Spoilers for House of the Dragon seasons 1 and 2 ahead. The legendary Targaryen civil war finally begins in House of the Dragon season 2. HBO's fantasy hit, the Game of Thrones prequel based on the George R.R. Martin novel Fire and Blood, depicts an earlier time in the Targaryen family dynasty when the strongest family in Westeros split into two factions battling over the Iron Throne. On one side we have King Viserys I's named heir Rhaenyra (played by Emma D'Arcy), the first woman to get this close to the crown. On the other, we have the king's wife Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and her son Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), the oldest living male descendant.
HotD season 1 was a time-jumping prologue to the epic conflict, illustrating how Alicent and Rhaenyra went from best friends to strained enemies as tension built amid discussions of succession and the inevitable fighting among their heirs. After Viserys (Paddy Considine) died in episode 8, both opposing sides, known as the Greens and the Blacks, crowned their rightful monarchs of Westeros, setting off a war that set family member against family member, and dragon against dragon.
Read on for our tally of who falls on each side of the conflict as of the end of season 2, which side has the most dragons, and why they're called the Greens and the Blacks in the first place.
Why are they called the Greens and the Blacks in 'House of the Dragon?'
The conflict may as well be Team Alicent vs. Team Rhaenyra, but in House of the Dragon, the sides are known by the subtler designations of the Greens and the Blacks. The Greens' name comes from a standout moment in HotD season 1, episode 5, where Alicent arrives late to Rhaenyra's wedding, wearing a green dress. The pair's friendship had taken its final blow that episode; Rhaenyra had lied to Alicent about losing her virginity, and Alicent's father Otto (Rhys Ifans) had lost his position as Hand of the King for "falsely" accusing that Rhaenyra had been "sullied." Alicent's grand entrance signaled the shift in her alliances, from being the perfect wife and stepmother dressed in the Targaryen colors of black and red to focusing more on her self-interests and wearing her Hightower family color of green.
For viewers who can't list off the colors of the noble houses of Westeros (i.e. most of us), Ser Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) also explained the strength of Hightower green. He says the light at the top of the Hightower in Old Town, the seat of Alicent’s family, glows green to symbolize war. The color change shows that Alicent is ready to protect herself and go to war with Rhaenyra if needed. As the princess gives birth to more brunette sons over the next decade, that resentment only grows stronger.
As for where the name of the Blacks comes from, black is one of the traditional House Targaryen colors, from their sigil having a red dragon on a black background.
In the source material, the name makes even more sense. While Alicent's green dress moment happens at Rhaenyra's wedding in the series, in the original book, it happens at her and Viserys' fifth wedding anniversary. Rhaenyra was wearing a black and red dress at the time, thus her side became known as the Blacks. So both of the names come from the women's symbolic fashion choices.
Who are on Alicent's side with the Greens in 'House of the Dragon?'
The center of the Greens is Alicent and her children: Aegon, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), Helaena (Phia Saban), and the yet-to-be-seen Daeron (Henry Ashton). Their side of the succession battle supports Aegon as the true heir since he's the king's firstborn son and many lords of Westeros expected Viserys to name him as heir as early as his second birthday. Instead, Viserys steadfastly supported Rhaenyra as his heir until his death, even turning a blind eye to her baby daddy rumors. However, once he died, Otto and Alicent quickly worked to her crown firstborn son Aegon as king before news of Viserys' death could even reach Rhaenyra at Dragonstone.
Fast forward to the end of season 2, and just a few months of war has seen drastic changes to the Greens. Aegon is initially an impatient and ignorant king, and he fires his grandfather Otto as Hand of the King, giving the role to Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) instead. Then, in the Battle of Rook's Rest, Aegon was severely wounded by his brother Aemond, who was named the interim ruler and Protector of the Realm as Aegon recovered. In the season 2 finale, Aegon fled King's Landing with Larys Strong, fearing that Aemond or Rhaenyra would kill him if he were a sitting duck in the capital.
Outside of the Red Keep, the Greens have allied with House Hightower, House Lannister, House Baratheon, and House Tyrell, counting these Great Houses and their vassals among their army. In the season 2 finale, Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) and the Triarchy strike a deal to create, an alliance of three Free Cities, to fight for the Greens at sea.
On the dragon front, the Greens have held the upper hand with Vhaghar, the largest living dragon whom Aemond rides into battle. However, with Sunfyre presumed dead after Rook's Rest and Helaena refusing to ride Dreamfyre into battle, the Greens only really have Vhaghar and Tessarion, Daeron's young dragon, to go up against the Blacks' many new dragons.
Who are on Rhaenyra's side with the Blacks in 'House of the Dragon?'
Meanwhile, the Blacks' line of succession includes Rhaenyra and her sons Jacaerys (Harry Collett), Joffrey (Oscar Eskinkanzi), Aegon (Jake and Rory Heard), and Viserys. Rhaenyra's eldest sons Jace and Joffrey were sired by the late Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr). Her two youngest are hers with her uncle/husband Daemon (Matt Smith), who she married in season 1 out of love and strategic alliance. Of course, the pair had both been married before, so Rhaenyra also gained two step-children: Baela (Bethany Antonia) and Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell), whose mother was the late Laena Velaryon.
In season 2, Rhaenyra also had an ally in Rhaenys (Eve Best), Viserys' cousin known as "The Queen Who Never Was." She and her husband, Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), offered her counsel and support.
Ultimately, she met her demise in battle when Aemond killed her and her dragon Meleys at Rook's Rest. Following Rhaenys' death, Corlys remained loyal to Rhaenyra and became the Hand of the Queen. The Sea Snake also leads one of Westeros's largest navies, giving the Blacks an advantage at sea (for now).
The Blacks' allies include House Velaryon (as mentioned), House Stark (woo!), House Arryn, and the smaller houses represented among the members of the Queen's Council. Throughout season 2, Daemon reunited the fractured Crownlands to unite all of them on the side of the Blacks, giving Rhaenyra a sizable army closer to King's Landing. Rhaenyra also has a useful ally in her Master of Whispers, Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno). Though Otto forced her to flee King's Landing, the White Worm still has serious connections in the city and was integral in the Blacks' biggest win of season 2.
In season 2, episode 9, Rhaenyra made a controversial decision that turned the tide of the war. After Seasmoke (the dragon of her "deceased" husband Laenor, who is hopefully still very much alive out there somewhere) claimed Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty) as his rider, the Queen recruited dozens of Targaryen bastard children from King's Landing in search of dragonseeds—a.k.a. potential dragonriders. At the end of the brutal, fiery Sowing of the Seeds, Rhaenyra found two new dragonriders: Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew), who claimed the second-largest dragon Vermithor, and Ulf the White (Tom Bennett), who bonded with Silverwing. With these three new riders, the Blacks have seven battle-ready dragons (or eight, if Rhaena succeeds in claiming Sheepstealer) to go up against the Greens' three max (Vhaghar, Tessarion, and potentially Dreamfyre or Sunfyre).
Who is undeclared in the Targaryen civil war in 'House of the Dragon?'
By the end of House of the Dragon season 2, most of the Great Houses of Westeros chose sides, but not every house familiar to GoT fans has been mentioned. House Greyjoy has a small arc in Fire & Blood, but they may have been left on the cutting room floor for the TV adaptation. However, one notable house that will remain undeclared throughout the Dance of the Dragons: House Martell of Dorne. This is mostly because Dorne isn't even a part of Westeros at this point in history; the southern region won't become a part of the Seven Kingdoms until roughly 68 years after the Dance of the Dragons set off.
Which dragons are Greens or Blacks in 'House of the Dragon?'
For anyone keeping a dragon tally as the civil war begins, there are currently 14 living dragons that have been introduced in House of the Dragon. The Blacks currently have the larger number of battle-ready dragons with seven: Syrax (bonded to Rhaenyra), Caraxes (Daemon), Vermax (Jacaerys), Moondancer (Baela), Seasmoke (Addam of Hull), Vermithor (Hugh Hammer) and Silverwing (Ulf the White). As of the season 2 finale, we don't know if Rhaena has bonded with Sheepstealer, but if so the tally goes up to eight. They also have Tyraxes (Joffrey) and Stormcloud (baby Aegon), who are too young to ride, and four dragon eggs, but odds are none will grow fast enough to join the war.
The Greens only have three dragons as of the end of season 2: Vhaghar, Tessarion, and Dreamfyre (still holding out hope that Sunfyre's alive tho!). Aemond and crew have had the upper hand so far, thanks to Vhaghar being massive and many of the Blacks' dragons being relatively small. (Caraxes, the Blacks' largest dragon at the start of season 2, is only half of Vhaghar's size.) However, now that big boy Vermithor and two new dragons are in play, even Aemond is intimidated by the show of force.
There are several more factors to consider than just the dragons, but heading into season 3, the Blacks have an advantage. However, the winds of war may shift once the battles really begin.
