House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 3 includes a dramatic reveal about a place called Tumbleton, which will have ramifications for the rest of the show’s third season. Much of the installment is about as self-contained as it gets in Westeros, largely spent following Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen in the Red Keep as she has to learn to deal with the realities of ruling, and just how difficult to is to please, well, anybody, let alone everybody. However, the episode is bookeneded by a pair of pivotal scenes for what’s coming next. Warning: SPOILERS ahead.
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The beginning of the episode sees Ormund Hightower forced to surrender by Daemon Targaryen, and to hand over his squire, Daeron Targaryen – the youngest child of Alicent Hightower and Viserys Targaryen. Ormund complies with all of this, but House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 3’s ending reveals a double twist: the Daeron he sent with Daemon was a fake, and he has now made his next move, taking control of Tumbleton, but what does that mean for Rhaenyra and the future?
Where & What Is Tumbleton
Tumbleton is a market town in the Reach (the area of Westeros that House Hightower is from), located around 60 leagues, or 180 miles, southwest of King’s Landing. On its own, it is not of any real significance: it’s thriving as a market prior to the Dance of the Dragons, but it isn’t the home of a Great House, nor a location with some storied history before now. Instead, it’s the civil war that makes it particularly important. It’s ruled by House Footly, who are loyal to Rhaenyra and the Blacks, and it is strategically located near the border of the crownlands and close to the source of the river Mander.
We have already had some key mentions of Tumbleton in House of the Dragon, including Season 3, Episode 3, because Hugh the Hammer’s wife has moved there to live with her brother, having had to leave King’s Landing behind. The idea was that she’d be better off, but that is no longer the case: as we learn, the Hightower host has taken its people captive, which presumably includes Hugh’s wife, and even taken Daeron’s dragon, Tessarion, inside its walls.
What House Of The Dragon Is Setting Up At Tumbleton
Warning: Mild book spoilers ahead. As per George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, Tumbleton is the location of not one but two major battles in the Dance of the Dragons, known as, well, the First Battle of the Tumbleton and the Second. This is what House of the Dragon is ultimately building to, however, it has already made a major change. In the source material, Rhaenyra sends Hugh the Hammer and Ulf the White to Tumbleton on their dragons, Vermithor and Silverwing, because it is the last stronghold between the Hightower host and King’s Landing. Thus, they are to defend the town, and those loyal to Rhaenyra, while also destroying Daeron and Tessarion.
The show has completely flipped this on its head, with Ormund instead taking Tumbleton first. It’s a significant change: combined with the fake Daeron twist, it shows just how cunning and strategic Ormund is, and also that he is very much playing his own game. He did not need to take Tumbleton, but by doing so, he has struck a blow against the Blacks, and seems to be baiting Rhaenyra into action. Given Hugh’s wife is there, this is now presumably the motivation for him to be sent there, and what begins the First Battle of Tumbleton.
It’s a risk from Ormund given Rhaenyra’s greater strength of dragons, but as the dragonkeeper notes, it would mean burning innocent civilians and those loyal to her, which would weaken her position as queen. At the same time, so would doing nothing and allowing the Hightowers to control Tumbleton, similarly causing suffering to her people. There’s no easy answer, but it seems likely that the dragons will still be sent to deal with the situation, just in a different order, and for a slightly different reason, than in the book.
Major book SPOILERS follow from this point on.
The First Battle of Tumbleton was a major conflict, and a pivotal turning point in the Dance of the Dragons. Thousands of men gathered to defend the town – somewhere from 6,000 to 12,000 – including Roddy the Ruin and the Winter Wolves, but the Greens outnumbered them. Despite that, however, and despite Ormund’s army having the initial advantage, the Northmen were able to overcome the odds, fighting through ten times their own numbers, to reach Ormund himself, who was killed by the Ruin.
After this, Tessarion appeared on the battlefield, but this did not seem to be of concern: the Blacks had two dragons, both of them far larger and more fierce. At this point, however, Ulf and Hugh betrayed Rhaenyra, turning their dragonfire upon the Black armies and the people of Tumbleton. It was pure devastation, with most of Tumbleton reduced to ash. The truth about why Ulf and Hugh betrayed the queen is never truly known – some say cowardice, others say greed and the hope Aegon would reward them better – but it leads to a victory for the Greens, and them gaining two more dragons for the cause.
The show has laid the groundwork for some of this already: Ulf is clearly not impressed by only being made a knight, and not getting a castle, so it seems like his motivation could be quite simple. For Hugh, it seems more likely it will be related to his wife. If Rhaenyra’s actions lead to her death, then he might end up blaming her and switching sides. Whatever the cause, it seems like major things are coming at Tumbleton, and they should arrive in Season 3.
New episodes of House of the Dragon Season 3 release on Sundays at 9 pm ET on HBO and HBO Max.
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