House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7 ends with a reveal that explains how one of the most infamous moments in George R.R. Martin‘s Fire & Blood actually came to be. The HBO show reveals that the reason why two of Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) most powerful allies will eventually betray her has less to do with their poor characters and more to do with the machinations of one Ormund Hightower (James Norton)…
**Spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7, now streaming on HBO Max**
House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7 finally reveals exactly why Ormund Hightower is feeling so confident about the impending Battle of Tumbleton, despite the odds being so stacked against him and the rest of the Greens. While Prince Daeron (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) and Ser Gwayne (Freddie Fox) are lamenting Ormund’s insanity in private, the Machiavellian commander has been secretly meeting up with one of the Black’s dragonriders.
In the final moments of this week’s House of the Dragon, we learn that Ormund has been visiting Ulf the White (Tom Bennett) during the nights when Hugh the Hammer (Kieran Bew) is away. In these meetings, Ormund flatters the orphan from Flea Bottom. He pours the tavern-frequenter the best ale around and mentions that his operatives have seen the horrible ways in which Daemon (Matt Smith) has publicly humiliated Ulf in front of his peers.
Ormund isn’t just befriending the dragonrider; he’s promising him Driftmark and the title of Lord of the Tides. Essentially, Ormund is stealing Rhaenyra’s firepower from her, setting the stage for Ulf — and maybe even Hugh — to turn the tide at Tumbleton by turning their coats mid-battle.
Of course, this isn’t the only major twist in this week’s House of the Dragon. As it turns out, Team Green still has yet another dragon on the board…
