Lord Ormund Hightower (James Norton) rides through his men and approaches Daemon (Matt Smith), who’s backed by three dragons, as HBO’s House of the Dragon season three, episode three begins. Daemon informs him the war has ended and there’s a new queen. Ormund has heard rumors and Daemon suggests that if he bends the knee, he’ll allow Ormund to return to Oldtown in peace.
(The following is a recap of season three, episode three, and there are spoilers.)
Ormund is itching for a fight, but Daemon warns him to rethink his position. Otherwise, Ulf (Tom Bennett) would be interested in taking over his place in Oldtown. Ormund submits, but only to protect his men. He pledges his fealty to Queen Rhaenyra, and Daemon allows him to turn his men around and head home in peace. Oh, but there’s a catch, of course.
Daemon wants Ormund to hand over Prince Daeron Targaryen (son of Queen Alicent and King Viserys Targaryen) and his dragon, promising to treat him kindly. There’s no way that they’ll allow him to exist outside their supervision.
Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) speaks of the air being thick with ghosts. She fondly recalls her younger days and her dad, strong, before he became ill. Daemon isn’t feeling nostalgic and is still upset they didn’t kill Ormund, Daeron, and the rest. Rhaenyra’s understandably anxious to be crowned queen, but there’s so much to organize.
She meets Daeron and introduces herself as his half-sister. Daeron is a prisoner, but how he’s treated depends on how he acts – and how he answers questions regarding Ormund, Aegon, and Aemond. He remains silent, and Rhaenyra orders him to be locked up.
Grand Maester Orwyle (Kurt Egyiawan) informs Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint), Rhaenyra, and Daemon that the treasury has been depleted. Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) speaks up, and Daemon immediately shuts her down, but Rhaenyra stands up for her, calling her the Mistress of Whisperers.
Rhaenyra tries to remain positive, but she insists she needs a proper ceremony to show that she is the rightful heir. However, she’s informed that the Triarchy is ransacking villages and kidnapping women, the small folk don’t have any food, and spending money now would turn people against her. She orders ravens sent to all the great houses to make tributes in her honor.
Corlys asks about Rhaenyra’s small council from Dragonstone and learns she’s done with them. Grand Maester Orwyle informs those assembled that Aemond burned Daemon’s garrison at Harrenhal.
Rhaenyra wants Baela sent out to look for Sheepstealer and Aemond. She places a bounty on Aemond the One-Eye and promises Harrenhal to whoever catches him.
As she walks through the hallways, everyone peppers Rhaenyra with questions and tells her about problems. She does not answer any of them. Instead, she meets with Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Helaena (Phia Saban) and demands to know where the gold has been taken. Alicent swears the Master of Coin was in charge and that they kept her in the dark. Helaena wonders if killing Otto made her feel better, and Rhaenyra admits she’d rather have killed Aegon. Alicent continues to insist that no one confided in her and suggests that Rhaenyra announces Aegon is dead. He’s so disfigured that no one would recognize him now or believe Larys Strong if he claims Aegon’s alive.
Rhaenyra agrees that when Aemond is found and removed, then Alicent and Helaena will be set free. She’ll treat them kindly until then. Alicent protests that what Rhaenyra is offering means she must hope for the capture and death of Aemond.
Mysaria wonders if Rhaenyra believes Alicent, and Mysaria agrees that Daeron is a threat. Killing him would be justified. Rhaenyra asks Mysaria to oversee finding staff members who remain loyal to the Hightowers and dismiss them.
Rhaenyra informs High Septon Balman (Simon Chandler), the head of the Faith of the Seven, that he will anoint her since Aegon is dead. Balman doesn’t believe Aegon’s dead and he doesn’t approve of dragons. They destroy but don’t create.
“There’s no good that can come of them,” he says. Rhaenyra turns her back on him and he warns her to underestimate the Seven at her peril.
Lord Corlys informs Rhaenyra over dinner that Alyn and Adam are his illegitimate sons, who he never claimed. She accepts them and believes they are stout of heart, praising both. Corlys adds that he wants to name Alyn his heir and asks her to legitimize them as lords of the realm. All he needs is her to announce this, but she seems reluctant.
The following day Rhaenyra prepares to speak with the small folk, wearing no jewels apart from her crown. Suddenly she realizes she’s menstruating just as she has to sit on the uncomfortable throne and listen to requests. She’s in pain and fidgeting as she offers suggestions of possible solutions, each of which gets shot down either by the small folk or gently and diplomatically by Corlys.
One woman asks for justice from the rich folk, saying the highborn took everything and left the lowborns without food or supplies. She reminds Rhaenyra that she came to power as a champion of the people.
Back at the council table, Daemon thinks that it’s a dangerous path to travel to allow the small folk to blame the rich. Rhaenyra changes the subject to ask about Baela’s search for Vhagar and Sheepstealer. Apparently, the only dragon she’s seen so far is the rotting corpse of Sunfyre.
Mysaria asks Rhaenyra what her father would do and she thinks he’d host a banquet.
She meets with Ulf, Hugh (Kieran Bew), and Addam (Clinton Liberty) and asks what they want to be called. Daemon then knights them each but doesn’t recognize Addam with the Velaryon last name, instead calling him Addam of Hull.
Hugh asks about his housing, and Rhaenyra confirms she’ll give him a house as soon as she finds her footing and solves a few problems. Rats (the literal creatures) are everywhere and they’re putting her on edge.
Later, Alicent asks nicely for her father’s remains to be sent to Oldtown to lie next to her mother’s. Rhaenyra agrees and wonders how she handled hearing petitions from the small folk. Alicent’s brutally honest and says that choices have to be made, and there are times that she’ll have to allow people to suffer and die. A door will have to close inside her to deal with the problems of the kingdom.
Rhaenyra refuses to believe that she’ll ever change. After all, her father didn’t. Alicent correctly points out her father lived in his own world.
Rhaenyra has members of the rich merchants and minor nobles gather for a banquet. She serves them rats, just like what the small folk are forced to eat. Rhaenyra believes they took everything for themselves and left nothing for the lowborn. As they’re sitting there, the gold cloaks are at each of their houses, gathering everything from their storerooms to feed the small folk. This is what will be required of them from now on.
Ser Torrhen Manderly (Dan Fogler) greets Queen Rhaenyra, and she wonders why he’s smiling. He believes it was a bold move that will win over the small folk.
Daemon’s not sure this is a solution since it will only help for a few weeks and will upset the rich. Rhaenyra doesn’t care. She orders Daemon to fly to the Vale and return with gold. She wants the great houses to assemble at the Red Keep and needs each to pledge gold.
Daemon points out that she has come far, but we still do not know who she is. She should be rejoicing being queen with an unassailable empire. Daemon brings up the prophecy and Rhaenyra reminds him that her father said dragons are a power “no man should trifle with.” Daemon agrees Viserys was a good man, but he renounced his dragon. Rhaenyra wants to get King’s Landing under control before taking on other worries.
Before Daemon leaves, he reminds her she must kill Daeron.
Rhaenyra enters Daeron’s bed chamber and watches him sleep.
The following day she admits she’s exhausted because she can’t sleep in her father’s bed. Mysaria believes she’s buried her grief, and Rhaenyra claims she doesn’t feel grief – just rage. She’s determined to bring Aemond and the rider of Sheepstealer to justice for killing her sons.
The small folk cheer Rhaenyra as she delivers a rousing speech. She’s taken her rightful place and promises to rule judiciously and with strength and mercy. She brings them food that Mysaria helps pass out.
Corlys finds her and asks why she didn’t do as he requested. She insists that it’s impossible for her to raise up illegitimate children at the beginning of her reign. Rhaenyra promises she will someday. Corlys reminds her that he’s sacrificed everything for her and supported her when others didn’t. He even stood up and accepted Lucerys as the heir to the Driftwood Throne, even though he knew he was a bastard. Corlys raises his voice and draws the attention of others nearby when he says all of Rhaenyra and Laenor’s children are bastards. (She’s sending for Joffrey now to raise as her heir.)
Rhaenyra informs Alicent that she has Daeron, taken from Lord Ormund two days ago in exchange for their surrender. Rather than kill him, Rhaenyra has decided that he’s innocent and has only done what he was told. He will join the Night’s Watch. Alicent admits she doesn’t know him and hasn’t seen him since he was a baby.
Daeron doesn’t react to anything, not even when Rhaenyra says Alicent wishes to see him. Alicent enters the room and it’s immediately apparent something is wrong. The boy isn’t Daeron. He was forced to take Daeron’s place while Ormund keeps the real Daeron safe. Alicent wasn’t aware of Ormund’s plans.
The episode ends with a dragonkeeper at the gates reporting that Ormund and his army have taken Tumbleton. Women and children were taken hostage. A young dragon was taken inside the city and burned the men alive. Only he managed to escape.
Rhaenyra wonders what Lord Ormund hopes to accomplish. Her face hardens into a snarl as she watches all the Hightower banners burned in the courtyard.
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