Winter has come and gone — and now it's time to go back to the golden age of one of
the most ancient and powerful families in Westeros. With a new trailer giving us our
first glimpse at the prequel series, let's dig into the small details you missed in the
"House of the Dragon" teaser trailer.
House of the Dragon is exciting for a whole myriad of reasons, but for many "Game of Thrones"
fans, getting to see the ancestral home of the Targaryens once again is certainly a highlight.
This teaser trailer gives us plenty of looks into Dragonstone, the castle standing upon
the eponymous island in Blackwater Bay. During most of "Game of Thrones," it was home to
Stannis Baratheon, where he ruled as Lord until his death in Season 5. In Season 7,
the Mother of Dragons herself, Daenerys, returns to Dragonstone, her birthplace, where she
intends to launch her battle for the Iron Throne — but Dragonstone is never seen in
its original splendor during "Game of Thrones."
"I was born at Dragonstone. Not that I can remember it."
We imagine we'll get to see even more of the Valyrian artistry at Dragonstone, demonstrating just
how powerful (and wealthy) the Targaryens were before the Iron Throne fell.
The first trailer for "House of the Dragon" is short, but there's plenty in the teaser
to get excited about, including the first sighting of the Hand of the King, even if
it's literally just a shot of the man's hand and pin. All "Game of Thrones" fans are well
aware of how badly things can go for someone in this position, with Tyrion Lannister and
Davos Seaworth the only two to survive throughout the series.
In "House of the Dragon," this role will be filled by the character Otto Hightower, played
by Rhys Ifans, who is perhaps best known for playing the Lizard in "The Amazing Spider-Man."
According to HBO's official character description, Hightower "loyally and faithfully serves both
his king and his realm," but he greatly dislikes the king's brother who he sees as "the greatest
threat" to the kingdom. Of course, like Ned Stark, this instinct and intense concern could
easily lead to his death, because although he is the Hand of the King, we all know how
hard it is to stop a Targaryen from getting what they want.
One of the most intriguing shots in the trailer shows off Paddy Considine's King Viserys I
Targaryen sitting on the Iron Throne, clutching a pretty unique sword. The weapon in question
is actually the Blackfyre sword, made out of Valyrian steel. Not only does this make
it incredibly strong, but anyone who watched "Game of Thrones" knows that it's also one
of the few materials in the world that can kill White Walkers.
The Blackfyre sword is the ancestral blade of the house, although it's worth knowing
that House Blackfyre is a separate 'cadet' house built out of House Targaryen — and
they've fought against their own family a number of times over the years. It's entirely
possible that the show might include the Blackfyre Rebellion. However, "House of the Dragon"
is building up to the main Targaryen civil war which eventually spells doom for the family,
known as "Dance of the Dragons." It seems likely that the Blackfyre sword will cause
plenty of in-fighting, depending on who wields it.
The trailer gives fans a glimpse of the Iron Throne during a banquet scene involving the
Targaryens and House Velaryon, but a later shot reveals that it has a vastly different
look in the spin-off series. The last shot of the trailer shows a mysterious white-haired
person strolling towards the Iron Throne in the Red Keep's Great Hall. But it's much bigger
than fans of the main series were expecting.
It stretches outwards on both sides, with a sea of swords extending down the steps and
spreading further into the hall. The Iron Throne was originally forged by Aegon the
Conqueror, who used his dragon to melt 200 swords together before it was shaped into
the iconic seat of power.
In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment 42 seconds into the teaser, we catch a glimpse of an
image any "Game of Thrones" fan would be able to identify in their sleep: the wolf of the
Stark sigil. During the scenes at the joust, the Stark banner can be seen as a horse carrying
a rider gallops past. However, the Starks aren't the only family represented in those
scenes — in another shot, you can clearly see the familiar banners of House Tarly, which
feature a red huntsman on a green background. Their size and placement leads us to believe
the Tarlys are likely hosting the joust, and we quickly see a member of the family participating
against a member of what appears to be House Cole. The lion sigil for House Lannister is
also seen, as is a banner featuring a golden sunburst on a blue background, though it doesn't
seem to be as easily identifiable as the others-- it could be a forerunner of House Tarth.
It's clear based on what we've seen that the house sigils have changed and evolved over
time as they don't all match up perfectly with the versions that appeared in "Game of
Thrones," which takes place 200 years after the events of "House of the Dragon." The changes
are small, but they're a smart way to signify we're not in the same version of Westeros.
Near the end, the teaser trailer provides fans with the first major look at actress
Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, and it's safe to say that she does not look happy.
Alicent is the daughter of the Hand of the King, described by HBO as "the most comely
woman in the Seven Kingdoms."
In the short clip shown in the "House of the Dragon" teaser, Alicent appears to be distraught,
running through what is likely one of the main meeting rooms of the castle wielding
a dagger with a ruby in the hilt. With little to go off of, it's hard to guess exactly what's
going on here, but clearly that knife is going to come into play in the series one way or
the other.
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