All of Season 2 was building up to one thing: a massive naval battle pitting Corlys Verlaryon’s fleet against the Triarchy, a massive, piratic fleet led by Sharako Lohar and Tyland Lannister, who are both on the side of the Greens. However, the entire season ended with all these characters suiting up for a massive fight, only for the credits to roll just when it was supposed to start.
It’s understandable to see why — this battle, known as the Battle of the Gullet, is a massive undertaking that could max out the TV production. But Season 3 rights this wrong immediately, picking right up with the battle. But how does it end, and who is able to walk away? The answer will change the landscape of Westeros forever.
Warning! Major spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 1 ahead!
Sharako Lohar, the leader of the Triarchy fleet, commands the Greens fleet during the Battle of the Gullet.
The battle begins with Tyland trying to suggest to Sharako to take the safest route, but Sharako has her own ideas: she is going to do whatever it takes to meet Corlys face to face. She diverrts some of her troops to sack Hightide, Corlys’s lands. This isn’t a practical strategy for the battle at hand; she wants to deal Corlys a moral blow, by burning his castle and leaving him helpless to stop it. “Do you think his focus will hold when he sees his treasure trove aflame?” she says.
Meanwhile, Rhaena Targaryen has run across Sheepstealer, a feral dragon. Just as we saw with the Dragonseeds in Season 2, she bonds with the creature, but doesn’t exactly tame it. Back at Dragonstone, Baela informs Jacerys and Rhaenyra that the fleets are clashing on the sea. Rhaenyra wants to go to battle, but Jace, concerned for her well-being, decides to stop her. He instructs Ser Lawrence to lock her in the room, and sets off on his dragon Vermax. With no other choice, Baela takes her dragon Moondancer to help him.
In the heat of the battle, Sharako makes a strange order. She tells her troops to leave the melee to pursue Corlys’ ship. Tyland warns her that this is a bad idea, especially since they are on the flagship. It’s only then that Sharako reveals her true intentions. She didn’t come all this way to help the cause for Aegon. She’s here for one reason and one reason only: to get revenge on Corlys for some old beef.
Allyn of Hull ends up being the one to deal the fatal blow to Sharako.
Corlys tries to lead Sharako astray by taking her ship through a treacherous pass, which leads Sharako to jettison all extra weight — including Tyland himself. They get through, and Sharko and Corlys’ men clash in an epic battle. First, Sharko and Corlys fight until Corlys is thrown into the sea. Then, Allyn picks up where his father left off and is able to defeat Sharako, slitting her throat in the flooding hull of a ship.
Meanwhile, Moondancer and Vermax are still trying to raze the remainder of the Triarchy. Rhaena flies Sheepstealer home to Dragonstone, but when she sees the battle, she decides to help out. This ends up backfiring, as Sheepstealer has no idea which ships are friendly and which are enemies, and by the same token, Baela and Jace have no idea who is riding this dragon, and are distracted by Sheepstealer’s seemingly random attacks. A Scorpion bolt strikes Vermax, and he and Jace are pulled into the sea. Just when Jace is able to separate himself from the saddle, he’s fatally struck by three arrows.
At the end of the day, here’s where things stand: the battle is a decisive victory for the Blacks, but at the cost of the Crown Prince Jacaerys and his dragon Vermax. Sharako and Tyland Lannister have both perished, and Corlys Velaryon, the Sea Snake, is lost at sea. But this is Game of Thrones, and until a body is seen, nothing is certain. We’ll just have to see how each side licks its wounds next week.
