Gwayne Hightower
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Ser Gwayne Hightower was a knight of House Hightower, son of Ser Otto Hightower and younger brother of Queen Alicent. He served at the court of King's Landing during the reign of Viserys I Targaryen and in the years when the succession to the Iron Throne began to unravel.
His role became tied to his father's, the Hand of the King, in the struggle to secure the loyalty of those guarding the capital as the dispute between Aegon II and Rhaenyra Targaryen drew near.
Before the War
City Watch
In 111 AC, at a tournament held in King's Landing, Ser Criston Cole knocked him from his horse.
After King Viserys I died in 129 AC, with war looming, his father Ser Otto Hightower, then Hand of the King, gathered at the Red Keep the head of the City Watch along with its seven captains, to sound out where their loyalties lay.
The commander and two of his captains turned out to be close to Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and were thrown in a cell for it. Luthor Largent, one of the trusted captains, took command of the Watch, and Ser Otto set his own son as Largent's lieutenant, with orders to keep an eye on him in case he switched sides.
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The Dance
Embassy to Dragonstone
Not long after, King Aegon II sent an envoy to Dragonstone to sound out peace with his half-sister Rhaenyra. Grand Maester Orwyle led the party, and among those sent were Ser Gwayne and Ser Arryk Cargyll.
The envoys laid out their terms, and the island turned them down flat: they were sent away without an agreement.
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Death
When King's Landing fell to the Blacks, the men in charge of the City Watch — its seven captains — ended up prisoners of their own troops, most of whom had turned to Prince Daemon Targaryen, the Watch's former commander and the one who had built it into the formal body it now was.
Ser Gwayne was seized while running for the stables to raise the alarm. He was brought before Luthor Largent and accused him of turning his cloak; Largent answered by showing which side he was truly on, killing him with a sword thrust to the belly.
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Gallery

Gwayne Hightower, image 22x3 Gwayne Hightower Still.jpg · gameofthrones.fandom.com · this wiki publishes under CC-BY-SA 
Gwayne Hightower, image 32x5 Criston and Gwayne Still.jpg · gameofthrones.fandom.com · this wiki publishes under CC-BY-SA 
Gwayne Hightower, image 42x6 Alicent and Gwayne Still.jpg · gameofthrones.fandom.com · this wiki publishes under CC-BY-SA
Relationships
Family tree
The family of Gwayne Hightower
Tap any relative to put them in the centre.
Family
- Otto HightowerFatherAppears in City Watch
Others in their story
- Luthor LargentAppears in City Watch, Death
- Criston ColeAppears in City Watch
- Viserys I TargaryenAppears in City Watch
- OrwyleAppears in Embassy to Dragonstone
- Arryk CargyllAppears in Embassy to Dragonstone
- Aegon II TargaryenAppears in Embassy to Dragonstone
- Rhaenyra TargaryenAppears in Embassy to Dragonstone
- Daemon TargaryenAppears in Death
Appearances
By work
Played by: William Willoughby (Season 1) · Freddie Fox (Season 2)
| Work | Format | Where it is told |
|---|---|---|
| Fire & Blood | Book | City Watch, Embassy to Dragonstone, Death |
| House of the Dragon | Show | — |
Books and show
Where they differ
The show and the books do not tell the same story.
| Show | Books | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Alive | Dead |
| Died | — | 130 AC · King's Landing |
| Appears in | House of the Dragon | Fire & Blood |
| Played by | William Willoughby (Season 1) · Freddie Fox (Season 2) | — |
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