A red dragon makes her debut and a green gown stops the show — and
both have more meaning than you might think. Episode 5 of
"House of the Dragon" was way more than just those gnarly nuptials.
Throughout "House of the Dragon" and the book it is based on, George R.R. Martin's
"Fire & Blood," Prince Daemon Targaryen calls his wife, Lady Rhea Royce, his "Bronze Bitch."
Daemon and Rhea's marriage isn't a happy one, to say the least. It's not even much of a marriage;
we find out in Episode 5 they are yet to consummate their union and Daemon spends
little to no time in his wife's homeland, the Vale. So why does he call her "Bronze"?
House Royce ruled as "Bronze Kings" until House Arryn assumed power during the Andal
Invasion. Their flag is a bronze square framed by ancient runes,
and they wear bronze armor, as does Rhea when she goes hunting in Episode 5.
Why Daemon dislikes her so much is left to the reader's imagination,
as are the circumstances of her death. In Martin's writing, she dies nine days after
hitting her head against a stone when she's thrown from her horse during a falconry hunt.
"Have you at last come to consummate our marriage?"
In "House of the Dragon," Daemon causes her horse to rear up and finishes the job with a stone after
she mocks him for his impotence, which is becoming a running theme when it comes to the Rogue Prince.
Ser Criston Cole might've admitted to dalliances in his youth, but that was before he recorded his
name in the White Book of the Kingsguard and swore a vow of chastity. Whether he actually
has strong feelings for Rhaenyra or is merely more pious and rule-following than he let on,
the Princess's White Knight is desperate to absolve himself of his sin, some way, somehow.
First, he asks Rhaenyra to run away with him rather than
marry Laenor Velaryon she's been commanded to do.
"A marriage for love, not for the crown."
When she suggests that he should be happy enough as her lover and sworn protector,
essentially asking him to commit what he sees as sin over and over again,
he's disgusted by the idea, and his feelings and loyalties undergo a drastic change.
That swing is made even more pronounced when Queen Alicent summons him. He reveals the
truth and asks her to give him the death penalty rather than sentence him to gelding and torture.
Ser Criston was right to worry; we know from Martin's writing that the Kingsguard is a
lifetime appointment, and punishment for those who break their vows is castration,
followed by a lifetime sentence at the wall.
That Alicent shows Criston mercy, both during his questioning and in his moment
of hopelessness when he nearly takes his own life, will have made a strong impression.
As a Targaryen without a dragon, King Viserys is something of an outlier. So far,
we've seen Daemon on Caraxes, Rhaenyra on Syrax, and Laenor (who's half Targaryen) on Seasmoke.
Princess Rhaenys is the most senior Targaryen with the most dragon-riding experience,
and in Episode 5, we finally get to see her mounted on her dragon.
"Fire & Blood" tells us that the dragon is named Meleys [MEL-eez], and is also known as the Red
Queen, so named for the beautiful rosy tint of her wings and scales. She's faster than Caraxes,
and originally belonged to Viserys and Daemon's mother, Queen Alyssa,
and both then-princes took their first dragon rides upon her back when they were only days old.
The young princess toured the Seven Kingdoms with her grandfather, King Jaehaerys,
and she rode the Red Queen to her own wedding with Corlys when she was only about 16 years old.
It's a nice touch that the show has her riding alongside Laenor en route to her son's nuptials.
"Fire & Blood" is a fictional collected history compiled from
different sources who were privy to different events in different ways,
and who each had their own political point of view and allegiances.
The narrator whose accounts are often the most detailed and scandalous is Mushroom,
a dwarf who served as fool to King Viserys' court. His physical appearance – three feet
tall with an oversized head – and position as fool led many in the nobility to assume that
he was intellectually disabled, but he was actually savvy and observant.
Fans of "Fire & Blood" have had their fingers crossed that we might get to see Mushroom
as a character in "House of the Dragon." No announcements to that effect have been made;
however, there is a background character who fits Mushroom's
description during Rhaenyra and Laenor's wedding festivities.
He's wearing Targaryen colors and playing music with the rest of a band,
which is close enough to a court jester. He's even featured in the teaser for Episode 5. This
is probably just a wink to book readers, but our mystery man could come back to
record his story. It's worth mentioning that Mushroom was quite fond of Rhaenyra,
and thus his version would be inclined to put her in a more favorable light.
The costuming on "House of the Dragon" isn't commendable just for its stunning design and
impeccable construction. The attire worn by King's Landing's movers and shakers is significant and
symbolic in Martin's writing, and so far, the show is doing a phenomenal job of illustrating that.
"I understand that the Queen is still readying herself for the celebrations."
The single most consequential piece of clothing — with literal life and death consequences — is
Alicent's green dress, which makes its debut in Episode 5. She interrupts her
husband's wedding toast and catwalks through the throne room in an exquisite emerald green gown,
pulling all the attention away from the reigning monarch and the heir and bride to be.
Larys Strong asks his brother if he remembers what color House Hightower uses in its beacon
to call its people to war. The answer is green. That means with this dress,
Alicent is effectively using fashion to fire the first shot in the coming Targaryen civil war.
It's her unofficial proclamation that she does, in fact, want her son, Aegon,
to be King. The occasion for which she wears the dress is a change from the
book. In "Fire & Blood," it's at her own fifth wedding anniversary party
with Viserys that she unveils her new look. When, in coming episodes, characters begin
to align themselves with "the Greens," it's this gown that gives their side its name.