Daeron Targaryen (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) has been playing by Ormund Hightower’s (James Norton) rules and realized first-hand that he’s just a pawn in his cousin’s game. (Warning: Spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 6, ahead.)

In the July 26 episode of House of the Dragon, Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox) made it to Tumbleton, much to the delight of his young nephew. The mood takes a turn when a man claiming to be Arrion Baratheon, as well as his envoy, arrive to meet and swear fealty to young Daeron, whom Ormund has declared king. Gwayne keeps a watchful eye on the situation, and when Arrion asks to see Daeron, he knows something is awry.

Ormund doesn’t hesitate to introduce Daeron, leaving the young prince vulnerable to an attack by assassins who have come to kill him and Ormund. Thankfully, Gwayne realizes this before it’s too late, swiftly taking care of the faux Baratheon hitmen and showing Daeron that Ormund doesn’t have nearly the control — over his stomach or wartime schemes — as he’s made it seem. Benjamin Evan Ainsworth spoke with TV Insider about Daeron’s brush with death, what Gwayne’s presence means to the young prince, and more.

Is Gwayne’s appearance in Tumbleton a lifeline for Daeron? 

Benjamin Evan Ainsworth: I think it’s interesting the relationships he has in his life. I feel like they’re pulling him in different directions and question who he is as a person, like the fabric of who he is. He’s Hightower and Targaryen, and he has this deep connection with Tessarion, but that contradicts the rhetoric he’s been given and taught since he was young by Ormond Hightower, who’s this chaotic figure in his life that he’s had to almost shield himself from in many ways. Gwayne is another parental figure who’s more like a brotherly uncle to him, yeah, who he can really connect with and speak eye to eye with. They’ve been on this campaign from Old Town to Tumbleton, and finally seeing this figure he can connect with and is truly earnest and honest with is certainly a lifeline, particularly as the stakes are continuing to rise in Tumbleton. He’s been called king. His face is on a coin somewhere. It’s wild.

 

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How will this assassination attempt change Daeron’s outlook on life and Ormund, who was so blinded by his pride that it nearly cost Daeron his life? 

Ainsworth: It’s a big turning point. I think the bedrock of the scene is just the tension and the rising stakes in Tumbleton. It’s gone from a game of strategy to an assassination attempt all within a few days, and so things are certainly escalating. And on top of that, Gwayne is back, and he’s the one who saves us. Yes, there’s this clash of being in such a state of being controlled by Ormond. Ormond is a figure who has become debilitated in this moment. There’s a frustration that comes with that, and a questioning of how can I be so controlled by this person and feel so stuck in the mud, yet they’re in this state throwing up right next to me. I think seeing Gwayne be there for him is a reminder of reality. It’s a new reality, but also the reality that Gwayne is a man that I respect, and as much rhetoric that has been spewed from Ormond, it’s Gwayne who’s kind of the man he really connects with.

Daeron is very earnest in wanting Gwayne to stay in Tumbleton with him. How will it impact Daeron if Gwayne leaves him?

Ainsworth: I think that’s a question he’s certainly asking himself throughout this episode and onwards. I think it’s sort of a sign that we have that scene with the assassins, and everyone’s been sort of torn open, and there are loads of questions kind of running through his head, and then the next time we see him, he’s sparring with the squires with Gwayne watching. It’s almost that he has something to prove, as well as something to just get away from as well in that moment. I think that’s him trying to come up with, or question, what do I do on my own? How do I take things into my hands? How can I protect myself when something like that happens? I think it’s certainly something that worries him that he’s not had to think about before, really, but also something that I guess he just wants to kind of be able to be himself at the core of it.

 

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Daeron doesn’t hesitate to ask Gwayne about Alicent. All of Alicent’s children, as we’ve seen, have vastly different dynamics with her. Daeron’s older siblings have obviously spent a lot more time with her. How do you view Daeron’s relationship with Alicent despite her absence and because of it? 

Ainsworth: I think because of her absence, there’s an imagination or a hope of what she may be, and something that he thinks about quite a lot. I think it’s the natural next step in the conversation with Gwayne because it’s on his mind about his family, about a kind of parental figure who is loving. I think there’s a blending of his own imagination through that, and also maybe his early childhood as well. I think his relationship with Tessarion, despite kind of rhetoric against the Targaryens and saying that his blood’s tainted and all of this, I think his connection with her gives him hope for the Targaryen family, for his family… I think there are similarities between him and Alicent, whether it be the hair, whether it be the picking of nails, those kind of things. I think I thought it would maybe just add to this sense of he’s so close to knowing her or having some kind of connection, but also so far as well.

The show is heading into the final two episodes of the season. What can you say about what’s next for Daeron? 

Ainsworth: I think that connection between Gwayne and Daeron is one to look out for, and a whole lot more questions I think come Daeron’s way towards the end of the season, which I think are exciting for his future, but also very scary as well.

Just have to point out, the chess game scene in Episode 5 between Ormund and Daeron was one of my favorite scenes of the season.

Ainsworth: It’s one of my favorites. I’m in awe of the blocking of that scene from the directors, where he stands up, he comes around behind me, puts his hands on my shoulders. That movement is more violent or almost corporal than I think any battle could be.

House of the Dragon, Season 3, Sundays, 9/8c, HBO