House of the Dragon season 3 has been a wild ride, and now at last we're nearing the finish line. All roads lead to the market town of Tumbleton in the season finale, where a host of Rivermen and Winter Wolves will attempt to root Ormund Hightower's army from their stronghold. When the dust settles and the dragons have entered the fray, who will be left standing?
If you've read George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood, you know all about the drama that unfolds at Tumbleton. Across two battles, this idyllic city in the Reach becomes one of the most crucial fronts for the entire civil war, deciding the ultimate course of the conflict and sealing the fate of numerous important characters and dragons. Yet even knowing how it plays out in the book is no guarantee that the show won't blindside fans; it's never been shy about deviating from the source material before, and even from the trailer we can see that there are more than a few unpredictable new plotlines in store in House of the Dragon's version of events.
With the battle looming, now's the time to mentally prepare ourselves for what's in store. We'll be discussing FULL SPOILERS from Fire & Blood, so only proceed if you want to know the broad strokes of what could happen in the House of the Dragon season 3 finale.
What happens at the Battles of Tumbleton in the book?
In Fire & Blood, there are two battles that take place at Tumbleton, appropriately named the First Battle of Tumbleton and the Second Battle of Tumbleton (or "First Tumbleton" and "Second Tumbleton" for short). The first battle is the one the show has set up, which includes Ormund Hightower's forces clashing with the Winter Wolves and Rivermen, as well as the betrayal of the dragonseeds Ulf and Hugh, who flip sides and torch the city of Tumbleton (which is controlled by the Blacks in the novel). It's a massacre that results in the deaths of several important characters, such as Ormund and Roddy the Ruin. Daeron Targaryen also takes part in the battle on his dragon Tessarion, which we sorely need to see in the HBO series.
When the flames die down, the Greens have won the city. Hugh and Ulf remain there with them, lording over the ruins, heads filled with aspirations of rising to the highest halls of Westeros. Ulf has designs on becoming Lord of Highgarden, while Hugh decides perhaps he should just be king himself, as he rides the largest dragon in the realm aside from Vhagar. Both grow crueler by the day, while a clandestine group of Green nobles known as the Caltrops plan an assassination for the dragonriders. The prolonged sack of Tumbleton is so devastating that the city never fully recovers, which is why it never crops up in Game of Thrones.
The Second Battle of Tumbleton happens the same day that the Caltrops plan to launch their coup, when Addam of Hull leads an army of vengeful Rivermen in a surprise raid on the city. This battle wipes out a number of important characters: Hugh the Hammer and Jon Roxton, Daeron Targaryen and Addam of Hull, and the dragons Seasmoke, Tessarion, and Vermithor. Ulf's dragon Silverwing is involved as well, but Ulf himself sleeps through the fight in a drunken haze — though he doesn't survive long afterward.
Is House of the Dragon combining First and Second Tumbleton?
Personally, I doubt the show is going to combine the First and Second Battle of Tumbleton. The span of time between the battles is an important part of the story, showing just how horrific the war can become for the innocents caught in its midst. The despotic rule of Hugh and Ulf in Tumbleton, in an uncomfortable alliance with the Greens, is the Dance of the Dragons at one of its bleakest points. The show would lose a lot of compelling material by cutting it entirely.
Each battle also serves a very different purpose. The first is a major betrayal for Rhaenyra with all the mental baggage that entails, as well as perhaps the single most devastating battlefield loss for the Blacks of the war. The second is the final major battle of the Dance that involves dragons, and a brutal culling of those still standing after First Tumbleton, including a slew of major character and dragon deaths. Combining them could be too much of an overload on viewers.
More than a half dozen important named characters who all appear in the show have arc-defining moments in one or the other battle of Tumbleton, and that's before you factor in characters who'll participate in the show that don't in the book, like Daemon Targaryen, Corlys Velaryon, and Gwayne Hightower. Several dragons also have some of their biggest moments of the entire story across both battles. There's a good chance House of the Dragon will want to get as much mileage out of all that storytelling fodder as it can, especially considering that Tumbleton is the biggest set ever built for the series.
But I wouldn't completely rule out a finale that merged many elements of both battles, either. House of the Dragon has surprised me with its choices before, and all bets are truly off here.
What new storylines has House of the Dragon added to the Battle of Tumbleton?
Beyond everything we can glean from the book, we also have to take into account a few new plotlines we know will feature in the finale's epic battle. They stand to have major implications, and since they're not rooted in the source material, it's much harder to guess how they'll play out.
Lord Corlys Velaryon, Rhaenyra's Hand of the Queen, is a captive of the Greens in the city; in the book, he never goes anywhere near the First or Second Battle of Tumbleton. Ormund has promised Corlys' castle and title to Ulf in exchange for betraying the Blacks...but that's contingent on Corlys not surviving the battle. That means even though he's a prisoner, he's got a pretty big target on his back going into this thing. There's little doubt the Blacks will mount some sort of rescue attempt during the chaos, so I'm expecting part of the finale to hinge around Corlys' fate.
Daemon Targaryen is also present for the show's version of Tumbleton, while he's off hunting Vhagar in the Riverlands with a dragonseed called Nettles in the book (who's been replaced by Rhaena Targaryen in the show). In the season 3 finale, it looks like Daemon will be leading the army he raised in the Riverlands himself, so he'll be in the thick of the action. That also means his dragon, Caraxes, is in the mix as well.
Lastly we have Gwayne Hightower, who dies much earlier in the book during the Fall of King's Landing. Here he serves as a foil to Ormund, who has been played up to be far more insidious and unhinged than his book counterpart ever was. We see in the trailer that Gwayne and Daeron are concerned that they don't know what scheme Ormund has in place to survive the battle. Gwayne is one of the few truly honorable knights in this story, and his presence at the Battle of Tumbleton could have ramifications on how the Greens weather the assault.
Beyond all this, we can't say for certain that we won't see other characters crop up as well, like Addam or Alyn of Hull, or even Rhaenyra Targaryen herself. House of the Dragon loves to go all in on its big spectacle episodes, and the season 3 finale is positioned to be its biggest yet by a significant margin. This is the show's chance to pull off a major battle on the level of Game of Thrones' best, with all the bloodshed, betrayals, and shocker deaths that come with that territory. It should be thrilling to watch!
The season 3 finale of House of the Dragon premieres this Sunday, August 9 on HBO and HBO Max. Check out our extensive coverage for the series as you prepare for the epic Battle of Tumbleton.
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