House of the Dragon: Season 3 Episode 4 ‘‘Tumbleton’ explained

*Warning: Major spoilers ahead*

The Hightower army occupies the undefended trading town of Tumbleton, with soldiers moving into the homes of residents despite their protests. Among them is Garrick of Whitegrove, who moves into a family home and makes suggestive comments towards a young woman living there.

Lord and Lady Footly are also annoyed, with Lord Ormund and his men – including his ward Daeron Targaryen – making themselves at home in their ancestral home. Ormund dismisses their protests, claiming that, as they swore themselves to Rhaenyra, he could kill them for treason.

When Lady Footly continues to assert Rhaenyra is the true queen, Ormund questions whether she is, or just a “b***h with a dragon”, before saying he’s tasked with “restoring the rightful line” to the throne, and warns them to remain on good behaviour. Daeron, witnessing the exchange, is clearly uncomfortable.

A raven from Storm’s End reveals the Baratheons are still keeping out of the fight, despite Aemond being betrothed to one of his daughters. Ormund is warned that if Aemond doesn’t arrive with Vhagar soon, they will be largely open to attack.

In King’s Landing, Rhaenyra questions with her council why Ormund would take a poorly-defended market town like Tumbleton, especially since it leaves him so open. She questions if it’s a deliberate attempt to win their favour, knowing an attack will cause considerable collateral damage.

Grand Maester Orwyle suggests sending men to Tumbleton rather than a dragon, rooting out the Hightower supporters house-to-house. She’s impressed by the suggestion, and Rhaenyra allows him to maintain his position of Grand Maester on her Small Council.

Mysaria is now officially her Mistress of Whispers, with Corlys as her Hand – although he’s currently notable by his absence. Mysaria suggests recruiting a Master of Coin, who might be used as a scapegoat for the crown’s dwindling finances (with the treasury still unlocated). Rhaenyra suggests Ser Torren Manderly, who intrigued her after the Feast of Rats, (him being the one Lord that appeared to find humour in it, but questioned how long before the smallfolk turned the blame on the Queen for causing their famine with her blockade of the capital).

To find out more information about Ormund, Rhaenyra reaches out to Alicent. Despite being cousins and sending Daeron to him, she knows little about him. Only that he has reportedly been “fatherly” to Daeron.

When Rhaenyra asks why she sent Daeron away, and if it was difficult, Alicent reveals it was her idea, because she wanted him to be raised like a Hightower after having three Targaryens. One thing stands out in her memory... he has a strong sensitivity to smells and odours.

When Corlys receives a request for his presence from the Queen, he rejects it, still bitter from her refusal to legitimise Alyn and Addam, and also feeling his services are better suited tracing down the remaining Triarchy raiders that reached the shore. Instead, he sends Alyn in his place, considering it a “chance for him to better himself”. Alyn reluctantly agrees but warns his father that “anger is not something that can be ended with a blade”. Corlyn leaves the city with a small retinue of soldiers.

When Alyn gives his father’s message Rhaenyra, she sees through his excuse. Alyn notes that his father possibly needs a fight after losing so much.

In return, Rhaenyra shows him the model her father Viserys made of Old Valyria, and the pair bond as she comments that fathers “have the capability to both inspire and incense”. When she comments about the rats taking over the city due to the lack of ratcatchers, Alyn notes they solved that on the boats by having cats.

Hugh Hammer later visits Rhaenyra, requesting he take over Ulf’s position to keep watch over Tumbleton. As he has his family there, she’s hesitant, but he insists upin it, as it would mean he would keep a better eye on them. She reletns, and ask they share the responsibility.

In the forest by Rook’s Rest, Aegon and Larys reach the body of Sunfyre, who still lies where he fell from the battle. Heartbroken Aegon hugs his beloved dragon, while Larys is accosted by a man in the woods who charges them for approaching the dragon.

Larys is distracted when Aegon reveals his belief that Sunfyre is actually still alive. Holding on to his body, Aegon begs the dragon to wake up. When he doesn’t, Larys has to remove him. The mood of the men camping by the dragon begins to change as they realise Larys has some coin, and he is only able to prevent being mugged by claiming to be a Septon. He everntually convinces Aegon to look for shelter in Rook’s Rest.

As they arrive, things are dire, with graverobbers on the battlefields and the decaying body of Meleys still embedded in the castle wall. Two men believe them to be Riverfolk, but Larys manages to come up with a cover, claiming they have been made homeless after Aemond burned down Sharp Point, using Aegon’s scars as proof and renaming him Gregor.

The men allow them to stay – but only if they’re willing to be put to work. Aegon is less than happy at doing menial jobs to maintain a low profile – being sent round the remains of the town to collect human waste with Tangletongue, a simple, but amiable man so-called for his stutter.

Larys, however, considers their position fortunate, as he’s finding out what is happening amongst the smallfolk and gets word of what’s going on back in King’s Landing – including Rhaenyra’s declaring that Aegon is dead.

Aegon finishes a shift only to find he and Tangletongue will not be receiving any rations that day. He angrily confronts the camp leader – forgetting for a moment that he is no longer the King. In return, he is threatened with his blade and forced to kiss his filthy boots.

Ser Criston and Ser Gwayne arrive with the Hightower army at Harrenhal, and run into Alys Rivers, who inform them that the castellan Simon Strong, and all his successors, have been slain. She claims Aemond fled with Vhagar after the seizure of King’s Landing – information that is new to both Ser Gwayne and Ser Criston.

When their men discover an abandoned dragon’s nest, it seems to support her claims, leaving Ser Gwayne seething. He suggests sending word to Ormund in Tumbleton that they intend to join them there instead and make some use of themselves.

But Criston refuses the request. Instead, he intends to wait and fight Daemon’s army as they approach, despite being massively outnumbered.

In Tumbleton, things are still looking bad for the local families, with Hightower soldier Garrick trying to force himself upon his lodging family’s daughter. When her mother steps in, he breaks her arm, and her husband is grabbed and beaten by other Hightower soldiers when he strikes Garrick in his sister’s defence.

They’re later presented to Lord and Lady Footly, as well as Lord Ormund, with Garrick denying everything, claiming the attack was from the family supporting Rhaenyra. Lord Ormund rules in support of the family, sending Garrick to be gelded (castrated) and to have his own arm broken. He tells Daeron it’s important to keep order

But when Ormund receives a message from Ser Gwayne that Aemond has fled Harrenhal, Daeron quickly has to get the messenger out of the room before his uncle throws a furious fit, drawing his sword and striking an ornate table repeatedly. Calming down, he adjusts his plan.

In King’s Landing, problems continue to arise, as Ulf discovers someone is graffitiing the walls declaring Rhaenyra the “Queen of Bastards”. He returns to his beloved tavern, where receives a hero’s welcome. However, with his new status, everyone believes the drinks are on him – to his chagrin.

Rhaenyra goes to Orwyle to ask for information about the Hightowers, and how much power they hold over the Faith. Orwyle notes the Hightowers are as entangled as Dragons are to Targaryens, but hold no more power.

When she considers having the High Septon removed from his position after refusing to coronate her, he says doing so would incite the faith and the faithful… unless she did it “more permanently”. She jokes she never thought him so bloodthirsty but declines the suggestion.

She does however, want to know correspondence between the High Sept and Ormund in the time since her father’s death, though later discovers that, while Otto sent multiple letters to Ormund, they were never returned, adding to the confusion.

Ulf later visits Rhaenyra to petition for a string of requests on behalf of his friends from the bar (exemption from taxes, pardoning crimes etc). When she refuses, and bans him from frequenting the tavern again, he pettily shares the stirring of the smallfolk, and what she’s been nicknamed by protestors. This hits a nerve, and she commands the Gold Cloaks to remove the markings and find those responsible.

Daemon sees Lady Arryn in the Vale to request tithes for the crown, but their meeting is a frosty one. She remains furious that she was tricked with dragon’s eggs rather than an actual dragon, and she still suspects he had a hand in his first wife, Lady Rhea Royce’s death. She eventually relents, knowing that to pay would secure his swift exit. As Daemon loads his saddle and prepares to fly back to the capital, something unsetlles his dragon Caraxes. It takes flight, but disobeys its rider and heads in the wrong direction.

Landing at the opening of a cave in the mountains of the Vale, Daemon realises there’s a dragon inside and draws his sword. He demands whoever is inside to reveal itself, and is shocked to discover his daughter Rhaena, who appears dishevelled and malnourished, realising she has been sharing the cave with the wild dragon Sheepstealer – last seen attacking Jace at the Battle of the Gullet.

He quickly realises why she’s hiding, and what she’s done. He’s equally devastated and furious at her for abandoning her younger siblings in Pentos, and demands she head there. But she refuses to leave Sheepstealer, and says until she claimed him she felt alone and pitied - the least valuable of his children for not having a dragon.

His suggestion to return to King’s Landing also falls short, as Rhaena knows she can’t stand before Rhaenyra after what happened to Jace. She wants to remain in exile as her penance and asks him to keep her location a secret. Before he has a chance to say anything, she flies off on Sheepstealer, which is witnessed by a nearby farmer.

When Daemon returns to King’s Landing, he brings Rhaenyra the farmer’s badly burned head and claims he’s the rider of Sheepstealer. She’s devastated, and demands answers about who the head is, who they served, and where the dragon is now, admitting she wanted to be the one to serve justice. Daemon claims that, as a wild dragon, Sheepstealer fled, and is unlikely to be seen again.

As he leaves, Mysaria also questions him about the head, knowing he’s lying.

In her chambers, Alicent and Helaena get a surprise visit from Rhaenyra, who assures them that Otto’s body would be sent to Oldtown as she requested, and gives her Otto’s ring. As they settle for the night, Alicent notices Helaena’s stomach has grown – she’s pregnant again, but who is the father?

At Tumbleton, the townspeople are shocked by the sudden arrival of a dragon – it’s Hugh onboard Vermithor, ready to keep an eye on what plays out, while in King’s Landing, the Gold Gloaks brutalise the smallfolk at random as they search for answers on behalf of Rhaenyra.

Daeron tends to his dragon, a small beast named Tessarion, when he’s visited by Ormund. He claims, under his own faith, that Daeron has a “divine purpose” to become the new King of the Seven Kingdoms because it will restore the ancient rule as “the will of the Gods”.

Ormund believes Hightowers to be superior to Targaryens, believing them to be “brutes” undeserving of the Iron Throne and their dragons aberrations of the natural order. While Daeron is half-Targaryen, he’s been raised among the faith and the Hightowers, so has potential to bring them to greatness.

Daeron is horrified at the suggestion he should betray his brothers, and even more so when Ormund brings forth the man who attacked Garrick and demands he kill him. Daeron says mercy is a kingly virtue, and he was only defending his wife and daughter, but Ormund tells him that by attacking a Hightower soldier, he attacked the name of the family and needs to be served punishment.

Despite his better feelings on the matter, Daeron eventually succumbs to the pressure of his father figure and kills the man. Tessarion then burns the body and eats him. Ormund revels as he puts his new plan into action.