Remember when Ser Pounce made one appearance on Game of Thrones and everyone was smitten by that kitten? Now what if I told you we could’ve had not one, not two, but a whole parade of cats on House of the Dragon? What then?
Watch your step! Spoilers for House of the Dragon ahead!
House of the Dragon season 2 episode 2 “Rhaenyra The Cruel” was a sombre one. In the aftermath of baby Prince Jaehaerys’ brutal death by beheading, the Greens were utterly distraught and planning retribution. The episode ended with a very angry and rash King Aegon II Targaryen firing his own grandfather, Ser Otto Hightower, from the position of Hand of the King, and giving the job to someone who might be really bad at it: Ser Criston Cole.
Now, of course, I don’t think there’s anything Ser Otto could’ve done differently to keep his job here. He’s already fired in the book, too. And the silver lining is folks on X, Reddit, and fan pages, even those who are Team Black, are calling him the MVP for sassing Ser Criston, calling the king a fool to his face, and making him doubt his father even wanted Aegon to be king. He put the Sir in Ser Otto!
But you know what could’ve been his final act as Lord Hand that would instantly make him a hero? It’s a scene straight out of Fire and Blood that involves cats!
In episode 2, King Aegon interrogates one of the two men who murdered his son. The former city watch sergeant who we only know as Blood surely rats out (pun intended) his fellow killer. We see in another scene that Aegon orders every ratcatcher that was employed by the Red Keep hanged to death in public because they don’t know exactly which one of them did it.
According to A Wiki of Ice and Fire, in the book Fire and Blood, Ser Otto brought a hundred cats into the Red Keep to take the place of the ratcatchers because, well, the mice were still a problem, and there was a job to be done. A hundred cats, people!
Picture it. No really, picture Rhys Ifans, as Otto Hightower, herding, or maybe watching one of the servants herd, a parade of cute kitties into the throne room! Imagine Aegon is holding council, and they’re discussing literal war, and something furry brushes past their legs under the table. And it’s a cat. Lord Tyland Lannister would be so distracted!
Aemond would secretly be petting them, while pretending not to be bothered by their presence in the corridors. A cat would go and sit at Helaena’s feet; at least someone would be there for her in her grief. And I bet none of the cats would trust Ser Criston Cole at all. He’d try to pet them, and they’d just scratch his face.
And of course, at least one cat would find a way, in the most uncomfortable position, to sit on the Iron Throne, because if it fits, it sits. And Ser Otto would have to shoo her away. And yes, it would be a she, because that is how we’re going to get a woman on the Iron Throne.
Oh, we were so robbed!
