In King's Landing
Aemond contemplates his role in what has come to his family.
Aemond contemplates his role in what has come to his family.

News quickly spread through the Red Keep of the murder of Prince Jaehaerys, with guards seizing and imprisoning many of the castle's servants. Enraged and severely distraught over the murder of his son and heir, King Aegon II Targaryen destroys his father's model of Old Valyria, and declares war on all those responsible, even as his companions Martyn Reyne and Eddard Waters try to calm and console him. Elsewhere, Aemond Targaryen silently contemplates his part in the events of the night, ultimately stemming from his involvement in the death of Lucerys Velaryon.

In the chambers of Alicent Hightower, Otto Hightower assures his daughter that the gates of the city have been shut, and the perpretators will be quickly found. Partly blaming herself for what has happened, Alicent is inconsolable, but can't bring herself to confess to her rendezvous with Ser Criston Cole that night. Otto insists she should not blame herself and promises to make some good come of the tragedy.

Aegon listens to his Council on the best course of action.
Aegon listens to his Council on the best course of action.

The Green Council quickly assembles the same night. Aegon demands to know the whereabouts of Ser Criston as events unfolded, to which he lies and claims he was in bed. Lord Confessor Larys Strong enters the room and informs the council that a man was caught trying to flee the city via the Gate of the Gods with Jaehaerys's head in a sack. Aegon announces his intention to personally execute the murderer, but Otto advises restraint if they wish to obtain any possible useful information from him, and instructs Larys to interrogate the prisoner further.

The Council is informed of an arrest.
The Council is informed of an arrest.

Lord Jasper Wylde argues that Rhaenyra Targaryen may not necessarily the mastermind behind the assassination, but that someone among their own could be the responsible party. Otto agrees, but sees it wise to put all of the blame on Rhaenyra regardless, as that will vilify her as a murdereress in the eyes of the people, and legitimize Aegon, who many view as weak after his hasty coronation and the destruction caused by Rhaenys Targaryen and Meleys that same day.

Otto also proposes holding a funeral procession for Jaehaerys, so the people of King's Landing will see the depravity of Rhaenyra's actions and to further shore up support for Aegon. A plan is put in place for Alicent and Helaena Targaryen to take part in the procession as well, as the "gentlest" souls among the Greens.

Helaena and Alicent at the funeral of Prince Jaehaerys.
Helaena and Alicent at the funeral of Prince Jaehaerys.

The next morning, Alicent goes to speak with her daughter and informs her of what has been decided by the Small Council. Helaena doesn't wish to take part in the funeral, but Alicent counters that they both have an obligation to the King and kingdom to perform their duties. Helaena eventually appears to relent. The procession begins, with the body of Jaehaerys on full display, as a crier denounces Rhaenyra as a kinslayer and nicknames her "Rhaenyra the Cruel". The commoners of King's Landing overwhemingly show their sympathy to the grieving family, but Helaena only grows increasingly uneasy with all the attention being thrust upon them.

Aegon II takes his vengeance on his son's killer.
Aegon II takes his vengeance on his son's killer.

At the same time, Lord Larys heads to the dungeons to personally interrogate "Blood" on what he knows of the Prince's assassination. Seeing the various torture instruments being prepared, he immediately confesses to having been aided by an accomplice, of whom he only knows his occupation as a rat catcher. Larys promises not to harm him, but adds that he cannot say the same for King Aegon, who comes into the cell with a mace in hand, and with it proceeds to beat his the murderer of his heir to death.

Back in the Red Keep, Aegon, accompanied by Ser Martyn Reyne and Ser Leon Estermont, chances upon his wife as she's ascending a stairway. However, they both struggle to find any words to say to each other, and ultimately only acknowledge each other in brief before parting ways.

Ser Criston Cole enters the bedroom of Jaehaera Targaryen, where he observes servants dismantling the former crib of her slain twin brother. Later at night time, he stands guard over Queen Alicent's chambers; when she comes to the door, nervously inquiring about whether he has talked with anyone about their actions the previous night, as a way to seek absolution. He only replies that there is none to be found for what he has done.

Ser Criston and Ser Arryk "debate" recent events.
Ser Criston and Ser Arryk "debate" recent events.

The next day, Ser Criston goes to the Kingsguard barracks to speak with Ser Arryk Cargyll, where he admonishes his underling for having his white cloak soiled with mud, and orders him to change it immediately, despite Ser Arryk's protests.

Irritated by the conversation, and seeking to shift blame for the events leading to the infant prince's murder, Ser Criston demands to know what Ser Arryk was at the time of the assassination. When he responds that he was guarding the King himself and inquires the same of Ser Criston, also questioning why no one was guarding Queen Heleana's private chambers, the Kingsguard Commander angrily shouts that his brother, Ser Erryk Cargyll is a traitor to the Crown.

Criston further insists that the actions of his twin have brought dishonor upon himself and the Kingsguard, and he must therefore restore it, by going to Dragonstone and striking down Rhaenyra Targaryen herself. Ser Arryk points out the massive flaws in the plan, but is ultimately forced to relent when Ser Criston threatens to publicly question his loyalty to the King if he does not go through with the endeavor.

Aemond spends the day at Mother's, a brothel in the Street of Silk, where he's revealed to have been the night of his nephew's slaying, and shares with Sylvi that he's actually somewhat proud his uncle Daemon considers him such a foe to have sent assassins after him. Despite her sexual advances, Aemond only seeks emotional comfort, and admits to regret having caused his nephew Luke's death back in Shipbreaker Bay. Sylvi is glad to hear it and reminds him that's it's often the small folk who suffer when Princes lose their tempers.

Hugh and Kat discuss living conditions in King's Landing.
Hugh and Kat discuss living conditions in King's Landing.

Elsewhere in the city, the blacksmith Hugh returns home to care for his wife, Kat, and their sick daughter. They discuss the advance payment he recently secured from the King, as well as the Blockade of the Gullet, which has caused price increases, and the regretful rise in people trying to take advantage of it to earn their fortunes.

The next morning, Aegon orders the execution of the Red Keep's entire complement of rat catchers (including Cheese), having their bodies hanged from the Red Keep's walls, to the shock and horror of the smallfolk. An appalled Otto storms into Aegon's chambers and demands an explanation. Aegon blithely admits to ordering the mass execution, since Blood named one of the ratcatchers as his accomplice but couldn't identify the guilty one, to which Otto furiously brands Aegon an idiot. Criston rebukes Otto for his disrespectful tone, but Otto stands by his denunciation of his grandson, as Aegon's actions have destroyed any goodwill and sympathy the Greens gained from the smallfolk following Jaehaerys's murder (along with Otto's hard work to win it, for which Otto castigates the King as ungrateful and thoughtless), and ensured the Great Houses backing Rhaenyra who might have wavered will stand firm with her now that they've seen Aegon is just as cruel and vindictive.

Aegon fires back that he wishes to "spill blood, not ink," insisting that at least he and Criston have acted in response to his son's murder, as opposed to Otto's "wailing and currying favor with the fishwives", to which a wary Otto asks what Criston has done. He is outraged to learn Criston has despatched Ser Arryk Cargyll to infiltrate Dragonstone disguised as his twin and assassinate Rhaenyra, and berates the pair of them for carrying out such an ill-considered plan without bothering to inform him or the small council, calling it an impetuous act that will diminish them in their enemy's eyes. Otto bitterly compares Aegon to his late father, ruefully noting Viserys's judiciousness, forebearance and dignity, compared to his spiteful, petulant son. Aegon dismisses the comparison, insisting he cares about vengeance, not dignity, and reminds Otto his father is dead. Otto agrees, noting the realm is poorer for the loss, and bitterly notes Viserys was right about Aegon being unfit to be King. When Aegon retorts Viserys named him King on his deathbed, Otto sneers "Is that what you think?", and turns to leave.

As he opens the doors, however, Aegon orders him to remove his badge of office as Hand of the King, insisting Otto was his father's Hand, and to give the badge to Criston, much to the latter's shock. Otto scoffs that Aegon wouldn't dare to replace him, but Aegon makes it clear he's serious, and that Criston Cole will be his "steel fist" of a new Hand. Otto scornfully hisses that Aegon will regret this decision, throws his badge at Cole's feet and leaves as Aegon informs him he is dismissed from court.

In private with Alicent afterwards, Otto rages that Aegon and Criston are both impetuous young men who need to be kept in check. Alicent tries to defend Criston's loyalty to her son but Otto insists both of them are acting now out of a desire for vengeance against Rhaenyra, rather than the good of the realm. Alicent insists Aegon is merely lashing out from grief at his son's death, but Otto refuses to remain at court now he has no further place there to witness Criston and Aegon destroy his carefully laid plans, insisting he will return to Oldtown to mentor Alicent's youngest son by Viserys, Prince Daeron Targaryen. Alicent instead urges him to go to Highgarden and ensure House Tyrell and their bannermen support the Greens, promising that she will speak to Aegon when he has calmed down and arrange Otto's return to court. Otto assures Alicent that so long as they hold to their plans, they will prevail and bring forth peace. Alicent briefly tries to confess to her father her sins (namely that she was in bed with Criston at the time of Jaehaerys's murder) but Otto gently silences her. Returning to her chambers, Alicent notices Aegon crying for his son in his room. She briefly contemplates going to comfort him, but withdraws instead, clearly aware he would not welcome her presence. When Criston comes to her room a short time afterwards, despite her reservations, she gives into her emotions and has sex with him again.


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On Dragonstone
The Black Council ponders their next steps.
The Black Council ponders their next steps.

Elsewhere, in Dragonstone, Rhaenyra Targaryen is shocked when informed by Maester Gerardys of Prince Jaehaerys's murder and that she is believed by many to be the responsible party. Lord Bartimos Celtigar expresses his belief that the news will cause immeasurable damage to the image of the Blacks at a critical time. Ser Alfred Broome interjects that it would only be natural for an aggrieved mother to seek revenge for the loss of a son, but Rhaenyra immediately shuts down the suggestion, voicing that she bears no ill will towards Helaena. As Rhaenyra glances towards Daemon Targaryen, she suddenly realizes who the true culprit likely is.

Speaking with her in private, Daemon confesses to his wife of having arranged the killing of Aemond Targaryen through Mysaria, but denies having set the target as anyone other than him. Rhaenyra grills her husband on what he instructed the assassins to do if Aemond could not be located, and accuses him of being untruthful due to his previous stated desire of wishing to spill Hightower blood, but Daemon once again dismisses having said anything else, insisting he is not at fault if his assassins took matters into their own hands.

Daemon and Rhaenyra speak in private.
Daemon and Rhaenyra speak in private.

Pausing for a moment, Rhaenyra comes to the conclusion that she cannot trust her husband, and never truly has in full before, with his recent actions only serving to damage her image and standing. Daemon angrily responds that he's always faithfully served before, crowned her himself, and is about to depart for Harrenhal to raise an army in her name, but Rhaenyra counters that he sought to lead the war response to the Greens' coup alone, while she was undergoing the miscarriage of their daughter. He also undermined her when she met with Otto to at least consider the Greens' peace terms, to which Daemon shouts back she was foolish to even consider Otto's treasonous lies.

Daemon is made to leave once again.
Daemon is made to leave once again.

The argument circles to Daemon having been passed over for succession to the Iron Throne in favor of his new wife, which Rhaenyra accuses Daemon of still not having let of go of, and of using her as simply a tool to gain back his lost power. He strongly denies it, but expresses his view that his brother only chose Rhaenyra as his successor because he didn't want his heir to outshine his legacy, denouncing Viserys as a coward who refused to spill the blood necessary to achieve the greatness he aspired to, a weakness Daemon insinuates Rhaenyra shares. The discussion ends with Daemon admitting that the death of Jaehaerys was a mistake and storming out of the room, leaving Rhaenyra in tears.

Baela Targaryen sees her father as she's about to enter Rhaenyra's chambers, but he doesn't speak a word. Rhaenyra asks Baela to take her dragon, Moondancer and head to King's Landing to keep a watch on the comings and goings of the city, though asking her to take caution and adding that their side can afford no further mistakes. When Baela asks about her father, Rhaenyra simply answers that he must choose his own path now.

Rhaenyra looks after her and Daemon's children.
Rhaenyra looks after her and Daemon's children.

That evening, Daemon departs Dragonstone astride his own dragon, Caraxes, making for Harrenhal to rally the Riverlands to the Blacks' cause. Rhaenyra watches her children, Aegon and Viserys, play with one another as she takes in everything that has happened.

Rhaenyra has Ser Steffon Darklyn bring Mysaria up from her cell to interrogate her about her part in Jaehaerys's murder, as well as her involvement in the Greens crowning Aegon. Mysaria admits her regret in aiding the Greens in their plans following their attempt on her life, which she believes was Otto retaliating against her for extorting him, and insists that she gave Daemon the name of two of her agents for his plans in exchange for her freedom from captivity, asking Rhaenyra to honor her husband's word. Rhaenyra, recognizing Mysaria from their previous meeting is reluctant, as Mysaria's spy network could be either an asset or a threat to her campaign, but Mysaria insists she has no interest in betraying Rhaenyra, her experiences with Daemon and Otto having destroyed her wish to be a person of significance. Rhaenyra demurs and has Steffon take Mysaria back to her cell.

Jace and Baela bond over their departed loved ones.
Jace and Baela bond over their departed loved ones.

On the cliffs of Dragonstone, Jacaerys Velaryon observes Baela practicing shooting with a crossbow. They briefly discuss Daemon and reminisce about Laenor, Baela's uncle and Jacaerys's father figure, before Baela asks about Harwin Strong, Jace's true father. Baela reassures Jace that his father loved him, and he in turn admits to missing his late younger brother Luke.

The next day, Rhaenyra goes to Mysaria's cell, accompanied by Ser Erryk. While she admits she doesn't trust the spymistress, Rhaenyra agrees to honor Daemon's promise to release her, on the proviso she takes passage aboard the Corwyn, a ship of the Velaryon fleet due to sail for Pentos by way of Myr. Mysaria thanks Rhaenyra for her freedom, and Rhaenyra instructs Erryk to let Mysaria gather her things and then have someone escort her to the harbor. On the way down to the harbor however, Mysaria recognizes Arryk Cargyll amongst the passengers disembarking from the Corwyn, and alerts her escort.

Arryk manages to fool the guards on the castle gates into letting him into Dragonstone, and makes his way to Rhaenyra's private chambers. Finding Ser Lorent Marbrand of Rhaenyra's Queensguard outside on guard duty, he pretends to be Erryk, and offers to stand the guard duty himself. Once Lorent has left, Arryk slips into Rhaenyra's private chambers, finding only the Queen and her handmaiden, Lady Elinda Massey inside. Rhaenyra initially mistakes him for his twin, until Arryk draws his sword and apologizes, insisting he had no choice. Before he can attack Rhaenyra, Erryk (having been alerted to his brother's presence) bursts in and draws his own sword. Erryk begs Arryk not to go through with his plan, but Arryk denounces his brother as a traitor and moves to attack Rhaenyra. Erryk places himself in the way and a brutal and savage duel ensues. As the brothers battle with blades and fists, Rhaenyra dives for cover, shouting at Elinda to find Ser Lorent and raise the alarm. Ser Lorent, dressed in his bed clothes, bursts into the chamber, sword in hand; he moves Rhaenyra to safety, but unable to tell the brothers apart, urges Rhaenyra to identify Erryk so he can help his Sworn Brother. Bloodied and wounded, Erryk manages to gain the upper hand, fatally wounding Arryk. Freeing his blade from his brother's corpse, wracked with guilt at his kinslaying, Erryk begs Rhaenyra for forgiveness, then throws himself on his sword.


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On Driftmark
Alyn and Addam of Hull, reunited.
Alyn and Addam of Hull, reunited.

After many months at sea fighting in the War for the Stepstones, Alyn of Hull returns home to Driftmark, where upon disembarking the ship Sea Snake, he's met by his younger brother, Addam of Hull. They speak of the former's rescue of Corlys Velaryon, which saved his life, and the rewards that may come of it, but Alyn states he wants none of it, as he senses a dangerous war brewing in the horizon.

In High Tide, Corlys and his wife, Rhaenys Targaryen, lie together in bed, as they discuss Daemon flying away from Dragonstone in a time where his aid may be needed, and the possibility of him challenging Rhaenyra for the Iron Throne in the future. Rhaenys remarks that the thought of the Crown looming over one's head so closely is a powerful one, but that as long as Daemon retakes Harrenhal for his wife, all might yet be forgiven.

Rhaenyra the Cruel

Otto weaponizes a child's death he knows Rhaenyra didn't orchestrate, transforming tragedy into propaganda before truth can interfere.

Otto Admits Possible Insider Guilt

Funeral Procession as Propaganda Design

Crier Names Rhaenyra the Cruel

Alicent and Helaena as Chosen Instruments

Aegon's Weak Legitimacy as Stated Motive

Rat Catcher Executions Destroy the Narrative

Otto's Promise to Make Good of Tragedy

Otto Hightower does not believe Rhaenyra ordered Jaehaerys's murder and does not need to. His funeral procession strategy deploys two distinct rhetorical instruments: the child's corpse as symbol and Helaena's visible suffering as spectacle, in a single, authored political sentence. The show's most damning critique of the Greens is not that their enemies commit atrocities against them, but that their own faction authors its most intimate cruelty against one of its own.

Otto Turns a Dead Child Into a Weapon

Otto Hightower's Propaganda Has Two Instruments: A Dead Child and a Living Widow

Aegon II destroys competent advisors who expose his weakness, accidentally promoting Cole through rage rather than strategy.

Otto Publicly Called an Idiot

Badge Stripped on the Spot

Rat-Catcher Executions Destroy Green Goodwill

Cole's Initiative Impresses Aegon

Otto Departs for Highgarden

Cole's Own Negligence the Night of the Murder

The dismissal of Otto Hightower was not a political miscalculation that a shrewder Hand could have avoided; it was the predetermined outcome of two incompatible pathologies colliding. Aegon cannot tolerate competent counsel because he experiences it as subordination, and Otto cannot exercise genuine loyalty because he experiences it as beneath him. Each man's incapacity activated the other's, making the badge transfer not an impulsive accident but a structural certainty from the moment Otto chose to win the war through the Greens rather than for them. What makes the rupture worth examining closely is what it reveals about the coalition's load-bearing structure: Cole's elevation does not fill the vacancy Otto leaves. It exposes what was always underneath it.

Aegon's Rage Just Handed Cole the Kingdom

Two Mirroring Pathologies: Why the Aegon–Otto Rupture Was Structurally Inevitable

Aegon's execution of the rat catchers demolishes Otto's propaganda machine and transforms the question from whether he's a liability to whether he's controllable.

Otto's Funeral Propaganda Design

All Rat Catchers Executed Publicly

Otto's Fury at Goodwill Squandered

Aegon's Blood-Over-Ink Declaration

Families Mourning Executed Rat Catchers

Blood's Vague Accomplice Identification

Coronation Chaos as Prior Liability

Aegon II's destruction of Viserys's Old Valyrian model and his mass execution of the rat catchers are not separate emotional episodes but a sequential governing argument delivered in rapid succession. The model's destruction announces the philosophical break: patience, precision, and performed legitimacy are the inheritance Aegon is explicitly discarding. The executions operationalize that break by dismantling Otto's propaganda apparatus and replacing it with collective terror. Aegon is not a king out of control; he is a king declaring, in two deliberate acts, exactly what kind of control he intends to exercise.

Aegon Burns Down Otto's Propaganda Machine

Aegon II's Two-Part Declaration: The Viserys Model Dies First, Then Otto's War Does

Cole sends Arryk to certain death to cleanse his own guilt for being present when Jaehaerys was murdered.

Cole's pre-confrontation absolution refusal

Cole interrogates Arryk's whereabouts first

Loyalty threat forces compliance

Arryk names the mission's fatal flaws

Affair as direct cause of security failure

Muddy cloak admonishment as dominance ritual

Action as substitute for confession

Criston Cole's decision to send Arryk Cargyll on a fatal solo mission to Dragonstone is not a military calculation but a mechanism for destroying the one witness who can place Cole's absence during Jaehaerys's murder, an absence caused by his presence in Alicent's chambers. Because Cole cannot confess the dereliction without confessing the relationship, and cannot confess the relationship without destroying the only private claim he still holds on Alicent, the two secrets have fused into a single confession he has decided can never be spoken. Arryk dies carrying the weight of both.

Cole Sends Arryk to Die for His Shame

Cole Sends Arryk to Die to Bury Two Confessions at Once

Aemond confesses his guilt only to someone powerless, keeping remorse alive while ensuring his actions remain unchanged.

Aemond Names Lucerys for First Time

Direct Confession of Temper and Regret

Silent Contemplation in the Red Keep

Smallfolk Suffer When Princes Err

Guilt Confessed Outside Political Consequence

Pride and Guilt Held Simultaneously

Aemond has engineered a confession that costs him nothing. His remorse over Lucerys's death is genuine, but he has deliberately routed it to the one person in his world with no power to act on it, ensuring his guilt stays alive as private experience while changing none of his conduct. This is not weakness or hypocrisy but a functional architecture: conscience preserved, accountability foreclosed.

Aemond's Remorse Is Real But Privately Contained

Daemon orchestrated Jaehaerys's death for himself, not Rhaenyra, revealing their alliance was always a mask for his ancient hunger for power.

Rhaenyra's Tool-for-Power Accusation

Daemon Blames Viserys for Lucerys

Rhaenyra's Declaration of Distrust

Daemon Flies Away After Argument

Assassination Weakens Rhaenyra's Position

Daemon's Resentment Over Viserys's Choice

Daemon ordered the assassination of Jaehaerys not to serve Rhaenyra's cause but to prosecute a decades-old grievance against his dead brother, with the Crabfeeder precedent and the Blood and Cheese moment both confirming that Daemon's defining response to powerlessness is unilateral, irreversible action taken on his own timeline. Rhaenyra's accusation and his non-denial reveal that what appeared to be a partnership was always a conditional arrangement on his terms. The deeper consequence is structural: he has now arranged things so that Rhaenyra cannot expose his true motivation without destroying her own position, making her complicity in his cover involuntary and permanent.

Daemon's War Is His Own, Not Hers

Aegon II's hasty execution of Blood silenced the only witness who could have exposed the conspiracy's true architects.

Blood's Partial Confession Before Death

Larys Steps Aside for Aegon

Mace as Instrument of Closure

Otto's Fury at Investigation's Collapse

Rat Catchers Hanged Without Identification

Aegon's execution of Blood did not only express grief, it permanently sealed the conspiracy's chain of command from investigation. Larys Strong, whose function required him to prevent exactly this outcome, stepped aside and allowed it, which means the interrogation's termination served someone's interest beyond a grieving king's impulse. Whether Aegon understood it or not, he guaranteed that whoever directed the assassination from above Cheese and Blood can never be named through the evidence that existed.

Aegon's Mace Sealed the Conspiracy's Secret

Aemond's confession to Sylvi reveals he has already surrendered his moral allegiance to the Green cause, making him a weapon the Greens cannot control.

Aemond's Silent Opening Contemplation

Brothel Confession of Regret

Sylvi's Smallfolk Indictment

Whereabouts Hidden from Council

Emotional Comfort Over Sexual Advance

Guilt Traced to Lucerys's Death

Aemond Targaryen has already emotionally defected from the Green cause, and the show has constructed that defection with precision. His unprompted confession of regret to Sylvi, a woman entirely outside the Green power structure, is not grief in passing. It is the transfer of moral allegiance to the one person whose judgment he actually accepts, and that person is telling him princes who lose their tempers make smallfolk suffer. The Greens are prosecuting a war with a man who has already accepted that indictment.

Aemond's Guilt Will Break the Green Cause

House of the Dragon

Viserys Converts Prophecy Into Permission: The Structural Habit That Kills His Heir Before She Can Be Named

The War Rhaenyra's Question Started: How a Misdelivered Prophecy Ignited the Dance of Dragons

Viserys Dies Reaching for Aemma

Alicent Knows She Built a Lie

Otto's 'Is That What You Think' Response

Alicent's Misread Prophecy Words

Otto's Fury at Aegon's Ratcatcher Executions

Otto Frames Rhaenyra as Murderer

Aegon Dismisses Otto From Council