“House of the Dragon” Season 3, Episode 5, “Unbowed and Unbent,” begins with Ser Criston Cole’s continued attacks on the Riverlands army marching south toward Tumbleton. He is having a difficult time, and so are his enemies. Roderick Dustin, Lord Oscar Tully and Lord Piper discuss how Cole’s raids and burned crossings are slowing their progress. Tully sends Lord Piper and 100 of his fastest men to Stoney Sept, a detour that will cost them a week.
Lord Piper barely makes it back to his tent before Cole’s men launch a surprise attack, slitting his throat and setting the camp on fire before fleeing back into the woods. The war drags on. Thoughts that Rhaenyra taking the throne at King’s Landing brings peace are exaggerated. Did you think the fighting was over, now that she is the queen?
The War and the Plotting Continue
“House of the Dragon” Season 3, Episode 5 portrays a few simultaneous stories. We see Criston Cole, Rhaenyra and Daemon; King Aegon and Larys; Aemond and Alys. The viewer gets the feeling that these different storylines will pay dividends in future episodes. Here are some of the stories.
Now Aemond Is Having Bad Dreams at Harrenhal
Bounty hunters arrive at Harrenhal looking for Aemond Targaryen, hoping to collect Rhaenyra’s reward. They are met by Alys, who tells them Aemond is gone, spooks them with talk of the castle’s ghosts and sends a swarm of bats at them, and then they flee. In the meantime, Aemond has a bad dream. He sees his brother, Aegon, dragging him into the dark. Alys comforts him, and he recalls Helaena’s prophecy that he will die. It is rather ironic that Daemon was tormented by bad dreams there, and now Aemond is. They may fight for different sides, but they share the same experiences.
Later in the episode, he wakes calling for Vhagar. Alys tells him the dragon flew off. He realizes that though he is being nursed back to health, he might be a prisoner. He wanders around some and thinks he hears the dragon. It is then he is told that Rhaenyra is the queen. She also tells him that Rhaenyra has spread word that Aemond killed Aegon. The truth is that Aegon is alive, trudging through the woods with Larys. If you remember, it was Aemond who was stabbed in the back at Harrenhal, and he is still recovering. He gets a chance to prove he is not helpless when four armed men climb into the castle and attack Alys. Aemond kills them all, but it drains what little strength he has.
Grand Maester Orwyle’s Dealings
Meanwhile, Grand Maester Orwyle brings Alicent moon tea, which she hopes Helaena will drink to end her pregnancy. Orwyle warns it is the last favor he can do without telling Rhaenyra. Helaena refuses, and Alicent forces, or tries to force, the tea into her mouth, pointing out it once spared her and Rhaenyra. Helaena does not want to sacrifice another child. “It’s mine,” she says.
Alicent insists that the baby will never be safe in Rhaenyra’s court. When Mysaria comes asking about Orwyle’s visit, Alicent claims the tea is for her own pregnancy and drinks it herself. Alicent later tells Helaena they must flee. They dress as servants, but Mysaria catches them. Alicent asks her to stay quiet in exchange for a favor from the Hightowers, and Mysaria leaves without an answer. At the end of the episode, the two slip through a secret passage, only to hit a brick wall. When they turn back, the door has shut behind them.
The Gold Cloak Murders
This is all going on as the small council meets. Addam and Baela report that Vhagar burned a village near Wendish Town, and they could not track her. Rhaenyra is primarily concerned with the whereabouts of Vhagar, who is still missing. Daemon is more concerned with the Gold Cloak murders. Two have just been killed in Flea Bottom, and he believes the unrest could end Rhaenyra’s nascent rule. He also tells Rhaenyra she should have burned Ormund Hightower’s army at Tumbleton when she had the chance. Ormund, for his part, continues to plot and to groom Daeron Targaryen, even showing him a gold coin with his face on it.
Daemon goes looking in the town for the murderers. He and Ser Luthor Largent find two more dead Gold Cloaks. The men have not been paid, and Daemon says he will address the Gold Cloaks. He does, delivering a rousing speech and promising they will be paid twice what they are owed if they remain loyal. His words rally them, but only temporarily. Daemon tortures a captured conspirator, who carries one of those coins bearing the face of “King Daeron.” Ormund’s hand is behind the killings. Daemon comes back at the end of the episode to find Ser Luthor and his men dead, seated around a table under the words “A Feast for Traitors,” written in blood.
Conclusion: A Tough Row to Hoe
Near the end of the episode, we see Ser Criston Cole leading his men through the mud in the woods on foot after hidden traps cripple their horses. They reach Stoney Sept only to find the bridge destroyed, and Cole admits he is marching toward a glorious death. This difficult journey is a metaphor for the struggle that all face in “House of the Dragon” Season 3, Episode 5. These stories are being put in the bank, and this episode is surely an important foundation for the ones to come.
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