Who Is Lady Mysaria In House Of The Dragon? The White Worm Explained

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Based on George R.R. Martin's book "Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones" — which tells the complete story of the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragon's — HBO's massively popular spin-off and prequel series to "Game of Thrones," titled "House of the Dragon," introduces us to the many Targaryens and their allies. As fierce queens Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) head up the Black and Green factions of the royal family and squabble over the Iron Throne in the wake of King Viserys I Targaryen's (Paddy Considine) death — Rhaenyra's father and Alicent's husband — we also meet their most trusted advisors. That includes Mysaria, a mysterious woman with a frankly inscrutable accent played by Sonoya Mizuno (who, before "House of the Dragon," was best known for "Crazy Rich Asians," "Devs," and "Maniac").

In the book, Martin first describes the spymaster Mysaria thusly: "Mysaria was the name she went by, though her rivals and enemies called her Misery, the White Worm." Canonically, she hails from the Free City of Lys, and the reason she's called the White Worm in the book is because of her exceedingly pale complexion; Mizuno, who is of Argentine, Japanese, and British descent, changes the character up a little bit in that she doesn't share Mysaria's apparent albinism. Mizuno is genuinely excellent as the woman who first finds herself romantically involved with Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), Rhaenyra's uncle and eventual husband, before aligning herself more closely with the would-be queen Rhaenyra. So who is Mysaria, what does she do on "House of the Dragon," and will she meet a sticky end by the time the series finishes the story of "Fire & Blood?" (Probably, yes.)

Mysaria's trajectory thus far on "House of the Dragon" is sticking pretty closely to the one outlined in "Fire & Blood," honestly. She begins the story as a sex worker who catches Daemon's attention at a brothel in King's Landing before becoming his declared paramour; one big difference, we should note, is that Mysaria is actually pregnant with Daemon's child in the book and loses the child during a dangerous journey at sea, whereas in the show Daemon lies about her carrying his heir, much to her frustration.

Though Mysaria leaves Daemon after this lie, she keeps track of him and is the first person to report news of his new relationship with his niece Rhaenyra, which makes it particularly interesting that she forms a bond with Rhaenyra in Season 2 of "House of the Dragon." Despite trying to flee King's Landing after enemy forces burn her house to the ground, Mysaria catches a plot to kill Rhaenyra and saves the queen's life, ultimately earning her favor. By the end of that season, Mysaria and Rhaenyra are lovers.

This isn't quite how it goes in "Fire & Blood," but it's sort of similar. As the book details:

Even the White Worm came to court; the Lysene harlot Mysaria emerged from the shadows to take up residence in the Red Keep. Though never officially seated with the queen's small council, the woman now known as Lady Misery became the mistress of whisperers in all but name, with eyes and ears in every brothel, alehouse, and pot shop in King's Landing, and in the halls and bedchambers of the mighty as well. Though the years had thickened the body that had been so lithe and lissome, Prince Daemon remained in her thrall, and called upon her every evening...with Queen Rhaenyra's apparent blessing.

If you're at all familiar with "Game of Thrones," you know that basically zero characters in Westeros get truly happy endings, and if Mysaria's journey keeps following the rough outline of the one in "Fire & Blood," she's in for a difficult journey. To make a very long story short — spoiler alert! — Rhaenyra loses her grip on the Iron Throne and is run out of King's Landing, and though Mysaria is there to comfort her queen as her reign ends, Rhaenyra flees the Westerosi capital in fear. Mysaria, however, stays.

Remember the infamous "walk of shame" that Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) undertakes on "Game of Thrones?" If "House of the Dragon" stays true to "Fire & Blood's" ending for Mysaria, it'll look like that, but be even worse. While Cersei was forced to parade through the city streets naked as townspeople threw rotten fruit and vegetables at her and mocked her, Mysaria could face horrible violence. As Martin details in the book, Mysaria tries to escape King's Landing with her life, but when she's caught, she meets a truly gruesome end. He writes:

"Nor was the mistress of whisperers, Lady Mysaria of Lys, spared on account of her sex. Taken whilst attempting to flee, the White Worm was whipped naked through the city, from the Red Keep to the Gate of the Gods. If she were still alive by the time they reached the gate, Ser Perkin promised, she would be spared and allowed to go. She made it only half that distance, dying on the cobblestones with hardly a patch of her pale white skin left upon her back."

"House of the Dragon" returns for its third season in 2026, and the first two seasons, including Mysaria's journey thus far, are streaming on HBO Max now.