“The king is dead.”
Helaena once said that: Hand turns loom; spool of green, spool of black; dragons of flesh
weaving dragons of thread.
In that episode, both Aemond and Rhaenyra were stitched up, but that was just a red
herring.
That prophecy was actually about new sigils, one of which we saw in this episode.
The standard Targaryen banner is a red dragon on a black field, but the Hand of the King,
Otto Hightower, spun up a new sigil for his grandson.
A golden dragon on a black field since Aegon is bonded to a golden dragon named Sunfyre.
In due time, Rhaenyra is going to weave a new banner of her own.
In the last episode, Helaena mumbled about a beast beneath the boards, and she said it
again.
“There is a beast beneath the boards.”
At the end of the episode, Rhaenys blasted through the floor on Meleys.
But remember, the stiches had been a red herring.
So Meleys flying through the floor might also have been a Red Herring.
For now, keep this prophecy on your radar for next week.
There is a beast beneath the boards.
“Two among the captains of the city watch that remain loyal to Daemon.
Let us replace them.”
It’s also worth noting that Mysaria’s nickname is the White Worm, but the Clubfoot
referred to her as a weaver of a web of spies.
So the Clubfoot referred to Mysaria as a spider, and Helaena was sewing an insect which, so
far, had seven legs.
It might have been a six-legged insect with one of its two antennae, and thus, a nod to
the Clubfoot’s little beetle thing.
Or it might have been a nod to Mysaria being a spider.
Either way, keep that on your radar as well.
It might have meant something.
Although this episode focused on the Greens, there were still familial divides.
At Driftmark, there was tension between Ser Harold and Ser Criston who aren’t family
per se, but they are brothers of the Kingsguard.
That tension exploded when the Lord Commander told Criston to throw down his sword and remove
his cloak, but Criston drew his sword instead.
Eventually, Alicent told Criston to put aside his blade.
Shortly thereafter, Otto ordered Harold to take his knights to Dragonstone for a clean
operation, but Harold removed his White Cloak instead and he left.
That was a big mistake by the Greens.
Ser Harold’s arc is very different than it is in the book, but it is pretty obvious
what he is going to do next.
Since this is a non-spoiler video, all I will say is that his next move is probably going
to be gold.
So stay tuned for some big moves by the former Lord Commander, Ser Harold Westerling.
So that was a divide between figurative brothers of the Kingsguard, but there were also divides
between actual bothers.
Otto Hightower sent out the Cargyll twins to find Aegon.
One of those twins, Ser Erryk, had been Aegon’s sworn sword, so he was already aware of Aegon’s
proclivities.
“Aegon’s?”
“One of many, I’d wager.”
Ser Erryk has finally had enough, and he now believes that Aegon is unfit to rule.
His brother, Ser Arryk, on the other hand, wants to continue obeying their oaths since
they had sworn those oaths to their death.
When Criston fought Arryk, his brother Erryk just watched.
And when Arryk was unarmed, Erryk just walked away.
So there is clearly a divide between these two brothers.
Without getting into spoilers, the next episode will paint more color into this picture.
The most important divides were those of House Hightower.
Aemond does not condone his brother’s proclivities, and he also knows that his brother doesn’t
even want the throne.
As a result, Aemond believes that he should be king.
Nevertheless, he found Aegon for his mother, and supported him as his king.
It’s also worth noting that Aemond said this:
“Should they come looking for me, I intend to be found.”
You may hear that exact line again in a future season by someone else.
Arguably the most important divide was that of Alicent and her father, Otto.
Alicent resents being manipulated as a child, and now, she began to make moves of her own.
Although they both agree that Aegon should be king, Otto wants to kill Rhaenyra, Daemon,
and their families, whereas Alicent wants peace.
That is why she had sent out her own men to get Aegon.
She wanted to get in Aegon’s ear before Otto.
And she did.
Although the Cargyll twins found Aegon for Otto, Criston and Aemond secured Aegon for
Alicent.
So she was able to speak to Aegon before Otto.
“You look so much like your mother in certain lights.”
That may have just been a nod to the fact that Otto was impressed with Alicent acting
so boldly.
But, personally, it came across as a little creepy.
And he was not the only one.
At the funeral, Larys stared at Alicent, suggesting that he had a thing for her, and now, we know
for sure.
When she took off her shoes, he was turned on.
And when she turned her back to him, he started touching himself.
So the Clubfoot has an uncontrollable foot fetish.
With that said, the Clubfoot should not be underestimated.
The Clubfoot noticed that Lord Caswell was one of the last to bend the knee, so he kept
an eye on Lord Caswell and saw him trying to leave the Red Keep.
Lord Caswell was then hung as a warning to other lords and ladies.
The Clubfoot also found out that information had been leaked from the Red Keep to the White
Worm, which suggests that he tortured information out of the prisoners, such Talya.
Alicent gave him the Green Light to cut off the head of the snake, so the Clubfoot had
a man burn down Mysaria’s manse, but that might prove to be a mistake.
Let’s take a step back.
How did Mysaria find out about the death of King Viserys?
First a page found out.
That boy told Talya, and Talya told Alicent.
Alicent told her to stay there while she went to speak to Otto.
While Talya was alone, she lit a candle in front of the window.
Mysaria’s first move was to find Aegon so that she could use him as a bargaining chip.
Mysaria hid Aegon under a table in the sept, presumably, with a promise to get him out
of the city because Aegon did not want to be king.
Nevertheless, she used him.
Mysaria told Otto where Aegon was in exchange for a promise to put an end to the savage
use of children in Flea Bottom.
That was awesome.
Mysaria is an intriguing character in the book, but this type of color makes her an
even more likeable Mistress of Whisperers.
Now, her arc is closer to that of Varys since they both care for children, possibly due
to the abuses that they themselves experienced as children.
So, Mysaria was working for Otto despite the fact that she had had a prior relationship
with Daemon.
But, Alicent gave the Clubfoot the greenlight to kill her.
So, if Mysaria is still alive, she might change her allegiance from Otto to Daemon.
As we already mentioned, Otto said a line which came off as a little creepy, and the
Clubfoot is definitely a creep.
On the other hand, there was this line here: “Everything you feel for me as your queen.”
“I will not fail you.”
Alicent and Criston might already be, or they might eventually be, more than just friends.
Either way, Ser Criston Cole has a major role to play in this story.
When Harold removed his White Cloak, Alicent said that Ser Criston would be raised to Lord
Commander of the Kingsguard.
Ironically, Criston had to remove his White Cloak for his very first mission.
I don’t know whether the show writers did that intentionally or not, but it was symbolic
of what it is to come in terms of the decisions that Criston makes during the Dance.
Criston is not going to adhere to the same code of ethics and honor that men such as
Ser Arthur Dayne and Ser Barristan Selmy adhere to.
Case in point, Criston already killed Lord Beesbury.
And he is just getting started.
Last, but not least, Ser Criston Cole will go down in history as a man named The Kingmaker.
“Aegon the king!”
Aegon did not want to be king.
That is why he tried to escape King’s Landing.
Unfortunately for him, and for the realm, Mysaria turned him over to Otto Hightower’s
men.
Alicent’s own men took him from Otto’s men, which gave her the opportunity to get
in his ear first.
During the carriage ride, Alicent told Aegon that Viserys’s dying wish had been for Aegon
to be king, but Aegon didn’t believe it.
Aegon reminded Alicent that Viserys could have done it, but he never did, and Aegon
believed that the reason was because Viserys had not liked him.
Alicent warned Aegon that Otto would counsel him to kill Rhaenyra, and that he must reject
that counsel.
That he must not rule with cruelty.
But Aegon cut her off to ask if she loved him.
Instead of explicitly saying “yes, of course I love you,” she called him an imbecile.
To be fair, that was her way of saying yes, and she proved her love by standing between
him and the Red Queen, but Alicent should have chosen her words more carefully since
he was in such a vulnerable state.
Aegon entered the Dragonpit under an arc of swords, a nod to the violence that is to come.
Since Viserys had told Alicent about a dream of his son wearing the Conqueror’s crown,
Aegon was crowned with Aegon the Conqueror’s crown instead of the gold crown of his father
and grandfather.
Aegon was also given Aegon the Conqueror’s sword, Blackfyre.
Nevertheless, the crowd was uncertain.
Eventually the crowd cheered.
Not everyone, but enough to convince Aegon that he was loved.
He drew Blackfyre and he owned it until the arrival of Rhaenys.
Rhaenys exploded through the floor on her she-dragon, Meleys, otherwise known as the
Red Queen.
Rhaenys could have ended it right then and there by killing them, but instead, she flew
away.
Why did Rhaenys show mercy?
Earlier in the episode, Rhaenys was locked up in her room.
When Alicent visited her, she tried to win Rhaenys to her side by pointing out some hard
hitting truths.
How she had lost her daughter in Pentos, and later, her son.
Alicent also pointed out that it was Corlys who had grasped so heedlessly for the throne,
and now he had abandoned her.
Gone six years only to return grievously, if not mortally wounded, leaving the Lady
of Driftmark to chart her own course alone.
Alicent also pointed out the truth that they both knew.
That Rhaenys should have been queen, not Viserys.
And not just due to her birthright, but because she had the blood and the temperament for
the position.
Ultimately, it did not work, at least, not entirely.
Alicent did not convince Rhaenys to bend the knee to Aegon, but she did get through to
Rhaenys in terms of something much more important.
Alicent told Rhaenys that they don’t rule, but they may guide the men who do, gently,
away from violence and sure destruction and instead toward peace.
This conversation might have saved her life as well as that of her son.
“You are wiser that I believed you to be.”
It’s worth noting that Rhaenys was herded to the Dragonpit, which is a nod to a character
whom we will see later in this story.
A man who is known as the Shepard.
Rhaenys was able to sneak down, get her dragon, and explode through the floor.
There are two words to describe her.
Fierce and fearless.
“The word of my house is not fickle.”
The House Words for House Velaryon are, “The Old, the True, the Brave,” and Rhaenys is
a living example of that despite being a Targaryen by blood.
In the end, Alicent stood in front of her son, and Rhaenys chose mercy.
Rhaenys may come to regret that decision, but at least she tried.
As a reminder, dragons and dragon riders are bonded.
Their souls are connected.
So, Rhaenys Targaryen, the Queen Who Never Was, didn’t kill them.
With that said, she did leave them a warning.
“Reluctance to murder is not a weakness.”