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Aemond Targaryen And Ser Criston Cole’s War Strategy In House of the Dragon
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Tom Glynn-Carney’s Aegon II Has No Respect At His Small Council
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Ser Criston Cole’s Destination: The Seat of House Staunton – Rook’s Rest In The Crownlands
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Aegon II, Rhaenys And Aemond At Rook’s Rest
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Did Aemond Try To Kill His Brother Aegon II?
The Kingdoms have been cast into a civil war, as Alicent Hightower rejected Rhaenyra Targaryen’s appeal for peace in House of the Dragon. The Dance of the Dragons has gained momentum, with Daemon Targaryen sanctioning “A Son for a Son” and taking Harrenhal in the name of Rhaenyra. Ser Criston Cole’s army sacks the castles of Rosby and Stokeworth in the Crownlands and heads to the easy target of Rook’s Rest in the same region. Daemon hopes he can raise a host to meet Cole in time, but for now, the seaside keep of Rook’s Rest, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen and Meleys get the short end of the stick.
Alicent’s secondborn son, Aemond Targaryen, eliminated Princess Rhaenys and Meleys at Rook’s Rest, and dealt with the nincompoop King Aegon the Second of His Name. The master of Vhagar commanded his dragon to breathe fire in Aegon II’s direction, but to what end? The Greens, mostly Alicent, and Otto were having a tough time dealing with Aegon II, until Aemond hatched something above the skies of Rook’s Rest. He truly is a man with a plan in House of the Dragon.
Aemond Targaryen And Ser Criston Cole’s War Strategy In House of the Dragon
Prelude To The Battle At Rook’s Rest
Aemond believes his faction wasted time in sending ravens to lords when he could have invaded from the skies and Cole could have led the van. Cole, meanwhile, proposes to march out of King’s Landing with his army and discipline the nearby Houses in the Crownlands, who have declared for “Rhaenyra the Pretender.” The Crownlands make one of the Nine constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms. The Crownlands Houses are not under the rule of a Lord Paramount or one lord vassal, but they acknowledge the Iron Throne’s suzerainty over them. Houses Velaryon, Stokeworth, Rosby, Bar Emmon, Massey, Celtigar, Staunton and Duskendale are notable Houses in the said region, which also figure in House of the Dragon. As intended, Cole sacks Rosby, Stokeworth, and Duskendale and adds their levies to his army.
We will add their numbers to our own and then turn west.
Cole rides out with his small host, which includes the Hightower army under Ser Gwayne Hightower, and Aemond approves of his plan. Though Aegon II initially proposes he will fly Sunfyre to these strongholds, his small council advises against it. Daemon takes Harrenhal in the meantime, and Aegon II is indignant at the loss of the largest castle in the Seven Kingdoms.
Tom Glynn-Carney’s Aegon II Has No Respect At His Small Council
The Growing Tensions Between Aemond And Aegon II
With each passing day, Aegon II realizes he’s just a nominal head and that Alicent, Cole and Aemond are the real decision makers. Although his authority is unquestionable, and all the powers are invested in him, there’s very little he can offer as King. He yells at his councillors, demands they run things by him, while they nod their heads in obeisance. It is business as usual once he is out of the room. Aegon II has been reduced to a mere nominal head of the executive, and people mock him behind his back. He’s truly unworthy of the position bestowed upon him, and Aemond is a fitting choice for king.
Aegon II took some rash decisions, such as hanging King’s Landing’s ratcatchers as a collective punishment for acts of one of their ilk who breached the Red Keep and struck his son, Prince Jaehaerys, in his bed. He dismissed Otto Hightower as Hand of the King at the start of the war because he felt a statesman of his stature was less of a need and wanted a military mind to steer the decision-making at his council.
Aegon II, blithely unaware of Aemond’s war strategy, snaps at his councilors for letting Daemon take Harrenhal. Finally, he is let in on wartime measures, and learns why the Greens are calm about the brewing chaos in the Riverlands. Ser Simon Strong, who declared for the Blacks, only rules in the absence of his grandnephew, the Lord of Harrenhal, Larys Strong, because the latter serves on Aegon’s Small Council. Harrenhal is in disrepair, penniless, and Larys believes the castle is of no use to Daemon. Aegon II also learns through his younger brother, Aemond, that Cole is marching to Rook’s Rest. This meeting and the subsequent hostile interaction with his mother, Alicent, serve as an inflection point in his, and he feels the sudden urge to prove his worth. He flies off on Sunfyre to meet Ser Criston’s van at Rook’s Rest. He’s miffed at his brother Aemond, who he accuses of plotting war without his authority. The accused, on the other hand, asks him if he has “a wiser strategy” which makes him look like a fool at the council. This is the genesis of the rift between Aemond and Aegon II, and why the former would have wanted to eliminate the latter.
Ser Criston Cole’s Destination: The Seat of House Staunton – Rook’s Rest In The Crownlands
The Blacks do not have a host of their own, yet, but the Greens have sacked the strongholds of Rosby, Stokeworth without siege, and that too within a fortnight. Cole’s host has grown stronger, more precisely “tripled in strength” per Ser Simon Strong of Harrenhal, and stops at Rook’s Rest in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 4 “The Red Dragon and the Gold.” Cole continues his march after sacking House Darklyn and executing Lord Darklyn.
Meanwhile, at Dragonstone, Princess Rhaenys, who would have preferred peace to war, is now convinced that war between dragons is certain. She volunteers to fly Red Queen, Meleys to Rook’s Rest in the name of Rhaenyra, when the Queen suggests she must fly to the latest seat of action alone.
Aegon II, Rhaenys And Aemond At Rook’s Rest
Rhaenys arrives at Rook’s Rest and smashes Cole’s men with Meleys’ dragonfire. Cole’s plan is to lure the Blacks’ dragonriders into a fight at Rook’s Rest. Lord Staunton is a member of Rhaenyra’s council and thus important to her. Though Rook’s Rest is a small seaside keep, it is the last stop for the Greens to cut off Dragonstone by land. So, Aemond and Cole’s well-thought-out plan is to lure and ambush whichever dragon the Blacks will send to save Lord Staunton. They know that with Caraxes at Harrenhal, none of Rhaenyra’s dragons stand a chance against the largest dragon in the Seven Kingdoms – Vhagar. At the same time, Aegon II’s Sunfyre is far less powerful than the gigantic and battle-hardened Meleys.
Aegon II rushes to join his Lord Commander and Hand, thus giving Aemond an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Cole is shocked to see him flying into battle, while Aemond, who hides nearby with Vhagar, is enraged and calls his brother an idiot. He pauses the ambush Sunfyre is weakened from fighting Meleys in the skies. When he does join the battle, Cole finally looks happy.
Aemond flies in his brothers’ direction, and yells “Dracarys!” as a response to Aegon II’s “Thank the gods!” Both Meleys and Sunfyre are within the line of fire, but it is the latter whose wing burns. Meleys, unharmed, flies away, and Sunfyre and Aegon crash into the nearby forest.
Did Aemond Try To Kill His Brother Aegon II?
Aegon has given Aemond reasons aplenty for wanting to eliminate him. For starters, Aemond calls his brother “a wastrel” when on Alicent’s orders to fetch him from the city in the wake of Viserys’ death. When Aegon is nowhere to be found, Aemond says:
Here I am, trawling the city, ever the good soldier in search of a wastrel who’s never taken half an interest in his birthright. ‘Tis I the younger brother who studies history and philosophy, it is I who trains with the sword, who rides the largest dragon in the world. It is I who should be –
Aemond thinks he’s better suited to rule, and the throne should have been his after Viserys. “I am next in line to the throne. Should they come looking for me, I intend to be found,” he’d announced to Cole in Season 1. He was also seen drawing his sword at Aegon II, but Cole called out his name from behind, and he was quick to sheath it. Aemond is a complicated character, and he has a clear motive behind blasting his brother. He has sympathy for none, including his dead nephew, and he sees himself as the greatest figure in the Seven Kingdoms. He also steals the Valyrian steel dagger from Aegon II at the crash site.
It’s highly likely that Aemond wanted to incapacitate Aegon II to make way for himself as Prince Regent. He absolutely desires power and Rook’s Rest has only paved the way for it.
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