WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Fire & Blood and House of the Dragon season 1, episode 9!Ser Harrold Westerling is hinted to play a big role in the Dance of the Dragons, with a major change from his book fate giving his story an advantage in House of the Dragon. Unlike Game of Thrones’ book series, which wasn’t complete when the original HBO series ended, House of the Dragon’s source material Fire & Blood already reveals the fates of the major characters. This leaves less room for surprise when it comes to the conclusion of the Dance of the Dragons and Aegon and Rhaenyra’s battle for the Iron Throne, but House of the Dragon has changed the stories of a few characters to remedy this and offer more intrigue.
One major example of a character’s unknown ending is the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Harrold Westerling, who has abandoned his white cloak – seemingly in support of Rhaenyra’s black party – in House of the Dragon episode 9. In Fire & Blood, Ser Harrold Westerling dies nearly two decades before the Targaryen civil war begins, making him a rare House of the Dragon character whose future is entirely unknown. This opens up the door for House of the Dragon to still include shocking twists and surprises with major characters, as there’s no telling whether Harrold will survive the Dance of the Dragons. While Laenor Velaryon’s ending is also now unclear, book readers were still aware that his story in Westeros would come to an end before Rhaenyra and Daemon’s marriage. Harrold Westerling’s future in the civil war, however, now has no predetermined bounds.
Why Harrold Westerling Supports Rhaenyra In House Of The Dragon
When the green council meets to decide what happens after King Viserys’ death, Harrold Westerling leaves the Kingsguard once Otto Hightower commands him to murder Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen. Harrold has been a loyal knight to the crown for the majority of Rhaenyra’s life, and thus would only follow the decree set by Viserys that Rhaenyra succeeds him on the Iron Throne. House of the Dragon’s premiere even featured a scene revealing Harrold had a friendly rapport with young Rhaenyra, suggesting he's more devoted to her than Viserys’ children with Alicent.
Harrold has been in King’s Landing since before the time of Aemma Arryn’s death, so he's undoubtedly aware of Hand of the King Otto Hightower’s manipulative nature over the past 20 years. As Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Harrold also had a significant awareness of Viserys’ fondness for Rhaenyra and his adamancy that she remain his heir. The treasonous plans of Otto Hightower and the greens in House of the Dragon episode 9 thus directly opposed Harrold’s loyalties and the oaths that he swore, indicating he’ll be a fierce supporter of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen after witnessing the usurpation of the Iron Throne.
Who Harrold Westerling Could Be Replacing In HOTD
Given Ser Harrold Westerling was the Lord Commander of Viserys’ Kingsguard, he could end up keeping this role as the Lord Commander of Rhaenyra’s Queensguard. However, this position was given to Lord Steffon Darklyn in Fire & Blood, suggesting Harrold Westerling could be replacing him in House of the Dragon. In the book, Steffon fled King’s Landing for Dragonstone after Aegon usurped the Iron Throne, where he brought her Viserys’ crown for her coronation. Since Steffon has yet to play a role in House of the Dragon, it’s possible that it will instead be Ser Harrold Westerling and Ser Erryk Cargyll who bring Viserys’ crown to Rhaenyra. Steffon will certainly remain a member of Rhaenyra’s Queensguard, but given the history between Rhaenyra and Harrold Westerling, it makes more sense for Graham McTavish’s House of the Dragon character to be the Lord Commander.
New episodes of House of the Dragon release Sundays on HBO/HBO Max.