History Characters / HouseOfTheDragonGreens

* EvilVirtues: Capable of love, very brave and higly resourceful.

[[Characters/GameOfThronesWesteros The Seven Kingdoms of Westeros]] | [[Characters/HouseOfTheDragonBlacks Blacks]] ([[Characters/HouseOfTheDragonDaemonTargaryen Daemon Targaryen]]) | '''Greens''' ([[Characters/HouseOfTheDragonAlicentHightower Alicent Hightower]]) | [[Characters/HouseOfTheDragonHousesOfWesteros Houses of Westeros]] ([[Characters/HouseOfTheDragonHouseTargaryen House Targaryen]] [[[Characters/HouseOfTheDragonViserysTargaryen Viserys Targaryen]]] | [[Characters/HouseOfTheDragonHouseVelaryon House Velaryon]]) | [[Characters/HouseOfTheDragonOthers Others]] | [[Characters/HouseOfTheDragonDragons Dragons]] ]]]]-]

[[quoteright:300: //https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aegon_ii_6.png]]

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[[quoteright:300:https://https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aegon_ii_6.png]]

[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see young Aegon]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlcsnap_2022_09_30_15h10m05s133.png''"My opponent sues for mercy!"''[[/labelnote]]]]

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aegonii.png]]

[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see young Aegon]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aegon_ii_6.png''"My opponent sues for mercy!"''[[/labelnote]]]]

[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see young Aegon]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlcsnap_2022_09_30_15h10m05s133.png ''"My opponent sues for mercy!"''[[/labelnote]]]]

* SkilledButNaive: Upon reaching adulthood, he's become a skilled swordsman and an accomplished dragonrider. But he's never experienced any real combat outside of sparring sessions with Criston Cole, and even less with Vhagar. His assumption that he'd be able to control Vhagar after taming her ends up biting him [[spoiler:his attempt at a cruel prank results in the old dragon defying his orders by devouring Luke and Arrax.]]

* FatalFlaw: It's hard for Aemond to swallow his pride. He ''can'' -- at the end of "Driftmark" he urges his mom to stop trying to avenge him; at the end of "The Lord of the Tides" he backs down rather than fight Daemon. But Aemond only does this when it's clear he stands no chance of winning. In moments when he feels powerful -- namely when he's got Vhagar backing him -- he will recklessly antagonize people to demonstrate his strength, often in self-defeating ways. When the Black kids pick a fight with Aemond in "Driftmark", he refuses to back down and gives as good as he's getting -- and gets maimed. He picks a fight during dinner in "The Lord of the Tides", ruining any goodwill that was building. When he has a chance for revenge against Luke in "The Black Queen", he goes for it -- and looses control of Vhagar and accidently ignites a war.

** Larys and Criston, Alicent's mad dogs. Both have a track record of unhinged murder (Joffrey Lonmouth and the Harrenhal fire). Alicent just barely has both men on a leash, and they sometimes act out of turn and kill people for her sake when she didn't want that, leaving her appalled and exhausted (Harrenhal and Beesbury). Both think they're her most special boy, her most important ally. Both have a thing for her and she maneuvers both in a way that has a sexual component but stops short of actual sex. Beyond that, the men are quite different. One's Mr. IKissYourHand, and the other's Mr. IKissYourFoot. They're BrainsAndBrawn. Criston serves Alicent publicly, and Larys covertly. Criston really ''wants'' to be a KnightInShiningArmor, but his anger often gets the better of him, though he regrets it later. Larys is even-tempered and always seems in possession of himself, has no high ideals nor boundaries, and never shows regret for his misdeeds. Criston wants a CourtlyLove thing where he serves his lady and loves her at a respectful distance. Larys wants to [[FetishesAreWeird jerk off while looking at Alicent's feet]]. Alicent may or may not have feelings for Criston, but she at least plays it like she does because if he thought he was making her uncomfortable that would be a no-go for him. Alicent is obviously viscerally uncomfortable with Larys's attentions, and he likes that. Criston is staunchly loyal to Alicent and wants to please her. Larys is only loyal to Larys.

** Larys and Criston, Alicent's mad dogs. Both have a track record of unhinged murder (Joffrey Lonmouth and the Harrenhal fire). Alicent just barely has both men on a leash, and they sometimes act out of turn and kill people for her sake when she didn't want that, leaving her appalled and exhausted (Harrenhal and Beesbury). Both think they're her most special boy, her most important ally. Both have a thing for her and she maneuvers both in a way that has a sexual component but stops short of actual sex. Beyond that, the men are quite different. Criston serves Alicent publicly, and Larys covertly. Criston really ''wants'' to be a KnightInShiningArmor, but his anger often gets the better of him, though he regrets it later. Larys is even-tempered and always seems in possession of himself, has no high ideals nor boundaries, and never shows regret for his misdeeds. Criston wants a CourtlyLove thing where he serves his lady and loves her at a respectful distance. Larys wants to [[FetishesAreWeird jerk off while looking at Alicent's feet]]. Alicent may or may not have feelings for Criston, but she at least plays it like she does because if he thought he was making her uncomfortable that would be a no-go for him. Alicent is obviously viscerally uncomfortable with Larys's attentions, and he likes that. Criston is staunchly loyal to Alicent and wants to please her. Larys is only loyal to Larys.

* TookALevelInJerkass: [[spoiler: After the 10-year time skip between episodes 1.05 and 1.06, whatever love and loyalty he once had for Rhaenyra is completely gone, leaving only resentment toward her, [[OpenSecret her lover]], and her children. The viewers don't get to see what brought about this change, but considering his shift in loyalty to Alicent and how they speak of her, with him in particular referring to Rhaenyra as a "spoiled cunt", it's likely that he adopted the same view of Rhaenyra that Alicent gained when Criston first confessed to her about taking Rhaenyra's maidenhood.]]

* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: Prequel, but Criston helps highlight the contrast to the foremost Kingsguard character featured in ''Series/GameOfThrones'', Ser Jaime Lannister.
** Jaime is the firstborn son of House Lannister, anointed Kingsguard to spite his father Lord Tywin (and turning him into Aerys II's glorified hostage). Criston is born to a far lowlier-steward of the Dondarrions of the Stormlands, and his appointment was the highest honor any Cole ever received so far.
** Jaime is a HollywoodAtheist, but at the same time, his relationship with Cersei takes on many [[LoveIsLikeReligion religious dimensions]] -- its metaphysical belief of "one person in two bodies"; its prophesy of dying together. Criston leans hard into the Faith of the Seven after turning over himself as Alicent's loyal knight, but that religiosity is very much centered around Alicent herself. Outwardly, Jaime and Criston look like religious opposites -- the atheist and the pious man of the Seven. But really, both men's spiritual lives boil down to an all-consuming fixation on their queen, which is thought of in a way that integrates the iconography of the Seven ("Why would Cersei need the Warrior? She has me." "All women [read: Alicent] are the image of the Mother.").
** Both started out their knighthood in feats of derring-do: Jaime for his involvement against the Kingswood Brotherhood, and Criston for both campaigning against the Dornish and the Tourney of the Heir.
** Jaime was defined by his SingleTargetSexuality for his sister Cersei--and it complicated his honor, loyalties and Kingsguard vows throughout his life. Criston, for his part, sought to live as a more straightforward KnightInShiningArmor--but was [[spoiler:reduced to being a more bitter and spiteful man following [[RomanticFalseLead Rhaenyra's seduction-then-rejection]], and his subsequent devotion as [[TheBrute Alicent's primary sworn sword]]]].
** Within the Kingsguard, both are specifically the queen's right-hand man. Jaime carries on a torrid decades-long affair with Cersei. Criston, inversely, caries feelings for his queen but keeps them rigidly proper within the chaste, unspoken frame of CourtlyLove.
** Because Jaime looks like (and ''is'') the father of the royal children, Cersei prohibits him from acting fatherly towards them, lest anyone suspect. Because appearance makes the paternity of Alicent's children so clearly ''not'' Criston, he's free to act very fatherly toward them while arousing little suspension.
** Jaime was prevented from winning any glory during the War of Five Kings (due to being captured, maimed, and forced to wander). He doesn't even do much leading until King Tommen dismisses him and sends him as a Lannister commander to the Riverlands. Criston, in contrast, is a central player since the leadup to the Dance of the Dragons, both for training Princes Aegon II and Aemond in warfare and [[spoiler:disposing of potential enemies like Lyman Beesbury]].
** Both broke their Kingsguard oaths and this has played a very defining moment in their life. Jaime [[ThenLetMeBeEvil embraced and played up]] his image as a nefarious rogue to cover his deep-seated insecurity and self-loathing. By contrast, Criston doubles down on trying to be his ideal of an honorable knight, to a violent and obsessive degree.
** Jaime impulsively killed an incompetent Targaryen king. Criston -- for all that he's known for having difficulty restraining his temper -- does not, even though he spends a lot of time looking at Viserys with disgust.
** There are similarities in the connection between Alicent and Criston, and the connection between Jaime and Brienne. A young knight starts out having a sense of duty and honour, and truly believing in it. Then -- thanks to life at court and Targaryen nonsense -- he becomes more and more cynical and angry. Then he meets a woman who reinvigorates his principles, and he once again puts some stock in his knightly ideals.
** Another character he contrasts with is Jorah Mormont, being a sworn sword to a Targaryen princess whom they [[BodyguardCrush possess romantic feelings for]]. But while Jorah's feelings for Daenerys are completely unrequited, Rhaenyra does express attraction to Criston, but only as a lover and not a potential suitor due to his low social standing. Jorah initially came under Daenerys' service as a spy for Varys but genuinely became loyal to her, whereas Criston genuinely served Rhaenyra only to turn against her once his feelings were spurned and his honor tainted. Their social positions also contrast with each other's. Jorah was a knight from a reputable noble house who fell out of favor for being a slaver, while Criston was a lowborn knight who ascended the social ladder as a Kingsguard and a confidant of Queen Alicent.

* DrillSergeantNasty: Criston trains all the young princes -- Aegon, Aemond, Jace, and Luke. He's harsh with Rhaenyra's children, though he isn't with Alicent's. JustifiedTrope -- he ''doesn't'' think this a productive training method to make them stronger. He's just doing it because he wants RevengeByProxy on their mother, so them being badly humiliated and only minimally trained is ''deliberate''.

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: He makes two different attempts in episode 1.05. The first time is when he confesses to Alicent that he took Rhaenyra's maidenhood, a confession that would surely have ended in death should have confessed to anyone else, and outright ''asks'' her to execute him though mercifully if she sees fit. The second attempt came after his brutal murder of Joffrey Lonmouth, as he's seen in the courtyard ready to stab himself in the gut, only to once again be saved by Alicent via InterruptedSuicide.]]
* EasilyForgiven:

** Harwin and Criston, Rhaenyra's guards-turned-lovers. At first glace they have enough similarities to suggest that maybe Rhaenyra HasAType -- both tall brunets, famed as formidable fighters, Criston as a Kingsguard and Harwin as commander of the City Watch. [[spoiler: They face radically different risks by being romanced by Rhaenyra. Criston is lowborn, with no family at court, and would be exceptionally vulnerable if the relationship were revealed, facing torture and execution. Harwin is highborn, and his father is Hand of the King, giving him an unprecedented level protection to the point where he can have an OpenSecret affair for almost a decade. Both men have a temper, and when someone makes a remark about their relationship with Rhaenyra, they beat that man bloody in full view of everyone -- Criston to Joffrey, and Harwin to Criston -- costing them their current position. Harwin and Criston both have princely wards they act very paternally toward, in a way that could raise some suspicions about their relationship with said boys' mothers. Harwin looks like Jace and Luke, making the situation dangerous for their family. Criston looks nothing like Aegon and Aemond, making it clear he's just PlatonicCoParenting.]]
** Each faction's queen is part of a LadyAndKnight dyad, and Criston and Daemon are the respective knights. They're violent knights at that, eager to shed blood on their ladies' behalves. They are also [[ParentalSubstitute father figures]] to their lady's children. In the an-eye-for-an-eye scene specifically, the camera's juxtaposes them. Where they diverge is that Criston is completely Alicent's man. He's not the perfect KnightInShiningArmor, but he ''wants'' to be, be wants to please and obey his lady. He is impulsive and has been known to act out of turn (such as drawing his sword on Westerling), but Alicent need only say a word and he'll get back in line. Daemon, conversely, is a WildCard ByronicHero who will willfully defy his queen (such as planning a war) and even hurt her.

* InterruptedSuicide: Sometime after [[spoiler: beating Ser Joffrey Lonmouth to death at the wedding, he heads out to the Godswood and prepares to commit suicide. It's not established what suicide means in a Westerosi cultural context, but as a trope it's clearly {{Seppuku}}: a dishonored warrior who wishes to at least preserve some honor in death; garbed in white; a blade to be rammed into the stomach. Before he can carry it out, he is interrupted by Queen Alicent's arrival.]]

** As a member of the Kingsguard and a noblewoman's sworn sword, the entire job description is to take a VowOfCelibacy (insuring he has unfulfilled longings) and then acting rather like a partner (loyal protector, supporter, confidant, and companion) to a beautiful lady he's encouraged to idealize. Under those circumstances, a sworn sword developing feelings for his liege lady is ''not surprising'' -- the situation is practically designed to invoke BodyguardCrush. Considering any amorous conduct between the two is ''strictly forbidden'', who thought this was a good idea?

* LastNameBasis: Alicent calls him "Ser Criston." They make an overt effort to be relentlessly proper with each other, and the titles are part of that. In contrast, Aemond calls him "Cole." The surname is more casual; the lack of title sidesteps the power hierarchy (as an adult prince, in theory Criston must obey Aemond -- but what we see instead is Aemond taking orders from Criston). There's also something vaguely bro-ish and masculine about surnames, fitting for Aemond's relationship with his primary male role-model.

-->'''[[https://web.archive.org/web/20221104081741/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/17/arts/television/house-of-the-dragon-fabien-frankel.html Fabien Frankel]] (WordOfSaintPaul):''' Criston sees Aemond in himself, and himself in Aemond. Ewan and I talked a lot about that. He and I would spend a lot of time together, walking around Spain together, discussing this relationship. There’s a real closeness between them.[[invoked]]

* ShipTease: The latter half of season 1 plays up the relationship between Ser Criston and Alicent, especially since they've only grown close in the years since they've been estranged from Rhaenyra. They have a LadyAndKnight CourtlyLove thing. He's a [[PlatonicCoParenting father figure]] for her children. This is only aided by the facts that Alicent is clearly not in love with Viserys and Viserys is more emotionally invested in Rhaenyra than in his children by Alicent.

* AdaptationalVillainy: [[spoiler:In the book, Criston kills Joffrey in a tourney, which ''is'' bad, but -- as established in episode 1.01 -- such things ''have'' been known to happen during tourneys. In a tourney Joffrey would at least be on guard and prepared to defend himself.[[note]]It's left ambiguous as to whether Criston deliberately killed Joffrey to spite Rhaenyra and the tourney was a convenient cover-up.[[/note]] In the show, Criston kills Joffrey in the middle of a wedding feast.]]

* ChildOfTwoWorlds: {{Implied|Trope}}. He's a Stormlander, but his appearance marks him as being of Dornish blood. He has the TallDarkAndHandsome looks of a classic ForeignFanservice lothario, and while it's not stated outright, it may have been an element in [[spoiler: Rhaenyra propositioning him and then asking him to be her paramour.]]

* ForeignFanservice: Of the DashingHispanic type specifically. It's an ImpliedTrope as well as a SubvertedTrope. His TallDarkAndHandsome looks immediately marks him as Dornish. Rhaenyra's treatment of Criston is in keeping with stereotypes about Dornishmen--she expects him to be sexually available and fine with paramours. But Criston doesn't fit her expectations. He's actually pretty sexually conservative. He takes his VowOfCelibacy seriously and has a lot of guilt about breaking it; he thinks marriage is the only thing that could legitimize their sexual relationship and is offended by her suggestion that he be her paramour. He's not even really Dornish--he may have Dornish blood, but he grew up in the Stormlands and got his knighthood fighting ''against'' the Dornish incursion. Culturally, he's an Andal.

* ConflictingLoyalty: A common conflict for knights in this world. Criston is a member of the Kingsguard, and as Alicent's sworn sword he has sworn vows to her specifically. When Alicent asks him to take Lucerys's eye, he refuses. ''Why'' is an AmbiguousSituation, but ''something'' is clearly butting up against his obedience of his lady. Are his Kingsguard duties coming before his sworn sword duties? Is his duty to protect Alicent coming before his duty to obey her?

* MoralMyopia: Gloats in Rhaena's face that he claimed Vhagar before she could, and suggests that she get a pig instead. This is despite Rhaena suffering from similar angst as Aemond did when her egg failed to hatch, and having nothing to do with the Pink Dread prank the boys pulled on Aemond.

** When Rhaenys bursts into Aegon's coronation on dragonback, Otto is seen screaming at the Kingsguard to open the Dragonpit's doors so that the smallfolk in attendance have a chance to escape. While there is certainly a pragmatic reason for this (not wanting massive casualties at his grandson's coronation), the fact that Otto seems to be the only one concerned counts for something.

* AgeLift: The character is implied to be younger than in the books, where he was born in 81AC, which would make him almost 50 years old by the end of season 1. Allowing some casting-age tolerance, his actor Fabien Frankel was 28 while filming it so it's reasonable to assume the character is in his late 30s to early 40s.

* AdaptationalExplanation: Cole's falling out with Rhaenyra is not explained in depth in the book, though it's the subject of much speculation by the sources involved.

** Another character he contrasts with is Jorah Mormont, being a sworn sword to a Targaryen princess whom they [[BodyguardCrush possess romantic feelings for]]. But while Jorah's feelings for Daenerys are completely unrequited, Rhaenyra does express attraction to Criston, but only as a lover and not a potential suitor due to his low social standing. Jorah initially came under Daenerys' service as a spy for Varys but genuinely became loyal to her, whereas Criston genuinely served Rhaenyra only to turn against her once his feelings were spurned and his honor tainted. Their social positions also contrast with each other's. Jorah was a knight from a noble house who fell out of favor for being a slaver, while Criston was a lowborn knight who ascended the social ladder as a Kingsguard and a confidant of Queen Alicent.

* UndyingLoyalty: Alicent [[IOweYouMyLife saved his life]] and granted him a second chance at being a true knight. For this, Criston is ''fiercely'' loyal to her. [[spoiler: When Lord Beesbury makes remarks that could be construed as insults to her, Cole flies into a rage and slams his face into Beesbury's small council tabletop sphere, smashing his skull. Criston seems momentarily unsettled, but quickly justifies it as defending his queens honor. Only Alicent's pleas stop him from dueling Lord Commander Westerling to the death over it.]]

* UptownGirl: Played with. Because of Rhaenyra's RebelliousPrincess complaining, Criston expected Rhaenyra to be at least open to the ''possibility'' of eloping, regardless of the crass contrast of their social positions. He didn't understand that her complains were basically empty gripes, and Rhaenyra would not abandon her position just to be with him. She's aware that it's too important for her to set it aside for what she considers a fling.

-->'''[[https://web.archive.org/web/20221104081741/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/17/arts/television/house-of-the-dragon-fabien-frankel.html Fabien Frankel]] (WordOfSaintPaul):''' Criston sees Aemond in himself, and himself in Aemond. Ewan and I talked a lot about that. He and I would spend a lot of time together, walking around Spain together, discussing this relationship. There’s a real closeness between them.

* KissingCousins: As an attempt at reconciliation, Rhaenyra offered to marry her son Jace to her, as a way to bridge the rift between her and Alicent. The Queen would have none of it and quickly betrothed her to her eldest brother, Aegon.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Seems to be a stand-in for Patchface, who was AdaptedOut from the original ''Game of Thrones'' series. Like Patchface, she seems to possess the ability to see the future, with their ramblings foreshadowing major events that are to come. But because of their odd social behaviour and how obscure their ramblings tend to be, nobody takes them seriously.

--->'''Criston:''' ''[tears in his eyes]'' I've soiled my white cloak, and it's the only thing I have to my ''fucking name!''

-->[[https://web.archive.org/web/20221104081741/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/17/arts/television/house-of-the-dragon-fabien-frankel.html Fabien Frankel (WordOfSaintPaul):''' Criston sees Aemond in himself, and himself in Aemond. Ewan and I talked a lot about that. He and I would spend a lot of time together, walking around Spain together, discussing this relationship. There’s a real closeness between them.
* PrecisionFStrike: He describes his white cloak as "the only thing (he) has to (his) fucking name." He later calls [[spoiler:Rhaenyra]] a "spoiled [[CountryMatters cunt]]."

-->'''Aegon''': We know, father. ''Everyone knows.'' Just look at them...

* CompositeCharacter: The Hightower-Targaryen siblings' characteristics and dynamics in the show bear similarities to Aegon IV the Unworthy and his siblings from the books. Fittingly enough, they all have a father who is named Viserys.
** While Aegon II in the books is already pretty similar to Aegon IV in that they were both lecherous drunks, the show version of Aegon II is also stuck in an unhappy marriage with a sister who he disdains, much like Aegon IV's relationship with his sister-wife Naerys.
** Aemond is similar to Aemon the Dragonknight in that they both started as underdogs who were bullied by their older brothers in their youth, only to surpass their elder sibling as they grew up, becoming formidable fighters in their own right. And much like Aemon, Aemond is characterised as TheDutifulSon who is fiercely protective of his sister, a far cry from the vicious BloodKnight he was in the books.
** Helaena is characterised as being socially awkward and withdrawn like Naerys, as opposed to the pleasant and happy woman that she was in the books.

* HairstyleInertia: Has the same hairstyle as an (albeit teenaged) wife and mother that she does as an adolescent, unlike her brothers.

!!Ser Otto Hightower

%%[[caption-width-right:300:some caption text]]

* ColorCodedCharacters: Averted to a certain extent. Unlike her brothers who wear Hightower Green all the time, Helaena on the other hand wore Hightower Green for Laena Velaryon's funeral [[spoiler:and Aegon's coronation]]. The rest of the time she is shown wearing dresses of different colors like pink, yellow/gold/mustard, and blue. It reflects her status as the WhiteSheep of the Greens who is for the most part oblivious to the looming conflict between both families.