House of the Dragon introduced several houses that weren’t in Game of Thrones. Here’s a guide to all the houses and characters you need to know for season 2 and their loyalties
War is officially here in House of the Dragon, and the first episode of season 2 certainly sees both sides suffer losses — a son for a son, with a world far more tragic and treacherous than just about any of them were prepared for at this point.
Still, this Dance of Dragons is just warming up. And the noble houses of Westeros are already beginning to choose sides in the rivalry for the Iron Throne between Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney). The shifting political alliances and ever-expanding cast of characters can be hard to keep up with, particularly since so many weren’t featured in Game of Thrones. To help you keep track of the various houses — and how they fit into the Targaryen civil war — we’ll be updating this house-and-character guide throughout the season as to who’s Team Black and who’s Team Green.
[Ed. note: The following contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2 episode 1.]House Targaryen
Declared for: It’s complicated (see below)
“Fire and Blood”
The royal house of Westeros. Their ancestral seat is Dragonstone, though they rule out of King’s Landing. Their sigil is a red three-headed dragon over a black field.
The entire show is about House Targaryen, so this is probably the one house you don’t need help keeping straight (or at least we’d hope). We’ll still go over the bullet points here, though, just in case.
When House of the Dragon begins, Viserys I Targaryen is King of Westeros after a Great Council had voted for him to succeed his grandfather Jaehaerys. Following the death of his wife Aemma Arryn and their newborn son, Baelon, Viserys Targaryen named his daughter Rhaenyra as his heir, displacing his brother, Daemon Targaryen, from the line of succession. Viserys later chooses to marry Alicent Hightower, with whom he has a son Aegon, creating a crisis of succession that sets off the first Targaryen civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons.
House Targaryen are pureblood Valyrians, and Viserys brokers a political alliance with one of the only other Valyrian houses, Velaryon, when he commands Rhaenrya to marry her second cousin Laenor Velaryon. Despite this — and the fact they’re related — Daemon still pursues a marriage with his niece Rhaenyra.
Being the family behind this whole mess of a civil war, House Targaryen is predictably split in terms of allegiance. While King Aegon sits on the throne in King’s Landing, Queen Rhaenyra stays in Dragonstone, with both claiming that they are the rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. By season 2, each has lost a son (Lucerys for Rhaenyra in the season 1 finale; Jaehaerys in the season 2 premiere of House of the Dragon for Aegon). They’ve also staked out team names and colors: Team Black for Rhaenyra and her cohort, Team Green for Aegon (see below). House Hightower
Declared for: Team Green
“We Light the Way”
The rulers of Oldtown, where the Citadel is located. They hold fealty to House Tyrell of Highgarden. Their sigil is a white tower topped by flames on a gray field.
Of all the newly prominent houses in House of the Dragon, Hightower is (obviously) the most important to keep your eye on. The house is headed up by Lord Hobert Hightower, whose younger brother Ser Otto was Hand to King Viserys I Targaryen for much of his reign. Otto has two kids, Alicent and Ser Gwayne, who’s mostly back in Oldtown during the events of the show (though he participated in the tournament in the pilot). Otto encouraged Alicent to get close to the king after the death of his wife Aemma, leading to Alicent and Viserys’ marriage and their son Aegon. Though, as a result of Otto’s behind-the-scenes machinations, Viserys dismisses Otto as his Hand.
After some convincing from her father, Alicent decides to fight for Aegon to be named Viserys’ heir. She all but declares war when she appears at Rhaenyra and Laenor’s wedding feast wearing a green dress.
Ultimately, Alicent and Otto conspired to put Aegon on the throne (more or less thinking they were honoring Viserys’ wishes), and while they survived the coronation, they did actually set the stage for a war this time. Since then, “Team Green” (so named for the Hightower house colors) has been presiding over King’s Landing and the Seven Kingdoms, while trying to recruit banners to their cause.
