House Of The Dragon Season 3: How [SPOILER] Feels About The Big Premiere Death

• Television
• Fantasy Shows

Don't request your riding leathers if you haven't watched the Season 3 premiere of "House of the Dragon," "Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood." Spoilers ahead!

Anyone who ever watched "Game of Thrones," the first HBO series set in author George R.R. Martin's fictional world of Westeros, knows how dangerous it is to get attached to any of the characters in this universe. To that end, let's bid farewell to Harry Collett's Prince Jacaerys "Jace" Velaryon, who meets a bitter end in the Season 3 premiere of "House of the Dragon."

During the Season 1 finale of the first major spin-off and prequel to "Game of Thrones," the self-proclaimed queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) is devastated to learn that her son Lucerys Velaryon (Elliott Grihault) died during a battle on dragonback. Now, she's lost Luke's older brother, too. In the Season 3 premiere, titled "Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood," Jace, Rhaenyra, and the rest of the Black faction learn that ships belonging to their ally Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) are under attack. Rhaenyra immediately decides to board her own dragon, Syrax, but before she can even leave her chambers, Jace orders one of her soldiers to lock the door and prevent her from going into battle, and he heads out on his dragon, Vermax, alongside his betrothed (and step-sister) Baela Targaryen (Bethany Anthonia) on her steed, Moondancer.

Unfortunately for Jace, he's killed by enemy forces in the Battle of the Gullet ... but Collett is cool with it. "I'm so happy with how it turned out," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "It's such a cool way to go. It's not just brushed under the carpet. It's very impactful, in such a great and epic episode. What a heroic death he gets to have. It's not just some boring death. I'm very happy with it."

How does Jace die in the Battle of the Gullet on House of the Dragon?

So what exactly happens to Jace during the massive Battle of the Gullet (which does diverge from the source material "Fire & Blood," a retelling of Targaryen history by George R.R. Martin)? Unbeknownst to both Baela and Jace, Baela's younger sister Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell), who's supposed to be safe with Rhaenyra's youngest children, is also present at the battle ... but she's riding a wild dragon named Sheepstealer. To say Sheepstealer doesn't take commands from Rhaena is an understatement.

That's why Sheepstealer starts attacking Vermax — he's volatile and not fully tamed, and though it's not Sheepstealer who lands the final blow on Jace and Vermax, it's the young dragon's fault that they fall. As Jace and Vermax try and race away from Sheepstealer's fire, the dragon is shot by Green forces in the water; Vermax is dragged underwater, and even though Jace manages to get out of his saddle, he's shot by those same forces and dies instantly.

Set to composer Ramin Djawadi's stunning score (the only thing about "House of the Dragon" that brings all of the show's fans together), Jace's death is horrifying — but according to Harry Collett, it's heroic.

"I think he showed he's a true leader, sacrificing his life for his mother, to protect her, but as much as it was his decision — and it had been brewing for a long time — he is just a kid," Collett told THR. "Kids do stupid stuff. I don't think he ever thought he was going to die. It's no way to die." Collett did say he thinks Jace would accept his fate: "You know what? He might be honored to die in battle. It was quite legendary."

Harry Collett knew about Jacaerys' fate years before filming this major battle sequence

Every single actor involved with "House of the Dragon" should know how and when their characters will die in the story if they've read "Fire & Blood." (Plus, Season 3 is the series' penultimate outing, so the bodies will be hitting the floor more expediently as we keep going.) As Harry Collett told THR:

"Luckily, I found out what happened to Jace round about [Season 1]. So it wasn't a shock, and I'm glad! I don't think it should be that way. I think it's quite mean, which [showrunner Ryan Condal] would never do: don't tell the actor, then get them to the script read-through, and that's when they find out: 'What? I'm dead?' Luckily, it's nothing like that. You find out the fate of the characters when you get cast. Some things may change, but nothing that drastic."

Not only that, but Collett said that a bunch of his co-stars, including his on-screen mother and stepfather, showed up for his death scene. "Emma came, Matt [Smith, who plays Rhaenyra's uncle and consort Prince Daemon Targaryen] came," he recalled. "Loads of people who had been shooting in other studios came, too. It was really lovely." The cherry on top, though, is that he was allowed to take Jace's sword and a model of Vermax's head home with him. "It's huge," he said of the dragon head. "I'm very chuffed."

Fans of Jace are not chuffed after this season premiere, but the show must go on ... and Season 3 of "House of the Dragon" airs new episodes every Sunday at 9 p.m. EST on HBO and HBO Max.