Ser Arryk and his identical twin brother Erryk are hard to tell apart in HBO’s House of the Dragon, so here’s the lowdown on the brother.
Warning: spoilers ahead for the entirety of House of the Dragon.
Serving alongside his brother Ser Erryk (a confusing name choice from their parents) on King Viserys I’s Kingsguard since the age of eighteen, Ser Arryk is a talented knight and an honorable man. In the hours after Viserys’ death, he accompanies his brother, Prince Aegon’s swornshield, to find the prince and return him to the Hand, Otto Hightower, in preparation to be crowned king.
Where Erryk shows reticence about crowning Aegon, pointing out his depraved tastes and wealth of bastard children left to fend for themselves, Arryk stays loyal to the Greens. This ultimately puts the two brothers on the opposite sides of a war.
Duty over family
When his twin flees King’s Landing to swear to Rhaenyra on Dragonstone, Ser Arryk remains as part of Aegon’s Kingsguard. This culminates in his honor being called into question in a truly impressive bit of projection from Ser Criston Cole, pushing his own guilt about not protecting the heir to the throne Jaehaerys during Blood and Cheese.
Criston orders Arryk to restore his family’s honor after his brother’s betrayal by heading to Dragonstone and pretending to be his twin. Looking identical, Criston reasons that he will be able to get close enough to the queen to kill her. While Arryk protests at first and calls it a suicide mission if anyone should see the two brothers at the same time, he ultimately agrees, with no other option to obey the commander of the Kingsguard.
Indeed, he does gain admittance to Dragonstone, blustering his way through the gates and using his authority as a Kingsguard to walk past guards and soldiers. However, Mysaria sees him walking into the castle and realizes what is happening. Off-screen, she seemingly warns someone, resulting in Ser Erryk charging into the queen’s chambers just in time to prevent Ser Arryk from killing her.
The brothers start to fight and onlookers are quickly unable to tell the pair apart, clad in identical armor. After a battle where both seem evenly matched, Ser Erryk is ultimately able to kill Ser Arryk. However, the victory is short-lived, with Ser Erryk stabbing himself in the gut when he sees what he has done.
The twins both say they love one another during their fight, highlighting the tragedy of a civil war and how it rips families apart.
(featured image: HBO)
Published: Jun 25, 2024 07:41 am