Diksha Sundriyal
The third season of HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon’ ends with the First War of Tumbleton, as Rhaenyra’s forces finally come knocking at Ormund Hightower’s hideout. But while Ormund is seemingly prepared for it, the bloodshed and devastation are beyond even what he could have imagined. His cousin, Gwayne, and nephew, Daeron, believe he is fighting a futile war that will lead to nothing but their deaths, and this fear leads them to consider unorthodox options, hoping for their survival. By the end of the episode, the uncle and nephew find themselves in a particularly tricky predicament, raising a major question about their fate. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Gwayne Survives the Battle of Tumbleton Against All Odds
According to George R.R. Martin’s ‘Fire and Blood,’ Gwayne Hightower should have died when Rhaenyra took King’s Landing. Otto Hightower’s son had been with his sister, Alicent, at the time in the castle and was one of the first people to be beheaded for being a traitor. However, the show shifts that fate to Otto Hightower, sending Gwayne on an entirely different path with Ser Criston Cole in the Riverlands. Eventually, Gwayne realizes that Cole is on a suicide mission, so he returns to Tumbleton, hoping his cousin, Ormund, has something cooking. He turns out to be right, but Ormund is much more secretive than expected, which makes Gwayne even more hopeless about the whole thing. The only reason he stays and doesn’t immediately leave for Oldtown is Daeron.
In the finale, as Gwayne realizes that the war and bloodshed are imminent, he tries one last move to save his innocent young nephew. He takes Corlys back to Daemon as a sign of goodwill and proposes a resolution to the war. He asks for the kingdom to be divided into two parts, so that Rhaenyra can reign her own from King’s Landing and Daeron can take the other one from Oldtown. This is how it had been before Aegon the Conqueror’s arrival and the creation of the Seven Kingdoms as one, so why can’t it happen now to preserve the peace of Westeros? Despite getting backing from Corlys, who makes some changes to the plan while sharing it with Daemon, Gwayne is sent back empty-handed.
Daemon scoffs at the idea of brokering peace and letting the Hightowers live and sends Gwayne back after almost choking him to death. As soon as he is back inside the walls, Gwayne’s first stop is Daeron, who turns out to be preparing to ride his dragon into war. Gwayne asks him to stop, knowing that no matter how well Tessarion does against the foot soldiers, he has no chance against Daemon’s Caraxes. It would mean certain death for the boy. Fortunately, before Daeron can go to battle, Ulf’s dragon comes into action. This gives Gwayne and Daeron hope of surviving just yet. But then, Silverwing turns towards Tumbleton, and once again, it looks like their deaths are imminent. In the end, Gwayne rises out of the ashes and chaos, but Daeron is nowhere to be found.
Daeron Has Yet to Play a Huge Role in the Dance of the Dragons
When Daeron sees that Ormund is putting forward young boys to fight his war, he decides to do his part. He refuses to sit back and let others die for him, but Gwayne just in time to stop him. When the young Targaryen and his uncle watch Ulf burning Rhaenyra’s army, they realize that this was Ormund’s secret piece on the board, but the tide turns once again as Ulf decides to burn Tumbleton as well. Daeron and Gwayne run to find shelter, but Silverwing relentlessly rains dragonfire on the town below, and the uncle and nephew are soon caught in it. They fall unconscious for a while, and when Gwayne wakes up, Daeron is missing. Since we don’t see his body, it is fair to assume that he isn’t dead yet.
Moreover, according to ‘Fire and Blood,’ he still has a lot left to do. In the book, Daeron survives the First War of Tumbleton and plans to take over the command. Around the same time, Ulf and Hugh, who have also turned, start to wonder if one of them would be better suited to sit on the Iron Throne. This idea doesn’t sit well with Daeron as well as his supporters, who decide to do away with the rogue dragonriders. This plot runs parallel to the events in King’s Landing, which eventually lead to the Second Battle of Tumbleton. Unfortunately, Daeron does not survive this time around. The manner of his death remains unknown, though some accounts report that he was burned alive by the dragonfire that decimated the remaining Tumbleton.
Even his remains are not identified. Thus, a huge question mark hangs over his true fate. ‘House of the Dragon’ seems to have recreated part of this in the Season 3 finale. Since the show has already diverged enough from the books, it remains to be seen if this is where they will choose to end Daeron’s story. However, if they continue to follow the books, then Daeron is still alive, and he will regather his forces, especially since Gwayne now knows Aegon is still alive. He might likely fight in support of his elder brother now, but at the end of the day, he is destined to die. Even if he does survive Season 3, he will meet his end soon enough in Season 4.
Read More: House of the Dragon Season 3 Finale Recap and Ending Explained: Is Helaena Dead?
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