#house of the dragon season two speculation

[the-common-cowgirl]

I’ve successfully gaslit myself

[green-watcher]

Son for a son. 🩸

[greenqueenhightower]

B&C clarification anon here! See, I knew B&C happened in Alicent's room & that Halaena was calling for her, but I guess i forgot she was there because she's only mentioned as "bound and gagged" in one line, but then the rest of it in centering Halaena - they never really say how Alicent reacts, do they? Just that she was there.

Hi anon, this is my commentary for the excerpt regarding B&C:

*TW*

Fire & Blood by George R. R. Martin, p. 414-415:

"The two men [...] slipped into his [Otto's] daughter’s chambers, one floor below. Queen Alicent had taken up residence there after the death of King Viserys, when her son Aegon moved into Maegor’s Holdfast with his own queen."

The excerpt opens with Blood and Cheese entering the Tower of the Hand. They bypass Otto's room and rather seek Alicent's chambers. They know that Alicent stays in the Tower of the Hand.

"Once inside, Cheese bound and gagged the Dowager Queen whilst Blood strangled her bedmaid. Then they settled down to wait, for they knew it was the custom of Queen Helaena to bring her children to see their grandmother every evening before bed."

Blood and Cheese enter Alicent's chambers. They wait for Helaena in there. They most probably tell Alicent what is going to transpire, and that they were not looking for her specifically. We can only imagine Alicent waiting, and praying for her daughter to not come to see her that night.

"Blind to her danger, the queen appeared as dusk was settling over the castle, accompanied by her three children. Jaehaerys and Jaehaera were six, Maelor two. As they entered the apartments, Helaena was holding his little hand and calling out her mother’s name."

Helaena enters Alicent's chambers and looks for her there. She calls Alicent's name. Alicent, being gagged, cannot respond.

I will not include the rest of the chapter because it is too graphic but I will give a summary instead:

Helaena pleads with Blood and Cheese to kill her instead of making her choose between her children. We can imagine Alicent reacting to this, and trying to communicate with grunts to her daughter and to the executioners her willingness to sacrifice herself instead. Blood decapitates Jaehaerys and Helaena screams while Maelor and Jaehaera stare in shock. Alicent is still bound and gagged and unable to comfort her daughter and grandchildren. Blood and Cheese then leave with Jaehaerys' head. It is unclear if Helaena's screams rouse the servants who then free Alicent, or if Blood and Cheese free Alicent before they leave. Either way, having jointly witnessed everything, the first person to comfort the two women is each other as they wallow in grief amidst a pool of blood.

Alicent's absence from B&C robs us of this dynamic and the helplessness that two women, two mothers, jointly felt during that scene.

[witheredoffherwitch]

Speculations and Spoilers: A Breakdown of the Trailer

Overall, here are my initial thoughts on the trailer: it exceeded my expectations. I was prepared for the rumoured "leaked" version but I am pleasantly surprised with what we got instead. The aesthetic of this season has already improved - the colour grading, costumes, and makeup all seem to have upgraded from previous seasons.

Now let's get to the trailer itself. I won't analyze every single scene, but rather focus on a few intriguing ones and share my own theories. Just a heads up, there may be some spoilers mentioned in the following observations. So, proceed with caution!

The first shot of Rhaenyra is absolutely heartbreaking. She appears shattered and defeated, likely searching for her son's body by the Shipbreaker's Bay:

Both shots seem to be part of the same sequence as she is wearing the same outfit.. and the first shot could be the aftermath of her unsuccessful attempt to find her son's remains.

In the next scene, we are presented with two dragons on opposite sides: Syrax and Rhaenyra on one side, and Seasmoke on the other. This will potentially show Addam or Laenor swearing allegiance to Rhaenyra's cause.

The third scene I wanted to highlight is Alicent caught in the midst of a riot. While many assume it will occur during the funeral procession, I believe it takes place much later in the series. One hint is from the leaks revealing Alicent's funeral attire, which looks quite different from what we see here.

The first image is from the leaked footage, while the second one is what we see in the official trailer. It's possible that they may have reshot the scene with different costumes, but it seems unlikely. In the second scene, which I assume will be set much later in the season, it seems likely that they might finally introduce the Shepherd. Personally, I will be thrilled if they bring him into the series earlier on as he becomes one of the most prominent voices against House Targaryen. His early introduction will showcase his growing hatred for their dragons, and his sermons will only become more antagonistic as Rhaenyra's rule progresses. Eventually, it will lead to the infamous storming of the dragon pit where the mob will eventually slaughter all of their remaining dragons.

A brief glimpse at Helaena's scenes with B&C and her attending Jaehaerys' funeral procession:

The second scene captures her gazing upwards, likely indicating one of two possibilities: 1. she is giving the command for Dracarys to Dreamfyre, or 2. she is looking up to see Aegon on Sunfyre, who may perform the final rites himself.

In addition to Rhaenyra's dragon-riding scene, we are shown Baela and Aemond on their dragons. Baela is decked out in armour, possibly indicating her involvement in a war. This supports the popular theory that she will be present at Rook's Rest.

Baela's scene has many fans speculating that it may be when she witnesses the death of Rhaenys.

Moving on to the Aegon scene, I am thoroughly amused by his attitude. I was afraid we would be stuck in another sombre period with Aegon, but thankfully we have moved on and entered his cunty phase.

Lastly, I won't delve deeper into these two scenes since I've already addressed the question here.

However, I have heard the theory about it being a dream sequence, which is something I personally prefer over the idea of it being about Alys.

Now, my final thoughts: Rhaenyra looks more pro-active as most of us had expected earlier. However, I still doubt if they will include her in any of the war sequences. Her role will be much more covert (which the maesters wouldn't have known to record in the history texts.) On the other hand, Alicent appears to have given up this season altogether. A side note: both women look stunningly beautiful in the trailer.

Aemond continues to dominate as the most interesting character, and it seems we can anticipate his reign as Prince Regent this season. Even in his brief appearances, he manages to captivate our attention and leave us wanting more. Aegon will be taking charge and we can expect a major comeback now that he is leading the Green faction.

AND that concludes everything for the time being! I may come back to this post later and make some revisions, but for now, this is all.

[spreta-invidia]

It’s been a week and I haven’t stopped being disappointed about House Darry.

But that detail is just the thing my brain picked out to focus on as a fulcrum around which I could think out my big issues with HotD S2 (or rather post S1.08).

Why is the plot so different? Literally diametrically opposed from the book? I know adaptations have to make changes. And I actually LOVE the idea of Daemon being haunted at Harrenhal, even though it is, again, exactly the opposite. That phrasing in FAB (no weird things are reported as happening to Daemon while he was in the haunted castle) is mouthwatering for a writer, right? It doesn’t say it didn’t happen. So okay, work with that. What does a haunting look like, in the context of the Daemyra conflicts of the show and the stated events in the book? Daemon rallying lords, looting this castle for its wealth, haunted at night with dreams and visions of Rhaenyra, Laena, and maybe Viserys, while the Riverlords bicker amongst themselves. Maybe Lord Vance (of Wayfarer’s Rest, obvs) is unsure of a woman’s leadership while Lord Piper gets his badass line about still having his sword. Maybe Lord Darry gets in a fight with Lady Mallister because she objects to Jaehaerys’ death and he’s in camp “a son for a son”. And Daemon is trying to piece them into an army while he’s falling apart. Maybe the culmination of this is him telling Elmo Tully to kill his father and take his place, and then realizing he’s thinking about Viserys and damn does he hate and love his brother all at once (thus making the juxtaposition of Daemon’s lines in S2.03 and S2.04 mean something for his character.) This all accomplishes the same things (Daemon haunted and forced to learn lessons, Riverlords chaotic, creepy Alys, etc) with similar scenes as in the show and similar numbers of actors, without making huge changes from the source material.

So why all these changes? I mean, I don’t know the end of the season (though I’ve read some speculation and possible leaks ofc), but at some point, don’t we have to start wondering, to quote David Benioff of all people, “What the hell is this plot?” What does it show that they’ve twisted the book story to accommodate their narrative of Daemon’s complete failure at the expense of his wife and queen and their kids? (Personally I think it shows their bias and judgements.)

Or, being generous, what does it show that they’ve twisted Daemon’s book storyline to accommodate him learning about his flaws at the expense of his wife and kids? I actually think it’s hugely important to show the results of the toxicity of the patriarchy on men, but I’m not sure it’s helpful if that’s at the expense of the storylines of the women around them.

Maybe Rhaenyra is going to ride into Harrenhal in episode 8 with Syrax and the Riverlords will fall to their knees when she gives them an epic speech. I don’t know. Her arc this season seems to be learning about not being passive and indecisive (traits she had either grown past or did not have until S1.08 and her reconciliation with Alicent), so I do think it’s likely her arc will culminate in taking control of her Riverlands or northern army. But I think it’s important to note that in FAB, the Riverlords didn’t rise for Rhaenyra’s husband. Daemon was like, “hey, wanna go to war for our queen?” and they overwhelmingly said YES, not because of a male figurehead but because of oaths and memories of a princess. (Though I’m sure the presence of a dragon-riding prince helped.) You can still have conflict within that “yes”, but it’s important that the support was THERE. That’s important to Rhaenyra’s arc. I would argue it’s key to it, but they’ve largely voided it in the show.

At a certain point, having Daemon constantly screw up and having everyone HATE him does two things: makes Daemon look incompetent and frankly idiotic and makes him a wholly unsuitable consort, and it makes the story of the Blacks hugely about him. Rhaenyra’s on thin ice with her council in large part because of Daemon. The Riverlands are chaotic and not rallying largely because of Daemon. Rhaena’s feelings of inferiority over not being able to claim a dragon are largely because of Daemon. Etc.

I get the idea that Daemon has to work out all his feelings about Rhaenyra being more powerful than him out in order to rise to the occasion. I don’t think that’s a terrible character idea. Some of the stuff the show did with him was very interesting early on, but I’m also expected to believe that his character is the exact same person he was in episode one, and that all Rhaenyra has learned is how to be a carbon copy of her father, vis a vis her dealings with Daemon, when fifteen year old Rhaenyra knew better? (I know the stress of Viserys’ death was an earth shattering moment for them, and they came apart then while book!Daemyra didn’t, but I can’t believe neither of these characters changed or grew at ALL, especially after their unity in S1.08.)

I also think this largely spoils the end of their arc. Daemon is going to die in maybe ten episodes? They’ve spent five episodes having him work through this phase of going against his queen, and I’m sure it’s going to continue til S2.07. Only his ultimate act, his climactic moment, is… going against his queen. I get the right reason vs wrong reason thing (also I truly believe Daemon never turned against Rhaenyra even as he disobeyed her, but that’s beside the point). If Daemon weren’t dying in maybe ten episodes, I might think this was compelling. I love that thing Emma said about them being too proud to be vulnerable to one another and I think it would have been very powerful in season three after the war had cracked their foundations.

Ultimately who knows what the show is going to do? They’ve literally reversed so much of the stuff from the book, maybe Daemon will survive Gods Eye and become the Three-Eyed Raven and also the Shrouded Lord. Maybe the battle will have nothing to do with Rhaenyra’s letter or Daemon’s choices. But if they follow the book storyline…?

Their conflict is too late to be formative and too early to be climactic. It’s just there. It’s just Daemon being a chaotic liability and Rhaenyra being Viserys 2.0. And the biggest issue: if they solve these problems, it will be just in time for the same thing to happen again. (Again, unless Daemon is the Shrouded Lord or something.)

And really, couldn’t they have just let House Darry love the Targaryens? Asking for a friend. (That friend is Lord Darry.)

[cure-icy-writes]

Okay so. A lot of people have been making cute little dungeon meshi aus where it's modern, but specifically the cast lives in one place. Figured I should maybe share mine?

Anyways. Dungeon Meshi but it's midwestern.

-Senshi, i think, is a regular presence in the church but is the kind of christian that the pastor has beef with. He has an apron with two fish and five loaves of bread on it, and can be found at pretty much every barbecue and church potluck. No one's sure if he's really devoted to jesus or just heard the story of a guy feeding an entire crowd and started showing up to church to feed people. He has caused two married men to have their bisexual awakenings.

-The town they all live in has an extremely high density of restaurants, meaning the only thing to do around there is go out to eat. The gang goes out to eat new places a lot together!

-Izutsumi is a warrior cats kid who was probably bullied for hissing and biting the other kids. The gang recognizes that she's not mean, she's just badly socialized and also seventeen. She lives in a group home, but has been running away less ever since she got promised regular meals.

-Related: Chilchuk is a union guy who is covertly making sure every restaurant they go to is up to code. He keeps shutting down places for not having adequate safety measures for their employees.

-Izutsumi has decided she's going to hang out with Chilchuk sometimes and will stop by his workplace. He's insistent that he's not adopting any more children, but has been teaching her how to budget, how to lie convincingly enough to get a job, and the most ethical places to shoplift from with the fewest risks because she's going to steal things anyways.

-Marcille has never been to a cornfield in her life. She's a Chicago kid, who really misses her deep dish pizza and that really good Italian place, but she's here to study some rare microorganisms.

-Marcille studies a very weird field of medicine that involves looking for medical uses in odd places. She's looking to eliminate class divides in lifespan by trying to find more affordable medicines for diseases that primarily affect the lower class.

-Her father died of asbestos poisoning from working in unsafe conditions when she was a kid, so she's especially alert for it, and gets a little neurotic around flu season.

-Laios and Falin used to go to the creek behind their house all the time to catch crawdads, and sometimes he'll still do it for old time's sake.

-Laios flunked out of college because they couldn't handle his autism rizz. He's going to trade school for the culinary arts, but he keeps trying to cook things he shouldn't.

-Laios checked out the massive dragon books from the library and cried when he found out they weren't real.

-He does furry commissions online, but he's not the best with customer negotiations and keeps wondering how many nipples someone's fursona has. Chilchuk helped him build his profile to appeal to commissioners who like speculative biology.

-Falin watched her brother flunk and went "hm, I think I will not." she's an apprentice at a local gardening shop. You think she's a normal sweet cottagecore kind of girl but then she starts gushing about soil nutrients and sustainability and you realize. Oh. Oh this is the kind of girl who would romanticize being buried under a tree and having it consume her bones.

-Laios wears shirts with anatomically correct dinosaur skeletons on them, but he has to order them online and frequently complains that there are no good clothing shops nearby. Senshi heard him say this, and introduced him to fabric paint.

[silmarillisms]

Rings of Power Isn't Cancelled

Everyone take a deep breath. Calm down.

Forbes cannot hurt you in any way that matters.

The wild speculation about Rings of Power being cancelled is just silly at this point. Amazon has paid for and greenlit five seasons of the show. It is almost unthinkable that they would walk back on that and not release five seasons.

The articles spreading doom and hellfire about cancellation are focusing entirely on US viewership numbers, which are normal and stable, to clickbait views both from people terrified of cancellation and people foaming at the mouth for it. Let's look at some solid facts about how popular Rings of Power is not just in the United States, but around the world.

Because the whole world matters a LOT when we're discussing viewership. You cannot just take viewership in the States and extrapolate it everywhere else.

Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon MGM Studios, released a memo today stating that ROP has been Number 1 on Prime Video globally for the full eleven days of its release. It is now one of Amazon's top five TV seasons of all time in terms of viewership. According to her memo, season one also received a huge viewership bump after August, likely people rewatching in preparation for season two's release.

Amazon has stated that Rings of Power has a huge presence in the global market outside the US.

With four episodes released, we are sitting around 40 million views for season two. As a comparison, about 25 million people watched episode one of season one, marking a decline in viewership from season one's release to season two's release.

AND THAT IS COMPLETELY NORMAL.

This happened with House of the Dragon as well. It is extremely common for the second season of any show to have a slower viewership pickup and then gain steam throughout the season, which is exactly what Rings of Power seems to be doing.

Don't give Forbes your fear clicks. Don't bite your nails over some asshole wasting his time hate-blogging about a show he doesn't like.

Payne and McKay have already told us that they are charting stories for the full five seasons. Bezos has paid for five seasons. The show's viewership is strong and fluctuations after season one are extremely normal.

Everything is fine.

[lupinusalbus]

Game of Thrones, the show, 100% told us what would happen to Danerys in Season 8.

I had time on my hands, and rewatched some of season 2. In the final episode, which you may recall, Dany goes to the House of the Undying to retrieve her dragons. There she has a vision of walking though the ruined throne room and not quite touching the Iron Throne. Instead, she gets distracted and in her vision goes through the gate at The Wall, where she sees Khal Drogo and their child. She has a moving reunion with them, but the cries of her Dragons pull her back to the House of the Undying.

Most everyone will recall this scene, but the point I am making is that the scene was there for the audience to see back in season II, when GRRM was still quite involved with the show. So all of the speculation by fans of Daenerys that Benioff & Weiss changed Martin's ending for Daenerys doesn't hold any water at all.

Furthermore, the scene foretells that Dany's involvement with Jon and the North will in some way be associated with her eventual death (depicted by her reuniting with Khal Drogo and their child in the far North, two characters who have already died). It's interesting that this was shown six or seven years before the final season, making it clear that it was the planned ending all along, and not something that was decided late in the game by D & D. As ridiculous as certain aspects of the Beyond the Wall episode was in season 7, there seems to be more than a grain of truth there pertaining to GRRM's planned ending. It's in this episode that Dany goes beyond the Wall to help Jon and loses a dragon in the process, which is for Dany, the unwitting beginning of her doom.

In the show, Dany never seems to reflect on the meaning of this vision at all. It's something she sees and apparently forgets.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Looks like Nettles is getting cut...

#fuckthemwritersistg

Spoilers and speculation for House of The Dragon season two, and beyond, lies ahead.

Oh I expected this. This is what they do. The World of Ice and Fire is complicated with tons of characters and story lines, so the show writers will always simply whenever they can, and even if they really shouldn't. Who remembers Jeyne Poole? Y'know, the girl who was actually married to Ramsay? If they hadn't already announced Addam's casting, I would predict that Laenor was going back to be one of The Dragonseeds and reclaim Seasmoke. That they would mere the two characters together. Because that seems to be what they do.

At the end of the day, we just have to take the show as a separate canon from the books. A lot is different. The show also tends to take various characters and rewrite them into better people. Game of Thrones did this with Sandor, Jorah, and Tyrion. House of The Dragon has done it with Rhaenyra, Alicent, and Aemond. The show already established that Rhaena is the girl who no one expects to get a dragon, and she obviously has a paternal connection to Daemon, so the writers said "close enough!" and substituted her in for Nettles. (That is, assuming this rumor is true, it may not be.)

But yeah, it's not the same, and Nettles was an important character in the story. Her absence would genuinely make the World of Ice and Fire smaller. Because she broke the rules. She was able to claim a dragon despite no apparent Valyrian ancestry. That's huge, and it's something Rhaena obviously can't replicate. Additionally, the bond between Daemon and Nettles worked because it was ambiguous. Was it paternal, or romantic? We can't be sure. But with Rhaena, that's gone too. We know for a fact that Daemon's her father, and Rhaenyra knows it as well. So her getting jealous is just going to make her look like she's out of her mind.

The mystery surrounding Nettles and the implications for dragon claiming as a whole were what made her character interesting. She wasn't a Princess of the Targaryen line. She was a common girl. And, not for nothing, but she was conventionally unattractive, too. It's unfortunate to lose that. Also, what does this mean for Morning? And Rhaena's story post-Dance? How are these two characters meant to be merged in the long term? If Rhaena can claim a dragon as fierce as Sheepstealer, that means maybe she could have claimed Vhagar, given the opportunity, when I think we were previously meant to assume that Vhagar wouldn't have chosen her anyway. Not sure what to make of that.

I'm sure it will be compelling when depicted onscreen and that Rhaena's ugly duckling story line will be fulfilling to watch, (the same way Sansa's arc was well crafted in the show) but still. This is a strange choice.

[lionspawfic]

Send A Raven: Open

Ao3: Lions_Paw_Fic

Current Poll: Character Fates for The Golden Queen

House of the Dragon Timeline: Working on a speculative timeline for the TV series.

CURRENT FICS:

Tooth And Claw (Modern Character In Westeros, SI-OC as Joffrey) | 3/?

Waking up as the evil child king of Westeros was not in Joffrey's 2024 Bingo card but here he is. Now, all he needs to do is figure out how to survive a civil war, the ice zombie apocalypse, and the looming threat of the dragon queen across the sea.

Oh, and settling if he's in the books or the TV show would be really helpful.

Lioness Rampant (Modern Character In Westeros, SI-OC as Cersei) | 2/?

It said a lot–bad things mostly–that Cersei Lannister's life may have been an upgrade.

SI finds herself as Cersei at the tail end of Season One.

The Funeral of the Century (Modern AU HOTD Mixed Epistolary, Chat Fic) | 2/?

Viserys Targaryen, respected stateman, dies and this draws all of his dysfunctional family back together.

COMING SOON:

To Shield The Realms Of Man (Time Travel Fix-It) | 0/?

In which Bran decides to find a better ending for the world.

The Golden Queen (Omegaverse, Jace/Aegon) | 0/?

Aegon presents as an Omega and Viserys jumps at the chance to secure peace. Aegon has to deal with the fallout in the change of power, politics, and his own place in society.

Strands of Green, Strands of Black (Jacelaena AU, No Dance of the Dragons) | 0/?

Viserys decides to push for the arrangement Rhaenyra offered against Alicent's wishes. Helaena Targaryen and Jacarys Velaryon are engaged to wed the day Jace turns fifteen.

A beast beneath the boards sleeps at last.

The Winter of the Two Queens (Rhaenicent AU, Team Black Wins) | 0/?

The first winter that follows the end of the Dance, the Queen of Chains reunites with the pensive Dragon Queen and the last remains of their family. Inspired by The Lion In Winter.

The Widow of Winterfell & The Rise of the Red Lion (ACoK/Season 2 Canon Divergent Duology, Robbaery + Sansa/?) | 0/?

Parallel stories covering two significant changes in the timeline.

Margaery and Loras were in the tent when Renly dies and Margaery flees with Catelyn and Brienne, leading to a Tyrell-Stark Alliance. One sealed through Margaery's marriage to Robb Stark.

Without the Tyrell backing, Twins is delayed, and the Battle of the Blackwater harder fought. Cersei and Tommen are found in the throne room later. Sansa floundering finds her place slipping into Cersei’s abandoned seat as Queen in King’s Landing.

Pairings: Jon Snow/Sansa Stark, Brienne of Tarth/Jaime Lannister, Robb Stark/Margaery Tyrell, Robb Stark/Jeyne Westerling, Robb Stark/Talisa Maegyr, Robb Stark/Jaime Lannister (This surprised me too), Robb Stark / or & Theon Greyjoy, Margaery Tyrell/Sansa Stark, Rhaenyra Targaryen/Alicent Hightower, Rhaenyra Targaryen/Harwin Strong, Alicent Hightower/Criston Cole, Aegon II Targaryen/Jacaerys Velaryon, Baela Targaryen/Jacaerys Velaryon, Jace Velaryon/Helaena Targaryen

Favorite Characters: Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, Daenerys Targaryen, Jaime Lannister, Jon Snow, Asha | Yara Greyjoy, Theon Greyjoy, Catelyn Stark, Ned Stark, Alicent Hightower, Laena Velaryon, Robb Stark, Val, Gilly, Samwell Tarly, Cersei Lannister, Rhaenyra Targaryen, Brienne of Tarth, Arianne Martell, Davos Seaworth, Aegon II Targaryen, Jacaerys Velaryon, Helaena Targaryen

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

[cherrieslvr]

RHAENYRA TARGARYEN & ALICENT HIGHTOWER - TRANSITION FROM BEST FRIENDS TO EVIL STEPMOTHER TO USURPER (TV SHOW)

Rhaenyra Targaryen was just fifteen years old when her father decided to wed her best friend, Alicent Hightower, who also happened to be fifteen as well and the Hand of the King’s daughter. This marriage was already an outlandish decision as it was custom at the time for Targaryen kings to marry either another Targaryen or a Velaryon, who also had Valryian descent. But with Queen Aemma Targaryen dying along with Prince Baelon Targaryen, this left King Viserys desperate. It also did not help that Otto Hightower, Alicent’s father and Hand of the King, was pressuring Viserys to wed.

With the loss of her mother and brother all on the same day, Rhaenyra turned to Alicent with her grief. Both girls only had each other for comfort. "I want to fly with you on dragon back, see the great wonders across the Narrow Sea, and eat only cake." (Rhaenyra to Alicent, Season 1 - Episode 1) The girls were inseparable as they only had each other at court. With intimate and raw their connection was, I full-heartedly believe that there was a deeper, more romantic love that these two girls shared. They only had each other at court and it is said that there was rarely a time where Rhaenyra was seen without Alicent. This speculation only makes the betrayal between the two girls so much more heartbreaking. The start of this betrayal was when Alicent wed King Viserys.

Without knowing it, Alicent was essentially being groomed to marry the king by her father, Otto Hightower. He made sure that Alicent was the one who would go to Viserys’ chambers and comfort him after the loss of his queen. Otto even made sure that his daughter wore more mature dresses so that the king wouldn’t be distracted by the reality of Alicent’s age. Otto toyed with the idea of the king briefly marrying Laena Velayron, who was just twelve years old but had already decided that his daughter would be the next queen. (Funny that the King’s younger brother Daemon ends up marrying her before marrying Rhaenyra.) I feel I must point out that this action was not Alicent’s fault. She was fifteen years old and wanted to do whatever pleased her father. I do not say this because I am a Alicent Hightower defender, even though I very much am, but I say this because it is the truth.

The union between her father and her best friend was simply too much for Rhaenyra. keep in mind that the princess had already been named over the king’s brother, her uncle, Daemon Targaryen. Rhaenyra felt that her father was trying to take back her claim and give it to his future son that he would have with Alicent. There could also be an argument made that Rhaenyra felt that Alicent never really was her friend, and her only goal was to be queen when Rhaenyra’s mother died.

With Aegon Targaryen still in the womb, King Viserys decides that Rhaenyra is now next up to be wed. He even arranges a wedding tour so that the many royal houses will present a son for the heir to choose from, but Rhaenyra is entirely against this. “Because you mean to replace me… with Alicent Hightower’s son, the boy you always wanted. You have him in hands now. Y-You have no further use for me. You might as well peddle me for what you can.” (Season 1 - Episode 3) Rhaenyra fully believed that King Viserys was just trying to marry her off so that Aegon could ascend the throne which couldn't possibly be further from the truth. In actuality, the king just wanted Rhaenyra to have joy in her life and he believed that if she had a family of her own, she could get over the death of her mother and brother and the loss of her best friend.

Now at the time, Alicent was also against the idea of her son ascending the throne over Rhaenyra, but this quickly took a turn as her father started to plant the idea that it would be better for the realm if a man was on the throne over a woman. For a while, Alicent stood firm in her decision that she would not partake in the usurpment of her long-lost best friend but that quickly washed away after the scandal involving Ser Criston Cole, Daemon Targaryen, and Rhaenyra.

By this point, the princess is spiraling. She is still not over the loss of her mother and brother, or the betrayal of Alicent, and now her father is going against her wishes in an attempt to marry her off. Rhaenyra ends up getting very familiar with Criston Cole, her sworn protector, even going as far as to sleeping with him. Now what Criston did not know is that this happened just after her uncle, Daemon, took her to a brothel and attempted to sleep with her but thought against it. Rhaenyra feeling rejected took it upon herself to take the initiative in her little flirt game with Criston and sleep with him. The next day when Alicent confronts Rhaenyra about sleeping with Daemon, Rhaenyra swears on the memory of her mother that Daemon never touched her and that they were not in a brothel that previous night. Alicent knows that it’s a lie and that severs the remaining love that the two girls shared. There is also belief that the two girls were in a more intimate relationship here and that’s why Alicent took it so to heart when she heard that Daemon and Rhaenyra were seen in a brothel together. I believe this theory 100%.

Criston Cole tries to convince Rhaenyra to run away with him, but she declines causing the knight to share their night with Alicent which helps build resentment towards Rhaenyra for both of them. Criston Cole ends up becoming Alicent Hightower’s sworn protector after this and Ser Harwin Strong becomes Rhaenyra’s.

Rhaenyra ends up marrying her second cousin Laenor Velaryon and her uncle, Daemon, marries Laena Velaryon, Laenor’s sister.

Years go by and Rhaenyra now has three children, Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey. All three of these children are not Laenor’s as Rhaenyra and he married under the acknowledgment that Laenor was gay and would not be able to give her any heirs. Rhaenyra had these children with Ser Harwin Strong, her sworn protector. The only problem with this is that all three boys have brown hair just like their father and they are white. Both Rhaenyra and Laenor have white/silver hair and Laenor is black. So obviously the entirety of the realm knows that Rhaenyra’s children are bastards.

By now, Alicent has four children, Aegon, Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron. Alicent and Rhaenyra’s children are all around the same age and do not get along.

With years to fuel Alicent’s resentment against Rhaenyra, she does wicked things to her. One of them is making Rhaenyra bring Alicent the baby Joffrey right after he is born just to take pride in knowing that Joffrey does not look like Laenor. This action sparks even more resentment and anger in Rhaenyra and her father is oblivious to it.

Few months later after Daemon loses his second wife, Laena Velaryon, to childbirth, Lucerys takes the eye of Aemond after being attacked by the prince. Aemond took the dragon of Laena Velaryon which started this fight as it was entitled to her and Daemon’s daughter, Rhaena. This sends Alicent right over the edge as she grabs a dagger and lunges for the boy only to be stopped by Rhaenyra. The two girls who were once friends are now mothers protecting their children. The desperation is clear on their faces as they speak to each other. You can see the longing that these two women share for each other, but it’s overcome by their duties as mothers. Rhaenyra and Alicent never pictured themselves on different sides of anything let alone a war. Seeing them long for what could have been if there hadn’t been a dominant male influence in both of their lives leading them to what they considered better for the realm is so devastating. I also think that the quote from Alicent in season 2 of House of the Dragon furthers my point on this. “You have no idea the sacrifices that were made to put you on that throne.” This quote just shows the devastation that Alicent feels towards Rhaenyra as she had to give up her connection with her. Alicent begs King Viserys to defend their son, but he does not and takes the side of his daughter as he has always done.

With the eye of her favorite son being gone, Alicent is all done with Rhaenyra.

Years go by and King Viserys’ illness is starting to take him. Rhaenyra and Daemon have faked Laenor’s death and have had two sons together, Aegon and Viserys, and are pregnant with a baby girl.

King Viserys and Queen Alicent have married their two eldest, Aegon and Helaena, together and the couple have three children, Jaehaerys, Jaehaera, and Maelor. Aegon has also expressed his disdain for the idea of taking the throne. His love for his half-sister is there. “My sister is the heir ... what sort of brother steals his sister’s birthright?” (Fire & Blood)

King Viserys dies but not after confusing Alicent with Rhaenyra. Alicent confuses the words that her husband says and thinks that he is talking about putting Aegon on the throne even after knowing that the king never wanted anyone but his daughter on the throne. While Rhaenyra and her family are in Dragonstone, Alicent, Otto Hightower, and Ser Criston Cole convince Aegon to ascend the throne under the pretense that Rhaenyra would kill him and his family.

Rhaenyra hears word of her father’s death and the succession of Aegon on the throne and goes into early labor. Her daughter, Visenya, comes out stillborn. “According to Mushroom, Princess Rhaenyra had cursed Visenya while giving birth, calling her a monster. He also claims that Visenya had dragon-like birth defects, describing her as having been twisted and malformed, with a hole in her chest where her heart should have been and a stubby, scaled tail.” (A Wiki of Ice and Fire)

After this sad event, Otto Hightower visits Dragonstone demanding that Rhaenyra denounce her claim to the throne and bend the knee to her half-brother, Aegon. He gives Rhaenyra a torn page from her and Alicent’s favorite book trying to appeal to her emotions towards his daughter (yet again this can be chosen to be taken as platonic or romantic, but I think we know the obvious answer) but after a single tear, Rhaenyra refuses to bend the knee. In the end, whatever love those two girls shared was destroyed by the male influences in their lives that pushed them into a state of hatred and resentment for each other. This blaming just fueled the war as there was now a more personal betrayal between the girls.

Preparing for war, Rhaenyra sends her two eldest sons, Jacaerys and Lucerys, on dragon back to the royal houses to remind them that they swore fealty to her. While Lucerys is in Storm’s End, he sees his uncle, Aemond, there. His eyepatch is prominently seen by Lucerys as a reminder of their encounter. Lucerys tries to remind Lord Borros of the fact that his father was a fierce supporter of his mother, but Lord Borros rejects him and sides with the Greens.

On his way back from Storm’s End, Aemond, flying on the war dragon Vhagar, kills him, starting the Dance of the Dragons and severing any chance of peace between Rhaenyra’s family (the Blacks) and Alicent’s family (the Greens). I believe that Alicent never wanted Lucerys to die even after what happened between him and Aemond.

I do believe that if the two women just sat down and spoke to each other about their resentment and apologized, none of this would have happened. There were just too many miscommunications and the love of these two girls was not strong enough to withstand it. Alicent should not get the hate that she deserves as it was not her fault that King Viserys spoke to her thinking it was Rhaenyra and the queen got confused. It might be her fault for thinking that he would ever place Aegon on the throne as he had been the biggest supporter of Rhaenyra being his heir from the get-go and had years to name their son his heir but didn’t. It is very sad to see the heartbreak between these two women and the idea that they will never get to fly around and eat cake together but the circumstances around them forbade it. Otto Hightower never would have let that happen as he would have done anything to get his blood on the Iron Throne.

All in all, Rhaenyra is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne and her children should’ve been her heirs. It is so sad to see all the death that could have been prevented if these people knew how to communicate.

Word Count: 2189

[the-common-cowgirl]

This part puzzles me.

Alicent in her small clothes standing at the edge of a lake.

I have effectively picked the trailer of what I believe each scene will be based on my knowledge of the books, however, I am struggling to figure out this part.

Why is she nearly bare in the open? What is she doing? This mystery makes me so exciting for upcoming trailers and of course, the second season!

[green-watcher]

*hotd spoilers*

After hearing of Rhaenyra's planned campaigns against Prince Aemond and Prince Daeron, Alicent pled for peace, petitioning that the Seven Kingdoms should be divided between Rhaenyra and Aegon II, with her son taking the stormlands, westerlands and the Reach, ruling his new realm from Oldtown, while Rhaenyra would rule the crownlands, riverlands, the Vale of Arryn, the Iron Islands and the North. Her stepdaughter rejected this offer of peace, claiming that her brothers had given up their positions of honor by stealing her birthright and claiming the lives of her own sons. When Alicent claimed that only bastard blood had been spilled, Rhaenyra was enraged, and threatened to cut out her tongue if she spoke any more of bastardy. 🩸

[emilykaldwen]

I dont understand why ppl want to get spoilers (that anon worrying abt aegon cheating) for fics or things in general, like, just read on and all your questions will get answered..

You told anon that abby is the only person he truly deeply loved, and yeah its obvious when reading it, but I could also imagine aegon falling in love along the way with other people he engaged with sexually, doesn’t mean he doesn’t love abby still. Maybe the love for the others wasn’t as deep or true, but just bc he loves abby doesn’t mean he cant fall in love (at least a little) with someone else too.

To be honest it doesn’t really seem like it when reading, since he really seems to only have his eyes on abby (romantically) all those years, but it wouldn’t be impossible to sneak in a second love interest for him.. would you do that in Maiden?

First off, thank you everyone who has sent nice/kind messages to me re: Maiden. I really do love my story and the only interest I'm able to tell is people who leave me comments. Thank you for making me feel less like i'm shouting into the void.

People like spoilers because they're hungry for answers. Why do you think there's so much speculation about season two of house of the dragon? And the anon who asked for the heartbreak spoiler, I didn't mind giving because I don't consider it a spoiler. I say right in the story summary that Abby and Aegon will have a Happy Ending, because in this fandom, there are a lot of stories that follow the 'rocks fall and everyone dies' plot of the book. This story isn't. I have heard of people who have been blindsided by poorly tagged stories where they thought they were getting a happy ship ending only to have the canon character like, cheat and then brutalize the OC pairing they were in. I have no problem whatsoever answering questions like this.

As the author, I'm asking you, the reader, to invest your time and emotions into the story I'm crafting. I want you to care. I want you to come along the ride with me! But this is also a fun hobby, and I know if I were a reader and then had the rug pulled out from under me, I wouldn't feel great. This is fic. This is free. This isn't a book I bought. So no, I don't mind reassuring people that Abby and Aegon are going to be okay, and that the current arc that anon was going into wasn't going to go into infidelity. If there was cheating in the story, I absolutely would tag it that way because that's an appropriate trigger. Whatever Aegon is doing during the particular arc, I do not consider it infidelity. Abby and Aegon are betrothed by outside force, but they aren't committed to each other. They're operating on that 'assumption feeling'. And there's a difference.

I think people are so capable of falling in love more than once in their lives. The idea of 'the one soulmate' is romantic as a trope, but it doesn't always resonate, you know?

I have to tease you here, Anon, because you just chided the other anon for asking for spoilers, and then asked me for a spoiler here! But I will say I already answered this question in the fic! In chapter 5:

And the love he had/thought he had for this person doesn't take away from his depth of feeling for Abby! No one person can be everything, and that's a thesis statement within the story. Aegon doesn't think he can be with Abby, so he was actively trying to move on from her!

I'm not sure if you're asking if I would consider this or if you're requesting this sort of plot. I do not take requests for plot in the story, and I hope this answered your question!

Thank you so much for your interest in Maiden! It really excites me to know that people enjoy the story, and I always love to hear about what you're enjoying and what questions you might have.

[youleavethetardisbrakeson]

What do you think about Corlys cheating on Rhaenys? It's something that I've never understood fully because they are so in love in both book and tv show

I've gotten a few asks along these lines and I've been thinking about it... spoilers ahead

First off, some disclaimers of biases: I love Rhaenys and Corlys, but if show!Corlys ever does anything along those lines, of course I'll be upset. (I also know that HotD is predominately trying to show how women suffer at the hands of men/patriarchy; I realize that Corlys isn't exempt from that.) I also like to analyze things from more of a narrative and film perspective, so I hope I am able to separate out my personal opinions on the matter. For instance, I made a post of a similar nature on why their argument in episode 7 and estrangement would be a good thing in the long run for Rhaenys' character development (even though it fucking HURTS).

Now to the question. The biggest factor here is that Fire & Blood is meant to be an INCREDIBLY biased history book. It's a lot of speculation, second-hand accounts, things lost to time, the winners of wars rewriting history, and gossip. House of the Dragon, while it has shifted some things around for TV, is taking the perspective of what actually happened. For instance, Aemond and Vhagar killing Luke and Arrax - the TV show makes it WAY more nuanced and interesting than just a killing.

When it comes to Addam and Alyn, the book explicitly says their "origins remain a matter of dispute amongst historians."

Other interesting quotes include:

"these bastards of Hull were both silver of hair and purple of eye" and other descriptions that they clearly looked like blood of the Dragon/Valyrians. It mentions that they had 'sea salt in their blood' (but they did grow up in a shipyard so... take that for what you will). And then when the call is put out for dragonseeds, only then does their mother "at last break her silence, claiming both boys were the natural sons of the late Ser Laenor Velaryon."

And then all the hot gossip of 'but wasn't Laenor gay???' etc etc

"...Lord Corlys himself, who brought the boys to Prince Jacaerys for the Sowing. Having outlived all of his children and suffered the betrayal of his nephews and cousins, the Sea Snake seemed more than eager to accept these newfound grandsons. And when Addam of Hull mounted Ser Laenor's dragon, Seasmoke, it seemed to prove the truth of his mother's claims."

And then Mushroom chimes in, ever the shit stirrer. He basically argues that Corlys has to be their father because he wasn't gay and also frequented the shipyards. He also thinks Corlys was afraid of Rhaenys finding out and that's why he told Marilda to keep the boys away and didn’t acknowledge them. And then the text says, "in this instance, it must be said, the tale told by the fool seems more likely than the versions offered by septon and maester." The boys become legitimized and Corlys' heirs. And that's about it.

As you can see we are working with a TON of speculation. Mushroom is an unreliable narrator, and none of this is based in fact. It could be any of these suggested events, or none of them.

Now as for the TV show, Corlys is a much more fleshed out character. He ADORES Rhaenys. Eve and Steve are always championing their dynamic and relationship. They are partners, in love, and 'have a good sex life.' Corlys' major flaws, and subsequent issues created in the marriage, are that he doesn't fucking listen to his wife and that he runs away a lot.

At the end of season 1, Corlys has two very important character traits:

1 - "History doesn't remember blood, it remembers names." That man is going around claiming white children left and right, not giving a FUCK if they're actually related to him. It's the name that counts to him.

2 - He is distraught and repentant over the loss of his ENTIRE FAMILY. See the quote above from the book.

With those two established things, plus all the other shit going on already in their marriage, do we REALLY think the show is gonna throw a 'oh and he cheated' plotline into the mix??? Or go with what has already been established, which is that he clearly doesn't care if these kids are related to him, AND he's clinging to some semblance of possible remaining family.

There's also the fact that Laenor is still alive in the show. AND there has to be some Targaryen in Addam and Alyn there because the boys fly dragons. Velaryons are not dragonriders.

So I don't know exactly how the show will frame things, but that's what I have to say on the matter.

[xthecaptainssaviorx]

House of the Dragon - future seasons possible timeline

Since they're apparently preparing or planning for the Battle of the Gullet (x), here's my prediction and the possibilities for the coming seasons, based on the timeline of the dance.

This will be a long post because there are multiple ways this could go, depending on how many seasons they will actually go for. I think they said that 3 is certain but if they have 8 episodes per season, I think 4 seasons is more likely for the dance itself.

Obviously, this is just me theorizing and wondering and most certainly not actually what will happen. Beware of spoilers below!!

In season 1 we saw the prelude to the dance, the green council, Aegon's coronation, the black council, Rhaenyra's coronation, the assault on Harrenhal and the Dance over Shipbreaker Bay.

Now obviously we can only speculate how far they'll take season 2 but this version seems like a possibility to me:

I have to admit, before the filming news and all that, I was sure season 2 would end with Rook's Rest but obviously, that won't be the case since the spoilers confirmed that the aftermath of the battle will be shown. Timeline wise, that would make the Battle of the Gullet the next likely possibility. However, I've also seen people talk about the chance of the second season ending with the Fall of King's Landing. I've got my opinion on that and the plot would be way too rushed but unfortunately, it's not impossible that they'll go with it.

Despite that, I don't see the Fall of King's Landing happening in the second season, especially if we only have 8 episodes. My guess is that the Battle of the Gullet will be alluded to in the final episode of season 2 and will end on a cliffhanger with it opening the 3rd season.

Maybe they'll switch some battles around because Daeron's involvement in the war only truly begins with the Battle of the Honeywine, which takes place after the Battle of the Gullet. Or it could mean we won't see Daeron in action until season 3.

Now we get to the part I'm uncertain about. Let's assume, all of this is somewhat accurate and we're in the third season now, and let's also assume they make 4 seasons of House of the Dragon or rather the Dance of the Dragons because who knows, where they'll end the show, where do they end the 3rd season? I have two options for that one:

The Fall of Dragonstone seems like a plausible choice because, while the Battle above the Gods Eye, as well as the Storming of the Dragonpit, would make a more epic finale, I highly doubt they'd go into the fourth and possibly final season without two fan favourites, Aemond and Daemon.

But maybe I'm wrong about that and they will. Maybe it will end with the Battle above the Gods Eye. With the Storming of the Dragonpit in the fourth season.

Despite all of my uncertainty regarding this one, I'm pretty sure they will push Rhaenyra's death back as far as possible. Definitely in the fourth season.

I'm unsure where exactly they'll end it but personally, the wedding of Aegon iii and Jaehaera seems like a good option for me. Obviously, it wouldn't be a happy end kind of story but that's not what it's supposed to be in the first place. And it would also leave the option for more.

Maybe the death of Aegon ii is the actual ending and everything that comes after is more of an epilogue kind of thing, although I assume they wouldn't leave the mystery around his death unsettled either so maybe not. What do you think?