HBO has only aired two House of the Dragon Season 2 episodes so far, but there have already been several highly consequential deaths. The season premiere ended with the brutal murder of Jaehaerys Targaryen, while the second episode closed with twins Arryk and Erryk battling to the death in Rhaenyra's bedroom.
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Fans of the source material, George R.R. Martin's novel Fire & Blood, already have some idea about who's next on the chopping block, but the series hasn't followed the book to the letter - meaning it could be anyone's turn to meet the Stranger.
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Based on what we know of Martin's work, here are a few (spoilery) possibilities for who could be next to go:
In the book, Aegon's wife, Helaena, dies by suicide after the death of her son Maelor. While Maelor's death comes much later in the war in Fire & Blood, he doesn't exist at all in House of the Dragon. Some fans think Helaena may give birth to Maelor later this season, but for now, his omission from the show could speed up the timeline of her succumbing to grief over the death of her son, Jaehaerys.
The Queen Who Never Was has mostly stayed above the fray so far, but her dragon, Meleys, makes her a huge asset to the Blacks. Most of Team Rhaenyra's dragons have never seen battle, but Meleys has - so it's highly likely that Rhaenys will be called to the front as the battle for the Iron Throne heats up. If she does see some action, then she might not be long for this world. In the book, she dies in the battle of Rook's Rest, which is one of the earlier conflicts in the Dance of the Dragons.
Ser Criston is the poster boy for failing upwards, having recently been promoted to Hand of the King after Aegon's heir died on his watch (while he was breaking his Kingsguard vows by sleeping with Alicent). Book readers know that his luck doesn't run out for quite a while, but the abject failure of last week's little Parent Trap assassination plan could put a target on his back among the Greens.
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