Directed By: Greg Yaitanes / Written By: Gabe Fonseca & Ryan Condal

Original Airdate: September 4, 2022

Runtime: 63 minutes

Nearly three years later, Daemon Targaryen and Corlys Velaryon's war in the Stepstones against the Triarchy forces, commanded by the Crab Feeder, is going badly. Drahar's forces have resorted to guerilla tactics, raiding Velaryon fleets at night and retreating into deep caves whenever Daemon launches attacks using his dragon Caraxes. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra remains estranged from Alicent, who is pregnant with Viserys' second child, having already given birth to a son named Aegon. After finding out on a hunting trip to celebrate Aegon's second nameday that Viserys intended to marry her off to other noble lords, Rhaenyra believes Viserys wishes to depose her in favor of her half-brother.

main cast

THE CROWNLANDS

Nearly three years have passed since King Viserys’ controversial decision to marry Alicent Hightower, in which time Queen Alicent has now given birth to a son, Prince Aegon Targaryen, Second of His Name. The royal court is preparing to depart for a grand hunt in the Kingswood in order to celebrate Aegon’s second nameday, with Viserys excited to leave the politics of court behind even as his new Master of Ships, Ser Tyland Lannister, badgers him about the prospect of Prince Daemon Targaryen and Lord Corlys Velaryon continued defeat in the Stepstones against Craghas Drahar and the Triarchy. The Hand of the King, Ser Otto Hightower, dismisses Ser Tyland's concerns, insisting that Daemon and Corlys' military campaign was commenced without the king's blessing and that to send aid to them now would make the Crown look weak. Viserys, however, is more preoccupied regarding the notable absence of his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra. Afterwards, Queen Alicent finds Rhaenyra brooding underneath the heart tree in the Red Keep's godswood, sitting beside a lutenist named Samwell. After demonstrating her station over Rhaenyra by excusing Samwell, Alicent attempts to make friendly overtures to her old friend turned stepdaughter. The princess, however, is disinclined to listen. Alicent’s pleas that “none of it needs be this way,” falls on deaf ears, as Rhaenyra storms out of the godswood.

Later that morning, Rhaenyra begrudgingly travels with Viserys and Alicent in the king’s royal cart as they are headed to the campgrounds of the Kingswood. Viserys’ enthusiasm for the celebration is not met by his daughter Rhaenyra and upon an invitation to join the hunt, Rhaenyra curtly declines, though Viserys asserts to his daughter that she is to dutifully participate in the celebrations. She ends the conversation, however, in stating that “no one is here for me.” Once the royal party arrive on the campgrounds, they are greeted enthusiastically by the court while Lord Hobert Hightower praises the young prince as “Aegon the Conqueror-Babe”. Later on, Rhaenyra hesitantly enters the royal pavilion with a thinly-veiled look of courtesy. Upon her arrival, King Viserys witnesses a wandering eye towards Rhaenyra from Jason Lannister, the Lord of Casterly Rock and twin brother of Ser Tyland from the small council. Rhaenyra eventually comes upon the ladies of the court as they discuss the on-going war in the Stepstones, which is briefly interrupted by the arrival of Larys Strong, the second son to Lord Lyonel Strong, who is nicknamed “Clubfoot” by some of the court due to a birth abnormality. Though attempting niceties throughout the conversation, Rhaenyra ultimately loses her temper with Lady Joselyn Redwyne’s insistence over the king taking action in the war. After insulting Lady Redwyne, Rhaenyra exits from the pavilion, only to be immediately pulled into conversation with Lord Jason Lannister. While handing the princess a goblet of wine, Jason tactlessly attempts to pursue a union between himself and Rhaenyra by flattering his own home of Casterly Rock with inordinate grandeur. Jason then definitively establishes his intentions with the princess by mentioning his wealth in relation to building a dragonpit at Casterly Rock. In response to Lord Jason’s proposal, Rhaenyra courteously retreats from the campgrounds and returns to the pavilion in outrage. She confronts her father Viserys in front of the prying ears of the royal court, as the king admits that he found Lord Jason to be a suitable match. His frustration with Rhaenyra escalates when explaining that he has attempted to converse with her over the bombardment of marriage proposals ever since she became of age. When Rhaenyra declares that she does not wish to marry, Viserys shouts at her that even the king does not exist above following duty and tradition. Ser Otto then announces the news that the elusive white hart has been spotted nearby in the Kingswood, a symbol of “regal and portent” on Aegon’s nameday.

Following the public altercation with her father, Rhaenyra flees from the camp on horseback and is chased down by Ser Criston Cole before her speeding horse runs itself into the river. When Ser Criston asks Rhaenyra why she fled, she informs him of the proposal, then asking aloud “was I named heir to the Iron Throne so that I might further raise the standing of a Lord of Casterly Rock?” Rhaenyra laughs at Criston’s facetious offer to kill the Lannister lord for her. As they walk back towards the campgrounds, Rhaenyra asks Criston if he has ever been betrothed. He admits that his station was never high enough for such an arrangement. Criston then states that many in the realm would trade positions with her, though Rhaenyra declares that while she may be a princess, she is toothless. The Dornish knight recalls back to the day when he was invited into the Kingsguard by Rhaenyra herself. Criston admits that he owes all he has to her and affirms that he does not consider this to be “toothless”. Meanwhile, King Viserys and the his party are elsewhere in the Kingswood hunting down the white stag. His Royal Huntsman, Ser Howland Sharp, explains that before dragons came to Westeros a white hart was the symbol of royalty. Ser Otto uses this as an opportunity to liken the stag’s significance to Prince Aegon’s nameday.

After nightfall, the unsuccessful hunting party return to the campgrounds. Inside the pavilion, Viserys begins to drink heavily as he stares out upon the royal court, increasingly paralyzed with indecision over Rhaenyra. Lord Jason then approaches Viserys holding an ornate hunting spear he had forged for the king as a nameday gift. Though Viserys thanks Jason for his genorosity, he is not fooled by the lord’s pretense and flattery, responding with little enthusiasm. When Jason declares that he can offer “strength” to the Crown, an offended Viserys asks him if he believes House Targaryen is lacking in strength. A confident Lord Jason asks Viserys that if he was offered more dragons, “would he not take them?” After citing his riches as a form of comfort for Rhaenyra’s loss of station, Jason is confronted by an angered Viserys who interrogates him over the assumption that Prince Aegon is to become heir to the throne. The king aggressively declares that it would do well for Jason and the rest of the lords to remember that Rhaenyra was not chosen as heir on a whim. After Jason departs, Ser Otto sits beside Viserys and assures him that, as the princess, Rhaenyra will do what is commanded of her, though the king only wishes for her happiness. Otto then makes a bold decision in offering up another proposal for Rhaenyra, her own half-brother Prince Aegon. He explains to an astounded Viserys that this would cease the “endless” proposals for Rhaenyra’s hand. Viserys drunkenly shouts at his Hand, stating to Otto that he came to hunt, not to be “suffocated by all this fucking politicking.”

Alicent watches over an increasingly drunk Viserys when he the receives report from Lord Lyonel that riders have been sent out to find Rhaenyra. The king calls his daughter a “heedless contrarian,” then stating that if he instead forbade her to marry a Lannister, Rhaenyra would run off with Jason in spite. Lyonel offers solace in the fact that the king’s grandfather Jaehaerys Targaryen ruled over half a century of peace but yet was nonetheless driven to madness by his children. When Lyonel offers his council on the matter, Viserys assumes he has his own proposal to offer, however, Lord Strong simply states that uniting his house with the Velaryons is best suited for the realm, matching Rhaenyra with Lord Corlys’ son Leanor Velaryon. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra sits by campfire with Ser Criston as he makes a final plea to return to camp. Rhaenyra eventually asks Criston if he believes the realm will ever accept her as their queen. Criston insists that they will have no choice but to accept. They are then interrupted by a disturbance in the blackened forest, eventually revealing itself as a wild boar who runs into Criston, knocking him to the ground. Upon attacking Rhaenyra, Criston saves her by impaling the boar with his sword. Rhaenyra, however, brandishes a dagger and takes her recent frustrations out on the boar by violently stabbing it several times.

Late night, back at camp, Viserys stares out into the fire, goblet in hand, when he is approached by a concerned Queen Alicent. He confesses that while many in his line of succession had been dragonriders, very few of them were dreamers. Viserys emotionally ponders “what is the power of a dragon next to the power of prophecy?,” explaining to Alicent of the dream he has been chasing since Rhaenyra was born: that of a male babe wearing the Conqueror’s crown. Viserys proclaims that his obsession is what caused the death of Queen Aemma and he assumed that the way out of his grief was to set things right by naming Rhaenyra as heir. Alicent attempts to console Viserys but he continues to divulge the inner-workings of his guilt by admitting that he never imagined remarrying or having a son. In silence, Alicent looks towards her husband sympathetically as Viserys ponders if he has made the wrong choice. The following morning, the hunting party escort the king through the forest as he rides upon a large, brown stag that has been bound at the antlers, as well as a foot. Lord Lyonel’s eldest son, Harwin Strong, informs Viserys that while it may not be a white stag, its size alone is commendable. Jason Lannister then hands the spear he gifted Viserys over to his king, who then approaches the stag with hesitance. Howland Sharp instructs Viserys on where to effectively land the blow and after a second attempt, the hunting party applaud him for the kill while the king himself appears relieved in getting it over with.

Later that morning, Rhaenyra sits peacefully on horseback alongside Ser Criston as she stares out into the distance, her face and hair still coated with dried blood from the boar attack. The princess is caught off guard upon the sudden appearance of the white hart standing nearby, as if unthreatened by their presence. Presenting itself to Rhaenyra instead of Viserys, the elusive stag perhaps symbolizes the correct choice of heir. When Criston begins to unsheathe his sword, the princess calmly commands him not to attack the stag, demonstrating an understanding that tradition does not have to equate to senseless bloodshed. After the white hart retreats back into the forest, Rhaenyra and Criston head back towards the campgrounds. Some time after the royal party return to the capital, Ser Otto visits his daughter Alicent in her chambers and emphasizes the court’s adoration of Prince Aegon. He explains that when Alicent bore a son, she ended fifteen years of uncertainty. Alicent does not respond to his fervor, as she vocalizes her concerns over Rhaenyra’s betrayal, citing the fact that all of the lords, House Hightower among them, swore obeisance to the princess. Alicent then asks her father if he would have her raise her own son to steal his sister’s birthright. Otto, however, stresses upon her that Prince Aegon is the one being robbed of birthright and that she must guide Viserys towards reason.

Afterwards, Queen Alicent visits her husband in his chambers and wastes no time in speaking about Rhaenyra’s position. Alicent reminds Viserys that she did warn him of Rhaenyra’s reaction to Jason Lannister’s proposal, though the king firmly asserts that his daughter has come of age, this is what is expected and her wishes in the matter are irrelevent. Alicent states her confidence in Rhaenyra marrying, however, then suggests that his daughter needs to feel like she has a choice in a future alliance. The pair then discuss the contents of a letter received by Vaemond Velaryon, Lord Corlys’ younger brother, who addresses the failing war in the Stepstones. After reading the letter herself, viewing it as a plea for aid, she poses the question to her king if it is better for the realm if the Crabfeeder thrives, or is vanquished. The following morning, at the small council, the king sends Ser Addam to the Stepstones in order to inform his brother Daemon that a fleet is en route to assist in the war. In private, Viserys asks his daughter Rhaenyra if every effort in accordance with tradition must be resisted by her. She then asserts her opinion that she is to be replaced as heir, further stating that he no longer has any use for her. Viserys vehemently swears to his daughter that she will not be supplanted by Prince Aegon, yet still emphasizes the necessity in marriage, encouraging her to find a suitor herself.

THE STEPSTONES

Meanwhile, late night on the beach of Bloodstone, Craghas Drahar amuses himself by executing more shipwrecked prisoners while his men loot the wreckage of a Velaryon ship, collecting as many profitable items as they can find. As the Crabfeeder nails his hand to a post, Drahar’s current prisoner ineffectually warns him that House Velaryon is coming for him and will have his head for this. After Drahar leaves the prisoner to the crabs, Prince Daemon then suddenly descends atop his dragon Caraxes. The prisoner shouts in triumph over Daemon’s arrival, however, Caraxes unintentionally lands on top of the man, crushing him with his foot. The dragon's fire incinerates many of the Triarchy's soldiers on the beach, however, the rest of the men quickly retreat with the Crabfeeder into the island's caverns where Caraxes cannot pursue them. Along the cliffs overlooking the beach, volleys of arrows from Triarchy archers force Daemon and Caraxes to eventually retreat from their attack.

Some time later, at the Velaryon camp on Dwarfstone, Lord Corlys, along with his son Laenor Velaryon and his brother Vaemond Velaryon discuss their dire situation as Prince Daemon returns from another dragonborne sortie against Drahar's stronghold. Corlys lists that their supplies are about to run out, the men are demoralized, and ships bound to resupply them from his home of Driftmark are still weeks away. He stresses the vitality in organizing continued dragon attacks, though his son Laenor opines this tactic as fruitless considering Drahar has created a chokepoint. Laenor then proposes a desperate gambit, using Daemon as bait to lure the Crabfeeder's forces into the open in order to eliminate them all at once, despite his uncle's misgivings. A frustrated Vaemond asserts that Daemon is the reason they are losing the war, pressing the fact that if the king will not support his own brother, why should they continue to do so nearly three years later. His brother Corlys warns him that he will not tolerate mutiny, family or otherwise. After Daemon returns to Dwarfstone on dragonback, the war council is interrupted by the arrival of Ser Addam, the messenger from King's Landing sent by King Viserys, promising his brother reinforcements. After reading the contents of the letter, Daemon coolly hands the parchment back to Ser Addam. Furious at the notion of being bailed out by his older brother, Daemon then viciously attacks the messenger, beating Ser Addam with his helmet before the Velaryons eventually intervene.

Afterwards, a reckless Daemon departs for Bloodstone alone in a small rowing boat, contemplating his brother’s words, which read: “Brother, I have ordered ten ships and two-thousand men to set sail from King’s Landing to join the effort in the Stepstones. Though time and circumstance have seen us estranged, know that it is not my desire to see you fail in your cause. It is instead my hope that this aid will deliver the victory that has thus far evaded us. I shall pray nightly to the gods for your safe return.” On the abandoned shore of Bloodstone, a determined Daemon walks through the carnage of the battlefield that is scattered with hundreds of bodies. Fashioning a white flag from the wreckage of previous battles on Bloodstone, Prince Daemon brazenly stands atop a mound within view of the cavern opening, holding the white flag above his head. Once Craghas Drahar emerges from the cavern, Daemon waves the flag in order to communicate his surrender. He then goes onto one knee and brandishes his sword Dark Sister in a further gesture of surrender, holding the Valyrian steel high above his head, which hangs low in presumed defeat. Once Drahar surveys the sky for any signs of a dragon attack, he commands his soldiers to approach Daemon and take his sword. However, when one of the soldiers gets close enough to Daemon, the prince stabs him with a dagger. Daemon then recovers Dark Sister and cuts down any man standing between himself and Drahar. As he sprints across the battlefield towards the Crabfeeder, the Triarchy’s handful of archers have difficulty landing a hit considering Daemon’s speed. The Triarchy archers eventually bring Daemon down with three arrows just short of his goal in reaching Drahar, while the Triarchy soldiers on the field move in to finish him off. However, they are suddenly set ablaze by Laenor Velaryon astride his own dragon Seasmoke, who then wipes out the Triarchy archers overlooking the battlefield. When the Triarchy forces reel, Corlys and Vaemond then arrive and lead a brutal counterattack against their enemy, while Daemon witnesses Drahar retreating back into the caves. The Targaryen prince pursues Drahar into the caves while the Velaryon forces finally claim victory on the battlefield. Laenor’s silver-grey dragon Seasmoke assists with the melee attack as well, by gripping soldiers with his talons and hurling them through the air. Eventually, a blood-drenched Daemon emerges victorious from the caves, dragging the upper half of the Crabfeeder’s bisected corpse behind him. He triumphantly stares out towards the battlefield, as the last remnants of his opposition are slaughtered by the Velaryon army.

*Episode descriptions from GOT Wiki