(Warning: the below has spoilers from House of the Dragon.)
It wouldn’t be a royal wedding in Westeros without a little bloodshed.
Following in the footsteps of Game of Thrones‘ Red and Purple Weddings, House of the Dragon‘s Sept. 18 episode featured its own royally bloody wedding. Surprisingly, the chaos at the rehearsal dinner for Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) and Ser Laenor Velaryon (Theo Nate) was not caused by Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), Rhaenyra’s uncle who was disinherited and has an uncomfortable fixation on the princess.
Instead, the drama at hand was brought about by Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), Rhaenyra’s lover and sworn protector. So, who exactly did Ser Criston kill? Ser Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod).
But, before we jump into the brutal face-off, let us explain how the two knights ended up in this position.
Earlier in the episode, Queen Alicent (Emily Carey), Rhaenyra’s former best friend and current stepmother, interrogated Ser Criston about the rumor that Rhaenyra was spotted being intimate with her uncle in a brothel. However, Ser Criston didn’t realize that Alicent was asking about Daemon and went on to admit that he himself had slept with the princess, breaking his vow as a member of the Kingsguard.