After leaving Ser Criston’s utterly doomed military campaign, Gwayne goes to Ormund, who is displeased that he left the army. Gwayne notes that everything had gone to hell — and by the way, where’s all the noble support that Ormund is so sure will show up to buttress their cause? — but Ormund waves him off and tosses in sme homophobic jokes as he sends Daeron to show his uncle to his room. When the teen is alone with Gwayne, Gwayne is incensed that his nephew has taken the tack of being a fawning toady to the peacocking Hightower. “You left me alone with him,” Daeron counters, arguing that he had no other means of survival. Still, “I hate what I am when I’m with him. A puppet… a child.”
Poor, lonely Daeron begs Gwayne not to leave again, but Gwayne’s planning on going to Oldtown as soon as possible. “You’re his little treasure now. You’ll be fine,” Gwayne assures him. It doesn’t work. And in case you weren’t already feeling bad enough for this kid, he asks his uncle this: “When you were in King’s Landing, did you see my mother?” My heart!
Ormund, Daeron, and Gwayne are dining in the makeshift Hightower headquarters when an envoy from House Baratheon shows up, ready to back Daeron. Ormund’s glee at their arrival quickly gives way to his being nearly done in by the stink of the men, who’ve been on the road for a while. But when the riders ask to see Daeron in person so they can swear fealty, Gwayne jumps into action. He draws his weapon and goes for the leader, yelling to Ormund that the men actually are assassins sent to take out Ormund and Daeron.
Ormund’s guards jump in, and in a few moments, the entire envoy is dead. Gwayne points out that the real Aerion Baratheon looks nothing like the man who claimed to be him, and that’s how he knew something hinky was afoot. Ormund angrily vows to destroy Rhaenyra… a promise that loses its bite when the room’s combined smells do him in and he vomits copiously on the table. Gross.
Later, Ormund apologizes to Gwayne, who saved his bacon — big time — and gives him permission to return to Oldtown. But Gwayne, perhaps with Daeron’s pleas in mind, asks to hear Ormund’s plan for Westerosi domination instead.
And later than that, Grand Maester Orwyle finds Rhaenyra that evening with a message that just arrived from Tumbleton: “Kick this dog, and it will bite you,” written on a piece of clothing bearing the House Baratheon sigil. At the same time, in the field, Corlys releases his men from their current mission so they can return to King’s Landing. “And I have been too long away,” he says… just before getting jumped by some (other) men under the direction of Ser Jon Roxton, who looks on.
Now it’s your turn. What did you think of the episode? Will you miss Ser Criston? Hit the comments with your thoughts!