There is a sign of courage to endure the violence and strength of the Greens against the blacks, especially the hateful Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), who is so cruel and repressed that he is unanimous and shallow as a villain in House of the Dragon: everyone is going to die. Spoilers are all over the Internet, if you want to know when and how, just do a quick search. However, the death of Ser Criston Cole has every appearance of being changed in the series. It will be?

The differences between the book and the series

There are points in House of the Dragon that clarify doubts in the book and include another perspective.

In Fire and Blood, by George RR Martin, Criston Cole is, as in the House of the Dragon series, a knight of the Kingsguard who becomes a significant figure during the Targaryen civil war and is of Dornish descent. He is the son of an administrator and his rise to prominence, just like in the series, begins when he wins a tournament and is then appointed to the Kingsguard, a prestigious position.

Because of this position, he develops a close relationship with Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, serving as her sworn and inseparable protector. Something happens in the book, we don’t know exactly what, but it is rumored that he was her lover, although the details are ambiguous. This loyalty changes drastically just before Rhaenyra’s marriage to Laenor Velaryon and from then on, he becomes a strong supporter of Queen Alicent Hightower and her son, Aegon II Targaryen. This change is crucial in the events leading up to the Civil War, and he becomes known as “Kingmaker” for his role in the coronation of Aegon II.

Still in the book, as in the series, Ser Criston is very close to princes Aemond and Aegon, almost a father figure to both of them, having trained both for combat. Alongside Aemond, he is the Greens’ main strategist

In the House of the Dragon series, one of the main changes is Ser Criston’s age, he is much younger, constantly reminded that he is not of noble lineage, and with that, there is more detailed character development and emotional depth too, because we understand the Criston’s motivations and internal conflicts, and, with it, a deeper understanding of his actions and decisions. One of them is quite simple: he felt used and discarded by Rhaenyra, never forgiving her for making him small, disposable, and inadequate. Others want power, Ser Criston wants to destroy the woman who didn’t give up the Crown for him. Just that.

Furthermore, there is a love triangle between him, Rhaenyra, and Alicent from the beginning. The attraction to the young Dornishman is obvious, but Alicent was pressured to participate in the project of her father, Otto Hightower, who asked her to seduce Viserys and, when she managed, marry him. As Queen, Alicent could never do anything wrong, constantly watched by everyone. Hence, in common with Ser Criston, she resents her stepdaughter for “doing what she wanted” and not caring about the consequences. This complex relationship, when she feels betrayed for having believed in Rhaenyra’s innocence, definitively unites her with Cole and the series allows for a more subtle exploration of his changes in loyalty.

And the biggest change of all: effectively Alicent and Cole are (finally) lovers. This completely leaves the pages, in a very risky way.

According to some leaks on Reddit, for example, they suggest that Alicent – ​​currently pregnant with him and drinking moon tea to abort – will have her lover’s child and hand him over to her daughter to raise as her own. Really?

How does Ser Criston Cole die and who kills him?

In the book Fire & Blood, Ser Criston Cole dies during the war, specifically at the Battle of Tumbleton, where he leads a force against the armies of Rhaenyra Targaryen, but is defeated and killed in combat. No details on how or who kills him, but obviously we’ll know in the series.

The Battle of Tumbleton is one of the most significant and devastating clashes in the Dance of Dragons. It takes place in the city of Tumbleton, located in western Westeros, where the forces of the Green, led by Lord Ormund Hightower and reinforced by dragons, marched to face the forces of the Black.

One of the most striking elements of the confrontation will be the betrayal of Hugh Hammer and Ulf White, two knights who had initially allied themselves with the blacks, but who switched sides to the greens. They rode dragons and their betrayal was a devastating blow to Rhaenyra’s forces.

In this incredibly destructive battle, dragons fight dragons, and the city of Tumbleton suffers immensely in burned buildings, and many lives lost at a higher cost for the Greens precisely because it is in this battle that (finally!) Ser Criston Cole dies and in the pages, its end is brutal and dramatic.

It happens like this: even after the betrayal of the two dragons and their knights, who change sides in the middle of the battle, the green forces are defeated by the black ones. Ser Criston Cole, realizing that the battle was lost and wishing to avoid being captured and tortured, decides not to flee.

Instead, he marches outside Tumbleton’s walls, unarmed and alone, to face his enemies. He is surrounded and shot to death by black archers. His death is a significant moment in the war, symbolizing the fall of one of the Greens’ main leaders and the turning of the tide in the Dance of Dragons. This heroic death of Ser Criston Cole is not what we wanted, right?

So, let’s vote: Who do we want to kill Ser Criston, and how?

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