Did House of the Dragon introduce The Shepherd in the recent episode?

As Alicent and Helaena ran away from the riot in King’s Landing in the recent episode of House of the Dragon, a man grabbed Alicent. The Kingsguard immediately cut off the arm of the man, even though Alicent told them not to.

To be fair to the Kingsguard, they were reacting on instinct. People we looking to harm the two queens, and they couldn’t allow that. They needed to do whatever it took to protect them. However, Alicent knew that hurting the smallfolk would be the end of the Greens’ rule. Rhaenyra had already gained the people’s support.

However, the Kingsguard made a huge mistake, and it could lead to trouble for everyone very soon.

Was The Shepherd the injured man in House of the Dragon?

The Shepherd is very much like The Sparrow from Game of Thrones. He manages to get the smallfolk to turn against the kings and queens in the Red Keep. He is a devout follower of The Seven, and he gains a following because of that.

However, The Shepherd doesn’t actually become a problem until Rhaenyra’s reign. It’s because of him that the smallfolk storm the Dragonpit and kill multiple dragons.

Of course, there has to be a lead-up to things like this. It’s worth seeing that lead-up via the sidelines, and the House of the Dragon moment with Alicent could be that moment. Why else would The Shepherd want to gain a following? Why else would he want people to hate the Greens and then the Blacks? It’s got everything to do with treatment right now.

It’s worth noting in the books that The Shepherd is described as being one-handed. While the book says that he lost a hand due to thievery, we know that the book isn’t told as a traditional novel. It’s a story of three separate accounts, and not everything is true.

It could be that this man was just an innocent victim of the riot. However, I wouldn’t put it past the show to give us a hint of things to come. I’d love to see this man turn out to be The Shepherd in House of the Dragon season 3.