Heir's Tournament (2024)

The Heir's Tournament^[1] was a grand tournament held in the ninth year of Viserys I Targaryen's reign at King's Landing, in honor of the upcoming birth of Prince Baelon Targaryen.

Prelude[]

While his wife Aemma is pregnant, Viserys has a dragon dream which he interprets as predicting his child with Aemma being a healthy son. He claims to have heard "thundering hooves, splintering shields, and ringing swords" as his son was being born in the dream, and he interprets this as a grand tournament. He times what he calls the Heir's Tournament with Aemma's due date.^[1]

As nobles from all over Westeros travel to King's Landing, Daemon Targaryen rallies the City Watch to round up criminals and make an example of them by carrying out summary punishment in public. He is later brought to the Small Council to answer for this, but he defends himself stating that such displays will prevent the arriving nobles from being mugged, raped, and murdered.^[1]

The tournament[]

The tournament opens with King Viserys joyfully announcing that Queen Aemma has gone into labor. The spectators cheer as the first joust commences, between Ser Criston Cole and a knight of House Tarly. Criston breaks one lance before unhorsing the Tarly knight, then bows before the royal family. Rhaenyra wonders if he is a mystery knight, but Alicent recognizes him as a Cole of the Stormlands - a minor House, so he simply can't afford distinctively decorated armor. He later defeats Ser Borros Baratheon, heir to his liege lord Boremund Baratheon.^[1][b]

Lord Boremund rides up to the royal box to receive the favor of Rhaenys Targaryen, calling her the "Queen Who Never Was." Otto Hightower whispers to Viserys that he could cut out Boremund's tongue for his words, but Viserys is unconcerned, telling him that "tongues will not change the succession." As Boremund prepares to joust against Criston, Rhaenyra and Alicent gossip about the betrothal of Elinor Stokeworth and a Tarly squire, the son of Gormon Massey. Boremund is then unhorsed by Criston. Rhaenyra inquires to Harrold Westerling about Criston, but he doesn't know much other than the fact that he's the son of Lord Dondarrion's steward, and that he just unhorsed both Baratheon challengers.^[1]

Thirteen knights of various Great Houses of Westeros ride into the arena and line up before the royal box. The Master of Revels announces that Prince Daemon will choose his first opponent from among these knights. Daemon rides forth and, after a short scrutiny, chooses Ser Gwayne Hightower, giving Gwayne's father Otto a look of smug satisfaction. Gwayne knocks Daemon back, but the prince is able to stay ahorse. In the second tilt, Daemon trips Gwayne's horse with his lance, to the shock of Gwayne's sister Alicent. Gwayne is carried away with a face covered in blood and dirt. Daemon rides to the royal box and requests Alicent's favor. She grabs a wreath, exchanging a look with her father, and hesitantly places it on his lance, wishing him good luck. A maester arrives and whispers in Ser Otto's ear. Otto in turn whispers to Viserys, who hurries away to his wife who is having a difficult birth.^[1]

While Viserys is absent, the tournament breaks into a brutal and bloody mêlée. At least four knights are killed in the ensuing chaos. Rhaenys observes that the competitors have never seen real war and are thus itching for one, and that it is a miracle that war didn't break out sooner. As Alicent watches, she stressfully picks at and bloodies her fingernails. Laena Velaryon clutches her brother Laenor's arm.^[1]

Daemon and Criston joust against one another. After several broken lances, Daemon is unseated and falls onto the railing, still ahorse. His armor grinds against the entire length of the railing before he is thrown to the ground. A man tries to help Daemon get back on his feet, but Daemon shoves him. He shouts to his squire for his sword, Dark Sister, and the Master of Revels announces that the fight will continue with a contest of arms. As Daemon draws his sword, Criston readies a morningstar. In an intense combat, Criston breaks Daemon's shield, and Daemon slices through Criston's breastplate. He later grabs his broken shield and throws it at Criston's head, then kicks him on the ground. He gloats and roars to the spectators, believing himself to have won, forgetting to first make his opponent yield. Criston rises and swings his morningstar at Daemon's head, knocking him to the ground. He kicks Dark Sister away before his opponent can reach it, and the prince draws a dagger and stabs at Criston's leg. Criston pins his arm and forces him to yield, winning the mêlée. He then receives the favor of Princess Rhaenyra.^[1]

Summary[]

Other participants[]

Other attendees[]

Behind the scenes[]

• The episode script officially refers to this event as the "Heir's Tournament", capitalized (it doesn't have a formal name in the books). According to script notes, "In all, two hundred knights from every house and hedge great and small have come to join the games to be held in honor of the king and queen’s new child. Banners from every kingdom flap in the warm springtime wind."^[2]
• As explained in the Inside the Episode featurette, filming of this sequence was heavily impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which limited the number of actors and extras who could actually appear in close proximity together. They had hoped to have a crowd of several hundred extras who would be digitally doubled up a few times to make a crowd in the tens of thousands, but instead, were restricted to only a few dozen extras who had to be doubled up thousands of times to fill the stands.
• The script also includes cut dialogue between Rhaenyra and Alicent confirming that the second Baratheon knight, who doesn't take his helmet off on-screen, is in fact Boremund's son and heir Borros.^[2]

In the books[]

In Fire & Blood, Criston defeated Daemon in a tourney at Maidenpool in 104 AC, celebrating the accession of King Viserys I the previous year (as it took some time for knights from across Westeros to travel to King's Landing). It wasn't timed to the birth date of Prince Baelon: Queen Aemma died giving birth to him the next year, in 105 AC.

Criston did not defeat two Baratheons in the joust, but instead defeated the twins Arryk and Erryk Cargyll, and was unhorsed by Lord Lymond Mallister. He defeated Daemon in the joust as well, and then defeated him again in the melee, by knocking aside Dark Sister with his morningstar. Criston then gave the victor's laurel to Rhaenyra Targaryen, who was seven years old at the time. Like in the show, he asked for her favor. Criston performed so well at the tourney that he was appointed to the Kingsguard as soon as there was a new opening.

No one was killed during the tourney, but a similar situation occurred during the mêlée at Last Hearth in 170 AC, in which at least eighteen combatants were killed and twenty-seven maimed.

Gwayne Hightower was not unhorsed by Daemon at the tourney in 104 AC, rather he was unhorsed at a different tourney in 111 AC, not by Daemon but by Criston Cole.

References[]

Notes[]

External links[]

• Tourney for King Viserys I's accession on A Wiki of Ice and Fire