Includes SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 6.
Summary
Lord Grover Tully of Riverrun is an integral off-screenHouse of the Dragoncharacter whose mysterious death has drastic implications for the series. Several new characters have joined theHouse of the Dragoncastfor season 2 amid Daemon Targaryen’s narrative in Harrenhal, the cursed castle with a strategic location in the Riverlands. The Riverlands' centralized location in Westeros makes it vital to an assault on King’s Landing, andDaemon hopes to assemble an army to retake the capitalon behalf of Rhaenyra and the Blacks.
A matter that’s consistent in both theGame of ThronesandHouse of the Dragontimeline is thatHouse Tully rules as Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, making them the key to assembling the minor houses of the region for war. However, House Tully’s lord, Grover, was described as being old and sickly earlier in the season, sending his grandson, Oscar Tully, to delegate with Daemon on his behalf.Season 2, episode 6’s endingannounces Grover Tully’s death, meaning Daemon’s narrative can finally move forward.
House Of The Dragon Strongly Suggests Alys Rivers Killed Lord Grover Tully
Alys Rivers Was There To “Heal” Grover Tully
Alys Rivers is the mysterious woman who’s been introduced throughout Daemon’s Harrenhal plot line. She’s a bastard of House Strong who’s known as a healer and seems to have some vague mystical properties. When Ser Simon Strong describes the matter of Lord Grover Tully’s death, he suggests that Alys Rivers was there to try and heal him, though it was not effective. Theunderlying message here is that Alys killed Grover Tully in some subtle mannerin order to move events along after Daemon nearly messed everything up.
What Grover Tully’s Death Means & What Happens Next
Daemon May Finally Have His Riverlands Army
In season 2, episode 5, the lords of the Riverlands arrived at Harrenhal to chastise Daemon for having war crimes committed against House Bracken. In this scene, it seems that Daemon has failed in his purpose of uniting an army. Now that Grover Tully is dead, however,Daemon can use the young Oscar Tully to unite the banners of the Riverlands on his behalf. Episode 6’s mention of the approaching Lannister army also signifies that war is coming to the Riverlands no matter what and that the region will have to defend itself against the Greens.
As for Alys Rivers' intentions, it seems that she’s working to the benefit of Daemon, though there’s likely more than that. Alys sees visions, including one of Daemon dying at Harrenhal, and her efforts seem to serve the purpose of pushing events toward their proper outcome. Daemon messed up the situation in the Riverlands, so she patched it up for him, knowing it would push him further along toward his fate. How these events play out inHouse of the Dragonis to be seen, but it seems unlikely that Alys is on anyone’s side.
House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon is a 2022 fantasy drama set in the world of Westeros, chronicling the Targaryen dynasty at its height. The story revolves around King Viserys’s controversial decision to name his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, sparking tensions and divisions within the realm.
