The action in HBO’s House of the Dragon season three, episode four begins in Tumbleton, where Lord Ormund Hightower (James Norton) orders his men to take up residence. The townsfolk protest, but there are 15,000 men to house and Ormund doesn’t care about the citizens. He also doesn’t care when the rich homeowners of the house he takes over are upset with his presence. They bent the knee to the dragon queen and resent his presence.
(The following is a recap of season three, episode four, and there are spoilers.)
Ormund’s got Alicent’s son, Daeron (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth), by his side, instructing him how to treat people. A raven arrives and Ormund’s upset to learn there’s been no word from Harrenhal about when Aemond will join them. They can’t continue to battle without Vhagar.
Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) is confused about why Ormund took over Tumbleton. There’s nothing worth taking there. She can’t send dragons for fear of killing her own people. Grand Maester Orwyle (Kurt Egyiawan) suggests they send an army instead to root out the Hightower army. She likes the suggestion and offers him a seat on the small council, and he can retain the Grand Maester title.
As for the lack of coin, Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) believes Rhaenyra should name a master of coin. People can blame him for the lack of money. Rhaenyra thinks Ser Torrhen Manderly (Dan Fogler) might be perfect for that position.
Rhaenyra asks Alicent (Olivia Cooke) about her cousin Ormund, and Alicent doesn’t know much. She describes him as a scholar who collects tapestries. He’s apparently fatherly with Daeron. Alicent admits that it was her choice to send Daeron away. She wanted him raised as a Hightower, unlike her other two sons with Viserys.
Alicent does reveal one seemingly strange but possibly important thing: Ormund is extremely sensitive to odors.
Alyn (Abubakar Salim) informs his father that Rhaenyra needs him at the small council. Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint) refuses to attend her and suggests that Alyn go in his place. It’ll be a chance to better himself.
Meanwhile, road-tripping Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Larys (Matthew Needham) make their way on foot through the woods to Rook’s Rest, where Aegon was injured and his dragon killed. It’s still exactly where Sunfyre was when the nearly dead Aegon left her, and Aegon caresses Sunfyre’s face. A man approaches and demands payment for touching the dragon. Larys pays him off and it looks like the man and his friends are ready to rob them when Aegon announces that his dragon is alive! Larys warns him that they must leave before they’re murdered.
Larys declares that Sunfyre is dead, no matter what Aegon hopes.
Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) and his men march to Harrenhal and discover the surrounding area is burned to a crisp. They carefully enter the castle just as the witch Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) appears and tells them the Strongs and others have all been slain. She’s the steward right now.
Criston requests to see Aemond and Alys explains that Aemond was there and seized the castle after Daemon left but left after learning Rhaenyra took King’s Landing and holds the throne. Ser Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox) believes they should send a raven to his cousin Ormund at Tumbleton to ask if they can merge their armies. Criston disagrees. They should attack the Riverlands’ armies that are heading to King’s Landing, even though they vastly outnumber their own small army. Criston suggests small attacks on the larger force.
Rhaenyra uncovers her father’s replica of old Valyria, just as Alyn arrives to say his father has left to hunt down the remaining Triarchy raiders. Rhaenyra doesn’t believe Lord Corlys needs to personally do that, but Alyn is diplomatic with his answer. Rats have filled the castle, including in this chamber, and Alyn suggests cats might be the answer.
Aegon and Larys are both limping as they hobble along, making their way to where Criston Cole’s garrison is supposed to be quartered. Their goal: hire a ship. (Aegon has a tooth from his dragon.) It’s obvious the smallfolk are suffering without food and that Cole’s men aren’t there. Princess Rhaenys’s dragon has crashed through part of the wall when it plummeted to its death and Aegon can only stare at it.
When Larys asks about lodging, he’s told there’s nothing available. Larys offers payment and he’s given a tent, promising he can help with herbs. Unfortunately, Aegon’s given a job – against his will – working in the latrines.
Back in Tumbleton, Ormund’s army is no longer behaving itself. A soldier attempts to rape Hugh’s wife, Kat, in her own home and breaks her mother’s arm. He is taken before Ormund, where he is sentenced to being gelded and having his arm broken. Ormund reminds Daeron that they must keep a firm grip on their men since tensions are so high.
Hugh (Kieran Bew) asks Rhaenyra if he can take the watch over Tumbleton since his wife is there. Ulf (Tom Bennett) was already assigned the task, and Rhaenyra agrees Hugh can join him. Before they leave, Ulf reunites with his old drinking buddies, mistakenly paying for drinks for the whole house.
Rhaenyra asks Grand Maester Orwyle for all the correspondence between the Red Keep and the Hightowers since her father’s death. She learns the Hightowers are tight with the Faith, since The Seven used to be housed in Oldtown. But they don’t wield any power over the Faith.
Daemon (Matt Smith) meets with Lady Jeyne Arryn (Amanda Collin) in the Vale and asks about the men she promised the crown. Lady Jeyne points out that she only received baby dragons, so maybe she should only send babies in return. Daemon cuts to the chase and asks her to send gold instead of men. Lady Jeyne doesn’t like having him there and Daemon promises to leave quickly if she hands over the gold, so she does.
Daemon’s stunned when he tries to fly off on Caraxes and Caraxes doesn’t obey. Caraxes heads to a ledge outside of a cave instead, and Daemon jumps off. Caraxes is acting strange and Daemon walks into the cave, sword drawn. A dragon roars and slowly his daughter, Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell), walks out of the darkness. Caraxes is upset at Sheepstealer’s presence, and Daemon’s forced to order him to stand down.
Rhaena looks horrible. She’s cut her hair off and looks lost. Daemon suddenly realizes she has a dragon and that she’s the rider Rhaenyra blames for Jace’s death. Rhaena pleads with her father to let her explain, and he’s confused as to why she didn’t go with the boys to Pentos. She assures him they’re well attended. Daemon tells her to leave the dragon behind and go there now; no one needs to know what she did. This dragon is wild and can’t be trusted, but Rhaena insists he’s hers now.
Since she won’t leave her dragon, Daemon suggests they go together to King’s Landing to tell Rhaenyra what she did. Rhaena knows she’ll be considered a betrayer and would rather live out her days in this cave in the Vale. Her family has always considered her unworthy because she couldn’t bond with a dragon. Now that she has, she’s not giving it up.
Rhaena turns her back on her dad and Daemon’s forced to run out of Sheepstealer’s way as he leaves the cave. Caraxes remains on edge until they’re out of sight.
Ormund receives a raven from Harrenhal and Daeron warns the servants to leave the room, knowing that Ormund’s about to explode. He does and calls Aemond a useless coward. They need to alter their plans.
Rhaenyra learns no messages were sent between the Red Keep and Oldtown, which means Ormund ruled Oldtown as a separate kingdom.
Ulf asks for a pardon and a house for two of his friends that he knows from the tavern. Rhaenyra explains that he now belongs to the realm and to her and that he should no longer enter taverns. If he dies, then she loses a dragonrider.
Ulf doesn’t know when to stop speaking and tells her that he’s seen “Queen of Bastards” written on walls. The smallfolk protest her. After Ulf leaves, she orders Ser Luthor Largent (Tom Cullen) to have the Gold Cloaks remove any seditious markings and find those responsible.
Over in Rook’s Rest, Aegon holds back his nausea while working in the toilets. Larys informs him they can get passage out in a few days and that Rhaenyra’s declared him dead, slain by Aemond. Aegon’s furious, but Larys points out that they can learn a lot while no one knows their true identities. It’ll help with Aegon’s eventual resurrection.
However, Aegon can’t keep his attitude under control and confronts the man in charge over the lack of food. It’s only when he’s held at knife point that he backs down. He’s ordered onto his knees and made to kiss the man’s feet or die. Furthermore, he needs to call him “My Lord.”
Aegon does as ordered.
Daemon barges into the small council with a severed head and gold. He claims the dead man is the rider of Sheepstealer. Rhaenyra’s speechless so Manderly fills the void, discussing figures in the accounting books. Daemon has no idea who he is, so Manderly introduces himself as the new master of coin.
Daemon and Mysaria argue over how the money Daemon brought should be spent. But Rhaenyra is fixated on the dead dragonrider. She orders her small council to leave and questions Daemon about the head. He claims the man rode Sheepstealer into the Battle of the Gullet, but wild dragons can’t be tamed. Daemon lies and claims Sheepstealer has flown off, riderless, and that they probably won’t see him again.
Rhaenyra’s upset because she wanted the rider taken alive so she could look at Jace’s killer. Daemon doesn’t think that would end her grief. Rhaenyra decides in Mysaria’s favor, declaring the coins will go to the smallfolk. Daemon’s gold cloaks will have to wait for their payments.
Daemon warns Mysaria that Rhaenyra will eventually see through her. Mysaria responds with, “Whose head is that?”
That night, Rhaenyra informs Alicent that she’s sent good men with Otto’s body back to Oldtown. She gives Alicent Otto’s ring and leaves. Helaena comes over to look at the ring and Alicent suddenly realizes her daughter’s pregnant.
Hugh flies over Tumbleton.
Ser Largent and his Gold Cloaks look for those who are traitors and loyal to the Hightowers. They’re brutal and put the fear of god into the smallfolk.
Ormund finds Daeron being kind to his dragon, Tessarion, and warns him not to be. He’s raised Daeron in the light of The Seven and the Father smiles on him. However, the Targaryen blood has tainted him and the dragons are evil. Ormund believes a woman on the Iron Throne is a desecration, and Daeron can fix that. He’s a Hightower and must be king, which means he needs to turn against his brothers.
Episode four ends with Ormund ordering the death of a man who laid his hands on a Hightower. He hands his sword to Daeron, who doesn’t want to take it. But Ormund warns Daeron that he’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t do as asked. The man begs for his life and his family, but Daeron stabs him in the heart anyway.
Ormund cleans the blood off the blade on the man’s shirt.
When he walks off, Daeron’s dragon roars. The dragon sets the dead man on fire, and it sounds as though he eats him as episode four wraps up.
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This post was last modified on July 12, 2026 10:06 pm