House of the Dragon captivated audiences during its first season.
The Game of Thrones prequel focuses on House Targaryen, 172 years before the birth of Daenerys. It offers us a glimpse into the past and has no shortage of scandals and edge-of-your-seat moments. We get to see what House Targaryen was like during the height of its power.
It has been 100 years since they conquered Westeros and united the Seven Kingdoms under the dragon banner. And it would be almost another two hundred years until Robert’s Rebellion would end with Aerys II “the Mad King” Targaryen’s death.
But during its almost 300-year reign, House Targaryen was not without faults that greatly preceded the Mad King. Fans of the show are rightly disgusted with the behavior of one character in particular, Rhaenyra Targaryen.
Introduced as a child at the beginning of the series, and chosen heir to the throne by her father, King Viserys, she takes several dark turns as she grows up. The wide-eyed girl who adores her father becomes selfish, ambitious, and reckless.
There is no shortage of awful things Rhaenyra does. Losing her virginity to a knight, risking his life in the process, cheating on her first husband, resulting in all her children being fathered by another man, and then participating in the husband’s murder so she could be free to marry her uncle.
But fans on Reddit have pointed out that perhaps her most dreadful betrayal was the lie she told to Alicent, her childhood best friend, stepmother, and Queen.
You will recall when Alicent’s father, and Hand of the King to Viserys, has Rhaenyra followed into town with her uncle Daemon, the pair are seen entering a brothel together. Otto of course rightly reports this to the King, and, to his daughter.
Instead of siding with her father, Alicent speaks with Rhaenyra who is adamant about her innocence. And Alicent believes her, pleading her case to the King. Her father is removed from his position as Hand and disgraced.
But Alicent is then shocked to learn that her husband has ordered the Grand Maester to prepare moon tea for Rhaenyra; a potion designed to eliminate any unwanted pregnancy. Confronting him, she learns that Viserys did believe her father, but regardless, would side with his daughter and maintain her as heir.
Fans were furious with Rhaenyra for this lie, which ultimately cost her Alicent’s friendship and trust, took from Otto everything he had worked so hard for, and started a vicious rift within House Targaryen that would unfortunately, never be repaired.
It was the discovery of this lie that immediately changed Alicent’s behavior toward Rhaenyra and her children. And worst of all, it was completely pointless because her father did not renounce her anyway.
Rhaenyra would of course learn nothing from this experience, continuing her unfaithful ways, and more relationships would be destroyed, along with more lives lost.
The first season concludes with her son being killed by one of Alicent’s sons; an incident that fans feel never would have happened if Rhaenyra had just been honest with the Queen about her first indiscretion.