Lord Grover Tully of Riverrun is an integral off-screen House of the Dragon character whose mysterious death has drastic implications for the series. Several new characters have joined the House of the Dragon cast for season 2 amid Daemon Targaryen’s narrative in Harrenhal, the cursed castle with a strategic location in the Riverlands. The Riverlands’ centralized location in Westeros makes it vital to an assault on King’s Landing, and Daemon hopes to assemble an army to retake the cap ital on behalf of Rhaenyra and the Blacks.
A matter that’s consistent in both the Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon timeline is that House Tully rules as Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, making them the key to assembling the minor houses of the region for war. However, House Tully’s lord, Grover, was described as being old and sickly earlier in the season, sending his grandson, Oscar Tully, to delegate with Daemon on his behalf. Season 2, episode 6’s ending announces Grover Tully’s death, meaning Daemon’s narrative can finally move forward.
House Of The Dragon Strongly Suggests Alys Rivers Killed Lord Grover Tully
Alys Rivers Was There To “Heal” Grover Tully
Alys Rivers is the mysterious woman who’s been introduced throughout Daemon’s Harrenhal plot line. She’s a bastard of House Strong who’s known as a healer and seems to have some vague mystical properties. When Ser Simon Strong describes the matter of Lord Grover Tully’s death, he suggests that Alys Rivers was there to try and heal him, though it was not effective. The underlying message here is that Alys killed Grover Tully in some subtle manner in order to move events along after Daemon nearly messed everything up.
What Grover Tully’s Death Means & What Happens Next
Daemon May Finally Have His Riverlands Army
In season 2, episode 5, the lords of the Riverlands arrived at Harrenhal to chastise Daemon for having war crimes committed against House Bracken. In this scene, it seems that Daemon has failed in his purpose of uniting an army. Now that Grover Tully is dead, however, Daemon can use the young Oscar Tully to unite the banners of the Riverlands on his behalf. Episode 6’s mention of the approaching Lannister army also signifies that war is coming to the Riverlands no matter what and that the region will have to defend itself against the Greens.
As for Alys Rivers’ intentions, it seems that she’s working to the benefit of Daemon, though there’s likely more than that. Alys sees visions, including one of Daemon dying at Harrenhal, and her efforts seem to serve the purpose of pushing events toward their proper outcome. Daemon messed up the situation in the Riverlands, so she patched it up for him, knowing it would push him further along toward his fate. How these events play out in House of the Dragon is to be seen, but it seems unlikely that Alys is on anyone’s side.