THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR Fire & Blood AND House of the Dragon
The Game of Thrones franchise based on George R.R. Martin’s novel A Song of Ice and Fire has successfully managed to traumatize viewers and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon. After the end of Game of Thrones, fans of the series were treated to House of the Dragon, a prequel series based on the author’s Fire & Blood book.
![Matt Smith and Emma D'Arcy's scenes worked in House of the Dragon due to the presence of an intimacy coordinator](https://fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/29081144/daemon-rhaenyra.jpg)
Just like the original show, House of the Dragon left no stone unturned in disturbing its audience. Whether it was the brutal killing of Lyman Beesbury or Daemon and Rhaenyra’s marriage, the show makes it really difficult for us to keep watching (we still will, it’s just that good). And now, as we move closer to the show’s second season, we must brace ourselves for yet another tragic and horrifying storyline to be adapted to television – Blood and Cheese.
House of Dragon Season 2 Will Haunt You Forever
![House of the Dragon season 2 trailer](https://fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/16034208/blood-and-cheese-in-the-red-keep-in-house-of-the-dragon-season-2.jpg)
Remember The Red Wedding arc in Game of Thrones? Well, prepare to witness something equally, if not more, heinous in the second season of House of the Dragon. Prepare to meet Blood and Cheese.
For those who have not read George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, Blood and Cheese are characters in the book with the former being a butcher and the latter being a ratcatcher, hence their names. Taking a step back to the season finale of the show’s first season, Rhaenyra Targaryen’s son Lucerys meets his demise at the hands of Aemond Targaryen and his dragon. Daemon Targaryen then vowed to take revenge and in order to accomplish his payback, he hires Blood and Cheese.
As the pair break into the Red Keep, they bound Alicent Hightower and kill her maid. When Helaena, Aemond’s sister, walks into the room with her three children, Blood and Cheese force her to choose which of her three kids would be killed by their hands, right in front of her.
After a ton of begging and pleading goes to waste, Helaena has no choice but to choose between her children, Jaehaerys, Jaehaera, and Maelor. In the end, she takes Maelor’s name as he is the youngest of the three. However, Blood and Cheese are known to be brutal and sadistic in their ways which is why, disregarding Helaena’s choice, they behead Jaehaerys. Thus, they were able to fulfill Daemon’s “a son for a son” revenge.
House of the Dragon Team Talks about the Storyline
![Olivia Cooke in House of the Dragon](https://fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/16034217/olivia-cooke_0.webp)
The prequel just might take the cake for the most horrendous storyline after Blood and Cheese make their way into the show. Don’t believe us? Take the word of Olivia Cooke herself who plays the role of Alicent Hightower in the show.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about this arc in particular, Cooke stated,
“God! I’d just say, it is Game of Thrones, expect the worst. Expect the very worst possible, and then double it. I dunno what else to say without heavily spoiling it, but it is heinous.”
Showrunner Ryan Condal also stated that while viewers are accustomed to expecting the worst, this storyline will be especially horrific.
“A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones have really conditioned people to expect the unexpected and expect the horrible. But, yeah, that one’s pretty horrific. We’ll see what people make of what’s to come.”
Well, anyone looking for rainbows and butterflies and a happy ending was never going to watch these shows either way. On the other hand, those who do watch Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon know what they signed up for. Regardless, they, too, need to brace themselves for season 2.
House of the Dragon season 2 will be released on June 16 on Max.