If you've ever been tempted to explore the entire history of Westeros to occupy your time during the Game of Thrones off-season, the show has a brand new spin-off just for you.
Those who preorder Game of Thrones' seventh season Blu-ray release, which is out 12 December, are going to receive a free bonus disc featuring the new miniseries Conquest & Rebellion.
This animated feature will delve deeply into all of the wars, betrayals and love affairs that led up to Game of Thrones' first season — starting with Daenerys's ancestors in House Targaryen. Watch the first chapter below:
[youtube ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc32z-wgxU4&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]
In the instalment 'Valyria's Last Scion: House Targaryen', the conquest of Dragonstone by Dany's ancestor Aenar Targaryen is told by former cast member Harry Lloyd (who played her snivelling brother Viserys).
For decades, Aenar built a strong and stable society for the Targaryens at Dragonstone based on the philosophy of using his dragons as protectors of the empire.
"A horse grants man dominion over the land. A ship, over the sea," Harry Lloyd explains. "But dragons gave us the sky, and everything, and everyone beneath it."
Everything was going well, until Dany's grandfather Aegon Targaryen and his sisters Rhaenys and Visenya decided that Dragonstone wasn't enough – they wanted all of Westeros under their dragons' talons.
You'll have to actually buy the season seven set for the conclusion, as well as chapters for each of the other houses narrated by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark), Pilou Asbæk (Euron Greyjoy), Conleth Hill (Varys) and Aidan Gillen (Littlefinger).
Conquest & Rebellion might come in handy down the road as homework for one of the four Game of Thrones prequel shows that are currently being developed by George R.R. Martin and HBO.
Game of Thrones' final season will air either next year or in 2019.
