10 Biggest Changes House Of The Dragon Season 3 Makes To GRRM's Book

As the series has gone on, there have been even bigger changes, and smaller ones in season 1 have unfurled into larger deviations. Fire & Blood asks for changes, however. The novel is written like a historical document, with three Westerosi historians all claiming their accounting of events is correct. Perhaps Condal is the fourth historian, claiming it's his account that's right.

The Battle Of The Honeywine Is Omitted

The beginning of season 3 could have begun with the Battle of the Honeywine, an important clash in the novel. This battle occurs just a day after the Battle of the Gullet in Fire & Blood. In it, Ormund Hightower and his army clash with the Black supporters in the Reach, led by House Beesbury and House Tarly.

Ormund's host wins the day thanks to Daeron and Tessarion's arrival, and the defeat also encourages Rhaenyra to hurry her attack on King’s Landing. It's a battle that could have introduced Daeron, Ormund, and Jon Roxton with more gusto, and also would remind viewers of Lord Beesbury's death at the hands of Ser Criston Cole in season 1.

Aemond And Cole Don't Have A Falling Out

In Fire & Blood, Aemond and Criston Cole advance on Harrenhal together and defeat the garrison there. While they are there, they meet Alys Rivers, and she becomes Aemond's lover. Cole and Aemond have a falling out, and the book is unclear if it's because Cole thinks Aemond has turned his back on the cause, or if he too has fallen in love with Alys.

In the show, Aemond beats Cole's force to Harrenhal but is wounded, and Alys takes him into her care. At the same time, Vhagar flies off. Without the large dragon to signal him, Cole assumes that Aemond is somewhere else and moves on through the Riverlands.

Sheepstealer Is A Liability, Not An Asset

Dragons in the Game of Thrones franchise are like nuclear weapons, and Sheepstealer is a prime example of how explosively indiscriminate they can be. Rhaena has almost no control over Sheepstealer, barely able to stop him from blasting her own father with fire.

In the novel, Sheepstealer is a valued asset to Rhaenyra. He participates in the Battle of the Gullet, where it's said that the dragon fought valiantly, and he is a part of Rhaenyra's attack on King's Landing. Sheepstealer doesn't do anything wrong the whole book, and it's only Rhaenyra's increasing paranoia that eventually leads to her driving him away.

Rhaena Targaryen Replaces Nettles

Rhaena Targaryen appears to have completely taken on the role of another character in Fire & Blood, Nettles. In the book, Nettles is one of the dragonseeds called up by the Blacks to try and tame the dragons. Like Rhaena, Nettles does so by gaining Sheepstealer's trust by feeding him sheep.

Her story becomes entwined with Daemon's because he takes an interest in the girl, which one historian says soon became a romance, and the two abscond together right when Rhaenyra needs them. Another claims that Daemon only treated Nettles as a beloved daughter, which more closely aligns with what we see in the show.

Aegon II Flies To Harrenhal To Retrieve Aemond

Aegon II and Aemond's stories in House of the Dragon are much more fleshed out than they are in the book. In the book, Aemond goes to Harrenhal, and that's all we see of him until his climactic finale. Aegon II is basically forgotten about after he flees King's Landing, and we don't see him retrieve Sunfyre or journey to safety.

We certainly don't see or hear that Aegon II flew to Harrenhal to confront his brother. It's never suggested in the book that Aemond tried to kill his brother either. This is a book deviation that began back in House of the Dragon season 2, and is very likely going to lead to even bigger changes in the next season.

The Battle Of Tumbleton Is Very Different In The Book

The Battle of Tumbleton that ends House of the Dragon season 3 seems to be a mashup of the First and Second Battles of Tumbleton in Fire & Blood. In the novel, the First Battle of Tumbleton occurs when the Hightower host defeats the Black garrison at Tumbleton, in part due to Ulf the White and Hugh Hammer turning traitor with their dragons.

Ulf turning does happen in the House of the Dragon battle, but the rest of the fight seems more like the Second Battle of Tumbleton, where the Blacks come to Tumbleton to root out the Greens entrenched there, and that's when Ormund dies. It's also notable that Daemon isn't present at either battle in the books; Hugh doesn't appear to be a turncoat in the show, and there are no dragon deaths like there are in the books.

Alys Rivers Has A New Backstory

In Fire & Blood, Alys Rivers is a mysterious woman living in the halls of Harrenhal, and it does seem that she has some magical powers and appears much younger than her age. However, in the books, it's made clear that she is a bastard of House Strong, and it's only implied she got her powers because of the haunted nature of Harrenhal.

In House of the Dragon, Alys is still a witch-like figure, but she's given a different backstory. Alys tells Aemond she is the wife of Harren Hoare, the brutal Iron Island ruler who built Harrenhal and died in it during the Conquest. Alys used dark magic to save her badly burned son, but failed. However, the magic made her immortal and unable to leave the castle. It's a completely new backstory for the character.

Maelor Targaryen Is Not Born

The absence of Maelor Targaryen in House of the Dragon is one of the major issues George R.R. Martin has raised as he's publicly decried the changes made to his story. Maelor is the third child of Helaena and Aegon II, and he is present during the Blood & Cheese tragedy.

When asked which child Helaena wants killed, she chooses Maelor. Blood and Cheese instead kill Jaehaerys, leaving Helaena with a son whom she now knows she would have chosen to die. After the Fall of King's Landing, Maelor is spirited away, but he's caught by the Small Folk who brutally kill him. It's the news of his death that's the impetus for Helaena killing herself.

Gwayne Hightower Is Still Alive

Gwayne Hightower plays a much larger role in House of the Dragon than in Fire & Blood. In Fire & Blood, Gwayne has been at King's Landing since Otto Hightower was named Hand of the King, and has had run-ins with Criston Cole before, being unseated by the knight during a tourney.

He's later named second-in-command of the City Watch during the Dance of the Dragons by his father and told to keep an eye on the commander, Ser Luthor Largent. When Rhaenyra arrives to take the city, he tries to sound the alarm, but Luthor seizes him and kills him in front of the rest of the City Watch.

Rhaenyra's Final Moments Of The Season Don't Happen

Rhaenyra's actions at the end of House of the Dragon season 3 more specifically point to her deteriorating state of mind. In the show, she orders the High Septon killed, and delivers the "Song of Ice and Fire" prophecy in its entirety to an utterly bewildered crowd in King's Landing, none of which happens in the book.

In Fire & Blood, Rhaenyra is described as growing more paranoid while in King's Landing, and the lack of gold and allies leads to unrest in the city that eventually results in bloodshed. In House of the Dragon season 3, Rhaenyra's desperation to fulfill her perceived destiny is more of a driving force than a paranoid fear of losing her crown.