'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Trailer Shows Character's Beheading — But Who Is It?

The first trailer for House of the Dragon Season 2 shows Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) executing another character by beheading, but we don't see who. Since the pilot episode of Game of Thrones, beheadings have held a lot of significance in this franchise as plot devices, symbolism and characterization. Here's what we know about this dramatic and mysterious attack in the trailer.

Fans have wasted no time in picking apart the new House of the Dragon trailer frame-by-frame, and this scene has drawn particular attention. Unlike Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon is based on a finished book, but it is not a straightforward adaptation. It is an adaptation of Fire & Blood - George R.R. Martin's fictional history book written from the perspective of a Westerosi maester, who is an unreliable narrator. While there are executions carried out by Cole at this point in the story, we can't say for sure that we know of all the ones he performed, nor that the ones we've read about happened the same way they did on the page.

Still, a few details in this shot are notable for Cole's arc this season. To discuss those – and the possible victims of this beheading – we need to warn that there are spoilers ahead. With that out of the way, we know that in Season 2, Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) grows impatient with his grandfather, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) and fires him from the small council. In his place, Aegon names Cole as his Hand of the King, which is why Cole is wearing the chain of interlocked gold hands during this beheading scene. This is a huge turning point for the "Green" side in the war, and many fans expect it to take place toward the end of the season, not the beginning.

Cole made it clear that his honor and his vows to the Kingsguard were the most important things to him in Season 1, and once he attains an even higher office, he is sure to be on edge. The fact that we see him carrying out this beheading himself hints at the burdens he will be struggling under this season. It may be a contrast to Eddard Stark (Sean Bean) in Game of Thrones, who told his sons that "the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword," only to be beheaded himself by an executioner at the end of that season.

As for the person being beheaded, they are almost certainly a traitor to Aegon II and a supporter of Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy), and there is no shortage of those. When the story resumes, most of Rhaenyra's sympathizers will have fled King's landing to lend her their support, but some will have been captured and held in the dungeons under the Red Keep. Cole's first act as Hand is to advise the king to deal with those "traitors" harshly in order to deter others from following their lead.

Under Cole's direction, all the prisoners will be dragged before the king and offered one more chance to swear fealty, or else be executed by beheading. In the book, three lords take the chance to switch sides – all minor lords from the Crownlands who have not been depicted on the show yet. Four other ords and one lady refuse, and are beheaded. Eight knights and 40 servants are beheaded as well, though in the book the king's executioner handles these killings, not Cole.

If Cole takes on these executions himself out of a sense of honor or duty, it adds some interesting dimensions to his characterization. If not, then this scene in the trailer must come from a battle much further in the story – further than most fans exected Season 2 to go. Cole would not have an opportunity to behead more nobles until the battles at Duskendale and Rook's Rest, respectively. If one or both of these battles are depicted in Season 2, it will say a lot about the pacing of this show. Showrunner Ryan Condal has said that he wants to tell this story in three or four seasons, but to finish in three seasons without skipping anything, we will definitely need to see Rook's Rest soon.

The only other notable execution to this point in the story comes when the king grows frustrated with the "rat catchers" working in his castle and orders them all to be killed. According to the book, these workers are executed by hanging, not beheading. This further emphasizes the status of beheadings in medieval cultures and in this series in particular. They are typically significant events, not senseless violence. This case is shaping up to be no different.

House of the Dragon Season 2 premieres in the summer of 2024 on HBO and Max. Season 1 is streaming on Max now. Fire & Blood is available in print, digital and audiobook formats, along with Martin's other books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series.