House of the Dragon
SERIES PREMIERE Aug. 21, 9/8c, HBO
YOU HEAR THE flapping of wings first. Then, yes, bursting through the clouds over Westeros, a majestic, roaring dragon: Syrax, ridden by princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock). That’s just one thrill in the Game of Thrones prequel’s premiere. The temperamental teen and her beast will one day face battle. Now they’re just…joyful.
“She’s constantly followed around by [minders]. It’s liberating when she gets to fly,” says Alcock of the young royal, played as an adult by Emma D’Arcy about halfway through the 10-episode series.
Freedom to do what you please is rare in the sharp-elbowed court of the ruling Targaryens—a family with 17 dragons! Like , is based on the work of George R.R. Martin, specifically the novel . It’s set 172 years before the birth of the hit drama’s Daenerys
