WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 6 and George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood book, on which the show is based!

Summary

• House of the Dragon season 2 cleverly foreshadows Helaena Targaryen's tragic death through subtle details in key moments.
• The innocent and kind-hearted Helaena experiences harrowing consequences of war, setting up one of the show's most devastating moments.
• Helaena's death, mirroring a Game of Thrones character, is expected to occur towards the end of season 3, leading to major developments.

This article contains mentions of suicide.

A subtle moment in deaths of Princess Shireen Baratheon, Hodor, and a few Starks at the Red Wedding. Many of the saddest demises were characters who were innocent casualties in the intersectional brutality of war, greed, and power, which happens to be the case for House of the Dragon’s saddest Targaryen death.

Following the tragic fate of Viserys and Lucerys at the end of season 1, the deaths in House of the Dragon season 2 so far have been increasingly brutal as the Targaryen war escalates. From the beheading of Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen to the deaths of Princess Rhaenys Targaryen and Meleys in the Battle at Rook’s Rest, the titular family is swiftly losing some of its most important . As can be expected, House Targaryen’s fatal tragedies are far from over, with season 2 subtly preparing audiences for some devastating deaths by including clever foreshadowing in small details.

How House Of The Dragon Season 2 Foreshadows Helaena Targaryen's Death

Helaena's Escape From The Riot Features A Clever Foreshadowing Detail

The chaos of the smallfolk of King’s Landing rioting in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 6 leads Queens Alicent Hightower and Helaena Targaryen to frantically flee the sept. While trying to descend the steps and make it to the wheelhouse, Helaena and Alicent are backed up on a wall with large spikes sticking out of it. Tragically, the next time Helaena is pinned to large spikes in House of the Dragon, she won’t make it out alive.

Helaena and Alicent are kept in King’s Landing under the watch of Team Black, with Helaena’s mental health becoming increasingly worse as she’s racked with guilt over Prince Jaehaerys’ death.

George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book reveals that Queen Helaena Targaryen dies not too long after Rhaenyra Targaryen takes King’s Landing from the Greens. During this time, Helaena and Alicent are kept in King’s Landing under the watch of Team Black, with Helaena’s mental health becoming increasingly worse as she’s racked with guilt over Prince Jaehaerys’ death. Interestingly, House of the Dragon doesn’t depict Helaena with the “madness” the book describes after Jaehaerys’ death, so a separate tragedy may more directly influence the changes in her mental state.

Regardless, Fire & Blood claims that Helaena dies by suicide after jumping from the window of her room, mirroring the death of King Tommen Baratheon in Game of Thrones. According to the book, Helaena is fatally impaled by the spikes below, with her body being found in this gory state. Following Helaena’s death, there are rumors that she was murdered on the orders of Rhaenyra, with Alicent cursing Rhaenyra for her daughter’s demise. Since House of the Dragon often departs from certain claimed details in Fire & Blood, the full context of Helaena Targaryen’s death is apt to be even more devastating to see play out.

Why Helaena's Death Will Be So Sad

Helaena's Death Will Be The Most Agonizing Of The Targaryens

Out of the more developed living Targaryen characters in House of the Dragon, Helaena is undoubtedly the most innocent and genuinely kind-hearted member of the family. Helaena feels guilty for grieving her own son when the smallfolk lose their children so much more often, keeps to herself and stays out of the politics of the Dance, confronts Aemond for trying to kill Aegon, and is often not taken seriously by her family when she should know by now to heed her cryptic warnings. Despite having no direct or intentional contributions to the war, Helaena experiences some of the most harrowing consequences of its brutality.

Consequently, after experiencing so much heartbreak, injustices, and tragedies, the innocent Helaena Targaryen taking her own life will become one of the show’s most upsetting moments. The majority of the remaining Targaryen characters who die in House of the Dragon are knowingly risking their lives to fight for the throne, engage in battle, betray one another, and disregard the impact on innocents in the name of familial feuds, power plays, and politics. This doesn’t apply to Helaena’s death – rather, hers is a tragic culmination of House Targaryen’s power struggle leaving a wake of unjustifiable casualties off and on the battlefield.

When Will Helaena's Death Happen In House Of The Dragon?

Helaena's Death Likely Won't Arrive Until The End Of Season 3

It’s still unclear exactly when Rhaenyra will take King’s Landing in House of the Dragon, but Helaena’s death arrives approximately half a year after that event in Fire & Blood. Rhaenyra will likely ascend the Iron Throne at the beginning of House of the Dragon season 3, which could mean that Heleana’s death will arrive toward the end of that same season. However, the deaths of Aemond and Daemon Targaryen occur directly before Helaena’s demise, so House of the Dragon may choose to delay her death until the start of season 4.

House of the Dragon could feature Helaena’s death as the season 3 finale’s cliffhanger ending, with the response to her fate and smallfolk riots commencing in season 4.

Helaena’s death is also followed by the Storming of the Dragonpit, in which the smallfolk riot in King’s Landing before attacking and killing the dragons held in the Dragonpit. This event leads to several major developments happening in quick succession, such as Rhaenyra fleeing to King’s Landing and being killed by Aegon soon after. Therefore, House of the Dragon could feature Helaena’s death as the season 3 finale’s cliffhanger ending, with the response to her fate and smallfolk riots commencing in season 4.