Thanks to George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood and Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon fans already know the Dance of the Dragons ends in tragedy. The Targaryen civil war results in major losses for the Blacks and the Greens, so it really doesn’t matter who you’re rooting for. And the worst thing to come of the conflict is the severely decreased number of dragons. Their deaths will be some of the hardest to watch, alongside those of HOTD‘s fan-favorite characters.

There are two players who could potentially get a different endings in the show than they’re given in Martin’s source material. And I’m begging the spinoff to go that route, if only because it’s making them both so sympathetic. After House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 6, they’re among the characters I’d like to see catch a break — and Fire & Blood, plus one of House of the Dragon‘s book changes, technically make it possible. SPOILERS ahead for House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 6 and Fire & Blood.

I’m Begging House of the Dragon to Change the Fates of Gwayne Hightower and Daeron Targaryen

Lord Ormund Hightower hardly inspires sympathy with all his scheming and sexism, but there are a couple of characters we’d hate to see burn at Tumbleton. That includes Daeron Targaryen, who is easily the most likable of Alicent’s four children, as well as Ser Gwayne Hightower. The two are the most genuine members of the Green faction left, and they share a few scenes that leave us wanting them to escape the Dance of the Dragons at the end. Daeron’s moment of vulnerability drives home that he’s just a kid being dragged into a war by the self-serving adults around him. And Gwayne’s frustration with the war and the people perpetuating it makes him deeply human and relatable.

Technically, House of the Dragon could spare these characters. For Daeron, Fire & Blood leaves an out if the creators decide to take it. Martin’s source material reveals that Daeron is thought to die during the Second Battle of Tumbleton, which sees multiple dragon riders clashing and the market town facing further destruction. However, the reports about Daeron’s death are said to be conflicting — and notably, a body isn’t recovered. It’s possible House of the Dragon‘s writers are making us appreciate Daeron just so that his death hits harder. Yet they’ve made major changes to the book before, and they could interpret Martin’s words as Daeron escaping and pretending to be dead in the aftermath.

Gwayne Has Already Outlived His Fire & Blood Character in House of the Dragon

House of the Dragon has the foundation to spare Daeron Targaryen, and it could also send Gwayne Hightower on that journey with him. After all, it’s already altered his Fire & Blood fate. In Martin’s book, Alicent’s brother perishes during the Fall of King’s Landing. When Rhaenyra takes the city, Luthor Largent stabs Gwayne to death. This obviously doesn’t happen in the TV series. As Freddie Fox’s character has already outlived his on-page counterpart, there’s no telling what his House of the Dragon fate will be. I have to assume he’ll perish alongside many other Greens. But there’s a not-so-small part of me that hopes he whisks Daeron out of Tumbleton before the chaos really starts. It would be a small bright spot in an otherwise devastating story.