How Episode 5 of ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Sets Up a Massive Showdown

As the Lord of Oldtown, head of House Hightower, and guardian of Prince Daeron Targaryen (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth)—the youngest son of the late King Viserys (Paddy Considine) and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke)—Ormund has emerged as the latest threat to Team Black’s royal takeover. After falsely bending the knee to Daemon (Matt Smith), pretending to swear fealty to Rhaenyra, and handing over a decoy Daeron, Ormund decamped with his army to the unfortified market town of Tumbleton. From there, he’s begun calmly waging war against Rhaenyra from afar.

In Episode 4, we learned from Alicent that Ormund considers himself a scholar of history and raised now-16-year-old Daeron like a son, meaning Daeron was instilled with Hightower values rather than Targaryen ones (although he still retains a strong attachment to his dragon, Tessarion). Ormund believes the Targaryens are foreign usurpers who have corrupted Westeros and violated the teachings of the Faith of the Seven, of which he fancies himself a pious follower. “The way to describe him is like a zealot or religious [fanatic],” Norton told TV Insider of his character. “He’s sort of fascistic in his view of the superiority of the Hightowers. It’s almost like eugenics. He says to Daeron, ‘Your blood is tainted.’ He sees the Targaryens, the dragons, and their riders as savages and that it is a crime to the Iron Throne that they should be sitting there.”