HBO has released a short clip from the upcoming Game of Thrones spinoff series, House of the Dragon, that introduces fans to Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, next in the line to succeed King Viserys.
In this short sneak peek, clipped from the recent trailer, Rickard Stark, Corlys Velaryon, and Boremund Baratheon kneel to swear fealty to King Viserys I Targaryen, but also extend that oath to his firstborn Princess Rhaenyra, portrayed in live-action by Wanderlust star Emma D’Arcy. You can check out the short teaser here.
The story takes place some 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, chronicling the history of the Targaryen dynasty from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood novel. When Aegon the Conqueror arrived on the shores of the Seven Kingdoms with Balerion the Black Dread, one of the largest dragons in history, the proud houses of Westeros bowed before the invader, thus beginning the reign of House Targaryen until their downfall during Robert’s Rebellion in 280 AC.
The upcoming spinoff series is set in the middle of this 300-year rule, somewhere between 103 AC and 129 AC when the fifth Targaryen king Viserys I (Paddy Considine) took the Iron Throne. As for Rhaenyra, the young princess is the heir apparent to Viserys I, while his uncle Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) also known as the Prince of the City, roams the Red Keep as the heir presumptive and the direct rival of Rhaenyra.
House of the Dragon, the first show in HBO’s extensive line-up of Game of Thrones spinoffs, will make its worldwide premiere on Aug. 21.
