History Characters / HouseOfTheDragonHousesOfWesteros

* {{Foil}}: 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 is TallDarkAndHandsome, while Larys is disabled and weedy looking. 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.

%% Despite being the son of the new Hand of the King, Lord Lyonel, he seems quite more aligned with the politics of Otto Hightower -- and is slowly ingratiating himself to Alicent as a source of information.

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

* YoungAndInCharge: Rhaenyra mentions that he's closer to Jacaerys in term of age than hers, and hints to her oldest son that he should try to find a CommonalityConnection with Cregan due to this while he's in Winterfell.

* OutOfFocus: House Arryn's presence was limited to Queen Aemma's person (who died in the pilot episode). Jeyne Arryn is only mentioned in dialogue in the fifth and tenth episodes of Season 1.

Rhaenyra's mother, who married King Viserys I Targaryen. Her mother was also a Targaryen, younger sister of Viserys's father, making them first cousins (which [[KissingCousins isn't considered incest]] in Westeros).

** The Strong brothers are a lot like the Lannister brothers: One strong, handsome, good-with-a-sword elder son and one physically disabled, clever second son with a talent for scheming. The elder son is societally ideal, everything a man should be... and he's completely uninterested in being his father's heir. He's willing to squander the position he was born into to be the queen's [[spoiler:kept man and baby daddy]]. The second son, by contrast, ''is'' ambitious, but overlooked, setting up a scenario of "you're investing in the wrong son" irony. Cut scenes lean into this parallel even more, with Harwin -- like Jaime -- being protective of his disabled little brother, except that while Tyrion loves Jaime for it, Larys resents Harwin for it and experiences it as infantilizing.

** Primarily, he serves as one to [[spoiler: Jaime Lannister. Both of them have had three children with a married woman and committed treason while doing so, but Harwin is actually involved in his children's lives (as much as he's allowed to be) whereas Jaime is not. While Jaime is the scion of a Great House, Harwin is the heir of at best second-tier nobility.]]

* {{Foil}}: 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.

* [[Characters/HouseOfTheDragonGreens The Greens]]: Alicent Hightower, Otto Hightower, King Aegon II Targaryen, Helaena Targaryen, Aemond Targaryen.

** He has also be called a mashup of Litterfinger and Varys -- his name literally is, at least -- taking Varys's role of KnowledgeBroker. They both utilize being perceived as less masculine than most men to seem BeneathNotice.

* HotConsort: [[spoiler:He's princess Rhaenyra's lover and the father of all of her children after the 10-year timeskip]].

* WorldsStrongestMan: Has a reputation for being the strongest knight in the Seven Kingdoms. During the stag hunt, he is the only man holding down the stag without the use of a horse.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Otto and Alicent oppose Rhaenyra's succession due to tradition, law and precedent supporting trueborn younger sons over older daughters, and Rhaenyra's flagrant disregard for law and rules by passing bastards off as trueborn. They feel that for Rhaenyra to be queen, she must put Alicent's sons to death, and that her ascension will instantly cause a CivilWar. However they are willing to pursue underhanded and ruthless means by which they intend on maintaining the law, such as Alicent covering up Larys murdering his father and brother, and refusing to punish Criston Cole for murdering Joffrey Lonmouth and Lord Lyman Beesbury, so that they can be allies against Rhaenyra. Not to mention crowning Aegon even if he's the poorest fit to be king in the family.

Lords Paramount of the North.

* SwornInByOath: He pledges fealty to Rhaenyra Targaryen when she's made Crown Princess at the end of Season 1's first episode.

* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Bears some similarities to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Maurice_de_Talleyrand-P%C3%A9rigord Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Périgord]], who is best known for being France's Minister of Foreign Affairs during Napoleon's reign. Talleyrand rose to power through his nominal friendship with Napoleon and played a role in the coup that brought the French general to power, which is not unlike Larys's own ascension when he ingratiated himself with Alicent and allowed Otto Hightower to become Hand again [[spoiler:by murdering his own father and brother]]. Larys's rather nihilistic view of things even mirrors Talleyrand's cynical conduct of {{Realpolitik}}, something that Talleyrand's name would become associated with down the line.

* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Bears some similarities to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Maurice_de_Talleyrand-P%C3%A9rigord Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Périgord]], who is best known for being France's Minister of Foreign Affairs during Napoleon's reign. Like Larys, Talleyrand is the younger son of a minor aristocratic family who otherwise had little hope of climbing the social ladder, made worse by having a weak foot since he was a child. Talleyrand rose to power through his nominal friendship with Napoleon and played a role in the coup that brought the French general to power, which is not unlike Larys's own ascension when he ingratiated himself with Alicent and allowed Otto Hightower to become Hand again [[spoiler:by murdering his own father and brother]]. Larys's rather nihilistic view of things even mirrors Talleyrand's cynical conduct of {{Realpolitik}}, something that Talleyrand's name would become associated with down the line.

* SacredHospitality: As far as he's concerned, both Lucerys and Aemond are [[ShootTheMessenger simply messengers who arrived in peace and enjoy his protection]] while under his roof. When Aemond challenges Lucerys to a duel right in front of Lord Borros, he forbids the two to shed blood in his grand hall and orders them to be escorted back to their dragons.

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

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

* RespectedByTheRespected: Every time they are spoken of in Season 1 it's with a sense of deep respect.