Spoilers for "Driftmark," episode 7 of season 1 of House of the Dragon. Many people have been reminded of a character from George R.R. Martin's books that Game of Thrones omitted by Helaena Targaryen (Evie Allen) murmuring various bizarre but prescient words under her breath in the most recent episodes of House of The Dragon. One of Queen Alicent Hightower's (Olivia Cooke) and King Viserys Targaryen's (Paddy Considine) three children, Helaena, has thus far had a very little part in the series and is frequently criticised for being strange and naïve (even by her brother and future husband Aegon). However, many book readers have remarked that her seemingly illogical statements have already turned out to be prescient and will continue to portend upcoming series events.
The latest episode of House of The Dragon, "Driftmark," featured escalating hostilities between the families of Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and Queen Alicent. In the midst of the bloodshed, which saw Aemond lose an eye and Alicent attack Rhaenyra in front of everyone, Helaena maintains her usual demureness. However, she can be seen playing with a spider and repeating a prophecy that appears to foretell the Dance of the Dragons in one important scene. This comes after Helaena said, "he'll have to close an eye," in reference to Aemond's wish for a dragon in episode 6, "The Princess and the Queen." Although this comment initially seems unimportant, "Driftmark" shows how brutally it is realised. Helaena's remarks have a clear prophetic importance for the future of Westeros, even though people in the series have so far mainly ignored them.
Related Article: The Meaning of Helaena's Spider Prophecy
Helaena puts many people in mind of Patchface, one of the strangest elements of Stannis Baratheon's narrative, with her unusual prophesies that really foresee significant events. Patchface, Stannis' court jester in Martin's novels, makes remarks that are at once absurd and weirdly deep, like many other classic fools in literature. Patchface, so called because of the green and red squares that were tattooed on his face in the usual Volantis slave fashion, was set free by Stannis' father Steffon Baratheon after the latter visited the Free Cities. Patchface washes ashore among the dead having lost most of his wit and memory after surviving the shipwreck that claimed the life of Lord Steffon. Then, like Helaena, he acts as a fool at Stannis' court, spending the most of his time with Shireen Baratheon, Stannis' daughter, and reciting rhymes that foretell important events.
