(Warning: the below has spoilers from House of the Dragon.)
It wouldn't be a royal wedding in Westeros without a little bloodshed.
Following in the footsteps of Game of Thrones' Red and Purple Weddings, House of the Dragon's Sept. 18 episode featured its own royally bloody wedding. Surprisingly, the chaos at the rehearsal dinner for Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) and Ser Laenor Velaryon (Theo Nate) was not caused by Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), Rhaenyra's uncle who was disinherited and has an uncomfortable fixation on the princess.
Instead, the drama at hand was brought about by Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), Rhaenyra's lover and sworn protector. So, who exactly did Ser Criston kill? Ser Joffrey Lonmouth (Solly McLeod).
But, before we jump into the brutal face-off, let us explain how the two knights ended up in this position.
Earlier in the episode, Queen Alicent (Emily Carey), Rhaenyra's former best friend and current stepmother, interrogated Ser Criston about the rumor that Rhaenyra was spotted being intimate with her uncle in a brothel. However, Ser Criston didn't realize that Alicent was asking about Daemon and went on to admit that he himself had slept with the princess, breaking his vow as a member of the Kingsguard.
Ser Criston was ready to die for his actions—as he previously proposed to Rhaenyra, who had rejected his offer. (FYI, Ser Criston was very offended by Rhaenyra's counteroffer that they keep sleeping together since she and her new fiancé had an "understanding.")
Upon Ser Criston's admission, the infuriated queen, who believed Rhaenyra when the princess defended that she was a virgin, chose not to punish the knight. Unfortunately, this decision put the knight on edge, as it seemed that he became fearful that his liaison with Rhaenyra would get out.
So, when Ser Joffrey—Ser Laenor's lover—approached Ser Criston and made it clear that he knew about the knight and the princess, all hell broke loose. Specifically, when everyone was celebrating the upcoming nuptials between Rhaenyra and Ser Laenor on the dance floor, a violent fight broke out, which resulted in Ser Criston bashing Ser Joffrey's face in.
The events of the evening seemingly sped up Rhaenyra and Laenor's nuptials, as they married in an intimate ceremony in front of just their family.
Of course, the fight wasn't the only drama during the episode. Not only did Alicent arrive late to the feast, but she also wore her house's war color, proving that she was putting her own interests above House Targaryen's. The king's health also worsened—and his condition looked a lot like greyscale.
We can only imagine what comes next!
New episodes of House of the Dragon arrive Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.