Gwayne was launched as a knight within the king’s match again within the first-ever episode of “HotD,” picked to joust towards Prince Daemon (Matt Smith). We do not get to see a lot of his face, however we do get to see him knocked off his horse and face-planting into the mud. It is not Gwayne’s most interesting hour as a younger knight, however not less than he lived to inform the story.
This look is straightforward to overlook, seeing because the scene is much less about Gwayne himself and extra about foreshadowing the divisions between the Hightowers and the Targaryens. Though younger Rhaenyra and Alicent are each pleasant and supportive of one another all through the match, there’s nonetheless an underlying rigidity on account of how Rhaenyra is rooting for her uncle Daemon, whereas Alicent is rooting for her brother Gwayne. The truth that Daemon’s a complete jerk at this level, displaying zero concern over probably killing his opponents, solely makes factor worse.
The scene’s most memorable second is when Daemon asks Alicent for her blessing after he unhorses Gwayne. Alicent clearly would not like him, however she performs good and presents him flowers anyway. Otto appears upset in her for this, and Alicent appears to know she’s let him down. It will be one other few years earlier than Alicent and Rhaenyra turn into enemies, however right here you might already see the rivalry brewing.
