House of the Dragon season 2 will introduce a powerful magical character similar to Melisandre, and the prequel could even outdo Game of Thrones.

House of the Dragon season 2 will have its own version of Melisandre, and could end up beating Game of Thrones with the character. House of the Dragon‘s timeline is close to 200 years before Game of Thrones, but there are still clear similarities between the two: Great Houses, a political landscape on the edge of war, family feuds, dragons, murder, incest, and more. One element that hasn’t really been explored as much, though, is magic.

There are, of course, dragons in House of the Dragon, so magic does exist to a degree, but there’s nothing and no one quite like Melisandre, who was one of Game of Thrones‘ most powerful characters, or the magical nature of the Three-Eyed Raven and White Walkers. Melisandre is so old in Game of Thrones that she could technically appear herself (she’s believed to be around 400-years-old), but that would be a radical departure from the book. Instead, House of the Dragon season 2 can include a character who fills a similar role, and could be just as powerful.

Who Alys Rivers Is: Her House Of The Dragon Story & Melisandre Similarities Explained

Alys Rivers Is Very Important In Aemond Targaryen’s Story

Alys Rivers will be the closest House of the Dragon gets to having a character like Melisandre. A bastard of House Strong – speculated to have been fathered by Lyonel Strong – she resides at Harrenhal, having served there as a wet nurse. Alys is believed to be in her 40s, at least, by the time of the Dance of the Dragons, but is also said to look a lot younger – something some sources attribute to magic. Fire & Blood gathers multiple historical accounts, and they differ on who Alys really was:

Grand Maester Munkun says she’s “a serving wench,” who likes to experiment with spells and magic potions.
Septon Eustace instead claims she was simply a woods witch (a healer who uses traditional medicine but perhaps, also, spells).

The fool Mushroom, whose accounts are always the most salacious, insists she was “a malign enchantress who bathed in the blood of virgins to preserve her youth.”

Alys’ story in the very early stages of the civil war is unremarkable, but she becomes a much more notable figure when Aemond Targaryen and the greens retake control of Harrenhal (with it having previously been lost to Daemon Targaryen and the blacks). Aemond has many at the castle killed, but not only spares Alys, he begins a sexual relationship with her. Indeed, Eustace later believes he has become “besotted” with her, while Mushroom claims she used potions to garner the affections of both Aemond and Criston Cole.

Alys Rivers, like Melisandre, is a powerful woman who can see things in the flames, and works alongside a strong, noble figure amid a war that ravages Westeros.

While much of the truth around Alys is shrouded in mystery – even by the standards of a historical account that often lacks detail anyway – it’s clearly accepted that she did deal with magic in some way. However, it’s words from Aemond, when confronting his uncle Daemon, that make her sound even more like Melisandre:

“[Aemond] helped his woman down from Vhagar’s back, then turned to face his uncle. ‘Nuncle, I hear you have been seeking us.’

‘Only you,’ Daemon replied. ‘Who told you where to find me?’

‘My lady,’ Aemond answered. ‘ She saw you in a storm cloud, in a mountain pool at dusk, in the fire we lit to cook our suppers . She sees much and more, my Alys. You were a fool to come alone.'”

Alys Rivers, like Melisandre, is a powerful woman who can see things in the flames, and works alongside a strong, noble figure amid a war that ravages Westeros. She may hide her true age. She is even, later, said to be pregnant with Aemond’s child; Melisandre, of course, gave birth to Stannis Baratheon’s “child” too, the shadow that killed Renly Baratheon. After the Dance, she will be called the “witch queen” of Harrenhal, and even declare her son the rightful heir at one point, though it’s currently unknown what her ultimate fate is.

Why Alys Rivers Could Be Even Better Than Melisandre

House Of The Dragon Could Give The Character Even More Depth Than Game Of Thrones

Melisandre was often an interesting character in Game of Thrones, and the glimpses of her true power were, at times, brilliant. The reveal of Melisandre as an old woman was a shocking twist, and she played an important part with her fire magic at the beginning of the Battle of Winterfell.

Melisandre & Alys Rivers Key Facts

Character
Age
Origin
Loyal To
Dies

Melisandre
400+
Asshai
Stannis, the Lord of Light
Battle of Winterfell

Alys Rivers
40+
Harrenhal
Aemond, the greens
Unknown

However, the show nonetheless left a little something to be desired. In part because it had so many characters to deal with, in part because Stannis’ own story wasn’t as strongly captured as it is in the books, and in part because the show often shied away from truly engaging with and explaining its most overt fantasy elements, there was a sense of wasted potential by the time of her death in Game of Thrones season 8.

With Alys Rivers alongside one of the biggest and best characters in House of the Dragon season 2, her and Aemond’s story could very well better that of Melisandre and Stannis. It could properly explain her powers, reveal more about her motivations, and give her much more depth. Actress Gayle Rankin teased her House of the Dragon character, saying Alys has “a lot of power,” is “pretty prophetic,” and has a “very wild” story, which just makes her introduction in season 2, and parallels to Melisandre, an even more exciting prospect to look forward to.