House of the Dragon: Daeron Assassination Attempt, Ormund Relationship

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for Season 3, Episode 3 of “House of the Dragon,” now streaming on HBO Max.

Daeron Targaryen (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) is growing up: On this week’s episode of “House of the Dragon” Season 3, the youngest (and least blonde) child of Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) experienced his very first assassination attempt!

While sharing a meal with his cousin/keeper Ormund Hightower (James Norton) and his uncle Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox) in Tumbleton, a group of Baratheons tried to kill the young prince seemingly on the orders of his half-sister, Queen Rhaynera Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy). The attack was unsuccessful, as Gwayne jumped to his nephew’s rescue in time, which only resulted in a couple of deaths and Ormund projectile vomiting at the smell.

But the latest deadly move between the “Blacks” (who currently hold the Iron Throne through Rhaynera) and the “Greens” (who are splintered off into multiple factions) will have a profound effect on Daeron heading into the final two episodes of “House of the Dragon” Season 3.

“I think shock is a big part of that scene in general,” Ainsworth tells Variety. “This is an escalation he wouldn’t have ever expected. There’s also this idea of the power dynamics between him and Ormund leveling out and clashing in a way. ‘Bold’ Jon Roxton there has very much been a man who’s followed Ormund’s orders, and it’s the first time I’m trying to stop him, and Ormund’s ordering him to do something. So there’s something about that which is stepping up this dynamic within this group amidst the chaos of everything.”

Daeron holds back Ser Jon Roxton (Joplin Sibtain) when he attempts to dive into the situation and stop Gwayne, before Ormund realizes Gwayne has sussed out the assassination plan before it’s begun. And that little bit of leadership from Daeron, combined with his disgust with Ormund’s handling of the situation, could fuel how Daeron continues to respond to Ormund’s attempts to make him the new king.

“He’s trying to take more ownership of the situation, but also that’s over the bedrock of just shock and tension and a frustration, too, with Ormund and the way that he’s almost debilitated by his senses,” Ainsworth says. “And he’s throwing up right next to me. And there’s an absurdity to that scene, which Daeron is feeling just in the shock of it in itself. Let alone the dead bodies everywhere.”

It’s Gwayne’s arrival in Tumbleton after he’s left Fabien Frankel’s Ser Criston Cole (RIP) that has Daeron really thinking through what role he needs to play in this ongoing war.

“It’s exactly that. The verb ‘thrust’ feels correct because it’s almost a violent thing,” Ainsworth says. “He’s suddenly within the chaos, and so I don’t think he’s had much time to think about it or to process it, which is why there’s so much tension inside of him and in this desperation he has with Gwayne. In the scene he has with Gwayne, he’s almost forced to think of the idea of becoming king, just what would that mean? Would that mean space between him and Ormund?”

After weeks of buildup, it’s clear after this week’s assassination attempt that “House of the Dragon” Season 3 is about to feature a confrontation between the Blacks and the Greens in Tumbleton. Would Daeron, who takes to fencing in the courtyard after his brush with death, be capable of joining the fight if it comes to that? After all, he is known as “Daeron the Daring” in George R.R. Martin’s “House of the Dragon” source material, “Fire & Blood.”

“I think he would be. Whether he’s ready, I think that’s something he’s questioning himself,” Ainsworth says. “It’s the reason he goes out to spar after that assassination scene. There’s an element of getting away from the stresses of things and focusing on something that he enjoys, something that he’s good at. But he’s also proving to himself that he can protect himself if something like that happens again. And he knows Ormund and Gwayne are watching him, too. So I don’t want to spoil anything either way.”

How do you view Daeron’s relationship with his uncle Gwayne in comparison to what we’ve seen between him and Ormund? Gwayne is the first other member of the family we’ve seen Daeron interact with since we met the character.

There’s a growing tension and growing stakes within Tumbleton this season. And this episode feels like the power dynamics are really pushing and grating against each other within Ormund and Daeron’s relationship. And Gwayne is a figure in his life who is more of a brotherly uncle, someone he can speak with, can connect with, and doesn’t have to cover himself up or conceal anything in any way with. It’s very much a breath of fresh air and needed; confiding away from Ormund’s chaos and manipulation.

I think this version of Daeron was always the center, and then when it’s with Ormund, I felt it was just more so covering up and containing, and he was thinking more about every choice, everything he says. Whereas with Gwayne, it’s much more instinctual. There’s a safety he feels with Gwayne that just isn’t there because of how dangerous Ormund can be and this kind of twisted feeling of needing Ormund’s affection, as well. Being the perfect squire, being the perfect version of Daeron around him, and there’s a part of that which has made him a more balanced person. He’s been away from the sour politics of King’s Landing, his brothers, his half-sister. It’s all kind of crazy, and he’s managed to live away from that. But I think this season poses a completely different prospect because he’s thrust in the middle of the chaos.

Have you seen the fan theories that Ormund not only dyed the fake Daeron’s hair blonde, but that he’s actually been dyeing the real Daeron’s hair a Hightower color for years because Ormund hates the Targaryens?

I have seen that. Do you know what, it’s funny because it wouldn’t be too far-fetched for Ormund to think of something like that. He seriously is the type of guy to do that. It’s been so cool to see all of the audience reception and theories and the excitement that people have for the character in the show is beyond me.

There’s an element to it where it wasn’t explicitly said when we were on set either way. So there’s a world in which that could be happening, but I don’t know. I think there’s something quite nice about him having his mother’s hair, there’s this connection he feels. He hasn’t seen his mother in years, but he’s made an ideal image of what his mother might be in the hope of some kind of other future for him. So the hair being the same, and the green colors, and the picking of his nails, things like that — I think it’s quite nice to draw that link between Alicent and Daeron.

We’ve only seen Daeron with his dragon Tessarion once because Ormund keeps the dragon locked away. Do you think his relationship with his dragon is different from his siblings who don’t have to keep their dragons locked up?

I think he has a really good relationship with Tessarion. She’s been his constant throughout his time in Old Town, a friend who’s always been there for him. Gwayne comes and goes. As we see in this season, he’s returning after a long time away. But Tessarion’s always there and there’s a love and a deep appreciation that goes both ways with them. And it’s something that I think keeps him hopeful about his Targaryen side, because we’ve seen the rhetoric that Ormund has against the Targaryens. He thinks that their blood is tainted and it’s an obscenity to have dragons. Yet [Daemon’s] relationship with Tessarion is what I think is keeping him balanced and not just a pawn for Ormund’s use.

I know all the cast members decide their own ways they want to approach the character based strictly on the scripts or also George R.R. Martin’s books. Are you a “Fire & Blood” reader or not?

I’ve read from Aegon’s conquest to [the plot of] Season 3, because I wanted to know what has happened, because he’s grown up in Old Town under the Faith of the Seven. I feel like he would have a base understanding of those concepts and I wanted to be able to bring that into the character. And he would have learned about the history. But I also quite like giving room for this character to grow.

I’m aware of “Daeron the Daring” and where this character goes, and the reputations he has within the books. But I think it’s quite cool to try and explore those reputations within the show and within the scripts as well, these morally gray characters and the interpersonal relationships so brilliantly written and well acted by James Norton and Freddie Fox and to get to share that with them has been awesome.

This smell thing is a real problem for Ormund. Do you think Daeron has used that at all to his advantage throughout his childhood?

Oh, I think it’s definitely something he’s been aware of throughout his childhood, but I don’t think he’d then do anything about it or manipulate. I think, if anything, his involvement with Ormund’s senses would be to try and help. I imagined him putting together pomanders for him, because it’s those things to please him in order to almost save his own ass, as well.

There’s a scene in this episode that cuts off after Daeron asks Gwayne if he saw his mother, Alicent, when he was last in King’s Landing. Was there more to this scene? Did Gwayne have an answer for him?

I don’t know exactly what was said, but I remember talking with Freddie and there is a moment at the end of that scene, which I don’t think made the cut, but where he comes to me, he puts his arm around my shoulder and then we go off. That’s the screenplay version, at least anyway. I think there’s something about, even if he is going back to Old Town, there’s still a sensitivity there. And they have a deep respect for each other. I think their dynamic is one to look out for, and one that means a lot to Daeron.

This interview has been edited and condensed.