#but like joff it was a robb stark marrying jeyne westerling / talisa move while betrothed to the roslin frey dumbass move

[ladyalicentshightower]

Criston Cole isn't really been afforded a lot of nuance by the fandom and it's starting to annoy me.

I think a few more small scenes would've done so much, say hearing the ladies of the court gossiping over an illegitimate child or even he himself discussing his background with either Alicent or Rhaenyra, which would've added to his development and his eventual crisis of faith, his Catholic guilt. I think people forget Criston is one of the few main characters who isn't a noble or a direct part of the family. As an illegitimate child in Westeros, all his life he's been told that he is the sinful thing, that he was born of sin and therefore unclean as result. By taking the white cloak and becoming a King's guard, he was able to put that "sin" behind him and become "clean". By sleeping with Rhaenyra he's stained and tainted that, something he can't handle or stand at all. He committed the ultimate sin, he's broken his oath, stained his honor and may have created a child doomed to be unclean too (obviously no such child was conceived or born but there was always the chance one could've been and I think that ate Criston alive inside and will probably be a factor of why he behaves the way he does towards Rhaenyra's sons). It's why he's so eager to run off and marry Rhaenyra so he can (in his mind) set it right. He wants to see himself as clean again. It's why he confesses so quickly to Alicent (also did some of you not watch the episode? Criston knew Rhaenyra snuck out, he had no way of knowing Rhaenyra was even with Daemon, he wasn't in King's landing to hear the gossip regarding Daemon & Rhaenyra that Larys spoke of and he was summoned immediately by Alicent so of course he assumed the rumours Alicent spoke of was referring to him), to seek forgiveness and regain some of that "cleanliness" before dying. Alicent offers him salvation, sanctuary, forgiveness while Rhaenyra shattered the version of herself he had built up in his mind. She betrayed that ideal he had of her and cannot understand why the "sin" they committed haunts him so greatly. For her it was a pleasurable night they spent together, to him it is his damnation, his ultimate sin. It's why he follows Alicent, in his eyes she offers him salvation while Rhaenyra can only offer him ruination.

I could ramble so much more about this, I don't know what it is but Alicent and Criston and the religious themes surrounding them both is absolutely fascinating.

#hotd #hotd spoilers #house of the dragon spoilers #house of the dragon #ser criston cole #ser criston #criston cole #alicent x criston #queen alicent #alicent hightower #alicent targaryen #like not going to say criston did nothing wrong but his actions and way he reacted is understandable if you look at what we know about him #joffery made a dumbass move and essentially fucked around and found out #like I'm pissed we got a queer relationship & one half got buried literally in the exact same episode #but like joff it was a robb stark marrying jeyne westerling / talisa move while betrothed to the roslin frey dumbass move #robb i love you always but that was such a dumbass move #joff you weren't even in kings landing a full day maybe wait til you had the lay of the land before approaching people #not justifying what Criston did to him because I was sat there like jesus christ what the actual fuck #but you got to be a little politically smart to survive in this world #joff u did a ned he assumed everyone was as honourable as he was and you assumed criston was as open as you and it bit you both in the ass #like I can't and won't defend what Criston did but I saw something coming the minute you walked over to him