Who is the father of Helaena’s child? House of the Dragon boss on ‘major complication’

House of the Dragon season three episode four revealed that Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) is, in fact, pregnant… but that only raises more questions. Namely, is it Maelor and who is the father? Because the math ain’t mathing. 

George R.R. Martin’s biggest criticism of House of the Dragon was the decision to leave out Helaena and Aegon’s (Tom Glynn-Carney) third child Maelor. The author argued in a now-deleted 2024 blog post that it will have a butterfly effect on the rest of the plot. 

While showrunner Ryan Condal has taken a more diplomatic approach to the public breakdown of their working relationship, he appeared to address the issue in the latest episode of the Game of Thrones prequel, by revealing that Helaena will have that third child after all. 

In a conversation with IGN, Condal revealed, “Helaena being pregnant is a major complication for her given the fact that she’s literally in Rhaenyra’s shadow and her captive.” 

He added, “It felt like a way to keep alive certain threads in the book in a way that sort of suited the plot, I think, and the story that we’re telling here in our version, our adaptation of The Dance of the Dragons.”

But who is the father?

Here’s the thing: we don’t know for sure. But all signs point to it still being Aegon as the father. And regardless, he will be the father legally. 

The show’s chronology is deliberately vague, making it impossible to pinpoint exactly when the conception occurred. Alicent only just notices a change in Helaena’s body in the latest episode, and even then it’s not visible to the viewer. 

As such, after Blood and Cheese but before the Battle at Rook’s Rest is arguably the cleanest fit. But because HBO has never established exactly how much time has passed since Viserys’ death, some fans believe it could have happened earlier.

It becomes a little shaky given the trauma Helaena was experiencing, but so much happens off screen and perhaps Aegon wanted another male heir. Plenty of fans agree, with one saying, “I’m gonna say Aegon [is the father].”

“The whole tone of Aemond and Helaena’s one interaction last season was not one where I believe they are close or Aemond ever used force against her before that given how fast she dropped the ‘you’re going to die’ bombshell on him for trying to get her to use her dragon. 

“The timeline is screwy though since I’m not sure how long this war has actually been going on and how distant Aegon and Helaena are shown to be after Jaehaerys’ death which happened right at the start.”

However, there’s also been speculation that it could be Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), with one person asking: what if it wasn’t forced?

“I’m not saying they’re just like Naerys and the Dragonknight but Aemond being kinder and more understanding than her own husband might’ve earned him a few points,” they wrote. 

“Frankly I don’t see much love in her marriage, if Aemond and Helaena found comfort in each other, however briefly, that would kind of be the only real personal victory either character ever gets.”

But, for the most part, people assume it’s Aegon. “Her husband, Aegon II seems to be the straightforward answer,” said another. 

“If she’s showing now she’s probably several months along so she would have gotten pregnant perhaps around the time of her father’s death, but the timeline isn’t super clear.”

A third added, “The father is likely Aegon. He could have just gotten her pregnant before the war, and she is only now showing, months later.”

Is the child Maelor?

This is where things get even murkier, thanks in part to Condal’s comments. Everyone assumes that Helaena’s third child will be Maelor after Martin complained about his absence. It makes the most sense to Fire & Blood. 

However, when speaking to IGN, the showrunner said, “If that child is a boy, it’s going to be very problematic for both Rhaenyra, and for her, and for Alicent.” If is a very interesting word choice. 

On the face of it, the obvious assumption is that the baby is Maelor, especially given the emphasis Condal placed on “keeping alive certain threads in the book”.

But Condal’s use of the word “if” has left a little room for doubt. It’s possible he’s deliberately avoiding naming the character to preserve the surprise for viewers who haven’t read the books.

Or, since House of the Dragon has never been afraid to deviate from Fire & Blood, Condal could be teasing the arrival of an entirely original child created specifically for the TV adaptation. 

That would mark an even bigger departure from Martin’s source material, but for now there’s no evidence that’s the direction the series is taking. No doubt all will be revealed in the episodes to come. 

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Featured image credit: HBO