Daeron Targaryen season 3 choices put Tumbleton on alert
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth told Deadline how Daeron views Ormund Hightower after episode 6’s bloody turn in Tumbleton.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Daeron Targaryen season 3 is heading into its final two episodes with the young prince trapped between survival, ambition and a very messy Hightower power play.
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, who plays Daeron on HBO’s House of the Dragon, spoke to Deadline after episode 6 about what is driving his character as Ormund Hightower, played by James Norton, tightens his grip in Tumbleton.
The discussion contains spoilers for episode 6 of House of the Dragon.
Across the early part of the season, Daeron has been careful around Ormund, behaving as if one wrong move could bring punishment. In the latest episode, he finally says as much to Ser Gwayne Hightower, his uncle, during Gwayne’s visit to Tumbleton with news from the war across Westeros.
Daeron tells Gwayne that his obedience has been about protecting himself, not endorsing Ormund’s decisions. He also makes clear that he understands Ormund’s promise of a future Iron Throne may be more fantasy than fate.
What happens to Daeron Targaryen in season 3 episode 6?
Episode 6 gives Daeron a rare chance to speak plainly about Ormund’s control, while also placing him near a violent failed assassination attempt against Ormund by Rhaenyra. Gwayne stops the attack, leaving bodies behind and exposing Ormund’s reaction to blood and injury as he vomits in front of Gwayne and Daeron.
Ainsworth told Deadline that Daeron’s bond with Ormund is controlling and manipulative, though he sees a warped kind of affection underneath it. The actor said Daeron has learned to manage Ormund because he has to stay alive, while also craving approval from him as a 17-year-old with no steady parental figure nearby.
That mixed feeling matters. Ainsworth said there are moments when Daeron seems to admire Ormund’s command, including an earlier scene in Tumbleton involving punishment before the town. Other moments, such as being pushed into killing Leo, pull Daeron in the opposite direction.
Deadline also asked whether Daeron wants the crown, given that Ormund’s assassins in King’s Landing are described as killing Daemon’s men under Ormund’s orders while using King Daeron’s name.
Ainsworth said the idea of ruling was not something Daeron would have imagined shortly before season 3. According to the actor, the possibility has been forced on him by the conflict between the Hightowers and Targaryens, leaving Daeron unsure what he wants.
If Daeron does think about being king, Ainsworth said, it may come from a desire to escape Ormund’s domination. The actor framed Daeron as someone still forming his identity amid chaos, with empathy and awareness but no settled course.
Does Daeron see Ormund differently now?
Ainsworth told Deadline that Ormund’s collapse at the sight of violence shifts how Daeron reads him. The actor described Daeron as shocked but also aware that the man shaping and controlling him becomes helpless when danger lands in front of him.
That does not instantly hand Daeron a plan, Ainsworth said. It does, however, suggest the power balance in Tumbleton is beginning to wobble.
Ainsworth also reflected on joining the HBO drama as a longtime fan of Game of Thrones and the first two seasons of House of the Dragon. He told Deadline the audition already felt thrilling, and watching the season roll out after filming has felt like a dream fulfilled.
As for the home stretch, Ainsworth did not spell out Daeron’s next move. He told Deadline the finish in Tumbleton has been set up and pointed viewers toward the relationship between Gwayne and Daeron, as well as whatever Ormund is planning.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.