Why did Princess Rhaenyra reject Ser Criston’s proposal in ‘House of the Dragon?’

Princess Rhaenyra and Ser Criston have had an eye for each other for a while in House of the Dragon. This finally amounted to something in episode four, as Princess Rhaenyra and Ser Criston shared a fully intimate evening together. After the two shared this moment, Ser Criston decided that he should ask for the Princess to join him in marriage and leave her royal duties. Unfortunately, Princess Rhaenyra rescinded his offer. Why would she reject him on something that she has expressed many times that she wished she could do?

Why, Rhaenyra? Why?

Throughout the first four episodes of House of the Dragon, Princess Rhaenyra seemed to want out of her royal duties. At one point, she decided to steal a horse and try to escape, only to be run down by Ser Criston. However, after Ser Criston asked her to run off with him and explore the world as husband and wife, she declined.

Princess Rhaenyra told him that even though she did not want to, she had royal duties to perform. She also said that she did not want to disappoint her father and family. Ser Criston was very confused as she had always vented to him that she wanted an out. He thought that she would surely say yes to this.

Ser Criston obviously has an eye for Princess Rhaenyra, but this was not the only reason why he asked her to abscond with him. He felt incredibly guilty and ashamed of himself for having an intimate encounter with someone that he was not married to. He figured that if they got married, it would end up wiping away some of the guilt that he felt had come upon him.

Married or not, Princess Rhaenyra still wants to have Ser Criston to herself. She and her future husband, Ser Laenor, talked about their other relationships. After discussing, they decided that they would both be allowed to have other people, despite their marriage to each other. When this was brought to Ser Criston, he was upset and seemingly appalled.

It seems as though Rhaenyra’s long talk with her father changed the way she sees her royal duties and how she must live her life. It will be interesting to see how she acts in the future with this new mindset.