It will become tragically normal for the Blacks and the Greens to take their dragons to war and to use them to brutally sack towns or as deterrents in House of the Dragon. The Blacks have an upper hand over the Greens because, unlike the latter, their fortification, Dragonstone, is built on the eponymous volcanic island and not a city (King's Landing). This means that they will try and claim riderless dragons dwell in the lairs of the Dragonmont.
Whether unclaimed or riderless, dragons can be divided into two categories; tameable and otherwise. King Jaehaerys' Vermithor and Queen Alysanne Targaryen's Silverwing, who fall in the former category, reside on the Dragonmont and must be claimed to gain a tactical edge. Claiming the wild dragons, on the other hand, is risky business and could lead to loss of personnel. The question remains - is Daemon being excessively ambitious, or can the three wild dragons be taken to war in House of the Dragon?
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Dragon Warfare In House Of The Dragon - Season 2
As the Black Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen contemplates going to war in House of the Dragon season 1, episode 10 "The Black Queen," her first order of business is to secure the allies and ensure the oaths of Houses Baratheon, Stark, Tully, Arryn, Velaryon haven't turned stale. While she hopes the lords of Westeros, who accepted her as Queen in front of Viserys, won't renege, Lord Bartimos Celtigar tells her that allies don't mean much when she has dragons:
Pray forgive my bluntness, Your Grace, but talk of men is moot. Your cause owns a power that has not been seen in this world since the days of Old Valyria. Dragons.
And to that, Rhaenyra replies, "The Greens have dragons too."
Her consort, Daemon Targaryen, stays on top of things, and takes stock of the dragons on each side; the Greens have three adults, and Dragonstone has thirteen. That picture is slightly askew and Daemon's words, "Dragonstone has thirteen to their four," are misleading. He does not take into account the fact that the Cannibal has never been tamed, and that no power on earth can bring the beast to bend his neck.
The Cannibal
The Cannibal, as the name suggests, eats the flesh of his kind (both dead and alive), baby dragons as well as dragon eggs. The smallfolk living on Dragonstone named him so because they are witnesses to this menacing beast in his full glory. The Cannibal is also the oldest of the three untameable dragons. Per George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, the Cannibal is as "black as coal," with "menacing green" eyes. He dwarfs the other wild dragons, namely Sheepstealer and Grey Ghost.
An interesting claim made by the smallfolk of Dragonstone is that the Cannibal had been living on Dragonstone before the Targaryen invasion. If this claim is true, it simply sets the Cannibal apart from the five dragons that Aenar Targaryen brought with him to Dragonstone. It also means that the Cannibal is older than the current oldest and the largest living she-dragon, Vhagar, who was hatched on Dragonstone. None of the Maesters or the Targaryens have a record of the Cannibal's age.
The Cannibal was the eldest, largest, and fiercest among all dragons who were part of the Sowing, i.e., Prince Jacaerys Velaryon's call made out to Dragonseeds to come forth and claim a riderless dragon on behalf of the Blacks in exchange for knighthoods and riches. Those who tried to tame him in the past had failed badly and the Dragonseeds during the Dance of the Dragons wouldn't even dare to go near him.
Sheepstealer
Sheepstealer's name is self-explanatory, and the dragon was hatched either in Jaehaerys the Wise's youth or the early part of his reign. The beast is "mud brown" and liked to devour sheep dogs, and rams. He isn't aggressive towards humans and leaves the shepherds undisturbed. Sheepstealer in Game of Thrones lore bends his neck to a woman named Nettles. Grand Maester Munkun paints quite a description of the duo, writing:
"A skinny brown girl on a skinny brown dragon"
Silver Denys (Robert Rhodes in House of the Dragon) tries to tame Sheepstealer but loses his arm in the process. In another attempt, Sheepstealer sets Alyn of Hull's cloak on fire, but his brother, Addam of Hull, comes to his rescue. Nettles, the only known rider of Sheepstealer, rides alongside Prince Jacaerys in the Battle of the Gullet and later when the Blacks set out to take King's Landing. Nettles and Sheepstealer accompany Daemon and Caraxesto track down Aemond Targaryen and Vhagar along the Trident.
Grey Ghost
The last of the three wild dragons - Grey Ghost - is "pale grey-white," and hard to spot for years. Dragonseeds try to seek him in vain during the Sowing event in the Dance. Grey Ghost makes his lair in the east of the Dragonmont and remains a mystery to the smallfolk and the Maesters due to his elusive nature. In contrast to Sheepstealer and the Cannibal, Grey Ghost likes feeding on fish. He remains riderless, wild and free until his death.
For now, it remains to be seen how House of the Dragons writes the three wild dragons into season 2's Dragonseeds/ the Sowing plot line.
House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon is HBO's prequel series to Game of Thrones. Set hundreds of years earlier, the show follows the inner machinations and rivalries of the Targaryen royal family. The show was created by Ryan Condal and George R.R. Martin, and stars Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Rhys Ifans, and Olivia Cooke.
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