Episode 3 of “House of the Dragon” is titled “Second of His Name.” We already had an idea that Viserys Targaryen would soon have new successors as he was about to marry Alicent Hightower, daughter of Otto Hightower. We also learned that war would take place in Stepstones as Corlys Velaryan manipulated Daemon Targaryen to defeat the Crabfeeder, Craghas Drahar. So, in episode 3, both these parallel incidents take place, as we see a time jump of three years or so.
Spoilers Ahead
The Long-Lasting Battle of Stepstones
“House of the Dragon” Episode 3 starts with a scene from the Stepstones where we find Crabfeeder defeating Daemon’s men and killing them with gruesome intent. Soon, Daemon arrives with his dragon, Caraxes, and rains fire all over the Stepstones. Craghas and his army ran into the caves where the dragon’s fire could not reach them. Fire arrows are shot aiming at Daemon, and when one arrow strikes him in the chest, Caraxes cries loudly and flies away from the battlefield. Then we are taken to King’s Landing, where Viserys is celebrating the second name day of his two-year-old son, Aegon II. We see a glimpse of Tyland Lannister in the middle of the commemoration, orchestrated by Viserys to celebrate his son’s naming day. Tyland is now in command of the sails, while Corlys has joined forces with Daemon to fight the Crabfeeder. Tyland tries to warn Daemon and Corlys about the significant threat that is brewing in the Stepstones. Tyland’s worry was based on the madness of Daemon which was forcing the Valyrian soldiers into a sure death. Viserys, on the other hand, is too preoccupied with commemorating the occasion and locating Rhaenyra.
The Iron Throne Has a New Heir, and Rhaenyra Is Threatened
Rhaenyra, in this long span of three years, has completely detached herself from her father, Viserys, and Alicent Hightower. In the beginning, she could not stand Alicent, her best friend, getting married to her father. Now, the arrival of Aegon II, the firstborn son of Viserys, makes her feel threatened. She understands that Aegon II will have the support of the council to be named King of the Iron Throne because he happens to be a boy. So, she denies every opportunity that could help her bond with Viserys and Alicent. The King goes on a hunt as he is informed that a white hart is found in the woods. Long before the Dragons, the White Harts were considered to be royalty. So, hunting a White Hart on the day of naming the prince seemed to be a good sign for the future of the dynasty. When they arrive in the hunting zone, we see House Lannisters.
Rhaenyra Was Forced To Get Married
Jason Lannister, the twin brother of Tyland Lannister, approaches Rhaenyra, intending to marry her. Rhaenyra is disgusted by this and understands that it was Viserys’ tactics to marry her off. She goes to confront him, and an argument takes place. Soon, Otto Hightower interferes, and we find Rhaenyra riding a horse and leaving the campsite. Ser Criston Cole follows her, and they end up chatting with each other in the middle of the woods. Later that night, Jason Lannister offers a spear to Viserys that would help him kill the Hart. After that, he shares his desire to make Rhaenyra his wife. Viserys now understands why Rhaenyra hates Jason Lannister, as he is too arrogant to be tolerated, even for a moment. Viserys, in an inebriated state, loses control of his emotions and almost enters into an argument with Jason. However, Jason understands the situation and leaves. Otto Hightower says that he had a better match for Rhaenyra. He says that Rhaenyra should marry Aegon II. Viserys laughs at the proposal, saying that Aegon II is just two years old. Then he angrily says that he has come here to hunt, not to be suffocated by politics.
He resigns himself from the discussion, and Lyonel Strong arrives. He informs that Rhaenyra is with Ser Criston Cole. Viserys talks vulnerably in front of him about how he had failed as a king who cannot even control his daughter. Lyonel then suggests that Rhaenyra should marry Corlys Velaryon’s son, Laenor Velaryon, as he is the heir to the wealthiest house in the realm. Later, we find Otto Hightower talking to his daughter, Alicent Hightower. He tells her to convince Viserys to name Aegon II the ruler of the Iron Throne. Alicent then meets Viserys and makes him understand that Rhaenyra should be allowed a chance to find her husband independently. At the end of “House of the Dragon” Episode 3, we see that Viserys allows Rhaenyra to find her husband. Rhaenyra was disgusted with the idea of getting married so soon. Still, since her father allowed her to choose her husband on her own will, it gave her a little satisfaction.
Viserys Was Relieved Because It Was A Brown Hart
Otto suggested that spotting a White Hart is God’s way of saying Aegon II is the rightful heir of the Iron Throne. Viserys has no intention of replacing Rhaenyra. However, deep inside, he knows that if Aegon II comes of age, the rest of the lords and houses will accept Aegon II as the King and wouldn’t want to be ruled by a queen. So, when he finds out that the Hart his soldiers have captured was not white; but a brown hart, he is relieved. On the other hand, a boar attacks Rhaenyra and Ser Criston Cole in the woods. Ser Criston Cole stabbed it first, but later, Rhaenyra mercilessly stabbed the boar numerous times. She returns to the camp with the boar and Ser Criston Cole, and everyone is stunned to see her face smeared in blood. Before returning to the camp, Rhaenyra saw the White Hart. They exchange glances, and the White Hart leaves, back into the woods.
Viserys’ Help Made Daemon Angry
Corlys Velaryon’s brother, Vaemond Velaryon, sends a letter to Viserys seeking his help to win the war against the Crabfeeder. Viserys, at first, refuses to give any help. But, Alicent Hightower reminds him that he loves his brother too much to see him fail. Viserys sends some knights with a letter to Daemon saying that he is sending a troop to help them with the war. Daemon did not know about Vaemond’s letter to his brother, so the arrival of the letter from Viserys made him angry. His only goal was to return to King’s Landing without failure. Viserys’ offer to help him makes him feel deprived and neglected. He feels that Viserys has no trust in his abilities, which is the reason behind his help. Again, he did not know that Vaemond had sent the letter seeking the help of Viserys. Anyway, Daemon was raging with fury and went alone to the Stepstones. He waved a white flag for a truce and submitted his sword in a manner that suggested he was admitting defeat. But when every soldier of the Crabfeeder’s army comes out of the cave, Laenor comes with his dragon, Seasmoke, and rains fire on everyone. Velaryon soldiers also attack the Crabfeeder’s army. Earlier, Vaemond had said that they needed someone to provoke the Crabfeeder’s army to come out of the caves so that they could win the war with the help of the dragons they had. Daemon plays the part of provoking the army and then follows Crabfeeder inside the cave. While the Velaryon soldiers are winning the war outside, Daemon cuts Crabfeeder in two inside the cave and emerges victorious.
Final Words
There aren’t many changes in the intro scene. A new bloodstream starts to flow from Alicent Hightower’s sign as she is pregnant with another child apart from Aegon II. Also, Viserys is trying to ease his pain with more and more wine, which hints that his end is near. Since Daemon has managed to kill the Crabfeeder, he will now have a strong claim to the Iron Throne. The civil war has already begun; we are not far from seeing the Targaryens slaughtering each other for the Iron Throne.
