Diksha Sundriyal
A new challenge lies ahead for Rhaenyra following her ascent to the Iron Throne in HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon.’ The last episode saw her take the throne, but now is the time to rule the kingdom. But first, the Hightowers need to surrender completely. Daemon, accompanied by Hugh and Ulf, meets Ormund Hightower and his army, demanding their surrender. He reveals Otto Hightower’s fate and claims that Aegon is gone and Aemond is nowhere to be found.
Ormund doesn’t want to die in vain, so he surrenders and pledges fealty to Rhaenyra. Before leaving, Daemon asks for Daeron Targaeryn, whose dragon still stands on the other side, and who is the only remaining claimant to challenge Rhaenyra. Still, Ormund cannot save the silver-haired boy, so he sends him with his uncle, wishing him luck, while knowing full well what Rhaenyra needs to do to secure her claim. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Rhaenyra Makes a Shocking Discovery
Rhaenyra talks about the ghosts that now occupy the castle where she spent her entire childhood. When Daemon says they should have burned the entire Hightower army, she says it wouldn’t be right. She pledges to rule the way her father would have wanted, though Daemon is not convinced it is possible. The first matter at hand is her crowning. She wants to have it done properly, with all the pomp and show it requires to leave no doubt in anyone’s mind about her being the one true queen of the Seven Kingdoms. On the way to the council, she has Daeron brought to her.
Despite her many questions, the boy says nothing. So she has him sent to his chambers, though Alicent is not told. Daemon reminds her she needs to kill the boy, but she has other problems to think of. It turns out that the royal treasury is empty. The Greens relocated the gold, without which it would be impossible to rule the kingdom. Maester Orwyle claims he has no idea where the gold went, and when Mysaria says she believes him, Daemon is quick to point out that no one asked her. This is when Rhaenyra reveals that she has made Mysaria her Mistress of Whisperers, which doesn’t sit right with Daemon.
With Tyland presumed dead following the Battle of Gullet and his brother, Jason, killed at the hands of the Winter Wolves, there is no way to know what happened to the gold. Mysaria also points out that having a procession of her crowning wouldn’t have been taken well by the commonfolk, who don’t even have anything to eat. Corlys reveals that the Triarchy soldiers who survived the battle are wreaking havoc in the coastal towns and that it will take time to reestablish the trade routes closed by the blockade.
The Problems Continue to Mount for Rhaenyra
Rhaenyra demands tribute from all the houses as their fealty. It also turns out she has not called her small council from Dragonstone because they betrayed her with Jace. She also emphasizes the urgency of finding Aemond, who seems to have disappeared since he landed at Harrenhal and killed Simon Strong and his sons, and the rider of Sheepstealer. Baela is sent as the scout to find out what’s going on there, and the queen reveals that whoever kills Aemond will get Harrenhal.
While Rhaenyra attends to the matters at hand, she notices a great number of rats about, thanks to Aegon having killed all the ratcatchers after the murder of his son. Ser Luthor Largent tells her to appoint a Queensguard, but she leaves that with Daemon. Meanwhile, she is surrounded by the castle’s staff, who complain about running low on everything from candles to wine. Because everything requires money, Rhaenyra goes to Alicent and asks her where the gold is. The queen dowager, however, has no idea what she is talking about.
She also points out that Otto could perhaps have told her about it, but Rhaenyra killed him, which prompts Haelaena to ask if it made her feel better about Jace. When Rhaenyra takes out her anger on Alicent, accusing her of not living up to the deal, Alicent lashes out, saying she has done everything she could, despite the unforeseen circumstances that arose in her absence. She tells Rhaenyra to claim Aegon is dead because no one really knows what he looks like since he was injured in Rook’s Rest. If the real Aegon does show up, he can be declared an impostor.
Corlys Makes a Crucial Request
When Haelaena points out that, according to the deal, they should be allowed to leave, Rhaenyra says she cannot be seen favoring Hightowers at the moment, so they will be let go only after Aemond has been found and killed. As Haelaena says she cannot live in that room, Rhaenyra promises her that they both will be taken care of. Moving on, Rhaenyra tells Ser Luthor to declare Aegon is dead and to bring Joffrey to King’s Landing from the Vale, as he is her successor now. While walking the halls with Mysaria, she discusses Daeron’s fate and how she doesn’t want to kill him.
But then, she sees the apparition of Jace walking down the hall. It reminds her of her own loss, and she wonders why she cannot strike the boy like her own boys were struck. She also calls for her maid, Elinda, and instructs Mysaria to question the entire staff and weed out any Hightower loyalists. Her next stop is the Septon, whom she asks to anoint her, since the crowning ceremony cannot take place right now. He, however, refuses to do it, saying he anointed Aegon a few months back. She claims her brother is gone, but the Septon is not so convinced. His attitude irritates, and as she walks away, he reminds her not to make an enemy of the faith.
Rhaenyra has dinner with Corlys, Alyn, and Addam. Corlys reveals that they are his bastards and wishes for them to be legitimized. The idea, however, doesn’t sit well with Rhaenyra, though she says nothing at the time. At night, she cannot sleep in her room, so she goes to Daemon’s. The next morning, she prepares to meet the smallfolk, dressing herself so she appears approachable but also the queen that everyone should bow to. Right as she is about to go forth, she has her period. As she sits on the Iron Throne, the discomfort clearly showing on her face, the commonfolk talk to her about their problems.
Rhaenyra Makes a Bold Move
There is no fleece for wool and no game for meat, shortages all around. When Rhaenyra suggests they hunt in Godswoods, everyone lets out a collective gasp, which prods her to correct herself and say that anything other than rabbits is out of bounds there. Next comes a woman named Sylvie, who asks for justice, claiming that when the commonfolk were starving, the nobles hoarded food for themselves. Things get heated at the council meeting, where Mysaria and Daemon lock horns.
When asked about an update on Aemond and Sheepstealer, she is told that the only dragon Baela spotted was a dead and decaying Sunfyre. She asks Addam to assist her. Back to the matter at hand, Mysaria asks her what her father would do, which leads her to announce a banquet. Meanwhile, she has Ulf, Hugh, and Addam knighted, as they become Ulf the White, Hugh the Hammer, and Addam of Hull, with the latter noting that she didn’t make her Velaryon. When Hugh asks about their new living arrangements, revealing that his wife and daughter have fled to Tumbleton in his absence, she promises him a house on Visenya’s Hill as soon as she has settled her affairs.
Later, Alicent visits her with the request to send her father’s remains to Oldtown. Before she leaves, Rhaenyra asks her advice about how to handle the commonfolk and their myriad of requests. Alicent admits it’s not easy. She warns Rhaenyra that becoming queen will lead her to do questionable things, but Rhaenyra claims she won’t change. That night, the banquet is held with all the nobles in attendance, trying to prove they remained loyal to her even though they did nothing about it. It’s all fun and games, with Rhaenyra poking them about their loyalty, until she reveals the true purpose of the banquet.
Ormund Hightower’s Deception Comes to Light
After serving them rats, Rhaenyra chides the nobles for hoarding food while the city starved, and reveals that at that very moment, their houses are being raided by the Gold Cloaks. All that they have hoarded will be taken away and given back to the public. This makes no one happy, but there is one man with a smile on his face. He is Torrhen Manderly, and he has made an impression. Daemon tells Rhaenyra the nobles will abhor her for this, but she doesn’t care, though she admits this is not the lasting solution. They need the gold, so she tells Daemon to fly to the Vale to get the gold in return for the army Lady Arryn never sent.
Daemon reminds her that they have dragons, and they can simply take Dorne, Essos, and the free cities and get their gold. But Rhaenyra is insistent on staying on course, repeating her father’s words about not relying on dragons too much and not wanting too much power. Hearing his dead brother’s words again irritates Daemon, and he leaves, while reminding Rhaenyra that she needs to kill Daeron. The next day, Rhaenyra and Mysaria meet the common folk and deliver food to them, which makes them happy for now. At the castle, Corlys confronts her about not giving Addam the Velaryon name.
Rhaenyra tries to reason that she cannot legitimize his bastards while the question is raised about her own sons. He calls her out for her hypocrisy, pointing out how he has given everything to her cause while asking for this one thing in return. He also calls her sons bastards to her face. Rhaenyra’s next course of action is to tell Alicent about having Daeron. She points out that she should have the boy killed, but she won’t. Instead, she will send him to the Wall. Of course, Alicent is not happy about this and asks to see her son. When she does come face-to-face with him, it turns out that the boy is not Daeron at all.
The boy confesses that he belongs to a minor noble house and was forced by Ormund to dye his hair and play Daeron in exchange for not killing his real mother. The deception angers Rhaenyra, especially later that evening when a dragonkeeper arrives at her gate, telling her that Ormund has taken Tumbleton. The real Daeron and his dragon are there too. When she decides to burn them all, he reminds her that the commonfolk would be burned as well. With her hands tied, she wonders what Ormund is trying to do and pledges to quash her enemies as she watches the Hightower banners burn in front of her.
Read More: Is Otto Hightower Dead? Did Rhys Ifans Leave House of the Dragon?
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