Rhaenyra Targaryen’s (Emma D’Arcy) Queensguard finally has a new member! House of the Dragon season 3 episode 4 subtly revealed that Rhaenyra's newest bodyguard is Ser Adrian Redfort, a character being portrayed by English actor Barry Sloane.
Here at Winter Is Coming, Sloane is best known for portraying Destruction in Netflix’s The Sandman TV show, and Captain John Price in the latest iteration of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare video games. Here's hoping his character in House of the Dragon is just as capable as Price, who frequently leads missions to save the world from nuclear war. Rhaenyra's Queensguard could use some oomph, as it is severely understaffed these days.
Redfort is the first official addition to the Queensguard since Rhaenyra seemingly ordered Ser Lorent Marbrand's execution earlier this season. She also lost Ser Steffon Darklyn and Erryk Cargyll in season 2. And Harrold Westerling — her protector from season 1 — is still nowhere to be found, despite actor Graham McTavish hinting at Westerling's return for season 3.
Meet the new member of Rhaenyra’s Queensguard
We don't know a whole lot about Redfort, aside from the fact that he is, well, a member of House Redfort, who are loyal to Lady Jeyne Arryn in the Vale. The fact that he was named to the Queensguard must mean that he is a talented swordsman and prolific knight. We already saw him ready to pull a sword on Ulf (Tom Bennett) when he started talking about dissent in the city.
Judging by interviews and comments Sloane has made, it doesn't seem like Redfort is long for the world of Westeros. In an Instagram post, Sloane said he “had such a great time being a part” of House of the Dragon, which could mean that his work on the show is done and that his character won't make it past season 3. That isn’t confirmed, but it seems that way from the post below.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for the source material, George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood.
This would be consistent with Fire & Blood. Redfort meets his demise escorting Rhaenyra back to Dragonstone when she loses control of King's Landing. It's possible these events will happen by the end of season 3.
This could be the "dangerous side mission" Sloane hinted at in a red carpet interview. However, some speculate that Rhaenyra will order him to escort Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) to Harrenhal to negotiate with Aemond (Ewan Mitchell). Pre-release footage for season 3 seems to showAlicent walking through the haunted castle. If Redfort accompanies her, it's hard to imagine Aemond letting one of Rhaenyra's sworn protectors walk away alive.
In addition to The Sandman and the Call of Duty franchise, Sloane has also appeared in popular shows like Hollyoaks, Revenge, Longmire, Shameless, and Holby City. For his voice acting in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, he was nominated for a 2020 BAFTA Games Award for Performer in a Leading Role.
We’ll (hopefully) see more from Redfort in House of the Dragon season 3 episode 5, which releases this Sunday, July 19 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
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