In the second season of "House of the Dragons", Daemon single-handedly wants to take control of Harrenhal, heralding the coming storm of civil war.
In the second episode, we see the wrath of Aegon II, the grief of Helena, the remorse of Rhaenyra and Alicent, the downfall of Otto Hightower...... Among them, the most noteworthy is the cunning of Dimon next.
All this because of the death of Viserys I Targaryen, which disrupted the chess pieces on the tactical board, and all-out war was on the verge of breaking out!
Why is Harrenhal so important to both the black and green parties?
In The House of Dragons, both the Blacks and Greens mention Harrenhal because of its strategic location, which is too important for the warring parties.
Harrenhal is the largest castle in the Seven Kingdoms in Game of Thrones, located in the heart of the Riverlands, close to the royal realm and King's Landing. Due to its size, status, and location, Harrenhal was key to conquering the kingdom for either side.
In the original books, most of Harrenhal's masters suffered misfortune after the arrival of Aegon the Conqueror, and the place was known as the "Cursed Land".
In the absence of allies in Rhaenyra, this makes Harrenhal even more important. Quite simply, if Damon controls Harrenhal, they will control the Riverlands, and if they control the Riverlands, it will be easier to unite their surrounding allies against the Greens.
How did Daemon Targaryen control Harrenhal?
Harrenhal is the largest castle in Westeros.
In fact, Dimon did not send troops and did not have large-scale bloodshed, but only took advantage of the fear of dragons among the people of Westeros and managed to take control of Harrenhal.
He created the illusion of terror through the bravado of the dragon Coraxio, and threatened the lord Simon Strong to wreak havoc on the castle with the dragon. As a result, this psychological war of Dimon was successful, and the other side quickly surrendered.
In Blood and Fire, Daemon and his dragon Corax are parked on top of Harrenhal's largest spire, reminding the people of the castle a century ago when Aegon the Conqueror destroyed the castle as a means of intimidation.
Judging by the trailer for Season 2, Episode 3 of Dragon Family, Daemon's conquest of Harrenhal seems to be as presented in Blood and Fire, but the trailer also hints that Daemon will encounter some resistance before he can successfully take control of the castle, most likely with guards from Harrenhal.
What happens to Damon after he takes Harrenhal?
After Daemon took Harrenhal, all the families of the Riverlands publicly declared their support for Rhaenyra's Black Party.
This is where two key conflicts in the Dance of the Blood Dragons take place: the Battle of the Fire Mill and Stonehedge. These two battles involved two ancient families of Westeros: the Brecon family and the Blackwood family. The latter swore allegiance to Rhaenyra, while the former swore allegiance to Aegon II.
The Civil War in Riverlands broke out, and the Brackens retreated to Stonehedge after a conflict with the Blackwoods. After that, Daemon and the rest of the Riverlands swore allegiance to Rhaenyra and laid siege to Stonehedge, forcing the Brackens to withdraw their support for Aegon and the Greens' influence in the Riverlands was completely wiped out.
Next, Kriston Cole and Aemond Targaryen, enraged by this, gathered their troops and marched to Harrenhal.
However, the cunning Daemon left Harrenhal and took the opportunity to fly to King's Landing in Coraxio. As most of the Green Army had made their way to Harrenhal, the empty city of King's Landing was taken by Daemon and Rhaenyra.
Let's wait for the new plot together!