Gwayne was introduced as a knight in the king’s tourney in the first ever episode of “HotD”, chosen to compete against Demon Prince (Matt Smith). We don’t get to see much of his face, but we do get to see him thrown off his horse and face planted in the mud. It’s not Gwayne’s finest hour as a young knight, but at least he lived to tell the tale.
This appearance is easy to forget, as the scene is less about Gwayne himself and more about foreshadowing the divisions between the Hightowers and the Targaryens. Although young Rhaenyra and Alicent are both friendly and support each other throughout the game, there is still an underlying tension due to the fact that Rhaenyra cheers for her Uncle Daemon, while Alicent cheers for her brother Gwayne. The fact that Daemon is a complete idiot at this point, showing no concern for the potential murder of his opponents, only makes things worse.
The most memorable moment of the scene is when Daemon asks Alicent for his blessing after unseating Gwayne. Alicent clearly doesn’t like him, but behaves and offers him flowers anyway. Otto seems disappointed in her for this, and Alicent seems to know she’s disappointed him. It would be another few years before Alicent and Rhaenyra became enemies, but here you could already see the rivalry brewing.
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