Latest photos from House of The Dragon show Rhaenyra is pregnant with Visenya

Game of Thrones prequel House of The Dragon is moving swiftly toward the end of the first season. We have seen several time jumps in the series so far, and the upcoming episode will feature the final one. Though some of the details that went by within these time gaps managed to slip in the process of storytelling, we can guess others by looking at some nods in the episodes themselves. Episode 8 of the series titled “The Lord of the Tides” will be hinting at one such detail.

In one of the most recent pictures released of House of The Dragon Episode 8, we are introduced for the first time to young Joffrey Velaryon, who seems to have grown up a bit. And beside him stands his mother, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, pregnant once again. Can you guess which Dance of the Dragon character is Rhaenyra going to bear this time? [Hint: The name is inspired by one of her ancestors, from Aegon I’s reign]

There is an indication of the last time jump that will occur in the show. And by how much? We can make an intelligent guess from the hints HBO has been dropping since the last week, with the Episode 8 preview, George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, and of course the released pictures.

Episode 8 “The Lord of the Tides” itself is a huge indicator of the moving plot in the upcoming chapter. We know that the current Lord of The Tides is Lord Corlys Velaryon. He is one of the key characters in the entire series. However, the preview shows that Corlys is majorly absent from the scene, and there appears to be a new conflict brewing right now. The Sea Snake has been injured, and his seat at Driftmark is up for grabs.

Now, taking cues from the original source, we know Laena Velaryon’s funeral took place in 120 AC. Daemon and Rhaenyra married soon after, in the same year, and according to the show, they’ve already consummated their relationship. Hence there’s a chance Rhaenyra is pregnant in the show during their marriage.

This is also supported by the fact that in Fire & Blood, Rhaenyra and Daemon welcome their first child together, Aegon the younger or Aegon III, in 120 AC itself. They welcome their second child together in 122 AC, named Viserys the younger or Viserys II.

So which timeline is Episode 8 set in? Well, once again looking at Fire & Blood, in 126 AC, Corlys Velaryon falls grievously sick and there’s a new debate for succession for the throne of Driftmark. This falls in tandem with what HBO’s new episode preview showed, chaos erupted in the absence of the Sea Snake, between his brother Vaemond(Coryls’ nephew in the books but the show changes that) wife Rhaenys, and former daughter-in-law Princess Rhaenyra.

In the picture which shows the first look at a slightly grown-up Joffrey Velaryon, he appears to be about 5-6 years old. This further supports the theory that it is indeed 126 AC, and 6 years have passed since Laena’s funeral. Since Aegon III and Viserys II have already been born earlier in 120 AC and 122 AC respectively, it’s time for Rhaenyra’s last child to arrive. Her name is Visenya, as stated by Fire & Blood.

Yes, we know, this is a rather stretched-out theory, as according to the books, Visenya the younger isn’t born until 129 AC. But guess who else is absent from the preview video? King Viserys Targaryen himself. The Hand of the King, Ser Otto Hightower, and Queen Alicent are ruling in his stead. Does it mean Viserys finally dies in episode 8?

It could be, because the show has been known to make some changes to the storyline, for instance, the change in Laenor’s fate. Visenya the younger is born just as the frail king passes away. The show could be trying to unite the events from 126 AC and 129 AC into one in an attempt to jump directly to the Dance of the Dragons, the civil war the show is supposed to mainly focus on.

However, Visenya’s arrival into the world of Westeros is another tragic event, and to avoid any spoilers, we are going to leave the description right there. Episode 8 is on the horizon, and it’s definitely going to be a big event in the story of House of The Dragon.

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Read Next: First look at older Joffrey Velaryon in new photo from House of the Dragon Episode 8