Is Larys the new Varys?
Is Harwin a real contender for Rhaenyra's hand?
As "House of the Dragon" speeds ahead, here are a few things you may have missed in Episode
3.
As Daemon, Corlys, and their forces are dealing with the Crabfeeder, the landed gentry of
King's Landing discuss the matter, first over a pre-journey pig roast at the castle, then
in the Kingswood before the hunt as camp is assembling.
The ladies of some of the Seven Kingdoms' great houses are gathered in the main tent,
and when Rhaenyra joins them mid-conversation, they're gossiping about someone named Lady
Johanna Swann, who was abducted from one of the ships sailing through the Stepstones.
"What will happen to Lady Johanna?"
"She's to be sold to a pillow house in the Free Cities, if you believe the rumors."
To those unfamiliar with the book "House of the Dragon" is based on, this might seem like
filler dialogue.
However, Lady Johanna Swann is specifically mentioned in "Fire & Blood."
In the text, the people of the Seven Kingdoms become increasingly perturbed by the Triarchy's
occupation of the Stepstones because the Crabfeeder isn't just stealing their goods and coin — he's
human trafficking their women and children into the pleasure houses.
In Lady Johanna's case, her cheap uncle the Lord of Stonehelm refused to pay their tolls,
so they took his niece instead.
Martin writes,
"[Johanna] rose to become the celebrated courtesan known as the Black Swan, and ruler of Lys
in all but name."
"Fire & Blood" doesn't elaborate on that rise, as it doesn't tie back into the central Targaryen-heavy
narrative.
Besides the Targaryens, Velaryons, and Hightowers, palace intrigue in "House of the Dragon" involves
some other high-ranking families with which "Game of Thrones" fans will already be familiar
— the Lannisters and the Strongs.
Ser Tyland Lannister is serving as master of ships in Corlys' absence, while his twin
Ser Jason Lannister occupies Casterly Rock and wants Rhaenyra's hand in marriage.
Lord Lyonel Strong is currently the ruler of Harrenhal as well as the king's master
of laws.
His two sons, Harwin and Larys, make brief appearances in Episode 3.
More on Harwin in a moment, but Larys is the young man who joins the ladies after he self-deprecatingly
quips that the gods have not made him for hunting.
The camera focuses on the odd boot he wears around his malformed foot.
In "Fire & Blood," Larys is sometimes referred to as Clubfoot.
He walks with a limp and is regarded as a quiet man whose intentions are difficult to
decipher.
Larys doesn't sit with the ladies only to excuse himself from strenuous activity; he's
a Varys-like character with a knack for disappearing into the background and picking up on valuable
information.
Episode 3 asks a pair of deeply related questions — will King Viserys decide to name Aegon
II his heir instead of Rhaenyra, and who will the princess marry?
Based on his comments to his daughter in the carriage and on the look on his face as Ser
Jason Lannister looks at his daughter, Viserys seems to have made an informal agreement prior
to the hunt.
But, besides the fact that Jason is doing a terrible job wooing the princess and schmoozing
the king, he's got competition.
Viserys complains that he's drowning in marriage offers; thus far, the show has given Rhaenyra
six possible suitors.
Besides Jason, who blows his chances with his treasonous assumptions, Otto Hightower
suggests 2-year-old Aegon II, which even the king thinks is gross.
Meanwhile, Lyonel Strong suggests that Laenor Velaryon is the wisest choice.
But it's obvious that Rhaenyra prefers the company of Ser Criston Cole.
She's creating opportunities to be alone with him, and the princess and her sworn protector
openly flirt with each other … in a very "Game of Thrones" kind of way.
"Do you want me to kill him?"
Audiences may have also picked up on some romantic tension between Rhaenyra and her
uncle Daemon, and the ladies at court are aware of their mutual affection, too.
But there's one more player in the game for Rhaenyra's heart.
When Lyonel Strong asks if the king wishes to hear his opinion, Viserys guesses he's
about to propose his elder son, Harwin, the strongest knight in the Seven Kingdoms.
Harwin is the man who caught the brown stag and the man with whom Rhaenyra exchanges a
glance as he processes its meat.
Ser Otto Hightower succeeds in elevating his daughter to the position of queen, but now
he's determined to elevate his grandson to the Iron Throne.
Though he's close enough to Viserys to know the king hasn't altered the succession, the
Hand is working every angle to get what he wants.
He's scheming with the lords of powerful houses.
He's pressing Queen Alicent to, in his words, lead her husband to reason.
He tries to make a match between Rhaenyra and Aegon II as a failsafe.
And with his counsel, he attempts to influence Viserys without overstepping boundaries.
When a white stag is spotted in the Kingswood, Otto sets the men after it and tells Viserys
that the sighting is "a regal portent."
Throughout the episode, he and those loyal to him and Queen Alicent push the idea that
should they catch and kill the King of the Forest, it's surely a sign that the gods favor
Aegon II.
"Before the dragons ruled over Westeros, White Hart was the symbol of royalty in these lands."
Tellingly, the shrewd Otto Hightower never explicitly claims that the stag's appearance
means the gods want little Aegon to rule instead of Rhaenyra.
He only implies as much through flattery and superstition, both of which are vulnerabilities
of the king.
But the animal they are tracking turns out to be a brown stag, which Viserys struggles
to put out of its misery, so Otto's plan backfires.
Meanwhile, Rhaenyra and Criston happen upon the white stag, whom she chooses to let live
without hesitation.
The War for the Stepstones takes place over a few pages in "Fire & Blood," and it's begun
and resolved in one episode of "House of the Dragon."
But, like the book, its effects are sure to ripple throughout the rest of the story, though
precisely how might be a significant departure.
In print, King Viserys actually approves of Daemon's private war because it's keeping
him busy and away from the real business of governing at King's Landing.
According to Martin, Daemon and Corlys had "little difficulty assembling an army," and
"won many victories during the first two years" of the conflict with Daemon's dragon and Corlys'
vast fleet of ships.
Daemon easily dispatches the Crabfeeder when they meet by decapitating him with his sword,
Dark Sister.
In the show, Daemon and Corlys have their backs against the wall.
The rogue prince is angry when a messenger arrives with news that the king is sending
backup.
Though they need the help, he doesn't want it, as this was supposed to be his show of
strength to contrast his reputation with that of his weak brother.
In another change from the book, Laenor is also present, as is his dragon Seasmoke.
But one of the most noticeable differences is the appearance of the Crabfeeder, who isn't
described outside of his penchant for sex slavery and crustacean-induced torture.
"House of the Dragon" has given him a severe case of greyscale, which he hides behind a
broken mask of the Sons of the Harpy, a group that opposed Daenerys' rule in "Game of Thrones."
So not only has Daemon been bailed out, he's also potentially been exposed to this disfiguring
and often fatal illness.