Who Dies First, Alicent or Rhaenyra? (& How)
Like its parent series, Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon deals with plenty of deaths, even among the protagonists. That means that no one is safe in this series, just like how some of the fan-favorite characters were never safe. In that regard, we are here to look at two main characters, Alicent and Rhaenyra, who are not going to be safe from death. So, who dies first between Alicent and Rhaenyra?
Rhaenyra dies before Alicent in Fire & Blood. She dies in the middle of the Dance of the Dragons when she is betrayed by her men on Dragonstone and is fed to Sunfyre. Meanwhile, Alicent lives through the war and is kept in the Red Keep until her death due to Winter Fever.
The fact that Alicent ends up living through the war but outlives all of her children is poetic justice in a way because of the fact that she had a hand in how the Targaryen civil war. In that regard, she lived a somewhat long but sad life as her Targaryen line ended with the death of her children. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra’s line continued to live on until Jon Snow’s time. That said, let’s look at how Alicent and Rhaenyra die.
Who Dies First Between Alicent And Rhaenyra?
While there are a lot of main players in House of the Dragon, the one thing that we do know is that two of the main players here are Queen Alicent Hightower and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, who both used to be good friends with one another until certain events led them to actually go their separate ways. Alicent ended up marrying Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra did things that weren’t actually in line with Alicent’s moral beliefs, hypocritical as they may be.
As such, Alicent and Rhaenyra ended up becoming rivals during the latter part of the series, even though they did actually make up during the end of King Viserys’s life. But the fact that Alicent believed that Viserys thought her son, Aegon, should be king was what undid their friendship once more. And when Prince Aemond killed Prince Lucerys, all hell broke loose between Alicent and Rhaenyra.
Now that we know that the two main players that are acting behind the scenes in the Dance of the Dragons are now ready to move their pieces, it goes without saying that they will end up clashing with one another yet again in the war between the Greens and the Blacks. But who between Alicent and Rhaenyra will die first?
Rhaenyra dies before Alicent does, and that’s because she is not just someone who manipulates the things happening around her from the sidelines or the background but is actually someone who is battling for the Iron Throne. On top of that, she is also a dragonrider that is actually capable of fighting a true battle on the field. Meanwhile, Alicent was never a fighter and is only someone who navigates herself through the war from the background.
In that regard, as the one who is battling for the Iron Throne on the side of the Blacks, Rhaenyra is a greater threat to the Greens than Alicent is to the Blacks. That means that, even if the Blacks had a way to kill Alicent, she was not a great threat to them because her death would not mean too much. Instead, the more important Green players to kill for the Blacks are King Aegon II and Prince Aemond because they are the ones who are not only capable of fighting on the field with their dragons but are also claimants to the Iron Throne.
Nevertheless, Alicent is still important for the Greens because of the influence she has on her sons and the other people who are actively fighting for their side. But Rhaenyra is an even more important part of the war effort of the Blacks not only because she’s the one who is looking to claim the Iron Throne but is also one of the dragonriders.
How Do Alicent And Rhaenyra Die?
As mentioned, Rhaenyra dies in the book before Alicent does. The sad part is that she isn’t going to live long enough to see the end of the war because she dies in the middle of the Dance of the Dragons instead of actually dying near the end.
In the book, Rhaenyra and the Blacks manage to take over King’s Landing after mounting a powerful assault on the capital of the Seven Kingdoms. Alicent yielded the Red Keep to Rhaenyra but wasn’t killed. Instead, it was her father, Otto Hightower, who was beheaded for his treachery. Meanwhile, King Aegon II managed to flee the capital with his life.
However, while Rhaenyra did indeed control the capital, things went south for her quickly because she was unable to rule effectively while the war was still ongoing. Some of her men defected to the Greens due to the difficulties surrounding Rhaenyra’s rule in King’s Landing. She also struggled to keep the peace because of the high taxes that she placed on the smallfolk, who grew to dislike her.
In that regard, the smallfolk of King’s Landing rebelled and rioted. This forced Rhaenyra to flee the capital and retreat to Dragonstone. However, Aegon II was there the entire time, as he had already taken over Dragonstone. Rhaenyra’s men betrayed her, as she was given to Aegon II, who fed her to his dragon, Sunfyre, on 130 AC.
King Aegon II ruled as the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms while holding Prince Aegon the Younger hostage, as the Black forces still continued on with their war efforts despite the death of their chosen queen. Aegon II, however, was assassinated. The Blacks and the Greens decided to marry Aegon the Younger with Jaehaera to unite the two opposing factions as King Aegon III ascended to the Iron Throne. While that was happening, Alicent was still alive as she saw the end of the Dance of the Dragons.
Alicent ended up surviving all of her sons, as they all perished during the Dance of the Dragons. Meanwhile, Queen Jaehaera died two years after she married King Aegon III. That meant that Alicent’s Targaryen bloodline had ended. During that time, she was kept in her apartments in the Red Keep, with only her septa and handmaidens to keep her company.
During the outbreak of Winter Fever in 133 AC, Alicent Hightower died a lonely death with no one to continue her bloodline. As such, even if she did indeed outlive Rhaenyra, her bloodline never continued on. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra’s bloodline continued on with her sons, Aegon and Viserys, who both became king. In fact, Rhaenyra’s bloodline continued until the time of Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow.
