Who are House of Dragon's Blood and Cheese? We explain the lore and clues from Season 1

Game of Thrones has accustomed us to many brutal and even repulsive scenes. House of the Dragon, a spin-off and prequel to the first HBO series in the A Song of Ice and Fire universe, doesn't compromise on this aspect at all, as we witnessed when watching the first season in the summer of 2022. The story, filled with intrigue and brutality, is a worthy successor to Game of Thrones, beloved by fans worldwide. The second season of the story of the Targaryen family is currently in post-production and is scheduled to premiere in early summer 2024.

Related:When does House of the Dragon take place? Game of Thrones timeline explained

The script of the next season is still based on the prose of George R.R. Martin, who is heavily involved in the production of the series. That's why those who have read not only A Song of Ice and Fire, but also other works set in this universe, started speculating about what awaits us in the upcoming episodes of House of the Dragon. The characters known as Blood and Cheese have attracted special attention, as their backstory may be confusing for those who aren't familiar with Martin's books.

The first season ended with the death of Prince Lucerys Velaryon, one of Rhaenyra Targaryen's three sons, when he traveled to Storm's End to assess the situation and potentially persuade the local lord to join the Black faction (the name for those who support Rhaenyra). He found his uncle Aemond there, whom he had injured in childhood. Aemond demanded that Lucerys cut out his own eye, but the young prince refused to obey him. Aemond chased after Velaryon on his dragon, which was significantly larger than Lucerys' dragon. The fun continued for a while, until unexpectedly Aemond lost control of the beast, and the enraged creature consumed the second dragon along with its rider.

House of the Dragon, Ryan Condal, Miguel Sapochnik, HBO, 2022

News of Lucerys' death reached Rhaenyra and her followers. In the final scene, we witness a weeping and furious Rhaenyra, whose expression indicates that her opponents won't escape unpunished for her son's death.

Who are Blood and Cheese in House of the Dragon?

Lucerys' death is going to have serious consequences. To find out what will occur in the upcoming season of House of the Dragon, we should check the information found in Martin's books (A Song of Ice and Fire, Fire & Blood). According to them, after Prince Lucerys dies, Daemon Targaryen chooses to hire two assassins. Blood and Cheese will sneak into the Red Keep through the same tunnels which the Daemon once used to drag Rhaenyra out of the palace to show her the city and be able to influence his niece, his future wife.

Once in the Keep, Blood and Cheese will visit the chambers of Alicent Hightower, the queen dowager of King Viserys Targaryen. There, they will grab the woman and gag her, and Blood will strangle the maid in front of her. The murderers then wait for the arrival of Queen Helaena Targaryen (wife and sister of Aegon II Targaryen) and her children, as she has a habit of allowing the three to spend time with their grandmother. Blood will kill Helaena's guard and later capture Prince Jaeherys and Prince Maelor with Cheese.

Next, Blood will say the words he heard from Daemon: "An eye for an eye, a son for a son" and will order Helaena to choose which child should be killed. He threatens that if she does not make a choice, or starts screaming, the murderers will kill everyone in the room. After a dramatic exchange of words, Helaena will choose Maelor, based on the fact that the boy is only two years old, which means he will not be aware of a thing. However, the murderers decapitated six-year-old Jaehaerys in front of his grandmother, mother and twin sister and it gets gruesome. Then Blood and Cheese will escape from the Red Fortress, taking the prince's head with them as proof.

After all, Queen Helaena falls into madness, her son Maelor lives with the knowledge that his own mother – although forced – sentenced him to death, which will eventually cause an open war between Rhaenyra Targaryen's supporters and her half-brother – King Aegon Targaryen.

Hints from the first season of House of the Dragon

The fact that this scene will actually be shown is evidenced by the hints left by the creators in the first season. First, Blood and Cheese will be hired through the mysterious Mysaria, who, although she has not played a significant role yet, was Daemon Targaryen's lover and ran a huge spy network in King's Landing. With her help, Daemon will reach sophisticated assassins who will dare to undertake such a difficult task.

House of Dragon, Ryan Condal, Miguel Sapochnik, HBO, 2022

Secondly, there's a detail that symbolically reveals what is about to happen. During the wedding of Rhaenyra and Laenora Velaryon, a fight breaks out in which Ser Criston Cole kills Ser Joffrey Lonmouth, who was the secret lover of Rhaenyra's first husband. That's why their wedding takes place in a stern atmosphere. Nevertheless, one detail seems telling. A close-up on the floor shows a rat drinking the blood of Joffrey. This symbolism is about the characters of Blood and Cheese. This first one is called Blood, as he's considered a skilled killer. The nickname of the second one comes from the fact that Cheese is seemingly a regular rat catcher, who lures rats with cheese. In this way, the creators announce the presence of these characters in the second season of Dragonborn.

The most brutal scene after the Red Wedding

We all remember what happened to the betrayed Stark family in Game of Thrones. The death scene of Ned Stark and Catelyn Stark's son, and his pregnant wife, caused a strong response from viewers, even those who had known the events from the books. For a long time, it was also analyzed from various angles, and today, it's considered one of the most iconic scenes of the War of the Five Kings.

However, it looks like the House of Dragon will challenge this status. We don't know how it will be presented and whether the filmmakers will actually decide to actually depict a murder of a six-year-old kid. Nevertheless, this scene will certainly cause a controversy and will be reason for heated discussions online.

More:Star of Ridley Scott's Disturbing Show Joins House of the Dragon Season 2

Mateusz Libera

Mateusz Libera

He began his writing adventure by creating stories, later he followed the humanities path, choosing studies in journalism and social communication. He published his first texts on his personal blog and for contests. At the beginning of 2023, he joined the film department of GRYOnline.pl, where he started working as an author of articles about movies. He is interested in fantasy, history, RPG games, and strategies. He is also a long-time player of League of Legends - he has been playing since the second season. Additionally, he writes adventure and fantasy books, but in this field he is still a novice. Currently, he has published one collection of stories.