marriage to Androw Farman of Fair Isle earned her the colloquial titles of Queen in the East and Queen in the West, respectively. Between completely disregarding her male suitors and her history of close lady "companions,"Fire & Blood actively implies that Rhaena was a lesbian or, possibly, bisexual with a strong preference for other women. Martin does confirm how one of those dear friends, Rhaena's sister-in-law Elissa, sailed away from Dragonstone with three stolen eggs in tow. This theft sparked one of the prevailing theories regarding Daenerys' petrified eggs. Reports placed Elissa in Pentos and later Braavos, where she allegedly sold her still-undiscovered cache. Game of Thrones' Illyrio Mopatis (Roger Allam) claims Daenerys' petrified egg trio hails from the Shadow Lands region of Essos. There's no evidence to substantiate his assertion or explain the eggs' journey across a sprawling continent, but Essos is either beyond mere coincidence or an elaborate red herring. House of the Dragon offers a different but plausible explanation. Although Martin doesn't state whether the stolen eggs came from Dreamfyre, she was a fertile dragon who eventually accompanied Rhaena to Harrenhal. The grieving former queen secluded herself within the haunted castle after Aerea, the daughter Alys mentions, perished from a gruesome illness she contracted when flying to Old Valyria and back. If Alys' egg stash includes Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion, how they crossed the ocean (and dwindled from five eggs to three) is now House of the Dragon's own unanswered mystery. What's more, Aemond accepting Alys' offering has unexpectedly woven the pair into the future — albeit differently than either one envisions.