House of the Dragon: Why the Greens will regret crossing Mysaria

In the ninth episode of House of the Dragon, after King Viserys Targaryen has died, the greens engage in an internal power struggle over how to seat Prince Aegon Targaryen on the Iron Throne. Because Aegon is missing when his father dies, Alicent and Otto Hightower both send out their own agents to retrieve him, since both want to push him to make different decisions.

By this time, Daemon’s former paramour has become a spymaster in King’s Landing, and she finds out that the greens are looking for Aegon early. She hides him away and only gives out information on his location to Otto in exchange for assurances that the crown will look into the problem of child fighting rings in Flea Bottom, which she finds detestable. Otto promises to look into the matter, but we don’t know if he did or will. It’s worth noting that King Aegon was known to watch these fights, and that some of the children involved may be his bastards.

Along with divulging Aegon’s whereabouts, Mysaria delivers a cryptic threat to Otto. “When your plots ripen, and you install your grandson on the throne, remember it was me who put him there,” she says. “I could have killed him as easily as a wasp on fruit. There is no power but what the people allow you to take.”

Meanwhile, in the Red Keep, Larys Strong tells Alicent about Mysaria…while Alicent slowly removes her shoes and socks so he can ogle her feet; we’ll just ignore that part. Larys, who operates his own spy network, sees Mysaria as a threat — she has several spies in the Red Keep, after all. Alicent’s handmaid Talia is one of them; that’s how Mysaria learns of King Viserys’ death in the first place.

Larys wants to kill Mysaria as a means of crippling her spy network, and Alicent gives him her tacit permission. Later, while Princess Rhaenys is escaping the city with Ser Erryk Cargyll, we see a manse burning in the background. This is where Mysaria lives. But since we do not see her die, it is almost certain that Mysaria survives this attempt on her life.

While Alicent did not know about the conversation Otto had with Mysaria, it will not matter. Mysaria will likely see their act of aggression as a clear attack against her by the crown. The greens’ infighting could undue them, as Alicent might not have let Larys commit this act had Otto informed her of their conversation.

What happens next? We’ll learn that for sure in season 2, but we have some guesses. This series of events seems to set up an an important plotline from George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, on which House of the Dragon is based. Beware SPOILERS below.

Blood and Cheese

We do not know if things will play out exactly as they do in the book, but Mysaria will likely be involved in an upcoming plot to kill one of Aegon and Helaena Targaryen’s children, Alicent’s grandchildren. We’ve briefly met two: the twins Jaehaerys and Jaehaera. In the book, they also have a younger son named Maelor.

In Fire & Blood, after the death of Lucerys Velaryon at the hands of Aemond Targaryen and his dragon Vhagar, Daemon pledges revenge for Luke’s death. While Rhaenrya and her advisors deliberate how to retaliate, they receive a message from Daemon (who is at Harrenhal by this point in the book): “An eye for an aye, a son for a son. Lucerys will be avenged.”

Daemon contacts Mysaria, who arranges for two men known only as Blood and Cheese to infiltrate the Red Keep and take the royal family hostage. Since Cheese was a rat catcher in the Red Keep, he knows the secret passages well. He is able to sneak through the castle and into Alicent’s chambers. Blood and Cheese bind and gag Alicent while they wait for Helaena to arrive with her children for their nightly visit with their grandmother. When Helaena shows up with her three children, Blood and Cheese kill the guards and force Queen Helaena to choose which of her children will die.

Unable to to make a choice, Helaena begs the cutthroats to kill her instead, and to spare the children. They refuse and threaten to kill them all if Helaena does not choose quickly. Reluctantly, Helaena picks her youngest child Maelor as he is only 2 years old and does not fully understand what is happening. Blood instead kills King Aegon’s heir, Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen. The two men then flee the Red Keep with Jaehaerys’ head. Two days later, Blood is captured.

After 13 days of torture on orders of Larys Strong, Blood admits that he was taking Jaehaerys’ head back to Daemon at Harrenhal and that Mysaria hired him. Cheese and Mysaria cannot be found.

This murder further divides the family. Haleana falls into a deep depression and Aegon loses himself in drink.

Since the show has already set up Daemon’s connections with Mysaria and the underworld of King’s Landing, and Mysaria likely believes that the greens tried to kill her, the White Worm will be motivated to help Daemon get revenge on the crown. Since the Blood and Cheese plot happens directly after Luke’s death in the book, there’s a good chance these events will play out very early in House of the Dragon season 2.

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