Things are starting to get a lot uglier in House of the Dragon, and even though a considerable amount of time has passed, the people of Westeros are very good at holding on to pointless grudges. Here’s why Criston hates Rhaenyra so much in House of the Dragon.
Why Criston Hates Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon
Simply put, Criston hates Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon because she refused to give up her name, her birthright and elope with him across the Narrow Sea. In the fifth episode, he claims that he broke his oath as a knight of the Kingsguard by sleeping with her, and he hoped to restore honor to his name by marrying her.
Rhaenyra didn’t want to give up her position in King’s Landing, and so she refused to elope with him even though she still liked him and would’ve been able to continue their affair. Criston takes the breakup pretty hard, which leads to him killing Joffrey at the wedding dinner.
10 to 15 years later, Criston is still holding on to this grudge as he’s seen gossiping with Alicent while they’re walking down the halls, calling Rhaenyra a “spoiled cunt”. He also clearly shows favoritism to Alicent’s children while training them in combat, and encourages Aegon to kick Jace while he’s down.
All of this hatred stems from his belief that Rhaenyra forced him to sully his name, and then refused to run away with him to get married. And all these years later, he’s still hung up on it and hasn’t moved on.
That’s all you need to know about why Criston hates Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon. Be sure to search for Twinfinite for more news and information on the show, including why Rhaenyra’s children have dark hair and the symbolism of Alicent’s green dress.
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