House of the Dragon Just Addressed One of the Most Controversial Changes From the Book, So Fans Can Finally Let It Go

House of the Dragon Season 3 has been sparking a lot of discussion and debate about the current state of the Game of Thrones franchise. Many fans are loving the clear improvements the show has made between seasons 2 and 3; however, there seems to be consensus around some major criticisms of the show, from characterization to pacing. As with any Game of Thrones TV series, there is also a healthy amount of debate about how many changes the show is making to the books‘ lore.

During House of the Dragon Season 2, it became clear that the TV series was going to be making big changes to a major character from author George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood novel. Fans have felt some kind of way about it, but now, House of the Dragon has side-stepped the entire issue in just one offhanded line of dialogue.

House of the Dragon Finally Acknowledges Its Missing Dragon Rider

In Season 3, Episode 7, “The Dragon in Winter”, Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) pays a visit to Lady Jeyne Arryn of the Vale (Amanda Collin) to secure her continued aid in hiding his daughter Rhaena, and her “wild dragon,” Sheepstealer, from Queen Rhaenyra’s wrath. Lady Jeyne lets Daemon know that the subterfuge isn’t working, as the common folk of the Vale have been openly gossiping about “a wild girl, in the mountains, living amongst nettles and sheep.”

It may seem like an offhanded mention, but it is very purposeful to fans who are paying attention. The line of dialogue creates room for House of the Dragon to explain its major change to Game of Thrones lore, in which the dragon rider character “Nettles” was merged with Rhaena Targaryen. Lady Jeyne’s account of how word is spreading throughout the Vale makes it possible that “Nettles” is a nickname Rhaena got from the people of the Vale. It gives the book character her due, while cementing the new lore from House of the Dragon in place over it, without creating direct conflict or contradiction.

In Fire & Blood, “Nettles” was a young, skinny, dark-skinned commoner girl who was the least likely to step up when Rhaenyra called for additional dragon riders to help Team Black utilize all the dragons in its arsenal. Nettles claimed Sheepstealer by constantly bringing him sheep to devour until the dragon bonded with her. Nettles’ story closely resembles what we’ve seen with Rhaena in House of the Dragon, but there have been some big differences.

She was a much more heroic character in the story, fighting alongside Daemon and the other dragon riders of Team Black during the “Dance of Dragons” civil conflict, but eventually sparked jealousy and distrust in Queen Rhaenyra, who came to suspect Daemon was having an affair with Nettles. Eventually, Nettles and Sheepstealer disappeared into Westeros and became the stuff of myth and legend over the years. The book version of Rhaena Targaryen, meanwhile, would go on to be a pivotal political player who forms alliances and marriage bonds that shape the future of the Targaryens.

Rhaena Targaryen Is Becoming a Bigger Character Than Game of Thrones Ever Made Here

The character of Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell) has been given a much bigger and more pivotal arc in House of the Dragon than the character ever got in Fire & Blood. The youngest daughter of Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and Laena Velaryon, Rhaena had a hard time finding her place and purpose as the Greens and Blacks started their conflict. After failing to claim her mother’s dragon, Vhagar, before Prince Aemond could, Rhaena was sent to the Vale as guardian of her father’s children with Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), Joffrey, Viserys II, and Aegon III Targaryen.

From there, however, House of the Dragon took a sharp detour by having Rhaena abandon her duty and go off looking for the “wild dragon,” Sheepstealer. She eventually claims the dragon, only to discover it cannot be tamed, to the point that Sheepstealer is directly responsible for Rhaena’s cousin, Prince Jacaerys, dying in the Battle of the Gullet. It all came to a head in Episode 7, when Rhaenyra and her dragon riders discover Sheepstealer and Rhaena hiding in the Vale (under Daemon’s protection). A fight ensued; Sheepstealer flew off into the unknown, while Rhaena was taken back to Dragonstone to rejoin her family.

In that sense, House of the Dragon has created a perfect off-ramp for its Nettles/Rhaena mashup, with Rhaena now back in place to play out her established arc from the books.

House of the Dragon is now streaming on HBO Max.