House of the Dragon trailer breakdown: Episode 6, “The Princess and the Queen”

Trouble for House Strong

The chaos starts with Harwin “Breakbones” Strong punching Ser Criston Cole while he’s on the ground in the Red Keep training yard, as Aemond, Jacaerys, and Rhaenyra’s middle child Lucerys (Harvey Sadler) all watch on in horror:

Some of Criston’s Kingsguard companions pull Harwin off of Criston:

A better view of the shock on young Jacaerys and Lucerys’ faces, as knights crowd around Harwin and Criston:

What exactly is going on here? We can’t be certain from the trailer, but we get a pretty immediate clue about some of the drama occurring in King’s Landing right after when the camera cuts to a baby. Presumably it’s Rhaenyra’s youngest, whom we see elsewhere in the trailer. Note the brown hair:

This is cut together with a scene of Alicent and King Viserys talking, where Alicent tells him, “To have one child like that is a mistake. To have three is an insult.”

And in case we’re not sure who she means, the trailer throws up another shot of Jacaerys, having his chin lifted by someone off-camera:

In the midst of Alicent and Viserys’ discussion, we also get a brief shot of Lyonel Strong:

“People have eyes,” he tells someone, as the scene shifts to Rhaenyra holding her newest baby:

“The consequences of an allegation like the one you toy at would be dire,” Viserys tells Alicent. She ain’t scurred:

We also get a very brief shot of Larys “Clubfoot” Strong, Lord Lyonel’s younger son. We’ve seen this guy a few times now, and it certainly seems like he’s got some kind of agenda. Hopefully we’ll find out more about his motives this week.

The scene then shifts through a few intriguing, non-descript scenes. First is this guy in a prison cell. From the brazier in the right corner of the image, we can guess someone is approaching. But who, and for what purpose?

Next, a dagger in a fire. A few things about this: one, it’s a fairly hefty blade for its length, and two, the fact that it’s being heated up makes me think it’s either going to be used for torture or to cauterize something. “Knives will come out,” Rhaenys Targaryen said in Episode 5, and here they have:

Finally, a shot of someone being carried on a stretcher by some soldiers. Everything about these soldiers is pretty plain, no sigils or anything that I can see to tell who they are for certain. There is a bit of fire burning on the ground, though. Whatever’s happening, it doesn’t look good:

Last but certainly not least, we end with those shots of Jacaerys ordering his dragon Vermax to cook up his lamb lunch that we looked at earlier. So here’s one more Dracarys for the road:

What conspiracy is afoot in the House of the Dragon Episode 6 trailer?

Okay, now that we’ve looked at all the images, let’s take a minute to discuss the big family secret. There will be SPOILERS here, based on information from Fire & Blood. So if you are steering clear of such things, this is your warning.

You may have noticed in this trailer that all three of Rhaenyra’s children have dark brown hair, as opposed to the platinum blonde locks which both she and her husband Laenor Velaryon possess. We learned last episode that Laenor and Rhaenyra were entering into a marriage of convenience; he’s gay, and she has her eyes elsewhere. This trailer hints pretty strongly where Rhaenyra’s eyes have landed: Harwin “Breakbones” Strong.

In Fire & Blood, it is a prominent bit of court gossip that many believe Rhaenyra’s three children were fathered by Breakbones. This rumor circulates largely because of their dark hair and features. Also, there are moments where Breakbones’ actions add a bit more fuel to the fire.

Based on everything in this trailer, it seems safe to say that “The Princess and the Queen” appears to be pulling in this plotline from the book. There’s a large emphasis on House Strong here, with Harwin getting more screentime in this trailer alone than he has in the entire season to date. Add in the cryptic narration about a “father, compromised by the acts of a son” while the camera lingers on Harwin and his father Lord Lyonel, and it looks like there will be some Strong drama next week.

Just how bloody that drama will get, we’ll find out when “The Princess and the Queen” airs on HBO and HBO Max this Sunday.

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