Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 Episode 3 ofHouse of the Dragon.
The war between the Blacks and the Greensrages on inHouse of the Dragon, with both sides in damage control mode following the assassination of Aegon’s (Tom Glynn-Carney) son and heir Jaehaerys, and an attempt on Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) life by Arryk Cargyll (Luke Tittensor). With each episode, Aegon and Rhaenyra’s campsbecome further embroiled in the Dance of the Dragons, and it seems like cooler heads will not prevail.The Targaryen on Targaryen war crimes have already started, andboth have hit close to home. Following Episodes 1 and 2,a major flaw in the Greens' armor has been exposed: the Kingsguard. Where the hell are the Kingsguard? From the mutilation of one princeto the assassination of another, the Crown’s last line of defense seems to be anywhere but where they should be. Were the original Kingsguard this bad at their jobs? And just where is the former Lord Commander of Viserys’ (Paddy Considine) Kingsguard, Ser Harrold Westerling (Graham McTavish)? One thing is clear:the Greens need to fix one of their most glaring weaknesses, and they need to do it quickly.
House of the Dragon
The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO seriesGame of Thrones.Based on George R.R. Martin’sFire & Blood,House of the Dragonis set nearly 200 years beforeGame of Thrones, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.
How Did the Kingsguard Come To Be?
According to George R. R. Martin’sFire and Blood,theKingsguard were formed at Queen Visenya Targaryen’s behest in 10 AC(100 years before the Dance of the Dragons), after a Dornish assassination attempt on King Aegon I’s life. When Aegon opposed the idea, since he already had his own guards, Visenya cut Aegon’s cheek with Dark Sister before his guards could even react. This was all the convincing Aegon I needed. The initial group of seven knights was formed to protect not only the reigning king, but his kin as well. Taking inspiration from the Night’s Watch,Visenya ensured that the Kingsguard vows forbade them from taking a wife, bearing children, and owning land, and they were given white cloaks as a symbol of their virtue and purity.
Despite the establishment of the Kingsguard,the line of succession spanning from Aegon the Conqueror to Maegor the Cruelwas fraught with succession crises and assassination attempts. The Kingsguard changed hands and members more than once, and a Kingsguard was even rumored to have assassinated King Maegor after Jaehaerys I’s bid for the Iron Throne — in other words, the Kingsguard played a major role in the protection and preservation of the royal family. However, the ascension of Jaehaerys I (also known as the Conciliator) ushered in a time of peace for Westeros that lasted until the death of Viserys I, and during this 81-year era of prosperity, the Kingsguard became lax. A lack of conflict seems to have made themcomplacent and unprepared for real conflict between the royal family and their enemies.
The Kingsguard Dropped the Ball More than Once in ‘House of the Dragon’
As the Blacks and the Greens have learned,there are real world consequences of the Kingsguard’s decline in quality. In Episode 3, ‘The Burning Mill’,Rhaenys (Eve Best)questions when the Dance of the Dragons truly started. Did it begin after Aemond’s (Ewan Mitchell) maiming or Lucerys' (Elliot Grihault) murder?After Jaehaerys' assassinationor the attempt on Rhaenyra’s life? One of the common denominators in all of these instances is a failing on the part of the Kingsguard.
Aemond’s mutilation on Driftmarktook place during a fight between King Viserys' son Aemond, the eventual heir to the Iron Throne, Jacaerys (Harry Collett), the eventual heir to Driftmark, Lucerys, and the two granddaughters of the current Lord of Driftmark, Baela (Bethany Antonia) and Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell).That’s no less than three potential heirs to the Iron Throne, allowed to wander around unaccompanied by sort of Kingsguard in the dead of night. Similarly, Queen Helaena (Phia Saban) and her children,Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, were left unguarded while they slept, allowing Blood and Cheese to infiltrate the royal quarters and murder the current (contested) heir to the Iron Throne. Where were the Kingsguard?
In the case of Jaehaerys' assassination,we know exactly where the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard was:in bed with the Dowager Queen Alicent(Olivia Cooke). If Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), the head and allegedly most noble of the Kingsguard, can’t be depended on to defend the royal family, how can any of the other Kingsguard be expected to take their own roles seriously? Arryk even points out later that Helaena has never been assigned her own guard, and still hasn’t even after the events of Blood and Cheese. This entirely unserious attitude toward their role as Kingsguardis a symptom of greater issues.
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Criston Cole Is the Kingsguard’s Biggest Weakness
A major blow to the Greens was the loss of Ser Harrold Westerling, the former Lord Commander of King Viserys' Kingsguard. While far from perfect, considering Aemond’s mutilation happened under his watch,Ser Harrold at least brought a semblance of duty and virtue to the Kingsguardduring Viserys' reign. His refusal to participate in usurping Rhaenyra’s claim demonstrated a deep sense of honor, one which is not found in his successor.
Criston Cole’s appointment to the Kingsguardhas already spelled trouble for the royal family, in more ways than one. His ascension to Lord Commander is puzzling, considering he’s already proven himself to bea thoughtless hot-head who acts on emotion rather than logic or duty. As Rhaenyra’s sworn sword, he was bad enough at his job that he allowed her to sneak away to King’s Landing with Daemon (Matt Smith), creating a huge scandal among the court in the process. Worse than being a hothead,the decisions he makes seem to come solely out of scorn towards Rhaenyra, as he beat Laenor Velaryon’s (John MacMillan) lover Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod) to death at Rhaenyra and Laenor’s wedding, and years later murdered Lord Lyman Beesbury (Bill Paterson) for objecting to Aegon usurping Rhaenyra’s throne.
Viewers are no stranger to Criston Cole’s hypocrisy in the face of his vows,but it now seems to have extended to the rest of the Kingsguard. In Episode 3, Aegon appoints three of his lackeys as Kingsguard, and it’s clear by the way they lounge around the Red Keep that they aren’t taking their jobs seriously. The members of Aegon’s newly appointed Kingsguard then suggest they spend the evening at a brothel in King’s Landing.Aegon reminds them of their chastity vowsbut seems to let it slide pretty quickly, as they do end up visiting a brothel later that night.
Of course, the past, present, and futureKingsguard have broken and will break their vows, some with good reason (we’re looking at you, Jamie Lannister), but Aegon’s Kingsguard under Criston Cole seem to be allowed to run amok and break their vows as they please. As Lord Commander, Criston’s priorities are severely misplaced, and he cannot even uphold his own vows — as a result, the Kingsguard under him have no respect for him. His plan to send Arryk Cargyll to assassinate Rhaenyra was half-baked at best, andmotivated partly out of spite of Rhaenyra and Arryk’s brother, Erryk(Elliot Tittensor), rather than well-thought war tactics. Criston’s inability to make decisions independent of his emotions and rally his Kingsguard makes him an ineffective and dangerous leader. With his duties now split between Lord Commander and Hand of the King, viewers should expect more critical mistakes from Criston Cole.
Rhaenyra’s Queensguard Know How To Protect Their Queen
In contrast,Rhaenyra’s Queensguard are actually doing their joband doing it well. Though Arryk Cargyll did gain entry to Rhaenyra’s chambers despite her Queensguard being posted outside her door (take note, Aegon), this was only due to an indistinguishable differencebetween himself and Erryk. And even then, Erryk fights to the near-death to defend Rhaenyra, killing his own brother before then killing himself.It’s clear that there is a difference in competencybetween Aegon’s Kingsguard and Rhaenyra’s Queensguard. In Episode 3, Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan), the current head of Rhaenyra’s Queensguard, is even able to sneak Rhaenyra in and out of King’s Landing with Mysaria’s help.
Both the Kingsguard and Queensguard have taken the same vows to protect their regent, but only one side commits to them and carries out their vows dutifully. Considering the Kingsguard’s sole role is to protect the King (and by extension, his kin), they have failed miserably on more than one occasion.Two or three mistakes on the job in a 10-year span might not seem like much, but when the mistakes are the respective maiming and assassination of two different princes, a change of employment might be in order.
House of the Dragonis available to stream on Max in the U.S., with new episodes airing Sundays.
