We all knew the time-jump was coming, and episode 6 of HBO's House of the Dragon gets underway a whole decade after the events of last week's installment. Everyone seems to have grown significantly more bitter over the past 10 years, but it was a relatively minor character who took things to shocking new levels and emerged as arguably the show's - and the Game of Thrones franchise's - most ruthless villain.
If you haven't watched "The Princess and The Queen" yet, major spoilers follow.
We are, of course, talking about the man who's been dubbed "the new Littlefinger," Larys Strong. The less renowned son of the Hand of the King only made a couple of brief appearances over the course of the first 5 episodes, but clearly found a way to manipulate his way into Queen Alicent Hightower's confidence over the years. Frustrated by King Viserys' refusal to acknowledge his daughter's transgressions (Rhaenyra's sons were fathered by Harwin "Breakbones" Strong), Alicent confides in Larys and bemoans the fact that nobody will take her side.
Larys' solution? Murder his own father and brother!
Yes, the limping little shit takes extreme measures in an attempt to allow Alicent's father, Otto Hightower, to return to her side and resume his position at court by offing the current Hand of the King, who just so happens to be his father. Since Harwin is also a source of the Queen's troubles and a potentially very powerful ally to the princess, he figures taking his brother off the board would do no harm, and hires a group of death-row inmates to set a fire in their chambers at Harrenhal.
We have seen a lot of characters do some pretty heinous things in Game of Thrones, but killing your own family to gain more political leverage has to be among the worst.
Alicent is visibly disgusted by Larys' actions, but she knows he has her over a proverbial barrel if she decides to give him up. Will Rhaenyra believe the fire was accidental? We wouldn't bet on it, and a confrontation between these former friends is brewing.