House Of The Dragon: Who wins Dance Of The Dragons in the books?

WARNING: This article contains major spoilers from the House Of The Dragons books. 

House Of The Dragon had a legion of followers even before the TV adaptation began so how did the Dance Of The Dragons end in the bestselling book series? 

Season two is heating up with the Sky and HBO prequel now midway through its current series with more to come as a third outing has already been confirmed. 

And with episode four titled Dance Of The Dragons coming out, fans of the novel series of the same name are thinking back to exactly what happened in George RR Martin’s work. 

Who wins Dance Of The Dragons in the House Of The Dragon books? 

A lot goes down during the Targaryen Civil War but at the end, it is Rhaenyra who takes King’s Landing but after her uncle/husband Daemon died in battle, she has no one to defend her when the people turn on their Queen. 

So Rhaenyra decides to flee and when she gets back to Dragonstone, her half-brother Aegon the Second is waiting for her.

He makes a ruthless and unexpected move by having his dragon Sunfyre murder Rhaenyra, by first burning the Queen and then eating her, with just a bit of her leg spared. 

Following his mum’s death, Aegon the Young is taken hostage by Aegon the Second but Sunfyre is badly injured from the war and dies of his injuries shortly after killing Rhaenyra. 

In the books, it is Lord Borros Baratheon who appears to take King’s Landing for Aegon the Second but when Team Black begins to meet on King’s Landing, Borros is killed. 

Nevertheless, Aegon the Second refuses to surrender and he cuts off Aegon the Younger’s ear to send to Team Black as a warning. 

This wasn’t a wise move though as not long after doing so, Aegon the Second is found dead, having been poisoned by an unknown assailant in the novels.

Aegon the Younger, despite his young age, then becomes the King of Westeros and is named Aegon the Third. 

He goes on to marry Aegon the Second’s daughter Jaehaera although she dies in suspicious circumstances. 

Alicent Hightower did survive the Dance Of The Dragons but when Rhaenyra first reigned, she sent her to be imprisoned in the Red Keep and died of Winter Fever. 

To make matters even more bleak, all of her children with Viserys had died earlier in battle. 

Aegon the Third decides to name his brother Prince Viserys as Hand Of the King but it is under his reign that the last of the dragons die. 

It is not until more than a century later when Daenerys Targaryen hatches three eggs that they are brought back to life. 

House Of The Dragons is available to watch on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK and HBO and MAX in the US.