In Fire and Blood, the civil war that marked House Targaryen is caused by the mutual hatred of two brothers who dispute the line of succession, a fact inspired by a conflict that took place in British History, between Matilda and a cousin. In the series, at least in the first season, at best Rhaenyra and Aegon ignored each other, both due to the large age difference and Viserys’ very clear choice for his daughter to succeed him on the throne. The real conflict is between two women and friends who Game of Thrones not only drives away but makes them mortal enemies. Another difference from the book is that they barely related to each other and had a significant age distance. None of these adaptations “disrupt” the series and bring another perspective to the story, one that was already gray but has undeniably gained other layers. The hatred, which was once love, between Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower generated a series of disagreements, violent moments, and torturous moments, but nothing close to what we will see in the second season.

To understand how the two grew apart and opposed each other, it is worth remembering what united them and what separated them. In the series, not in the book.

Rhaenyra and Alicent grew up in the corridors of political warfare in Westeros. Rhaneyra, naturally, the only daughter of King Viserys and Alicent, the only daughter of the Hand of the King, Otto Hightower, a man more powerful than the monarch himself. In a patriarchal society, they had a single role: to marry and have children. However, their fate would never be that simple.

Viserys was unable to produce a son to inherit the Crown, which would then be passed on to his younger brother, Daemon, Otto’s mortal enemy. To make things even more complex, Viserys would not be in the closest line to the throne, but his uncles died without sons and his grandfather, Jaehaerys, did something potentially fatal. Instead of recognizing his granddaughter, Rhaenys, as Queen, after all, she was the firstborn’s daughter, he called a plebiscite where the nobles voted between Rhaenys and Viserys, electing the man solely based on gender. Rhaenys already had a son, but not even her son was considered, creating a family and cultural problem.

As King, Viserys was seen by the people as a kind king, but among the nobles, as a king without a pulse. His excessive attempt to have a male heir ended up costing his wife her life, doubling Rhaenyra’s resentment towards everything. Not only was she less because she was better, she lost her mother because there was no male prince. In the series, her greatest support throughout the entire period is precisely Alicent. And both will suffer because of Otto Hightower’s strategy.

The idea of a Queen was unacceptable to all nobles in Westeros, including Otto, but for him, it was even worse to have a Daemon on the Iron Throne. Otto never stopped scheming to prevent Daemon from getting along with Viserys or having a chance at the succession, just as he had his eye on maintaining his position as Hand, not excluding the dream of one day having a Hightower as king. When Viserys unexpectedly became a widower – and frail – Otto feared that it would be too easy for Daemon to advance to the throne and therefore encouraged the King to break tradition, the same one that placed him on the Iron Throne, to make Rhaenyra his successor. So, the two girls were still together and supporting each other, but the Princess now had a greater destiny mapped out for her.

Otto has always been a long-distance strategist. For him, Rhaenyra would never be Queen, it was just a matter of time to remove Daemon while he found a new wife for Viserys, one who would finally produce the prince who would inherit the crown. And what a chance! Her daughter was at the age where she could be this candidate! In this way, in secret even from Rhaenyra, Otto encourages/directs Alicent towards greater intimacy with Viserys, which begins with long conversations and then turns into nights in secret. When Viserys announces that he will marry Alicent, Rhaenyra feels – rightly so – betrayed by the two people she loves most. And even worse: from this union her position as heir came to be directly threatened.

Before moving on to the Princess, let’s talk about Alicent. The two’s personalities were complementary, but Alicent was always obedient and resigned to what was expected of her, while Rhaenyra always wanted to challenge traditions. Like pieces in a game where they considered different movements, the two became antagonists.

Obviously, Alicent not only bore Viserys one son, but three (and a daughter). However, unlike the book, in the series she tried in vain to be faithful to Rhaenyra as well as her father, becoming unhappy with both.

Feeling threatened, the princess went into a rebellious spiral that culminated in dangerous lies that threatened her position as heir. Encouraged by her uncle, she had her sexual initiation before marriage (with Ser Criston Cole) and as everyone knew, her reputation was tarnished. Otto jumped at the last opportunity he had to return the line of succession to the traditional patriarchal one, but Alicent did not initially follow him, much to her surprise. He thought she wanted her son on the throne, but she would only accept it if she followed the rules. As Rhaenyra lied to her by claiming she was still a virgin, or, to be fair, denying that she had had relations with her uncle, Alicent wasn’t going to bring her down. Otto was removed from his position for harboring “slander”, at the same time that the queen consort discovered that her friend had not been honest with her. From then on, they would never be the same as before. At Rhaenyra’s wedding feast, the Queen adopts the green of her House’s flag in a thinly veiled declaration of war.

As time progresses – 10 years – we see that Alicent and Rhaenyra not only no longer trust each other, but Alicent is no longer the sweet, shy girl. As Queen consort and mother of four princes, she has command, including over her stepdaughter. We find out that Rhaenyra and Laenor Velaryon’s sham marriage produced no heirs, but she still has three children and Alicent has been trying to expose the princess for having her lover’s children passed off as legitimate. And here are some important story points on screen.

As a refuge from a life without love or happiness, Alicent turned to religion, but there is obviously some hypocrisy. Her relationship with her informant, Larry Strong is sexual even without physical involvement, but she criticizes her stepdaughter. Even without deliberately acting in favor of her children to succeed her husband, she is horrified by Rhaenyra’s children. Her attitude dictates the toxic relationship between the children, anticipating the violence that will practically end both houses.

That said, Rhaenyra is far from “right.” Having married a homosexual hindered much of her legitimacy as an heir. First, she is unable to have a child with him, that is, her successor is actually her brother. To make matters worse, with illegitimate children, her honor is questioned which could cost the Crown. And what’s more, she is fully aware that the children are bastards but says that what matters is that they are Targaryens. She’s wrong, guys. Of course, when marrying Daemon, their children are in theory the true heirs. I speak in theory because, in the book, Rhaenyra is conveniently widowed. In the series, Laenor runs away with her lover, meaning Daemon and Rhaenyra’s children are also illegitimate. I’m a black team, but House of the Dragon presents the green team with convincing arguments, it’s a shame they didn’t use them and went for a clear and violent usurpation.

Because these two women opposed each other, their children “inherited” the resentment and hatred between them. Always fighting among themselves, Alicent almost goes crazy when Lucerys takes out Aemond’s eye, demanding another in return. The queen may not have blinded Rhaenyra’s son, but she certainly led him to her death, precisely at the hands of Aemond. It was an accident, as we saw, but an extremely sad one.

The second season trailer explores the consequences of this rivalry. We see that, as in the book, Otto and Alicent are angry with Aemond for having started the period of wars and direct attacks. Rhaenyra, devastated, searches for Lucerys’ remains. Alicent and Otto talk about the reality of risks that the Hightowers now face and yes, Aegon’s children will be victims of one of the worst scenes we have come to expect in the entire franchise.

But there is a detail that lies between the lines of all the issues recalled here. Alicent’s envy. Raised without a mother present, it is not clear when Otto became a widower, but she did not have a female presence in her life, much less a caring relative. Rhaenyra, on the other hand, was adored by her parents and had an amazing mother. It seems like a mean comment, but it’s not. The reflection of all these relationships is in the way the two raised their children and the extra pain that will generated in the Dance of the Dragons.

Alicent, who although she had a loving and friendly relationship with Viserys, did not have a happy marriage. No one to blame! She got married out of obligation, under paternal pressure and had to experience a frustrating sex life, at the disposal of the King and without any pleasure. The series made a point of showing us this. Therefore, the children of this union are not made out of love nor treated with empathy. Alicent treated the four as consequences and – tried – to educate them submissively. Her sentimental indifference created monsters: Aegon and Aemond are spiteful, sociopathic, and dangerous. Only Haelena awakens Alicent’s pity (not exactly what she should be, being her only daughter!) and that connection will be sorely tested when Rhaenyra’s response to Lucaerys’ death arrives in Westeros, via Blood and Cheese.

And this is what is also clear in the trailer: the suffering of two mothers over the inevitability

of the destruction of their children. Rhaenyra raised her 5 sons with care and dedication uncommon among nobles, but which follows what she received from her parents. The miscarriage of her only daughter, combined with the death of sweet Luke, will destroy her soul, but as we see in House of the Dragon she may be a new queen, but she is a good person. Hence the sadness of everything that will unfold, destroying the soul of the equally fragile Haelena.

Which makes us consider: if Alicent and Rhaenyra had been honest with each other, who knows if there would have been a chance for Peace? But because they were arrogant, many lives will pay the price. One that demands blood. Get your tissues ready!

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