Warning: SPOILERS for House of the Dragon Episode 2 - "The Rogue Prince"Ser Ryam Redwyne (Garry Cooper), the dead Lord Commander of the Kingsguard in House of the Dragon, is also important to Game of Thrones. Set over 170 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), House of the Dragon shows the Targaryen family at their zenith as the rulers of Westeros before they are split asunder by a family war over the Iron Throne. At this point in Westeros' history, the Kingsguard - seven noble knights sworn to defend King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) and his heir, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock), are also at their peak, although House of the Dragon episode 2 begins with the offscreen death of Ser Ryam Redwyne.

In Game of Thrones, the glory days of the Kingsguard were behind them. The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard throughout much of Game of Thrones was Ser Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), who replaced Ser Barristan Selmy (Ian McElhinney) when Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) became King upon the death of King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy). Jaime spent much of his tenure as Lord Commander away from King's Landing and fighting the War of the Five Kings. When Jaime's sword hand was chopped off, he had to relearn how to fight with his left hand to resume his duties as Lord Commander. Meanwhile, the Kingsguard became a corrupted tool used to enforce the Lannister control of the Iron Throne, which passed from King Joffrey to his younger brother, King Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman), and finally, to their mother, Queen Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), when the brotherhood was renamed the Queensguard.

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Although Ser Ryam Redwyne wasn't referenced in Game of Thrones, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard under Kings Jaehaerys I (Michael Carter) and King Viserys I was mentioned numerous times in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels and this, in turn, informed many of the characters in the TV series. As children, Jon Snow used to play as Ser Ryam with Robb Stark, who liked to be King Daeron I Targaryen. Bran Stark used to dream of becoming a knight like Ser Ryam, while Sansa Stark fancied being rescued by a brave knight like Ser Ryam. In addition, Lord Petyr Baelish evoked Ser Ryam when he convinced Ser Loras Tyrell to join the Kingsguard, while Varys held Redwyne up as an exemplar of the finest knight. Finally, Jamie Lannister considered himself unworthy of becoming Lord Commander, a post once held by Ser Ryam Redwyne.

Ser Ryam Shows How Different House of the Dragon's Kingsguard Is To Game of Thrones'

House of the Dragon Rhaenyra chooses Kingsguard

In House of the Dragon's era, the Kingsguard were held to the highest standards, as Rhaenyra Targaryen tried to maintain by choosing Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) to join the brotherhood. Meanwhile, Ser Harrold Westerling (Graham McTavish) replaced the late Ser Ryam Redwyne, who is said to have died peacefully in his sleep, as Lord Commander. However, in Game of Thrones, the concept of the Kingsguard as a noble collection of the finest knights of the Seven Kingdoms gave way to political appointees, loyalists, and lackeys of House Lannister during their stranglehold of power in King's Landing. Even when Robert Baratheon was King, the Kingsguard were reduced to guarding the door while the King entertained his medley of women, and this indignity was specially reserved for Jamie Lannister, the twin brother (and secret lover) of Queen Cersei.

Ser Ryam Redwyne only appears in episode 1 of House of the Dragon, but he was consistently seen. Ser Ryam was present during the Great Council that chose Viserys to replace King Jaehaerys I. The Lord Commander is also present during Viserys' Small Council meetings when they discussed the Crabfeeder in the Stepstones and the tournament for the next heir. Ser Ryam shadows King Viserys throughout House of the Dragon's premiere, and he is in the throne room when the lords of the Seven Kingdoms vow to support Rhaenyra as the heir to the Iron Throne. With Ser Ryam's death as Lord Commander, the Kingsguard seem on the verge of a transition in House of the Dragon that reverberates into the brotherhood's diminishment in Game of Thrones.

House of the Dragon airs Sundays @ 9pm on HBO and streams on HBO Max.