15 Things Only Fire & Blood Readers Know About Rhaenyra & Criston Cole's Relationship (2024)

In both Dance of the Dragons and House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra Targaryen and Criston Cole’s turbulent, forbidden romance is one of the most important relationships in the story. Her pursuit of her "white knight" and the subsequent fallout is a catalyst for many of the events in the civil war.

While the outcomes and major events of Rhaenyra and Criston's relationship remained the same, some details were changed during the adaptation process. Characters were modified, the timeline was mixed up, and some scenes were added that weren’t in the books. Most fans have reacted positively to these changes, believing they improved the relationship. Nevertheless, there's plenty that book readers know about their relationship that show-only fans don't.

Updated by Fawzia Khan on June 7th, 2024: House of The Dragon returns with the hotly anticipated second season this month, and the excitement for the next installment is palpable. The Greens Vs. Blacks battle will play out in earnest in Season 2, and Rhaenyra and Criston Cole's botched relationship contributes greatly to this animosity. This list has been updated with further facts about the ill-fated couple, both individually and together, from George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood.

15 Rhaenyra And Criston's Age Gap Was Bigger In George R. R. Martin's Books

In most modern societies, it's considered problematic or even illegal for a 23-year-old to enter a relationship with a 16-year-old, which was how old Criston and Rhaenyra were, respectively, when they began their affair in House of the Dragon. However, in the books, Criston was around 30 years old when Rhaenyra turned 16. In a world like the one at the root of the story, that might not seem odd, but it's still a pretty questionable age gap.

• Criston Cole's lower social status would have made his pursuit of Rhaenyra even more scandalous.
• Cole was born to a steward, but that didn't stop him from pursuing a noble future as a knight.

Criston's age was changed to make him seem less creepy and more sympathetic. A veteran taking advantage of his young, inexperienced ward is problematic enough on its own, so the showrunners likely preferred the plot of a young knight entering a forbidden romance with his princess. This scenario would be far less offensive to general viewers, but it's still pretty creepy.

14 Rhaenyra And Criston Didn't Kill A Boar Together

In House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra and Criston build a friendship before starting their affair. A major event in this friendship happens when they kill a boar together. After arguing with her father during a royal hunt, Rhaenyra rides off with Criston. They are attacked by a wild boar and Criston wounds it while Rhaenyra deals the killing blow.

In the books, this scene never happened. There’s no hunt, no boar, and no indication that they interacted in any capacity beyond the professional or the romantic. This makes sense, given that an older man wouldn’t have much in common with a young girl. However, in House of the Dragon, this scene fleshes out their relationship and encourages viewers to root for them.

13 There's Doubt About How Rhaenyra And Criston's Relationship Happened

One of the more interesting things about Rhaenyra and Criston's relationship in the books is the doubt that's cast over some events. There are many speculative accounts that consider how it happened or if it even happened at all. Some accounts claim that she was intimate with Daemon on her 16th birthday, while others believe she pursued Criston Cole.

One theory even claimsthat Criston initially rejected her advances. House of the Dragon does its best to fill in the gaps, showing that Rhaenyra seduced Criston after her uncle lost his nerve and left her.

12 Did Rhaenyra And Criston Even Have An Affair?

The moment that causes the break in Rhaenyra and Criston's relationship is when Criston offers to elope with Rhaenyra, and she turns him down to pursue her ambitions. They break up after this and their love turns into bitterness and hatred.

Most accounts in George R. R. Martin's books agree that this is what happened. However, the same account that claimed that Criston rejected her advances also claimed that she was the one who proposed to him, and he turned her down. With the information audiences have about Rhaenyra’s character in the books and the series, this seems the least likely scenario to happen.

11 Daemon Was Always Rhaenyra's First Love

According to Fire & Blood, Rhaenyra Targaryen was attracted to her uncle, Daemon, at a very young age. She was openly enthralled by him, whereas House of The Dragon handled their love story differently. Their story developed much more slowly in the show, with Rhaenyra only realizing her feelings when Daemon took her to the brothel.

Criston was painted as a first crush or first love for the Princess on the show, but book readers have a different point of reference. Eventually, Rhaenyra did return to Daemon after Laenor Velaryon's death, and he and Rhaenyra had plenty of children together.

10 Rhaenyra Had Sex With Daemon First, Not Criston

House of The Dragon made it clear, without a doubt, that even though Daemon intended to take Rhaenyra's virginity in Episode 4 "King of the Narrow Sea", he couldn't rise to the occasion. After he left, Rhaenyra went and seduced Criston Cole, which was when she had her first sexual experience. In the book, however, Rhaenyra loses her virginity to Daemon.

A lot of Fire & Blood is written as a chronicle, with inputs from narrators who are both reliable and unreliable. However, they seemed quite sure that uncle and neice had got intimate all the way, which changes the dynamic between Criston and Rhaenyra from the show and the novel.

9 Criston Proposes To Rhaenyra Before She Leaves For Driftmark

Like in most book-to-TV adaptations, events in House of the Dragon are given a different timeline than in the books. One event is Criston’s proposal scene. In the books, Criston proposes to Rhaenyra before she leaves for Driftmark to negotiate her betrothal to Laenor Velaryon.

When they break up, Rhaenyra leaves with her new lover and personal shield, Ser Harwin Strong. In House of the Dragon, however, Criston accompanies her to Driftmark and proposes while they’re on the ship. The change keeps in time with the pacing of the series and shows Rhaenyra in a more flattering light, as she doesn’t move on from Criston so quickly.

8 Criston Cole Is One Of The Most Vindictive Exes A Girl Could Have

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Throughout the course of his brief relationship with Rhaenyra, it was obvious that he'd fallen in love with her, but the brutality with which he accepted their breakup is enough to make one wonder if his pursuit of her wasn't more ambitious than affectionate. Across the course of the story, Criston is given two distinct nicknames, with the most recognizable being Kingmaker, after he crowns Aegon Targaryen II.

The second nickname he earned for himself was Breakbones, given after he brutally attacked Ser Harwin Strong during the tournament celebrations for Rhaenyra's wedding to Ser Laenor Velaryon. In this battle, Cole actually shattered Strong's elbow and broke his collarbone in a display of jealousy made clear to the girl who broke his heart.

7 House Cole Went Into Extinction, Most Likely

In an eerie echo of what Criston possibly requested Rhaenyra to do, House Cole went pretty much extinct after Ser Criston Cole. It was a minor house anyway, as it only had a small presence in the Dornish Marches, where they were a vassal of House Dondarrion. Criston's position in the Kingsguard was the greatest thing that ever happened to his House.

While Dick and Will Cole appear in A Song of Ice and Fire it is unclear whether they were actually from House Cole. Rhaenyra stayed to uphold her duties to House Targaryen, but Cole had expected her to run away with him to Essos. The Targaryens would not have gone extinct at that point, but the Coles could have perhaps survived, but it is pure speculation.

6 Criston Didn't Confess His Affair With Rhaenyra To Alicent Hightower

Most fans know that Criston Cole eventually becomes Alicent’s ally after his relationship with Rhaenyra is destroyed. However, while House of the Dragon dives deep into Criston and Alicent's relationship, the finer details of his motivations aren’t covered in the books.

One example is the second confession scene. Alicent suspects that Rhaenyra has been intimate with Daemon and interrogates Criston. However, he assumes she knows about his affair with Rhaenyra and guiltily admits to it. Instead of punishing him, Alicent lets him go free. This scene is one of many between them that are not in the books, which means the source material kept Criston and Rhaenyra's relationship more secret.

5 Joffrey's Death Is An Accident

An important scene in the books and the series is when Criston murders a knight named Joffrey Lonmouth, who was also Laenor Velaryon’s lover. Both versions cause grief, but in House of the Dragon, the drama is doubled and tied directly to Criston and Rhaenyra’s affair.

In the books, Criston kills Joffrey during a joust, but it’s dismissed as an accident. In the series, it's clear that Joffrey is murdered. During the wedding celebrations, Joffrey tries to ally with Criston, one secret lover to another. Unfortunately, Rhaenyra’s rejection and his guilt have left him in a bad headspace, so he beats Joffrey to death. The result is an incredibly brutal and heartbreaking scene that doesn't happen in the books.

4 Harwin Didn't Beat Up Criston

In the books, there are plenty of glimpses of the rivalry between Criston Cole and Harwin Strong, Rhaenyra’s second lover and the real father of her first three children. Their rivalry is most obvious during the aforementioned wedding tourney that kills Joffrey Lonmouth. Again, the setting provides the ready excuse of it being an "accident," but it was clear to Rhaenyra.

In House of the Dragon, the rivalry takes center stage rather than being on the fringes of the drama. In the episode, "The Princess and the Queen," Criston provokes Harwin into attacking him instead of breaking his bones, a calculated move that results in Harwin’s removal from the court.

3 Criston Teamed-Up With Alicent Because He Was Angry At Rhaenyra

In both versions of the story, the event that solidified the alliance between Criston and Alicent was Joffrey’s death. Recognizing Criston's skill and enmity toward his ex-lover, Alicent made Criston her personal shield. In House of the Dragon, however, there’s more to it. After the wedding disaster, Criston prepares for death by suicide, but Alicent finds him and stops him from going through it.

In House of the Dragon, Criston's break up with Rhaenyra almost caused his death. In the books, though, it simply made him angry enough to accept a position from her worst enemy.

2 Criston Cole Went From Rhaenyra's Guard To Aegon II's Hand

Criston Cole was first hired as member of the Kingsguard, and the personal guard to Princess Rhaenyra. He was sworn to protect her, and their proximity led to possible intimacy, according to Fire & Blood. After Cole switched sides to Alicent's forces, he rose to the position of King's Hand, after Aegon II dismissed Otto Highower from the position.

Ser Criston was not a good Hand to the King, as he had rather aggressive solutions to diplomatic problems. Despite his incompetence, which led to Rhaenyra and Daemon defeating him several times, he stayed as Hand to the King. Criston Cole went from protecting Rhaenyra to actively working against her.

1 Criston Cole Is Going To Do Terrible Things To Rhaenyra

The civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons has only just begun in House of the Dragon. Book fans have a fairly good idea of what will happen. They also know that Criston Cole is going to be responsible for some of the atrocities.

In the books, arguably the worst action Criston takes against Rhaenyra is personally sending an assassin/spy to infiltrate her headquarters. Whether the assassin was sent to kill her or her sons isn’t confirmed, but either way, it would’ve been an act of terrible revenge.

House of the Dragon

TV-MA

Drama

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Two centuries before the events ofA Game of Thrones,House Targaryen—the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria—took up residence on Dragonstone.

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Cast

Jefferson Hall , Eve Best , David Horovitch , Paddy Considine , Ryan Corr , Bill Paterson , Fabien Frankel , Graham McTavish , Olivia Cooke , Gavin Spokes , Sonoya Mizuno , Steve Toussaint , Matt Smith , Matthew Needham , Rhys Ifans , Emma D'Arcy , Milly Alco*ck

Main Genre

Drama

Website

https://www.hbo.com/house-of-the-dragon

Franchise

Game of Thrones

Characters By

George R. R. Martin

Cinematographer

Alejandro Martinez, Catherine Goldschmidt, Pepe Avila del Pino, Fabian Wagner

Creator

George R. R. Martin, Ryan J. Condal

Distributor

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution

Filming Locations

Spain, England, Portugal, California

Main Characters

Queen Alicent Hightower, Ser Harrold Westerling, Lord Corlys Velaryon, Grand Maester Mellos, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Ser Criston Cole, Lord Lyonel Strong, Ser Otto Hightower, Lord Jason Lannister/Ser Tyland Lannister, King Viserys I Targaryen, Mysaria, Lord Lyman Beesbur, Prince Daemon Targaryen, Ser Harwin Strong, Princess Rhaenys Velaryon, Larys Strong

Production Company

Bastard Sword, Cross Plains Productions, Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO

Sequel

Game of Thrones

Sfx Supervisor

Michael Dawson

Story By

George R. R. Martin

Number of Episodes

10

Network

HBO Max

Streaming Service(s)

Max