Who were Erryk Cargyll and Arryk Cargyll? The twins who fought for honor in ‘House of the Dragon’

‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 keeps war and revenge as part of its driving line. But it also shows us that there are characters with clear ideals. At the end of the episode, we had the confrontation between the twins Erryk and Arryk, characters who had already appeared in Season 1 of the series, but whose fate led them to defend very different ideals.

Warning: Spoilers for ‘House of the Dragon’, Rhaenyra the Cruel, and the book ‘Fire & Blood’ below.

The twins Arryk and Erryk Cargyll, two of the noblest knights in Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms, raised to be loyal to whatever principles they deem right, but most of all to each other. Both are twins, described as physically identical and shown to be so in the series. Both served as Gold Cloaks in the Kingsguard, with Arryk taking the place of Aegon’s protector. For his part, Erryk discovers acts of corruption on the part of the Crown, prompting him to leave King’s Landing for Dragonstone to serve Rhaenyra, whom he believes to be the rightful heir.

However, after the events of A Son for a Son, the brothers are reunited. As part of Ser Criston Cole’s plan, Arryk is sent to Dragonstone to pose as his brother and kill Rhaenyra. The two meet, however, and in a duel that no one could enter to help with because there was no real difference between the Cargyll, both die, but not before declaring their brotherly love.

How is the battle like in the books?

There are a few details that differ between the show and ‘Fire and Blood’ the book that inspires the series, as you might expect. For starters, Erryck ends up as Rhaenyra’s new sworn protector, sent to Dragonstone instead of Harwin Strong on King Viserys’ orders.

Having said that, and focusing on the battle, the events involving the Cargyll are narrated by various characters such as the Grand Maester Munkun, the Septon Eustace, and Mushroom, a dwarf and court jester of the Seven Kingdoms. And certainly, they are very different from what we have seen in the series. Let’s remember that the books tell events from the perspective of the characters, and sometimes they’re not even the ones who are there to witness them.

The first version tells us that Arryk is not very convinced of the mission, and first visits the Great Sept of Baelor to ask the Mother’s forgiveness, knowing that he cannot escape his commander’s orders. Back at Dragonstone, this confrontation lasts nearly an hour, with a declaration of fraternal affection and both mortally wounded. On the other hand, we have the other, less poetic version. A shorter battle in which they call each other traitors.  Erryk managed to cut off his brother’s arm, but he countered with a dagger to the stomach. Arryk died soon after, but Erryk took a few days to die.