Ryan Condal has proven that he’s not afraid to be bloody and brutal when it comes to killing characters, major or otherwise, in House of the Dragon. That shouldn’t be a surprise given that it’s an adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s 2018 novel Fire & Blood, which, spoiler alert, features many deaths throughout Targaryen history, particularly during the civil war between the Blacks and Greens.
We’ve had plenty of deaths in House of the Dragon season 3 already, and suffice to say, we expect plenty more by the time the Dance of the Dragons has concluded. After all, season 3 is poised to bring some of the largest battles of the time to fruition — if those bodies don’t start racking up soon, we’ll be disappointed.
However, there are also deaths within this timeline that happen off the battlefield. One such death is, unfortunately, that of Queen Helaena Targaryen, the daughter of Alicent Hightower and Viserys Targaryen, and sister/wife of the usurper, Aegon Targaryen. That’s right, Helaena is not getting her dream of raising chickens, and we are suitably devastated by it.
But how does Helaena die? Is it as terrible as all the other deaths we’ve seen so far? You’ve got questions, and we’ve got the answers.
This story contains spoilers from both Fire & Blood and House of the Dragon season 3.
How does Helaena Targaryen die in Fire & Blood?
The events of Fire & Blood are narrated by various in-universe historians or eyewitnesses who were there at the time, blending accuracy with speculation throughout the novel. However, one thing all the historians seem to agree on is that Helaena Targaryen died shortly after Rhaenyra Targaryen’s conquest of King’s Landing.
As revealed in “The Dying of the Dragons: Rhaenyra Overthrown” chapter, Helaena died after she “threw herself from her window in Maegor’s Holdfast.” There she would die “impaled upon the iron spikes that lined the dry moat below.”
The reason for Helaena’s death is speculated heavily by maesters, historians, as well as the people of King’s Landing itself. Grand Maester Munkun, in his The Dance of the Dragons, A True Telling, says that Helaena killed herself after seeing Ser Thoron and Ser Denys die via hanging after their attempt to free Corlys Velaryon in the Red Keep. Septon Eustace, however, says that Mysaria, Rhaenyra’s mistress of whispers at the time, told Helaena of the death of her son Maelor, who was ripped apart by a mob at Bitterbridge, and Helaena, overcome with grief, killed herself.
A darker account of how Helaena was killed is also suggested in Fire & Blood, though it comes from whispers heard within King’s Landing itself. According to these rumors, Rhaenyra ordered Helaena’s death, to make her suffer before Prince Daeron took King’s Landing from Rhaenyra.
The real cause of Helaena’s death is never explained. Nonetheless, the consequences follow quickly as many commoners in King’s Landing riot, demanding justice for Helaena.
How does Helaena Targaryen die in House of the Dragon?
At the time of writing, Helaena Targaryen is alive and well in the show. However, now that Rhaenyra has taken over King’s Landing with her Black Council and both Alicent Hightower and Helaena have been captured, we are undoubtedly getting closer to the time that Helaena will die (or be killed) while in captivity.
That being said, there have been several changes throughout House of the Dragon — one of the more notable ones being the “death” of Laenor Velaryon. In Fire & Blood, he is definitively killed by his lover, Ser Qarl Correy, after Daemon Targaryen pays Qarl to kill Laenor so Daemon can marry his niece, Rhaenyra. This was changed in House of the Dragon so that Laenor’s death was faked and he could escape to his new life in Essos.
To be clear, it’s not confirmed that Helaena’s death will also be faked, but it is certainly a possibility. After all, Maelor, the youngest son of Aegon and Helaena, doesn’t exist in the show, so there’s no reason for Helaena to kill herself in grief.
That said, Helaena has been captured by the Blacks alongside her mother, Alicent, and while Rhaenyra has shown fondness for both in the past, it remains to be seen whether others on her Black Council feel the same way.
While we may not know when or if Helaena’s death will occur in House of the Dragon, we will update this article as soon as that information becomes clear throughout season 3.