House of the Dragon Season 2 Finale Introduces Major Organization to Story

The last episode of the season took us to a whole new setting with new characters: say hello to the Triarchy, already mentioned in season 1.

Absence of big battles, flying dragons, fire and blood… the season 2 finale of House of the Dragon frustrated more than one fan. Plus, we'll have to wait a little over two years to see the sequel! Instead of an epic final episode, we witnessed the very last decisive preparations for the war between the Black and Green camps. Because if Rhaenyra and her peers had recently shown themselves in their best light, secretly, Aemond was moving his pawns to the other side of the Narrow Sea, to Essos, in the hope of finding strong allies there. It is around this military strategy that a good part of the finale is focused. This is also how the episode begins. Ready for a little lesson in Westerosian geopolitics?

Sent by the Regent, Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) finds himself in an unknown land, surrounded by mysterious characters, in order to negotiate an alliance. But everything is not as simple as expected. To achieve this, he must first accept a single combat with the admiral of the fleet he desires. Once the fight is won, we see him at sea, at the head of an armada. These ships are on their way to Westeros and must crush the Velaryon naval fleet.

House of the Dragon Season 2: The Finale Explained

More than just mercenaries, the army negotiated by the Lannister is none other than the Triarchy. If the series does not mention it directly, readers of Fire and Blood, which the series is inspired by, recognized it at first glance. But what exactly is the Triarchy?

First a bit of history in the GRR Martin style. The Triarchy is a union of the three merchant and free cities of Essos: Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh, born in the Century of Blood, after the Scourge of Valyria. That is to say many years before the events of House of the Dragon.

The viewers of the series Game of Thrones will remember that Lys goes to war against Daenerys Targaryen when she bans the slave trade. And it is in Myr that Lord Varys, Master of Whisperers, was sold at a young age to a sorcerer who amputated his genitals during a blasphemous ritual. He will learn the ropes there before joining Westeros.

Once at war, these three cities eventually unite against Volantis, a rival city, and from this union a strong friendship is born. They merge under the name of the Kingdom of the Three Daughters – better known by the nickname of the Triarchy. Their goal is simple: to cleanse the Stepstones, a group of small islands located between Westeros and Essos, of corsairs and pirates, bad for trade between the two continents.

It is also the Triarchy's desire for this archipelago that allows us to discover them for the first time on screen in season 1 of House of the Dragon.

Daemon, tired of seeing a crown that moves away from his head, makes an alliance with Lord Corlys Velaryon to carve out a kingdom in the South of Westeros, at the Stepstone, of which he proclaims himself King of the Narrow Sea. There he fights the Triarchy and wins against the Myrian Prince, Craghas Drahar, also called the Crab Carver.

Since then, the two sides have been rivals. The Greens draw on this animosity to form an alliance with the Triarchy. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? This is what we see in the final episode.

During this second season, the idea of ​​adding the foreign fleet to their workforce is raised by Otto Hightower, Alicent's father, before the latter loses his rank of Hand of the King. In the novel, it is he who organizes the first agreements. The objective is to break the blockade of the Gorge set up by the Velaryons and which prevents supply to King's Landing. In exchange, he promises an exclusive trade agreement and the surrender of the Stone Degrees. After long months without a response, the warlords accept and a fleet of ninety ships is sent, led by a certain Admiral Sharako Lohar.

Described in the texts as a proud man, in the series he is portrayed by the actress Abigail Thorn (Django, The Acolyte), defining herself as a trans woman. The character is also identified by masculine pronouns.

A detail that has not escaped some, one of the men of the Triarchy sports long hair and a blue beard. No, it is not for a question of aesthetics, but of fidelity to the novel. Because in the universe of GRR Martin, it is not rare to come across men from Essos who dye their hair this color. In the books, Daenerys' mercenary/lover from Tyrosh, Daario Naharis, is precisely one of these men. In the series, on the contrary, the actor who plays him, Ed Skrein then (later replaced by Michiel Huismanboth in Rebel Moon Zack Snyder's by the way) retain their natural brown.

This is the first time we see a Tyroshian faithfully represented on screen.

On their way to confront the Velaryon fleet, their encounter will be particularly violent. They will come across another boat carrying a precious cargo on board in the eyes of the Blacks…

Described as the bloodiest naval battle in the history of Westeros, the clash promises to be memorable. See you in 2026 to witness it during Season 3.

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