Criston Cole Finally Breaks From Blind Loyalty in House of the Dragon S3E4 Recap

Under cover of night, Ser Criston Cole sprang an ambush on the Riverlands host led by young Lord Oscar Tully—only to find the Rivermen a step ahead. As Cole methodically wrecked crossings to slow their march, Tully scattered caltrops to cripple the Greens’ horses, forcing Cole’s men into the swamps on foot. The pursuit ground to a halt at a shattered bridge near the Stony Sept, leaving the Rivermen closer to King’s Landing while Cole’s column staggered in the mud.

That stalemate set the stage for the hour’s most revealing turn: Cole refusing a retreat and baring the ethos now driving him. Despite warnings from Ser Gwayne Hightower to fall back to Tumbleton, the Kingsguard captain rejected duty for duty’s sake. He’s no longer marching for highborn lords or a banner—he’s chasing the only end he’ll accept, the kind a fighter earns in steel and smoke.

Brothers at odds

Elsewhere, Aemond surfaced at last—alive, battered, and hidden by Alys Rivers in the ruins of Harrenhal. When he reached for Vhagar, the shock was worse than his wounds: the ancient dragon was gone. Rocked by the abandonment, Aemond confronted the childhood scars he carries from Aegon’s taunts and the years he felt ignored by their mother, Alicent.

On the road, Aegon II bolted from the Rook’s Rest encampment, vowing to find his brother and settle scores. He brushed off sober counsel from his closest attendant and spun himself into grievance—jealous of Aemond’s gifts, convinced Alicent loved the younger son more. When his handler finally snapped, the message was brutal and simple: Aegon II has squandered every advantage he was born with.

Inside the Red Keep

Back in King’s Landing, the small council exposed a rare role reversal. Rhaenyra Targaryen pushed to pour resources into hunting Aemond and Vhagar, while Daemon argued the immediate threat was at home: City Watch officers turning up mutilated in the streets. The prince, so often the impulsive one, became the measured hand—rallying the Gold Cloaks and ferreting out the killers.

That trail led to a blunt conclusion. Daemon tied the attacks to Daeron Targaryen’s camp and to Ormund Hightower’s push from the Reach—and learned Ormund has already proclaimed Daeron king. It ’s a move that widens the war on paper and in hearts: names, oaths, and loyalties suddenly mean different things depending on which hall you’re standing in.

Another powder keg ignited in the queen mother’s chambers. Helaena Targaryen’s pregnancy, hinted at earlier this season, was confirmed, and Alicent scrambled—first to end it, then to spirit her daughter out of the Red Keep. Their plan collapsed when Lady Mysaria intercepted them, only relenting after Alicent bargained for future favor should the Hightowers rise again.

Even then, the pair nearly slipped away. Helaena uncovered a secret passage behind her bedchamber wall, but the route had been sealed. A dropped lantern plunged the tunnel into darkness, and the scene cut with their escape—and their safety—unresolved.

The hour closed on the most chilling tableau yet: a feast table surrounded by dead Gold Cloaks, their bodies opened and eyes slashed, a message smeared on the stone behind them.

“A Feast For Traitors.”