Cheese

[FP1997]

Cheese (left) and Blood (right) in House of the Dragon

• Occupation: Ratcatcher in the depths of King’s Landing

• Traits: Cunning, ruthless, and exceptionally resourceful

• Family: Unknown.

• Famous quote: “She's not lying.”

Cheese, a name that strikes fear into the hearts of those who hear it, is one of the most notorious assassins in the lore of Westeros. Known for his role in the gruesome event involving the deaths of the children of Queen Helaena Targaryen, Cheese is a character shrouded in mystery and darkness. His actions during the Dance of the Dragons mark him as one of the most cold-blooded and calculating figures in the brutal history of House Targaryen.

Origin of Cheese

Little is known about Cheese’s early life, which only adds to his fearsome mystique. Originally, he worked as a ratcatcher in the depths of King’s Landing, a job that provided him with intimate knowledge of the Red Keep’s labyrinthine tunnels and hidden passages. This seemingly humble occupation masked his darker inclinations and his propensity for violence, which would later become his defining characteristics.

Bloody Revenge

Following the tragic death of Prince Lucerys Velaryon at the hands of Prince Aemond Targaryen, the Blacks, led by Rhaenyra Targaryen and her consort, Prince Daemon Targaryen, thirst for revenge. The murder of Lucerys becomes the catalyst for a cruel and calculated act of retribution designed to strike terror into the hearts of their enemies, the Greens.

Daemon Targaryen, grieving and enraged by the loss of his stepson, devises a sinister plan to exact vengeance. He enlists the help of his spymaster, Mysaria, who is known for her network of informants and operatives in King’s Landing. Through her connections, Daemon recruits two lowborn assassins for the gruesome task: Blood, a former sergeant of the City Watch dismissed for his violent tendencies, and Cheese, a ratcatcher with an intimate knowledge of the Red Keep’s secret passages.

The episode meticulously follows Blood and Cheese as they navigate the labyrinthine tunnels of the Red Keep, led by Cheese’s insider knowledge. The pair stealthily makes their way to the Tower of the Hand, where they find the chambers of Queen Alicent Hightower, the mother of King Aegon II Targaryen. Blood and Cheese lie in wait, hidden in the shadows, until the opportune moment to strike.

As night falls, Queen Helaena Targaryen, wife of King Aegon II, arrives in her chambers with her three children: Jaehaerys, Jaehaera, and Maelor. The assassins spring their trap, quickly overpowering and killing Helaena’s guardsman. With cold precision, they hold Queen Heleana at knife-point. The terror escalates as Blood and Cheese confront Helaena, seizing her youngest son, Prince Maelor.

In a chilling display of psychological torment, Cheese presents Helaena with an unthinkable ultimatum: she must choose which of her sons will die as retribution for the death of Lucerys. Desperate and distraught, Helaena pleads for her own life to be taken instead, but Blood and Cheese are unyielding. They insist it must be one of her sons and threaten further violence against her daughter, Princess Jaehaera, if she refuses to choose. Under extreme duress, Helaena names her youngest son, Maelor, in a bid to protect her older children.

In a gruesome twist, Blood and Cheese defy Helaena’s choice. Instead of killing Maelor, Blood mercilessly beheads Prince Jaehaerys, ensuring that Helaena’s torment is complete. The assassins escape into the night with Jaehaerys’s severed head as proof of their deed, leaving behind a scene of horror and grief.

Who plays Cheese?

• Cheese is portrayed by Mark Stobbart, an actor known for his roles in Line of Duty, The Silence and The Devil Outside.