The writers of House of the Dragon changed a lot about the Battle at Tumbleton compared to George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood, but not without reason.
In the latest episode of the behind-the-scenes docuseries The House That Dragons Built, covering the season 3 finale, writer Ti Mikkel explained why she and showrunner Ryan Condal decided to add a duel between Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and Jon Roxton (Joplin Sibtain). As fans of A Song of Ice and Fire, the two couldn't resist this chance to pit two legendary Valyrian steel swords against each other, especially in the hands of acclaimed warriors.
The show had not done much with "Bold Jon" Roxton or his ancestral sword Orphan-Maker, but this duel speaks for itself.
Why the duel between Daemon Targaryen and Jon Roxton was added for the show
Prince Daemon was not involved in the Battle of Tumbleton in Fire & Blood, but other changes in the TV adaptation put him there on screen. Mikkel explained that once she and Condal realized Daemon would be participating, they were both eager to match him against Roxton.
"Ryan and I got together early on and we were like, 'Okay, Daemon is going to be at this fight. That means the sword Dark Sister is going to be at this fight. Jon Roxton is also here, and he has a Valyrian steel sword of his own called Orphan-Maker," she recalled.
"As fans, we wanted to see that fight," Mikkel went on. "Two seasoned warriors, two Valyrian steel swords, two of our favorites having a go."
Several minutes of screen time are dedicated to the duel between Bold Jon and the the Rogue Prince, though, as Mikkel noted, the significance of the match-up might be reserved for fans who have read the book.
Who is Bold Jon Roxton?
Ser Roxton appears in nearly every episode of House of the Dragon season 3, usually at the side of Lord Ormund Hightower (James Norton). The show portrays him with a distinctive bowl cut, and he is Ormund's trusted muscle while at Tumbleton. In Martin's book, Roxton is legendary among the Greens as an ill-tempered, fearsome commander. He is also responsible for several high-profile deaths in the war, slaying Lord Owen Costayne at the Battle on the Honeywine.
House Roxton is a minor house from the Reach, with a holding close to the border with the Crownlands. According to The World of Ice & Fire, House Roxton claims to be ancient, descended from an Andal adventurer thousands of years before the Targaryens arrived. It's unclear how influential and powerful their house truly is, but there are no characters from House Roxton at the time of the main story.
Presumably, House Roxton obtained Orphan-Maker when most Westerosi houses got theirs — in trade during the two centuries before the Doom of Valyria. At this time, dragonlords built their outpost on Dragonstone and began selling Valyrian steel for exorbitant prices. House Targaryen made the outpost into a proper home about 12 years before the Doom, and the trade eventually fizzled out.
Of course, Orphan-Maker is not nearly as iconic as Daemon's sword Dark Sister — one of the two Valyrian steel swords belonging to House Targaryen. While Blackfyre is seen as the symbolic sword of the king, Dark Sister is typically awarded to the most skilled and trusted warrior within the house, and Daemon fits that description. He has carried Dark Sister since before House of the Dragon began, earning it in his youth while King Jaehaerys still sat the Iron Throne.
TV's version of Tumbleton
The writers of House of the Dragon made many changes with "butterfly effects" this season, and the duel between Daemon and Jon Roxton appears to be a happy coincidence. The way Mikkel described it, she and Condal seized an opportunity to make these warriors face off, which means the primary reason Daemon was at Tumbleton was different. As Condal explained in a interview with Esquire, he felt Daemon “had to be put at the centre” as part of his arc as a central character of the show.
Mikkel does not need to prove the depth of her fandom — she worked on Martin's personal staff before landing on the writing staff of House of the Dragon as well as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. She also released her own debut novel just last fall, The Archivist. It's available now in print, digital, and audiobook formats, as is Fire & Blood.
House of the Dragon is over for now, but it is expected to conclude with one more season in 2028. In the meantime, the growing Game of Thrones franchise is streaming on HBO Max.
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