"A Wooden Throne": What Helaena's Prophecy About Aegon Really Means

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

Summary Aegon sits on a wooden throne, likely referring to the litter he is carried on after breaking his legs.

Helaena predicts Aegon's victory, but they will tragically never meet again in the series.

Helaena's eerie visions break dragon dream rules and foresee to tragic outcomes for key characters.

Helaena outlines her family’s future with a prophecy about Aegon and Aemond in House of the Dragon season 2, including that Aegon will sit on “a wooden throne.” Alicent and Viserys’ daughter Helaena Targaryen has shown gifts of dragon dreaming ever since she was a child, with her visions becoming much stronger and clearer by House of the Dragon season 2’s ending. In addition to foretelling Aemond’s death, Aegon being king again, and a bigger “story” that cannot be changed, she powerfully begins appearing in other peoples’ visions, as she shows up during Daemon’s weirwood tree vision at Harrenhal.

When Aemond asks Helaena to fly into battle on Dreamfyre, she refuses and questions whether he’ll burn her like Aegon, elaborating that she saw Aemond burn and let Aegon fall at Rook’s Rest. Before Helaena warns Aemond about his own death in the Gods Eye, she tells him, “Aegon will be king again. He’s yet to see victory. He sits on a wooden throne. And you… you’ll be dead.” Helaena’s eerie prophecy aligns with the events outlined in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book, including the detail about Aegon using a seat other than the Iron Throne.

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Aegon's Wooden Throne Is Likely His Litter After Breaking His Legs

Aegon Sits On A Wooden Chair Below The Iron Throne When He Returns To King's Landing

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Aegon is already broken and bedridden in House of the Dragon and, as Helaena predicts, his condition worsens later in the Dance of the Dragons. After Larys helps Aegon escape King’s Landing, he hides on Dragonstone and arranges a coup in which some members of Team Black switch alliances and help him take the castle. During the Fall of Dragonstone, Aegon flies on Sunfyre and fights Baela Targaryen on Moondancer, which culminates in Aegon jumping from his dragon and breaking both his legs in the fall. Subsequently, Aegon is unable to walk and is carried on a wooden litter.

Both Baela and Aegon Targaryen survive their battle, but their dragons Moondancer and Sunfyre both die from their wounds.

Therefore, the “wooden throne” that Helaena foresees is likely the litter Aegon sits on after his legs are shattered. Further aligning with Helaena’s prediction that he sits on his wooden throne after he sees “victory,” Aegon is unable to climb the steps to the Iron Throne when he reclaims King’s Landing after killing Rhaenyra Targaryen on Dragonstone. Consequently, a “carved, cushioned wooden seat” is placed at the bottom of the steps to the Iron Throne, giving King Aegon II Targaryen his “wooden throne” from which he rules and holds court.

Related How The Hell Did Helaena Break That Vision Rule In House Of The Dragon?! Helaena’s visions were more impressive than ever in House of the Dragon season 2’s finale, to the point she broke some non-written dragon dream rules.

Helaena & Aegon Will Never See Each Other Again In House Of The Dragon

Helaena Dies Before Aegon Sees His Victory

Custom Image by Lewis Glazebrook

While Helaena sees Aegon in her visions, the two siblings and husband/wife never physically see each other again in House of the Dragon. The last time Helaena and Aegon interacted face-to-face was likely when they silently stopped on the steps together after Prince Jaehaerys’ death. According to Fire & Blood, Helaena Targaryen tragically dies by suicide approximately six months into Rhaenyra’s rule at King’s Landing, with Aegon having remained at Dragonstone that entire time. Since Aegon and Helaena seemingly have some affection for each other, the fact that they never reunite after all their shared tragedies is a sad reality.