The Greens usurp Rhaenyra's throne in House of the Dragon. As the threat of war loomed, she knew she had to secure her allies. She sent her son, Prince Jacaerys, to treat with the Vale and the North. Rhaenyra's war council opines that the Starks do not forget their oaths.
The Blacks at Dragonstone expected the Starks to keep the oath Lord Rickon Stark swore to Viserys and Rhaenyra at King's Landing. That said, they had to check whether Rickon's son, Cregan, was beholden to Rhaenyra. Before departing, Rhaenyra asked her eldest and heir, Jacaerys Velaryon, to be on their best behavior, adding that the new Lord of Winterfell, Cregan, was his age. She hoped the young men would make common cause in House of the Dragon.
House Of The Dragon: Who Is Cregan Stark?
Cregan Stark represents the Starks and the Kingdom of the North in House of the Dragon, but what kind of a leader is he in the lore?
Cregan Stark Pledges The Greybeards In House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon - Season 2 lifts the curtains on the Kingdom of the North, Winterfell, and the Wall. A Black raven flies over the territory of the North, making its way to Winterfell, and a few men from the Stark household stand in the castle's courtyard. Cregan's voiceover reasserts the Stark ideologues of duty, sacrifice, and honor. There's the crucial talk of the North owing a "great duty to the Seven Kingdoms," by guarding the Wall. The Night's Watch, as the Game of Thrones fandom recalls, is the shield that guards the realms of men and against whatever lies beyond the Wall. Cregan says:
But my ancestor, Torrhen Stark, began a tradition by making an offering at the onset of winter: one in 10 men from our household was to be chosen to fortify the Watch.
The men departed Winterfell, and traveled to the Wall, while Cregan asserted that the North must stand ready as winter was coming.
This scene cuts to Cregan and Jacaerys Velaryon at the Wall. Jace knows the ABCs of diplomacy and tactfully reminds Cregan that his ancestor - the last King in the North, Torrhen Stark, sued for peace because of the Conqueror's dragons. King Torrhen lost a kingdom by bending the knee to Aegon Targaryen and became the King who Knelt. He crossed the Trident and placed the crown of the Kings of Winter at Aegon's feet. He rose as the Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell. Torrhen had marched with 30,000 men but did not have a strategy for the Targaryen dragons. Since then, the North became one of the constituent kingdoms but certainly the most important because of Aegon's dream or the Song of Ice and Fire.
Note: The North is an independent kingdom in Game of Thrones canon.
Who Are The Greybeards In House of the Dragon?
Jace says the Greens' usurpation threatens the unity of the Seven Kingdoms. He stresses that lords mustn't forget the oaths they swore to King Viserys' rightful heir, Rhaenyra. Cregan agrees, adding:
Starks do not forget their oaths, my prince, but you must know that my gaze is forever torn between north and south.
Cregan notes that his first duty is to the Kingdom of the North and that he requires his men to stay put. As Jace overlooks the wilderness beyond the Wall, Cregan tells him that the real threat is beyond his imagination. Cregan also tells Jace that his ancestors' dragons, Vermithor and Silverwing, had refused to fly past the Wall.
My father brought King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne to see the Wall. His Grace stood at this very outlook and watched as their dragons, the greatest power in the world refused to cross it. Do you think my ancestors built a 700-foot wall of ice to keep out snow and savages?
The last thing Jace learns from Cregan is that the Wall keeps out Death. At this very moment, Cregan pledges thousands of Greybeards to Rhaenyra's cause. He calls them men "who have already seen too many winters." The Greybeards, according to Cregan, are stalwarts, battle-hardened and strong fighters. Jace accepts the seasoned Northmen to fight in his mother's name.
When Will The Greybeards Appear In House of the Dragon?
In Fire & Blood lore, the Lord of Barrowton, Roderick Dustin, marches south with two thousand Greybeards. These combatants call themselves Winter Wolves, and their descriptions and weapons are somewhat archaic by standards of lore. These seasoned, hoary warriors have ragged skin and they mount shaggy horses. They hope to win glory with axes, spiked maces, iron swords, and mauls.
Next, Jace treats with Lord Forrest Frey and Lady Sabitha Frey to secure the Twins, and by extension, the Crossing. He brings his dragon, Vermax, to their seat, and Forrest Frey complains that the Starks' army is slow. Jace needs the Crossing to get Cregan Stark's Greybeards directly into the Riverlands. Though Cregan doesn't have a role until the last stages of the Dance, the Greybeards will fight the Westermen, led by the new House of the Dragon character, Lord Humfrey Lefford, in the Battle by the Lakeshore. There's a strong chance that in House of the Dragon's finale episode, the Greybeards will use the Crossing and join the Rivermen in the Riverlands in the name of the Dragon Queen.
Why Is The North The Most Important Kingdom In House of the Dragon?
Aegon set out to conquer the Seven Kingdoms because of his powerful, prophetic dream. He dreamt of an eerie darkness riding out of the North in a terrible winter, destroying the living world. He believed a Targaryen would have to be at the helm of things to protect the living during this winter. He also believed that this Targaryen, or the Prince That Was Promised, would come from his bloodline. Aegon's Prophecy is a well-kept secret, only relayed from monarch to monarch. Viserys tells Rhaenyra about it, and she, Jace.
But before Rhaenyra tells Jace about Aegon's Song, she sends him to secure the support of the North. She agreed to send her dragons to war, not just for the throne alone, but because she was beholden to her father's words.
House of the Dragon
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- August 21, 2022
House of the Dragon is HBO's prequel series to Game of Thrones. Set hundreds of years earlier, the show follows the inner machinations and rivalries of the Targaryen royal family. The show was created by Ryan Condal and George R.R. Martin, and stars Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Rhys Ifans, and Olivia Cooke.
