House of the Dragon: Who Is Nettles & Where Is She?
So far, Season 2 has been withholding an important character. Who even is Nettles and will we see her in HotD?
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for House of the Dragon and Fire & Blood.
House of the Dragon boasts a wide roster of characters and, with slight exceptions, has been keenly following its source material, Fire & Blood, so far. The show strives to deviate from the novel as little as possible, which is a blessing for OG George Martin fans and new audiences alike: we all know what happens when someone decides they can “improve” upon the author’s ideas.
However, a few characters have seemingly been cut from the series. Do their numbers include one Nettles, of whom show fans haven’t even heard?
Who Is Nettles in Fire & Blood?
The short answer would be, a foul-mouthed bastard girl of unknown origin who “miraculously” manages to tame a dragon — but this doesn’t cover half of why Nettles is important. You see, in this filthy and weird girl’s bonding with Sheepstealer, she might have been proven to be Daemon Targaryen’s bastard daughter… And if you think this has enough implications, think again.
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In Fire & Blood, Daemon and Nettles also “bond,” but not as a father and a daughter. The two become lovers which enrages Rhaenyra who orders the girl dead despite her having fought on the Blacks’ side. Daemon saves Nettles and makes her fly away on Sheepstealer before heading for Harrenhal against his wife’s orders and getting himself killed while fighting Aemond.
Will House of the Dragon Show Nettles?
For all we know, Nettles should have already made an appearance in the series, and it seems that House of the Dragon decided to remove her character. However, this doesn’t mean that Daemon’s unlikely romance and the circumstances of his death will be altered… In a meaningful way. Nettles’ character arc was given to another.
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Admittedly, for all her appeal, Nettles didn’t play that big of a role in Dance of the Dragons, so her plot role was given to Rhaena Targaryen. While a questionable decision in the eyes of some OG fans, this allows the showrunners to kill two birds with one stone: they cut off an unnecessary character — and give a character who’s already present a far more significant part in the story.