Cregan Stark made a brief and reportedly single appearance in House of the Dragon season 2—but his time will come.
Warning: spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon and Fire and Blood.
Tom Taylor’s Cregan Stark will reportedly not return in season 2 of House of the Dragon, but that’s not to say his role in the story is done. In fact, his ‘hour’ if you will is one of the most badass and consequential times of the Dance of Dragons, wrapping up the entire civil war in a neat, bloody bow.
What is the Hour of the Wolf in House of the Dragon?
Cregan Stark only made it to King’s Landing with his men after his friend Jace Targaryen was already dead and Queen Rhaenyra was defeated and gone. However, that didn’t stop him from keeping his vows to protect her line and set them on the throne.
Known as the Hour of the Wolf, Lord Stark arrived in the capital when Aegon the Elder had been poisoned by his own council, as they saw that they couldn’t prevail against the combined might of the Northmen and the Riverlands.
Cregan quickly used his army to take control of King’s Landing. While waiting to hear whether peace terms sent to Aegon’s former bannerman would be accepted, he meted out justice according to his harsh northern sense of justice for six days. This included even those injustices levelled against the former King Aegon, like the council that poisoned him.
Lord Cregan arrested twenty-two men, including Lord Corlys Velaryon, Lord Larys Strong, Ser Perkin the Flea and Ser Gyles Belgrave of the Kingsguard. He was named Hand of the King to the young and impressionable Aegon the Younger and presided over the trials in his place.
Aegon only intervened on the behalf of Corlys, on the advice of his half-sisters, Baela and Rhaena Targaryen. The rest was left to the young Lord Stark. Nineteen of the remaining accused agreed to take the black, while only Lord Larys and Ser Gyles accepted execution. Following the traditions of House Stark that would later be evidence in Game of Thrones by Eddard Stark, Cregan beheaded them both himself with Ice, the Valyrian steel greatsword of the family.
The day after the executions, once justice had been served, Cregan resigned as Hand, serving for just one day. He then returned to the north, although many of his men stayed behind in the south.
(featured image: HBO)
