Alicent what is going on? I leave the room for one minute and The Realm is in SHAMBLES. Twin fights! Hanged ratcatchers! Dragon on dragon violence!With such bad vibes in Westeros, how do you think House of the Dragon is gonna end well for you?
How does Alicent Hightower’s story end?
Alright to explain how it ends, first I gotta explain how we got to that point. Long story short, the Dance of the Dragons, Westeros’ most bloody civil war, did not go as anyone planned. After tensions continued to escalate between The Blacks (those loyal to Rhaenyra) and The Greens (those loyal to Aegon II) the Realm finally exploded into all out military conflict. Armies! Dragons! Fire and blood! The things that made the Targaryens famous! I’ll spare you the gory details, but one of the most important battles (particularly to Alicent) was the Battle of Rook’s Rest. It was dragon on dragon violence between The Queen Who Never was, Rhaenyra’s cousin once removed Rhaenys and Aegon II, Alicen’t son. While Aegon II emerged victorious in the battle, it was a pyrrhic victory. He was severely burned by dragonfire and broke multiple bones, both injuries he never truly recovered from. His dragon Sunfyre was left flightless. Rhaenys and her dragon Meleys were both killed.
After news spread of the battle, the residents of King’s Landing began to flee from the city in droves, fearing dragon-related retaliation from Rhaenyra and The Blacks. Alicent Hightower barred the gates to the city in order to keep the working class contained there in preparation for a siege. A siege came. King’s Landing fell, and Rhaenyra had many of theose who conspired against her executed, including Alicent’s father Otto Hightower. Out of respect for the former King Viserys, Alicent’s late husband and Rhaenyra’s father, Rhaenyra spared the former queen’s life.
Rhaenyra was not able to hold King’s Landing for good. Eventually was forced to flee the city when the tide of battle turned, and was later captured and executed by Aegon II. Aegon died soon after, having been poisoned in an assassination plot that was never solved. Alicent was arrested by the Velaryons, but later released by Lord Cregan Stark during The Hour of The Wolf – a six day period where the Stark served as Hand of the King to the newly crowned Aegon III, son of Rhaenyra. Alicent vehemently opposed the marriage of her granddaughter Jahaera to the new king, and even suggested to the girl that she slit his throat in reprisal. Alicent’s murdery attitude towards her grandson-in-law forced Hand of the King Tyland Lannister to confine her to Maegor’s Holdfast.
Alicent spent the last remaining year of her life in total confinement, visited only by a septa, servants, and guards. It is said that she spent most of her time crying, and came to harbor a strong dislike for the color green. Bad memories. She died only two years after the war ending during the epidemic of Winter Fever that plagued the continent. She was 45 years old.
(Featured image: HBO)
