Rhaenyra Just Gained Her Most Valuable ‘House of the Dragon’ Ally Yet

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 2.

The big picture

• In the new episode of
  House of the Dragon,
  Rhaenyra gains an unlikely ally after an attack.
• Rhaenyra's choice to free Mysaria shows Mysaria that the queen has more honor than most.
• The importance of the perception of the little people will greatly influence the outcome of the war for the Iron Throne.

Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can make big ripples. In the last episode of House of the DragonRhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy), burdened by the recent killing of her son, is about to find her claim to the Iron Throne more doubtful than ever. Named heir by his father, King Viserys I (Paddy Considine), but usurped by the Greens to install Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) on the throne, Rhaenyra's friends across the realm form an ever-thinning list. Having sent his son Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) to seek more support, a trek that led to his fatal confrontation with Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), Rhaenyra's focus was clouded by grief, and her only words spoken in this season's premiere were to call for Aemond's execution.

Demon (Matt Smith) runs with it, taking matters into his own hands, but gets the wrong Green murdered. blood (Sam C. Wilson) and cheese (Mark Stobbart) kill Aegon's youngest son, Jaehaerys. A funeral procession for Jaehaerys – led by a call that blamed Rhaenyra and doubled her relative — spurs word across the realm, surely causing the jurors to reconsider Rhaenyra's claim. The title of the episode, “Rhaenyra the Cruel,” encapsulates one of the biggest challenges she will face. To combat this notion, Rhaenyra will have to win the hearts of the little people, a far more difficult task than fighting with swords and dragons. A simple act of honor, however, may have earned Rhaenyra the most valuable ally for this challenge.

'Rhaenyra the Cruel' brings together unlikely characters from 'Dragon House'

After reluctantly aiding Daemon in the assassination of the king's son, Mysaria remained a prisoner in Dragonstone. The volatile argument between Daemon and Rhaenyra, a fight that warned of the former's reliability and the latter's ability to rule, caused the Daemon to leave Dragon Rock. With him gone, Rhaenyra called Mysaria to her chambers to decipher her involvement in what happened at King's Landing. Despite the complicated situation, the moment itself makes for a great scene. Through a few words, Rhaenyra seems to realize that Mysaria is one of the few who understands Daemon's nature the way he does it.

Mysaria wonders how long the Daemon will be out. “A week… or forever… I don't know,” Rhaenyra replies. “He does that, doesn't he?” Mysaria offers, and Rhaenyra fixes her with a knowing look. Before her is a woman who has fallen under Daemon's deception and manipulation for his benefit and has lived to tell in a way few have. Rhaenyra says that freeing Mysaria would at best be a foolish waste of an asset and at worst lead to a fatal betrayal. Still, her eyes say she's looking at perhaps the one person who understands her on a deeper level.

Rhaenyra may have saved herself by choosing to free Mysaria

After confessing to her help in Daemon's infiltration of the Red Tower through the blood and cheese, Mysaria firmly states to Rhaeynra that it was only a transactional act. In exchange for his help, Daemon promised him freedom. Rhaenyra has only Mysaria's word as evidence that this promise was made, but recognizes the scar on Mysaria's neck, a likely remnant of past slavery. Rhaenyra decides to believe her, honoring the word of her house and setting Mysaria free. It's a two-fold move: honorable in itself and a show of respect, taking Mysaria purely at her word that such Daemon's promise even existed. Rhaenyra's choice made an obvious impression.

As he is escorted to a ship leaving Dragonstone, he passes Arryk Cargyll (Luke Tittensor), a Night of the Royal Guard submitted by Criston Cole (Fabian Frankel) to assassinate Rhaenyra. By impersonating his twin brother Erryk Cargyll (Elliot Tittensor), hopes to evade detection. Having seen Erryk with Rhaenyra, Mysaria is immediately suspicious and demands that she and her escort be stopped.

Mysaria values ​​the kind of honor Rhaenyra has shown

With everything in disarray, the White Worm's goodwill may turn out to be one of Rhaenyra's best assets. Mysaria has shown a deep care for the little people. He admits that helping usurpers was unfortunate, but it was purely transactional. In exchange for helping Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) to find Aegon, whom he kept for safety, asked to end the suffering of the children of Flea Bottom, who are forced to fight. “An obscenity, either tolerated or ignored by the crown,” Mysaria demands.

The White Worm is about secrets. He knows the highest lords and the lowest servants, and knowledge can be far more useful (and deadly) than skill with a sword. We still don't know what Mysaria did to intervene in the impersonation of the Cargyll twin, but we are explicitly shown to stop. He probably saved Rhaenyra's life. Sir Arryk arrives at Rhaenyra's bedchamber and almost kills her, but Sir Erryk arrives in time to thwart the attempt (before tragically killing himself). This is undoubtedly the first of many benefits for Rhaenyra, having won Mysaria as an ally not by coercion, blackmail, threat or payment but by honor.

'House of the Dragon' Season 2, Episode 2 highlights the importance of Smallfolk

In the same episode, the value of the perception of the common person is emphasized again and again, as it has been throughout the Westeros tradition since the time of game of thrones. As the fallout from his nephew's murder unfolds, Aemond seeks the company of Lady Sylvi of the brothel (Michelle Bonnard). Aemond, naked and cooing like a grotesque child, is troubled by the idea that Daemon should be afraid of him, having sent the assassins to kill him. He is proud of it. However, he admits a slight regret for losing his temper, which led to Lucerys' death. Sylvi then advises her with the best advice we've seen her receive: “I'm just reminding you that when princes lose their cool, it's often others who suffer. The little people. Like me.”

Next we have a rare scene showing Hugh (Kieran Bew) and his wife tending to their sick daughter, bemoaning the food shortage amid the ongoing lockdown. Aegon still hasn't paid Hugh the money he promised him in episode 1 for making scorpions early. Aegon bought the people's sympathy with the funeral procession, showing his beheaded son, accompanied by a grieving Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Queen Helaena (Phia Saban). But then he quickly ruins everything by executing all the mice in the Red Tower, killing many innocents in the hope that one of them was the unknown perpetrator of his son's murder. He strips his grandfather of the title of Hand of the King when Otto yells at him, not caring about the little people who might have been innocent.

We've seen the good will of the little people strengthen and destroy figures like Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), and Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson). No matter the size of your army or the number of dragons at your side, no one rules for long in Westeros without the support of the average citizen. The fight between the black team and the green team will go back and forth like a scale, and the weight of the little people can decide its outcome. Making an ally of Mysaria might be the smartest move Rhaenyra has made yet.

The first two episodes of House of the Dragon Season 2 is available to stream on Max.

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