Is Criston Cole Really Dead? Everything to Know About the Kingmaker’s Fate

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With Criston Cole gone, the Green military apparatus faces immediate paralysis. Cole was not just a fighter; he served as Hand of the King and the glue holding together the strategic directives between King's Landing and the field armies.

First, the loss leaves Prince Regent Aemond unchecked. Cole was one of the few figures alive whose military credentials commanded Aemond’s reluctant respect. Without Cole's tactical restraint, Aemond’s scorched-earth campaign atop Vhagar will grow increasingly erratic, burning Riverland settlements without holding actual ground.

Second, the psychological blow to Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower is devastating. Their complex, guilt-ridden relationship was one of the few personal anchors Alicent had left within the Red Keep. Learning that Cole died unchampioned, abandoned by her own son's refusal to provide air support with Vhagar, further widens the chasm between Alicent and the ruling council.

Finally, the military balance in the south shifts violently. The slaughter at the Butcher's Ball completely eliminated the Green army operating in the central theatre. Ormund Hightower's host marching from Oldtown is now isolated, forcing the Greens to lean almost exclusively on the unpredictable fire superiority of their remaining dragons.