House of the Dragon just made two huge fate twists official

If you’ve managed to avoid House of the Dragon spoilers until Season 3, Episode 6, well done – but you’re about to hear a few. The Game of Thrones prequel marches on, tinkering with George R.R. Martin’s source material in ways that range from subtle to, frankly, a bit bold even by Targaryen standards. Purists can breathe easy: this season hasn’t gone completely off-book. Still, a couple of recent plot turns feel as though the writers are steering into unfamiliar waters—sometimes to line things up with the novel again, other times taking things off on proper tangents Martin never penned.

House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s book "Fire & Blood," chronicling the Targaryen civil war.

Let’s break down what’s changed, what’s business as usual, and what’s so new even George R.R. Martin’s probably watching with raised eyebrows.

Alicent's Outlandish Mission

One longstanding adjustment is the show’s take on Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower. In "Fire & Blood", they're mere acquaintances-turned-rivals, leading their houses into civil war like rival football managers. The TV series, though, went for maximum drama: childhood best mates who grow up and then end up on opposite sides of the conflict. The show’s writers love this angle so much, they’ve kept pushing it further. You even get Alicent considering a betrayal of her own kids to help Rhaenyra snatch King’s Landing—a far colder character than book fans probably pictured.

That brings us to Episode 6’s big swing. Having switched sides by the close of Season 2, Alicent is out to bargain for the safety of herself, Helaena, and Helaena’s young daughter Jaehaera. Her ace card: more dream prophecies, courtesy of latent Targaryen weirdness—Helaena’s visions reveal that Aemond is holed up at the decrepit castle of Harrenhal. Alicent passes that tip to Rhaenyra, hoping to buy her family’s ticket out.

Rhaenyra, though, has a twist ready. Rather than storm Harrenhal outright, she decides it’d be subtler (and possibly more wrenching) to send Alicent herself, gambling that Aemond will actually let his mum through the door. The not-so-subtle implication is Alicent’s now being set up to get close enough to Aemond for a possible assassination—maybe by her hand, maybe a conveniently placed Queensguard.

If that sounds straight out of left field, you’re not wrong. In Martin’s text, Alicent never sets foot outside of King’s Landing post-war. The series teases this outcome earlier in Season 3 when Alicent, giving her son suitably ominous advice, hints she might join him at Harrenhal if he makes himself scarce. The show’s now made good on that, just not… quite as anyone in-universe would’ve predicted.

Corlys in Peril

Moving to the sea snake himself: Corlys Velaryon, played by Steve Toussaint, gets yet another storyline invented for TV. Back in Episode 3, "Rhaenyra Triumphant," he’s at odds with the queen for refusing to fully legitimise his sons Addam and Alyn (both snowballing from the show’s broader decision to make them Velaryon bastards with uncertain futures). He flounces out of King’s Landing in Episode 4 and spends the next couple of episodes fighting rogue Triarchy stragglers, presumably to blow off steam.

He turns up in this latest episode ready to return to King’s Landing—only to get snatched in the night by Jon Roxton (Joplin Sibtain), who’s working for Ormund Hightower (James Norton). Ormund makes camp at Tumbleton, setting up Daeron Targaryen as his family’s next attempt at a puppet king. The reasons for the audacious Corlys kidnapping? Not fully spelled out yet, but yanking Rhaenyra’s most bankable mariner off the board definitely won’t help her war effort.

Again, this is pure show invention. Book-Corlys never leaves Rhaenyra’s side in King’s Landing at this point, and the entire abduction subplot is absent from "Fire & Blood." Does this mean he’ll get back to the city and the show will realign itself with George’s story? Or is House of the Dragon about to go fully original and keep tossing its characters wherever drama most demands?

• House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 6, features major storylines not found in the "Fire & Blood" book—Alicent traveling to Harrenhal and Corlys’ kidnapping are both created for the show.