Alicent (Olivia Cooke) in the season 2 finale of House of the Dragon
The season 2 finale of House of the Dragon sees Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) strike a deal with Alicent (Olivia Cooke) to end the war, hoping to avoid a fiery conflict with Aemond (Ewan Mitchell).
What Was The Deal Rhaenyra Made With Alicent?
Despite having started it all with her creative interpretation of King Viserys dying words, the finale of season 2 sees Alicent humbled, willing to lose, even willing to make the ultimate sacrifice—as long as the war ends.
Somehow, Alicent manages to sneak away to the Red Keep and meet with Rhaenyra, and offers her an easy victory; if Rhaenyra sweeps into King’s Landing with her dragon as a conqueror, Helaena (Phia Saban) will allow Rhaenyra to take the throne and secure the crown.
Alicent explains that Helaena, her most passive, obedient child, is the Queen Regent in Aemond’s absence (Aemond is technically not the king, even if he is acting like it).
It’s an Elden Ring-esque solution for a terribly destructive conflict; conquer the castle, sit on the Iron Throne, and Rhaenyra will be queen of Westeros. The solution rests on a technicality, and Aemond is bound to fight against it—if he survives.
For once, Aemond isn’t the big problem here.
His injured brother, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), is still the king, and is the real obstacle in the way of Alicent’s peace. While Alicent swears that Aegon will accept Rhaenyra as queen, his allegiance isn’t enough; Rhaenyra’s rule is always going to be undermined by his very existence.
Unbeknownst to them, he’s about to flee the Red Keep. But Rhaenyra believes that he’s going to stick around, and she can’t accept the competition—the succession question must be answered, with no room left for debate.
Why Does Aegon Have To Die?
The Targaryen patriarchy ensures that a former king will always be considered a more legitimate successor than Queen Rhaenyra. As long as Aegon remains alive, he will be a useful pawn for potential usurpers, who will leverage his identity to question the legitimacy of Rhaenyra’s rule.
The public must see him die in order to know that the heir question has been answered, conclusively; the Targaryens cannot survive another succession crisis.
Alicent also understands that Rhaenyra seeks vengeance for the death of her son Luke, who was killed after Aemond lost control of his almighty dragon, Vhagar.
Daemon (Matt Smith) avenged Luke’s death by arranging the assassination of Alicent’s grandson, Jaehaerys, but Rhaenyra demands “a son for a son”—it wont end until the two former friends are even.
Thus, Alicent agrees to sacrifice Aegon, for the sake of her remaining family’s future.
What Will Happen In Season 3 Of ‘House Of The Dragon’?
Initially, Rhaenyra is frustrated at Alicent for suggesting peace, because it is “too late.” She’s right; Daemon’s army is ready to march South, Tyland is sailing with the Triarchy, and Aemond is about to fly to Harrenhal.
Deal or not, there’s still a massive conflict ahead. The Dance of the Dragons is going to be depicted in season 3, and viewers will see why George R.R. Martin titled his book “Fire & Blood.”
The deal between Rhaenyra and Alicent is a departure from the book, and there might be many more changes made to the story in the next season. However, with Aegon gone and Aemond distracted, it seems likely that Rhaenyra will take the crown while the kingdom burns.
However, she made a major sacrifice of her own along the way, having willingly destroyed her family legend. Thanks to Rhaenyra’s army of bastard dragon riders, the world know knows that dragon-taming is not an exclusive, pure-blooded Targaryen trait.
For a population that views dragons as literal gods, this is a big deal; those new dragonriders are going to literally change the narrative.
Rhaenyra’s dark-haired heir is going to face the same succession crisis as his mother did, with more competitors. Not to mention, the inevitable rise of Aegon, who will be ready to return when the fires have gone out.
It’s been a long wait, but season 3 of House of the Dragon will surely begin with a fiery bang.
