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The ramifications of the Dance of the Dragons affect the Cargyll brothers, and one of them defects to the Blacks towards the end of House of the Dragon season 1. The twin brothers, Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk Cargyll serve under Lord Commander Ryam Redwyne in Viserys' Kingsguard, and later, under Ser Harrold Westerling. They are honorable, and one of them educates the other on the emotional reticence it takes to serve in the Kingsguard.
The Order of the Kingsguard recognizes the King's authority. The elite knights, also known as the White Cloaks, answer to no one but the king. They are sworn to protect the king's family and, because they go where the monarch and the royal family goes, they are privy to unspeakable secrets. The Kingsguard must uphold their vow and guard these secrets. As the Greens install the highly incompetent Aegon II on the Iron Throne in House of the Dragon season 1, Ser Erryk honors his vow by defecting and seeking the rightful heir to the Iron Throne on Dragonstone.
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Ser Erryk And Ser Arryk Take Sides
Right off the bat, the sights of Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk are reminiscent of the Lannister loyals, i.e., the Clegane Brothers from Game of Thrones. The elder, Ser Gregor, aka the Mountain, would take orders from Tywin, whereas the younger, Sandor aka the Hound, was a sworn shield to King Joffrey Baratheon until the Battle of the Blackwater. He deserted after being disillusioned by the Blackwater catching fire and the King running away from the battlefield.
While the Cargyll twins are certainly not dishonorable like Ser Gregor Clegane, they disagree over Alicent and Viserys' firstborn son, Aegon. These disagreements come to the fore when Otto Hightower sends them to fetch the wastrel in the hours after Viserys' death. He walks up to Ser Erryk and demands:
Find him. Take no one else but your brother. And remove your white cloaks. None can know who you are or what you seek, including the Queen.
And so, Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk go into the city to find Aegon. The duo finds themselves in Flea Bottom's child fighting ring as the would-be king likes watching orphan children aged about ten years, with grown nails and filed teeth fight each other. Prince Aegon spends nights in the pits, which, by the way, also house many of his illegitimate children. "Do you see now what he is?" Ser Erryk asks his brother.
Ser Erryk Travels To Dragonstone
The Cargyll twins serve on the opposing sides right from the war's outset. They part ways in House of the Dragon's "The Green Council," when Ser Erryk suggests that something must be done as Aegon is unfit to rule. "You tolerated the Prince's proclivities for years," replies Ser Arryk, adding:
It's for the Hand to find wisdom. We swore an oath of service until death.
As the twins retrieve Aegon from beneath an altar in the Grand Sept, Ser Erryk leaves his brother, while Ser Arryk fights Ser Criston and Aemond Targaryen, who have been dispatched by Otto's daughter, Alicent, to fetch Aegon. Ser Erryk enters the Red Keep, escorts Princess Rhaenys out, and steals Viserys' two-tone crown to present to his daughter and heir at Dragonstone. He swears a vow in House of the Dragon season 1, episode 10 "The Black Queen," and, after that, is accepted by the Queensguard of Rhaenyra Targaryen.
Ser Arryk's Infiltration
The Duel Of The Cargyll Twins
Game of Thrones lore states that the duel takes place in the aftermath of Daemon Targaryen's Blood and Cheese plot, i.e., the assassination of Aegon II's son, Prince Jaehaerys. Ser Arryk pretends to be Ser Erryk and, while the lore is not clear on whether his orders are to kill Rhaenyra or her children, he obliges. He arrives at Dragonstone in the guise of a fisherman, wears his white cloak, and sneaks into the castle.
As Ser Arryk walks to the royal apartments, Ser Erryk catches him and draws his sword. The ensuing duel results in the deaths of the brothers and while accounts differ in Game of Thrones lore, they certainly die at the hands of each other. Septon Eustace makes the simplest claim, in that, the Cargyll twins killed each other. Grand Maester Munkun says in 'The Dance of the Dragons, A True Telling' that half of Rhaenyra's household watch the Cargyll twins duel for almost an hour, and they die in each other's arms. Court Fool Mushroom says the duel was short and hateful, and the brothers accused each other of being traitors.
How Ser Erryk And Ser Arryk Mirror The Clegane Brothers From Game Of Thrones
Like the Clegane brothers, Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk are separated by a realm-wide war. While the twins' story isn't packed with childhood resentment and unresolved trauma like in the case of the Clegane brothers, the war makes enemies out of them. The Clegane brothers died together in the Cleganebowl that took place in the final moments of the Battle of King's Landing. They sent each other into the fiery pit of hell below. Simply put, Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk are a more honorable version of House of the Dragon's Clegane brothers.
House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon is HBO's prequel series to Game of Thrones. Set hundreds of years earlier, the show follows the inner machinations and rivalries of the Targaryen royal family. The show was created by Ryan Condal and George R.R. Martin, and stars Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Rhys Ifans, and Olivia Cooke.
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