Ainsworth on Daeron's Tumbleton Assassination Attempt
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- Daeron Targaryen survived his first assassination attempt in Tumbleton at the hands of Baratheons, with Gwayne Hightower jumping to his rescue while Ormund projectile vomited at the smell — an attack that appears ordered by Queen Rhaynera.
- Ainsworth called the scene's central feeling "absurdity," noting the power dynamics between Daeron and Ormund are "leveling out and clashing" as Daeron asserted himself for the first time by stopping Ser Jon Roxton from intervening.
- Daeron retreated to the courtyard to spar after the attack, using fencing to prove to himself he could protect himself again — while aware that both Ormund and Gwayne were watching his moves.
- On the fan theory that Ormund dyes Daeron's hair a Hightower color to distance him from his Targaryen heritage, Ainsworth said it wasn't explicitly addressed on set, but he prefers the reading that Daeron keeps his mother Alicent's hair as a connection to her.
- Tessarion is Daeron's "constant" throughout his time in Old Town, per Ainsworth — a bond that anchors the prince against Ormund's anti-Targaryen rhetoric that their blood is "tainted" and dragons are an "obscenity."
- Ainsworth revealed a moment that didn't make the final cut: Gwayne putting his arm around Daeron after the prince asked if Gwayne had seen his mother Alicent in King's Landing on his last visit — a dynamic Ainsworth called "one to look out for."
Why it matters: The assassination attempt — Daeron's first direct attack — reframes the Tumbleton storyline from a political chess match into a personal crucible, with Ainsworth confirming Daeron is being "thrust" into a leadership role as Season 3 heads toward its final two episodes. The Daeron-Ormund-Gwayne triangle now carries the clearest stakes of the season for the splintered Greens faction.
