(Spoilers for House of the Dragon, both TV show and book, will be found below.)
In this week’s House of the Dragon episode, Daemon conquered Harrenhal without effort and then immediately descended into a haunted hell that included a young Rhaenyra cameo, which forced Daemon to actually feel some guilt over his actions. That’s rather unheard of when it comes to the rogue prince, but this might or might not have something to do with this mysterious woman who appeared to tell him, “You will die in this place.”
Who Is Alys Rivers?
This mysterious woman should figure prominently into the rest of the season as an alleged Strong bastard who later becomes the “witch queen” of Harrenhal. Her apparent magic includes being able to see into the future, and she might also be the source of Daemon’s hallucinations, some of which are happening against the backdrop of a weirwood tree. It’s no wonder that Alys has been considered a precursor to Melisandre of Game of Thrones.
*** BOOK SPOILERS COMING ***
Alys Rivers has quite a history in George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood. Not only does she screw with Daemon’s head, but when Aemond later claims Harrenhal with Vhagar, he also claims Alys and goes all-in on her prophecies, and the two do appear to become a genuine couple. The oddest aspect about their relationship, however, is that Aemond previously delighted in dragging Rhaenyra’s eldest children for obviously being Strong bastards — which (as noted above) might be a description that also fits Alys. Also, Aemond impregnates Alys with an apparent bastard, so the dude’s priorities clearly changed in times of war.
After the death of Aemond (and Daemon), Alys actually rules over Harrenhal’s wreckage as a witchy queen, and she attempted to claim that her son is an heir to the Iron Throne. In other words, we might be seeing much more Alys, spending on how the prequel spin off adapts her story. At least we can guess that Aemond should finally be happy, if only for a short while.
House of the Dragons airs on Sunday nights.