House of the Dragon: Why is Conflans so important in season 2?

This region of Westeros, at the heart of the Dance of Dragons, is coveted by all…

If King's Landing and its Iron Throne are the final objectives of both camps, eyes are currently turned towards a completely different territory: the Riverlands.

Since the beginning of season 2 of House of the Dragon, Much of the events take place outside the respective headquarters of the Greens and Blacks. Far from the capital and Dragonstone, Riverlands is the scene of violent clashes visible in the series, notably at Burnt Mill or Rooks Rest. The territory also has coveted strategic strongholds, Harrenhaal at the top of the list. Epicenter of the Dance of the Dragonsit is in this region of Westeros that the real war is being played out. But why is the Conflans so important?

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First, a bit of geography and history, George RR Martin style. The Riverlands is in the center of Westeros, surrounded by the North (held by House Stark), the West by the Eyrie (held by House Arryn), and the South by the Crown lands, including King's Landing. Described by the writer as a rich and fertile territory due to its many rivers, its lack of natural borders also makes it an ideal playground for clashes. No other territory in the Seven Kingdoms has seen as many battles as the Riverlands. Already disputed before and after Aegon's conquest, it is under the domination of House Tully of Riverrun – ancestor of Catelyn Stark, Ned's wife inGame Of Thrones.

In season 2 of House of the Dragonits position makes it a strategic region: on the one hand, the Greens see in the Riverlands a way to protect themselves from Rhaenyra's support further north and west and to secure King's Landing, while the Blacks hope to find armies there to rally to their cause. The dragons provide an air advantage, the Velayron ships reign at sea, but on Earth, Rhaenyra has no control. The Riverlands is therefore the first and last bastion during the Dance of the Dragons.

The Riverlands also appears in this season 2, through the quarrel between the Nerbosc and the Bracken. The quarrel between the two Houses, vassals of the Tully, goes back millennia, but it is during the conflict opposing Rhaenyra to Aegon that their ancestral rivalry becomes poisonous – the first house supporting the Blacks, and the second, the Greens.

They are the first noble victims of the Dance of the Dragons and the battle of Moulin Brûlé followed this offense.

At the head of the Nerbosc, we find Willem (Jack Parry-Jones), seen in the last episodes alongside Daemon. But this is not the first time he has made himself known.

In the first season of House of the Dragonthen still a child (Alfie Todd), he was one of the suitors to marry Rhaenyra. Mocked by Jerrel Bracken, the boy draws his sword, fights against his detractor and kills him. A foretaste of what awaited us in this season 2.

In episode 5 released this Monday, the King Consort, Daemon, tried to make the Bracken family bend the knee. Without success, he intends to change strategy and sends Willem to take care of the fate of these enemies. In Fire and Bloodthe book from which the series is taken, we can read:

“In the Riverlands, raiders from Corneilla, bearing the banners of Rhaenyra, entered the lands of House Bracken, burning crops, scattering sheep and cattle, sacking villages and plundering every sept they came across.”

This is a warning: this is what awaits those who do not join Daemon and Rhaenyra's host. But as this latest episode shows, the noble houses are certainly not going to let this happen…

In addition to the armed forces, both sides also covet the strongholds of the Riverlands. First, Harrenhaal, a huge fortress built by Harren the Black and said to be cursed. Each house that reigned there met a tragic end. Viewers remember in season 1, the death of Ser Harwin Strong and his family (except Larys, present in the capital) in a fire.

In Game Of Thronesthis one already played a tactical role. It was there, in the second season, that the Lannister forces commanded by Tywin had retreated and organized themselves. Arya was taken prisoner there and had met the Faceless One.

Some two hundred years earlier, Harrenhaal is conquered by Daemon in the previous episodes and becomes a rallying point for his wife's supporters. Located to the south, it is the closest city to King's Landing. The Blacks are no longer very far from the throne and this rapprochement worries Aemond who wants to reconquer Harrenhaal from his uncle's hands – as suggested in the trailer for episode 6.

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While the Lannisters, Hightowers and Baratheons support Aegon, the Starks, Arryns and Tullies lean to the other side. But the Riverlands is not ruled only by the Tullies. In the North, it is the Freys of the Twins who hold one of the second strongholds of the region.

Their home: two towers framing a bridge are the only existing passage to cross one of the rivers separating the Conflans in two, and to reach the North. Ensuring their support is to guarantee a strategic crossing point. So this is where Jacaerys went in episode 5 in the hope of rallying them to his mother's cause. It is a success.

But can we believe the Freys' word? The spectators would surely not have forgotten that it was they who, in Game Of Thrones were the architects of one of the most gruesome events in the series: the Red Wedding. While Robb Stark also wanted to secure the support of the Freys and benefit from their important place in the war, the latter ultimately perished in the household.

Halfway through season 2 of House of the DragonSer Criston Cole and Aemond's victory at Rook's Rest has allowed the crown to regain ground in the Riverlands. But while Rheanyra still controls Harrenhaal and the Twins, there is no doubt that we have not finished seeing this territory torn apart through bloody battles in the episodes to come. Moreover, in the trailer for episode 6, the Hand of the King warns:

“If Daemon continues to rule the Riverlands, I will soon run out of men to challenge him.”

To know the fate of this region and the Targaryens, we will have to wait for the broadcast of the next episode of House of the Dragonnext Monday, on Max.

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