Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 1 and George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book. As one of the most detestable characters in House of the Dragon, Ser Criston Cole has made his death a highly anticipated event in the show’s future. Ser Criston Cole hasn’t always been an abhorrent presence onscreen — initially, he was Princess Rhaenyra’s sworn shield and paramour — yet his characterization took a nosedive in the face of Rhaenyra’s rejection, causing the knight to switch loyalties and pledges his sword to Queen Alicent Hightower, the green matriarch. Becoming a staunch supporter and co-conspirator of the Green Council, Criston Cole is instrumental in crowning Aegon II and earns the moniker “Kingmaker” in George R. R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, from which House of the Dragon is adapted.
As a dangerously spiteful character, Ser Criston Cole solidifies his unsalvageable personage in House of the Dragon season 1, episode 9, “The Green Council,” by following up his episode 5 killing of Joffrey Lonmouth with the murder of Lord Lyman Beesbury. Often dropping slanderous comments about Rhaenyra, Ser Criston’s penchant for brutality extends to malicious accusations regarding his former lover’s virtue and her sons’ paternity; it’s remarkable how he manages to keep his tongue. Given Ser Criston’s apparent venomous nature toward the black factions’ Targaryens, he has unsurprisingly ignited a lust among viewers for his satisfying demise — which will be happening soon enough on the show, as is depicted in Fire & Blood.
How Criston Cole Dies In The Book
In George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, Ser Criston Cole leads 4,000 men to Harrenhal to reclaim the castle. But Daemon Targaryen’s army has already marched west to fight Jason Lannister and his bannermen supporting the greens. A long way from King’s Landing and suffering from a burned earth tactic by the blacks, Ser Criston’s provisions dwindle rapidly as the scorched land and corrupted rivers prove it difficult to resupply. Due to this predicament, he and Prince Aemond Targaryen argue on their next course of action, ending with Aemond mounting Vhagar and razing the Riverlands while Ser Criston chooses to rendezvous with Lord Ormund Hightower’s army in the Reach. However, Ser Criston’s militia of 3,600 men — a good 400 are lost to disease, deserters, and raids — is ambushed south of the God’s Eye by the Rivermen and Northmen.
With his forces greatly deteriorating, Ser Criston Cole holds a parley with the commanders of the blacks’ forces, namely, Ser Pate of Longleaf, Ser Garibald Grey, and Lord Roderick Dustin of Barrowton. Ser Criston bargains with the three Blacks about his surrender to ensure that his men live, yet he is declined. As a skilled swordsman, Ser Criston then suggests taking on all three Blacks in single combat format, which they also deny him. In the end, Robb Rivers and two other bowmen fatally strike Ser Criston Cole with three arrows under Pate’s orders. After that, the blacks’ host kills the greens’ remaining soldiers, calling the massacre the Butcher’s Ball. Ser Criston’s head is ultimately decapitated from his body, mounted on a spear, and brought to the First Battle of Tumbleton as a spectacle — one of the blacks’ greatest triumphs.
When Will Criston Cole’s Death Happen In HOTD?
House of the Dragon season 1 barely scratches the surface of the Dance of the Dragons civil war. With a lot more ground to cover, Ser Criston Cole’s death is probably going to grace the screens either in the latter part of House of the Dragon season 2 or within season 3’s 10-episode run, as season 4 is dedicated to the war’s aftermath. In his blog, George R. R. Martin already stated that House of the Dragon needs, at the very least, four seasons to justifiably cover the Targaryen civil war. Given the intense backlash of the rushed Game of Thrones season 8, instead of the 10 seasons Martin asked for, HBO might heed the author’s suggestion more seriously this time.
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