Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 Episode 5 of House of the Dragon.
“Winter is coming.” The words of House Stark are perhaps the most celebrated and associated withGame of ThronesandA Song of Ice and Fire, and now they have been showing up again inHouse of the Dragon. In the latest episode, “Regent,” it’s Lord Forrest Frey (Kenneth Collard) who says a variation of those words during the meeting he and his wife, Sabitha (Sarah Woodward), have with Prince Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett). But,without the threat of what lies beyond the Wall, why does it matter in the context ofHouse of the Dragon?
House of the Dragon
The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO seriesGame of Thrones.Based on George R.R. Martin’sFire & Blood,House of the Dragonis set nearly 200 years beforeGame of Thrones, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.
Winter Poses Different Obstacles to War
In “Regent,” Jacaerys goes to the Twins to earn the support of House Frey for the Blacks. The Freys control the Crossing, a strategic position in the Riverlands that is the best route to connect the North to the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. They were immensely important inGame of Thrones, and inHouse of the Dragonit’s no different. Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor) has pledgedtwo thousand greybeardsto the Blacks, andthey have to pass through the Twins to be able to fight in the South.
In a war between dragons, safety is everyone’s prime concern, and House Frey is no different. Greedy as they are, they are also aware of their strategic position. “Winter is nigh upon us,” he tells Jace, knowing thatif the Stark army is too slow, they simply won’t be able to cross in timeto check Jason Lannister (Jefferson Hall) and his host on their way to Riverrun. Evenwithout the threat of the White Walkers, the possibility of winter arriving before the Starks is very real, and the Freys will need protection if they are to align with the Blacks.
Winter coming means that whole armies need to be maintained without fighting. There is barely any military progress to be had, but soldiers still require food and shelter, and those are even harder to find. There is no farming in winter, so the food must come from castles and keeps, which, in turn, requires supply lines.In Westeros, winters are harsh and may last generations, sokeeping a supply line openisn’t easy, either. The Twins are a vital supply line in this sense, but the Freys can hardly be expected (or trusted) to keep them open all winter.
Winter Is Also a Problem for the Smallfolk and Highborns Alike
One of the most touching scenes in “Reign” is Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew) and his family trying to flee King’s Landing. The capital is all but besieged, with the Velaryon fleet blocking the Gullet and the entrance to Blackwater Bay.Cities also depend on supplies from other places, and a blockade means no supplies will come from the sea, only from the land. To cap everything, the people of the capital have seen a dragon’s head paraded through their streets, which can easily be taken as an omen that their gods have abandoned them.
Smallfolk have to prepare in advance for winter.They need to stock up on enough food to keep their families fed and enough wood and clothes to keep warm. Moving resources over land in winter is hard enough to maintain an army, but a city as big as King’s Landing is a much bigger challenge. Hugh’s daughter, for example, is sick and probably won’t survive a harsh winter in the capital.As Protector of the Realm, Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) seals off the city, keeping everyone trapped with the risk of dragon attack because of the war and having a shortage of resources because of the winter.
The idea that winter is coming puts things in a new light inHouse of the Dragonsince it means more to ordinary people than highborns. The Red Keep may have enough resources to endure a long winter, but they still share the same city with the smallfolk, so winter does affect royalty. They must still provide for their subjects and divide their attention between waging war and ruling.By keeping people trapped in the city through winter, royalsrisk rebellion and riots. In the end, though, they will always have a roof over their heads, warm meals on their tables, and a fireplace. People like Hugh and his family, for example, won’t.
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