One of the many dangling threads at the end of House of the Dragon season two came with King Aegon’s decision to flee King’s Landing with Lord Larys Strong. As season three begins in “Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood,” we get a glimpse of their road trip in progress, as both characters start to question their choice of companion for this spontaneous adventure. As fans will well recall, Aegon has reason to fear for his life—his younger brother, Aemond, would love to see him perish ahead of schedule and free up the path to the Iron Throne. It’s Aemond’s fault that Aegon was horrifically injured midway through season two at the Battle of Rook’s Rest, and the king has barely recovered enough to hit the road when Larys tells him it’s his best option for survival. Larys’ plan is for them to sneak to the coast, hop a boat to Braavos, and wait out the Dance of the Dragons—living off the gold Larys has stashed just for such an occasion. Then, once the dust has cleared, King Aegon can return to Westeros and reclaim his throne before his adoring subjects.
In reality, the scheme gets off to a rocky start. Larys didn’t remember to pack the Milk of the Poppy that Aegon has grown so fond of! Rude. Then, the pair, who are traveling in a cart full of caged ravens, are pulled over by Rhaenyra’s army. They become hostages when Aegon refuses to bend the knee to his greatest rival, and Larys tells Team Black his true identity.
