How Does Alicent Hightower Die After the Dance of the Dragons?
During the early part of House of the Dragon, it was made clear that this was going to be a show that would depict the rivalry between two former friends as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower are now on opposing sides in their battle for the Iron Throne. Of course, we know that Alicent is plotting to put her son, Aegon II, on the throne because she believes that Rhaenyra is unworthy. Meanwhile, history would not be too kind to her as her family ended up losing the war at the conclusion. So, how does Alicent Hightower die after the Dance of the Dragons?
Alicent Hightower survives the Dance of the Dragons but was ordered to be kept in Maegor’s Holdfast throughout the rest of her life. She had never left her room since then and was only kept company by her septa, serving girls, and guards. She died in 133 AC due to Winter Fever.
The story of Alicent is a complicated one because it depicts a woman who was never able to have the things that Rhaenyra had and was forced to do a duty, regardless of whether or not she wanted to do it. So, in that regard, she became a vengeful and spiteful woman that wanted to keep her family on the Iron Throne at the expense of the rightful heir. That said, let’s look at Alicent Hightower’s demise in the book.
Does Alicent Hightower Die During The Dance Of The Dragons?
During episode 5 of House of the Dragon, we learned that Alicent Hightower was ready to wage war on Rhaenyra Targaryen because of the fact that she realized that the heir to the Iron Throne had been remiss in relation to her duties. On the other hand, Alicent had always been obedient to her father and was ready enough to do her duties, as she even had to marry a king she hardly even felt any love or attraction to.
As such, the battle between the former best friends was on, as this growing rift between Alicent and Rhaenyra will eventually become the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. That’s because Alicent will never acknowledge Rhaenyra as the queen of the Seven Kingdoms due to the fact that she believes that her former best friend was never fit for the role at all.
Of course, Alicent had a lot of co-conspirators that allowed the flames of war to fan out throughout the entire Seven Kingdoms. The queen had the likes of Otto Hightower, Larys Strong, and Ser Criston Cole all whispering in her ears what they needed to do to keep the Iron Throne away from Rhaenyra and to give the crown to Alicent’s son, Aegon II.
As such, upon the death of King Viserys, Alicent and Criston Cole crowned Aegon II the king of the Seven Kingdoms, all while Rhaenyra was still in Dragonstone. And when Rhaenyra was crowned queen, the Dance of the Dragons was fully underway.
There were many things that happened during the Dance of the Dragons, as the war led to many deaths on both sides. Rhaenyra lost her first three sons (the same ones rumored to be sired by Ser Harwin Strong) to the war. On the other hand, Alicent all but one of her children during the different battlers, all while Aegon II was left battered and weak due to his injuries.
Nevertheless, Rhaenyra died as well, as Aegon II fed her to Sunfyre when the rightful heir to the Iron Throne had been betrayed by her men. As such, Alicent was able to fulfill her goal of killing Rhaenyra and giving the Iron Throne to her son, Aegon II. But that didn’t mean that the war was over, as the remaining forces of Rhaenyra’s Black faction were still marching to King’s Landing due to the fact that they never wanted Aegon II on the throne.
Because there were still many factions against the king, and even the advisers of the king didn’t think that they had a chance to win this war, Aegon II was poisoned by conspirators that wanted him off the throne. Aegon II’s death led to the end of the Dance of the Dragons as Aegon III, the son of Rhaenyra and Daemon, was now the only male Targaryen left in the world. As such, Aegon III ascended to the Iron Throne, all while Alicent was still alive.
In short, Alicent didn’t die in the war that she started. She remained a shadow that was working behind the scenes almost the entire time while battles were being fought throughout the Seven Kingdoms. And while she did see her son finally becoming king, she lost more than she ever gained because she ended up losing all of her children to the Dance of the Dragons.
How Does Alicent Hightower Due After The Dance Of The Dragons?
After Aegon III was given the Iron Throne, the entire mess wasn’t over yet because the kingdom still needed to be united after the civil war basically tore Westeros in half. As such, Lord Cregan Stark, the new Hand of the King, sentenced to death the men that arrested Alicent after Aegon II’s death. The former queen was allowed to stay in court while Cregan and his Small Council were still trying to keep the kingdom in one piece.
That was when it was decided that Aegon III was going to wed Aegon II’s daughter Jaehaera to unite the two Targaryen branches once and for all and put an end to the war and the division among the different houses of Westeros.
But the problem was that Alicent Hightower opposed the union and even threatened Jaehaera that she was going to slit Aegon III’s throat herself. That’s because she didn’t want Rhaenyra’s bloodline on the Iron Throne, and she didn’t want her own granddaughter to have anything to do with Rhaenyra’s son.
Alicent refused to be reconciled with the crown, and that was when Tyland Lannister, the new Hand of the King after Cregan’s resignation, decided to keep her guarded well in Maegor’s Holdfast in the Red Keep.
She never left her room while she was kept in Maegor’s Holdfast the entire time. In that regard, her only company was her septa, her serving girls, and her guards. Alicent eventually perished on 133 AC during the outbreak of the Winter Fever.
