what happens to ser criston

The figure of Ser Criston Cole in George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" and its television adaptation, "House of the Dragon," stands as one of the most compelling and tragic character studies in the saga. His journey from a paragon of knightly virtue to a bitter, vengeful orchestrator of war encapsulates the corrosive nature of pride, rejection, and the rigid confines of a feudal honor system. To examine what happens to Ser Criston is to trace the unraveling of a man who, finding his idealized world shattered, dedicates his life to shattering the realm in turn.

Table of Contents

The Knight of Honor and Desire

The Shattering of an Ideal

The Descent into Vengeance

The Kingmaker and the Catalyst

A Legacy of Bitterness and Blood

The Knight of Honor and Desire

Ser Criston Cole's introduction presents him as the embodiment of the chivalric ideal. A commoner who rose to knighthood through sheer martial prowess, he is appointed to the Kingsguard for his skill and integrity. As the sworn shield to Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, he develops a deep, complex bond with her. His loyalty, however, becomes entangled with personal affection. The heart of Ser Criston's initial conflict lies in the tension between his sacred vows—of celibacy and protection—and his very human longing. He represents the perfect knight, yet within him stirs a desire that threatens to topple that perfection. His proposal to Rhaenyra, to forsake her claim and flee with him across the Narrow Sea, is a desperate attempt to resolve this tension, to build a new life where man and woman can exist outside the rigid structures of duty and throne.

The Shattering of an Ideal

Rhaenyra's rejection of his proposal is the pivotal moment that fractures Ser Criston's identity. He does not perceive it merely as a romantic refusal but as a profound moral and personal betrayal. In his view, he offered her everything—a sacrifice of his own honor and life's purpose—and she spurned it for the cold allure of power. This rejection transforms his devotion into a festering humiliation. His subsequent encounter with Rhaenyra's uncle, Prince Daemon, and his violent confrontation with Ser Joffrey Lonmouth at the wedding feast are acts of a man unmoored. Having broken his Kingsguard vow with Rhaenyra, he sees his honor as irredeemably tainted. His attempt at suicide, thwarted by Queen Alicent Hightower, completes his psychological break. The honorable knight is gone, replaced by a man consumed by shame and a burning need to assign blame.

The Descent into Vengeance

Queen Alicent becomes the anchor for his shattered psyche. In her, he finds a new patron and a new cause that conveniently aligns with his bitterness. Alicent's piety and strict adherence to duty stand in stark contrast to his memory of Rhaenyra's willfulness. By transferring his loyalty to the Queen and her son, Aegon, Criston reconstructs a semblance of purpose. Yet, this new purpose is fundamentally vengeful. He becomes the most virulent voice against Rhaenyra, weaponizing their shared secret to paint her as morally unfit to rule. His venom is not merely political; it is deeply personal. Every accusation of Rhaenyra's wantonness is a reflection of his own perceived corruption at her hands. He redefines his own dishonor not as a mutual failing, but as a sin she alone led him into, thus casting himself as a victim in need of righteous vengeance.

The Kingmaker and the Catalyst

Ser Criston's moment of definitive historical impact earns him the epithet "the Kingmaker." Upon the death of King Viserys, he is instrumental in securing the throne for Aegon II against the declared heir, Rhaenyra. He physically places the crown on Aegon's head and orchestrates the coup within the Red Keep. This act is the direct catalyst for the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. His motivations here are a toxic blend of genuine belief in male-preference primogeniture, loyalty to Alicent, and a seething personal hatred for Rhaenyra. He clothes his vengeance in the language of law and tradition, providing a martial and "principled" face to the Green faction's ambition. In making a king, he unleashes a war, believing it a justified purge of the corruption he associates with his former princess.

A Legacy of Bitterness and Blood

Criston Cole's trajectory during the war continues his descent. He proves a capable but ruthless military commander, yet his strategic actions are often tinged with that same personal bitterness. His story concludes not in glorious redemption, but in an ignoble and brutal end, underscoring the futility of the path he chose. What happens to Ser Criston Cole is a profound tragedy of wasted potential. The realm loses a truly exceptional knight, not to a noble death in battle, but to the slow poison of resentment. He becomes a living lesson in how the Westerosi code of honor, when inflexible and internalized by a proud man, offers no path for forgiveness—especially self-forgiveness. His legacy is not one of protection or valor, but of being the architect of the continent's devastation. He is remembered not for the honor he sought to uphold, but for the blood he spilled to avenge its loss, a permanent testament to how a single broken heart, when armed with influence and conviction, can break a kingdom.

Russia accuses Ukraine of postponing prisoner swap
Death toll from Israeli strikes in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023 surpasses 50,000: health authorities
Whitewashed atrocities: Japan tampers with textbooks, manufacturing 'collective historical amnesia'
Blood donation organized amid border clashes between Cambodian, Thai soldiers
Timeline: S. Korean President Yoon's political downfall from martial law to impeachment