House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 7 just confirmed what the most gutting part of the ending will be, even though we won’t see it for another season. With just one installment left of the current outing, the Game of Thrones spinoff is getting nearer to its end. House of the Dragon Season 4 will mark the series’ last hurrah, bringing the Dance of the Dragons to an inevitably tragic close. Thanks to Fire & Blood, fans have a general idea of where things are headed. And they just got a preview of what’s sure to be the most devastating aspect of the conclusion (and that’s saying something). SPOILERS ahead for House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 7.

Tensions are set to boil over heading into House of the Dragon Season 3’s finale, and some of this outing’s conflicts are already at that point. “The Dragon in the Winter” sees Rhaenyra discovering the truth of Sheepstealer and his rider. This happens with four dragons present, and three of them get into a physical altercation with Sheepstealer — one that’s genuinely hard to watch. It’s a taste of what’s to come, reminding us that the remainder of House of the Dragon won’t be easy to get through.

House of the Dragon Delivered a Gut Punch With Season 3, Episode 7’s Dragon Fight

Syrax, Seasmoke, and Caraxes face down an easily angered Sheepstealer in House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 7. It’s one of the most heart-pounding turns of the entire installment. Tensions are at an all-time high, and for a moment, there’s a real possibility that a dragon will die. Sheepstealer gets a few good shots at Syrax while Rhaenyra looks on, and it comes close to being another loss for the Targaryen queen. Likewise, Caraxes is ordered to kill Sheepstealer — and while I’m not convinced he pulls it off, the wild dragon is left injured and hobbling away in pain.

It’s a gut punch, especially after House of the Dragon Season 3 gives the dragons so much more personality. Watching them tear at one another hits home, making us feel for these creatures immensely. However, dragons fighting and dying is probably something viewers should get comfortable with. This scene is just a taste of what’s to come as the show approaches its ending.

House of the Dragon’s Inevitable Dragon Deaths Will Be the Worst Part of Its Ending

House of the Dragon‘s main conflict is responsible for the lack of dragons in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and Game of Thrones, as the civil war severely reduces their numbers. The rest die off by the time the other stories pick up. And this makes more dragon deaths in House of the Dragon Season 4 inevitable. The entire point of the prequel is to show us how the Targaryens get to where they are in the other two shows. There will be quite a few casualties in general, and multiple dragons will be among them. It’s something viewers should brace themselves for.

Those familiar with Fire & Blood already know that an intense battle between two of the most powerful dragons is looming. They’re also aware that a riot should result in another devastating dragon scene. House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 7 confirms how heartbreaking these moments will be by offering a glimpse of that future. It’s even sadder now that we’ve grown attached to the dragons and their riders. The dragons feel like the true victims, though, both during this week’s episode and in the greater war. It adds another layer of tragedy to their fates. They aren’t responsible for any of this.

The Dragons Are Some of the Biggest Victims of House of the Dragon’s Civil War

In addition to being hard to watch, the fight scenes between dragons — and the deaths that follow — present us with a harsh truth about House of the Dragon: the creatures are some of its biggest victims. The show’s human deaths can at least partly blamed on their actions. Most of House of the Dragon‘s main characters know the risks of playing the game of thrones; there are just a handful of players who are dragged into the war without any interest or action on their part.

By contrast, the dragons are innocent and being pulled into human fights, making their fates that much worse to grapple with. They’re similar to the commonfolk in that way: they’re facing the consequences of decisions they’re not involved in, and they’re not gaining anything from coming out on top. The dragons are used as tools to seize and maintain power. It’s the sad but honest reality, and it makes me dread their ends even more.