Warning: This article contains major spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2 episode 1.
It has finally happened. The gruesome Blood and Cheese storyline concludes the first episode of House of the Dragon season 2 in a horrifying manner. After Rhaenyra instructs Daemon to have Aemond killed for his actions against her son, the Rogue Prince takes matters into his own hands.
Upon discovering the identities of two individuals with access to the Red Keep from the White Worm, he enlists their help for revenge. Blood, a palace guard, and Cheese, a rat catcher, are assigned the task of infiltrating the royal quarters to locate and eliminate Aemond. However, after navigating through the corridors, they fail to find the one-eyed prince and instead come across Queen Helaena and two of her children.
With a knife at her throat, they demand to know which child is the boy, threatening to harm all three if she does not comply. She points to her son Jaehaerys, and Blood and Cheese proceed to decapitate him as Helaena flees with her daughter to Alicent’s chambers. “They killed the boy,” she informs the Queen Dowager and Criston Cole before the screen fades to black. Shocking.
This chilling conclusion to the first episode of the Game of Thrones prequel is something that fans of George R. R. Martin’s books have been expecting. However, if you are curious about how it compares to the source material, below we have outlined the key differences, but be warned, the content is quite graphic so proceed with caution.
How is Blood and Cheese different from the book?
The Blood and Cheese storyline is one of the most disturbing moments in Martin’s Fire & Blood. It begins in a similar fashion with Daemon seeking vengeance for Aemond’s involvement in Lucerys’ death by enlisting the help of two men, Blood and Cheese.
However, unlike the show, the plan in the book is to assassinate one of Aegon and Helaena’s sons from the start. In episode 1, ‘A Son for a Son’, the scene cuts after Daemon is asked by the hitmen what to do if they cannot locate Aemond, leaving it unclear if he orders the murder of the infant. In Martin’s book, this is explicitly stated.
As a result, Blood and Cheese use their knowledge of Helaena’s routine of bringing her children to Alicent each night before bedtime to their advantage. They capture the Queen Dowager and hide in her bedroom, awaiting her arrival with her children. When she arrives, they eliminate her guards and barricade the door, forcing Helaena to choose which son will be killed – in the book, she has all three children with her, Jaehaerys, Jaehaera, and Maelor.
Helaena initially offers herself, but they threaten violence and promise to harm all three children if she does not decide. Ultimately, she selects Maelor, believing the other two are too young to comprehend the situation, but Blood and Cheese behead Jaehaerys instead.
House of the Dragon season 2 airs weekly on HBO and Sky. Refer to our House of the Dragon season 2 release schedule for more information, and do not miss our House of the Dragon season 2 review. For additional content, check out our guides: