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The eight-episode House of the Dragon season 2 is heading into its endgame, and as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) tries to bolster the ranks of the Blacks, some major players are waiting in the (dragon) wings. Despite all of season 2’s newcomers, fans are worried a beloved character has been booted through the Moon Door.
Much like fans were worried that House of the Dragon had cut the character of Daeron Targaryen, another key player in the Dance of the Dragons might’ve been jettisoned. While we know Daeron is on the way, there’s still no word on where the character of Nettles is. More concerningly, House of the Dragon season 2 episode 6 “Smallfolk” gave us our biggest indication yet that a different character will take Nettles’ arc.
George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood history of the Targaryens refers to Nettles as “foul-mouthed, filthy, and fearless.” Nettles is also described as a “brown-skinned girl”, which makes her stand out against the typical Targaryens and Velaryons of the source material. Obviously, House of the Dragon went down a different route by portraying the Velaryon bloodline as Black instead of their Caucasian book counterparts. With that change, fans now think Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Cambpell) is replacing Nettles.
In “Smallfolk,” Rhaena comes across the charred bones of some sheep while in the Vale. A disgruntled Rhaena confronts Lady Jeyne Arryn (Amanda Collin) about why she wasn’t aware there was already an adult dragon in the Vale, but the latter confirms it’s an untamable dragon that no one can subdue. With Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia) having claimed Moondancer, Sunfyre out of action at Rook’s Rest, and the dragon called Cannibal known for feasting on the remains of dead dragons, this creature’s penchant for sheep makes us confident it’s the dragon known as “Sheepstealer.” Nettles ends up bonding with Sheepstealer by feeding him his favorite snack in the books. Remembering how Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell) told her daughter how “there are more ways than one to claim a dragon” in season 1, her intrigue in Sheepstealer could take her down this path.
Fire & Blood recounts Rhaena riding a pinkish dragon called Morning. We assumed that Morning would hatch from one of the four eggs Rhaenyra tasked Rhaena with guarding, leaving the other three as the ones which eventually hatch into Daenerys Targaryen’s brood in Game of Thrones. Rhaena and Morning are largely absent from the Dance of the Dragons’ action, meaning there’s room for her to have a more important role here. Even though having Rhaena take Sheepstealer as her mount would streamline things without having to introduce Nettles, it leaves the fourth egg as a mystery. Morning’s birth is supposed to be a major boost in morale for the Blacks, although there’s a chance she could still hatch and have Rhaena ride her if something happens to Sheepstealer.
