“Beware the beast beneath the boards.” Helaena Targaryen’s haunting words have loomed over fans’ heads during the hiatus between House of the Dragon Seasons 1 and 2. Now, one possible explanation for her prophecy is coming to fruition, and it could stand alongside The Red Wedding as one of the most shocking scenes in the Thrones universe.
Book (and probably show) spoilers are ahead.
In George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, which serves as House of the Dragon’s source material, one crucial moment involves two silly names: Blood and Cheese, assassins hired by Daemon Targaryen to seek “a son for a son.” Daemon wants revenge for Aemond accidentally murdering Lucerys Velaryon in Season 1’s climax, and Blood and Cheese get it.
In the book, King Aegon II marries Helaena, and they have three children. Blood and Cheese infiltrate the Red Keep through a forgotten tunnel (hence the beast beneath the boards), hold Helaena at knifepoint, and force her to choose which of her two sons will be murdered. She eventually chooses her younger son, Maelor, but the assassins murder the older son, Jaehaerys, instead.
It’s a devastating scene, and the screen adaptation promises to be even more intense. “It is Game of Thrones, expect the worst. Expect the very worst possible, and then double it,” Olivia Cooke told Entertainment Weekly. “I dunno what else to say without heavily spoiling it, but it is heinous.”
House of the Dragon co-creator Ryan Condal had similar warnings. “A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones have really conditioned people to expect the unexpected and expect the horrible,” he said. “But, yeah, that one's pretty horrific. We'll see what people make of what's to come.”
Including Blood and Cheese confirms that Season 1 was just a warm-up for the brutal conflict to come, and Season 2 will show it in full force. At least, just like in Thrones’ heyday, you’ll be able to get the drop on friends who haven’t studied up.
